Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.UK-based supermarket Waitrose has been accused by social media users for selling tree leaves at 6 pounds.
Photos of various tree leaves packaged in plastic bags and arranged as flower bouquets(花束) went hot on social media lately, 【小题1】 (cause) complaints because of the product's price, six British pounds. Considering tree leaves can literally be picked up from the street this time of year, it's understandable that some people went after Waitrose, accusing the supermarket of trying to make money by selling 【小题2】that is actually free.
"A bag of actual leaves? I'll sell you a bin bag of leaves for 10p," one customer wrote.
"This has got to be from the drunk Monday morning meeting category of ideas," someone else commented.
Apparently, the bizarre bouquets appeared on Waitrose supermarket shelves as a way to welcome autumn, and 【小题3】 (feature) a sticker urging customers to "bring the outdoors inside".
"Brighten up your home with freshly picked flowers 【小题4】pleasant scents(香味)refresh the season," the official product description read. "We source the best blooms from expert growers, and handle them gently【小题5】 they can look beautiful for longer."
【小题6】the generally negative feedback on its autumn-themed product, the British supermarket proudly announced that the idea 【小题7】(inspire) at the beginning of autumn by a demand from shoppers.
"【小题8】we intend to offer, we base our decision on the demands from customers. Our customers love using these leaves to mix in with their seasonal flowers to brighten their homes," a Waitrose spokesperson told The Sun.
Interestingly, there were those who seemed to somewhat justify the price tag of this bag of leaves. They said that those were obviously "high quality leaves". Their claim 【小题9】be true. But even a bottle of wine can be bought at the same price or less. It seems crazy to charge 6 pounds for a bag of leaves.
This isn't the first time that English shops and supermarkets【小题10】 (make) news headlines for selling free things at high prices. There used to be a shop in London, which sold painted logs for $14 apiece.