The composing career (作曲生涯) of Albert Roussel got off to a changeable start, and received one of its biggest successes from a lie.
Roussel became an orphan (孤儿) at the age of eight and went to live with his grandfather. He built on the music he had learned from his mother, entertaining himself by reading through the family music collection and playing operatic selections and popular songs on the piano. Three years later Roussel’s grandfather died, and his mother's sister took him in. Her husband arranged for young Albert to take piano lessons. Summer vacations at a Belgian seaside added a second love to his life — the sea. He studied to be a soldier in the navy, but still made time to study music.
In the French Navy, he and two friends found time to play the music of Beethoven and other composers. Roussel also began composing. At the Church of the Trinity in Cherbourg on Christmas Day 1892, he had his first public appearance as a composer. That success encouraged Roussel to write a wedding march, and one of his fellow naval officers offered to show it to a famous conductor, Edouard Colonne. When Roussel’s friend returned with the manuscript (手稿), he reported that Colonne had advised Roussel to give up his naval career and devote his life to music.
Not long afterward, at the age of 2S, Roussel did just that. He applied the qualities that he had developed in the navy to his composing and became a major force in twentieth century French music. As for Edouard Colonne’s inspiring advice that Roussel should devote his life to music, Roussel's naval friend later admitted that he had made it up and that he had never even shown Roussel’s manuscript to the conductor.What information can we get from the second paragraph?
| A．Albert’s grandfather died when Albert was eight years old. |
| B．Albert's aunt arranged for him to take piano lessons. |
| C．Albert gave up studying music after he studied to be a soldier in the navy. |
| D．Albert came to love the sea after summer vacations at the seaside. |
From the third paragraph we know that ______.
| A．in the French Navy, Roussel and two friend began composing |
| B．Roussel’s first public appearance at the church was successful |
| C．Roussel's naval friend showed the wedding march to Edouard |
| D．Edouard Colonne advised Roussel to devote his life to music |
Which of the following is true according to the text?
| A．The composing career of Roussel started stably. |
| B．Roussel learned basic music knowledge from his aunt. |
| C．A white lie helped Roussel achieve success. |
| D．Roussel was cheated and hurt by his naval friend. |
Who told a lie according to the text?
| A．Roussel’s grandfather. | B．Albert’s naval friend. | C．Roussel's aunt. | D．Edouard Colonne. |
After a very busy afternoon，as I walked into my house，I heard the phone ringing. It was my friend Lydia，upset over an argument with her husband. My usual approach is to offer advice，but this time，exhausted from chores，I simply sat down in a chair and listened to my friend’s frustration and sadness. Without the disturbance of judgment or the desire to comfort her，I stayed totally quiet while she talked. Eventually Lydia’s depression eased and we said our goodbyes. The next day she phoned to thank me. “I’m so grateful for the way you helped me through this，”she said.
At first I was surprised. After all，I had done nothing except be there for her. But after I had my own venting (发泄的) experience with another friend later that evening，I realized that my focused silence had some value. In fact，most relationship experts agree that talk is cheap；it’s listening that’s rare and valuable It allows you not only to hear what the other person is saying，but also to have a clear understanding of her thoughts and feelings. And for the speaker，that level of understanding translates into concern and respect.
Unfortunately，listening isn’t as easy as it sounds. Thanks to schedules filled with family and work，multitasking has become a barrier (障碍) to listening. My tiredness may have been the only thing stopping me from folding laundry or checking my email while Lydia talked that afternoon.
Another barrier to listening is our listening system：Most of us take in only about half of what’s being said during a conversation，according to the International Listening Association. Research shows that we speak at 125 to 150 words per minute，yet think at 500 words a minute. Therefore，because we think much more quickly than we speak，it is easy for us to lose our concentration when listening to speakers.
While it can be hard to focus at times，it’s a skill worth developing. With a little practice (employing some techniques)，you can become a better listener.Why didn’t the author give any advice to Lydia that afternoon?
| A．Because she thought her keeping silence was better for Lydia. |
| B．Because she didn’t know how to comfort Lydia. |
| C．Because she was too tired to talk to Lydia. |
| D．Because she couldn’t cut in while Lydia was talking. |
In Paragraph 2，the author mainly talks about________.
| A．the importance of listening |
| B．the importance of venting anger |
| C．her own listening experience |
| D．her own venting experience |
The author uses the result of the research in Paragraph 4 to mainly show that________.
| A．we think much more quickly than we speak |
| B．we can only understand about half of what we hear |
| C．there is not much thinking time available while we are listening |
| D．we lose our concentration easily while we are listening |
What will be discussed following the passage?
| A．Why listening is valuable. |
| B．What we should do while listening. |
| C．How to become a good listener. |
| D．How to stop drifting off while listening. |
The first paragraph serves as a(n)________．
| A．explanation | B．introduction |
| C．comment | D．background |
Many young people tell me that they want to be writers. I always encourage such people, but I also explain that there is a big difference between being a writer and writing. In most cases these people are dreaming of wealth and being famous, not the long hours alone at the typewriter.
When I became a writer, I had no future. What I had was a friend called George. He found me a home. It was cold and had no bathroom. I could only afford a used typewriter. A year later, however, I still hadn’t received a break and began to doubt myself. But I knew I wanted to write. I would keep putting my dream to the test—even though it meant living with fear of failure. This is the shadow land (阴影) of hope, and anyone with a dream must learn to live there. Then one day I got a call from a friend who asked me to be an assistant for $6,000 a year. As the dollars were dancing in my head, something brought me to my sense. “Thanks, but no,” I heard myself saying. After that, I walked around my little room and started to feel like a fool. I felt a little low.
Later, I gradually began to sell my articles. It was after 17 years of being a writer that Roots was published. At once I had the kind of fame and success that few writers ever experienced. The shadows had turned into great sunlight. Before that, it was a long and slow climb out of the shadows.The second paragraph is mainly about ______.
| A．the job chance the author ever had |
| B．the difficulties before the author succeeded |
| C．the great help from the author’s friends |
| D．the important choices the author made |
The underlined word “something” in Paragraph 2 refers to _______.
| A．the author’s dream of being a writer |
| B．the author’s trouble in making money |
| C．the author’s hard life before success |
| D．the author’s wish to be successful |
How did the author feel after he refused the job offer?
| A．confident | B．angry |
| C．excited | D．Unhappy |
Recently, a study was carried out to determine who was the greatest American president．Sixty-five presidential historians took part in it, and they judged the past forty-two American leaders based on ten leadership qualities, including public persuasiveness(信服), crisis leadership, management of the economy, moral leadership, and conduct of international relations．The historians also looked at administrative ability (管理能力), relations with Congress, ability to set goals, and the pursuit of equal justice for all．Finally, the experts took into consideration the historical period in which the president lived．
The historians chose Abraham Lincoln as American’s greatest president．He had also been named best president in a similar study in 2000．Abraham Lincoln was the president who led the nation through the Civil War in the 1860s, and was able to unite it in the end．He also took the first steps to abolish slavery in America．
Edna Medford, a professor of history at Howard University in Washington, D.C., was an adviser on this study and the earlier one．She says Abraham Lincoln is seen to represent the values the nation most honors, such as truthfulness, moderation, and respect for human rights．
The historians put American’s first president, George Washington, second on the list, while Franklin D．Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt, and Harry Truman follow in that order．John F．Kennedy, the country’s first Roman Catholic president, is sixth on the list．Like Lincoln, Kennedy was murdered while in office．
Among recent presidents, Ronald Reagan was named the tenth best and Bill Clinton rated fifteenth, while the historians put former president George W．Bush at number thirty-six．His father, George H.W．Bush, did much better, being placed at number eighteen．We learn from the text that ___________．
| A．this is the second time that Abraham Lincoln has been chosen as America’s greatest president |
| B．Edna Medford didn’t take part in the study conducted in 2000． |
| C．George H.W．Bush was thought to have done worse in office than George W．Bush |
| D．Harry Truman was rated the fourth-best president by the study |
Which of the following belong to the ten leadership qualities considered?
a．Being able to persuade the public
b．Taking effective measures during a financial crisis．
c．Balancing home life and career．
d．Pursuing equal justice for all．
| A．a,b,c | B．b,c,d | C．a,b,d | D．a,c,d |
Who is rated worst among the following four presidents?
| A．John F．Kennedy | B．George Washington |
| C．Bill Clinton | D．George W．Bush |
The text is mainly about ________．
| A．the ten qualities a great president needs |
| B．a study of American presidents |
| C．the values the American nation honors most |
| D．how Abraham Lincoln improved the country |
When Steve Jobs was born on Febuary24,1955, in San Francisco , California, his unmarried mother decided to put him for adoption because she wanted a girl. So in the middle of the night, his mother called a lawyer named Paul Jobs and said, “We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?” But his mother told his future parents to promise that they would send Jobs to college. After Steve Jobs graduated from high school, he went to college but decided to drop out because it was so expensive that he had to sleep on the floor in his friends’ rooms.
At 20, he and a friend(Steve Wozniak) started a company in a garage on April 1, 1976. Jobs named their company ----Apple in memory of a happy summer he had spent as an orchard (果园) in Oregon.
After 10 years of hard time and failures, starting from two kids working in a garage, Apple computer eventually grew into a big company with over 4000 employees.
At 30, Jobs , however, was fired from the company he co-founded. But after he had to leave the company, Apple was under heavy pressure from rival (对手) Microsoft and in 1996 posted billions of dollars in losses. Apple needed Steve Jobs and he was appointed as Apple’ CEO in1997. Under his leadership, Apple returned to profitability and introduced new products such as the iPod, the iPhone and the iPod.
Steve Jobs once said, “Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick, Don’t lose faith. I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You’ve got to find what you love. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking.Which of the following is right according to paragraph 1?
| A．Jobs’ unmarried mother adopted him. |
| B．Paul Jobs was a college teacher. |
| C．Jobs’ finished his education. |
| D．Jobs’ unmarried mother wanted a girl. |
Steve Jobs didn’t finish his college education because he ______.
| A．wanted to start a company. |
| B．had financial problems. |
| C．took no interest in his major. |
| D．hated to share rooms with his friends. |
It can be inferred that Apple____.
| A．was founded in Oregon |
| B．developed from a garage |
| C．had a difficult beginning |
| D．had a successful beginning |
What can we learn from what Steve Jobs said?
| A．Interest is key to success. |
| B．Hope helps us succeed. |
| C．Attitude is everything. |
| D．Courage goes with confidence. |
I lost my sight when I was four years old by falling off a box car in a freight yard in Atlantic City and landing on my head. Now I am thirty two. I can slightly remember the brightness of sunshine and what color red is. It would be wonderful to see again, but a calamity(灾难) can do strange things to people. It occurred to me the other day that I might not have come to love life as I do if I hadn't been blind. I believe in life now. I am not so sure that I would have believed in it so deeply, otherwise. I don't mean that I would prefer to go without my eyes. I simply mean that the loss of them made me appreciate the more what I had left.
Life, I believe, asks a continuous series of adjustments to reality. The more readily a person is able to make these adjustments, the more meaningful his own private world becomes. The adjustment is never easy. I was totally confused and afraid. But I was lucky. My parents and my teachers saw something in me--a potential to live, you might call it--which I didn't see, and they made me want to fight it out with blindness.
The hardest lesson I had to learn was to believe in myself. That was basic. If I hadn't been able to do that, I would have collapsed (崩溃) and become a chair rocker on the front porch for the rest of my life. When I say belief in myself I am not talking about simply the kind of self confidence that helps me down an unfamiliar staircase alone. That is part of it. But I mean something bigger than that: an assurance（确信） that I am, despite imperfections, a real, positive person; that somewhere in the sweeping, intricate（错综复杂的） pattern of people there is a special place where I can make myself fit.
It took me years to discover and strengthen this assurance. It had to start with the simplest things. Once a man gave me an indoor baseball. I thought he was making fun of me and I was hurt. "I can't use this." I said. "Take it with you," he urged me, "and roll it around." The words stuck in my head. "Roll it around! "By rolling the ball I could hear where it went. This gave me an idea how to achieve a goal I had thought impossible: playing baseball. At Philadelphia's Overbrook School for the Blind I invented a successful variation of baseball. We called it ground ball.
All my life I have set ahead of me a series of goals and then tried to reach them, one at a time. I had to learn my limitations. It was no good to try for something I knew at the start was wildly out of reach because that only invited the bitterness of failure. I would fail sometimes anyway but on the average I made progress.We can learn from the beginning of the passage that _______
| A．the author lost his sight because of a car crash. |
| B．the author wouldn't love life if the disaster didn't happen. |
| C．the disaster made the author appreciate what he had. |
| D．the disaster strengthened the author's desire to see. |
What's the most difficult thing for the author?
| A．How to adjust himself to reality. |
| B．Building up assurance that he can find his place in life. |
| C．Learning to manage his life alone. |
| D．How to invent a successful variation of baseball. |
According to the context, "a chair rocker on the front porch" in paragraph 3 means that the author __________
| A．would sit in a rocking chair and enjoy his life. |
| B．would be unable to move and stay in a rocking chair. |
| C．would lose his will to struggle against difficulties. |
| D．would sit in a chair and stay at home. |
According to the passage, the baseball and encouragement offered by the man _____
| A．hurt the author's feeling. |
| B．gave the author a deep impression. |
| C．directly led to the invention of ground ball. |
| D．inspired the author. |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．A Miserable Life | B．Struggle Against Difficulties |
| C．A Disaster Makes a Strong Person | D．An Unforgetable Experience |
Richie Kraus thinks all kids should receive birthday presents. And he's willing to give up his own presents to make that happen.
When Richie was six, he helped collect holiday gifts for children whose families couldn't afford presents. He started thinking about how much he liked getting presents on his birthday. He asked his mom, "If we get kids presents during the holidays, who gets them presents on their birthdays?"
Richie wanted to raise money for those birthday presents. So his mom helped him create the 2U Fund. The name 2U came from the well-known song "Happy Birthday to You."
Richie explains how the fund works: "On our birthdays, we ask our friends to make a donation instead of giving us presents." Richie attaches a special sticker to his party invitations. The sticker tells about the 2U Fund and invites guests to participate, Richie and his mom then give the money to a local charity that has agreed to partner with them. The people at the charity make sure the donations go toward birthday presents for kids in need.
Richie has had three 2U parties. "It just feels really, really good to help other kids," he says.
Richie has encouraged others to try giving up some of their birthday presents to help others. His younger brother, Max, had a 2U party. Some of Richie's friends did, too. He also spoke about the idea at a summer camp and at a school assembly (集会). "There were close to 200 students and teachers in the assembly," Richie' s teacher, Janel McCormick, says. "They all wanted to help support 2U."
Since Richie and his family started the 2U Fund, dozens of kids have helped raise more than $7,000. That money has bought dolls, books, and many other birthday toys for kids in need.
Before Richie created the 2U Fund, he .
| A．had very few friends |
| B．had done some charity work |
| C．had seldom received birthday presents |
| D．had already donated some birthday presents |
To help kids in need, Richie' s 2U parties mainly .
| A．hold birthday parties for them |
| B．invite them to attend the parties |
| C．prepare birthday presents for them |
| D．raise money for their birthday presents |
What can we learn from the last two paragraphs?
| A．All of Richie' s schoolmates plan to hold 2U parties. |
| B．Richie is praised for his kindness. |
| C．Richie' s acts of kindness have spread. |
| D．Richie has made more friends. |
Danielle Steel, America's sweetheart, is one of the hardest working women in the book business. Unlike other productive authors who write one book at a time, she can work on up to five. Her research time before writing takes at least three years. Once she has fully studied her subjects, ready to dive into a book, she can spend twenty hours nonstop at her desk.
Danielle Steel comes from New York and was sent to France for her education. After graduation, she worked in the public relations and advertising industries. Later she started a job as a writer which she was best fit for. Her achievements are unbelievable: 390 million copies of books in print, nearly fifty New York Times best-selling novels, and a series of "Max and Martha" picture books for children to help them deal with the real-life problems of death, new hobbies and new schools. Her 1998 book about the death of her son shot to the top of the New York Times best-selling list as soon as it came out. Twenty-eight of her books have been made into films. She is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for one of her books being the Times best-seller for 381 weeks straight.
Not content with a big house, a loving family, and a view of the Golden Gate Bridge, Danielle Steel considers her readers to be the most important resource(资源) and has kept in touch with them by e-mail. While she is often compared to the heroines(女主人公) of her own invention, her life is undoubtedly much quieter. But, if she does have anything in common with them, it is her strength of will and her inimitable(独特的) style. There is only one Danielle Steel.Children who have read "Max and Martha" picture books may know ______.
| A．how to deal with affairs at school |
| B．what to do if Max and Martha die |
| C．what to do when new babies are born into their families |
| D．how to solve the difficult problems in their writing classes |
One of Danielle Steel's achievements is that ______.
| A．some TV plays were based on her books |
| B．her picture books attracted a lot of young men |
| C．one of her books became a best-seller in 1998 |
| D．she wrote the Guinness Book of World Records |
We can learn from the passage that Danielle Steel _____.
| A．lives an exciting life | B．value her readers a lot |
| C．writes about quiet women | D．is pleased with her achievements |
Jimmy is an automotive mechanic, but he lost his job a few months ago. He has a good heart, but always feared applying for a new job.
One day, he gathered up all his strength and decided to attend a job interview. His appointment was at 10 am and it was already 8:30. While waiting for a bus to the office where he was supposed to be interviewed, he saw an elderly man wildly kicking the tyre of his car. Obviously there was something wrong with the car. Jimmy immediately went up to lend him a hand. When Jimmy finished working on the car, the old man asked him how much he should pay for the service. Jimmy said there was no need to pay him; he just helped someone in need, and he had to rush for an interview. Then the old man said, “Well, I could take you to the office for your interview. It’s the least I could do. Please, I insist.” Jimmy agreed.
Upon arrival, Jimmy found a long line of applicants waiting to be interviewed. Jimmy still had some grease on him after the car repair, but he did not have much time to wash it off or have a change of shirt. One by one, the applicants left the interviewer’s office with disappointed look on their faces. Finally his name was called. The interviewer was sitting on a large chair facing the office window. Rocking the chair back and forth, he asked, “Do you really need to be interviewed?” Jimmy’s heart sank. “With the way I look now, how could I possibly pass this interview?” he thought to himself.
Then the interviewer turned the chair and to Jimmy’s surprise, it was the old man he helped earlier in the morning. It turned out he was the General Manager of the company.
“Sorry I had to keep you waiting, but I was pretty sure I made the right decision to have you as part of our workforce before you even stepped into the office. I just know you’d be a trustworthy worker. Congratulations!” Jimmy sat down and they shared a cup of well-deserved coffee as he landed himself a new job. Why did Jimmy apply for a new job?
| A．He was out of work | B．He was bored with his job |
| C．He wanted a higher position | D．He hoped to find a better boss |
What did Jimmy see on the way to the interview?
| A．A friend’s car had a flat tyre | B．a wild man was pushing a car |
| C．a terrible accident happened | D．an old man’s car broke down |
Why did the old man offer Jimmy a ride?
| A．He was also to be interviewed | B．He needed a traveling companion |
| C．He always helped people in need | D．He was thankful to Jimmy |
How did Jimmy feel on hearing the interviewer’s question?
| A．He was sorry for the other applicants |
| B．There was no hope for him to get the job |
| C．He regretted helping the old man |
| D．The interviewer was very rude |
What can we learn from Jimmy’s experience？
| A．Where there is a will, there’s a way |
| B．A friend in need is a friend indeed |
| C．Good is rewarded with good. |
| D．Two heads are better than one |
In 1959, when Jean Harper was in the third grade, her teacher gave the class an assignment to write a report on what they wanted to be when they grew up. She poured her heart into her report and expressed her dream of becoming an airline pilot. Her paper came back with an "F" on it. The teacher told her it was a "fairy tale". Jean was heartbroken and ashamed. As the years went by, Jean was beaten down by the discouragement and negativity she encountered whenever she talked about her dream. "Girls can't become airline pilots; never have, never will. You're crazy. That's impossible. "Finally Jean gave up.
In her senior year of high school, her English teacher was a Mrs. Dorothy Slaton, a demanding teacher with high standards. One day Mrs. Slaton asked this question: "If you had unlimited finances, unlimited access to the finest schools, unlimited talents and abilities, what would you do?" Jean felt a rush of the old enthusiasm, and with excitement she wrote down the very old dream.
The next thing that Mrs. Slaton said changed the course of Jean's life. The teacher leaned forward over her desk and said, "I have a little secret for you. You do have unlimited abilities and talents. When you leave school, if you don't go for your dreams, no one will do it for you. You can have what you want if you want it enough."
The hurt and fear of years of discouragement disappeared all of a sudden. Jean felt thrilled and told her about her dream of becoming a pilot. Mrs. Slaton slapped the desk top. "Then do it!" she said.
So Jean did. It didn't happen overnight. In her l0 years of hard work, even facing varieties of laugh, frustration and opposition, she never gave up her dream. Instead, she went on doing everything her third-grade teacher said was fairy-tale.
Eventually, Jean Harper became a Boeing 737 captain for the United Airline Company.Jean’s third-grade teacher thought her dream to be ____________.
| A．great | B．impossible |
| C．challenging | D．reasonable |
Mrs. Slaton may hold the view that _____________.
| A．only some of her students have great potential |
| B．her students are good enough to be admitted to the best schools |
| C．belief contributes to realizing a dream |
| D．Jean was to have her dream realized |
According to the passage, we can infer that___________.
| A．Jean’s dream was always in her deep heart |
| B．Jean owed her success to all her teachers |
| C．most people around Jean approved of her dream |
| D．Jean achieved her dream with ease |
Which is the best title of the passage?
| A．A Respectable Teacher | B．How to Realize a Dream |
| C．Hard Work Pays off | D．Reach for the Sky |
Shakespeare’s Birthplace and Exhibition of Shakespeare’s World
Welcome to the world-famous house where William Shakespeare was born in l564 and where he grew up. The property (房产) remained in the ownership of Shakespeare’s family until 1806. The House has welcomed visitors traveling from all over the world, for over 250 years.
◆Enter through the Visitors’ Centre and see the highly-praised exhibition Shakespeare's World, a lively and full introduction to the life and work of Shakespeare.
◆Stand in the rooms where Shakespeare grew up.
◆Discover examples of furniture and needlework from Shakespeare’s period.
◆Enjoy the traditional English garden, planted with trees and flowers mentioned in the poet’s works.
pThe Birthplace is within easy walking distance of all the car parks shown on the map: nearest is Windsor Street (3 minutes’ Walk).
㊣The House may present difficulties but the Visitors’ Centre, its exhibition, and the garden are accessible (可进入的) to wheelchair users.
⊙The Shakespeare Coffee House (opposite the Birthplace).
How much is the admission for a family of two grown-ups and two children?
| A．￡9.80. | B．￡12.00. | C．￡14.20. | D．￡16.40. |
Where is the nearest parking place to Shakespeare’s Birthplace?
| A．Behind the exhibition hall. |
| B．Opposite the Visitors’ Centre. |
| C．At Windsor Street. |
| D．Near the Coffee House. |
A wheelchair user may need help to enter .
| A．the House | B．the garden |
| C．the Visitors’ Centre | D．the exhibition hall |
The associates I hired in my bicycle and lawn mower shop like myself were never perfect; however, they were excellent. Working with them as they improved taught me new ways to show forgiveness, understanding, and patience.
One day the placement officer asked me to interview a young man who was having trouble finding a job. He told me that David was a little shy, did not talk much and was afraid to go on with interviews. He requested that I give David an interview just for practice. He plainly told David that I had no positions open at the time and the interview was just for practice.
When David came in for the interview, he hardly said a word. I told him what we did at the bicycle shop and showed him around. I told David to keep showing up because the number one thing an employer wanted in an associate was dependability.
David was very quiet (he was evaluated as a slow learner in school). Every ten days or so, for weeks after the interview, David walked into the bicycle shop and stood by the front door. He never said a word, just stood by the door.
One day, shortly before Christmas, a large truck came to the shop, packed with 250 new bicycles. It had to be unloaded right away or the driver would leave.
It was raining. Some of my workers (without physical limitations) chose not to brave the weather to get into work, so I was short-handed. It seemed everything was going wrong and on top of it, David came in the front door and just stood there. I looked at him and shouted, “Well, all right! Fill out a time card and help me unload this truck!”
David worked for my bicycle shop for eighteen years. He came to work every day thirty minutes early. He could talk; however, he rarely chose to. He drove my truck and made deliveries. The customers would praise David, saying, “He doesn’t talk, but he really shows you how to operate a lawn mower!”The author finally hired David because________.
| A．there were no other workers in the shop then |
| B．he needed someone who was willing to work then |
| C．David kept showing up |
| D．he realized David was dependable |
We can infer from the last paragraph that_______.
| A．the author feels lucky to hire David |
| B．David has had his character changed through work |
| C．the author prefers David to be more outgoing |
| D．some customers just play jokes on David |
The author gave David an interview to _______.
| A．find a person who is reliable |
| B．find a part-time worker in need |
| C．give him some practice |
| D．show sympathy for him |
The author’s tone in describing David is full of ______.
| A．pity | B．wonder |
| C．disappointment | D．appreciation |
Cleverness is a gift while kindness is a choice．Gifts are easy—they’re given after all．Choice can be hard．
I got the idea to start Amazon 16 years ago．I came across the fact that the Internet usage was growing at 2300 percent per year．I’d never seen or heard of anything that grew that fast，and the idea of building all online bookstore with millions of titles was very exciting to me. I had just turned 30 years old，and I’d been married for a year．I told my wife MacKenzie that I wanted to quit my job and go to do this crazy thing that probably wouldn’t work since most start-ups don’t and I wasn’t sure what to expect．MacKenzie told me I should go for it．As a young boy，I’d been a garage inventor．I’d always wanted to be all inventor，and she wanted me to follow my passion．
I was working at a financial firm in New York City with a bunch of very smart people and I had a brilliant boss that I much admired．I went to my boss and told him I wanted to start a company selling books on the Internet．He took me on a long walk in Central Park，listened carefully to me，and finally said，“That sounds like a really good idea，but it would be an even better idea for someone who didn’t already have a good job．”That 1ogic made some sense to me，and he convinced me to think about it for 48 hours before making a final decision．Seen in that light,it really was a difficult choice，but finally，I decided I had to give it a shot．I didn’t think I’d regret trying and failing．And I suspected I would always be haunted by a decision to not try at all.
After much consideration ，I took the less safe path to follow my passion ，and I’m proud of that choice．For all of us，in the end，we are our choice．What inspired the author with the idea of building an online bookstore?
| A．His dream of being an inventor． |
| B．The support of his wife． |
| C．The greatly increasing usage of the Internet． |
| D．Millions of exciting titles, |
Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined sentence?
| A．The idea of not trying would keep coming to his mind and disturb him． |
| B．He would be very excited if he tried it out． |
| C．Be would be always having a doubt if he didn’t try． |
| D．The decision to not try the online bookstore would terrify him． |
Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Cleverness and Kindness | B．The Starting of Amazon |
| C．Following My Passion | D．We Are What We Choose |
We can know from the passage that_______．
| A．the boss thought the idea was suitable for the author |
| B．the author wanted someone else to try the idea |
| C．the author might not regret if he failed the idea |
| D．the author might go back to his boss if he failed |
One day Mr. Brown sees a young woman in the street with children. He is very surprised because all the children are wearing the same clothes. White caps, blue coats and yellow trousers.
“Are all these children yours?” he asks the woman.
“Yes, they are.” she answers.
“Do you always dress them in the same clothes ?” asks Mr. Brown.
“Yes,” answers the mother. “When we have four children, we dress them in the same clothes because we don’t want to lose any of them. It is easy to see our children among other children because they are all wearing the same clothes.
And now we have ten, we dress them like this because we don't want to take other children home by mistake. When there are other children among ours, it is easy to see them because their clothes are different.How many people does Mr. Brown see in the street one day? He sees ____in all.
| A．twelve | B．eleven | C．four | D．ten children |
Why is Mr. Brown surprised? Because ________ .
| A．all the children are boys |
| B．all the children are in the same clothes |
| C．all the children are lovely |
| D．all the children are wearing the same trousers |
Why does the woman dress her children in the same clothes? Because ___________.
| A．she has so many children |
| B．she loves her children |
| C．she doesn't want to take her children home |
| D．she wants to see her children easily among others |
A lawyer and a young lady were sitting next to each other on a long flight. The lawyer asked if she would like to play a fun game. The lady just wanted to take a nap, so she politely refused.
The lawyer explained that the game was actually very easy. He explained “I ask you a question, and if you don’t know the answer, you pay me, and vice versa（反之亦然）.” Again, the lady politely refused and tried to get some sleep.
The lawyer added eagerly, “Okay, if you don’t know the answer, you pay me $5, and if I don’t know the answer, I will pay you $50!” Considering that there would be no end to this suffering unless she played, the lady agreed.
The lawyer asked the first question, “What is the distance from the earth to the moon?” The young lady didn't say a word, pulled out five dollars from her purse and handed it to the lawyer.
Now, it was the lady’s turn. She asked the lawyer, “What goes up a hill with three legs, and comes down with four?” The lawyer was greatly puzzled. He took out his computer and searched all of his references. He searched the Net and sent e-mails to all of his friends, but it was all to no avail. After over an hour, he woke up the lady and handed her $50. The lady politely took the money and turned away to get back to sleep.
The lawyer, very puzzled now, woke the lady up again and asked, “Well, what on earth is the answer?” Without a word, the lady reached into her purse, handed the lawyer another $5 and went back to sleep.The lawyer tried to persuade the lady to play the game because he .
| A．knew he could win |
| B．wanted to have fun with the lady |
| C．wanted to lose money to her |
| D．liked to chat with young ladies |
Which of the following best describes the meaning of the underlined words?
| A．No messages arrived | B．No one could help him |
| C．The Net failed to work | D．Nobody answered his e-mails |
We may infer from the story that .
| A．the lawyer and the lady used to be lovers. |
| B．there was no answer to the lady’s question. |
| C．the lady didn't like playing games with strangers. |
| D．the lawyer was too stupid to answer the question. |
The author’s purpose for writing the story is to .
| A．tell us how clever the lady is |
| B．describe the rules of playing games |
| C．show that it is interesting to play games |
| D．make fun of the lawyer |
试题篮
()
粤公网安备 44130202000953号
