In business, there’s a speed difference: It’s the difference between how important a firm’s leaders say speed is to their competitive(競爭的) strategy(策略) and how fast the company actually moves.The difference is important regardless of industry and company size. Companies fearful of losing their competitive advantage spend much time and money looking for ways to pick up the speed.
In our study of 343 businesses, the companies that chose to go, go, go to try to gain an edge ended up with lower sales and operating incomes than those that paused at key moments to make sure they were on the right track.What's more, the firms that “slowed down to speed up” improved their top and bottom lines, averaging 40% higher sales and 52% higher operating incomes over a three-year period.
How did they disobey the laws of business physics, taking more time than competitors yet performing better? They thought differently about what “slower” and “faster” mean.Firms sometimes fail to understand the difference between operational speed (moving quickly) and strategic speed (reducing the time it takes to deliver value)．Simply increasing the speed of production, for example, may be one way to try to reduce the speed difference.But that often leads to reduced value over time, in the form of lower-quality products and services.
In our study, higher-performing companies with strategic speed always made changes when necessary. They became more open to ideas and discussion.They encouraged new ways of thinking.And they allowed time to look back and learn.By contrast (相比而言), performance suffered at firms that moved fast all the time, paid too much attention to improving efficiency, stuck to tested methods, didn't develop team spirit among their employees, and had little time thinking
about changes.
Strategic speed serves as a kind of leadership.Teams that regularly take time to get things right, rather than plough ahead full bore, are more successful in meeting their business goals.That kind of strategy must come from the top.
【小題1】What does the underlined part “gain an edge” in Paragraph 2 mean?

A．Increase the speed.	B．Reach the limit.
C．Get an advantage.	D．Set a goal.

【小題2】The underlined part “the laws of business physics” in Paragraph 3 means ________.

A．spending more time and performing worse

B．spending more time and performing better

C．spending less time and performing worse

D．spending less time and performing better

【小題3】What can we learn from the text?

A．How fast a firm moves depends on how big it is.

B．How competitive a firm is depends on what it produces.

C．Firms guided by strategic speed take time to make necessary changes.

D．Firms guided by operational speed take time to develop necessary team spirit.

【小題4】Which could be the best title for the text?

A．Improve quality? Serve better.	B．Deliver value? Plough ahead.
C．Reduce time? Move faster.	D．Need speed? Slow down.

The traditional distinction between products that satisfy needs and those that satisfy wants is no longer adequate to describe classes of products. In today’s prosperous societies, the distinction has become unclear because so many wants have been turned into needs. A writer, for instance, can work with paper and pencils. These are legal needs for the task. But the work can be done more quickly and efficiently with a word processor. Thus a computer is soon viewed as a need rather than a want.
In the field of marketing, consumer goods are classed according to the way in which they are purchased. The two main classes are convenience goods and shopping goods. Two lesser types are specialty goods and unsought(主動(dòng)提供的) goods. It must be emphasized that all of these types are based on the way shoppers think about products, not on the nature of the products themselves. What is regarded as a convenience item in France (wine, for example) should be a specialty goods in the United States.
People do not spend a great deal of time shopping for such convenience items as groceries, newspapers, toothpaste, aspirin, and candy. The buying of convenience goods may be done routinely, as some families buy groceries once a week. Such regularly purchased items are called staples. Sometimes convenience products are bought without enough thinking; someone has a sudden desire for an ice cream sundae(圣代) on a hot day. Or they may be purchased as emergency items.
Shopping goods are items for which customers search. They compare prices, quality, and styles, and may visit a number of stores before making a decision. Buying an automobile is often done this way.
Shopping goods fall into two classes; those that are recognized as basically the same and those that are regarded as different. Items that are looked upon as basically the same include such things as home appliances, television sets, and automobiles. Having decided on the model desired, the customer is primarily interested in getting the item at the most favorable price. Items regarded as essentially different include clothing, furniture, and dishes. Quality, style and fashion will either take precedence(優(yōu)先) over price, or they will not matter at all.
【小題1】It can be learned from the first paragraph that ______. 

A．a(chǎn) writer needs a word processor

B．needs and wants can’t be separated clearly

C．the way to distinguish the products is unimportant

D．a(chǎn) computer is a need rather than a want

【小題2】The example of wine is used to illustrate that ______.

A．goods are classified differently in different countries

B．the types of the product lie on the people rather than its nature

C．Frenchmen often drink but Americans sometimes do

D．one product may belong to many types

【小題3】Staples are items that ______.  

A．a(chǎn)re convenient to purchase

B．a(chǎn)re purchased without enough thinking

C．people “want but don’t need”

D．people are in constant need of

【小題4】Shopping goods that are considered as basically the same are those that ______.   

A．consumers don’t care where to buy them

B．consumers spend much time searching for

C．satisfy similar needs of the consumer

D．can be found in nearly every shop

Cause and effect is one way to explain things that happen around us. Many things happen because something caused or influenced them to happen. Sometimes it is hard to look at a cause and find out what causes the effect. It may help you to start with the effect and use your reasoning(推理的) skills. Think about all the things you know that could be reasons for the effect you can see.
For example, you may see someone putting on a heavy jacket. This is the effect. To look for a cause, think to yourself, “What would make someone put on a heavy jacket?” Maybe the person works in the penguin pen(企鵝圈養(yǎng)地) at a Sea World. Maybe the person is going to visit an ice skating rink where the air is kept very cold. All of these things could be a cause for putting on a heavy jacket.
Now, think about a second example. The effect is a boy named Abi has to go to the head teacher’s office. What are the possible causes? Maybe he bullied(欺負(fù))another student. Maybe he is just being picked up early. Maybe he is being given a prize!
Here is another example for you to think about its cause and effect. Cait, 13, was trying to fall asleep when her 8-year-old brother,Doug, came into her room. He looked around a bit, but seemed really out of it. Then Doug went back into the hallway and stood there looking straight up at the hall light for quite a while. Little brothers can be very strange, this was really much too strange. Cait didn’t know what to do. Just then, Cait’s father appeared and explained that Doug was sleepwalking. What’s the cause and effect, could you tell?
【小題1】According to the second paragraph, which of the following is an effect?

A．Someone will go outside into cold weather.

B．Someone works in the penguin pen.

C．Someone puts on a heavy jacket.

D．Someone will go to visit an ice skating rink.

【小題2】Abi has to go to the head teacher’s office. Which of the following isn’t the possible  cause?

A．He bullied another student.	B．He is going shopping.
C．He is being picked up early.	D．He is being given a prize.

【小題3】 What was Doug doing when his sister Cait tried to fall asleep?

A．He was going outside	B．He was reading a story.
C．He was leep walking.	D．He was looking for his dad.

【小題4】Which of the following is cause and effect?

A．Tony got up and had a glass of water.

B．We came home and found him sleeping.

C．The ball was lost and a window was broken.

D．Tim was late again and his teacher got angry.

【小題5】What is the best title for the text?

A．Truth and lies	B．Work and sleep
C．Cause and effect	D．Life and dreams

Is It OK to Snap （拍照） Your Food?
Have you ever taken a snap of a luxurious cake or photographed a juicy steak when you eat in restaurants? You may want to share what you eat with your friends or just post part of your daily life onto the Internet. However, such action may be very annoying(討厭的) to other diners, or even to chefs and restaurant owners. Currently, more and more people begin to consider “ foodstagramming” as very silly and a bad manner.
In many restaurants, diners complain of being blinded by flasher(閃光燈), snapped without their permission and disturbed by people climbing on to chairs for a better angle. Even chefs and restaurant owners are annoyed at food photography. A Michelin-starred(米其林星級(jí)) chef said, “It’s hard to build a memorable evening when flashes are flying every six minutes.”
At the start of 2013, the debate on whether it is OK to take photographs of your food in restaurants seemed to swing (搖擺) towards a definite “no.” According to several chefs in New York City, some restaurants there have started banning customers from taking photos of their food. Policies around the ban of food photography vary from restaurant to restaurant, ranging from restrictions on using a flash to outright(完全的) bans. If other restaurants follow such policies, it may signal the death of “ foodstagramming”.
Nevertheless, instead of banning food photography, some restaurants are offering food photography courses. In Spain, the restaurant group Grupo Gourmet has started running a “ Fotografia para foodies” course to instruct its customers to better take food pictures. The course teaches customers to take photos in a proper way without disturbing other dinners, such as never use a flash.
【小題1】Who are annoyed with food photography in restaurants?

A．Restaurant owners.	B．Other diners.
C．Chefs.	D．The above all.

【小題2】What did some New York restaurants do about food photography?

A．They started to ban customers from taking photos of their food.

B．They had no idea about taking photos for the profits.

C．They wanted to talk with some customers.

D．They decided to learn from Spain.

【小題3】What did the Spanish restaurant group do about food photography?

A．It told the customers when to take food pictures.

B．It asked the customers to pay for taking food pictures.

C．It ran a course to instruct customers to better take food pictures.

D．It also prevented the customers from taking food pictures.

【小題4】What is foodstagramming?

A．It’s a popular practice where diners take photos of their meals and share them online.

B．It’s a popular practice where dinners take photos of their meals and sells to others.

C．It’s a habit that people take photos when they eat.

D．It’s an idea how to take photos of their meals.

【小題5】Which of the following is True?

A．Customers in America like others to use flashes when they eat.

B．Restaurants in Spain think of a methord to meet people’s need.

C．American government is discussing the problem of foodstagramming.

D．People in China are trying to think of an idea to deal with the problem.

The British aren’t having as many children as they used to , One reason is that people are having children much older than before, meaning they have fewer year in which they can have them,  After years at university ,they need a few years of work experience before they can get the job they want, They might then get married, but it’s incredibly expensive to buy a house in the UK.
The above explains why young British people now don’t move out of their parents’ home until they are around 30 years old on average, It’s only after this age that many young people start thinking about having a child , However , it is quite expensive to bring up a child in the UK, Both parents need to work just to pay for their child during the day, Paying for this childcare is always expensive, What’s more ,financial crisis and unemployment are making things even harder for families, With so much pressure on families, is it any surprise that the divorce rate is so high?
So what is Britain doing to try and save the British family ? The government is trying to make it cheaper to have children , For example ,there are increasing government subsidies for nursery schools, so that parents do not need to bay so much for child care.
The government is also trying to reduce the number of hours British parents have to work to earn enough money to pay their bills, If parents didn’t have to work so many hours, they’d have moue time to spend with their children and wouldn’t need to spend so much on childcare, On average, a Briton works 49 hours a week ,which is the most in Europe, The state is now considering introducing laws to encourage companies to improve their employees’ work –life balance, Let’s hope they’re not too late to save the British family , Otherwise, the British will always be too tired ,and won’t have enough time and money, to have children.
【小題1】Young British people live in their parents’ home until around 30 because       

A．They are allowed to get married at 30

B．they can’t allowed to get married at 30

C．they can’t afford a house of their own until then

D．they enjoy family life with their parents

【小題2】The British are now having fewer children than before for all the following reasons EXCEPT that       

A．they have fewer years to have children

B．they live much shorter lives than before

C．it is more expensive to bring up a child

D．people are losing their jobs because of the recent financial crisis

【小題3】The underlined word “subsidies” in Paragraph 5 means       

A．food paid by the government

B．school buildings for poor students

C．free transportation

D．money from the government to benefit the public

【小題4】It can be inferred from the text that       

A．with long work hours, it is hard for British parents to balance life and work

B．more and more families in Britain are breaking up because they are having fewer children

C．a(chǎn)mong Europeans, British people work hardest and earn the least

D．childcare takes up too much energy and time for the British

【小題5】To make it cheaper to have children , the British government is         

A．bringing down prices

B．raising the salaries of parents

C．reducing family income tax

D．increasing subsidies for families and nursery schools

At age 11, Ghulam was married off to 40-year-old Jaiz in a rural Afghan village, making her only one of more than 10 million young girls who are being forced to wed men old enough to be their fathers of grandfather every year.
In an effort to start a global conversation about the devastating effects of early marriages, which are currently practiced in more than 50 developing countries, the United Nations designed October 11 as International Day of the Girl Child this year.
Although child marriage is against the law in many countries, and international treaties forbid the practice, it is estimated that about 51 million girls below age 18 are currently married, often under the cover of darkness and in secret. In Afghanistan alone, it is believed that approximately 57 percent of girls wed before the legal age of 16.
Various factors drive parents of child bridges to marry off their daughters, from the community’s pressure to confirm to age-old cultural customs to economic considerations. In poor, developing nations, it is not uncommon for families to settle debts by offering their daughters as payment.
Experts agree that early marriage denies the girl education and robs them of their childhood because most young wives, burdened by grownup responsibilities, do not get a chance to interact with their peers or carry on friendships outside the household. In many cases, the girls are lorded over by their husbands and in-laws, leaving them vulnerable(易受傷害的) to domestic violence as well as physical, sexual and verbal abuse. Underage wives who are lucky enough to escape from their husbands end up living in poverty, or worse. Most girls who enter early marriages are expected to get pregnant right away, which often leads to tragedy for both the mothers, who are still children themselves, and their babies.
Unless international organizations take steps to reverse the troubling trend, it is estimated that over the next decade, 100 million more girls—or about 25,000 girls a day ---will marry before they turn 18.
To learn more about campaign to end the practice of early marriages, please click: Too Young To Wed.
【小題1】The purpose of the first paragraph is to _________.

A．a(chǎn)ttract readers’ attention

B．introduce the following topic

C．list the countries practicing early marriages

D．give readers an example of early marriages

【小題2】The fifth paragraph mainly talks about __________.

A．the number of girls involved in early marriages

B．the causes of early marriages in developing counties

C．the tragic effects of early marriages

D．the countries that allow early marriages

【小題3】The UN made October 11 as International Day of the Girl Child in order to __

A．urge parents to treat girls equally as boy

B．call on people to pay more attention to girls’ education

C．call on people to pay more attention to girls in poor countries or areas

D．start a global campaign against early marriages

【小題4】Which of the following is a cause of early marriages?

A．The present girls develop much earlier than before

B．Some poor parents marry off their young girls for economic problems.

C．Many young girls receive little or no education for different reasons.

D．Most girls suffer from domestic violence and have babies too early.

Travelling abroad for leisure is becoming more and more popular for Chinese. The UK is high up in the list of places that the Chinese want to visit. There is a sense of mystery about the UK; it’s often the images of England’s green parks, countryside and Victorian houses that people point to as an alternative to polluted, overcrowded cities such as Beijing and Guangzhou.
The capital is viewed as modern and dynamic, while being filled deep with history. When asked what other images are thought of by the UK, the reply is often “the Queen, tea and Oxbridge”. So what’s stopping them actually coming? Sebastian Wood ,the British ambassador in Beijing, has described the UK as a “fortress”, and while this is perhaps an exaggeration(夸張)，Britain does have a reputation as a country that is harder to access.
The main problem for Chinese tourists is obvious. Although visa applications are now completed online, visitors are still required to visit one of 12 UK centers across the country for a face-to-face interview and fingerprinting. If you don’t live near one of these enters already, you’d have to travel some distance to get there.
Another problem is also to be mentioned. If travelers from China visit the UK, they also want to cover as much ground as possible. But the UK is not included in the Schengen visa, which allows access to a host of 26 European countries such as France and Germany. So it makes the former seem a less worth it.
There is also the issue of cost: £47 for a Schengen visa, £82 for the UK. On top of this, the UK is viewed as stricter in its handing of visas compared with the rest of Europe, fed by urban legends of rejected applications. In the end, the decision comes down to one question: Is Britain worth a visit?
【小題1】 The underlined word “fortress ” in paragraph2 is something similar to ______.

A．temple

B．a(chǎn)partment

C．castle

D．market

【小題2】Which of the following statements is NOT true for the UK visa?

A．One can apply for a visa online.

B．One must have a face-to-face interview.

C．No one can get a visa without a fingerprinting.

D．No one needs to travel a long distance to get a center.

【小題3】What can a visitor do if he gets a Schengen visa?

A．He can only visit the UK.

B．He can only visit 26 European countries.

C．He can visit the UK and France.

D．He can travel to any country he likes.

【小題4】What is the writer’s attitude towards visiting the UK?

A．He really supports Chinese people to visit the UK.

B．He suggests Chinese people visit London strongly.

C．He thinks it is troublesome to visit the UK.

D．He believes everyone should go to see the Queen and Oxbridge.

This is an open letter to the three people who stole my handbag from the department store where I am employed as a shop assistant.
When you took my bag, I don’t know what you thought you were going to get. With my wages, there's not much left on a Tuesday. I hope the ￡5 was useful to you. If you really need a couple of pounds, I suppose you could always cash one of the two checks left in my check book. Of course, I phoned the bank right away and the check-cashing card is no longer valid, so it won’t be of much use to you.
Actually I don’t care about the money too much. We single parents who work to support our families understand only too well what it means to be short of cash. However, I don’t suppose it went very far among the three of you. Sorry about that!
I wish you had left the bag behind and just taken the wallet and check book. There were all kinds of papers and notes that I really need. I really think that was very inconsiderate of you. I mean, how would you like something like that to happen to you?
Well, perhaps the bag will turn up. It wasn’t even an expensive one, just a plain, old brown leather shoulder bag. You probably threw it in the nearest rubbish bin or threw it into the bushes. We've looked around, of course, but no one saw which way you went after you left the shop.
I'm not really angry with you. I know how the pressures of modern life can affect us, but I am sad at the loss of my personal things. I feel helpless. The police were very icy, and they just shrugged their shoulders. “It happens all the time,” they told me. Some small comfort, I suppose. But I’ve lost just a little more faith in human nature. And as my young son said when I told him what had happened, “Why? Mummy, why us?” I couldn't answer that question. I wonder if you can.
【小題1】 In writing Paragraph 2, the writer wants to           .

A．describe the contents of the bag in detail

B．tell the thieves hardly any money was available

C．state the fact that she was careless with the money

D．give some suggestions to the three thieves

【小題2】Which of the following is the most valuable to the writer?

A．The cash in her bag.

B．The handbag itself.

C．The papers and notes in the bag.

D．The check book in the bag.

【小題3】What can we conclude about the police?

A．They are unable to find the thieves.

B．They show sympathy to the woman.

C．They have doubts about human nature.

D．They think the case quite common.

【小題4】 Why does the author write the letter?

A．To give the thieves a serious warning.

B．To express her affection for her valuable bag.

C．To call people’s attention to their belongings.

D．To complain about the fall of morality.

I have had just about enough of being treated like a second-class citizen, simply because I happen to be that unfairly treated member of society --- a customer. The more I go into shops and hotels, banks and post offices, railway stations, airports and the like, the more I am convinced the things are being run merely to suit the firm, the system, or the union. There seems to be a deceptive (欺騙的) new motto for so-called “service” organizations --- Staff Before Service.
How often, for example, have you queued for what seems like hours at the Post Office or the supermarket because there was not enough staff on duty to manage all the service grilles or checkout counters? Surely in these days of high unemployment it must be possible to hire cashiers and counter staff. Yet supermarkets, hinting darkly at higher prices, claim that uncovering all their cash registers at any one time would increase operating costs. And the Post Office says we cannot expect all their service grilles to be occupied “at times when demand is low”.　  
It is the same with hotels. Because waiters and kitchen staff must finish when it suits them, dining rooms close earlier or menu choice is cut short. As for us guests, we just have to put up with it. There is also the nonsense of so many friendly hotel night porters having been thrown out of their jobs in the interests of “efficiency” and replaced by coin-eating machines which offer everything. Not to mention the tea-making kit in your room a kettle with a mixed collection of tea bags, plastic milk boxes and lump sugar. Who wants to wake up to a raw teabag? I do not, especially when I am paying for “service”.
Can it be stopped, this worsening of service, this growing attitude that the customer is always a trouble? I angrily hope so because it is happening, sadly, in all walks of life.
Our only hope is to hammer home our anger whenever and wherever we can and, if all else fails, bring back into practice that other, older slogan --- Take Our Deal Elsewhere.
【小題1】The writer feels that nowadays customers __________.

A．have become victims of modern organizations

B．a(chǎn)re unworthy of proper consideration

C．have received high quality service

D．deserve the lowest status in society

【小題2】The writer argues that the quality of service is changing because __________.

A．customers’ demands have greatly changed

B．customers’ needs have become more complex

C．the staff receive more consideration than customers

D．staff members are less considerate than their employers

【小題3】According to the writer, long queues at counters are caused by __________.

A．not having enough male staff on duty

B．difficulties in hiring more efficient staff

C．not providing enough staff on purpose to reduce budget

D．lack of cooperation between staff members

【小題4】The writer suggests that a customer __________.

A．go to other places where good service is available

B．put up with the rude manners of the staff

C．try to control his temper when ill-treated

D．be patient when queuing before checkout counters