I once had my Chinese MBA students brainstorming on “two-hour business plans”. I separated them into six groups and gave them an example: a restaurant chain. The more original their idea, the better, I said. Finally, five of the six groups presented plans for restaurant chains. The sixth proposed a catering service. Though I admitted the time limit had been difficult, I expressed my disappointment.

My students were middle managers, financial analysts and financiers from state owned enterprises and global companies. They were not without talent or opinions, but they had been shaped by an educational system that rarely stressed or rewarded critical thinking or inventiveness. The scene I just described came in different forms during my two years’ teaching at the school. Papers were often copied from the Web and the Harvard Business Review. Case study debates were written up and just memorized. Students frequently said that copying is a superior business strategy, better than inventing and creating.

In China, every product you can imagine has been made and sold. But so few well developed marketing and management minds have been raised that it will be a long time before most people in the world can name a Chinese brand.

With this problem in mind, partnerships with institutions like Yale and MIT have been established. And then there’s the “thousand talent scheme”: this new government program is intended to improve technological modernization by attracting top foreign trained scientists to the mainland with big money. But there are worries about China’s research environment. It’s hardly known for producing independent thinking and openness, and even big salary offers may not be attractive enough to overcome this.

At last, for China, becoming a major world creator is not just about setting up partnerships with top Western universities. Nor is it about gathering a group of well-educated people and telling them to think creatively. It’s about establishing a rich learning environment for young minds. It’s not that simple.

1. Why does the author feel disappointed at his students?

A．Because there is one group presenting a catering service.

B．Because the six groups made projects for restaurant chains.

C．Because all the students copied a case for the difficult topic.

D．Because the students’ ideas were lacking in creativeness.

2. We can infer from the passage that ________.

A．China can make and sell any product all over the world

B．high pay may not solve the problem of China’s research environment

C．cooperation with institutions has been set up to make a Chinese brand

D．the new government program are aimed at encouraging imagination

3. Which is the best title of the passage?

A．Look for a New Way of Learning.            B．Reward Creative Thinking.

C．How to Become a Creator.                 D．Establish a technical Environment.

 

Weather is the subject matter of Westerners whenever they met. Housewives, businessmen, factory workers as well as farmers all talk about the weather. It’s everyday news, whether or not conditions change. Many newspapers carry a regular front page news story in addition to the full reports on as inside-page provided by the weather service. Here are several different types of weather reports taken from the western papers:

   No. 1 Regional Forecast

New Jersey    Today: Considerably cloudy with showers likely. High: 75-79. Southwesterly winds at 15-20m.p.h.. Precipitation(降水) probability 70 percent. Tonight: Warm and cloudy, rain likely. Low: 55-63. Southwesterly winds at 15 to 20m.p.h.. Tomorrow: Showers and thunderstorms likely. High: 75-79. Wind S to SW at 15 to 20m.p.h.

   No. 2 Three-day Forecast

Westchester, Rockland    Friday: Mostly fine to partly cloudy. Saturday: Cloudy with some showers. Sunday: Mostly fine. Temperature: Daytime highs will average in the upper 60’s to 70’s while overnight lows will average in the low to 50’s throughout the period.

   No. 3 Weather Stories

Bitter cold, intensified(加劇) by high winds, gripped(控制) the Upper Midwest today, sheets of ice and snow left by the winter’s first major storm on highways throughout the area.    At least six deaths were blamed on the storm.    Hundreds of schools closed throughout the Upper Midwest yesterday and thousands of travelers waited out the weather at roadside shelters(避難處).    Temperatures dropped well below zero early today from the Northern Plains through the Western Great Lakes under clearing skies. A 25-below-zero reading was forecast.    Nearly a foot of snow fell on northern sections of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. And hardest hit were Duluth, Minn. and Superior, Wis., where 12 inches were recorded. Winds went up to 50 miles an hour.

In a street corner of London, two strangers may begin their talk with “_____”.

  A. Hi, how are you?               B. What are you doing here? Waiting for someone?

  C. A nice day, isn’t it?              D. Didn’t you listen to the weather report last night?

The noon temperature of _____ is nearly 70’s at the weekend.

  A. Western Great Lakes          B. Duluth, Minn

  C. Westchester, Rockland        D. New Jersey

It seems that _____ has plenty of rain at the present season.

  A. Western Great Lakes  B. Wisconsin  C. Westchester Rockland  D. New Jersey

Which of the following is most probable according to No.3?

  A. The traffic was terribly affected.

  B. The Five Great Lakes were covered by heavy snow.

  C. The temperatures might drop to 50℃.

  D. Many schools were damaged in the snowstorm.

Does your cordless phone crackle, fade, or go dead when you move only a few feet from the base? If so, we recommend that you try a Techtalk cordless phone.

Techtalk cordless phones are the only ones with the patented Cellular 6 technology. The result is a phone with excellent clarity, range, and security.

Clarity: It's essential that you communicate efficiently and effectively. No static (靜電), echo, or crackling will ever interfere with your conversations on a Techtalk phone.

Range: Techtalk provides up to four times the range of an ordinary cordless phone. It will go anywhere you need it throughout your home in your yard, even around the Block.

Security: Some cordless phones allow other cordless phone users to overhear your conversations. Not Techtalk. We guarantee complete privacy whenever you talk to your friends, family, or business associates.

You decide an ordinary cordless phone or Techtalk? Visit your favorite electronics store this month and take a Techtalk home for a 30-day trial. If you don't agree that it's superior to all other cordless phones, return it for a full refund.

This passage is _________.

   A. a newspaper article                       B. an advertisement

   C. a letter                                 D. a scientific introduction

What is Techtalk?

   A. A kind of cordless phone.                 

B. A company that used cordless phones.

   C. A new technology that reduces static.                                       

D. A mobile phone with the patented Cellular 6 technology.

This month, you can ________.

         A. get a reduced price on a Techtalk

B. try a Techtalk at home

         C. get any cordless phone which you like

      D. exchange a Techtalk phone for an ordinary phone

In our life, we have rarely expressed our gratitude to the one who lived those years with us. In fact, we don't have to wait for anniversaries to thank the ones closest to us and the ones so easily overlooked. If I have learned anything about giving thanks, it is this: give it now! While your feeling of appreciation is alive and sincere, act on it. Saying thanks is such an easy way to add to the world's happiness.
Saying thanks not only brightens someone else's world, it brightens yours. If you're feeling left out, unloved or unappreciated, try reaching out to others. It may be just the medicine you need. Of course, there are times when you can't express gratitude immediately. In that case, don't let embarrassment sink you into silence and speak up the first time you have the chance.
Once a young minister, Mark Brian, was sent to a remote parish(教區(qū))of Kwakiutl Indians in British Columbia. The Indians, he had been told, did not have a word for thank you. But Brian soon found that these people had unusual generosity. Instead of saying thanks, it is their custom to return every favor with a favor of their own, and every kindness with an equal or superior kindness. They do their thanks. I wonder if we had no words in our vocabulary for thank you, would we do a better job of communicating our gratitude? Would we be more responsive, more sensitive, more caring?
Thankfulness sets in motion a chain reaction that transforms people all around us－including ourselves. For no one ever misunderstands the melody(旋律)of a grateful heart. Its message is universal; its poems transcend(超越)all earthly barriers; its music touches the heaven.
【小題1】Who do we easily forget to express our thanks to according to the writer?

A．Friends not meeting for a long time.	B．Former teachers and friends.
C．People we want to get close to.	D．Our family members and good friends.

【小題2】 When we say something for what others do for us, it ______.

A．benefits the people who do something for us

B．is good for both us and people who help us

C．wastes our and our friends' time at the same time

D．does harm to both us and people who help us

【小題3】What does the writer mean in the third paragraph?

A．The only way to thank others is to express by your own words.

B．The best way to thank others is to do something for them.

C．We can thank people who help us in various ways.

D．We can thank people who help us in two ways.

【小題4】The way to make us feel happy is ______ when we think we ourselves are forgotten in the world.

A．to help and appreciate others	B．to ask others to help us
C．to remind others of our helping them	D．to ask someone to help others

完形填空(共20小題；每小題1. 5分，共30分）

閱讀下面短文，掌握其大意，從每題所給的A、B、C、D四個(gè)選項(xiàng)中，選出最佳選項(xiàng)，并在答題卡上將該項(xiàng)涂黑。

While Andrew was getting ready for work one Friday morning, he announced to his wife that he had finally decided to ask his boss for a salary raise. All day Andrew felt 36 _____ as he thought about the upcoming showdown(攤牌） What if Mr. Larchmont 37 _____ his request? Andrew had worked so hard in the last 18 months and 38 _____ winning a contract which was difficult to get for Braer and Hopkins Advertising Agency. 39 _____ , he should get a salary raise.

The thought of walking into Mr. Larchmont' s office left Andrew weak 40 _____ the knees. Late in the afternoon he was finally 41  _____enough to approach his superior. To his delight and 42  _____, the ever-frugal (一慣節(jié)省的）Harvey Larchmont 43 _____ to give Andrew a raise ！

Andrew arrived home that evening—despite breaking all city and state speed limits—to a beautiful table 44 _____ with their best china, and candles lit. His wife, Tina, had prepared a delicate meal including his favorite dishes. Immediately he 45 _____ someone from the office had told her the news.

Next to his plate Andrew found a beautiful 46 _____ . It was from his wife. It read ：“Congratulations，my love ！ I knew you ’ d get the raise ！ I prepared this dinner to show 47 _____how much I love you. I am so 48 _____ of your accomplishments ！ “ He read it and stopped to reflect on how sensitive and caring Tina was.

After dinner, Andrew was on his way to the kitchen to get dessert .when he noticed that a second card had 49  _____out of Tina' s pocket onto the floor. He bent forward to pick it up. It read ： “ Don' t 50  _____about not getting the raise ！ You do 51  _____one ！ You are a wonderful provider and I prepared this dinner to show you how much I love you 52  _____you did not get the increase.’

Suddenly tears welled in Andrew' s eyes. Total 53 _____ ！ Tina，s support for him was not 54 _____ upon his success at work.

The fear of 55 _____ is often softened and we can face almost any difficulty when we know someone loves us regardless of our success or failure.

. A. nervous	B.	strange	C. silly	D.	upset
. A. followed	B.	considered	C. refused	D.	forgot
. A. suggested	B.	imagined	C. missed	D.	succeeded
. A. Totally	B.	Obviously	C. Eventually	D.	Constantly
. A. by	B.	in	C. with	D.	for