An old farmer lived with his little grandson. Every day the farmer got up early to read books.

One day the grandson asked, “Grandpa! I want to read books just like you, but I don’t understand them. What are the advantages of reading?” The grandfather said, “Take this litter basket to the river and bring me back a basket of water.” he boy did, but all the water leaked out before he got back to the house. The grandfather laughed and said, “ You’ll have to walk faster next time.”

This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket was empty before he returned home. The boy said, “ See Grandpa, it’s useless!”

So you think it is useless?” the old man said. “Look at the basket.”

The boy looked at the basket and for the first time he realized that the basket was different. It was clean, inside and out.

“That’s what happens when you read books. You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read them, you will be changed, inside and out.”

1.The grandfather got up early to __________.

A．repair a basket

B．do farm work

C．wake up his grandson

D．read books

2.The underlined phrase “l(fā)eaked out” means “______” in Chinese.

A．出現

B．保留

C．漏出

D．爆發(fā)

3.The passage might be written for ___________ to read.

A．children who like asking questions

B．children who like playing with water

C．children who dislike farming

D．children who dislike reading

4. The basket was ________ in the end.

A．light

B．clean

C．useless

D．dirty

5. What can we know from the passage?

A．The old farmer might be changed by reading.

B．The old farmer played tricks on his grandson.

C．The little boy got a full basket of water at last.

D．The old farmer was angry when he saw the empty basket.

 

 

When I was growing up in America, I was ashamed of my mother’s Chinese English. Because of her English, she was often treated unfairly. People in department stores, at banks, and at restaurants did not take her seriously, pretended not to understand her, or even acted as if they did not hear her.

My mother has realized the disadvantages of her English as well. When I was fifteen, she used to have me call people on phone to pretend I was she. I was forced to ask for information or even to yell at people who had been rude to her. One time I had to call her stockbroker. I said in a voice that was not very convincing, “This is Mrs. Tan.” And my mother was standing beside me, whispering loudly, “Why he doesn’t send me the cheek. It’s already two weeks late.”

And then, in perfect English I said: “I’m getting rather anxious .You agreed to send the check two weeks ago, but it hasn’t arrived.” Then she talked more loudly. “What does he want? I’ll come to New York and say it in front of his boss.” And so I turned to the stockbroker again, “I can’t accept any more excuses. If I don’t receive the check immediately, I have to speak to your manager when I am in New York next week.”

The next week we ended up in New York. While I was sitting there red-faced, my mother, the real Mrs. Tan, was shouting to his boss in her broken English. When I was a teenager, my mother’s broken English embarrassed me. But now, I see it differently. To me, my mother’s English is perfectly clear, perfectly natural. It is my mother tongue. Her language, as I hear it, is clear and direct. It was the language that helped me form the way I saw things, expressed ideas, and made sense of the world.

1.Why was the author’s mother poorly treated?

A. She couldn’t speak English well.

B. Her English was very good.

C. She was not clearly heard.

D. She was not very polite.

2.From Paragraph 2, what can we know about the author?

A. She was good at pretending.

B. She was rude to the stockbroker.

C. She was ready to help her mother.

D. She was unwilling to phone for her mother

3.What does the author think of her mother’s English now?

A. It confuses her.

B. It embarrasses her.

C. It helps her understand the world.

D. It helps her forgive rude people.

4.What can we infer from the passage?

A. Chinese English is clear and natural to native speakers.

B. Chinese English may bring inconvenience in America.

C. Chinese English has a very bad name in America.

D. Chinese English is impolite to native speakers.

5.What is the best title of the passage?

A. Great Mother   B. A Chance 

C. Mother’s Chinese English  D. Perfect English

 

When I was a child I never said, "When I grow up, I want to be a CEO," but here I am. When I look back on my career, I realize the road to becoming a CEO isn't a straight, clear path. In fact, no two paths are the same. But whether you want to be a boss one day or not, there's a lot to learn from how leaders rise to the top of successful companies.  

As this series of stories shows, the paths to becoming a CEO may be different, but the people in that position(位置) share the qualities of commitment（義務）, work ethic（道德） and a strong desire for building something new. And every CEO take risks along the way—putting your life savings on the line to start a software company or leaving a big business to be one of the first employees at a startup.

I grew up in Minnesota, and learned how to be an entrepreneur（企業(yè)家）from my father, who has run a small business for almost 30 years. I went to Georgetown University and tried a lot of business activities in college with success. And I always had a dream job pattern(模式): to walk to work, work for myself and build something for consumers(顧客).  

I'm only 29, so it's been a quick ride to CEO. Out of college, I worked for AOL as a product manager, then moved to Revolution Health and ran the consumer product team. In mid-2007 I left Revolution Health and started LivingSocial with several other workmates, where I became a CEO.

Career advice: Don't figure out where you want to work, or even what industry you'd like to work at. Figure out what makes you do so. What gives you a really big rush? Answer why you like things, not what you like doing. . . and then apply it to your work life. Also, just because you're graduating, don't stop learning. Read more books than you did in college. If you do, and they're not, you're really well-positioned to succeed in whatever you do.

1.What can we know from the first paragraph?

A．The writer hasn't achieved his childhood ambition.

B．The writer thinks there is some easy way to become a CEO.

C．The writer had an ambition of becoming a CEO in his childhood.

D．The writer believes success stories of CEOs can be beneficial(有益的) to everybody.

2.According to the writer, successful CEOs should _____.

A．try not to take risks                      B．stay in the same business

C．have a strong sense of creativity            D．save every possible penny

3.What can we know about the writer from the passage?

A．He started LivingSocial when he was still a student of Georgetown University.

B．He used to run the consumer product team for AOL.

C．His business activities at college ended up in more failure than success.

D．His father had far-reaching influence on him.

4.What does the underlined phrase “figure out” mean? ______.

A．斷定             B．弄清             C．理解             D．領會

5.Which of the following proverbs may the writer agree with according to the last paragraph?

A．Well begun is half done.

B．Everything comes to him who waits.

C．Time and tide wait for no man.

D．One is never too old to learn.

 

As we know, there are differences between western culture and Chinese culture. We can see differences when we pay attention to the way words are used. Let’s look at the words about animals and plants. Most expressions in Chinese about the dog, for example, “a homeless dog”, “a mad dog”, “a running dog” and “a dog catching mouse”, have negative meanings. But in western countries, dogs are thought to be honest and good friends of humans. In English, people use the dog to describe positive actions. For example, “You are a lucky dog.” means you are a lucky person. And “every dog has its day.” means each person has good luck sometimes. To describe a person’s serious illness, they say “sick as a dog”. The word “dog-tired” means very tired. However, Chinese love cats very much. But in western culture, “cat” is often used to describe a woman who is cruel.

The rose is regarded as symbol of love in both China and some western countries. People think the rose means love, peace, courage and friendship. And the rose is the national flower of England, America and many other countries.

The words about plants and animals are used in positive or negative ways in different cultures. We can learn about many differences in cultures by comparing how some words are used.

1. “Every dog has its day.” means “________”.

A. Everybody in the world is lucky.

B. Each person lives his own way of life.

C. If one works hard, he’s sure to succeed.

D. Everybody has a time in life to be lucky.

2.What can we know from the passage?

A. Words show differences in culture.

B. Chinese people prefer dogs to cats.

C. Western people think cats to be good friends.

D. Rose is the national flower of all western countries.

3.Which statement is right according to passage?

A. People think the rose means love, peace, luck and friendship.

B. The words about plants and animals are used both in positive and negative ways in different cultures.

C. In China, people use the dog to describe negative actions.

D. In eastern culture, “cat” is often used to describe a woman who is cruel.

4.What’s the best title for the passage?

A. Negative or Positive

B. Different Countries Have Different Culture

C. Rose Means the Same in Chinese and English

D. What Dog and Cat Mean in English and Chinese

 

Many of us feel uneasy when someone stands too close to us, talks to us too loudly or makes eye contact(接觸) with us for too long. But have you ever wondered why those things make you uncomfortable?

     It’s all about personal peace, which means not only an imaginary space around the body, but also the space around all the senses. People feel that their space is being violated(侵犯) when they meet with an unwelcome sound, smell or look. This is probably why a man on a crowded bus shouting into his mobile phone or a woman next to you putting on strong perfume(香水) makes you feel angry.

     Whether people have had a stronger wish to protect their personal space in recent times is hard to say. Yet studies of airlines show that people have a strong desire(渴望) to have space to themselves. In a survey by TripAdvisor, a travel website, people said that if they had to pay more for some extra service, they would rather have larger seats than extra food.

     Although people may need their personal space, some hardly realize it. For example, people on a bus who hold newspapers in front of their faces to read in fact keep a distance from strangers.

     Go and watch a library table. You will notice that one of the corner seats will usually be taken first, because they are the farthest way. What if someone sits opposite to you? Maybe you will pile up books as if to make a wall.

     Preference(偏好) for personal space are different from culture to culture. Scientists have found that Americans generally prefer more personal space than people from other cultures. In Latin(拉丁人的) cultures, however, people are more comfortable standing close to each other.

1.The writer mainly _________ in this article.

A. tells us how to achieve personal space

B. explains why people need personal space

C. introduces some knowledge about personal space

D. argues for the importance of keeping personal space

2.Who might feel his personal space is safe according to the passage?

A. A person who has to sit next to a lady putting on strong perfume.

B. A person who has been watched by a stranger for a long time.

C. A person who hears strange noises when reading at home.

D. A Latin boy who is chatting with a friend sitting close to him.

3.What can we know from the survey by TripAdvisor?

A. People need a smaller personal space in recent times than before.

B. People have a strong desire for personal space in recent times.

C. There are not enough seats on the plane to meet people’s needs.

D. Food service is better provided than seats on the plane.

4.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. The space around the body is more needed than that around all the senses.

B. If you hold newspapers on the bus, your personal space won’t be violated.

C. People usually choose the corner seats first in a library for personal space.

D. Different cultures share the same preferences for personal space.