There are good Santas and there are bad Santas. The good Santas all realize one thing: In the mind of a child, Santa Claus is perfect.
That’s difficult. And so they come from around the world to attend the Charles W. Howard School in Midland, Mich. The school offers a three-day, 40-hour course for Santas hoping to be excellent. There’s a real range to what Santas earn, from big bucks for large events to no pay for charities①. One thing for them all is a pure love for children.
A former Macy’s Santa named Charles Howard founded the Michigan school in 1937. “Many people will think if you have a suit and you’re a Santa,” said Tom Valent, the school’s current dean. “It’s more than that.” So with a pet reindeer②, his properly named wife Holly and a workshop full of wonder.
The school teaches everything from breathing techniques for carol singing to the beard maintenance. There are lessons in child psychology, sign language and even media training for talk-show appearances and call-in shows. Santas also need to make sure they know all the names of the reindeer. What’s harder to deal with, however, is children who ask for Christmas gifts like bringing daddy home or making mommy happy again.
After spending time in the classroom, Weir went to the mall to test his training. However, at one point, his hat fell off, and he was unsure how to react. “You’re the real Santa,” Valent said. “Pick that hat up, slip it back on, keep smiling and do your job. You’ve got to stay on top of your game. Even the last one at night, when you’re tired, you’ve got to remember: This one’s forever, so do a good job.”
Notes:
① charity n. 慈善，慈善团体
② reindeer n. 驯鹿According to the passage, good Santas should be the ones that ________.
| A．can offer the children some gifts | B．help adults look after their children |
| C．have ability to make children happy | D．should be perfect in the mind of children |
The underlined words “big bucks” should refer to ________.
| A．lots of money | B．many gifts | C．loves for children | D．gifts from children |
The Michigan school was founded by Charles Howard with the purpose to ________.
| A．train the pet reindeer for the Santas | B．earned money from its students |
| C．train perfect Santas for the world | D．show the world’s concern to the poor |
According to Weir’s performance, we can conclude that ________.
| A．Weir was short of experience | B．Weir was not fit for the job as a Santa |
| C．Weir did very badly in the game | D．Weir was not a good student in school |
Exited about landing your first job after graduation? Good, work hard and get learning. Don’t forget to listen to young professional’s advice about the “real world” you’re stepping into.
1. Keep up with current events.
In school, it’s easy to live in a cocoon, where you focus on studies and social life. But in the working world, not knowing who Alan Greenspan is or why North Korea is in the news so often can lead to potentially embarrassing conversations.
2. Consider living with parents, even if you have a job.
Think it over before you rule it out. Not only can you save a lot of money by living at home, but your parents may provide emotional support that you may need. They can help pave the way for you to move once you are settled into your new life.
3. Don’t compare yourself to other people your age.
Young adults are good at putting up impressive appearance, but you don’t really know what their lives are like. Those who seem to have the perfect job may spend part of the day making coffee and picking up boss’s dry-cleaning.
4. Pay attention to small jobs as well as big ones.
Don’t stress if, in your first job or internship(实习期), you get a lot more face time with the copy machine than with clients. You may wonder why you spent so much time studying in school only to do such tasks. But you may also be learning more about your new professional than you realize.
5. Know when it’s time to move on.
Give a new job a chance, perhaps a year, before you make up your mind to leave, especially if it’s your first job out of school. When you’re sure that the job isn’t for you, figure out what you want to do and how to do it. Zhang Yue, 26, spent three years working as an accountant in Shanghai before becoming a financial planner. He loves his new job and spent 10 months searching for it: “To find something you really want to do takes time.” By mentioning Alan Greenspan, the author wants to show ____.
| A．how he succeeded |
| B．why he is important to the world nowadays |
| C．it is necessary to know key figures |
| D．he has a strong effect on the world |
Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．Comparing yourself to other people your age will make you harmed. |
| B．If you don’t have impressive appearance, you can’t pick up boss’ dry-cleaning. |
| C．What you have learned in school may come to nothing in your first job. |
| D．Even a small job can do good. |
The last sentence means “____”.
| A．It’s easy to find a new job once you have experience |
| B．If you hope to do something, you need suffer too much |
| C．You needn’t be worried, even though you are trying to find a good job |
| D．It will take you time to find a job that suits you well |
The aim to write the passage is to ____.
| A．show how and why to get a satisfying job after graduation |
| B．give some advice about how to behave when you work |
| C．encourage people to ask for help from parents |
| D．expect people to fit in with the working conditions as soon as possibl |
Ideas about polite behavior are different from one culture to another．Some societies, such as America and Australia, for example, are mobile and very open．People here change jobs and move house quite often．As a result, they have a lot of relationships that often last only a short time, and they need to get to know people quickly．So it’s normal to have friendly conversations with people that they have just met, and you can talk about things that other cultures would regard as personal．
On the other hand there are more crowded and less mobile societies where long – term relationships are more important．A Malaysian or Mexican business person, for example, will want to get to know you very well before he or she feels happy to start business．But when you do get to know each other, the relationship becomes much deeper than it would in a mobile society．
To Americans, both Europeans and Asians seem cool and formal at first．On the other hand, as a passenger from a less mobile society puts it, it’s no fun spending several hours next to a stranger who wants to tell you all about his or her life and asks you all sorts of questions that you don’t want to answer．
Cross-cultural differences aren’t just a problem for travelers, but also for the flights that carry them．All flights want to provide the best service, but ideas about good service are different from place to place．This can be seen most clearly in the way that problems are dealt with．
Some societies have ‘universalistic’ cultures．These societies strongly respect rules, and they treat every person and situation in basically the same way．
‘Particularistic’ societies, on the other hand, also have rules, but they are less important than the society’s unwritten ideas about what is right or wrong for a particular situation or a particular person．So the normal rules are changed to fit the needs of the situation or the importance of the person．
This difference can cause problems．A traveler from a particularistic society, India, is checking in for a flight in Germany, a country which has a universalistic culture．The Indian traveler has two much luggage, but he explains that he has been away from home for a long time and the suitcases are full of presents for his family．He expects that the check – in official will understand his problem and will change the rules for him．The check – in official explains that if he was allowed to have too much luggage, it wouldn’t be fair to the other passengers．But the traveler thinks this is unfair, because the other passengers don’t have his problem．Often moving from one place to another makes people like Americans and Australians _____．
| A．like traveling better | B．easy to communicate with |
| C．difficult to make real friends | D．have a long–term relationship with their neighbors |
People like Malaysians prefer to associate with those _________．
| A．who will tell them everything of their own |
| B．who want to do business with them |
| C．they know quite well |
| D．who are good at talking |
A person from a less mobile society will feel it _______ when a stranger keeps talking to him or her, and asking him or her questions．
| A．boring | B．friendly | C．normal | D．rough |
The writer of the passage thinks that the Indian and the German have different ideas about rules because of different _______．
| A．interests | B．habits and customs | C．cultures | D．ways of life |
Impossible cases are not forever. While it is impossible for one person, it is possible for another. In a word, everything is possible.
Someone says, “Success belongs to those who can look at the complex challenges offered by the world as inspiration.” So your challenges are golden opportunities for success. How can there be miracles if there are no obstacles? How will you chase the storm if there is no storm? You need challenges to reveal your ability. Success doesn’t come out of nothing; success comes from the problems you face. Those who refuse to give in come out smiling.
Robert X. Perez says, “The seeds of success spring from failure’s ashes.” Failure is not defeat; it is the pointer to do better than what you just did. You have to know that you are in a constant study of life. What you face is for your training. Samuel Aidoo says, “Each failure is simply another chapter in the story of our lives. To fail is to understand what not to do. Remember it and don’t give up until your goal is achieved.”
What do you do when you face difficulty? Yeah, life is difficult, but you do not give up. Have a positive and calm outlook on your circumstances(状况) and make the best of them. You may learn something new. You can develop mental toughness. Mental toughness means to be able to see the long-term gains rather than be put off by short-term pains. Once you have this toughness, you have the winning edge(优势).
The only things in life you ever really regret are the chances you didn’t take. You will regret when you see the consequences of not seizing the opportunities when they arose. Take chances every day!The main point of the passage is that ____________.
| A．success comes out of nothing |
| B．never give up and you may achieve success |
| C．everything is easy to deal with |
| D．impossible things do not exist |
According to the author, success often comes to people who ____________.
| A．have good opportunities | B．face failure | C．don’t fear difficulties | D．have a lot of luck |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．We can perform miracles by overcoming difficulty. |
| B．We will seem greater after overcoming difficulty. |
| C．Everyone will fail for numerous times because of difficulty. |
| D．Most of us can’t show our ability because of difficulty. |
From Paragraph 3 we can learn that ____________.
| A．failure means great success in the future to everyone |
| B．all people can achieve success if they keep leaning |
| C．most people end up with failure because it often happens |
| D．failure can help people to achieve success if they don’t give up |
IS IT TIME TO GET － MP3
Your computer has been playing music for years, one CD at a time．Now hundreds of songs can be stored in your PC if they’re in the MP3 format．
What is it?
MP3 compresses (压缩) music into small computer—friendly files．You access MP3 music several ways: Tunes can be downloaded from websites that have converted (转变) vast music libraries into MP3．Or you can prerecorded CDs into your PC and convert songs in minutes into MP3．Once MP3 music is on your PC’s hard drive, you can play it through your computer’s speakers, “burn” it onto blank CDs or swap (交换) MP3 files with friends using e—mail．
How much?
Software needed to play and convert MP3 music is often free．It is preinstalled (预先安装)on most new computers or can be downloaded from many websites, including MP3, com．Some MP3 sites are free．Just type at around $50 and can hold hundreds of songs．A blank CD on which you can record music costs about a dollar．
Advantages
MP3 turns your home PC into a jukebox (自动唱机)．Tiny MP3 players are the size of a deck of cards, making it easy to take hundreds of songs with you．
Disadvantages
You may find that music at many sites is limited．And some only allow you to listen rather than download offerings．Others let you download music that then can’t be copied to MP3 players．And a growing number of new CDs make it impossible to copy songs to a computer．How can you get Mp3 music?
| A．By turning your home PC into jukebox． |
| B．By taking you own music or songs with you． |
| C．By copying songs to a PC through the speakers． |
| D．By downloading from websites which have converted music libraries． |
Which is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Software needed to play and convert MP3 music is often free of charge． |
| B．MP3 music can be “burned” onto bland CDs or swapped with friends by e—mail． |
| C．MP3 music can be taken along while traveling． |
| D．A greater number of new CDs make it possible to copy songs to a computer． |
How much will you pay for a MP3 player?
| A．Free of charge | B．Free downloading | C．At least fifty dollars | D．About a dollar |
What is the closest meaning of the underlined word “burn”?
| A．Copy | B．Play | C．Store | D．Change |
Many everyday American expressions are based on colors.
Red is a hot color. Americans often use it to express heat. They may say they are red hot about something unfair. When they are red hot they are very angry about something. The small hot tasting peppers found in many Mexican foods are called red hots for their color and their fiery taste.
Pink is a lighter kind of color. People sometimes say they are in the pink when they are in good health. It probably comes from the fact that many babies are born with a nice pink color that shows that they are in good health.
Blue is a cool color. The traditional blues music in the United States is the opposite of red hot music. Blues is slow, sad and soulful. Someone who is blue is very sad.
The color green is natural for trees and grass. But it is an unnatural color for humans. A person who has a sick stomach may say he feels a little green. A passenger on a boat who is feeling very sick from high waves may look very green. If a person is green at his job, he may be a newcomer and inexperienced. Sometimes a person may be upset because he does not have something as nice as a friend has, like a new sports car. That person may say he is green with envy. Some people are green with envy because their friend has more dollars.
The color black is used often in expressions. People describe a day in which everything goes wrong as a black day. The date of a major tragedy is remembered as a black day. If a person feels blue, he is _____.
| A．annoyed | B．depressed | C．stressed | D．encouraged |
If someone says “you are still green”, he probably means that _______.
| A．you are very young | B．you are in a bad mood | C．you are inexperienced | D．you are in good health |
Which of the following statements is CORRECT according to the passage?
| A．After two days’ rest, the soldiers were all in the pink. |
| B．They had a fierce quarrel so they all felt black about it. |
| C．David got hurt by a bike so his face looked blue. |
| D．When we meet something unfair, we feel very green. |
What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．Different colors have different meanings. |
| B．What different colors stand for. |
| C．The story about different colors. |
| D．Colors used in American expressions. |