Any mistake made in the printing of a stamp raises its value to stamp collectors. A mistake on one inexpensive postage stamp has made the stamp worth a million and a half times its original value.
The mistake was made more than a hundred years ago in the British colony of Mauritius, a small island in the Indian Ocean. In 1847 an order for stamps was sent to a London printer — Mauritius was to become the fourth country in the world to issue stamps.
Before the order was filled and delivered, a ball was planned at Mauritius’ Government House, and stamps were needed to send out the invitations. A local printer was instructed to copy the design for the stamps. He accidentally inscribed the words “Post Office” instead of “Post Paid” on the several hundred stamps that he printed.
Today there are only twenty-six of these misprinted stamps left fourteen One Penny Orange-Reds and twelve Two Penny Blues. Because of the Two Penny Blue’s rareness and age, collectors have paid as much as ＄16 800 for it.Over a century ago, Mauritius _______.
| A．was an independent country |
| B．belonged to India |
| C．was one of the British colonies |
| D．was a small island in the Pacific Ocean |
The mistake on the stamps was made _______.
| A．in Mauritius | B．at Mauritius Government House |
| C．in a post office | D．in London |
Stamp collectors have paid 16 800 for _______.
| A．fourteen One Penny Orange-Reds |
| B．twelve Two Penny Blues |
| C．one One Penny Orange-Red |
| D．one Two Penny Blue |
As I was leaving to meet Lynne，my roommate told me that I’d better take some money，but I didn’t listen to him. I thought that Lynne would pay because she had invited me.
I arrived at the restaurant exactly on time. I’d been told that Americans expect you to be on time. Lynne and I sat at a table in the corner of the restaurant and a waitress came and took our order. The dinner was a great success. I talked a lot about Saudi Arabia and Lynne told me all about herself. After two hours the waitress finally came and asked if we wanted one check or two. Lynne said two. We went to the cashier and Lynne paid her check. I was embarrassed (尴尬) when the cashier gave me my bill. I had no money to pay for my meal. Then I had an idea. I pretended to look for something in my pockets and said，“Oh！I forgot my money! Can I call my roommate，please？” The cashier showed me where the phone was and I quickly called my roommate.
In a few minutes he arrived with some money，but he couldn’t hide how he felt. He laughed all the way home.
Now，I think it’s funny too. But at the time I was terribly embarrassed. I thought that an invitation to have dinner meant the same thing in the United States as in my country. I guess you have to understand that your customs（习俗） are only your customs. When you visit a foreign country，you have to learn about their customs，too.Customs can be ________in different countries according to this passage.
| A．entirely different | B．close to each other |
| C．quite the same | D．very similar |
The writer’s roommate advised the writer to take some money with him to________.
| A．invite Lynne to dinner | B．pay for the table |
| C．pay for the restaurant | D．share the cost of the meal |
The writer and Lynne________.
| A．had a talk for three hours |
| B．shared a successful dinner |
| C．traveled to Saudi Arabia together |
| D．enjoyed their meal without talking |
Why didn’t Lynne pay the check for the writer?
| A．Because she didn’t have the meal. |
| B．Because she thought it was natural for people to pay their own check. |
| C．Because she wanted to embarrass the writer. |
| D．Because she didn’t have enough money with her. |
The roommate laughed all the way home because the writer________.
| A．would not listen to him when he left the house |
| B．was embarrassed when he couldn’t pay his breakfast |
| C．telephoned him to bring some books to him |
| D．hadn’t told Lynne the truth |
Frank Woolworth was born in Rodman, New York, in 1852. His family were very poor farmers, and there was never enough to eat. Frank decided he did not want to be a farmer. He took a short business course, and went to work as a salesman in a large city.
Woolworth realized he had a natural skill for showing goods to attract people’s interest, but he soon learned something more important. One day his boss told him to sell some odds and ends (小商品) for as much as he could get. Frank put all these things on one table with a sign which said FIVE CENTS EACH. People fought and pushed to buy the things and the table was soon cleared.
Soon afterwards, Woolworth opened his own store, selling goods at five and ten cents. But he had another lesson to learn before he became successful. That is, if you want to make money by selling low-price goods, you have to buy them in large quantities directly from the factories. Once, for example, Woolworth went to Germany and placed an order for knives. The order was so large that the factory had to keep running 24 hours a day for a whole year. In this way, the price of the knives was cut down by half.
By 1919, Woolworth had over 1000 stores in the US and Canada, and opened his first store in London. He made many millions and his name became famous throughout the world. He always run his business according to strict rules, of which the most important was: “ THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT.”Frank took a short business course in order to _________.
| A．learn something from a salesman | B．get away from the farm |
| C．earn more money for his family | D．get enough to eat. |
Frank sold the odds and ends quickly because _________.
| A．he had put the goods on a table in a very nice way |
| B．he cut down the price by half |
| C．the sign he put on the table was well designed |
| D．he knew how to get people to buy his goods. |
The price of the knives was cut down by half because ________.
| A．knives were ordered in large quantities directly from the factory. |
| B．the factory workers worked 24 hours a day |
| C．the knives were made in Germany, where labour was cheap. |
| D．the knives were produced in one factory. |
________ make Woolworth a world-famous man.
| A．The low price of the goods he sold |
| B．His business skills and his wealth |
| C．His trip to Germany and his huge order of knives |
| D．His natural skill for showing things |
The belief that “ The customer is always right” suggests that ________.
A.whenever there is a quarrel between the customer and shop assistant, the customers are always right.
B If you want to succeed, the rule is the only way.
C.stores should do their best to meet the customer’s needs if they want to be successful.
D.stores must always follow the customer’s orders if they want to make more money.
One of the world's richest men has taken a close interest in one of man's most basic functions: visiting the toilet．Bill Gates's charitable organization, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is looking for inventors to design the loo of the future, which, they hope, would improve sanitation for millions of people around the world.
So, what's wrong with the traditional flush toilet? Firstly, it wastes a huge amount, of potential drinking water．Secondly, they are more likely to cause pollution．This is a real problem in many areas of the developing world, where, according to United Nations estimates, unsafe sanitation causes half of all hospitalizations．Younger people are particularly at risk．Illnesses which cause diarrhea are responsible for the deaths of about 1．5 million children a year．Finally, standard lavatories simply aren't practical in remote areas．
The challenge set by Bill Gates was to come up with a latrine which works without running water, electricity or aseptic tank．It also needed to operate for less than 5 cents．28 designs were displayed at the recent Reinvent the Toilet Fair．in Seattle, USA．Among them was one which turned human waste into electricity using microwaves, another which converted human waste into charcoal, and yet another which used urine for flushing．
But the winner was a solar-powered design which generated hydrogen gas and electricity．The team from the California Institute of Technology（CIT）picked up a prize of $ 100,000.
But clearly Bill Gates doesn't feel he's flushing money down the toilet．After the Seattle event he said, "We, couldn't be happier with the response we've gotten," Gates has even pledged $370 million more to the future toilet project．They hope to field test more, prototypes over the next three years．Why is Bill Gates paying people to invent new toilets?
| A．Because he wants to test people's sense of creativity． |
| B．Because he thinks the traditional ones are out of fashion |
| C．Because he wants to improve sanitation for many people． |
| D．Because he can't design this kind of things himself． |
Which of the following is NOT a problem with the traditional flush toilet?
| A．They are too complicated to use. | B．They waste too much water |
| C．They might cause diseases． | D．They are not always practical. |
The underlined word "latrine" in the third paragraph might have similar meanings to the word "__" in the text．
| A．sanitation | B．loo | C．diarrhea | D．prototype |
The team from CIT won the prize because their design.
| A．can change human waste into electricity |
| B．can turn human waste into charcoal |
| C．can use urine for flushing |
| D．can produce power with solar energy |
If someone "flush money down the toilet", they are.
| A．wasting money for nothing |
| B．being angry with their work conditions |
| C．showing—off their wealth |
| D．expressing their great determination |
Our interpersonal skills have a great effect on success in our daily lives. This appears not only in the workplace where we can make more money or enjoy our job more, but also shows itself in marriage, raising a family and the ability to reach goals in almost every area of life. Interpersonal skills come into play when our flight is cancelled and we need to make other arrangements. They come into play when a marriage is threatened by financial challenges or infidelity(不忠).
Our communication skills even matter when we are in traffic and we need to make a decision about how to respond to other drivers. Communicating with others becomes inseparable from having a good day, or a bad day not only in how we begin communication, but in how we react to the communications of others who are having a difficult time.
It can make a difference in saving a marriage or getting a divorce, celebrating a rise or getting fired, and even having your eggs cooked as the way you like at the local restaurant. Many wise men and women have stressed the importance of dealing with others in a skillful manner.
Getting feedback(反馈意见) from others can be of great value in improving our interpersonal communication skills. Often, however, others are not skilled at giving feedback. When we get negative results, they rarely include the details we need in order to improve our interpersonal skills.
Since life improves so much with greater communication skills, getting feedback and an opportunity to improve would be not only life-saving for pilots, but labor-saving for the rest of us. Contact Alice Aspen March for a free consultation today and see how you might improve your communication skills, or learn more about The Attention Factor.Which of the following can greatly influence our success in our daily life according to the passage?
| A．The education we receive. | B．The skills of making a decision. |
| C．The nationality of our friends. | D．Our interpersonal skills. |
What does the underlined word “They” refer to in the last sentence of Paragraph 1?
| A．Family members |
| B．Interpersonal skills. |
| C．Husband and wife |
| D．Challenges of lack of money. |
Why does the author mention “traffic” and “other drivers” in the second paragraph?
| A．Just to call our attention |
| B．To tell us the importance of communication skills. |
| C．To lead us to think of a sad scene |
| D．To help us not to forget traffic is very important. |
Which of the following is true?
| A．Getting feedback from others can be valueless in improving our interpersonal skills. |
| B．Even if we have good communication skills, we will surely not be able to improve our life. |
| C．If we pay enough money, we can get some advice from Alice Aspen March. |
| D．Many wise people think communicating with others needs skills. |
What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．The Attention Factor |
| B．The Problems of Marriage |
| C．Interpersonal Skills |
| D．The Relationship Between Our Feelings and Traffic |
Nowadays, the food we eat seems to have great effects on our health. Although science has made enormous steps in making food more fit to eat, it has, at the same time, made many foods unfit to eat. Some research has shown that perhaps eighty percent of all human illnesses are related to diet and forty percent of cancer is related to the diet as well, especially cancer of the colon. Different cultures are more likely to cause certain different illnesses because of the food that is characteristic in these cultures.
That food is related to illness is not a new discovery. In 1945, government researchers realized that nitrates, commonly used to preserve color in meats, and other food additives, caused cancer. Yet, these carcinogenic additives remain in our food, and it becomes more difficult all the time to know which things on the packaging labels of processed food are helpful or harmful. The additives which we eat are not all so direct. Farmers often give penicillin to beef and living animals, and because of this, penicillin has been found in the milk of treated cow. Sometimes similar drugs are given to animals not for medical purposes, but for financial reasons. The farmers are simply trying to fatten the animals in order to obtain a higher price on the market. Although the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has tried repeatedly to control these procedures, the practices continue.What is the best possible title of the passage?
| A．Drug and Food | B．Food and Health |
| C．Cancer and Health | D．Health and Drug |
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．Some of the additives in our food are added to the food itself and some are given to the living animals |
| B．Researchers have known about the potential dangers of food additives for about sixty-eight years. |
| C．Drugs are always given to animals for medical reasons |
| D．Food may cause forty percent of cancer in world. |
How has science done something harmful to mankind?
| A．Because of science, diseases caused by polluted food have been virtually eliminated. |
| B．It has caused a lack of information concerning the value of food. |
| C．The scientists have preserved the color of meats, but not of vegetables. |
| D．Because of the application of science, some potentially harmful substances have been added to food. |
What are nitrates used for?
| A．They preserve the color of meats. |
| B．They preserve flavor in packaged foods. |
| C．They are the objects of research |
| D．They cause the animals to become fatter. |
The word “carcinogenic” most nearly means “_____”.
| A．trouble-making | B．color-retaining |
| C．cancer-causing | D．money-making |