TheengineerCamilloOlivettiwas4-优题课

In a certain store where they sell puddings, a number of these delicious things are laid out in a row during the Christmas season. Here you may select the one which is most to your taste, and you are even allowed to sample them before coming to a decision.
I have often wondered whether some people, who had no intention of making a purchase, would take advantage of this privilege. One day I asked this question of the shop girl, and I learned it was indeed the case. “Now there’s one old gentleman, for instance,” she told me, “he comes here almost every week and samples each one of the puddings, though he never buys anything, and I suspect he never will. I remember him from last year and the year before that, too. Well, let him come if he wants it, and welcome to it. And what’s more, I hope there are a lot more stores where he can go and get his share. He looks as if he needed it all right, and I suppose they can afford it.”
She was still speaking when an elderly gentleman limped up to the counter and began looking closely at the row of puddings with great interest. “Why, that’s the very gentleman I’ve been telling you about,” whispered the shop girl. “Just watch him now.” And then turning to him: “Would you like to sample them, sir? Here’s a spoon for you to use. “The elderly gentleman, who was poorly but neatly dressed, accepted the spoon and began eagerly to sample one after another of the puddings, only breaking off occasionally to wipe his red eyes with a large torn handkerchief. “This is quite good”. “This is not bad either, but a little too heavy”. All the time it was quite evident that he sincerely believed that he might eventually buy one of these puddings, and I am positive that he did not for a moment feel that he was in any way cheating the store. Poor old chap! Probably he had come down in the world and this sampling was all that was left him from the time when he could afford to come and select his favorite pudding.
Amidst the crowd of happy, prosperous looking Christmas shoppers, the little black figure of the old man seemed pitiful and out of place, and in a burst of benevolence, I went up to him and said:
“Pardon me, sir, will you do me a favor? Let me purchase you one of these puddings. It would give me such pleasure.”
He jumped back as if he had been stung, and the blood rushed into his wrinkled face.
“Excuse me,” he said, with more dignity than I would have thought possible considering his appearance, “I do not believe I have the pleasure of knowing you. Undoubtedly you have mistaken me for someone else.” And with a quick decision he turned to the shop girl and said in a loud voice, “Kindly pack me up this one here. I will take it with me.” He pointed at one of the largest and most expensive of the puddings.
The girl took down the pudding from its stand and started to make a parcel of it, While he pulled out a worn little black pocketbook and began counting out shillings and pennies on to the counter. To save his “honor”, he had been forced into a purchase which he could not possibly afford. How I longed for the power to unsay my tactless words! It was too late though, and I felt that the kindest thing I could do now would be walk away.
“You pay at the desk,” the shop girl was telling him, but he did not seem to understand and kept trying to put the coins into her hand. And that was the last I saw or heard of the old man. Now he can never go there to sample puddings and more.
By saying it was indeed the case. , the author meant that ______.

A．many shoppers would sample pudding before buying them

B．some people just sampled pudding but didn’t buy them

C．the Christmas season was the time to promote pudding sales.

D．there were various kinds of puddings on sale during the Christmas sale.

From the girl’s words, we know that she ______

A．felt pity for the old man

B．looked down upon the old man

C．thought poorly of sampling pudding

D．worked in the shop for a few months

The old man finally bought a pudding because ______

A．he had intended to buy the pudding

B．the author gave him some money

C．he was annoyed by the author’s offer

D．the shop girl asked him to purchase one

Why did the author feel that he should walk away according to the passage ?

A．He had something urgent to do

B．He was quite angry with the old man

C．He decided to pay the money for the pudding

D．He found himself in a rather awkward way

What does the passage imply?

A．Helping others involves respect..

B．Never judge a book by its cover.

C．A man can do no more than he can.

D．A word spoken cannot be recalled.

Work is a very important part of life in the United States. When the early Protestant immigrants came to this country, they brought the idea that work was the way to God and heaven. This attitude, the Protestant Work Ethic(道德规范), still influences America today. Work is not only important for economic benefits, the salary, but also for social and psychological needs, the feeling of doing something for the good of the society. Americans spend most of their lives working, being productive. For most Americans, their work defines them: they are what they do. What happens then, when a person can no longer work? Almost all Americans stop working at age sixty-five or seventy and retire. Because work is such an important part of life in this culture, retirement can be very difficult. Retirees often feel that they are useless and unproductive. Of course, some people are happy to retire; but leaving one’s job, whatever it is, is a difficult change, even for those who look forward to retiring. Many retirees do not know how to use their time or they feel lost without their jobs. Retirements can also bring financial problems. Many people rely on Social Security checks every month. During their working years, employees contribute a certain percentage of their salaries to the government. Each employer also gives a certain percentage to the government. When people retire, they receive this money as income. These checks do not provide enough money to live on, however, because prices are increasing very rapidly. Senior citizens, those over sixty-five, have to have savings in the bank or other retirement plans to make ends meet. The rate of inflation is forcing prices higher each year; Social Security checks alone cannot cover these growing expenses. The government offers some assistance, Medicare(health care)and welfare(general assistance), but many senior citizens have to change their life styles after retirement. They have to spend carefully to be sure that they can afford to buy food, fuel and other necessities.
Of course, many senior citizens are happy with retirement. They have time to spend with their families or enjoy their hobbies. Some continue to work part time, others do volunteer work. Some, like those in the Retired Business Executives Association, even help young people to get started in new business. Many retired citizens also belong to “Golden Age” groups. These organizations plan trips and social events. There are many chances for retirees.
American society is only beginning to be concerned about the special physical and emotional needs of its senior citizens. The government is taking steps to ease the problem of limited income. They are building new housing, offering discounts in stores and museums and on buses, and providing other services such as free courses, food service, and help with housework. Retired citizens are a rapidly growing percentage of the population. This part of the population is very important and we must meet their needs. After all, every citizen will be a senior citizen some day.
The author believes that work first became important to Americans because of _______.

A．religion

B．economy

C．psychology

D．family

The passage is mainly about _______.

A．money and check

B．senior and junior

C．work and retirement

D．Protestants and Americans

When Americans stop work, it’s difficult for them to _______.

A．get Social Security checks

B．feel productive

C．enjoy themselves

D．be religious

The main aim of Environment Awareness Week is to _______.

A．educate the public on protecting the environment

B．discuss global warming and other environmental problems

C．explain ways for producing freshwater to save the environment

D．learn about renewable energy sources that protect the environment

Whichofthefollowing statements is NOT trueoftheevent?

A．It will last a week andthehalls will be open 11 hours a day.

B．You can send an email to Mrs．Daisy Soh for more information.

C．Each hall chargesthesame amountofmoney astheother.

D．Lectures in Hall 1 will be given by university students.

The story began with a young mother who had three sons. Unfortunately, the youngest son developed slow thinking skills, not having the intelligence of his brothers.
With double duty as the mother of the household, she was exhausted, so that the youngest was often the target of anger and annoyance. Bad words, such as “you little fool” and the like, served as a daily meal for the youngest.
The words and curses he got from the mother and ridicule from friends convinced him that he was distressing and embarrassing his family. Every morning he woke up with his own face staring from the mirror reflection, he started to say quietly and sadly, “The fool is going to school.”
As adult citizens, there was compulsory military service which should be lived. Thus, the youngest son also signed up and started to follow the various tests: a medical, physical ability test and other tests. On the day of the announcement, he was called into the board of examiners.
In his mind, he convinced himself that he was the fool and couldn’t pass the tests this time as he entered the room with his head down. It was not expected at all. The tests turned out to have the highest praise from the board of examiners.
“Congratulations, young man! Your test results are incredible! You are really a great and talented young man. ”Words from the board of examiners became the discovery of a new side of himself that was not known in advance. Voice kept echoing in his mind, such as “I, the great man, am in the shower”, “The great man washes his face”, “The talented young man again brushes his teeth” and so on. Confidence and improved self-image came beyond usual.
20 years later, the youngest established himself as a successful businessman who was admired and respected, and received many awards.
The mindset and belief are the power behind the success that is within us. Whatever we think and believe in or minds continuously, it will eventually materialize in reality. That’s the universally applicable law.
Why was the youngest often scolded by his mother?

A．He was not as clever as his brothers.

B．He considered himself to be a fool.

C．He didn’t behave himself at school.

D．He didn’t cook meals for his mother.

From the story we know that the young mother is ____.

A．selfish and lazy

B．gentle and caring

C．ill-tempered and impatient

D．kind-hearted and diligent

What happened to the youngest son later on?

A．He received aid from others.

B．He became an admirable psychologist.

C．He became confident and successful.

D．He developed strange mental diseases.

From this passage, the author tells us that____.

A．military service can change a person completely

B．mothers’ attitude toward children is important

C．even a fool can become a successful businessman

D．think big and you will get big results

Our library offers different types of studying places and provides a good studying environment.
Zones
The library is divided into different zones. The upper floor is a quiet zone with over a thousand places for silent reading, and places where you can sit and work with your own computer. The reading places consist mostly of tables and chairs. The ground floor is the zone where you can talk. Here you can find sofas and armchairs for group work.
Computers
You can use your own computer to connect to the wi-fi specially prepared for notebook computers; you can also use library computers, which contain the most commonly used applications, such as Microsoft Office. They are situated in the area known as the Experimental Field on the ground floor.
Group-study Places
If you want to discuss freely without disturbing others, you can book a study room or sit at a table on the ground floor. Some study rooms are for 2-3 people and others can hold up to 6-8 people. All rooms are marked on the library maps.
There are 40 group-study rooms that must be booked via the website. To book, you need an active University account and a valid University card. You can use a room three hours per day, nine hours at most per week.
Storage of Study Material
The library has lockers for students to store course literature. When you have obtained at least 40 credits, you may rent a locker and pay 400 SEK for a year’s rental period.
Rules to be Followed
Mobile phone conversations are not permitted anywhere in the library. Keep your phone on silent as if you were in a lecture and exit the library if you need to receive calls.
Please note that food and fruit are forbidden in the library, but you are allowed to have drinks and sweets with you.
Library computers on the ground floor .

A．help students with their field experiments

B．contain software essential for schoolwork

C．are for those who want to access the wi-fi

D．are mostly used for filling out application forms

A student can rent a locker in the library if he .

A．can afford the rental fee

B．attends certain courses

C．has nowhere to put his books

D．has earned the required credits

What should NOT be brought into the library?

A．Mobile phones.	B．Orange juice.
C．Candy.	D．Sandwiches.

A．Adriano’s death.	B．A period of financial problems.
C．Its faster progress.	D．Its agreements with other companies.

A．The Origin of Olivetti.	B．The Success of Olivetti.
C．The History of Olivetti	D．The Production of Olivetti.