John and Bobby joined a wholesale company together just after graduation from college the same year. Both worked very hard. After several years, however, the boss promoted Bobby to the position of manager but John remained an ordinary employee. John could not take it any more, tendered his resignation to the boss and complained the boss did not know how to delegate and did not value hard-working staff, but only promoted those who flattered him.
The boss knew that John worked very hard for the years. He thought a moment and said, “Thank you for your criticism, but I have a request. I hope you will do one more thing for our company before you leave. Perhaps you will change your decision and take back your resignation.”
John agreed. The boss asked him to go and 
find out anyone selling watermelon in the market. John went and returned soon. He said he had found out a man selling watermelon. The boss asked how much per kg. John shook his head and went back to the market to ask and returned to inform the boss $1.2 per kg.
Boss told John to wait a second, and he called Bobby to come to his office. He asked Bobby to go and find anyone selling watermelon in the market. Bobby went, returned and said, “Boss, only one person selling watermelon. $1.2 per kg, $10 for 10kg, he has inventory (清单) of 340 melons. On the table 58 melons, bought from the South two days ago, they are fresh and red, good quality.”
John was very impressed and realized the difference between himself and Bobby. He decided not to resign but to learn from Bobby.
Chances exist in
the daily details. For the same matter, a more successful person sees more and farther so that he can find out an opportunity and catch it to realize his aim. If a person sees one year ahead, while another sees only tomorrow. Then the difference between a year and a day is 365 times! Why did John decide to hand in his resignation to the boss?
| A．Because he couldn’t stand being an ordinary employee. |
| B．Because Bobby would take John’s former position. |
| C．Because the boss was not flattered by his hard work. |
| D．Because Bobby instead of him was promoted. |
What did the boss ask John to do?
| A．To go to market and find out whether there is someone selling watermelons. |
B．T o make a complete mar keting research on the various prices of watermelons. |
| C．To search for much information about the effective ways to sell watermelons. |
| D．To make a comparison on the prices of different types of watermelons. |
What sort of following information about watermelons was NOT brought by Bobby?
| A．The price. | B．The quality. |
| C．The quantity. | D．The weight. |
From the difference of John and Bobby, we may infer that a more successful person is more _____.
A. alert, sensitive and passionate
B. observant, thoughtful and exploratory
C. considerate, modest and satisfied
confident, noble and tolerant
I never thought I would have a life-changing experience at Wal-Mart.
Although my thoughts were only on speed, the checkout line I was standing in wasn't moving as quickly as I wanted, and I glanced toward the cashier.
There stood a man in his seventies, wearing glasses and a nice smile. I thought, well, he's an old guy!
For the next few minutes I watched him. He greeted every customer before scanning the items. Sure, his words were the usual, "How's it going?" But he did something different - he actually listened to people. Then he would respond to what they had said and engage them in brief conversation.
I thought it was odd. I have grown accustomed to people asking me how I was doing simply out of robotic conversational habit. After a while, you don't give any thought to the question and just mumble something back. I could say, "I just found out I have six months to live," and someone would reply, "Have a great day!"
But that wasn't the end.
He gave them the change, walked around the counter, and extended his right hand in an act of friendship. He looked at the customers' eyes. "I do want to thank you for shopping here today, "he told them." Have a great day. Bye-bye."
The looks on the faces of the customers were priceless. There were smiles and some sheepish grins. All had been touched by his simple gesture that they never expected. They would gather their things and
walk out, smiling. Of course, he did the same to me and I got to know his name, Marty.
Who was that guy? It was as if Sam Walton had come back from the dead and invaded this old guy's body.
I had never walked away from that shop feeling like that.The checkout line the writer was standing in moved slower than expected because __
| A．the cashier couldn't work as fast as others |
| B．there were some big purchases |
| C．the cashier did more than scanning the items |
| D．the writer was not patient enough |
According to the writer, when common people ask you "How's it going?",______ .
| A．they don't really care what you may answer |
| B．they are just practising their conversation ability |
| C．they are inquiring about your private information |
| D．they don't expect to hear any negative answers |
What was most customers' reactivity on Marty's behaviours?
| A．They thought it priceless. |
| B．They were in some way moved. |
| C．They thought it awful and odd. |
| D．They felt somewhat offended. |
What can we infer about Sam Walton?
| A．He might be Marty's father or grandfather. |
| B．He might be friendly and devoted to Wal-Mart. |
| C．He might have died while working in the market. |
| D．He might have come back from the dead once before. |
What does the writer intend to express through the text?
| A．Our everyday life is always full of surprises. |
| B．Most customers enjoy being treated this way. |
| C．Being different is a good way of doing business. |
| D．A little positive action can make a big difference. |
Movie makers at one time worried that they might be put out of business by television. Recently, however, more and more people have been going to the movies. This may be partly because the economic situation in America has worsened. When at the movies, people forget their troubles, as they get involved in the story on the screen. Also, directors have recently been producing pictures that large numbers of people want to see.
Americans in the millions are returning to their love affairs with the movies. Motion picture industry experts see two main factors responsible for this: an increased need by Americans to escape from economic worries and a large number of new movies with broad audience appeal.
Movie makers admit that their rising popularity is partly the result of poor economic conditions, which traditionally bring an increase in theatre attendance. "When people are fearful about the future, they look for escape, "comments Jack Valenti, president of the Motion Picture Association of America. "In a shaded theatre, with a 65-foot screen, you lose yourself for two and a half hours and people find this beneficial." What did movie makers worry about before?
| A．That they couldn't have enough money to make films. |
| B．That they couldn't find good actors. |
| C．That their movies might be played on television. |
| D．That people preferred watching TV to seeing films. |
Why are so many people going to see movies now?
| A．Because people now have much more money. |
| B．Because people don't have any other entertainment. |
| C．Because people want to escape from real life. |
| D．Because watching movies is now much cheaper than watching TV. |
The main topic of American movies is about __ .
| A．economy |
| B．love |
| C．tradition |
| D．not mentioned |
According to Jack Valenti, why have movies become popular?
| A．Because America's economy is bad and people want to escape from their economic worries. |
| B．Because a large number of new movies have broad audience appeal. |
| C．Because the directors have cut the budget in making movies. |
| D．Because the films are worth seeing and are excellent motion pictures. |
What's the passage mainly about?
| A．More Americans are watching movies than before. |
| B．Television will take the place of movies. |
| C．America's economic depression. |
| D．Americans prefer to watch movies rather than watch TV. |
While assisted living centres have been available in the United States for many years, the growth and availability of assisted living has had a dramatic increase since the early 1990s. An assisted living centre is a residential alternative that promotes maximum independence for each resident through a combination of supportive services and assistance. The definition of assisted living from one state to another may vary and so will the cost and types of services.
Assisted living centres vary in size, style and the optional services they may offer. Small family style living centres or the larger complex units can be found in the United States. Some facilities are operated by nonprofit organizations, while others are proprietary In addition, some facilities may be colocated or affiliated (附属) with a hospital or nursing facility.
An assisted living centre is any institution, rest home, boarding home, place, building or agency that is maintained and operated to provide personal care and services which meet some needs beyond basic provision of food, shelter and laundry in a free standing, physically separate facility which is not otherwise required to be licensed.
In general terms, an assisted living centre is required to provide assistance with daily living activities, including eating, bathing, dressing and personal hygiene; three meals a day; supervision （监督,管理) of self-administration of medications; laundry service including personal laundry, housekeeping, and 24-hour staffing.What is an assisted living centre?
| A．A hotel that serves meals. |
| B．A place for children to be taken care of. |
| C．An entertainment place for adults. |
| D．A place which gives supportive services and assistance. |
Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．All assisted living centres offer the same kinds of services. |
| B．A1l assisted living centres cost the same. |
| C．There are different kinds of assisted living centres in the United States. |
| D．All assisted living centres are of the same size. |
The underlined word "proprietary" in the second paragraph probably means "____".
| A．state-owned |
| B．governmental |
| C．owned by a charity organization |
| D．private |
An assisted living centre offers the following services EXCEPT ____.
| A．meals |
| B．washing |
| C．education |
| D．housekeeping |
What does the passage talk about?
| A．What's an assisted living centre? |
| B．Assisted living centres are popular in the United States. |
| C．Assisted living centres offer good services. |
| D．Welcome to the assisted living centre. |
Sport is very popular in England. In other words lots of English people like the idea of sport and watch sport on TV. But the number who takes part in sport is quite small. On the whole, English people prefer to
be fat rather than be thin.
The most popular sport in England is football. Football is played on Saturday afternoon in most towns and the supporters of a certain team will travel from one end of the country to the other to see their team play. There are four divisions (级别 ) of the footbaLl league. Not surprisingly the best teams are in the first division. But the best supporters are often in the fourth division. You have to be a good supporter to watch the fourth division football! is the most popular sport in England.
| A．Basketball | B．Football |
| C．Golf | D．Tennis |
You have to be a good supporter to watch division football.
| A．the first | B．the second |
| C．the third | D．the fourth |
Why do many English people not take part in sport?
| A．They are too busy. |
| B．They like watching sport on TV. |
| C．They would like to be fat. |
| D．They prefer to be thin. |
Fifty years ago not many people would have something repaired by themselves. In those days labour was fairly cheap and most people would have thought it worthwhile to have somebody repair their things unless they were very poor. Today, however, it is quite a different story. Men and women in all walks of life turn their hands to all kinds of jobs round the house. Some people have even successfully built their own houses. These jobs have been made easier today by using prepared materials.
In every high street throughout Britain nowadays there is at least one “DIY” shop. And “Do-it-yourself” is a booming business. A lot of people visit these shops every day because of the high cost of the present-day labour. Fifty years ago if people needed some repairs, they would .
| A．try to mend them by themselves |
| B．throw them away |
| C．repair them in their homes |
| D．have somebody repair them unless they were poor |
Many jobs have been made easier today because .
| A．some people have successfully built their own houses |
| B．men and women turn their hands to all kinds of jobs |
| C．they can be done by using prepared materials |
| D．a lot of people are very hard up for money |
From the passage we know that
| A．there are many “DIY” shops in Britain |
| B．not every high street in Britain has one “DIY” shop |
| C．people can do nothing without using prepared materials |
| D．"Do-it-yourself" is a lazy business in cities |
Why do a lot of people visit “DIY” shops every day?
| A．Because people are used to doing things at home. |
| B．Because the present-day labour is no longer cheap. |
| C．Because they are interested in shopping. |
| D．Because they enjoy the high cost of present-day labour. |