He met her at a party. She was so outstanding that many guys were chasing after her, while he was so ordinary. At the end of the party, he invited her to have coffee with him. She was surprised but due to being being polite, she promised.
They sat in a nice coffee shop, he was too nervous to say anything, and she felt uncomfortable, too. Suddenly he asked the waiter, “Would you please give me some salt? I’d like to put it in my coffee.” Everybody stared at him. It was so strange! His face turned red but still, he put the salt in his coffee and drank it. She asked him curiously, “Why do you have this hobby?” He replied, “When I was a little boy, I lived near the sea, I liked playing in the sea, I could feel the taste of the sea, just like the taste of the salty coffee. Now every time I have the salty coffee, I always think of my childhood, my hometown, and my parents who are still living there.” While saying that tears filled his eyes. She was deeply touched. Then she also started to speak, speaking about her faraway hometown, her childhood, and her family.
That was a really nice talk, also a beautiful beginning of their love. They continued to date. She found that actually he was a man who met all her demands. He had tolerance, kind-hearted, warm and careful. Thanks to his salty coffee! They married. And, every time she made coffee for him, she put some salt in the coffee, as she knew that was the way he liked i
t. After 40 years, he passed away and left her a letter which said, “My dearest, please forgive my whole life’s lie. Remember the first time we dated? I was so nervous at that time, actually I wanted some sugar, but said salt. It was hard for me to change so I just went ahead. I didn’t like the salty coffee then, what a strange bad taste! But I have had the salty coffee for my whole life, for it was prepared by you.” The man was nervous at the coffee shop, because _______.
| A．everybody stared at him at that time |
| B．many guys chased after the woman |
| C．he didn’t feel himself a match for the woman |
| D．he had the strange habit of drinking salty coffee |
From this passage, we can infer that ________.
| A．the man’s lie won the woman’s love |
| B．the man’s parents onced lived near the sea |
| C．the woman talked with the man, for they had the same experience |
| D．the woman realised what salty coffee had to do with a good man |
What can be concluded about the man?
| A．He had intended to give his wife a surprise at his death |
| B．He unwillingly developed a taste for salty coffee after marriage |
| C．He was so stubborn as to drink for a life what he didn’t like |
| D．He enjoyed his lifelong bitter salty coffee out of love |
Which of the following could be the best title for this passage?
| A．A Foolish Lie | B．Salty Coffee |
| C．A Sad Love Story | D．Love in a Coffee Shop |
Recently a lot of managers complain that their employees don’t work hard and what they care about is only how much money they can get.
How does this happen? I t
hink it is time for them to think about that seriously now.
Shakespeare once said that “some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them”. So it is with leadership. Some persons are born with the ability of leadership. Some gain that art by watching and studying the actions of those around them. Other persons find themselves forced into special situations which require them to make the best of the resources they never realized they had and events bring out strong leadership. Most of us are never put to such tests. Most of us are not born leaders.
We often hear people say, “He is a great fellow to work for.” We see workers try their best to do things for certain managers. We see them carry out instructions cheerfully and well or even add something to the doing of the job which was unexpected. In other words, they put themselves into the job and give it their “extra effort” which people give only when they feel that they are part of the team, that they are making a contribution to its success, and that their contributions are understood and appreciated by their managers.
However, this is not something which happens naturally or by chance. It is built on one-to-one relationship. It is a reflection of a person’s attitudes toward the job, the manager and the company. Where it exists, it has been developed over a period, as a result of three simple factors: confide
nce, cooperation and understanding of their manager who understands them, appreciates their efforts and tries to give them all a fair deal.The author quotes Shakespeare's words in order to ________．
| A．introduce the topic of the passage |
| B．stress the importance of good leadership |
| C．help to describe three different kinds of leaders |
| D．compare the difference between greatness with leadership |
According to the author, as a manager, you should ________．
| A．understand and appreciate your workers and their contributions |
| B．make good use of those workers born willing to work hard for you |
| C．treat different workers in different ways and different attitudes |
| D．not only control your workers but understand and appreciate them |
Most people gain the art of leadership because ________．
| A．they are born with the ability of it |
| B．they are always put into some special tests |
| C．they are much wiser than others |
| D．they like to watch and study the actions of others |
A new survey finds that more than eighty percent of Internet users in the United States search for health information online．The survey found that searching online is one of the leading ways that people look for a second opinion though doctors are still the main source of health information．
Forty-four percent of people are actually looking for doctors or other providers when they search for health information online．Another finding of the survey: Two-thirds of Internet users look online for information about a specific disease or medical condition．
The Internet has also become an important source of e
motional support for people with health problems．Susannah Fox says one in five Internet users has gone online to find other people who have the same condition．It was more popular among people with more serious health issues—one in four people living with chronic diseases （慢性病）．And it was basically off the charts with pe
ople living with rare disease．They are so eager to find other people online who share their health concerns．
A disease is considered rare if it affects fewer than two hundred thousand people worldwide．The rise of social networking has made it easier for people with rare diseases to connect with each other and feel less alone．Social networking is also changing the way some doctors and patients communicate with each other．Dr．Jeff Livingston operates a medical center for women in Irving, Texas．His office uses password-protected software to share information with patients．
“We provide the patient full access to their medical care．Anything I can see, the patient can see．All of their notes, all of their doctor visits are right there．All 
of their lab work is right there．” Dr．Livingston says the software has increased efficiency, reduced costs and improved relations with patients．From the first paragraph, we can know _________．
| A．most online health information is reliable |
| B．more people now turn to the Internet for medical advice |
| C．people shouldn’t rely on the Internet for medical advice |
| D．doctors are no longer the patients’ first choice |
The underlined words “off the charts” in Paragraph 3 mean _________．
A．very popular |
| B．not accessible |
| C．far away from |
| D．not attractive |
By using social networking, patients with rare diseases can _________．
| A．find effective cures |
B．get emotion al comfort |
| C．ask for financial support |
| D．consult doctors anytime |
Which of the following is NOT true for Dr．Livingston’s software?
| A．It cuts down medical expenses． |
| B．It decreases the time spent on medical care． |
| C．It takes doctors closer to their patients． |
| D．It gives patients a medical test online． |
I’m writing to complain about the service offered by your company.
I told your service department on November 21 that my washing machine needed repairing, Your service engineers have since been here four times—on December 1l, December 19, December 25 and January 5．The problem was found out on the first visit and the wrong parts were brought by different engineers on the two next visits. The correct part was fitted by the first engineer on the fourth visit.
In short, my complaints are:
a．I had to wait three weeks for an engineer to call and nearly two months for the machine to be repaired.
b．The engineers who called on December 19 and December 25 had been given wrong information by the company, which made me take two half days off unnecessarily.
c．The first and fourth visits lasted a total of thirty minutes. But in the invoice （发票）, I have to pay for four visits of four hours’ work. I will not be paying the invoice for their mistakes and I do hope to receive your answers to these complaints.
Yours,
Robert WhiteRobert’s main purpose in writing to the company is to tell the company ________.
| A．how its service department is operating |
| B．how its different engineers came for the repair |
| C．that all of the engineers didn’t give him any help |
| D．that he refuses to pay the company for their mistakes |
The first of Robert’s complaints is that________.
| A．it took him three weeks to have the machine repaired |
| B．it took him nearly sixty days to get his machine repaired |
| C．it had been almost two months before the first engineer came |
| D．it took the engineer 3 weeks to find out something wrong with the machine. |
The second and third engineers brought the wrong parts because________.
| A．the company didn’t tell them exactly what they should do |
| B．the company didn't tell them where the correct parts were |
| C．they were not sure about whether the machine worked or not |
| D．they hadn’t been told where the right parts should be fitted. |
It can be inferred from the letter that Robert promises to pay for________.
| A．three hours’ work | B．half an hour’s work |
| C．an hour’s work | D．four hours’ work |
A shopkeeper sent his son to learn about the secret of happiness from the wisest man in the world. The boy walked a long way, and finally came upon the beautiful castle where the wise man lived.
On entering the main room of the castle, the boy was quite surprised: tradesmen coming and going, people chatting in the corners, and a small orchestra playing soft music. The wise man talked with everyone, and the boy had to wait for two hours before it was his turn.
The wise man listened carefully to the boy’s explanation of why he had come, but told him that he didn’t have time just then to explain the secret of happiness. He suggested that the boy look around the palace and return in two hours.
“Meanwhile, I want to ask you to do something,” said the wise man, handing the boy a teaspoon that held two drops of oil. “As you wander around, carry this spoon with you without allowing the oil to spill.”
The boy began to walk up and down stairs of the palace, keeping his eyes fixed on the spoon. After two hours, he returned to the wise man.
“Well,” asked the wise man, “Did you see the Persian tapestries（挂毯）in the hall? Did you see the garden that took the master gardener ten years to create?” The boy was embarrassed, and replied that he had observed nothing. His only concern had been not to spill the oil.
“Then go back and observe the wonders
of my world,” said the wise man. The boy picked up the spoon and returned to his exploration of the palace. This time he observed all of the works of art on the ceilings and the walls. When he returned, he described in detail everything he had seen.
“But where are the drops of oil?” asked the wise man. Looking down at the spoon he held, the boy saw that the oil was gone.
“Well, there is only one piece of advice I can give you,” said the wise man. “The secret of happiness is to see all the wonders of the world, and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon.”When the boy arrived at the castle, he .
| A．received a warm welcome from the wise man |
| B．had already missed his chance to talk to the wise man |
| C．didn’t expect to see so many people around |
| D．was shown around the palace by the local people |
The wise man gave the boy two tasks in order to .
| A．teach him the secret of happiness |
| B．show him how to observe the wonders in the world |
| C．make him learn from his mistakes |
| D．let the boy enjoy his palace and garden |
We can infer from the article that “the drops of oil on the spoon” probably refer to ______
| A．the beauty of nature |
| B．the fortune a person owns |
| C．the responsibilities of a person |
| D．the great opportunities in life |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the article?
| A．The wise man was satisfied with the way the boy performed the second task |
| B．It took the wise man about 10 years to finish his garden. |
| C．The wise man wasn’t paying much attention to the boy at first. |
| D．The boy took no notice of the surroundings during his first task. |
The Atlantic Ocean is one of the oceans that separate the Old World from the New. For centuries it kept the America from being discovered by the people of Europe.
The Atlantic Ocean is only half as big as the pacific, but it is still very large. It is more than 4,000 miles (6,000 km) wide where Columbus crossed it. Even at its narrowest it is about 2,000 miles (3,200 km) wide.
There is so much water in the Atlantic that it is hard to imagine how much there is. But suppose no more rain fell into and no more water was brought to it by rivers. It would take the ocean about 4,000 years to dry up. On the average the water is a little more than 2 miles (3.2 km) deep, but in some places it is much deeper. The deepest spot is near Puerto Rico. This "deep" measures 30,246 feet --- almost six miles (9.6 km).
Several hundred miles eastward from Florida there is a part of the ocean called the Sargasso Sea. Here the water is quiet, for there is little wind. Today the Atlantic is a great highway. It is not, however, always a smooth and safe one. Storms sweep across it and pile up great waves. Icebergs float down from the Far North across the paths of ships. We now have such fast ways of travelling that this big ocean seems to have grown smaller. Columbus sailed for more than two months to cross it. A fast modern steamship can make the trip in less than four days. Airplanes fly from New York to London in only eight hours and from South America to Africa in four!From the third paragraph, we can learn that ______ .
| A．the Atlantic will dry up in 4,000 years' time |
| B．no river flows into the Atlantic ocean |
| C．it's hard to imagine how much water there is in the Atlantic ocean |
| D．the Ocean floor is rather flat |
Suppose it's February 27th, 2000. You take a steamship to cross the Atlantic to North America, when will you probably get there?
| A．On March 2nd | B．On March 3rd |
| C．On February 28th | D．In eight hours' time |
What can you learn from the last paragraph of the passage ?
| A．The Atlantic has grown smaller than it used to be. |
| B．The Atlantic had grown wider than it used to be. |
| C．Fast ways of travelling make the ocean grow smaller. |
| D．Fast ways of travelling make the ocean seem to grow smaller. |