When he was driving home one evening on a country road,he saw an old lady,stranded(抛锚的)on the side of the road.He stopped in front of her car and got out.Even with the smile on his face,she was worried.He looked poor and hungry.He knew how she felt.He said,“I am here to help you,madam.Why
don’t you wait in the car where it’s warm? By the way, my name is Joe.”
She had a flat tire.Joe crawled under the car,changed the tire.But he got dirty and his hands hurt.She could not thank him enough and asked him how much she owed him.He told her that if she really wanted to pay him back,the next time she saw someone who needed help,she could give that person the assistance they needed,and Joe added,“And think of me.”
She drove off.A few miles down the road the lady saw a small restaurant.She went in.The waitress had a sweet smile,and was nearly eight months pregnant(怀孕的).The old lady wondered how someone like her who seemed poor could be so kind to a stranger.Then she remembered Joe.After the lady finished her meal,the waitress went to get her change from a hundred—dollar bill.But she stepped right out the door.
When the waitress came back,she noticed something written on a napkin,“I am helping you because someone once helped me.If you really want to pay me back,here’s what you do---Do not let the chain of love end with you.”
That night when she got home,she was thinking about the money and what the lady had written.She and her husband needed money with the baby due(预期的)next month.She knew how worried her husband was,and as he lay sleeping next to her,she whispered,“Everything’s going to be all right.I love you,Joe.”..When Joe stopped to help the lady,she
A.became excited | B.was afraid to![]() |
C.refused his offer | D.thanked him |
..At the restaurant, the lady
A.received good service | B.had an expensive meal |
C.told the waitress Joe’s story | D.met another poor guest |
..Why did the lady leave the restaurant without getting her change?
A.She forgot it. | B.She wanted to help Joe |
C.She wanted to tip the waitress. | |
D.S![]() |
..Which of the following statements is true?
A.Joe’s boss fired him. | B.Joe worked as a driver. |
C.Joe’s wife was a waitress. | D.Joe had an unhappy marriage. |
The booking notes of the play "the Age of Innocence":
Price: $10
BOOKING
There are four easy ways to book seats for performance:
------ in person
The Box Office is open Monday to Saturday, 10 a. m. -8 p. m.
-----by telephone
Ring 01324976 to reserve your tickets or to pay by credit card(Visa, MasterCard and Amex
accepted)
------ by post
Simply complete the booking form and return it to Global Theatre Box Office.
------on line
Complete the on-line booking form at www. Satanfiedtheatre. com
DISCOUNTS:
Saver: $2 off any seat booked any time in advance for performances from Monday to Thursday.
Savers are available for children up to 16 years old, over 60s and full-time students.
Supersaver: half-price seats are available for people with disabilities and one companion. It is advisable to book in advance. There is a maximum of eight wheelchair spaces available and one wheelchair space will be held until an hour before the show.
Standby: best available seats are on sale for $6 from one hour before the performance for people eligible(suitable)for Saver and Supersaver discounts and thirty minutes before for all other customers.
Group Bookings: there is a ten percent discount for parties of twelve or more.
School: school parties of ten or more can book $6 standby tickets in advance and will get every tenth ticket free.
Please note: we are unable to exchange tickets or refund money unless a performance is cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances.If you want to book a ticket, you CANNOT ________.
A.use the Internet. |
B.ring the booking number and pay for the tickets by credit card. |
C.go to the Box Office on Sundays. |
D.complete a booking form and post it to the Box Office. |
According to the notes, who can get $2 off?
A.A 20-year-old full-time college student. |
B.A 55-year-old woman. |
C.An 18-year-old teenager. |
D.The people who book the tickets on Fridays. |
If you make a group booking for a group of 14 adults, how much should you pay?
A.$120 | B.$126 |
C.$140 | D.$150 |
From the passage we can know all the following information except that ________.
A.There are only 8 wheelchair spaces in the theatre. |
B.The audience can't refund money if the performance is on show. |
C.A group of 12 persons can get 10 percent discount. |
D.A school party of 15 students should pay $90 for the standby tickets. |
A brand is a name, word, sign, symbol, design, or a combination of these, intended to identify the goods or services of a company or a group of companies. Another purpose of a brand is to contrast one company from another. The most important skill of professional marketers is the ability to create, maintain, protect, and enhance the brands of their products and services. Branding has become so important that today hardly any company or product is without one. Therefore, brand management is an increasingly important element in marketing.
Brand power refers to the relative strength of a company’s brand in the minds of consumers, and can influence consumers’ choice of products. Brands are powerful to the extent that they give high brand loyalty and strong brand associations, name recognition, perceived quality and other assets to a company. A strong brand can be one of a company’s most important assets.
High brand power provides a company with many competitive advantages. A powerful brand enjoys a high level of consumer brand awareness and loyalty. Because consumers expect stores to carry the brand, the company has more bargaining power when negotiating with retailers (零售商). And because the brand name brings high credibility, a company with a strong brand can more easily launch new products with the same brand name.
Many companies use the advantage of a strong brand power strategically to expand their business. When a company introduces an additional item with a new flavour, form, colour or package size in a given product category and under the same brand name, it is called a line extension. Another strategy is called brand extension. This involves the use of a successful brand name to launch new or modified products in a new category, thereby employing brand recognition in order to increase sales of new products.
Brand recognition is certainly important. Because consumers often hold long-standing perceptions about brands, high brand power ensure a company continued sales of its products.What does the word “assets” in the 2nd paragraph mean?
A.points | B.advantages | C.aspects | D.elements |
All of the following statements are the advantages of a high brand power EXCEPT that______.
A.a high brand wins the loyalty of consumers |
B.a high brand usually sets a much higher price |
C.it’s easy for a high brand company to launch new products |
D.a high brand company is more competitive when doing business with retailers |
A brand extension ______.
A.happens when the company is developing a new product |
B.means the expansion of a company’s business in its established field |
C.takes place when the company introduces a similar item but with a new colour |
D.refers to the use of an established brand name to promote a new product in a new category |
What might be the best title of this passage?
A.Brand Power | B.Famous Brands |
C.Company Brands | D.Brand Products |
Watson entered Mr. Smith's office. The boss was a hard man. He fired people who didn't do well without giving them a second chance.
"Watson," said Mr. Smith, "this past year your department hasn't earned money. We're going to drop that department. It's finished. I’m sorry, —but you'll have to go." "But, sir — if I just had a little more time. For the moment I need the job to keep my son at Riverside School."
"What's that!" said the boss. "Riverside! I didn't know you had a boy there. That's an expensive school for a man with your salary."
"I know, sir. But he likes it there so much! He's a star athlete and the best boxer in the school. The boys call him Champ there."
The boss sat perfectly still for a long time — a faraway (恍惚的) look in his eyes. Then, suddenly, he said, "We've got to close your department, Watson. But you'll take over a new job in another department. It means longer hours—maybe more pay. Now get out. You're here for life."
Watson got out, with surprise on his face. Then the boss took a letter from the top drawer of his desk. It was Herbie's last letter from Riverside School —written a few days before he died. He had read it over and over again with sick pain. The letter read:
I can’t say the boys here are any nicer to me than the others were. I guess it's the same everywhere when you're a cripple (跛脚的人). But don't worry about me, Dad. They've got a good chemistry department here. And there’s one boy here who is really great. He's a track star and boxing champ (冠军) and just tops in chemistry. The boys call him Champ. He made them stop throwing my books around. And he knocked a boy down who hit me. He is the best friend I ever had. Dad, when I grow up, 1 want to do something for Champ. Something big — that he won’ t even know about.
Your son,
HerbieMr. Smith wanted to fire Watson because _____.
A.Watson would take over a new job in another department |
B.Watson had his son study in Riverside School |
C.Watson's son knocked a boy down who hit Herbie |
D.Watson's department didn't earn money that year |
We can learn from the text that _____.
A.Mr. Smith didn't know that Champ was Watson's son at first |
B.Mr. Smith was told not to fire Watson by Herbie |
C.Mr. Smith decided to give Watson another chance in no time |
D.Mr. Smith wanted to realize Champ's dream |
According to the text, which words can best describe Mr. Smith?
A.Selfish and greedy. |
B.Sympathetic and grateful. |
C.Hardworking and strict. |
D.Easy-going and optimistic. |
The author wrote the text in order to _____.
A.share a moving story with us |
B.make our children enjoy life |
C.provide us with tips on work |
D.help us to deal with our boss |
A new study has found that it may be possible to train people to be more intelligent, increasing the brainpower they had at birth.
Until now,it has been widely assumed that the kind of mental ability that allows us to solve new problems without having any relevant previous experience—what psychologists call fluid intelligence—is innate and cannot be taught(though people can raise their grades on tests of it by practicing).
But in the new study,researchers describe a method for improving this skill,along with experiments to prove it works.
The key, researchers found, was carefully structured training in working memory—the kind that allows memorization of a telephone number just long enough to dial it.This type of memory is closely related to fluid intelligence,so the researchers reasoned that improving it might lead to improvements in fluid intelligence.
First they measured fluid intelligence of volunteers using standard tests.Then they trained each in a complicated memory task—the child’s card game,in which they had to recall a card they saw and heard.During the course, they needed to ignore irrelevant items, monitor ongoing performance,manage two tasks at the same time and connect related items to one another in space and time.
The four groups experienced a half-hour of training daily for 8, 12, 17 and 19 days, respectively.To make sure they were not just improving their test-taking skills,the researchers compared them with control groups that took the tests without the training.
The results, published Monday in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,were striking.Improvement in the trained groups was a lot greater.Moreover,the longer they trained, the higher their scores were.All performers,from the weakest to the strongest,showed significant improvement.
“Our results show you can increase your intelligence with proper training.” said Dr Jaeggi, a co-author of the paper.“No one knows how long the gains will last after training stops,” he added, “and the experiment’s design did not allow the researchers to determine whether more training would continue to produce further gains.By writing the article,the writer intends to ______________.
A.inform the readers of a new study |
B.call on people to be trained to increase intelligence |
C.prove one’s born brainpower can be improved |
D.tell people the improved intelligence will last forever |
The researchers thought the key to improving the intelligence was ______________.
A.memorizing telephone numbers |
B.improving working memory |
C.training in concentration |
D.recalling a card |
The following aspects of the training help increase intelligence EXCEPT___________.
A.ignoring irrelevant items |
B.monitoring ongoing performance |
C.managing two tasks at the same time |
D.using previous experience |
When the experiment was conducted, the researchers______________.
A.trained the four groups for the same period of time |
B.only made comparisons between the four groups |
C.compared the four groups with control groups |
D.trained the four groups together |
The increase in tuition fees(学费) has led to a “clear drop” in the number of English students applying for university places this autumn. There are 15,000 “missing” applicants this academic year, according to the Independent Commission on Fees. Chairman Will Hutton said: “We’re asking our young men and women to have more debt than any other country in the world — it’s higher than the average debt in the US. It’s not clear whether those lost students this year will return next year, or if it’s a storm warming of a worrying trend.”
But the commission’s report says there does not seem to be an impact on poorer communities. The commission found there was no significant change in the application rate to the key universities, such as Oxford or Cambridge. The decline (下降)in England has not been mirrored in other parts of the UK where fees have not been raised, and the drop can only partly be explained by falling numbers of young people in the population. Students from Scotland attending Scottish universities do not pay fees, while the Welsh Assembly says it will pay fees above £3,465 for Welsh students attending UK institutions.
The average tuition fee at English universities this year is £ 8,385, rising to £ 8,507 next year. UK and EU students have access to govemment-backed loans to pay the fees. And the survey of 1,000 pupils aged 15-18, carried out this April, found that the majority expected to go on to higher education as people continue to understand that university remains a good long term investment in their future.
A spokeswoman at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills which is responsible for universities, said:“Students shouldn’t be forced to put off going to university for financial reasons. Most students will not have to pay in advance, and no one will have to start paying back their student loan until they start to earn at least £ 2l,000 per year.”From the first paragraph, we know that __________________ .
A.it’s a trend that English students are dropping out of school |
B.the rising tuition fees have a great effect on English students |
C.the lost English students will find their way back |
D.many English students are missing the final examinations |
Why is there still a drop of applicants though fees have not been raised?
A.Because the students live in poor communities. |
B.Because Welsh students will pay fees above£3,465. |
C.Because education is free for Scottish students. |
D.Because there are less young students in the area. |
What’s the students’ attitude to universities in the survey?
A.Most of them are willing to go to university. |
B.They feel universities takes up too much time. |
C.They will stop applying for university places this autumn. |
D.They are anxious to go to a key university. |
The spokeswoman in the last paragraph advises students to ______________
A.put off going to university |
B.reduce the anxiety about the rising fees |
C.pay for the fees in advance |
D.pay back their loan soon after graduation |