What is eBay? The simple answer is that it is a global trading platform where nearly anyone can
trade practically anything. People can sell and buy all kinds of products and goods, including cars, movies and DVDs, sporting goods, travel tickets, musical instruments, clothes and shoes- the list goes on and on.
The idea came from Peter Omidyar, who was born in Paris and moved to Washington when he was still a child. At high school, he became very interested in computer programming and after graduating from Tuft University in 1988, he worked for the next few years as a computer engineer. In his free time he started eBay as a kind of hobby, at first offering the service free by word of mouth. By 1996 there was so much traffic on the website that he had to upgrade(升级) and he began charging a fee to members. Joined by a friend, Peter Skill and in 1998 by his capable CEO, Meg Whitman, he has never looked back. Even in the great.com crashes of the late 1990s, eBay has gone from strength to strength. It is now one of the ten most visited online shopping websites on the Internet.
eBay sells connections, not goods, putting buyer and seller into contact with each other. All you have to do is take an e-photo, write a description, fill out a sales form and you are in business: the world is your market place .Of course for each item (商品)sold eBay gets a percentage and that is great deal of money. Every day there are more than sixteen million items listed on eBay and eighty percent of the items are sol
d.
We learn from the text that eBay provides people with_______.
A.a way of buying and selling goods |
B.a website for them to upgrade |
C.a place to exhibit their own photos |
D.a chance to buy things at low prices |
Why did Peter create eBay after graduating from university?
A.For fun. | B.To make money. |
C.For gathering the engineers. | D.To fulfill a task of his company. |
From “he has never looked back”in Paragraph 2, we learn that Peter______.
A.did not feel lonely | B.was always hopeful |
C.did not think about the past | D.became more and more successful |
How does eBay make money from its website?
A.By bringing sellers together. | B.By charging for each sale. |
C.By listing items online. | D.By making e-photos. |
“Mama, when I grow up, I’m going to be one of those!” I said this after seeing the Capital Dancing Company perform when I was three. It was the first time that my dream took on a vivid form and acted as something important to start my training. As I grew older and was exposed to more, my interests in the world of dance certainly varied but that little girl’s dream of someday becoming a dancer in the company never left me. In the summer of 2005 when I was 18, I received the phone call which made that dream a reality: I became a member of the company dating back to 1925.
As I look back on that day now, it surely lacks any sense of reality. I believe I stayed in a state of pleasant disbelief until I was halfway through rehearsals (排练) on my first day. I never actually expect to get the job. After being offered the position, I was completely astonished. I remember shaking with excitement.
Though I was absolutely thrilled with the chance, it did not come without its fair share of challenge. Through the strict rehearsal period of dancing six days a week, I found it vital to pick up the material fast with every last bit of concentration. It is that extreme attention to detail (细节) and stress on practice that set us apart. To then follow those high-energy rehearsals with a busy show schedule of up to five performances a day, I discovered a new meaning of the words “hard work.” What I thought were my physical boundaries were pushed much further than I thought possible. I learned to make each performance better than the last.
Today, when I look at the unbelievable company that I have the great honor of being a part of, not only as a member, but as a dance captain, I see a tradition that has inspired not only generations of little girls but a splendid company that continues to develop and grow-and inspires people every day to follow their dreams.How many years has the Capital Dancing Company existed when the author received the phone call from it?
A.180 | B.1925 | C.2005 | D.80 |
How did the author feel when she look back on that day now?
A.strange | B.unrealistic | C.indifferent | D.lucky |
Which of the following statement can best interpret the underlined sentence in paragraph 3?
A.Though I was excited, I should share the chance with others. |
B.Though I was excited, it’s fair to share the chance when there is challenge. |
C.Though I was excited, it’s a challenge for me to share the chance with others. |
D.Though I was excited, I know clearly where there is chance there is challenge. |
What conclusion could be drawn from the passage?
A.The company values practice most. |
B.The company extremely focus on intelligence. |
C.The company has an inherited tradition of inspiring its members break their limits. |
D.The company sets the members apart in order to extremely stress detail and practice. |
Have you ever thought of such questions as “Why do I have to study math?”or “I am not interested in history at all. My dream is to be an actor. Should I give history up?”
Maybe you are right. After you leave school, it’s not necessary for you to understand everything. But please remember that at school,besides getting knowledge, you should pay attention to some other important things.
First, try to find what you are most interested in. At school, you study many subjects. Try to find what you like and what you don’t like. This may be helpful to you in the future.
Second, maybe you don’t like math and you want to drop it. But the logical thinking ability from math can help you solve some problems.At school, you should practice your brain by thinking.
Third, you should believe in yourself. Maybe you learn French at school, but you don’t need to speak French at all.But learning French can prove that you have the ability of learning languages. Suppose you go to France one day and find a good job well. At school I learned French well, and now I must be able to learn German. But if you have no confidence, what will happen?
Try to challenge yourself as often as possible. I think many of us like playing computer games. When we fail in a game, we always want to try it again. Why? Because it is hard for us to get the highest mark. If we want to challenge ourselves, we must face more difficult things and make greater progress.At school you should .
A.stop learning the subjects you don’t like |
B.both get knowledge and improve your ability |
C.pay more attention to math and French |
D.learn French instead of English |
Math can improve one’s .
A.logical thinking ability |
B.skills in computer |
C.interest in other subjects |
D.ability of finding a job |
Which of the following is TRUE?
A.You will use everything you learn at school in your future job. |
B.It’s not necessary to know what you like at school. |
C.Everything you learn at school has an influence on you. |
D.Logical thinking ability is the most important ability. |
Learning French can help us .
A.have confidence in learning languages |
B.go to France |
C.get a good result in the exam |
D.make greater progress |
The last paragraph tells us that .
A.everyone loves to play computer games |
B.it is not easy to get high marks in computer games |
C.we should do some very different things |
D.we should challenge |
On the night of May 9, 2011, musician Gao Xiaosong ran his car into three other cars in Beijing.
But it wasn’t just a car accident—he was drunk(喝醉的).
Now, Gao has to go to prison (监狱) for six months and pay a 4,000 yuan fine.
Gao is the first star to be punished under China’s new drunk driving law.
From May 1 on, drunk drivers will pay a fine, and be banned from driving for five years or even forever.
Drunk driving has become a serious social problem in China.According to the Ministry of Public Security (公安部), police caught more than half a million drunk drivers last year, a 68 % increase from 2009.
The new law sees drunk driving as a crime.
In the West, drunk driving is also a crime. In the US, for example, if the police catch a drunk driver, the driver will pay a fine, lose his or her license (驾照) and even go to prison. If the driver wants to drive again, he or she must do public service, and take part in educational programs.
You may think: drunk driving is a crime? Isn’t this law too unkind? But experts say, “Not at all.”
“It is to protect people’s rights to life and health,” Li Gang, lawyer in Chengdu, told China Daily. “Drunk driving is very dangerous. No matter what the results are, it should not be allowed.”Mr. Gao ran his car into three other cars because _________.
A.there was something wrong with his car |
B.he went home too late |
C.he drank too much wine |
D.the road was too crowded |
What does the underlined word “fine” in the third paragraph refer to(指)?
A.Health. | B.Traffic. | C.Weather. | D.Money. |
When did the new law come into use?
A.On May 1, 2010. | B.On May 1, 2011. | C. On May 1, 2009 | D.On May 9, 2011. |
What do experts think of the new law?
A.Drunk driving is a crime. |
B.The law is not kind to drunk drivers. |
C.Driving has become a serious problem. |
D.The law is too strict. |
Which of the following sentence is TRUE?
A.Li Gang from Chengdu doesn’t like the law. |
B.In the US, drunk drivers will only lose their licenses. |
C.There were more drunk drivers in 2010 than in 2009. |
D.The law is to protect drivers’ rights to life and health only. |
Englishmen speak British English and Americans speak American English. A student is learning to speak British English. He often asks himself, “Can Americans understand me when I speak British English?” Learners often ask “What’s the difference between British English and American English?”Certainly there are some differences between British and American English. The Englishmen say “Have you a pen?” While Americans say “Do you have a pen?” The pronunciation is sometimes different. Americans often sound “r” in words like “bird” and “hurt”. The British speakers don’t sound the “r” in these words. There are differences in spelling. For example, “colour” and “neighbour” are British while “color” and “neighbor” are American. These differences in grammar, pronunciation and spelling are not important, however. For the most part, British and American English are the same language. When Englishmen and Americans are talking with each other, they don’t need an interpreter(翻译). Maybe some day they need, but not now.Between British and American English, _______.
A.the greatest difference is in spelling |
B.there are differences in many ways |
C.people can’t understand each other |
D.students don’t know the difference |
When a student is asking himself “Can Americans understand me when I speak British English?” it shows that_______.
A.he wants to learn American English |
B.he doesn’t like British English |
C.he hasn’t spoken to any American so far |
D.he is going to spend more time on American English |
43. The differences between British and American English are not important because______
A.everyone knows the differences |
B.people talk to each other very often |
C.Englishmen and Americans get along well |
D.British English and American English are the same language |
“Have you a pen” and “Do you have a pen?” show a difference in______
A.grammar | B.spelling | C.pronunciation | D.listening |
At the end of the passage the writer wants to tell us _______.
A.British and American English will be two different languages some day |
B.Englishmen and Americans will never need an interpreter while talking |
C.there will be no more differences between British and American English |
D.the differences between British English and American English will grow larger |
It was a quiet village in which there was a military camp. It was far from the towns and cities and there were some high mountains around. Of course it was a good place for training the new soldiers. But it was difficult for the young men to go outside. Mr. White, an officer of forty, was strict with them and he hardly let them leave the camp.
Once Mr. White was ill in bed. He couldn't work and a young officer, Mr. Hunt, began to train the new soldiers instead of him. He knew the young men well and let nine soldiers go to the nearest town to have a holiday. But night fell and none came back to the camp. He was worried about it and stood at the gate. It was five to twelve when Mr. Hunt decided to go to the town and see what was happening with the young men. He started the car quickly and set off. At that moment the nine soldiers came back. It seemed they were all drunk. Of course they found the officer was angry.
"I'm sorry, sir," said the first soldier. "I left the town on time. But something was wrong with my bus on my way here. I had to buy a horse and made it run fast. Bad luck! It died and I had to run back."
And the other seven soldiers said they were late for the same reasons. It was the last soldier's turn. He said, "I'm sorry, sir. I got on a bus on time, but…"
Having heard this, the officer became even angrier and stopped him at once. He called out, "If you say something was wrong with your bus, I'll punish you at once!"
"No, no, sir," said the young man. "My bus was all right, but the dead horses were in its way!"The military camp was built in the village to _______.
A.stop the soldiers going to towns |
B.stop the soldiers meeting their friends |
C.train the new soldiers |
D.make the young men live quietly |
Mr. Hunt let the nine soldiers have a holiday because _______.
A.he was kind to them |
B.they felt lonely |
C.they had something important to do |
D.they were the best of all |
The young officer was worried because _______.
A.a traffic accident had happened |
B.he was afraid something happened to the nine soldiers |
C.the nine soldiers didn't come back on time |
D.the nine soldiers drank too much in the town |