AboutOrdersOrderingviaFaxorMai-优题课

Cleverness is a gift while kindness is a choice. Gifts are easy – they’re given after all. Choices can be hard.
I got the idea to start Amazon 16 years ago. I came across the fact that the Internet usage was growing at 2,300 percent per year. I’d never seen or heard of anything that grew that fast, and the idea of building an online bookstore with millions of titles was very exciting to me. I had just turned 30 years old, and I’d been married for a year. I told my wife MacKenzie that I wanted to quit my job and go to do this crazy thing that probably wouldn’t work since most start-ups don’t, and I wasn’t sure what to expect. MacKenzie told me I should go for it. As a young boy, I’d been a garage inventor. I’d always wanted to be an inventor, and she wanted me to follow my passion.
I was working at a financial firm in New York City with a bunch of very smart people, and I had a brilliant boss that I much admired. I went to my boss and told him I wanted to start a company selling books on the Internet. He took me on a long walk in Central Park, listened carefully to me, and finally said, “That sounds like a really good idea, but it would be an even better idea for someone who didn’t already have a good job.” That logic made some sense to me, and he convinced me to think about it for 48 hours before making a final decision. Seen in that light, it really was a difficult choice, but finally, I decided I had to give it a shot. I didn’t think I’d regret trying and failing. And I suspected I would always be haunted by a decision not to try at all.
After much consideration, I took the less safe path to follow my passion, and I’m proud of that choice. For all of us, in the end, we are our choices.
What inspired the author with the idea of building an online bookstore?

A．His dream of being an inventor.

B．The support of his wife.

C．The greatly increasing usage of the Internet.

D．Millions of exciting titles.

Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined sentence?

A．The idea of not trying would keep coming to his mind and disturb him.

B．He would be very excited if he tried it out.

C．He would be always having a doubt if he didn’t try.

D．The decision not to try the online bookstore would terrify him.

We can know from the passage that _______.

A．the boss thought the idea was suitable for the author

B．the author wanted someone else to try the idea

C．the author might not regret if he failed the idea

D．the author might go back to his boss if he failed

Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A．Cleverness and Kindness	B．The Starting of Amazon
C．Following My Passion	D．We Are What We Choose

Eating at a slow speed may help reduce hunger, the U.S. researchers said on Monday. Previous research suggests that the ability to control energy intake may be affected by the speed at which we eat, and a high eating rate may damage the relationship between the sensory signals and processes that control how much we eat.
In order to learn more about the link between eating speed and energy intake, researchers examined how eating speed affects calories consumed during a meal in both normal-weight subjects as well as overweight or obese subjects.
In the new study, a group of normal-weight subjects and a group of overweight or obese subjects were asked to consume two meals in a controlled environment. All subjects ate one meal slowly, took small bites, chewed thoroughly, and paused and put the spoon down between bites, and ate a second meal quickly, took large bites, chewed quickly, and did not pause and put the spoon down.
At the conclusion of the study, the researchers found only normal-weight subjects had a statistically significant reduction in caloric consumption by eating slowly. “A lack of statistical significance in the overweight and obese group may be partly due to the fact that they consumed less food during both eating conditions compared to the normal-weight subjects,” Professor Meena Shah said, “it is possible that the overweight and obese subjects felt more self-conscious, and thus ate less during the study.”
Despite the differences in caloric consumption between the normal-weight and overweight and obese subjects, the study found some similarities. Both groups felt less hungry later on after the slow meal than after the fast meal, which indicates that greater hunger suppression（抑制）among both groups could be expected from a meal consumed more slowly. Also, both the normal-weight and overweight or obese groups consumed more water during the slow meal. “The higher water intake during the slow eating condition may have affected food consumption,” said Shah. According to Shah, slowing the speed of eating may help suppress hunger levels and “may even improve the enjoyment of a meal”.
The findings were published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
What does the previous study have in common with the new one?

A．There is a link between eating speed and energy intake.

B．Eating at a slow speed may help feel hungry.

C．Eating too fast may damage your stomach.

D．Eating rate may affect processes controlling how much we eat.

What should the subjects do during the research?

A．Both groups could totally eat the meals at any speed as they liked.

B．Both groups had to consume one meal in controlled eating conditions.

C．Both groups were asked to eat one meal slowly while the other quickly.

D．One group should eat slowly while the other one quickly.

What caused the lack of statistically significant reduction in the overweight and obese group?

A．They were told not to eat a lot.

B．In the study they had no appetite to eat.

C．They lost consciousness in the study.

D．They ate less food on purpose.

What is the passage mainly about?

A．New research findings about how to control eating rate.

B．A study about the link between eating speed and energy intake.

C．One may feel less hungry later on after the slow meal than after the fast meal.

D．Water intake may have affected food consumption.

China is the biggest market in the world, and many countries such as Germany, the USA, the UK and Russia do a lot of business in China. Let’s have a look at some important tips to help you be successful when dealing with these nationalities.
First, you must be punctual (准时的) with Germans. Even 5 minutes late makes a bad impression. Being punctual is also very important in the USA. In the UK, it’s important to be punctual for business meetings, but nobody expects you to be on time for a social event. Half past seven really means a quarter to eight, or even eight o’clock! With Russians, you should always be on time, though it is not unusual for them to be one or even two hours late!
It is best to dress formally and wear dark colours when you meet people from all the four countries. In Russia, designer clothes are very common. Don’t be surprised if you go to an office in the UK on a Friday and find everyone wearing jeans. Many companies have “dress down Friday”, when people wear casual (随便的) clothes.
In Germany, first names are only used by family members and close friends, so be prepared to use titles and last names. In the USA you will usually be invited to use first names almost immediately. The British are quite informal and using first names in business is more and more common, especially among younger people. In Russia, however, nobody uses first names, so use titles and last names.
In conversation, the British and the Americans value humour, and both like to talk about sport. The weather is also a good topic of conversation with the British and the Americans, but avoid talking about politics. In Russia, say positive things about their country, but avoid making complaints. The Germans, however, prefer to get straight down to business!
So, use these tips, and you will be on your way to a successful international business career!
Which color should you NOT wear when meeting a person from the USA?

A．Dark blue.

B．Gray.

C．Black.

D．White.

All of the following statements are true EXCEPT ______.

A．you can say something funny when you talk to an American

B．you can use his first name when you talk to an Englishman

C．you must be on time when you meet people from each of the four countries

D．people wear whatever they like on Friday in some companies in the UK

When you talk to a Russian, you can ______.

A．complain about something

B．say something negative about his country

C．say something good about his country

D．point out some disadvantages in politics

The tips in this passage are probably given to people from ______.

A．China

B．the USA

C．Germany

D．the UK

Computer programmer David Jones earns $35,000 a year designing new computer games. Yet he cannot find a bank ready to let him have a credit card(信用卡)．Instead he has been told to wait another two years until he is 18.The 16-year-old works for a small firm in Liverpool where the problem of most young people of his age is finding a job. David’s firm releases(推出)two new games for the fast growing computer market each month.
But David’s biggest headache is what to do with his money. Even though he earns a lot，he cannot drive a car，take out a mortgage(抵押贷款)，or get credit cards. David got his job with the Liverpool-based company four months ago，a year after leaving school with six O-levels and working for a time in a computer shop.“I got the job because the people who run the firm knew I had already written some programs”，he said. David spends some of his money on records and clothes and gives his mother 50 pounds a week. But most of his spare time is spent working.
“Unfortunately，computing was not part of our studies at school”，he said，“But I had been studying it in books and magazines for four years in my spare time. I knew what I wanted to do and never considered staying on at school. Most people in this business are fairly young，anyway”．David added，“I would like to earn a million and I suppose early retirement is a possibility. You never know when the market might disappear.”
In what way is David different from people of his age?

A．He often goes out with friends.

B．He lives with his mother.

C．He has a handsome income.

D．He graduated with six O-levels.

What is one of the problems that David is facing now?

A．He is too young to get a credit card.

B．He has no time to learn driving.

C．He has very little spare time.

D．He will soon lose his job.

David was able to get the job in the company because _____.

A．He had done well in all his exams.

B．He had written some computer programs.

C．He was good at playing computer games.

D．He had learnt to use computers at school.

Why did David decide to leave school and start working?

A．He received lots of job offers.

B．He was eager to help his mother.

C．He lost interest in school studies.

D．He wanted to earn his own living.

My father had returned from his business visit to London when I came in, rather late, to supper. I could tell at once that he and my mother had been discussing something. In that half-playful, half-serious way I knew so well, he said," How would you like to go to Eton?"
"You bet, "I cried quickly catching the joke. Everyone knew it was the most expensive, the most famous of schools. You had to be entered at birth, if not before. Besides, even at 12 or 13, I understood my father. He disliked any form of showing off. He always knew his proper station in life, which was in the middle of the middle class, our house was medium-sized; he had avoided joining Royal Liverpool Golf Club and went to a smaller one instead; though once he had got a second-hand Rolls-Royce at a remarkably low price, he felt embarrassed driving it, and quickly changed it for an Austin 1100.
This could only be his delightful way of telling me that the whole boarding school idea was to be dropped. Alas! I should also have remembered that he had a liking for being different from everyone else, if it did not conflict（冲突）with his fear of drawing attention to himself.
It seemed that he had happened to be talking to Graham Brown of the London office, a very nice fellow, and Graham had a friend who had just entered his boy at the school, and while he was in that part of the world he thought he might just as well phone them. I remember my eyes stinging（刺痛）and my hands shaking with the puzzlement of my feelings. There was excitement, at the heart of great sadness.
"Oh, he doesn't want to go away," said my mother, "You shouldn't go on like this.” "It's up to him," said my father. "He can make up his own mind.”
The house the writer's family lived in was _______ .

A．the best they could afford

B．right for their social position

C．for showing off

D．rather small

His father sold his Roils-Royce because _______ .

A．it made him feel uneasy

B．it was too old to work well

C．it was too expensive to possess

D．it was too cheap

What was the writer's reaction to the idea of going to Eton?

A．He was very unhappy.	B．He didn't believe it.
C．He was delighted.	D．He had mixed feelings.

We can know from the passage that _______ .

A．Children who can go to Eton are very famous

B．Children can go to Eton if they will

C．It is very difficult for a child to get admitted by Eton

D．Children don't have the right to decide whether they will go to Eton

A．fill out two different forms	B．get a form from ChinaSprout
C．provide his credit card number online	D．print out the online order sheet and fill it in

A．their orders usually by ship	B．their products mainly by air
C．their order confirmations by fax	D．their shipping information by phone