Odland remembers like it was yesterday working in an expensive French restaurant in Denver. The ice cream he was serving fell onto the white dress of a rich and important woman.
Thirty years have passed, but Odland can not get the memory out of his mind, nor the woman’s kind reaction(反应). She was shocked, regained calmness and, in a kind voice, told the young Odland. “It is OK. It wasn’t your fault.” When she left the restaurant, she also left the future Fortune 500 CEO(总裁) with a life lesson: You can tell a lot about a person by the way he or she treats the waiter.
Odland isn’t the only CEO to have made this discovery. Instead, it seems to be one of those few laws of the land that every CEO learns on the way up. It’s hard to get a dozen CEO’s to agree about anything, but most agree with the Waiter Rule. They say how others treat the CEO says nothing. But how others treat the waiter is like a window into the soul.
Watch out for anyone who pulls out the power card to say something like, “I could buy this place and fire you,” or “I know the owner and I could have you fired.” Those who say such things have shown more about their character(人品) than about their wealth and power.
The CEO who came up with it, or at least first wrote it down, is Raytheon CEO Bill Swanson. He wrote a best-selling book called Swanson’s Unwritten Rules of Management. “A person who is nice to you but rude to the waiter, or to others, is not a nice person,” Swanson says. “I will never offer a job to the person who is sweet to the boss but turns rude to someone cleaning the tables.” What happened after Odland dropped the ice cream onto the woman’s dress?
| A．He was fired. |
| B．He was blamed. |
| C．The woman comforted him. |
| D．The woman left the restaurant at once. |
Odland learned one of his life lessons from ________.
| A．his experience as a waiter. |
| B．the advice given by the CEOs |
| C．an article in Fortune |
| D．an interesting best-selling book |
According to the text, most CEOs have the same opinion about ________.
| A．Fortune 500 companies | B．the Management Rules |
| C．Swanson’s book | D．the Waiter Rule |
From the text we can learn that ________.
| A．one should be nicer to important people |
| B．CEOs often show their power before others |
| C．one should respect others no matter who they are |
| D．CEOs often have meals in expensive restaurants |
The underlined word “rude”here means________
| A．bad | B．unfriendly | C．terrible | D．friendly |
As you dash outdoors in the middle of winter, you might make it halfway down the block before realizing that your ears are freezing because you forgot your hat.
Now, scientists have shown that even though you’ve had an apparent memory lapse（丧失）, your brain never forgot what you should have done.
Memory works mainly by association. For example, as you try to remember where you left your keys, you might recall you last had them in the living room, which reminds you that there was an ad for soap on television, which reminds you that you need soap, and so on. And then, as you’re heading out of the door to buy soap, you remember that your keys are on the kitchen counter. Your brain knew where the keys were all along. It just took a round-about way to get there.
Now, scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies are studying associative memory in monkeys to figure out just how this complicated process works.
First, the researchers trained a group of monkeys to remember arbitrary（任意的） pairs of symbols. The researchers showed the monkeys one symbol（cold weather） and then gave them the choice of two other symbols, one of which （a hat） would be associated with the first. A correct choice would earn them a sip of their favorite juice.
Most of the monkeys performed the test perfectly, but one kept making mistakes.
“We wondered what happened in the brain when the monkey made the wrong choice, although it apparently learned the right pairing of symbols,” said study leader Thomas Albright.
Albright and his team observed signals from the nerve cells in the monkey’s inferior temporal cortex （ITC）, an area of its brain used 
for visual pattern recognition and for storing this type of memory.
As the monkey was deciding which symbol to choose, about a quarter of the activity in the ITC was due to the choice behavior.
Meanwhile, more than half the activity was in a different group of nerve cells, which scientists believe represent the monkey’s memory of the correct symbol pairing, and surprisingly, these
cells continued to work well even when the monkey chose the wrong symbol.
“In this sense, the cells ‘knew’ more than the monkeys let on in their behavior,” Albright said. “Thus, behavior may vary, but knowledge endures.”What is the main idea of this passage?
| A．Your brain remembers what you forget. |
| B．Activity is a round-about way to memory. |
| C．Monkeys have better memory than us. |
| D．Your brain may forget something, but not always. |
The example of the keys and soap is given to explain the relationship between _______.
| A．memory and our daily life | B．memory and television ads |
| C．memory and association | D．memory lapse and human brain |
The researchers believe the monkey that made the wrong choice ________.
| A．had some trouble with its nerve system | B．failed to see the objects well |
| C．had the worst memory | D．also knew the correct answer |
The underlined word “endures” may be best replaced by __________.
| A．increases | B．remains | C．disappears | D．improves |
ARLANDA, Sweden （Reuters Life!）—Many people hate the idea of having to sleep on a plane. But Swedish entrepreneur Oscar Dios thinks they can be persuaded otherwise and he has created a new kind of hostel to prove it.
Dios says it is the world’s first jumbo （unusually large） jet hostel, an actual jet-plane at Sweden’s main airport outside Stockholm which has been changed into a 25- room guesthouse that sleeps as many as 72 people.
“I learned about this plane that was standing deserted at Arlanda airport and I’ve been trying the concept of hostels in many different houses and buildings,” he told Reuters. “I thou
ght, ‘Why not a plane?’”
Jumbo Hostels opened for business on Thursday, giving customers the chance to check in and sleep in a room that can best be described as comfortable.”
“The most challenging part with this project is trying to build something inside a metal hull（壳） – it’s just really, really tight.”
The jet, which was originally produced for Singapore Airlines, was taken out of service in 2002. It is held on a concrete foundation with the landing gear secured in steel cradles.
One feature of the hostel is its price – a room starts at 350 Swedish crowns （about $ 41）, which is a lot less than hotel rooms outside of major airports.
Another feature is that customers can get married on the wing of the plane and stay in the plane’s more luxurious honeymoon suite （套房）.
Instead of walking down the aisle in the church, lovebirds can take what Jumbo Hostels calls the “wing walk,” where they can be joined in great happiness at the wing tip. The hostel has someone ready to perform the ceremony.
But in some respects this hostel remains a plane – most customers have to share the jet’s nine bathrooms and the staff only wear air host and hostess outfits. The only room that has its own bathroom is the honeymoon suite.Which of the following is not true?
| A．The jet plane was out of use for over eight years |
| B．The hostel provides ten bathrooms for customers |
| C．The rooms in the hotel are comfortable |
| D．The hostel lies at Arlanda airport in Stockholm |
One of the features of the plane hostel is that .
| A．air hostesses can offer good service |
| B．a wedding ceremony can be held on the wing |
| C．customers can sleep in comfortable rooms |
| D．the staff can have a “wing walk” |
Why does Oscar Dios make jet plane hotel?
| A．Because he is fond of plane very much. |
| B．Because he is very curious |
| C．Because he wants to earn more money. |
D．Because he likes trying th e concept of hotel in many different things. |
The writer mainly wants to .
| A．call on people to make use of the deserted things |
| B．describe a wonderful place for weddings |
| C．introduce a new kind of hostel |
| D．prove people can sleep on a plane |
The Worst Part
Mom is usually home on Sunday but this week she was going to a big golf game and I was all alone in the house. I was mad at Mom for divorcing Dad.
I kept looking at the telephone until I couldn’t stand it any longer. I picked up the receiver and dialed Dad’s number over in Bakersfield. I even remembered to dial 1 first because it was long distance. “You promised to phone me this week but you didn’t,” I said, feeling I had to talk to him.
“Take it easy, kid,” he said. “I just didn’t get around to it. I was goi
ng to call this evening. The week isn’t over yet.”
I thought about that.
“Something on your mind?” he asked.
“I hoped you would call, so I waited and waited.” Then I was sorry I said it.
“There was heavy snow in the morning,” he said, “I had to chain up on highway 80 and lost time.”
I know putting chains on eight big wheels in the snow is no fun. I felt a little better, as long as we were talking. “How is Bandit?” I asked.
There was a funny silence. For a minute I thought the line was dead. Then I knew something must have happened to my dog.
“Well, kid—”, he began. “My name is Leigh!” I almost yelled. “I’m not just some kid you met on the street!”
“Keep your shirt on, Leigh,” he said. “When I had to stop along with some other truck drivers to put on chains, I left Bandit out of the cab, I thought he would get back … I have sent out a call to CB radio, but I didn’t get an answer yet.” I was about to say I understood when there came the bad part, the really bad part. I heard a boy’s voice say, “Hey, Bill, Mom wants to know when we’re going out to get the pizza?”We can conclude from the passage that .
| A．Leigh’s mother often went to golf games | B．Leigh was a deserted boy |
| C．Leigh’s dad never had a rest on Sundays | D．Leigh’s father lived in another city |
Which is true about Bandit?
| A．It was killed by a truck | B．It was let out of the cab and got lost |
| C．It was frozen to death. | D．It ran off Highway 80 and into the mountain. |
The underlined sentence “Keep your shirt on”（last para） probably means “”.
| A．Cool down | B．Stop talking | C．Be quiet | D．Keep warm |
The worst part in Leigh’s eyes may be that.
| A．he forgot to go to get the pizza | B．his parents got divorced |
| C．his dad got remarried | D．his dad didn’t love him |
Many parents who welcome the idea of turning off the TV and spending more time with the family are still worried that without TV they would constantly be on call as entertainers for their children. They remember thinking up all sorts of things to do when they were kids. But their own kids seem different, less resourceful, somehow. When there’s nothing to do, these parents observe regretfully, their kids seem unable to come up with anything to do besides turning on the TV.
One father, for example, says, “When I was a kid, we were always thinking up things to do, projects and games. We certainly never complained in an annoying way to our parents. ‘I have nothing to do’.” He compares this with his own children today: “They’re simply lazy. If someone doesn’t entertain them, they’ll happily sit there watching TV all day.”
There is one word for this father’s disappointment: unfair. It is as if he were disappointed in them for not reading Greek though they have never studied the language. He deplores (哀叹) his children’s lack of inventiveness, as if the ability to play were something born that his children are missing. In fact, while the tendency to play is built into the human species, the actual ability to play – to imagine, to invent, to elaborate on reality in a playful way –and the ability to gain fulfillment from it, these are skills that have to be learned and developed.
Such disappointment, however, is not only unjust, it is also destructive. Sensing their parents’ disappointment, children come to believe that they are, indeed, lacking something, and that this makes them less worthy of admiration and respect. Giving children the opportunity to develop new resources, to enlarge their horizons and discover the pleasure of doing things on their own is, on the other hand, a way to help children develop a confident feeling about themselves as capable and interesting people. According to many parents, if there’s nothing to do, the children would .
| A．turn on the TV | B．complain to their parents |
| C．ask their parents to play with them | D．do all of the above |
Many parents think that, instead of watching a lot of TV their children should .
| A．sit silently studying Greek | B．think up things to entertain themselves |
| C．find chances to talk with parents | D．enjoy themselves outdoors |
The father often blames their children for not being able to entertain themselves. This is unfair because .
| A．the children are not really lazy, but there’s nothing for them to do |
| B．they do not lack the ability to play |
| C．they have to learn and develop their playing ability gradually |
| D．the father have done nothing to help the children |
When parents show constant disappointment in their children, the children will .
| A．lose their confidence and respectability |
| B．be much more disappointed |
| C．refuse to learn new things |
| D．discover the pleasures of doing things on their own |
What is the author’s main idea?
| A．Today’s children are becoming less capable and independent than before. |
| B．Parents should give children more help on how to be creative. |
| C．Turning off the TV will help us solve a lot of family problems. |
| D．It’s not just for parents and children to complain each other. |
Step to Discovering Your Passion
By Julie Jordan Scott
Even before the first tip, you simply must get out a notebook, journal, piece of paper, napkin … SOMETHING to write on to save your discoveries! These tips will only help if you pursue them, so please either take a moment to find writing tools NOW or print this out and promise yourself to complete this exercise later. It may take you some thinking time to get it done . . . and now . . . here are your tips . . . . .
1. Find Your Joy Factor
Look at the whole of your life history. When did you experience the most sustained period of Joy? What were you doing then? Where were you? Who were you with? How did it feel?
2. What Are Your 3 Most Favorite things to do?
If you had a free day with NO commitments, where would you be found? What would you be doing with whom?
3. In what area do you excel? (NO MODESTY ALLOWED HERE!)
Truly, what are you complimented on a lot? This could be ANYTHING.
4. What do you most want to be remembered for?
If you were designing your epitaph(墓者铭), what would you want it to say? (NOT what your Mom wants, or your SPOUSE(配偶的一方) wants or your third cousin twice removed, but what do YOU want your headstone to say?)
5. If you had a magic wand(魔杖), what would you change about your life TODAY?
How would it look compared to how it looks now? which aspects of your life ARE changeable, both short term and long term?
6. How does your Joy factor overlap with your favorite things and the areas in which you excel? Do the areas in which you excel bring YOU joy, or are they really for someone else . . . . . do you see which are obvious matches, and which do not fit? Those that overlap, that bring YOU the most Joy, are most likely the things that would bring you into Passionate Living.
7. What is the first even teeny tiny step you can take to living out your Passion as you have defined in #6?
Take some time to really think this one through . . . . . . concentrate and focus, and then you will be able to start the the next step . . . BUILDING YOUR ROAD MAP.The purpose of the first paragraph is .
| A．to arouse the readers’ interest and show them what to do | |
| B．to find the piece of paper that is useful for the tips | C．to print the tips out and show them to others |
| D．to copy the tips and read them |
The underlined word “commitment” has the closest meaning to .
| A．time | B．exercise | C．work | D．joy |
The underlined word “compliment” means .
| A．scold | B．praise | C．criticize | D．question |
Of the following, would probably give the correct evaluation of you.
| A．You Mom | B．Your spouse | C．Your children | D．You yourself |
are most likely
to brin
g into passionate living.
| A．Your favorite things | B．The areas in which you excel |
| C．Your joy factor | D．The things that overlap |