Jeffrey Bezos, founder, president and chairman of the board of Amazon.com, was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico. His mother’s ancestors were early settlers in Texas, and over the generations had acquired a 25,000 acre farm at Cotulla. Jeffrey spent most summers of his youth working with his grandfather on their farm.
Jeffrey showed intense and varied scientific interests at an early age. He set up an electric alarm to keep his younger sisters and brothers out of his room and changed his parents’ garage into a laboratory for his science projects.
After he graduated from Princeton University with a degree in computer science and electrical engineering, Jeffrey Bezos found employment on Wall Street, where computer science was increasingly in demand to study market trends. He rose quickly, becoming a senior vice president, and looked forward to a bright career in finance, when he made a discovery that changed his life, and the course of business history.
In 1994, there was still no internet commerce to speak of. One day that spring, Jeffrey Bezos observed that Internet usage was increasing by 2300 percent a year. He saw an opportunity for a new circle of commerce, and immediately began considering the possibilities.
Bezos founded Amazon.com in 1994, setting up the original company in his garage. The company was called Amazon for the seemingly endless South American river with its numberless branches. It started as an online bookstore but soon diversified to all kinds of products. His work with Amazon eventually led him to become one of the most excellent dot-com entrepreneurs. He was named Time magazine’s Person of the Year in 1999. In 2008, he was selected by U.S. News & World Report as one of America’s Best Leaders. Bezos’ Amazon has become “the Earth’s biggest anything store”. Amazon.com is now called “one of the smartest strategies in business history”.
Today, Jeffrey Bezos lives north of Seattle and is increasingly concerned with charity activities. “Giving away money takes as much attention as building a successful company,” he said. In his childhood, Bezos ______.
| A.had to work with his grandfather on their farm all day long |
| B.showed great interest in science |
| C.didn’t get along well with his brothers and sisters |
| D.wanted to become a businessman |
Jeffrey changed the course of business history because he ______.
| A.looked forward to a bright career in finance on Wall Street |
| B.considered the possibility of setting up an original company |
| C.founded a new form of commerce that developed fast later |
| D.was the first to speak of Internet commerce |
Which of the following isn’t mentioned in the passage?
| A.How hard Bezos studied in Princeton University. |
| B.“Amazon.com” only sold books in the beginning. |
| C.Bezos not only devoted his life to Internet commerce but also to charity. |
| D.The reason why Jeffrey Bezos decided to found Amazon.com. |
It can be inferred from the passage that ______.
| A.it was Bezos’s grandfather on the farm who helped him a lot |
| B.Bezos invented e-commerce to win the world fame overnight |
| C.Bezos has a sharp business mind and a kind heart |
| D.Bezos aimed at setting up “the Earth’s biggest bookstore” |
The company is willing to____the new technology if it can be shown to reduce production costs.( )
| A. |
look over |
B. |
bring in |
C. |
put aside |
D. |
knock out |
You____have scolded him for his poor performance.After all,he had done his best.( )
| A. |
must |
B. |
should |
C. |
mustn't |
D. |
shouldn't |
His vivid descriptions of country life quickly became popular,which established his_____as one of America's greatest writers.( )
| A. |
trust |
B. |
contact |
C. |
reputation |
D. |
theory |
﹣You seem to be in a really good mood.
﹣I finished my last test today.____ ! Now I'm free.( )
| A. |
What a pity |
| B. |
What a relief |
| C. |
I've got it |
| D. |
I've missed the point |
After years of observing human nature,I have decided that two qualities make the difference between men of great achievement and men of average performance,curiosity and discontent.I have never known an outstanding man who lacked either.And I have never known an average man who had both.The two belong together.
Together,these deep human urges(驱策力)count for much more than ambition.Galileo was not merely ambitious when he dropped objects of varying weights from the Leaning Tower at Pisa and timed their fall to the ground.Like Galileo,all the great names in history were curious and asked in discontent,"Why?Why?Why?"
Fortunately,curiosity and discontent don't have to be learned.We are born with them and need only recapture them.
"The great man," said Mencius(孟子),"is he who does not lose his child's heart." Yet most of us do lose it.We stop asking questions.We stop challenging custom.We just follow the crowd.And the crowd desires only the calm and restful average.It encourages us to occupy our own little corner,to avoid foolish leaps into the dark,to be satisfied.
Most of us meet new people,and new ideas,with hesitation.But once having met and liked them,we think how terrible it would have been,had we missed the chance.We will probably have to force ourselves to waken our curiosity and discontent and keep them awake.
How should you start?Modestly,so as not to become discouraged.I think of one friend who couldn't arrange flowers to satisfy herself.She was curious about how the experts did it.How she is one of the experts,writing books on flower arrangement.
One way to begin is to answer your own excuses.You haven't any special ability?Most people don't;there are only a few geniuses.You haven't any time?That's good,because it's always the people with no time who get things done.Harriet Stowe,mother of six,wrote parts of Uncle Tom's Cabin while cooking.You're too old?Remember that Thomas Costain was 57 when he published his first novel,and that Grandma Moses showed her first pictures when she was 78.
However you start,remember there is no better time to start than right now,for you'll never be more alive than you are at this moment.
(1)In writing Paragraph 1,the author aims to .
A.propose a definition
B.make a comparison
C.reach a conclusion
D.present an argument
(2)What does the example of Galileo tell us?
A.Trial and error leads to the finding of truth.
B.Scientists tend to be curious and ambitious.
C.Creativity results from challenging authority.
D.Greatness comes from a lasting desire to explore.
(3)What can you do to recapture curiosity and discontent?
A.Observe the unknown around you.
B.Develop a questioning mind.
C.Lead a life of adventure.
D.Follow the fashion.
(4)What can we learn from Paragraphs 6 and 7?
A.Gaining success helps you become an expert.
B.The genius tends to get things done creatively.
C.Lack of talent and time is no reason for taking no action.
D.You should remain modest when approaching perfection.
(5)What could be the best title for the passage?
A.Curious Minds Never Feel Contented
B.Reflections on Human Nature
C.The Keys to Achievement
D.Never Too Late to Learn