If you have failed in the past to try to make big changes in life,try again now,one tiny step at a time.
Every year it’s the same.As December comes to an end,you think about the new year and all the ways you want to improve your life. But as you start to write down your hopes for the new year,you think about the last year.You excitedly write down all the changes you are going to make,but by the end of January those ideas get lost in your busy life.
Here’s a suggestion:Forget the too big,hard-to-achieve goals(目标) and just think about the small ones.“We often think that we have to do everything in big steps, even though it’s so hard for us to reach it.” said Robert Maurer,who recently wrote the book One Small Step Can Change Your Life.“What we try to do is to begin with such a small step that we can’t find any excuse not to do it.”
“Kaizen”,a Japanese word,is used to mean to change behavior and attitudes(态度).During World War Il,American factory managers were able to increase productivity by trying small, continuous improvements instead of sudden changes.After the war,the idea was brought to a rebuilding Japan.It made Japan develop fast. The Japanese called it “kaizen”, which means “improvement”.
Maurer studied the idea and did some experiments with it. “Kaizen” could possibly help people succeed in doing everythingRobert Maurer wrote a book to tell us .
A.we should do everything in big steps |
B.how to change one’s life with one small step |
C.we should try a lot of sudden changes |
D.how to find a small step without any excuse |
The writer of the passage suggests we should .
A.make changes at the end of the year |
B.do few experiments with “kaizen” |
C.do things with hard-to-achieve goals |
D.take a tiny step to achieve big goals |
Which of the following is TRUE from the passage?
A.Robert Maurer studied “kaizen” and found it helpful. |
B.You can achieve your goals if you are not too busy. |
C.You can’t find any excuse not to reach a big goal. |
D.“Kaizen” was brought to Japan during World WarⅡ. |
A jobless man wanted very much to have the position of “office boy” at Microsoft. The HR manager interviewed(面试) him and then watched him cleaning the floor as a test. “You have passed the test,” he said. “Give me your e-mail address and I’ll send you the form(表格) to fill in and the date when you may start.” The man replied, “But I don’t have a computer, neither an e-mail.” “I’m sorry,” said the HR manager. “If you don’t have an e-mail, that means you are not living. And anyone who isn’t living cannot have the job.”
The man left with no hope at all. He didn’t know what to do with only $10 in his pocket. He thought and thought. Then he went to the supermarket and bought 10 kilos of tomatoes. He sold the tomatoes from door to door. In less than two hours, he had 20 dollars. He did that three times, and started to go early every day, and returned home late. Shortly, he bought a cart , then a truck, then he had his own fleet of delivery vehicles(运货车队). Five years later, the man was one of the biggest food retailers (零售商) in the US.
One day, one of his friends asked him for his e-mail. He said, “I haven’t got one.” His friend couldn’t believe his ears. “Can you imagine what you could have been if you had an e-mail?” The man thought for a while and replied, “Yes, I’d be an office boy at Microsoft!”What did the man do for the test?
A.He sent e-mails. | B.He did the cleaning |
C.He sold computers. | D.He filled in forms. |
The man didn’t get the job because he_____________.
A.disliked such a job |
B.didn’t pass the test |
C.didn’t have an e-mail |
D.knew nothing about computers |
The man ______after he left Microsoft.
A.went to look for another job |
B.asked for food from door to door |
C.thought of an idea to make monkey |
D.bought a computer and got an e-mail |
What does the story want to tell us?
A.Computers are very important in our daily life. |
B.Everyone can make a lot of money with only$10. |
C.The HR manager didn’t find the ability of the man. |
D.Nothing in the world is impossible if we work hard. |
When I was about 12, I had an enemy(敌人), a girl who liked to point out my shortcomings(缺点). Sometimes she said I was thin. Sometimes she said I was lazy. Sometimes she said I wasn’t a good student. Sometimes she said I talked too much, and so on. I tried to put up with(忍受) her as long as I could. At last, I became very angry. I ran to my father with tears in my eyes.
He listened to me quietly, and then he asked, “Are the things she said true or not? Mary, didn’t you ever wonder what you’re really like? Go and write a list of everything she said and mark the points that are true. Pay no attention to the other things she said.”
I did as he told me and to my surprise, I discovered that about half the things were true.
I brought the list back to my dad. He refused to take it. “That’s just for you,” he said. “You know better than anyone else the truth about yourself. When something said about you is true, you’ll find it will be helpful to you. Don’t close your ears. Listen to them all, but hear the truth and do what you think is right.”
Many years have passed. The situation often appears in my mind. In our life we often meet with some trouble and we often go to someone and ask for advice. For some advice you will treasure(珍惜) all your life!What did the writer’s father do after he heard her complaints(抱怨)?
A.He agreed with her “enemy”. |
B.he let her continue to put up with her “enemy”. |
C.He told her to write down all her “enemy” had said about her. |
D.He told her not to pay attention to what her “enemy” had said. |
The writer felt________ when she did the things as her father had told her.
A.surprised | B.angry | C.disappointed | D.sad |
Which of the following can we know from the passage?
A.The “enemy” thought the writer was pretty. |
B.The “enemy” thought the writer studied hard. |
C.The writer and her “enemy” became best friends at last. |
D.The writer is grateful(感激的) to her father. |
Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
A.My Parents |
B.A Serious Criticism(批评) |
C.What People Say about You Is Always Right |
D.The Best Advice I Ever Had |
With a floor area(占地面积)larger than Beijing’ Tian’anmen Square, the Guangdong Science Centre is known as the world’s largest science and technology museum. The centre is located on Xiaoguwei(小谷围岛)Island and seen from a distance, it looks like a kapok flower(木棉花)of Guangzhou. It is one of the most famous “landmarks of Guangzhou”.
It cost the government about 1.9 billion yuan to build the centre over five years. On September 27, 2008, it was opened to the public. The centre shows China’s newest fruits of science and technology. It is full of exciting small machines and amazing small invention, waiting to help you understand interesting aspects(方面)of the world of science.
The centre offers eight exhibition areas, four science cinemas, two open labs and a digital “family experience” hall. Outside the main building, there is an 80,000-square-metre man-made lake for water-theme exhibitions and outdoor science square.
Exhibition: Children’s World, Experience and Discovery, Transportation World, Digital World, Green Home, Flight Dream, The Human Body and health, Perception and Thinking
Opening hours: 9:30 am to 4:30 pm from Tuesday to Sunday; Closed on Monday (except public holidays and Golden Weeks)
Ordinary ticket: 60 yuan/personWhen did the government begin to build the Guangdong Science Centre?
A.In 2001. | B.In 2003 | C.In 2005. | D.In 2006 |
What time can you go to visit the Guangdong Science Centre?
A.At 10:30 am on Wednesday. |
B.At 8:30 am on Friday. |
C.At 3:30 pm on Monday. |
D.At 5:30 pm on Sunday. |
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A.The Guangdong Science Museum Centre has a larger floor area than Tian’anmen Square. |
B.Three are four exhibition areas and eight science cinemas in the Guangdong Science Centre. |
C.The Science Centre is one of the most famous “new landmarks of Guangdong”. |
D.Visitors have to pay 60 yuan for the ticket to the Guangdong Science Centre. |
A kind of little cars may take the place of today’s big ones many years later. If everyone drives such cars in the future, there will be less pollution in the air. There will also be more space for parking in cities, and the streets will be less crowded.
The little cars of the future will cost less. Driving will be safer, too, since these little cars can go only 65 kilometers an hour. The cars of the future will be fine for going around a city, but they will not be useful for a long way. Little cars will go 450 kilometers before they need to stop for more gasoline (汽油). If big cars are still used with the small ones, two kinds of roads will be needed in the future. Some roads will be needed for the big, faster cars and other roads will be needed for the small, slower ones.There is much pollution in the air today because _____.
A.people drive big cars |
B.people drive little cars |
C.small cars will go 450 kilometers before they need to stop for more gasoline |
D.the usual size of cars today is too small |
The usual size of cars today is _____.
A.much smaller than the future one |
B.as big as the future ones |
C.as small as the future ones |
D.bigger than the future ones |
Which of the following statements (陈述) is NOT TRUE?
A.Big cars cost more. |
B.Big cars are not useful for a long way. |
C.The cars of the future will be smaller than today’s cars. |
D.Small cars are slower than big ones. |
The streets will be less crowded because _____.
A.there will be fewer cars in the future |
B.there will be fewer people in the streets |
C.three kinds of roads will be built |
D.future cars will be smaller |
Two kinds of roads will be needed in the future because _____.
A.there will be too many cars in the future |
B.more and more people will go to cities |
C.big cars run faster and little cars run slower |
D.it looks more beautiful to have two kinds of roads |
What do people do with their old, out of date but still useful computers? Most people don’t know how to deal with them. Many old computers are put away. Many more are simply thrown away as rubbish.
Finally, some companies are thinking of ways to bring down the number of old computers. Sony has agreed to help recycle old Sony products(产品). Dell, Hewlett Packard and other companies now also take back some old computers of their own brands.
In some countries, laws have been passed, too. Computer companies have to pay for collecting and recycling their used products. And 70% of computer waste must be recycled. The idea behind the laws is that computer companies themselves should pay for the cost. That will encourage them to make computers which are easier and cheaper to repair and upgrade(升级).
Yet many people are throwing away good computers, while others cannot afford them at all. Hundreds of organizations are working on this problem. They collect and repair old computers. Some also teach others how to repair computers. These repaired computers then go to schools, charities(慈善团体) or people who need them. Giving a used computer to one of these organizations can turn one person’s rubbish into someone else’s useful things and cut down waste, too.What do many people do with old computers?
A.They repair them. |
B.They sell them. |
C.They send them to others. |
D.They stop using them. |
How many computer companies are mentioned in the second paragraph?
A.One. | B.Two. | C.Three. | D.Four. |
According to the laws in some countries, computer companies must _____.
A.recycle most of their products |
B.collect all their used products |
C.repair and upgrade old computers |
D.make more cheaper computers |
What do the organizations do to solve the problem of old computers?
A.Help the computer companies to collect them. |
B.Repair and send them to those who need them. |
C.Help people to learn to use them. |
D.Turn rubbish into useful things. |
What is the main idea of this passage?
A.Repairing old computers. |
B.Encouraging to make cheap computers. |
C.Recycling old computers. |
D.Helping those who need computers. |