The world is filled with smart, talented, educated and gifted people. We meet them every day. A few days ago, my car was not running well. I pulled it into a garage and the young mechanic had it fixed in just a few minutes. He knew what was wrong by simply listening to the engine. I was amazed. The sad truth is, great talent is not enough.
I am constantly shocked at how little talented people earn. I heard the other day that less than 5 percent of Americans earn more than $100,000 a year. A business consultant who specializes in the medical trade told me how many doctors and dentists struggled financially. It was this business consultant who gave me the phrase, “They are one skill away from great wealth.”
There is an old saying that goes, “Job means ‘just over broke（破产）’.” And unfortunately, I would say that the saying applies to millions of people. Because school does not think financial intelligence is intelligence, and most workers live within their means. They work and they pay the bills. Instead I recommend to young people to seek work for what they will learn, more than what they will earn.
When I ask the classes I teach, “How many of you can cook a better hamburger than McDonald’s?”， almost all the students raise their hands. I then ask, “So if most of you can cook a better hamburger, how come McDonald’s makes more money than you?” The answer is obvious: McDonald’s is excellent at business systems. The reason why so many talented people are poor is that they focus on making a better hamburger but know little or nothing about business systems. The world is filled with talented poor people. They focus on perfecting their skills at building a better hamburger rather than the skills of selling and delivering the hamburger.The author mentions the mechanic in the first paragraph to show that .
| A．he is just one of the talented people |
| B．he is ready to help others |
| C．he has a sharp sense of hearing |
| D．he knows little about car repairing |
The underlined part in the third paragraph can be best replaced by“ ”.
| A．spend more than they can afford |
| B．do in their own way |
| C．live in their own circle |
| D．live within what they earn |
Why do talented people earn so little according to the author?
| A．They don’t work hard enough. |
| B．They lack financial intelligence. |
| C．They don’t make full use of their talents. |
| D．They have no specialized skills. |
The success of McDonald’s lies in its .
| A．skills at making hamburgers |
| B．good business systems |
| C．talented workers |
| D．excellent service |
The main purpose of the author is to tell us .
| A．how young people can find a satisfactory job |
| B．what schools should teach students |
| C．why so many talented people are poor |
| D．how McDonald’s makes much money |
Most people seem to be passive at work. They do what they are told to do, and they don’t do what they are not told to do. In the end, one thing results: unmotivated (不积极的) people.
We’re employed to think. In fact, no matter how many times our bosses disagree with us, it is our responsibility to think for the company. There are lots of times when I disagree with my boss, and sometimes we even end up having arguments; however, I still offer my suggestions whenever I don’t agree.
Spending more time thinking also helps us to be more efficient (高效的) and helps to reduce our chances of frustration (挫败). Before I do something, I usually need some time to think about it to make sure that what I’m doing makes sense. This can be as long as a few days when a project is big, or as short as only a few s
econds for a simple task. After thinking about a project, it sometimes becomes clear that a simple task could achieve the same result. In those cases, not only did I save myself from possible frustration, but I also felt happy and satisfied that I saved valuable resources for my company.
With so many people not taking time to think, it’s no wonder that many people are unmotivated. Today, I encourage you to think things over whenever you have a chance. At first, it might take a while, but once it becomes a habit, you will feel more motivated as you will be more valuable to the company.It is suggested in the passage that people should _____.
| A．stop arguing with their bosses |
| B．seize every chance they meet |
| C．present views to their companies |
| D．avoid big projects |
According to the passage, spending more time thinking _________.
| A．is a waste of time and resources |
| B．can help people understand what others do |
| C．can help people impress their companies |
| D．is a good way to improve efficiency |
The author wrote this passage to ________.
| A．persuade people to do what they are not told to do |
| B．encourage people to be more motivated |
| C．show people how to give different opinions |
| D．tell people how to form good thinking habits. |
It can be inferred from the passage that the author is ______ at work.
| A．negative | B．lazy | C．positive | D．powerful |
High school students have always spread gossip(传言) in the halls, on the walls and on the phone. Now it’s on the Internet, too. On various message boards, kids write about whom they hate, whom they think have fallen in love with each other and record other often hurtful things that may or may not be true.
Sixteen- year-old Jessica remembers once when some kids at her school wrote cruel things about her on the web. “ They were just making fun of me,” she says. They said she’s really ugly, she’s this, she’s that, blah-blah-blah.
Jessica’s 11-yea
r-old sister, Emma, admits she’s used the web to write bad things about another girl, though she regrets it now. “After a while, you may feel like, how could I have been so mean? Or, why did I do that?” she says.
Experts say gossip on the Inernet can be more harmful than the old fashioned kind. It lasts longer and is taken more seriously. And, unlike ugly words on the bathroom wall, there’s no way to get rid of it.
If your kids are victims of online gossip, Dr. Commanday suggests putting the gossip into perspective(正确看待). “Point out to them how what’s being said on the screen differs from what everyone knows about you as a person,” Dr. Commanday says.
You can also try what worked for Emma: Keep your kids off the offensive website! “ When she was using it all the time, her name was there all the time. People were writing things about her,” explains Patti Thrift, Emma’s mother, “ Since she has no longer had access to that, she’ s no longer a topic of conversation.”
Experts say that any time your child is on the Internet , you should know what he or she is doing there. Online gossip is just another reason why.From the examp
les of Jessica and her sister, we can learn that ________.
| A．ugly girls like to spread gossip online |
| B．ugly girls easily become victims of online gossip |
| C．gossip-makers can regret what they do |
| D．online gossip is mailny some jokes on others |
According to the passage, why is online gossip more hurtful?
| A．It can not be removed. |
| B．It is written words. |
| C．It is much uglier. |
| D．It is easier to believe. |
If you are a victim of online gossip, you’d better_______
A．ask your parents to stop it |
| B．try to stay away from there |
| C．make it known to the police |
| D．speak ill of the gossip-maker |
The purpose of the passage is to _____
| A．introduce different kinds of hurt students might meet with |
| B．advise students to keep away from the Internet |
| C．list the bad influence gossip on the Internet brings |
| D．give some tips on how to prevent hurt of gossip on the Internet |
The passage is mainly written for____
A. experts B teachers C. parents D. students
An animal activist is someone who has love for all kinds of animals. They fight for the right of animals because animals cannot speak for themselves.
Animal activists must love animals and fight against the mistreatment of animals. Becoming an animal activist will allow you to fight against cruelty.
If you are interested in forming a group or helping other organizations, you should know the rights that animals already have and what rights those organizations are working to get for animals. Knowing this will prepare you to help the organizations in their journey or even help you to set a new law yourself.
There are a lot of things you need to learn about being an animal activist. One of the key things is to always fight for what you believe is right.
You can attend hearings (听证会) at city halls and other important meetings. Through these you can learn what is going on and how people present their cases in front of a judge. In addition, some organizations have newsletters (时事通讯) that will let you know all the latest information on animal rights.
As an animal activist you can also attend protests (抗议). Protests are a great way of making your point understood by companies and the media. Protesters often carry signs to show what they are trying to do. They also go on marches, telling people that they all have the same aim and that they will continue to protest until their aims are achieved.What would be the best title for this text?
| A．What Is a Hearing |
| B．Animal Activists and Animal Right |
| C．The Role an Animal Activist Plays |
| D．How to Attend Protests |
If you want to become an animal activist, you should do all of the following EXCEPT ______
| A．getting the latest information on animal rights |
| B．knowing the rights that animals have |
| C．attending protests against animal rights |
| D．having great love for animals |
We can get information on animal rights from all of the following sources EXCEPT ________
| A．animal protection organizations |
| B．hearings in city halls |
| C．meetings about animal rights |
| D．some companies and the media |
Special trees that grow faster, fight pollution, produce better wood, and even sense chemical attacks are being planted by scientists in the US.
When 40 per cent of Hawaii's US$14 million-a-year papaya (木瓜)industry was destroyed by a virus five years ago, work began on creating genetically engineered (转基因的) trees.
Researchers successfully introduced seeds that were designed to resist the virus. Since then, more and more people have been testing genetically engineered trees.
Some researchers put special bacteria into trees to help them grow faster and produce better wood. Others are trying to create trees that can clean polluted soil.
Meanwhile fruit farmers are looking for trees that are strong enough to resist worms, and paper companies want trees that produce more wood and therefore more paper.
The Pentagon (五角大楼) even gave the researchers US$500,000 this year after they developed a pine tree that changes its colours if it senses a chemical attack.
So far, the poplar, eucalyptus (杨树与桉树), apple and coffee trees are among those being engineered. All this can be done today because we have a better understanding of tree genom
es (基因组).
However, some people fear that the genetically engineered trees will cause dangerous results. They are worried that the new trees will breed with natural species and change the balance of the forest environment.
"It could be destructive," said Jim Diamond, an environmentalist. "Trees are what is left of our natural environment and home to many endangered species."
But researchers insist that science could give nature a fighting chance against both natural and man-made dangers.
They hope to answer the critics by stopping the new trees from breeding, so their effect on the environment can be controlled.Which kind of tree is not the ones that scientists are planting in the US?
| A．Trees that worms can't hurt. |
| B．Trees that can protect themselves at a chemical attack. |
| C．Trees that can resist wind better. |
| D．Genetically engineered trees. |
What caused the American scientists to work on special trees?
| A．They think science could give nature a fighting chance against both natural and man-made dangers. |
B．Gre at numbers of trees have been lost due to attacks by viruses. |
| C．Researchers successfully introduced seeds designed to resist the virus. |
| D．Tree genomes are mapped out so scientists know how to improve trees. |
Which of the following was probably the first kind of trees being engineered?
| A．Papaya. | B．Pine. | C．Apple. | D．Poplar. |
Why did critics think engineered trees dangerous? Because _______.
| A．these trees can destroy the balance of nature |
| B．everything except trees has been genetically engineered |
| C．trees are home to many endangered species |
| D．these trees may affect normal trees |
“Up until about five years ago, students at this school could have worn anything they wanted on Halloween,” said Rosemarie Nielson, a sixth-grade teacher at St. Theresa School, a Roman Catholic elementary school in the Pelham Bay section of the Bronx where there is a prohibition on toy weapons.
“When you consider all the horrific things that have happened in recent years, including 9/11, I can’t blame any school for wanting to stay away from anything that might promote violence,” Ms. Nielson said.
Mary Ellen Manniello, whose daughter, Courtney, 9, is a fourth grader at St. Gabriel School, a Roman Catholic elementary school in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, said she unde
rstood why officials had banned weapons with costumes. “They’re learning more about
guns from issues in the street than educational issues.”
This year, the school has gone one step further and is prohibiting all costumes at its Halloween festivities. Ms. Manniello said it had become “a chaotic scene,” with parents helping their children change into their costumes at school.
Some parents said the no-weapons policy for Halloween costumes went too far and denied children a chance to express themselves.
“Halloween has always been the one day when it was acceptable for our children to be dressed like somebody they are not, like a cowboy or a pirate or a person from outer space, and now we’re taking that away from them,” said Laura Santoro, a nurse from New Milford, Conn., whose 7-year-old son, Johnny, is a second grader at Northville Elementary School there.
Ms. Santoro said that her son would dress as Capt. Jack Sparrow, the character played by Johnny Depp in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies, at the school’s Halloween party, but that he would not be allowed to take a sword — part of a policy that caught her by surprise last Halloween.
“I sent my son to school last year dressed as a special force Power Ranger, and he was told that he couldn’t take along his red laser blaster, which really surprised me, because the laser is red and made of plastic and lights up, and it could never, ever be mistaken for a real gun,” Ms. Santoro said. “I mean, come on, the whole thing is getting really sad.”What do you think is the writer’s purpose of writing the passage?
| A．To introduce to the public the no-weapons policy for Halloween costumes. |
| B．To state parents’ attitudes towards the no-weapons policy for Halloween costumes. |
| C．To tell the public that children should bring any weapons for Halloween costumes. |
| D．To analyse the fact that the no-weapons policy for Halloween costumes goes too far. |
According to the passage, some parents understand the no-weapon policy for Halloween costumes because ____________.
| A．schools should take a cautious approach to Halloween to prevent violence. |
| B．children are buying real guns in the street and there is always violence now. |
| C．those parents like to help their children change into their costumes at school. |
| D．children are learning more about guns from educational issues. |
Which of the following is probably right according to the passage?
| A．Children could bring any weapons into school five or six years ago. |
| B．The parents surveyed are those whose children are in elementary schools. |
| C．Guns are necessary on Halloween for children to express themselves. |
| D．Jack Sparrow is an actor who at one time acted as a pirate in a movie. |
What do the underlined words “laser blaster” in the last paragraph refer to?
| A．A kind of costume. | B．A real gun. |
| C．A toy weapon. | D．A kind of plastic. |