“Cleverness is a gift while kindness is a choice. Gifts are easy – they’re given after all. Choices can be hard.” –– Jeff Bezos.
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 ultimately (最后), 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 to not 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 to not 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 |
Like many other places in the world, recently, Indiana education officials decided that the schools of the state will not be required to teach handwriting skills to students any longer. Instead, they will focus their energies on teaching students how to type. Is handwriting still an important skill? An online survey received some surprising responses.
Handwriting is not necessary. Students only need to know how to read it, and the only time that they must write something is to make a signature. Why stress them more than they need to be stressed? We already put so much pressure on them to perform on state tests. —Rita
Children don’t write letters now. They send e-mails or text messages. A lot of those old ways are going away. How many bills do you pay by writing a check anymore? —Brown
Although my son is not comfortable with writing, I bought a workbook for him to practice his handwriting. Can you imagine being an adult and not being able to sign a document? —Susan
What a shame! I guess one day it will be a lost art, because handwriting is that personal and beautiful. It has personality —Anna
The school where I worked dropped handwriting several years ago. Unless the students have computers in class, they will not be able to take notes at high speed. I have to speak very slowly and stop after a sentence or two because many students write very slowly. —Helen
The same thing happened here in Tennessee this past year. I think it’s a shame. I just received a handwritten letter from my stepmother and it meant that she spent time sitting and writing. Such a letter brought me a good feeling. —Kathy
Children should still learn writing, for the sake of having a skill that all people can communicate with. I certainly appreciate a handwritten note of thanks or news from my children and grandchildren. —RuthWhat is the passage mainly about?
| A．Some advice by Indiana education officials. |
| B．The importance of learning typing in schools. |
| C．A discussion about the importance of handwriting. |
| D．The popularity of computers in schools. |
What both Rita and Brown have in common is that they believe.
| A．It’s difficult for students to learn writing |
| B．In many cases, handwriting is useless. |
| C．Handwriting has caused many problems |
| D．Students show no interest in handwriting |
Which of the following isTRUE?
| A．It’s of no use for students to learn writing at school. |
| B．Susan values her son’s handwriting very much. |
| C．Handwriting has already become a lost art. |
| D．Kathy doesn’t like the typed letters from others. |
In Kathy’s opinion, in a way, handwriting .
| A．Could work as a feeling connection |
| B．Was her stepmother’s favorite |
| C．Was completely dropped in Tennessee |
| D．Brought much fun to her family |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Typing had already replaced handwriting worldwide. |
| B．Susan’s son cannot write his own name by hand. |
| C．Ruth enjoys writing to her children and grandchildren. |
| D．Handwriting can make one different from others. |
It’s good to make mistakes, and here is why.
First of all, mistakes are a clear sign that you are trying new things. It’s always good to try new things because when you are trying new things you are growing. If you never try anything new, how can you improve? How can you expand? The simple answer is “You can’t.” Look around you. With very few exceptions, either everything you see in your world or every single detail of every single thing is the result of someone trying something new．
Another good thing about mistakes is this: When you are making mistakes, you are learning．Consider this: Edison failed 10,000 times before he perfected the light bulb. When asked how it felt to fail that many times, he said that he hadn’t failed 10,000 times, but rather had learned 10,000 things that didn’t work．
Finally, when you make a mistake you are much closer to success. Why? Because when all is said and done, you will have tried some numbers of things before you succeed．Every time you make a mistake you eliminate one of those things and are one step closer.But this all doesn’t mean that you should go ahead without considering the consequences（后果） of a mistake. Quite the contrary, when you try something new you have to be willing to set some reasonable limits so that in the event that it doesn’t work out the way you want it to, you will be in a position to try again．
We all have limited time and money so don’t blow them all on one approach to a problem. Realize that it probably won’t be perfect the first time and allocate （分配） these resources properly so you can learn, make corrections, and try it again．If you accept and use your mistakes in this way ,you can make great progress in your business and your career．
There is an old saying that goes, “If you’re not making mistakes, you’re not trying hard enough.”
So go ahead and make mistakes. And learn. And grow. And succeed．From the second paragraph, we can conclude that _______．
| A．mistakes are unnecessary for development |
| B．we are afraid of trying new thing |
| C．it’s common for people to make mistakes |
| D．mistakes are better than not trying |
The underlined word “eliminate” means _______．
| A．avoid | B．remove | C．accept | D．solve |
According to the article, one thing you should pay attention to about making mistakes is_____．
| A．avoiding making the same mistakes |
| B．accepting the punishment willingly |
| C．taking consequences into consideration |
| D．trying things out one by one |
What would the writer probably suggest we say to ourselves when we make a mistake?
| A．Never mind, I can always try again． |
| B．I’d better stay out of trouble． |
| C．Ok! Now I can learn something． |
| D．Look at this mess. Anyone would be upset． |
General Airport Tips
Plan to get to the airport at least an hour early, or two during holidays and other busy times; this will reduce the stress of the flight. If all goes well, you will have time to relax, shop for last-minute items, or have a meal before the flight.
Flight Delays
Find out why your flight is delayed. Call the free call numbers. Find out if other airlines are experiencing similar delays. If you believe the delay is due to something other than weather or air traffic problems, then mention your suspicion （怀疑） and ask the airline agent to book you on the next available flight, either on the same air-line or a competing one. This is called "Rule 240", and all airlines are required to do it. Use the lingo （行话）; ask, "Can you 240 me?" when speaking with an agent. They will know what you mean.
Flight Cancellations （取消）
If your flight is canceled, then make a reservation on the next flight to your destination（目的地）. Usually, air-line officials will try to book everyone on their next flight out. Often they will put you on a competitor's next flight only if you request it. If on-time arrival is important to you, when you check flights through our reservation system you can make your choices based on their on-time arrival records. Be sure to also check the weather conditions, as they often affect flight schedules.
Getting bumped （不能登机）
To avoid getting bumped, you must be at the loading gate at least 10 minutes ahead of scheduled departure（离开） for a U.S. Flight, 20 minutes to /from Bahamas, Canada, and Mexico and 30 to/ from all other international points. You must be at the loading gate, not the airport entrance.By arriving at the airport earlier, one can _______.
| A．get on the airplane immediately |
| B．reduce the pressure of the flight |
| C．have a good rest in the airplane |
| D．buy what he wants in the airport |
If a person calls "Rule 240", he wants to _______.
| A．make sure the time for the next plane |
| B．get a ticket for the next flight |
| C．know if other flights are also delayed |
| D．ask about the reason for the plane delay |
After a flight cancellation, you can_______.
| A．arrive at your destination on time |
| B．be put on a competitor’s flight |
| C．make sure the weather is quite fine |
| D．reserve the next flight to your destination |
People heading for Germany must be at the loading gate at least__________.
| A．40 minutes ahead of time. |
| B．30 minutes ahead of time. |
| C．20 minutes ahead of time. |
| D．10 minutes ahead of time. |
There once was a master who went to India. In those times, we didn't have the communications or airplanes or many kinds of transportation that we do now. So the master went to India on foot. He had never been to India before; perhaps he came from Persia. And when he got there, he saw a lot of fruit. In India they have plenty of fruit to sell, but much of it is expensive because they can't grow much due to the water situation. So he saw one basket, a big basket of some very red, long fruit. And it was the cheapest in the shop, not expensive at all.
So he went up and asked, "How much per kilo?" And the shopkeeper said, "Two rupees（卢比）." Two rupees in India is nothing; it's like dirt. So he bought a whole kilogram of the fruit and started eating it. But after he ate some of it: Oh, my God! His eyes watered, his mouth watered and burned, his eyes were burning, his head was burning and his face became red. As he coughed and choked and gasped for breath, he jumped up and down, saying, "Ah! Ah! Ah!"But he still continued to eat the fruit! Some people who were looking at him shook their heads and said, "You're crazy, man. Those are chilies（辣椒）! You can't eat so many; they're not good for you! People use them as a condiment（作料）, but only a little bit to put into food for taste. You can't just eat them by the handful like that; they're not fruit!" So the stupid master said, "No, I can't stop! I paid money for them, and now I'll eat them. It's my money!"
And you think that master was stupid, right? Similarly, we sometimes do a lot of things like that. We invest money, time or effort in a relationship, business or job. And even though it's been a long time, bitter experience tells us it won't work, and we know there's no more hope that things will change in the future — this we definitely know by intuition（直觉） — we still continue just because we've invested money, time, effort and love into it. Just like the man who ate the chilies and suffered so much but couldn't stop because he didn't want to waste the money he'd paid.Why did the master buy a lot of chilies?
| A．He loved the taste of chilies very much. |
| B．He spent a lot of money on chilies. |
| C．The price of chilies is very low. |
| D．The quality of Indian chilies is very good. |
What can we infer about the master according to the passage?
| A．He is very wise in spending his money. |
| B．He came from Persia with someone else. |
| C．He walked to India for the first time. |
| D．He is a very rich and honest man. |
What is the purpose of the passage?
| A．To share us a funny story about a silly master. |
| B．To tell us when to give up in life. |
| C．To offer some information about India. |
| D．To remind us how to spend money wisely. |
A young and handsome executive was driving down a neighborhood street. He thought he saw something. Then he slowed down, watching out for children rushing out from between parked cars. As his car passed, no kids appeared. Instead, a brick smashed into his door! He slammed on the brakes （make his car stop）. The angry driver then jumped out of his car, caught the nearest child and pushed him up against a parked car, shouting, “Who are you and what was that all about?”
The little boy was full of apology, “Please，Mister… Please, I’m sorry…I didn’t know what else I could do. I threw the brick because no one else would stop.”
With tears dripping down his face, the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car. “It’s my brother,” he said. “He fell out of his wheelchair and I can’t lift him up.”
Now weeping, the boy asked the executive, “Would you please help me to get him back into his wheelchair? He’s hurt and he’s too heavy for me.”
Touched beyond words, the executive tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He hurriedly lifted the boy back into the wheelchair, then took out his fancy handkerchief and dabbed （a light touch） at the fresh scrapes and cuts. A quick look told him everything was going to be okay. “Thank you and may God bless you.” The grateful child told the stranger.
Shaken up for words, the man simply watched the little boy push his wheelchair-bound brother down the sidewalk toward their home.
God whispers in our souls and speaks to our hearts. Sometimes when we don’t have time to listen, he has to throw a brick at us. Don’t go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention!The executive slowed down because.
| A．he was afraid that some boys would suddenly rush out |
| B．he saw a boy rush out from between parked cars |
| C．he saw a boy throw a brick to his car |
| D．he saw a brick smash into his door |
The boy threw the brick to the car in order to.
| A．disturb the executive on purpose |
| B．stop someone to help him |
| C．ask the driver to drive him home |
| D．destroy the car of the stranger |
After knowing the reason why the boy threw the brick at his car the executive must feel .
| A．sympathized and excited |
| B．angry and guilty |
| C．ashamed and pitiful |
| D．regretful and sympathized |
After the boy’s brother fell off his wheelchair, .
| A．the boy threw bricks at several cars |
| B．the boy’s brother was hurt seriously |
| C．the boy tried to stop several cars |
| D．the boy’s brother wanted to stop a car |