Growingstrawberriesinpots·Theb-优题课

IKEA is the world’s largest furniture retailer, and the man behind it is Ingvar Kamprad, one of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs. Born in Sweden in 1926, Kamprad was a natural businessman. As a child, he enjoyed selling things and made small profits from selling matches, seeds, and pencils in his community. When Kamprad was 17, his father gave him some money as a reward for his good grades. Naturally he used it to start up a business—IKEA.
IKEA’s name comes from Kamprad's initials (I.K.) and the place where he grew up (‘E’and ‘A’). Today IKEA is known for its modern, minimalist furniture, but it was not a furniture company in the beginning. Rather, IKEA sold all kinds of miscellaneous goods.
Kamprad’s wares included anything that he could sell for profits at discounted prices, including watches, pens and stockings.
IKEA first began to sell furniture through a mail-order catalogue in 1947. The furniture was all designed and made by manufacturers near Kamprad’s home. Initial sales were very encouraging, so Kamprad expanded the product line．Furniture was such a successful aspect of the business that IKEA became solely a furniture company in 1951.
In 1953 IKEA opened its first showroom in Almhult, Sweden. IKEA is known today for its spacious stores with furniture in attractive settings, but in the early1950s, people ordered from catalogues. Thus response to the first showroom was overwhelming: people loved being able to see and try the furniture before buying it. This led to increased sales and the company continued to thrive. By 1955, IKEA was designing all its own furniture.
In 1956 Kamprad saw a man disassembling(拆卸) a table to make it easier to transport. Kamprad was inspired. The man had given him a great idea: flat packaging. Flat packaging would mean lower shipping costs for IKEA and lower prices for customers. IKEA tried it and sales soared. The problem was that people had to assemble furniture themselves, but over time, even this grew into an advantage for IKEA. Nowadays, IKEA is often seen as having connotations(内涵) of self-sufficiency. This image has done wonders for the company, leading to better sales and continued expansion．
Today there are over 200 stores in 32 countries. Amazingly, Ingvar Kamprad has managed to keep IKEA a privately-held company. In 2004 he was named the world’s richest man. He currently lives in Switzerland and is retired from the day-to-day operations of IKEA. IKEA itself, though, just keeps on growing.
The author states in Paragraph 6 that flat packaging___________.

A．needs large space to assembly furniture

B．is a business concept inspired by Kamprad

C．helps reduce transportation costs

D．makes the company self-sufficient

What is the main idea of the passage?

A．Ingvar Kamprad is the richest man in the world.

B．IKEA is the world’s largest furniture retailer.

C．The advantage of IKEA’s furniture is dissembling.

D．Ingvar Kamprad established IKEA and led it to great success.

What is the author’s attitude towards IKEA’s future according to the last paragraph?

A．Indifferent	B．Optimistic
C．Doubtful	D．Pessimistic

The passage is developed primarily in terms of ___________.

A．order of events

B．analysis of a process

C．examples that illustrate(阐释) a problem

D．comparison and contrast

The Palm Islands are the largest artificial islands in the world and are under construction in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. They are being developed as tourist, leisure, and residential resorts, and will increase the coastline of the country by 120 kilometres.
After four years of planning and careful consideration of the environmental issues, construction started in 2001. Dutch engineers with experience of reclaiming land from the sea were employed in the building of the first two islands. The site for all three islands is an area of the sea where the water is not very deep. Sand is taken from the seabed and sprayed into the construction site. Although the shallow water facilitates this process, the islands are still very exposed to the currents and tidal movements of the sea. Rocks are used to hold the sand in place resulting in a large crescent (月状的) structure. This acts as a breakwater and protects the islands from the sea.
The first two islands are in the shape of date palm trees and consist of a trunk and 17 frond, or leaves coming off the trunk. The first island, named Palm Jumeirah, has three five-star hotels in the trunk, and luxury homes in the leaves. It is astonishing that when these homes went on sale in 2004, they were all sold within three days.
The second palm, Jebel Ali, was started in 2002 and is designed to be an entertainment centre. Six marinas (小游艇船坞) are planned, with a water theme park, and homes built on stilts (桩柱) in the water.
The Palm Deira planned to be the largest of the three islands, with a length of 14 km and a width of 8.5 km, an area larger than the city of Paris. It will consist of residential properties, marinas, shopping malls, sports facilities, and clubs. These will be open to both residents and tourists.
More artificial islands, the World Islands, are now being constructed near the Palm Jumeirah. They consist of 300 private islands grouped into the shape of the continents of the world and will be used for estates, private homes, community islands, and resorts.
Unquestionably, these artificial islands are one of the wonders of the modern world. They will also maintain Dubai’s status as one of the leading tourist destinations in the region.
According to the passage, all the following are right EXCEPT___________.

A．Some Dutch engineers are experienced in reclaiming land from the sea.

B．The islands are being built in the shallow water of the sea.

C．All the luxury homes on Palm Jumeirah were sold.

D．The World Islands are bigger than the Palm Jumeriah.

The underlined word “facilitates” in the second paragraph probably means___________.

A．holds back	B．makes easier
C．slows down	D．leads to

What is the passage written for?

A．To introduce the wonderful artificial islands.

B．To show how to build artificial islands.

C．To offer a travel service for tourists.

D．To prove the Palm Islands are the largest artificial islands in the world.

In the Caucasus (高加索) region of Russia, nearly 50 out of every 100,000 people live to celebrate their 100th birthday, and many don’t stop at 100! By comparison, in America only 3 people in 100,000 reach 100. But these Russian old people aren’t alone. The Pakistanis, who live high in the Himalaya Mountains, and the Ecuadorans (厄瓜多尔人) of the Andes Mountains seem to share the secret of long life, too.
These people remain healthy in body and spirit despite the passage of time. While many older persons in industrial societies become weak and ill in their 60s and 70s, some Caucasians aged 100 to 140, work in the fields beside their great-great-grandchildren. Even the idea of aging is foreign to them. When asked “at what age does youth end?” most of these old people had no answer. Several replied, “Well, perhaps at age 80.”
What accounts for (解释) this ability to survive to such old age, and to survive so well? First of all, hard physical work is a way of life for all of these long-living people. They begin their long days of physical labor as children and never seem to stop. For example, Mr. Rustam Mamedov is 142 years of age. His wife is 116 years old. They have been married for 90 years. Mr. Mamedov has no intention of retiring from his life as a farmer. “Why? What else would I do?” he asks. All these people get healthful rewards from the environment in which they work. They all come from mountainous regions. They live and work at elevations (海拔) of 1,660 to 1,000 meters above sea level. The air has less oxygen and is pollution-free. This reduced-oxygen environment makes the heart and blood vessel (血管) system stronger.
Another factor that may contribute to the good health of these people is their isolation. To a great extent (程度), they are separated from the pressures and worries of industrial society. Inherited (遗传) factors also play some role. Most of the longest-living people had parents and grandparents who also reached very old ages. Good family genes may, therefore, be one factor in living longer.
The example of Mr. and Mrs. Mamedov implies that some Caucasians aged 100 to 140 _________.

A．become weak and hopeless

B．benefit from physical work

C．are too old to work in the fields

D．are still working in the fields

What is the main way of life for all of these long-living people?

A．Retiring from their lives as farmers.

B．Having been married for 90 years.

C．Hard physical work.

D．Having no intentions.

Which of the following factors is NOT helpful to people’s health and long life?

A．Clean mountain air.	B．Daily hard work.
C．Good genes	D．Stress and pressure.

What does the underlined word “isolation” mean?

A．the state of being separated	B．pressure
C．lack of physical labour	D．worry

What is the main idea of the passage?

A．Russian people live longer than Americans

B．People in the city live longer than those in the country

C．The reason why mountainous people live longer

D．Pressures and worries contribute to long life

In China, if you are not married by the time you are 30, you are in for trouble: social blame and pressure from family and friends can get you down. And if you are a woman, it’s even worse.
Many young people get married simply to get other people off their backs (免受别人的指责) . This is a serious compromise. One ends up not marrying the ideal partner.
There are, however, a few young people who refuse to compromise: if they can’t find a good marriage partner, they say, they would rather not marry at all.
34-year-old Kate is a university lecturer in English. She said she would not describe herself as celibatarian (独身主义者) but simply a woman who hasn’t come across the right man yet. She has sharp comments for the way in which the old generation looks at marriage.
“Many people think marriage is a duty---to your parents, family and society. Nobody cares if your marriage is happy or not, she said, I think this is very wrong and I intend to live and act according to my own will.”
Happily for her, her parents are open-minded and not lay stress on her. But the same does not apply to her friends. They are constantly trying to get her together with some young man or another. She always refuses politely.
The main idea of this passage is that _________.

A．marriage is a duty to society

B．people should get married before 30 years old

C．late marriage should be respected

D．women should get married earlier than men

Miss Kate refuses to get together with some young man or another because __________.

A．she doesn’t think he is the right man she wants

B．he is either too old or too young

C．he is either important or little learned

D．he doesn’t have good manners

In the first paragraph the underlined words “in for” refer to _________.

A．interested in	B．satisfied with
C．worried about	D．likely to suffer

Which is NOT TRUE according to this passage?

A．In China, one may face social blame and family pressure if one hasn’t got married by 30.

B．Miss Kate’s parents are always worried about her marriage.

C．Miss Kate won’t compromise if she can’t have her ideal marriage.

D．Miss Kate wants to marry a worthy young man.

If marriage is regarded as a duty to society, __________.

A．everybody will be happy and satisfied

B．nobody will pay attention to whether you are happy or not in your family life

C．you can easily find an ideal partner

D．young people will have nothing to worry about in marriage

If you want to find a parttime job or learn something different during your spare time, you can have a look at the following jobs offered by the DC Public Library.
Teens of Distinction Program
The DC Public Library offers parttime jobs for teens through the Teens of Distinction Program. Teens work 1012 hours per week all year long, helping the library with important tasks and projects. The Teens of Distinction Program is now hiring! To apply, you have to：
● be a DC resident
● have and maintain at least a 2.5 grade point average
● be 16 to 18 years old
● be able to work 1012 hours per week
● be able to work for DCPL for at least 9 months
Oh, and of course you have to impress us with your wonderful personality!
Teen Volunteer Opportunities
If you want to earn community service hours for school, Youth202 is a good choice.
Youth202 is a radio program created by youth and for youth. You can learn radio production skills, interview people around you, and help keep other teens to learn news, events, and anything else you think is important.
Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP)
Every summer, teens can work here to help library customers organize books and learn lots of new skills, such as program planning, writing and media production.
On Friday, January 25 at 12：15 p．m., the application for the 2014 SYEP will be open to teens between the ages of 14 and 21.
Applications will be processed on a firstcome, firstserved basis. Space is limited this year, so teens are encouraged to apply early, and remember not to miss the deadline, Saturday, February 16.
Working for the Teens of Distinction Program, teenagers will ________．
①become a DC resident
② work 1012 hours per week
③ work for DCPL for at least 9 months
④ have a wonderful personality

A．③④	B．①②③
C．②③	D．①③④

If a teenager wants to interview people around him, he should apply for a job at ________．

A．Teens of Distinction Program

B．Youth202

C．Teens Library

D．Summer Youth Employment Program

What can’t teenagers get in Summer Youth Employment Program?

A．Community service hours.

B．Program planning skills.

C．Writing skills.

D．Book management skills.

Who has the biggest chance to work for the 2014 SYEP?

A．A teenager who is smart.

B．A teenager who is popular.

C．A teenager who applies early.

D．A teenager who gets high grades in exams.

The aim of the text is to ________．

A．introduce the DC Public Library

B．describe the job of library workers

C．teach how to apply for parttime jobs

D．offer teenager parttime jobs in the DC Public Library

A．the size of a pot	B．the season of harvesting
C．the number of plants in a pot	D．careful watering and feeding