Like many lovers of books, Mary and her husband, Richard Goldman, seldom walked past a bookstore without stopping to look inside. They often talked of opening their own store one day.
When Mary was in hospital with heart trouble in 1989, they decided it was time to get serious. Richard, who worked for a business company, expected to work for himself, and Mary needed to slow down from her job.
They started by talking to bookstore owners and researching the industry(产业). “We knew it had to be a specialty(专业) store because we couldn’t afford enough money,” says Mary. One idea came to her: She’d read somewhere that about 20 percent of books sold were mysteries, and many buyers spent more $300 a year on books. She and Richard were themselves mystery readers.
On Halloween 1992, they opened the Mystery Lovers Bookshop and Café near their home. With three children in college, the couple could not spend all the family’s money to start a shop. To pay the $100,000 cost, they drew some of their savings, borrowed from friends and from an bank.
The store only broke even in its first year, with only $120,000 in sales. But Mary was always coming up with new ways to attract(吸引) buyers. The shop had a coffee bar and it offered gifts to mystery lovers and provided dinners for book clubs that met in the store. She also invited some writers to discuss their stories.
Today Mystery Lovers makes sales of about $420,000 a year. After paying taxes, business costs and the six part-time sales workers, Richard and Mary together earn about $34,000.
“The job you love may not go hand in hand with a million-dollar income(收入)” says Richard. “This has always been about a pleasant life for ourselves, not about making a lot of money.”When Mary was in hospital, the couple realized that ____.
A.they had to put their plan into practice |
B.health was more important than money |
C.heart trouble was a serious illness |
D.they both needed to stop working |
After Mary got well from her illness they began _____.
A.to study how to open a bookstore |
B.to buy and read more mystery books |
C.to do market research on book business |
D.to work harder to save money for the bookstore |
How did their bookstore do in the first year?
A.They had to borrow money to keep it going. |
B.They made just enough to pay all the costs. |
C.They succeeded in making a lot of money. |
D.They failed though they worked hard. |
According to Richard, the main purpose of opening the bookstore is _____.
A.to pay for their children’s education |
B.to get to know more writers |
C.to set up more bookstores |
D.to do what they like to do |
阅读表达(共5小题,计10分)
阅读下面的短文,根据要求完成文后各小题。
After a late night in the town celebrating with two friends, I decided it was time to head on home. So I walked towards the bust stop a little worried that I might already have missed the last bus. It was a Sunday and the buses were few and far between. When I arrived there were still a few people waiting, so I thought perhaps there might be one last bus. After waiting a while I called a friend and asked her to look up a schedule online. Sure enough we had all missed the last bus by about 10 minutes.
One person insisted another bus was to come so we waited. An hour and a half after arriving at the stop I had had enough. Some people were getting mad as it seemed the only way home at that point was to call a taxi but most of them only had enough for bus fare. There was a mother with two beautiful twin girls who was particularly sad.
I decided it was too late and too dangerous to let everyone get home on their own. So, I called a taxi company and asked them to send out a mini-bus. I told everyone that if they wanted they could all ride with me and I’d make sure they all got home, no matter where they lived. So, about six of us piled in the mini-bus when it arrived.
I was one of the first to reach my destination so I reached into my pocket and pulled enough money to be more than certain that everyone got home. I told the driver to keep what was left over. So, everyone got home safely and at a reasonable hour, the driver got a big tip, and I went to bed content.When did the story happen?
_________________________________________.What information did the writer get from his friends?
___________________________________________.How did the writer get home at last?
___________________________________________.What does the underlined word “content” in the last sentence most probably mean in Chinese?
_____________________________.What do you think of the writer?
_____________________________.
A great way for teens(青少年) to cool off during the summer is at water parks. If you live near a water park, you might think about getting a season pass. This way you can go as often as you like.
Check to see if there are any water parks around you. Many are indoor facilities(设施), so even if it isn’t warm enough where you live to swim outdoors, you can enjoy swimming in a temperature controlled area.
The prices are usually good. For example, one ticket to Water World, a water park, is only $5.
Some teens like to get a part time job over the summer to make some pocket money. Older teens shouldn’t have much trouble finding jobs.
An idea is to get some teens together to form your own summer job business. You can walk dogs, bring in the newspapers, feed the cats, collect rubbish, water flowers, etc.
Being that it’s summer, many people go on vacation and could use someone to look after their houses while they’re away. You can also think about other jobs you can do for them.
Teens love freedom. Sure you would like to get to such places as the mall, movie theaters, the zoo, the beach, picnic, bowling and local amusement park instead of staying home all summer. Then a summer bus pass will be helpful. Check to see if your area has one for you teens.
Such a pass costs only $10 for the whole summer. The price is reasonable and also your parents don’t have to always drive.What is NOT mentioned as a part time job for teens?
A.Washing cars | B.Feeding cats |
C.Walking dogs | D.Watering flowers |
If Sally goes to Water World with two friends, they should pay _____.
A.$5 | B.$10 | C.$15 | D.$20 |
A summer bus pass is helpful for teens to _____.
A.find part time jobs | B.go out for fun |
C.go to summer classes | D.Do outdoor sports |
The underlined word “reasonable” in the last paragraph probably means in Chinese “_______”.
A.昂贵的 | B.便宜的 | C.合理的 | D.上涨的 |
What’s the text mainly about?
A.Part time jobs. | B.A summer pass. |
C.Water park swimming. | D.Things to do in summer. |
If you ask me to tell how to get along in the United States, I think the following “do's” and “don'ts” would be helpful.
Generally speaking, it isn't easy to find anyone to talk to in a busy city, so you should try to do the following. First, get or borrow a dog! Walk him several times a day! Americans love dogs and cats and usually stop to talk to anyone with a dog. Then, try to eat in a restaurant. People generally share the same table and will sometimes talk to you if they see you are new there. Next, take your dirty clothes to a laundry(洗衣店)! It takes about an hour to wash and dry them and people there often pass the time talking with each other. Always ask for information from a woman if you are a man, and from a man, if you are a woman! Learn to say, “Please” “Thank you” and “You're welcome” and use them all the time!
There are some things you shouldn't do. Don't tell the truth when people ask, “How are you?” The only answer they want is “Fine”. Never ask people their age—especially(尤其) women! Everyone wants to be young. Don't tell heavy people they are fat. Tell them they are losing weight. Everyone wants to be thin. Don't be late when meeting people! When someone says six o'clock, be sure to be there by six. Americans respect time and want everyone to be “on time”. It isn't easy to find anyone to talk to in the USA because ________.
A.the streets are empty | B.you are new there |
C.people there are busy | D.you don't have time |
Americans like talking to ________.
A.dogs and cats | B.women |
C.men | D.those who are walking a dog |
When talking to people there, you may say ________.
A.“How are you?” |
B.“How old are you?” |
C.“What is your weight?” |
D.“You seem to be fat.” |
The words “heavy people” means ________.
A.people who do heavy work |
B.people who are important |
C.people who are thin |
D.people who are fat |
If you visit a friend, you ________.
A.can be there at any time |
B.may be there a little late |
C.had better arrive every early |
D.should be there at the right time |
French soccer player David Trezeguet holds the record for the fastest shot in a soccer match. It happened during a match between his club Juventus and England’s Manchester United in 1998.
At that time, he was unknown outside of French soccer. But nine years later, Trezeguet, 29, has become one of the world’s most famous strikers (前锋).
In September, 2007, he scored his 100th goal in the Italian League. “One hundred goals with Juventus, one of the greatest clubs in the world, that is important,” he said.
Although Trezeguet was born in France, he grew up in Argentina and he says his “Latin mentality” helped him become one of the world’s best soccer players.
“Most people in Argentina have to work hard for everything they want,” he explained. “This mentality gave me a hunger and an ambition (野心) to become the best.”
Trezeguet has had a great career. He has won nearly every major competition in soccer – the World Cup, the European Championships, the European Cup, as well as the French and Italian league titles.
But Trezeguet knows all about heartache too. In the French World Cup in 1998, after playing every match in the competition, he was not chosen to play in the final when France went on to win.
Then in the 2006 World Cup in Germany, his miss in the penalty shoot-out(点球大战) handed victory to Italy. But Trezeguet refuses to let this get him down.
“I accept my responsibility. It’s part of football,” he said. “You just have to move on and start thinking about focusing on the next thing.” In 1998, David Trezeguet _____.
A.scored with the fastest ever shot |
B.was a well-known basketball player in France |
C.became famous around the world |
D.was a member of Manchester United |
David Trezeguet was born in _____.
A.Italy | B.France |
C.Argentina | D.England |
According to the article, what is “Latin mentality”?
A.Being a soccer player can bring you a lot. |
B.One should get everything they want. |
C.Playing soccer for the best team can change your life. |
D.One should work hard to be their best. |
David Trezequet lost the game to Italy in _____.
A.the European Cup |
B.the European Championship |
C.the French World Cup in 1998 |
D.the 2006 World Cup in Germany |
How did Trezeguet think of a failure in football?
A.Feel sorry about it every time. |
B.Take a long break to relax. |
C.Work hard to improve next time. |
D.Try another team. |
Billy Dengler, a 14-year-old boy, is in the eighth grade. When he was born a month later, Billy’s mother, Terri, noticed that his eyes weren’t quite as big as a normal baby’s. She took Billy to the hospital, and the doctor said Billy would never be able to see.
Although Billy can’t see, he has never let that hold him back or make him different. Billy began teaching himself computer programming by using a screen reader when he was just seven years old. He is a certified Google developer (谷歌认证开发者) now. Google even tried to offer him a job last year when he discovered a problem in one of its systems, but Billy wasn’t old enough.
Billy’s dream school would be Stanford University or MIT, where he could get a very good education in computer science. After he leaves school, whether he will go to work at a company like Google or design a software company of his own is still to be decided. However, he says he will definitely (绝对地) do something great.
“It’s a sighted world,” Billy said. “You can’t let anything get in the way of your dreams, and if you do that, you can’t move forward and make your dreams come true.” Billy’s mother found there was something wrong with Billy’s eyes when .
A.he was 14 years old | B.he left school |
C.he was in the eighth grade | D.he was a month old |
Billy started to learn computer programming by himself with the help of .
A.a screen reader | B.his mother |
C.a computer | D.his teacher |
The underlined word “systems” means “ ” in Chinese.
A.电脑 | B.系统 | C.机器 | D.计划 |
What will Billy do after school?
A.He will work for Google. | B.He will open a company. |
C.He has not decided on that. | D.He will do nothing. |
We can learn that from the passage.
A.blindness is not a big problem |
B.it’s easy to be a certified Google developer |
C.nothing should get in the way of our dreams |
D.Billy is a student of Stanford University |