In 1939 two brothers, Mac and Dick McDonald, started a drive-in restaurant in San Bernadino, California. They carefully chose a busy corner for their location. They had run their own businesses for years, first a theater, then a barbecue(烤肉) restaurant, then another drive-in. But in their new operation, they offered a new, shortened menu: French fries, hamburgers, and sodas. To this small selection they added one new idea: quick service, no waiters or waitresses, and no tips.
Their hamburgers sold for fifteen cents. Cheese was another four cents. Their French fries and hamburgers had a remarkable uniformity(一致性), for the brothers had developed a strict routine(程序) for the preparation of their food, and they insisted on their cooks sticking to their routine. Their new drive-in became surprisingly popular, particularly for lunch. People drove up by the hundreds during the busy noontime. The self-service restaurant was so popular that the brothers had allowed ten copies of their restaurant to be opened. They were content with this modest success until they met Ray Kroc.
Kroc was a salesman who met the McDonald brothers in 1954, when he was selling milkshake-mixing machines. He quickly saw the special attraction of the brothers’ fast-food restaurants and bought the right to franchise(特许经营) other copies of their restaurants. The agreement included the right to duplicate(复制) the menu, the equipment, even their red and white buildings with the golden arches(拱门).
Today McDonald’s is really a household name. In 1976, McDonald’s had over $ l billion in total sales. Its first twenty-two years is one of the most surprising success stories in modern American business history.This passage mainly talks about _______.
A.the development of fast food services |
B.how McDonald’s became a billion-dollar business |
C.the business careers of Mac and Dick McDonald |
D.Ray Kroc’s business talent |
Mac and Dick managed all of the following businesses except _______.
A.a drive-in | B.a theater |
C.a cinema | D.a barbecue restaurant |
We may infer from this passage that _______.
A.Mac and Dick McDonald never became wealthy for they sold their idea to Kroc. |
B.the place the McDonalds chose was the only source of the great popularity of their drive-in |
C.forty years ago there were lots of fast-food restaurants |
D.Ray Kroc was a good businessman |
The passage suggests that _______.
A.creativity is an important element of business success |
B.Ray Kroc was the close partner of the McDonald brothers |
C.Mac and Dick McDonald became broken after they sold their ideas to Ray Kroc |
D.California is the best place to go into business |
A desert is a beautiful land of silence and space. The sun shines, the wind blows, and time and space seem endless. Nothing is soft. The sand and rocks are hard, and many of the plants even have hard needles instead of leaves.
The size and location(分布) of the world’s deserts are always changing. Over millions of years, as climates change and mountains rise, new dry and wet areas develop. But within the last 100 yeas, deserts have been growing at a frightening speed. This is partly because of natural changes, but the greatest makers are humans.
Humans can make deserts, but humans can also prevent their growth. Algeria Mauritania is planting a similar wall around Nouakchott, the capital. Iran puts a thin covering of petroleum(石油) on sandy areas and plants trees. The oil keeps the water and small trees in the land, and men on motorcycles(摩托车) keep the sheep and goats away. The USSR and India are building long canals to bring water to desert areas. In this passage, “needles” refers to _______.
A.small, thin pieces of steel. |
B.long, thin pieces of branches. |
C.small pointed growth on the stem(茎) of a plant. |
D.small, thin pieces of sticks. |
Which of the following is NOT true?
A.The greatest desert makers are humans. |
B.There aren’t any living things in the deserts. |
C.Deserts have been growing quickly. |
D.The size of the deserts is always changing. |
People in some countries are fighting a battle against _______.
A.the growth of deserts | B.the disappearance of desert plants |
C.natural changes | D.congenital climate |
We can guess that Mauritania and Algeria belong to _______.
A.Asian countries | B.American countries |
C.European counties | D.African countries |
Choose the sentence which best gives the main idea of the passage.
A.The deserts of the world are always changing. |
B.Man is to take measures to control the growth of the world’s deserts. |
C.Deserts are lands of silence and space. |
D.Deserts have grown at a fast pace in the past 10 years. |
Mrs. Janes gave music lessons at a school. She had a good voice and enjoyed singing, except that some of her high tones sound like a gate that had forgotten to oil. Mrs. Janes knew her weakness well, and took every chance she could find to practise these high notes. As she lived in a small house, where she could not practise without disturbing the rest of the family, she usually went for long walks along the country roads whenever she had time and practised her high notes there. Whenever she heard a car or a person coming along the road, she stopped and waited until she could no longer be heard before she started practicing again, because she was a shy person.
One afternoon, a fast, opened car came up behind her so silently and so fast that she didn’t hear it until it was only a few yards from her. She was singing some of her highest and most difficult tones at that time and as the car passed; she saw an anxious expression came over the driver’s face. He stopped his car suddenly, jumped out and began to examine all his tyres carefully.
Mrs. Janes didn’t dare to tell him what the noise he had heard really was, so he got back into the car and drove off. How did Mrs. Janes sing?
A.She sang well, but she didn’t practise singing hard. |
B.She enjoyed singing, but she had a terrible voice. |
C.She was a good singer, but she could not sing the high tones well. |
D.She sang terribly, she was no singer at all. |
Why did she go for long walks along the country roads?
A.Because she enjoyed the country’s fresh air. |
B.Because she was afraid to disturb the rest of the family. |
C.Because she lived in a small house far away. |
D.Because she was afraid to practise the high tones. |
Why did the driver stop his car suddenly and jump out of it?
A.Because he supposed something must have gone wrong with his car. |
B.Because he was moved by the pretty voice of Mrs. Janes. |
C.Because he wondered what had happened to Mrs. Janes. |
D.Because he frightened by the terrible voice of Mrs. Janes. |
Where did the noise come from?
A.From the small house. | B.From Mrs. Janes’ voice. |
C.From the types. | D.From the engine. |
◇ Share Flats Happy Valley big flat, 1 room ready for use immediately. Quiet and convenient, fully furnished, park view. $6, 800 including bills with maid. Female nonsmoker. No pet. Sara 25720836 or 10077809.
◇ Moving Sale 2 armchairs, red/brown at $400 each; coffee table, black, wood, $800; oil painting, big, $900; Tianjin carpet, green 3×7, $600; double bed, $500; mirror, big, square, $500; fridge, big, double-door, $1000; old pictures, $140, up, each; plants, big and small. Tel: Weekend, 2521-6011/Weekday, 2524-5867.
◇ Part-time Laboratory Assistant Wanted Required by busy electronics(电子) company to help with development of computer. Should have an electronics degree and some practical experience of working in an electronics laboratory. Hours 9:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Mon.-Fri. Fourteen days paid leave. Salary ¥6598-10230 dependent on experience. Letter of application to: Mrs. G Chan, NOVA ELECTRONICS, 45 Gordon Rd, Hung Hom Kowloon. The one who put on the first ad probably wants to _______.
A.rent(租) a beautiful flat of her own in Happy Valley |
B.find another lady to share the cost to rent a flat |
C.share her room in a flat with whoever has no pet |
D.take on a maid to look after herself and the flat |
according to the ads, you may _______.
A.buy an old picture for $150 |
B.call at 25720836 and see a beautiful park |
C.buy two armchairs for $ 400 |
D.hire a maid by paying $6 800 |
If you want to buy some old furniture, you should_______.
A.get in touch with NOVA ELECTRONICS |
B.call at 2524-5867 any day except Monday |
C.do it before you move to another place |
D.call at either 2524-5867 on Monday or 2521-6011 on Saturday |
Once you can get a part-time job in NOVA ELECTRONICS, _______.
A.you have to work at least 4 hours a day |
B.you should write a letter to Mrs. G Chan |
C.you will be given 14 days off each year besides weekends |
D.you will get no more than $6 598 each month |
We do not know exactly how many whales there are in the sea because we can’t count them. But we believe at the beginning of the eighteenth century there were 105,000 humpback whales and 120,000 right whales. At the beginning of the twentieth century there were 75,000 humpbacks and 80,000 rights.
Since 1900 their numbers have fallen very quickly. Between 1935 and 1950 the number of humpbacks fell from 20,000 to 10,000 and since 1950 the number has fallen to only 6,000. The number of right whales has fallen even faster. In 1935 there were 25,000. The number fell to 6,000 in 1950 and since 1950 the number has fallen to 4,000. Men have always been hunters. Thousands of whales have become victims(牺牲品). It’s time to do something to protect whales. Which of the following is true?
A.We know the exact number of whales in the sea. |
B.It’s easy for us to count whales in the sea. |
C.We find it impossible to count whales in the sea. |
D.We don’t want to know how many whales there are in the sea. |
The number of right whales has fallen _______.
A.more slowly than that of humpback whales |
B.faster than that of humpback whales |
C.as slowly as that of humpback whales |
D.as fast as that of humpback whales |
The passage is mainly about _______.
A.the number of humpback whales |
B.the number of right whales |
C.hunting whales |
D.the necessity of protecting whales |
An old woman walked into a clothes shop. She asked the salesgirl to let her have a look at a new dress, but the girl stood still behind the counter(柜台), taking no notice of the request. The old woman spoke to the girl again, raising her voice a bit, but still received no answer. The old woman looked at the girl and nodded to herself, “I am too old to see well. I can’t even tell a plastic model from a real girl!”
On hearing this, the salesgirl shouted to the old woman, “What? Did you call me a plastic model?” The old woman was greatly surprised. “Oh, dear me,” she said. “The model can speak!” What did the old woman go to the shop to do?
A.To choose a dress. | B.To buy a dress for herself. |
C.To show off her dress. | D.To pick a quarrel with the salesgirl. |
The salesgirl did not make a reply ________.
A.because she didn’t see the old woman |
B.because she didn’t think the old woman had enough money for a new dress |
C.because she was too busy to notice the old woman |
D.for some reason unknown in this story |
It was not until that woman spoke for the _______ time that the salesgirl said something.
A.first | B.second |
C.third | D.fourth |
When the old woman said, “I am too old to see well,” she _______.
A.meant to say that she really had poor eyesight |
B.wanted the salesgirl to excuse her |
C.was simply telling a lie |
D.was, in face, trying to make the salesgirl open her mouth |
What do you think the salesgirl would do on hearing this? She would ______.
A.be too angry to say a word for a moment |
B.run and tell the shop-owner about it |
C.apologize to the old woman and do what she had been asked to do |
D.turn back and cry |