This is an excerpt(节选)from a speech by Steve Jobs, former CEO of Apple, delivered to graduates of Stanford University on June 12, 2005.
I was lucky — I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents’ garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4000 employees. We had just released our finest creation — the Macintosh — a year earlier, and I had just turned 30. And then I got fired.
How can you get fired from a company you started? Well, as Apple grew we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so things went well. But then our visions(远见) of the future began to diverge(to be different) and eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our Board of Directors sided with him. So at 30 I was out. And very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was destructive.
I really didn’t know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs(企业家)down. I even thought about running away from the valley(硅谷). But something slowly began to dawn on me — I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over.
I didn’t see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.
During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar. Pixar went on to create the world’s first computer animated(动画) feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT, I returned to Apple, and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple’s current renaissance.
I’m pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn’t been fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith. I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You’ve got to find what you love. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.Which of the following is TRUE about Apple?
| A．It rejected one of its founders when he turned 30. |
| B．It once fell apart due to different visions of the future. |
| C．NeXT became its parent company and made a great comeback. |
| D．It has survived after it had a destructive blow. |
The underlined phrase could be replaced by ______.
| A．a complete change | B．a huge debt |
| C．a quarrel | D．a race |
Steve Jobs probably values _____ most according to his speech.
| A．patience | B．faith | C．inspiration | D．luck |
We walked in so quietly that the nurse at the desk didn’t even lift her eyes from the book. Mum pointed at a big chair by the door and I knew she wanted me to sit down. Then, Mum took off her hat and coat and gave them to me to hold. She walked quietly to the small room by the lift and took out a wet mop（拖把）. She pushed the mop past the desk and as the nurse looked up, Mum nodded and said, “Very dirty floors.” “Yes, I’m glad they’ve finally decided to clean them,” the nurse answered. She looked at Mum strangely and said, “But aren’t you working late?”
Mum just pushed harder, each swipe (拖一下) of the mop taking her farther and farther down the hall. I watched until she was out of sight and the nurse had turned back to writing in the big book. After a long time Mum came back. Her eyes were shining.
She quickly put the mop back and took my hand. As we turned to go out of the door, Mum bowed politely to the nurse and said, “Thank you.”
Outside, Mum told me “Grandma is fine. No fever(发烧）.”
“You saw her, Mum?”
“Of course. I told her about the hospital rules, and she will not expect us until tomorrow. Dad will stop worrying as well. It’s a fine hospital. But such floors! A mop is not good. You need a brush.” When she took a mop from the small room what Mum really wanted to do was ______.
| A．to see a patient |
| B．to please the nurse |
| C．to clean the floor |
| D．to surprise the story-teller |
When the nurse talked to Mum she thought Mum was a ______.
| A．nurse | B．visitor |
| C．cleaner | D．patient |
After reading the story what can we infer about the hospital? ______
| A．It is a children’s hospital. |
| B．The nurses and doctors there don’t work hard. |
| C．The conditions there aren’t very good. |
| D．It has strict rules about visiting hours. |
Which of the following words best describes Mum? ______.
| A．Strange | B．Warm-hearted |
| C．Clever | D．Hardworking |
Whatever your level is, choosing to take French lessons in France is the best way to learn French. Place yourself in the local culture and practice your newly found skills in your free time.
You will be taught by native(本地的) French speakers who have a love for teaching and use excellent teaching techniques. Lessons are interesting and you will speak French both inside and outside the classroom.
Learners
·Suitable for all levels from beginners to advanced(高级的)
·Over 18 years old
Class Schedule(课表)
·Classes start on Mondays and run throughout the summer.
·Please arrive at the school by 8:15 am on your first day for a short level test. It will help to place you in the right class.
·Classes run from Monday to Friday each week.
·Classes start at 8:45 am each day depending on your level.
·You will have 3 classes per day lasting 55 minutes each.
·You will have a short break between classes.
Free Time and Tours
·The school offers a lot of cultural activities throughout the week. These activities can include cooking lessons, wine and cheese tasting, visit to Paris, cycling, movies and much more.
·You will have plenty of free time to explore(探索) the local area and practice your newly found language skills or just relax on this learning holiday with a difference.
Other Information
·You should bring a small dictionary, pens and paper with you.
Get more from your holiday, have fun, meet new people and take home a new language skill that will stay with you forever.What is special about the French courses?
| A．They are taught in small groups. |
| B．The teachers are young French speakers. |
| C．They will offer a wine tasting license. |
| D．People learn French in and out of class. |
On the first day, the students should _________.
| A．take a language test |
| B．pay for their study |
| C．do a survey |
| D．introduce themselves to the class |
How many lessons are there in a week?
| A．21 | B．15 | C．30 | D．12 |
We can learn from the text that the course _________.
| A．is not suitable for old people |
| B．has a short game between classes |
| C．provides dictionary for students |
| D．offer cooking classes as well |
You probably know you should say "please" and "thank you" at restaurants. You probably know the rules of a library. You know you should respect and be nice to your classmates. But do you have music manners?
Keep It Down! You have to notice the volume of your music. You should not play your music so loud that everyone around you can hear it. Some people might even get angry. Usually, when you play the music loud on an MP3 player, other people can't hear the words of the song. They just hear a loud sound. No one wants to listen to this. Very loud music can also be bad for your ears. So even if you are alone when listening to your MP3 players, you shouldn't turn it up too high.
Take Them Off! You need to know when to turn your MP3 off and put it away. Libraries and schools don't allow MP3 players. There are other places, like museums, that don't have rules, but it would be rude to have your MP3 player on. Sometimes, it doesn't make sense(无意义）to listen on your MP3 player . Why would you listen to music at a play, a movie or a sporting event? You would miss what is going on and others would wonder why you even came.
Take One Out! Once in a while it's okay just to take out one earphone and not the other. Imagine you are listening on your MP3 player when someone asks you the way. It would not be rude to take out one earphone, tell him the way, and put back the earphone and continue listening. You can also do this when you order food at a fast-food restaurant or when you answer the telephone.
It's Your Choice! There are times when you need to decide what is best. For example, some people can listen to music on their MP3 players when reading books, while others think it is disturbing. In cases like this, you need to do what seems right for you. The underlined word "volume" in Paragraph 2 probably means "_________."
| A．the amount of a sound |
| B．the length of a song |
| C．the type of music |
| D．the color of an MP3 player |
We should turn down the music when we are alone because loud music_________.
| A．may annoy others | B．can hurt our ears |
| C．is bad for MP3 players | D．will make us tired |
If we listen to our MP3 player at a play, _________.
| A．the theatre won't allow it |
| B．the actors will get angry |
| C．others won't hear the play well |
| D．we may miss part of the play |
The main idea of this passage is about _________.
| A．music lovers | B．music manners |
| C．music players | D．MP3 earphones |
There was a doctor in our city who was famous for his skills. Once he received a little child who was badly ill. Thanks to his skill and care, his young patient got well and was soon able to get up and run about again.
The child’s mother was very much thankful to the doctor, and she visited him to thank him for what he had done for her child. “Doctor,” she said, “you have saved my little son. I don’t know how to thank you enough. I feel that money alone cannot repay you, so I have made this little purse with my own hands, as a sign of my gratitude. I hope you will accept it.” The doctor stood up and said coldly, “Madam, a little present like that is very nice between friends, but a doctor needs to be paid properly for what he has done.” The lady was so surprised and hurt so much that she could not reply for a moment. Then she said quietly, “Perhaps you will tell me how much your fee is?”
“Fifty pounds”, he answered.
The lady opened the little purse and took out four fifty-pound bank notes. She handed one of them to the doctor, and put the other three back into the purse. She put the purse into her handbag and, saying good bye to the doctor, went out of the room. The lady was thankful to the doctor because ________.
| A．he had saved her life |
| B．he had saved her son’s life |
| C．he often called on her |
| D．he had given her some money |
The doctor refused the lady’s purse because he thought ______.
| A．the purse should be given between friends |
| B．the purse was too small |
| C．the lady didn’t gave him money but the purse |
| D．the lady was not kind to him |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．The lady had planned to give the doctor 200 pounds. |
| B．The lady was means. |
| C．The lady didn’t pay the doctor any money. |
| D．The lady was angry with the doctor. |
From a plane we can see the fields, cities, mountains or seas below． If we go into space, we see more and more of the earth． People and man-made satellites have been sent out into space to look at the earth carefully and people have learnt more about the earth in the last years．
The sea looks very beautiful when the sun is shining on it． But it can be very terrible when there is a strong wind．
The sea is very big, it nearly covers three quarters of the earth． The sea is also very deep in some places． There is one place in the sea is about 11 kilometres deep． The highest mountain in the world is about 9 kilometres high． If that mountain was put into the sea at that place, there would be still 2 kilometres of water above it!
In most parts of the sea, there are many kinds of fishes and plants． Some live near the top of the sea． Others live deep down． There are also a lot of small living things, and lots of fishes live by eating them．
The sea can be very cold． The further people go down, the sea becomes colder and colder． At one time only some men could go down into the deep sea． But, in 1970, five women scientists lived in the deep sea for fourteen days．The sea covers about _________ of the earth．
| A．1/3 | B．1/4 | C．1/2 | D．3/4 |
_________ are not mentioned in this passage．
| A．Fishes | B．Plants |
| C．Islands | D．Living things |
Which of the following is NOT true？
| A．The sea is usually beautiful when the sun is shining． |
| B．The sea is always very terrible when the wind blows hard． |
| C．The highest mountain is in the deepest place of the sea． |
| D．The deeper the people go into the sea, the colder they will feel． |