No one likes to make mistakes．But a new study says organizations learn more from their failures than from their successes，and keep that knowledge longer．
One of the researchers was Vinit Desai，an assistant professor at the University of Colorado Denver Business School．He worked with Peter Madsen from the Marriott School of Management at Brigham Young University in Utah．
They did not find much long-term "organizational learning" from success．It is possible，they say．But Professor Desai says they found that knowledge gained from failure lasts for years．He says organizations should treat failures as a learning opportunity and not try to ignore them．
The study looked at companies and organizations that launch satellites--and other space vehicles．Professor Desai compared two shuttle flights．
In two thousand two，a piece of insulating(隔热的) material broke off during launch and damaged a rocket on the Atlantis．Still，the flight was considered a success．
Then，in early two thousand three，a piece of insulation struck the Columbia during launch．This time，the shuttle broke apart on re-entry and the seven crew members died．NASA officials suspended all flights and an investigation led to suggested changes．
Professor Desai says the search for solutions after a failure can make leaders more open-minded．He points to airlines as an example of an industry that has learned from failures in the past．
He advises organizations to look for useful information in small failures and failures they avoided．He also urges leaders to encourage the open sharing of information．The study appeared in the Academy of Management Journal．
The mistakes we learn from do not have to be our own．We recently asked people on our Facebook page to tell us a time they had done something really silly．
Fabricio Cmino wrote: Not long ago I wanted to watch TV，but it wouldn't turn on，so I did everything I could to start it．Thirty minutes later my mum showed up and，passing by，said to me "Did you try plugging it'? I’m just dusting，Mum!”So she wouldn't notice how dumb I am sometimes!
Bruno Kanieski da Silva told about a time he looked everywhere for his key．It was in his pocket．He wrote: I always promise I will never do it again，but after-a few weeks,where is my wallet? For sure it will be in a very logical place．What we get from failure differs from that from success in that_______．
| A．what we learn from failure is more powerful |
| B．what we learn from success does no good to us |
| C．the knowledge gained from failure is important for a company |
| D．the knowledge gained from failure lasts longer |
From the passage，we can infer that________．
| A．The insulating material problem in 2002 didn't arouse enough attention |
| B．There were no astronauts on Columbia |
| C．In spite of the problem，Atlantis was considered a success |
| D．Columbia exploded during its launch time |
The writer gives the last two paragraphs to show that________．
| A．many people make mistakes in the world |
| B．mistakes were a very embarrassing thing when found by others |
| C．we can also draw a lesson from others' mistakes |
| D．making mistakes was a necessity |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Only organizations can learn from mistakes |
| B．We can also learn from failures that have been avoided． |
| C．Lessons from the shuttle flights are more important． |
| D．Leaders often lack an open mind and seldom share information． |
Poverty is not first thing that comes to mind when you think of Japan. After all, there are no children begging on the streets in major cities here. You do not often see Japanese citizens publicly letting out their complaints over the country’s economic decline. But senior government researcher Aya Abe says Japan has the fourth-highest rate of child poverty among developed countries.
She says she sees that poverty in schools where students admit to only bathing once a week. Some cannot afford to buy pencils for class.
“They may not be on the streets begging or they may not be turning into criminals, but it’s there. It’s just that we have to open our eyes and see,” Abe said.
Abe owes the increase in child poverty to the country’s changing demographics(人口统计), struggling economy and high social security premiums(保险费). She says fewer people live in three-generation households, where the parents and grandparents work. The number of single mothers has increased. The salary for young fathers has declined with the economic downturn. Social security premiums have increased in the last 20 years, putting families on the threshold of poverty.
Abe says studies conducted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD ) point to rising poverty in Japan before the global economic crises in 2008. But the Japanese government and public refused to acknowledge it until then - in part, because of the shame associated with poverty.
“It was, what should I say, very unpopular for Japanese media to say anything about Japanese poverty,” said Abe. “Even though OECD announced it and OECD Japan announced it in Japanese, it didn’t make it into the articles.”
Abe says new Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has taken one important step to help alleviate (减缓) the problem. Next year, his Democratic Party of Japan plans to double monthly child care allowances given to families.
But Abe wants the government to expand its financial help even more. She wants it to simplify the process to apply for public assistance and provide educational grants for students struggling to pay for tuition at high schools and colleges. The country now only offers loans.
Abe says the government must act quickly because she says the problem will only get worse in the next few years.
1. The passage is intended to _________.
A. report the result of the studies conducted by OECD
B. tell us about the increase in Japanese child poverty
C. prove that Japan is no longer a developed country
D. introduce Aya Abe, a senior government researcher
2. It seems to be hard to associate Japan with poverty because _______.
A. no children are seen begging in the streets of main cities in Japan
B. its citizens never complain about the country’s economic decline
C. it is one of the few wealthiest countries in the world
D. its government and public refused to acknowledge it
3. According to Abe, several things contribute to the rising child poverty except________.
A. high social security premiums
B. the increase of the number of single mothers
C. the decrease of the salary for young fathers
D. the expansion of three-generation households
4. Why was it unpopular for Japanese media to say anything about Japanese poverty?
A.The Japanese public didn’t think it true.
B. It was forbidden by the Japanese government.
C. The Japanese public regarded it shameful to be poor.
D. OECD Japan had already announced it in Japanese.
5. What of the following is NOT the author’s suggestion for alleviating this problem?
A. Doubling monthly child care allowances given to families.
B. Expanding government’s financial help even more.
C. Providing educational grants for poor students.
D. Simplifying the process to apply for public assistance
（7）阅读理解
For many of us, printed books are satisfying in ways beyond the words they contain. Billions of printed books have been published, read and saved in the 600 years since movable type was invented, so why mess with a good things?
Sony Electronics is doing just that, betting that readers will be won over by the convenience of readability of its new electronic book devices. Sony's reader, the PRS-505, can hold 160 books in its fixed memory, enough to line the shelves on a good-sized wall in the average American home. The $299 device is about the size of a paperback book, but a half-inch thick and weighs less than a pound.
The Sony book reader is revolutionary not only in its storage capacity. The font（字体） is highly readable and adjustable by size. Unlike laptop computers, you can put the Sony in your purse, read it in direct sunlight and even bookmark the pages. And you can connect it to your PC to download books.
Surprisingly, though the reader has liberated the book from paper, electronic books aren't always a bargain. For example, David Baldacci's "Stone Cold" download retails（零售） for $15.19 at the Sony site, while Amazon（卓越网） will deliver a hard copy to your mailbox for $16.19.
The Sony reader also lets you store and play or display music. So what's not to like about the Sony? Well, for many bibliophiles, a lot. Book lovers like to have, hold and keep their volumes, which don't need charging. You can write notes in the margins, and enjoy the ambience they provide on your book shelves.
The need for electronic reading devices is likely to grow as more people worried about the billions of tons of paper used for printed material. Many believe the time will come when devices like the Sony reader are as common as printed newspapers and magazines today.
1．What would be the best title for the passage?
A. The age of the electronic book reader is coming
B. Printed books are out of date
C. The Sony reader meets many readers’ needs
D. The revolution in book readers
2．According to the passage, the Sony book reader _________.
A. is as light as a laptop computer
B. can hold more than 200 books
C. is convenient to carry around
D. cannot be connected to a PC
3．What is the author’s point when he mentions “Stone Cold”?
A. Amazon’s printed books are very cheap
B. “Stone Cold” can be got from the Sony site and Amazon
C. The Sony book reader is not very cheap to use
D. The Sony book reader can benefit its buyers a lot
4．The underlined word “bibliophiles” in Paragraph 5 refers to “__________”.
A. music lovers B. book lovers
C. electronic reading devices D. Sony readers
5．According to the author, what’s the future for the electronic reading devices?
A. They’ll replace printed newspapers and magazines
B. They’ll still be more expensive than printed newspapers
C. They’ll become a must in people’s daily life
D. They’ll become more popular as time goes on
（6）阅读理解
It is time for students to sell such things as chocolate bars and greeting cards to raise money for their school, class or club. It is inevitable that they will knock on your door and you will easily hand ever your cash for overpriced items that you really do not want. That is okay, though, because there are many reasons why children should be allowed to raise money for their schools and clubs.
Fundraising(自筹资金) is a great way to help children learn social skills. It is not easy to go up to a complete stranger and ask them for their money. They have to nicely ask for help, show the interested buyer what they have to offer and explain how it will help them in school. If someone refuses to buy an item, that child has to take the failure in stride（从容处理）, and that is a learning lesson as well.
Students can learn how to deal with money by fundraising. Of course, it might seem safer for us to take charge of our children’s earnings from their fundraising before it is turned in to the school. However, by making them keep track of it, count it, and make sure everyone pays the right amount, they are learning an important lesson. Dealing with money is important to know about when they are older.
Fundraising helps improve their schools. It is the child’s school. They have to learn there and grow there. Why not let them help in making it a better place? When one of our local schools lacked funding for sports, the students and parents joined hands to raise that money needed. When they succeeded, they felt they accomplished something important.
Fundraising allows for more life experiences for the child. Most fundraising is done for individual classes and clubs. The raised money is used towards things like parties, trips. The children receive the rewards for their hard work at raising the money. Without fundraising, these field trips and special school memories would be missed.
In a word, fundraising helps children a lot in many ways.
1. We can infer that the author is probably a .
A. manager B. student C. parent D. officer
2. What is the main idea of this passage?
A. Children should be allowed to fundraise.
B. Fundraising is good for both families and children.
C. Children should learn to deal with money.
D. Children should be taught how to fundraise.
3. Which of the following is not the benefits of fundraising by students?
A. It’s a good way to gain social skills for students.
B. Students can master the skills in financing through it.
C. It can help students get high mark at school.
D. It gives students many valuable life experiences.
4. The author thinks that fundraising .
A. adds to the family’s burden B. wastes the learning time
C. cultivates the children’s character D. builds up the children’s bodies
5. Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?
CP: Central point P: Point Sp: Sub-point(次要点) C: Conclusion
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|
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A
（5）阅读理解
Can you believe your eyes? A recent experiment suggests that the answer to that question may depend on your age.
Martin Doherty, a psychologist at the University of Stirling in Scotland, led the team of scientists. In this experiment, Doherty and his team tested the perception(观察力) of some people, using pictures of some orange circles. The researchers showed the same pictures to two groups of people. The first group included 151 children aged 4 to 10, and the second group included 24 adults aged 18 to 25.
The first group of pictures showed two circles alone on a white background. One of the circles was larger than the other, and these people were asked to identify the larger one. Four-year-olds identified the correct circle 79 percent of the time. Adults identified the correct circle 95 percent of the time.
Next, both groups were shown a picture where the orange circles, again of different sizes, were surrounded by gray circles. Here’s where the trick lies in. In some of the pictures, the smaller orange circle was surrounded by even smaller gray circles — making the orange circle appear larger than the other orange circle, which was the real larger one. And the larger orange circle was surrounded by even bigger gray circles — so it appeared to be smaller than the real smaller orange circle.
When young children aged 4 to 6 looked at these tricky pictures, they weren’t fooled — they were still able to find the bigger circle with roughly the same accuracy as before. Older children and adults, on the other hand, did not do as well. Older children often identified the smaller circle as the larger one, and adults got it wrong most of the time.
As children get older, Doherty said, their brains may develop the ability to identify visual context. In other words, they will begin to process the whole picture at once: the tricky gray circles, as well as the orange circle in the middle. As a result, they’re more likely to fall for this kind of visual trick.
1．Doherty and his team of scientists did an experiment to evaluate .
A．children’s and adults’ eye-sight
B．people’s ability to see accurately
C．children’s and adults’ brains
D．the influence of people’s age
2．When asked to find the larger circle, .
A．children at 6 got it wrong 79 % of the time with no gray ones around
B．only adults over 18 got it right 95% of the time with gray ones around
C．children at 4 got it right about 79 % of the time with gray ones around
D．adults got it right most of the time with gray ones around
3．According to the passage, we can know that .
A．a smaller orange circle appears bigger on a white background
B．an orange circle appears bigger than a gray one of the same size
C．a circle surrounded by other circles looks bigger than its real size
D．a circle surrounded by bigger ones looks smaller than its real size
4．Visual context may work when children get older than .
A．4 B．6 C．10 D．18
5．Why are younger children not fooled?
A．Because they are smarter than older children and adults.
B．Because older people are influenced by their experience.
C．Because people’s eyes become weaker as they grow older.
D．Because their brain can hardly notice related things together.
The way people hold to the belief that a fun - filled, pain free life equals happiness actually reduces their chances of ever attaining real happiness. If fun and pleasure are equal to happiness then pain must be equal to unhappiness. But in fact, the opposite is true: more often than not things that lead to happiness involve some pain.
As a result, many people avoid the very attempts that are the source of true happiness. They fear the pain inevitably(不可避免的)brought by such things as marriage, raising children, professional achievement, religious commitment (义务), self - improvement.
Ask a bachelor(单身汉)why he resists marriage even though he finds dating to be less and less satisfying. If he is honest he will tell you that he is afraid of making a commitment. For commitment is in fact quite painful. The single life is filled with fun, adventure, excitement.
Marriage has such moments, but they are not its most distinguishing features.
Couples with infant children are lucky to get a whole night’s sleep or a three - day vacation. I don’t know any parent who would choose the word fun to describe raising children. But couples who decide not to have children never know the joys of watching a child grow up or of playing with a grandchild.
Understanding and accepting that true happiness has nothing to do with fun is one of the most liberating realizations. It liberates（解放） time: now we can devote more hours to activities that can genuinely increase our happiness. It liberates money: buying that new car or those fancy clothes that will do nothing to increase our happiness now seems pointless. And it liberates us from envy: we now understand that all those who are always having so much fun actually may not be happy at all.
1. According to the author, a bachelor resists marriage chiefly because _______ .
A. he finds more fun in dating than in marriage
B. he believes that life will be more cheerful if he remains single
C. he is reluctant to take on family responsibilities
D. he fears it will put an end to all his fun adventure and excitement
2. Raising children, in the author’s opinion is ________ .
A. a rewarding task B. a thankless job
C. a moral duty D. a source of inevitable pain
3. From the last paragraph, we learn that envy sometimes stems from ________
A. hatred B. ignorance C. prejudice D. misunderstanding
4. To understand what true happiness is one must ________ .
A. have as much fun as possible during one’s lifetime
B. be able to distinguish happiness from fun
C. put up with pain under all circumstances
D. make every effort to liberate oneself from pain
5. What is the author trying to tell us?
A. It is important to make commitments
B. One must know how to attain happiness.
C. Happiness often goes hand in hand with pain.
D. It is pain that leads to happiness.