The associates I hired in my bicycle and lawn mower shop like myself were never perfect; however, they were excellent. Working with them as they improved taught me new ways to show forgiveness, understanding, and patience.
One day the placement officer asked me to interview a young man who was having trouble finding a job. He told me that David was a little shy, did not talk much and was afraid to go on with interviews. He requested that I give David an interview just for practice. He plainly told David that I had no positions open at the time and the interview was just for practice.
When David came in for the interview, he hardly said a word. I told him what we did at the bicycle shop and showed him around. I told David to keep showing up because the number one thing an employer wanted in an associate was dependability.
David was very quiet (he was evaluated as a slow learner in school). Every ten days or so, for weeks after the interview, David walked into the bicycle shop and stood by the front door. He never said a word, just stood by the door.
One day, shortly before Christmas, a large truck came to the shop, packed with 250 new bicycles. It had to be unloaded right away or the driver would leave.
It was raining. Some of my workers (without physical limitations) chose not to brave the weather to get into work, so I was short-handed. It seemed everything was going wrong and on top of it, David came in the front door and just stood there. I looked at him and shouted, “Well, all right! Fill out a time card and help me unload this truck!”
David worked for my bicycle shop for eighteen years. He came to work every day thirty minutes early. He could talk; however, he rarely chose to. He drove my truck and made deliveries. The customers would praise David, saying, “He doesn’t talk, but he really shows you how to operate a lawn mower!”The author finally hired David because________.
| A．there were no other workers in the shop then |
| B．he needed someone who was willing to work then |
| C．David kept showing up |
| D．he realized David was dependable |
We can infer from the last paragraph that_______.
| A．the author feels lucky to hire David |
| B．David has had his character changed through work |
| C．the author prefers David to be more outgoing |
| D．some customers just play jokes on David |
The author gave David an interview to _______.
| A．find a person who is reliable |
| B．find a part-time worker in need |
| C．give him some practice |
| D．show sympathy for him |
The author’s tone in describing David is full of ______.
| A．pity | B．wonder |
| C．disappointment | D．appreciation |
Federal Child Labor Standards for Teenagers
Teenage labor in the United States
Federal Law sets child labor standards affecting teenage workers in the private companies and in federal, state, and local governments.
How can injuries be prevented?
Demand Training
Insist on adequate supervision（监督）and easy access to a supervisor at all times．
Demand sufficient training on equipment and chemicals you are required to use．Refuse to use unknown materials or machinery that is broken or improperly set up．
Wear protective equipment
Always use whatever protective equipment is supplied．Protective clothing includes non-slip shoes, gloves and other specific job-related protective gear．
Request reasonable protective equipment if it is not provided automatically．
Know your environment
Ask about workplace hazards and precautions（预防措施）that can help prevent injuries．
Workplace hazards are objects and situations present at your job that could potentially hurt you．Recognize safety hazards such as slippery floors, unsafe ladders, sharp knives, and heavy lifting．
Know the law
Learn about federal and state laws governing employment for teenagers and make you’re your supervisor enforces them．
How many working hours are allowed?
Teenagers （ages 14-15） may total no more than
■3 hours on a school day．
■18 hours in a school week．（A school week is any week in which school attendance is required for any part of four or more days．）
■8 hours on a non-school day．
■40 hours m a non-school week．
What are the responsibilities?
Employers and employees share the responsibility for keeping the workplace safe and healthy．As a teenage worker, you can do your part by taking these steps:
■Follow rules．
■Use safety equipment．
■Keep your work area clean．
■Report all injuries．
■Inform a supervisor if you feel sick．
■Report safety problems．If a teenager is asked to work with equipment out of order, he or she should_．
| A．demand enough training | B．refuse to work with the equipment |
| C．ignore the instructions on the machine | D．ask for necessary protective tools |
All of these are examples of workplace hazards EXCEPT.
| A．sharp knives | B．heavy lifting |
| C．slippery floors | D．steady ladders |
According to the passage, which of the following should a teenage worker do in the workplace?
| A．Depend on his own in any case． |
| B．Deal with his injuries himself． |
| C．Contact a supervisor when feeling uncomfortable． |
| D．Use any tool in hand． |
Picture the scene: the battery on your mobile phone has run out． You can't make any calls for help and no one can contact you． You are all alone - well, not quite． Just reach into your pocket and take out a piece of sugar．Put it into the battery, wait a minute, and you're back on the phone．
Thanks to a couple of American scientists, this situation could become real．Swadesh Chaudhuri and Derek Lovely have invented the"bacteria battery" - powered by bacteria that eats sugar and turns it into electricity．
"This is a special organism," Lovely said．"You can harvest enough electricity to power a cell phone battery for about four days from a spoonful of sugar．"
In the past, bacteria batteries have been expensive and not long-lasting． But this battery uses more efficient bacteria that can turn 80 percent of sugar into electrical energy． This is 30 percent more than similar batteries can manage．
The bacteria battery could become as small as a household battery． It's also cheap and stable, as sugar can be taken from waste and crops．
But the sugar to electricity process is slow: it could take weeks for the bacteria to digest a cup of sugar．And it produces "greenhouse" gases which pollute the environment．
The scientists understand there is a lot more work to be done． "It is still young," said Lovely．"Where we are now is where solar power was 200r 30 years ago．"
But he believes the battery could be used in scientific equipment at the bottom of the ocean．Other ideas include using sugar in the blood to run medical devices in the human body, and taking sugar from animal waste to provide energy to power homes in rural areas．This passage is mainly about_．
| A．how to change sugar into electricity |
| B．a scientific invention of a new kind of bacteria battery |
| C．a new way to reduce pollution caused by mobile phones |
| D．a new kind of mobile phones and its future |
Which of the following is not the strong point of the newly-developed battery?
| A．Convenient． | B．Stable． | C．Inexpensive． | D．Quick． |
The underlined sentence in the 7th paragraph actually means．
| A．the bacteria battery shares some similarities with solar energy |
| B．scientists will continue their work until they find solar power |
| C．there is much room for the improvement of the bacteria battery |
| D．the bacteria battery will get popular in 20 0r 30 years |
According to the passage, who will find the bacteria battery less useful?
| A．Farmers． | B．Divers． | C．Doctors． | D．Electricians． |
Woman Uses Daughter's Key to "Steal" Car
Charlie Vansant, a college student of Athens, Ohio who reported that his car was stolen, got a surprise when he learned a woman had mistaken it for her daughter's car and taken it－using her key．
Kate Anderson became an accidental car thief when picking up her daughter's car near an Ohio University building last week．Anderson spotted the nickel-~ay Toyota Camry（银灰色丰田凯美瑞）and used her daughter's key to unlock the car, start the engine and drive home-without realizing that the car wasn't her daughter's．
When Charlie Vansant left class a short time later, he found only an empty parking spot．He first assumed the car had been towed, but when the police couldn't find a record of it, they took a theft report．
The morning after Anderson took the car, her daughter discovered the Camry in the driveway wasn't hers．Anderson said she was able to find Vansant's name on paperwork in the glove compartment and look up his phone number on the website for the university．
When Anderson told Charlie the car was in her driveway, "It sounded real suspicious at first, like may be she wanted to hold the thing for ransom（赎金）,”said Vansant．He eventually went to the house with a police officer, where he was reunited with his car．According to police report, the ease was closed "because of mistaken car identity", Anderson wasn't charged．
Vansant seemed to blame the car company more than the "thief"．"Her key fit not only my lock, but my ignition（点火装置）as well - so high-five for Toyota．I guess．" he said．What does the underlined word "towed" mean in paragraph 3 ?
| A．removed | B．damaged | C．stolen | D．sold |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Mrs．Anderson's daughter discovered the car her mother drove was not hers． |
| B．Mrs．Anderson stole Charlie's car at the request of her daughter． |
| C．Charlie had thought he had to give Anderson money to get his car back． |
| D．Mrs．Anderson used her daughter's key to unlock Charlie's car and drive home． |
What does Charlie mean by "h~-five for Toyota"?
| A．He is blaming Toyota for the poor quality of car keys． |
| B．He should thank Toyota for returning his car． |
| C．He wants to celebrate with Toyota for getting his car back． |
| D．He thinks highly of Toyota for producing large quantities of cars． |
What is likely to happen next according to the passage?
| A．Mrs．Anderson was charged with stealing a car． |
| B．Charlie blamed Mrs．Anderson for mistakenly taking his car． |
| C．Charlie would ask the Toyota Company to give him an explanation． |
| D．The Toyota Company would give Charlie a new car as compensation． |
American researchers say drinking tea may help strengthen the body’s defense system against infection. Doctors at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, did the study. The team studied a chemical found in black, green, oolong and pekoe tea. This chemical is an amino acid(氨基酸) called L-theanine. The scientists say it may increase the strength of gamma delta T cells. That’s the letter T, not the drink. Gamma delta T cells are part of the body’s defense.
First, the researchers mixed some of these cells with antigens（抗原）found in the amino acid. Antigens help the body react to infection. Then the scientists added some bacteria. Within twenty-four hours, the cells produced a lot of interferon, a substance that fights infection. Cells not mixed with the antigens did not produce interferon (抗干扰素).
In the second part of the study, eleven people drank five to six cups of black tea every day. Ten other people drank the same amount of instant coffee. That is dried coffee mixed with hot water.
Two weeks later, and again two weeks after that, the researchers tested the blood of all twenty-one people. They also looked at what happened when they added bacteria to the blood cells. They found that the tea drinkers produced five times more interferon after they started drinking tea. The coffee drinkers did not produce interferon.
Doctor Jack Bukowski led the study. He says the antigens added to the gamma delta T cells were responsible for the increased reaction to the bacteria. He says that the study also showed that the cells were able to remember the bacteria and fight them again the next time.
Earlier research already has found that tea can help prevent heart disease and cancer. Doctor Bukowski says the new study must be repeated by more people. “If the findings prove to be true,” he says, “then tea drinking might also help protect against bacterial infections.” He says the amino acid L-theanine could be removed from the tea and used as a drug to strengthen the body’s defenses.We may know from the text that _________ can be found in different kinds of tea.
| A．L-theanine | B．Gamma delta T cells |
| C．interferon | D．bacteria |
Tea may help strengthen the body’s defense system because it helps _________.
| A．to add some bacteria to the blood cells |
| B．the body to produce more gamma delta T cells |
| C．the body to produce more interferon |
| D．to mix antigens with some of the cells in the body |
According to Dr Bukowski, _________.
| A．the findings of the study have already proved to be true |
| B．further study is needed to prove the findings true |
| C．he has taken some amino acid L-theanine from tea and made a drug with it |
| D．he is not sure whether tea help prevent heart disease and cancer |
What would be the best title for this text?
| A．Tea Is Better than Coffee | B．Our Body Needs Tea |
| C．Tea Can Help Prevent Cancer | D．Tea May Help Fight Infection |
All things change except barbers, the ways of barbers, and the surroundings of barbers. These never change. What one experiences in a barber’s shop the first time he enters one is what he always experiences in barbers’ shops afterward till the end of his days.
I got shaved this morning as usual. A man approached the door from Jones Street as I approached it from Main--a thing that always happens. I hurried up, but it was of no use; he entered the door one little step ahead of me, and I followed in and saw him take the only empty chair, the one headed by the best barber. It always happens so. I sat down, hoping that I might sit in the chair belonging to the better of the remaining two barbers, for he was a bit ahead. I watched the probabilities with strong interest. When I saw that No. 2 was gaining on No. 1, my interest grew to solicitude (担心). When No. 1 was gradually losing the race, my solicitude rose to anxiety. When No. 1 caught up again, and both were about to finish and say “Next!” first, my very breath stood still with the suspense. But when I saw that he had lost the race by a single instant, I rose angrily and quitted the shop, to keep from falling into the hands of No. 2; for I have none of that firmness that enables a man to look calmly into the eyes of a waiting barber and tell him he will wait for his fellow-barber’s chair.
I stayed out fifteen minutes, and then went back, hoping for better luck. Unfortunately, all the chairs were occupied now, and four men sat waiting, silent, and looking bored, as men always do who are waiting their turn in a barber’s shop. I sat down and waited.
At last my turn came. A voice said “Next!” and I give in to No. 2, of course. It always happens so. I smiled and said that I was in a hurry, and it affected him as strongly as if he had never heard it.
He explored my hair with his claws and suggested that it needed trimming(修剪). I said I did not want it trimmed. He explored again and said it was pretty long for the present style. I said I had had it cut only a week before. He stopped for a moment, and then asked “who cut it?” I stared at him from the mirror and replied “You did!”. Then a dog-fight attracted his attention, and he ran to the window and stayed and watched it…The author left the barber’s shop mainly because ___________.
| A．he would like to wait for “No. 1” outside |
| B．he would rather be served by the best barber |
| C．he lacked the courage to tell “No. 2” his intention |
| D．he was angry at the slow speed of “No. 1” |
What is the change of the author’s attitude from the moment he went into the barber’s to the moment he left it?
| A．Disappointed---Anxious---Hopeful---Angry. |
| B．Disappointed --Hopeful---Anxious---Angry. |
| C．Hopeful--- Sad --- Anxious ---Angry. |
| D．Hopeful--- Anxious --- Angry --- Sad. |
The underlined word “suspense” in the 2nd paragraph probably means ________.
| A．loneliness | B．excitement |
| C．anxiety | D．hope |
What is likely to happen next?
| A．The author lost his temper. |
| B．“No. 2” ran out of his patience. |
| C．The author was well-served by “No. 2”. |
| D．The author also went to see the dog-fight. |