Cleverness is a gift while kindness is a choice.Gifts are easy—they’re given after all.Choice can be hard.
I got the idea to start Amazon 16 years ago.I came across the fact that the Internet usage was growing at 2300 percent per year.I’d never seen or heard of anything that grew that fast，and the idea of building all online bookstore with millions of titles was very exciting to me. I had just turned 30 years old，and I’d been married for a year.I told my wife MacKenzie that I wanted to quit my job and go to do this crazy thing that probably wouldn’t work since most start-ups don’t and I wasn’t sure what to expect.MacKenzie told me I should go for it.As a young boy，I’d been a garage inventor.I’d always wanted to be all inventor，and she wanted me to follow my passion.
I was working at a financial firm in New York City with a bunch of very smart people and I had a brilliant boss that I much admired.I went to my boss and told him I wanted to start a company selling books on the Internet.He took me on a long walk in Central Park，listened carefully to me，and finally said，“That sounds like a really good idea，but it would be an even better idea for someone who didn’t already have a good job.”That 1ogic made some sense to me，and he convinced me to think about it for 48 hours before making a final decision.Seen in that light,it really was a difficult choice，but finally，I decided I had to give it a shot.I didn’t think I’d regret trying and failing.And I suspected I would always be haunted by a decision to not try at all.
After much consideration ，I took the less safe path to follow my passion ，and I’m proud of that choice.For all of us，in the end，we are our choice.What inspired the author with the idea of building an online bookstore?
| A．His dream of being an inventor. |
| B．The support of his wife. |
| C．The greatly increasing usage of the Internet. |
| D．Millions of exciting titles, |
Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined sentence?
| A．The idea of not trying would keep coming to his mind and disturb him. |
| B．He would be very excited if he tried it out. |
| C．Be would be always having a doubt if he didn’t try. |
| D．The decision to not try the online bookstore would terrify him. |
Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Cleverness and Kindness | B．The Starting of Amazon |
| C．Following My Passion | D．We Are What We Choose |
We can know from the passage that_______.
| A．the boss thought the idea was suitable for the author |
| B．the author wanted someone else to try the idea |
| C．the author might not regret if he failed the idea |
| D．the author might go back to his boss if he failed |
阅读理解
Migrations are one of the animal kingdom’s most widespread phenomena.They are seasonal tests of endurance，collective journeys often taken at great costs by birds，whales，land mammals，insects，and other creatures that are wired to travel.Scientists estimate that onethird to half of all animals—and even some microorganisms—migrate during part of their lives.
According to scientists, human actions are threatening many migrations.Habitat destruction，the creation of obstacles such as dams and fences，overexploitation of natural resources, and climate change are combining to make migrations increasingly difficult for many species.
Global warming，for example，is changing flowering times and other natural cycles，driving many birds and insects to move their ranges or arrive before or after their food sources have appeared. Many of the planet’s great migrations have already disappeared.
By increasing public awareness of the troubles of migratory animals and committing to the preservation not only of individual species but also their way of life，many migrations can still be saved.Migrations should be saved，if not for the absolute fear that seeing millions of animals moving with one purpose elicits，then for their ecological importance.
“What we really want to protect is the natural phenomenon of abundance，”Wilcove said.“If we wait until migrating animals are endangered，then we lose both the ecosystem benefits associated with their abundance and also the wonder and majesty(壮丽)of migrations.”
“It’s like global warming” he said.“You have to alert people，and after a while，the public knows about it and they do something about it.That’s when the big changes will come about.I think there’s absolute hope.”When animals begin to migrate，they will________.
| A．achieve it whatever is needed |
| B．spend half of their lives in migrating |
| C．make the journey in an individual way |
| D．adapt to the season at a fixed place |
Which of the following affects flowering times?
| A．Habitat destruction. |
| B．The building of dams. |
| C．Global warming. |
| D．The use of natural resources. |
Migrations should be saved because________.
| A．it is a pleasure to see millions of animals moving with one purpose |
| B．the way of individual species’ life should be protected |
| C．it is environmentally critical mass movement |
| D．the benefits of the ecosystem are connected with it |
The attitude of Wilcove towards saving migrations is ________.
| A．sympathetic |
| B．negative |
| C．suspicious |
| D．optimistic |
What’s the passage mainly about?
| A．Animals’ migrations need saving. |
| B．Global warming makes animals migrate more frequently. |
| C．Animals’ migrations are affected by their environment. |
| D．Migrating animals are reducing in numbers rapidly. |
阅读理解
Lack of water creates a survival problem for all desert animals.And animals can live only within a relatively narrow temperature range.For four or five months of the year，the daily temperatures in the desert may actually go beyond this range.So survival for desert animals is very difficult.
Fortunately，most desert animals have evolved (进化) to solve the heat and water problems the desert environment creates.
Take Phainopepla, a slim black bird for example. It breeds during the relatively cool spring，then leave the desert for cooler areas.Many birds are active only at dawn and within a few hours of sunset.Some birds，such as the kingbird，continue activity throughout the day，but always fly or sit in the shade.
A few desert animals，such as the Roundtailed Ground Squirrel，sleep away the hottest part of the summer.They also hibernate (冬眠) in winter to avoid the cold season.Some desert animals such as Desert Toads，stay deep under the ground until the summer rains fill ponds. They then come out from under the ground，breed，lay eggs and supply themselves with food and water for another long period.Some smaller desert animals make a hole below the surface of the soil or sand to escape the high temperatures at the desert surface.
Certain desert lizards (蜥蝎) are active during the hottest seasons，and move extremely rapidly over hot surfaces，stopping in cooler “islands” of shade.Even their legs may be longer so they absorb less surface heat while running.How many survival problems are mentioned for desert animals in Paragraph 1 ?
| A．One. |
| B．Two. |
| C．Three. |
| D．Four. |
When can we have the highest chance to see many birds in a desert?
| A．In early afternoon. |
| B．Around midday. |
| C．In early morning. |
| D．In late morning. |
The Roundtailed Ground Squirrel escapes the extreme temperatures by________.
| A．sitting in the shade |
| B．lying in a hole |
| C．stopping its activity |
| D．moving to cool habitats |
According to the passage，which of the following are the most active desert animals?
| A．Lizards. |
| B．Desert Toads. |
| C．Phainopepla. |
| D．Roundtailed Ground Squirrel. |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Survival of Desert Animals. |
| B．Evolution of Desert Animals. |
| C．Dangers of Desert Animals. |
| D．Hibernation of Desert Animals. |
阅读理解
When an NBA player is young he thinks he can win the championship by himself.It is only later when he has aged and been through many battles that he learns an important lesson：there_is_no_“I”_in_“team”．
There is no better example of the value of teamwork than the Boston Celtics.Paul Pierce，Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett were all superstars on three different teams.Yet，none of them had any titles to show for it.Then，last season，they decided to sacrifice money and individual statistics to play together.Garnett and Allen joined Pierce on the Celtics and changed the NBA in the process.
It started in simple ways.Garnett and Allen are two of the most intense athletes in the world.They treat every second of every practice like it is the NBA championship.If you want to play alongside them then you will have to do the same.So，the young guys on the Celtics started giving their full effort too.
Pierce had been the star of the Celtics for many years.He used to shoot the ball many times in a game.But with the addition of Allen and Garnett he shot less and focused on defense.
His selflessness showed the young players that doing what made the team better was the only thing that mattered.
When the Celtics were winning and the game was almost over，Garnett，Pierce and Allen would come out of the game.But they wouldn’t just sit on the bench.Instead，they stood and cheered and screamed for their teammates.They wanted to support their friends and teammates.
Now，the guys who don’t play know they can still affect the game by cheering so they scream and cheer when Garnett，Allen and Pierce are playing.The Celtics have developed a strong relationship.They are more than just teammates.They are brothers.
The result: the Boston Celtics won the 2008 NBA championship and are considered the favorites to win the Eastern Conference championship again this year.
There is a saying that goes，“A successful team beats with one heart.”If that is the case，the Celtics may have the biggest heart in the NBA.What does the passage mainly talk about?
| A．The stories of three famous basketball superstars. |
| B．The importance of teamwork among teammates. |
| C．A famous basketball team named the Boston Celtics. |
| D．Matches between the Boston Celtics and other teams. |
From the passage，we can see that________.
| A．most mature NBA players believe they can win the championship by themselves |
| B．Pierce，Garnett and Allen had to give up personal glory for team success |
| C．Allen，Pierce，together with Garnett had been the stars of the Celtics for many years |
| D．Paul Pierce，Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett had won NBA championships before they joined hands |
What does the underlined sentence “there is no ‘I’ in ‘team’” mean in Paragraph 1?
| A．“I” will be missing once “I” am on the court. |
| B．“I” work so hard in a team that “I” will forget who “I” am. |
| C．The members of the team are more important than the individual. |
| D．Surrounded by other players，“I” don’t seem to exist. |
Which of the following is NOT true about Pierce’s recent performance?
| A．He became an even better shooter with others’ help. |
| B．He focused much more attention on defense. |
| C．He created more chances for teammates. |
| D．He stood and cheered for his teammates. |
Which of the following didn’t contribute to the success of the Boston Celtics?
| A．The whole team has become devoted to each and every stage of the game. |
| B．The cooperation and teamwork among the teammates in the match. |
| C．The influence of Garnett，Allen，Pierce and other teammates’ cheering. |
| D．The increasing frequency of team players on the bench. |
After the birth of my second child，I got a job at a restaurant.Having worked with an experienced ____ for a few days，I was ____ to wait tables on my own.All went ____ that first week.When Saturday night came，I was luckily ____ the tables not far from the kitchen.____，I still felt it a little hard to carry the heavy trays (托盘)．
Before I knew it，the ____ was full of people.I moved slowly，____ every step.I remember how ____ I was when I saw the tray stand near the tables；it looked different from the one I was ____ on.It had nice handles (手柄)，which made it ____ to move around.I was pleased with everything and began to ____ I was a natural at this job.
Then，an old man came to me and said，“Excuse me，dear，my wife and I loved ____ you work.It seems your tray stand has been very ____ to you，but we are getting ready to ____ now，and my wife needs her ____ back.”
At first his ____ did not get across.“What was he talking about？”Then，I got it.I had set my trays on his wife’s orthopedic walker (助步器)．I stood frozen as ice，but my face was ____.I wanted to get into a hole and ____.
Since then，I have learned from many mistakes such as the one I just ____.I have learned to be more ____ and not to be too sure of myself.
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Since 1989 Dave Thomas，who died at age 69，was one of the most recognizable faces on TV.He appeared in more than 800 commercials (商业广告) for the hamburger chain named for his daughter.“As long as it works，”he said in 1991，“I’ll continue to do those commercials.”
Even though he was successful，Thomas remained troubled by his childhood.“He still won’t let anyone see his feet，which are out of shape because he never had proper fitting shoes，”Wendy said in 1993.Born to a single mother，he was adopted (收养) as a baby by Rex and Auleva Thomas of Kalamazoo in Michigan.After Auleva died when he was 5，Thomas spent years on the road as Rex traveled around seeking construction work.“He fed me，”Thomas said，“and if I got out of line，he’d beat me.”
Moving out on his own at the age of 15，Thomas worked，first as a waiter，in many restaurants.But he had something much better in mind.“I thought if I owned a restaurant，”he said，“I could eat for free.”A 1956 meeting with Harland Sanders led Thomas to a career as the manager of a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant that made him a millionaire in 1968.
In 1969，after breaking with Sanders，Thomas started the first Wendy’s Old Fashioned Hamburgers，in Columbus，Ohio，which set itself apart by serving madetoorder burgers.With 6,000 restaurants worldwide，the chain now makes $6 billion a year in sales.
Although troubled by his own experience with adoption，Thomas，married since 1954 to Lorraine,66，and with four grown kids besides Wendy，felt it could offer a future for other children.He started the Dave Thomas Foundation(基金会) for Adoption in 1992.
In 1993，Thomas，who had left school at the age of 15，graduated from Coconut Creek High School in Florida.He even took Lorraine to the graduation dance party.The kids voted him Most Likely to Succeed.
“The Dave you saw on TV was the real Dave，”says friend Pat Williams.“He wasn’t a great actor or a great speaker.He_was_just_Joe_Everybody.”What is the article mainly about?
| A．The life of Dave Thomas. |
| B．The dream of Dave Thomas. |
| C．The schooling of Dave Thomas. |
| D．The growth of Dave Thomas’s business. |
What do we know about his childhood?
| A．He lived a poor life. |
| B．He had caring parents. |
| C．He stayed in one place. |
| D．He didn’t go to school. |
Choose the right time order of the following events in Thomas’s life.
a．graduated from high school
b．started his own business
c．became a millionaire
d．started a foundation
e．met Harland Sanders
| A．e，b，c，d，a |
| B．a，e，c，b，d |
| C．e，c，b，d，a |
| D．a，e，b，c，d |
“He was just Joe Everybody.”(in the last paragraph) means________.
| A．Dave was famous |
| B．Dave was ordinary |
| C．Dave was showy |
| D．Dave was shy |
What is the name of Dave Thomas’s business?
| A．Thomas’s. | B．Wendy’s. |
| C．Lorraine’s. | D．Rex’s. |