A TAXI driver taught me a million dollar lesson in custome
r satisfaction and expectation. Inspiring speakers charge thousands of dollars to give his kind of training to corporate directors and staff. It cost me only a ＄12 taxi ride.
I had flown into Dallas just for the purpose of calling on a client. Time was important and my plan included a quick turn – around trip from and back to the airport. A clean taxi pulled up.
The driver rushed to open the passenger door for me and made sure I was comfortably seated before he closed the door. As be got in the driver’s seat, he mentioned that the neatly folded Wall Street Journal next to me for my use. He then showed me several tapes and asked me what type of music I would enjoy.
Well! I looked around for a 
“Candid Camera!” Wouldn’t you? I could not believe the service I was receiving! I took the opportunity to say, “Obviously you take great pride in you work. You must have a story to tell.”
“You bet,” he replied, “I used to be in Corporate America. But I got tired of thinking my best would never be good enough. I decided to find my right position in life, somewhere I could feel proud of being the best I could be.
I knew I would never be a rocket scientist, but I love driving cars, being of service and feeling like I have done a full day’s work and done it well. I evaluated my personal property and, I became a taxi driver!
One thing I know for sure, to be good in my business I jus have to meet the expectations of my passengers. But, to be GREAT in my business, I have to EXEED the customer’s expectations! I like the sound of being ‘great’ better than just being ‘average’. ”
Did I tip him big time? You bet!
The taxi driver taught me a great life lesson: Go an extra mile when providing any service to others. And there is no good or bad job you can make any job good.What lesson did the author learn from the taxi driver?
| A．How to make the best use of time. |
| B．How to do better in the service business. |
| C．How to turn an interest into your career. |
| D．How to become a motivational speaker. |
Why did the author look around for a “Candid Camera”?
| A．Because he was afraid he would be photographed in the cab. |
| B．Because he was worried what the driver could be up to. |
| C．Because he was amazed by the way the driver was treating him. |
| D．Because he wasn’t interested in the tapes offered by the driver |
It can be inferred from the story that .
| A．the taxi driver couldn’t accept just being average |
| B．the author was anxious to get back to meet a client |
| C．when the author waited for a taxi at the airport, he was not in a rush |
| D．the taxi driver loved to play his favorite music during rides |
According to the story, the taxi driver .
| A．was dissatisfied wit his present job |
B．was once often reward ed for being a model worker |
| C．enjoyed offering his customers more than they expected |
| D．was forced to become a taxi driver to support his family |
E
Wouldn’t it be great if you could just look up at the sky and read the weather forecast right away? Well, you can. The forecast is written in clouds. If you can read that writing, you can tell something about the atmosphere. With some practice, you can become a pretty good weather forecaster. Who knows, you might even do as well as meteorologists.
Meteorologists use much more information than just the appearance of the clouds to make their forecasts. They collect data from all over the world. Then they put it into powerful, high-speed computers.
This does give meteorologists an advantage, because they can track weather patterns as they move from west to east across the country.
But you have an advantage, too. You can look at the sky and get your data directly. A meteorologist uses a computer forecast that takes several hours to make a local forecast.
What are you seeing when you look at a cloud? “A picture of what moisture is doing in the atmosphere,” says meteorologist Peter Leavitt. There’s moisture throughout the atmosphere. Most of the time you don’t see it ,because it’s in the form of an unseen gas called water vapor.
Sometimes, the temperature of the air gets cold enough to cause the water vapor to change into liquid water. That’s called condensation, and we see it happen all the time(for example, when damp air hits the cold glass of a mirror). When enough water vapor condenses, tiny drops form in the air. These drops spread light. A cloud is seen. Watching clouds over a day or two tells you a lot more than a single cloud about the weather to come. Changes in clouds show changes in the atmosphere.
You should begin to notice patterns. Certain clouds, following each other in order, can signal a coming storm. But don’t take our word for it; see for yourself.
57．This passage mainly tells us about how to_______.
A．become a meteorologist B．keep an eye on the weather
C．be an assistant to a meteorologist D．change water vapor into liquid water
58．According to the passage, ordinary people might do as well as meteorologists in weather forecast________.
A．with the help of the high-speed computers
B．through a complex process of calculation
C．with simple practice looking up at the sky
D．asking for information from weather station
59．Your advantage in weather forecasts is that______.
A．you have more powerful computers at home
B．your brain works as well as a high-speed computer
C．you observe the sky and obtain your data directly
D．meteorologists give their data to you as soon as they get them
60．What causes vapor to change into water?
A．A lot of moisture. B．Thick clouds.
C．Warm atmosphere. D．Cold air temperature.
D
The advantages and disadvantages of a large population have long been a subject of
discussion among economists. It has been argued that the supply of good land is limited. To feed a large population, poor land must be cultivated and good land made full use of. Thus, each person produces less and this means a lower average income than could be obtained with a smaller population. Other economists have argued that a large population gives more opportunities for specialization such as ports, roads, and railways, which are not likely to be built unless there is a big demand to justify them.
One of the difficulties in carrying out a world-wide birth control program lies in the fact that official attitudes to population growth vary from country to country depending on the level of industrial development and the availability of food and raw materials. In a developing country where a vast expanding population is pressing hard upon the limits of food, space and natural resources, it will be the first concern of the government to place a limit on the birthrate, whatever the consequences may be. In a highly industrialized society the problem may be more complex. A decreasing birthrate may lead to unemployment because it results in a declining market for products. When the pressure of the population on housing declines, prices also decline and the building industry is weakened. Faced with considerations such as these, the government of a developed country may well prefer to see a slowly increasing population, rather than one which is stable or in decline.
54．According to the first paragraph, a smaller population may mean______ if land is limited.
A．lower productivity, and a lower average income
B．lower productivity, but a higher average income
C．higher productivity, and a higher average income
D．higher productivity, but a lower average income
55．In a developed country, people will perhaps go out of work if the birthrate_______.
A．goes up B．goes down C．remains stable D．is limited
56．It is not easy to carry out a worldwide birth-control program because______.
A．there are too many underdeveloped countries in the world
B．developing countries are short of food and raw materials
C．even developed countries may have some complex problems of population
D．different governments show quite opposite views to the population
C
(1)Mr. Brown(the motorist)
At about 9∶20 p.m. on October 14th, I was driving along Market Road in the direction of Midwick. I wanted to go to Sturham to collect my wife, who had been visiting some friends. I prepared to turn into Sturham Road, which was on my right. In the distance, I saw the lights of a car moving towards me but it was a long way from me. I put out my hand to show that I was going to turn right. Then I started to turn slowly towards Sturham Road. Suddenly there was a loud noise on the passenger’s (near) side of the car. I stopped the car and got out. A motorcycle had hit my car. The motorcyclist had been thrown over the car. He was injured, so I ran to a shop to phone for help.
(2)Mr. Smith (the injured motorcyclist)
On the evening of October 14th, I was going home along Market Road towards Newtown. I was riding my motorcycle. I was going slowly because some of the streetlights were out and the road was wet and slippery. Just before Sturham Road, a car suddenly drove right across my path. The driver did not flash his lights to give a warning. I could not turn in time, so I hit the side of the car. When I woke up, I was lying in a hospital in Market Road.
(3)Mr. Lee (another motorcyclist)
At about 9∶10p.m.on October 14th, I left my home in Midwick. Ten minutes later I was riding my motorcycle along Market Road. I was going to Newtown. There was a motorcycle about 40 metres in front of me. It was not going very quickly. The man on it was riding near the curb(路边) but I was near the center of the road. The motorcyclist in front of me tried to turn to his right but there was no time. He hit the car and was injured. There was no car going along in front of us or put by the road.
50．Which or these pictures exactly shows the scene of the accident?
X＝the place where the motorcycle hit the car; N＝Newtown; M＝Midwick; S＝Sturham. (Note that cars and motorcycles always keep to the left in England.)
51．Which of these statements about the accident is probably correct?
A．Mr. Brown wrongly supposed that the lights of the two motorcycles were those of a car.
B．The lights of the car moving towards Mr. Brown made him unable to see.
C．Mr. Brown knocked down a motorcyclist on purpose.
D．The accident was caused by the carelessness of the first motorcyclist.
52．It seems probable from the statements that Mr. Brown_______.
A．gave no signal to show that he was turning right
B．did not give any signal until he was actually turning
C．failed to give a proper signal at that time
D．flashed his light to show that he was going to turn
53．We would expect to find that Mr. Brown’s car was damaged on its______ side.
A．front B．left C．right D．driver’s
B
Are you feeling stressed out? Anxious? Is your mind racing in circles? Are you worried about all the things you have to get done? Here’s a quick-acting trick that can make you feel better.
If you’re sitting at a desk, place the palm of your hand on the desk, and take a moment to focus on what the surface of the desk feels like. Is it hot or cold, rough or smooth? Put all of your attention on the sensations in your palm, on how the desk feels underneath your hand. If you are not at a desk, do the same exercise by placing your palm on any nearby object—a wall, a chair, even your opposite arm.
When you are feeling stressed, your thoughts tend to take on a life of their own. Yon may be thinking about things you wish you had done differently in the past or worrying about things that you have to do in the future. These thoughts will make you feel anxious. The anxiety, in turn, increases the number of anxious thoughts.
If you can ground yourself even for a moment in the present, you will break the cycle and feel instant relief. Paying attention to what objects in your environment feel like forces you to pay more attention to the present moment than to negative, anxiety-provoking thoughts about the past or about the future.
Try using your other senses too:
Try closing your eyes for a second (don’t try this while driving!) and breath deeply through your nose. What do you smell?
When eating, put all your attention on how your food tastes.
What do you hear? What little noises are there around you that you didn’t notice before?
Look closely at an ordinary object. Do you see anything you haven’t noticed before?
46．By saying “Is your mind racing in circles”, the author intends to mean that_______.
A．you did something wrong in the past and wouldn’t forgive yourself
B．your mind is quick and bright when in a state of anxiety
C．you are thinking in a stupid way when anxious thoughts worries you a lot
D．you worried a lot and the anxious thoughts will increase your anxiety
47．The author advises to put your palm on the desk or any things nearby in order to______.
A．play a small trick B．feel the surface of the object
C．do some exercises D．reduce your anxiety
48．The writer mentioned some senses that could be used to reduce stress except the______.
A．sense of touching B．sense of smell
C．sense of humour D．sense of listening
49．Which of the following can be served as a title for the passage?
A．First Aid to Anxiety—Senses. B．How Anxiety Works.
C．The Cause of Anxiety—Senses. D．How to Deal with Anxiety.
第二部分：阅读理解（共两节，满分50分）
第一节：阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A, B, C, D) 中，选出可以填入空
白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。（共20小题，每小题2分，共40分）
A
A university graduate described as a “respectable and intelligent” woman is seeking professional help after being convicted of shoplifting for the second time in six months.
Ana Luz, recently studying for PhD has been told she could end up behind bars unless she can control the desire to steal from shops.
Luz, who lives with her partner in Fitzwilliam Road, Cambridge, admitted stealing clothes worth 9.95 pounds from John Lewis in Oxford Street, London, on March 9.
Phillip Lomoyne, prosecuting(起诉), said Luz selected some clothes from display and took them to the ladies’ toilet in the store, when she came out again she was wearing one of the skirts she had selected, having taken off the anti-theft security alarm.
She was stopped and caught after leaving the store without paying, Mr. Lomoyne said.
He added that she was upset on her arrest and apologized for her actions.
Luz, 28, was said to have been convicted of shoplifting by Cambridge judges last October, but Morag Duff, defending said she had never been in trouble with the police before this.
“She is ashamed and embarrassed but doesn’t really have any explanation why she did this,” Miss Duff said. “She didn’t intend to steal when she went into the store. She is at a loss to explain it. She is otherwise a very respectable and intelligent young lady. She went to her doctor and asked for advice because she wants to know if there is something in particular that caused her to do this.”
Judge David Azan fined Luz 50 pounds, and warned: “You have got a criminal record. If you carry on like this, you will end up in prison, which will ruin your bright future you may have.”
Luz achieved a degree in design at university in her native Spain, went on to a famous university in Berlin, Germany for her master’s degree and is now studying for a PhD at Cambridge University, UK.
41．What is Ana Luz’s nationality?
A．American. B．British. C．Spanish. D．German.
42．What does the underlined sentence “She is at a loss to explain it” mean?
A．In her opinion it was a loss to the clothes shops where she stole things.
B．She doesn’t have any idea why she has the desire to steal from shops.
C．She thinks it is a loss for her to explain why she stole things from shops.
D．Personally she feels ashamed and embarrassed for her shoplifting actions.
43．Which of the following best explains the meaning of the word “shoplifting” used in the passage?
A．Carrying goods in a lift for a shop. B．Taking goods to the ladies’ toilet.
C．Selecting some goods from a display. D．Taking goods from a shop without paying.
44．From the passage we can learn that________.
A．Ana Luz has already got her PhD at Cambridge University, UK
B．Ana Luz is ashamed and embarrassed and knows why she often did so
C．the university graduate will be put in prison if she steals in shops once more
D．Phillip Lomoyne is the “respectable and intelligent” woman’s defense(辩护) lawyer
45．What would be the best title for the passage?
A．Shoplifting Shame of a PhD Student.
B．Apologizing for the Actions in Shops.
C．Seeking Professional Help from Experts.
D．Controlling the Desire to Steal from Shops.
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