I began to grow up that winter night when my parents and I were returning from my aunt’s house, and my mother said that we might soon be leaving for America. We were on the bus then. I was crying, and some people on the bus were turning around to look at me. I remember that I could not bear the thought of never hearing again the radio program for school children to which I listened every morning.
I do not remember myself crying for this reason again. In fact, I think I cried very little when I was saying goodbye to my friends and relatives. When we were leaving I thought about all the places I was going to see—the strange and magical places I had known only from books and pictures. The country I was leaving and never to come back was hardly in my head then.
The four years that followed taught me the importance of optimism（乐观）, but the idea did not come to me at once. For the first two years in New York I was really lost—having to study in three schools as a result of family moves. I did not quite know what I was or what I should be. Mother remarried, and things became even more complex for me. Some time passed before my stepfather and I got used to each other. I was often sad, and saw no end to “the hard times.”
My responsibilities in the family increased a lot since I knew English better than everyone else at home. I wrote letters, filled out forms, translated at interviews with Immigration officers（移民局官员）, took my grandparents to the doctor and translated there, and even discussed telephone bills with company representatives.
From my experiences I have learned one important rule: Almost all common troubles go away at last! Something good is certain to happen in the end when you do not give up, and just wait a little! I believe that my life will turn out all right, even though it will not be that easy.How did the author get to know America?
| A．From radio programs | B．From books and pictures |
| C．From her mother | D．From her relatives |
For the first two years in New York, the author __________.
| A．often lost her way |
| B．did not think about her future |
| C．studied in three different schools |
| D．got on well with her stepfather |
What can we learn about the author from Paragraph 4?
| A．She worked as a translator. |
| B．She attended a lot of job interviews. |
| C．She paid telephone bills for her family. |
| D．She helped her family with her English. |
The author believes that __________.
| A．her future will be free from troubles |
| B．it is difficult to learn to become patient |
| C．there are more good things than bad things |
| D．good things will happen if one keeps trying |
If you have ever gone through a toll booth(收费所), you know that your relationship to the person in the booth is not the most intimate you'll ever have. It is one of life's frequent affairs: You hand over some money; you might get change; you drive off.
Late one morning in 1984, headed for lunch in San Francisco, I drove toward a booth. I heard loud music. It sounded like a party. I looked around. No other cars with their windows open. No sound trucks. I looked at the toll booth. Inside it, the man was dancing.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"I'm having a party," he said.
"What about the rest of the people?" I looked at the other toll booths.
He said, "What do those look like to you?" He pointed down the row of toll booths.
"They look like……toll booths. What do they look like to you?"
He said, "Vertical coffins. At 8:30 every morning, live people get in. Then they die for eight hours. At 4:30, like Lazarus from the dead, they reemerge and go home. For eight hours, brain is on hold, dead on the job. Going through the motions."
I was amazed. This guy had developed a philosophy, a mythology about his job. Sixteen people dead on the job, and the seventeenth, in precisely the same situation, figures out a way to live. I could not help asking the next question: "Why is it different for you? You're having a good time."
He looked at me. "I knew you were going to ask that. I don't understand why anybody would think my job is boring. I have a corner office, glass on all sides. I can see the Golden Gate, San Francisco, and the Berkeley hills. Half the Western world vacations here……and I just stroll in every day and practice dancing."According to the first paragraph, in most cases, how do you describe the relationship between drivers and toll booth?
| A．most intimate | B．very tense | C．pretty ordinary | D．extremely hostile |
Why did the author go to San Francisco?
A. To attend a party
B. B. To have a meal
C. To dance with the worker in the toll booth
D. To hand in the repair fee of his carThe underlined name “Lazarus” mentioned in the eighth paragraph probably refers to a person___________.
A. who was very active in his life
B. B. who was dead and revived from death
C. who was going to San Francisco
D. who liked dancing at workAccording to the passage, which of the following statements is true?
| A．The author passed by the toll booth every day. |
| B．The worker enjoyed his work very much. |
| C．Only western people like to spend their holidays in the Berkeley hills. |
| D．The dancing worker was getting badly along with his colleagues. |
After hearing what the worker said, the author would probably_________.
| A．go to the worker’s senior to complain about his bad attitude towards job. |
| B．go climbing the Golden Gate and the Berkeley hills to have a vacation. |
| C．learn to take a positive attitude to job and appreciate valuable things in life. |
| D．go back home instead of wasting time traveling to San Francisco. |
Successful people in international business understand the cultures of other countries and learn to change their practices in different cultures. They understand the importance of avoiding business decisions based on misconceptions—mistaken ideas.
One cause of misconceptions is ethnocentrism, the belief that one’s own culture’s way of doing things is better than the way of other cultures. It’s ethnocentrism that leads to failure in international business. To avoid ethnocentrism, it’s necessary to study the different elements（组成部分）of culture: language, values and attitudes, and customs and manners.
Language
A. knowledge of the local language can help international business people in four ways. First, people can communicate directly. Second, people are usually more open in their communication with someone who speaks their language. Third, an understanding of the language allows people to infer meanings that are not said directly. Finally, knowing the language helps people to understand the culture better.
Values are people’s basic beliefs about the difference between right and wrong, good and bad . An attitude is a way of thinking or acting. Values and attitudes influence international business. For example, many people in the United States believe that chocolate from Switzerland is better than chocolate from other countries, and they buy a lot of it.
Customs and manners
Customs are common social practices. Manners are ways of acting that the society believes are polite. For example, in the United States, it is the custom to have salad before the main course at dinner, not after. It’s not acceptable to talk with food in mouth at table. Failure to understand the customs and manners of other countries will bring difficulty selling their products. Orange juice as a breakfast drink of an American company in France doesn’t sell well because the French don’t usually drink juice with breakfast. A. knowledge of the local language allows international business people _________.
A. to be more open with their customers
B. to have a better idea of their own culture
C. to express their thoughts indirectly
D. to communicate without outside helpThe act of many people buying chocolate of Switzerland shows the role of ________.
| A．attitudes | B．values | C．manners | D．customs |
What would be the best title for the text?
| A．Misconceptions in Business |
| B．Basic Beliefs in Business |
| C．International Business Culture |
| D．Successful International Business |
The author’s purpose of writing this article is to tell people ___________
| A．how to take a right attitude in business |
| B．how to avoid misunderstandings in business |
| C．how to use a local language in business |
| D．how to act politely and properly in business |
Over the years, Americans have become used to salt．Most people have no idea how much salt they consume-on average, about 9 to 12 gram per person per day, according to the American Heart Association．That's twice the amount recommended by the government．
A new study last week showed eating even a little less salt could greatly help the heart．The scientists said the results would be thirteen percent fewer heart attacks, eight percent fewer strokes（中风）, four percent fewer deaths and eleven percent fewer new cases of heart disease．
Researchers also found that the benefits would be greatest for African Americans and women．As a group, African Americans tend to have higher blood pressure than the general population, and "many studies suggest that they may be more sensitive to salt," says Dr.Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, an epidemiologist（流行病学家）at the University of California, San Francisco．Her analysis found that a reduction of 3 gram of salt per day would reduce heart attacks 8% on average; among African Americans, that rate would drop 10%．A similar result was found in women, whose stroke risk dropped 8% with a 3-g reduction in salt intake; in men, the risk fell 5%．
They and public health professionals in the United States are interested in a national campaign to persuade people to eat less salt．
However, other scientists say such a campaign is an experiment with the health of millions of people．
Michael Alderman, a high blood pressure expert and professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, says that eating less salt results in lower blood pressure．But he says studies have not clearly shown that lowering salt means fewer heart attacks or strokes．
“Salt has other biological effects． Calling for reductions in the national diet could have good effects, as well as harmful results． There is not enough evidence either way,”said Michael Alderman．Eating too much salt may lead to the following EXCEPT ．
| A．stroke | B．heart disease | C．high blood pressure | D．lung cancer |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Most Americans take more salt than advised． |
| B．African women eat more salt than Americans． |
| C．One's origin determines how much salt he can eat． |
| D．Good health is just on the basis of having less salt． |
The author's attitude toward the study is ．
| A．cold | B．objective | C．subjective | D．doubtful |
What's the best title of the passage?
| A．The Benefits of Eating Less Salt． |
| B．A New Study on Salt and Diseases． |
| C．An Argument Over Salt and Health． |
| D．The Harm Caused by Too Much Salt． |
| Part-time Front Desk Position Kirchoff, Inc．，a book development company，is looking for a part-time front desk office worker．This position is perfect for a person who is cheerful，dependable，and pleasant to work with．Also，you should be able to welcome guests，redirect phone calls，and take messages．More importantly，you can stay cool under pressure．You are expected to work 5：00—6：00 pm weekdays．You need to fill in some forms if you are interested． Forms can be collected at Kirchoff，Inc． 866 United Nations Plaza,#525 New York, NY 10017 |
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| Important Points to Remember When Swimming ·Wait at least an hour after meals. ·Follow the advice of lifeguards. ·Don’t dive into unknown waters. Always swim in line with the shore. ·Find out at the seaside when and where it is safe to swim. ·Don’t use floating toys on the water. Wind can easily sweep them out to sea. ·Get out of the water if you feel tired or cold. Cold can kill even strong swimmers. Help Telephone:212-543-5902 Atlantic City Beach Office |
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| * Arrive on time. * Introduce yourself in a polite manner. * Read company materials while you wait. * Have a firm handshake. * Listen. * Use body language to show interest. * Smile and nod to the interviewer. * Ask about the next thing you should do. * Thank the interviewer. * Write a thank-you letter to anyone you have spoken to. For more information, please visit jobweb.com 368 Cooper Square, New York，NY 10008 |
|
If you want to work in an office, where can you get the forms to fill in?
| A．Website：jobweb. com． |
| B．Atlantic City Beach Office. |
| C．368 Cooper Square，New York，NY 10008. |
| D．866 United Nations Plaza，#525，New York, NY 10017． |
What does a person need most to be fit for the one-hour weekday job?
| A．He should be cheerful，dependable, and easy-going. |
| B．He has to work from Monday to Friday. |
| C．He can remain calm in a difficult situation. |
| D．He can welcome guests and deal with phone calls. |
According to the above information，what is the right thing to do when you swim?
| A．To keep close to the beach． | B．To dive into unknown waters. |
| C．To use floating toys on the water. | D．To swim soon after lunch． |
The best title for the last piece of information would be ．
| A．Tips on Showing Interest in a Job |
| B．Steps to a Successful Interview |
| C．Advice on Introducing Yourself Politely |
| D．Rules of Body Language in an Interview |
See a cell phone cover that you like on Taobao? Forget about placing an order, paying the bill online and waiting for days for it to be delivered to you. In the near future, you'll be able to get it in minutes just by hitting "print" on your computer.
You might find it hard to believe that you could actually "print" an object like you would a picture. But it is not that hard to understand how it would work. Just as a traditional printer sprays (喷) ink onto paper line by line, modern 3-D printers spread material onto a surface layer by layer, from the bottom to the top, gradually building up a shape.
Instead of ink, the materials the 3-D printer uses are mainly plastic, resin (树脂)and certain metals. The thinner each layer is --- from a millimeter to less than the width of a hair --- the smoother and finer the object will be.
This may sound like a completely new technology, but the truth is that 3-D printing has been around since the late 1980s. Back then, it was hardly affordable for most people, so few knew about it.
Last year, though, saw a big change in the 3-D printing industry--- printers became much cheaper. For example, 10 years ago a desktop 3-D printer might have cost £20,000 (200,000 yuan), while now they cost only about £ 1,000, according to the BBC.
Taken out of the factory and introduced to more diverse and common uses, 3-D printing can create just about anything you can think of ---flutes (笛子), bikinis, jewelry, aircraft parts and even human organs. In fact, scientists from Cornell University in New York have just made an artificial ear using a 3-D printer, according to Science Daily. The fake ear looks and acts exactly like a natural one.
However, as 3-D printing becomes more common, it may bring about certain problems --- such as piracy(盗版). "Once you can download a coffee maker, or print out a new set of kitchen utensils (餐具) on your personal 3-D printer, who will visit a retail (零售的) store again?" an expert in 3-D printing told Forbes News. Even more frightening, what if anyone in the world could use a 3-D printer to print out a fully functioning gun?
According to the article, in the future, the 3-D printing technology will ___.
| A．enable people to make better purchases online |
| B．be applied as widely in our daily lives as computers |
| C．change the way we make many products |
| D．shorten the time it takes for people to get what they buy online |
What was the big event happening in the 3-D printing industry last year?
| A．The 3-D printing technology was taken out ofthe factory. |
| B．The 3-D printer became more affordable forconsumers. |
| C．The 3-D printer was used for medical treatmentfor the first time. |
| D．3-D printing technology began to be used invarious fields. |
How is the last paragraph developed?
| A．By analyzing a cause and an effect. | B．By making comparisons. |
| C．By giving examples. | D．By presenting research findings. |
What is the best title of the passage?
| A．Printing out everything | B．Technology in the future |
| C．Online shopping disappearing | D．Great demand for 3-D printers |
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