When you’re an employee of a company, no matter the size, it’s common to see co-workers promoted, or transferred to a different department. But there is another way to move around—by creating a new position for yourself. I did this several years ago, though I wasn’t actively looking for a different job.
In 2007, I was hired at the Transamerica Life Insurance Company, as a customer service representative in the distributions services department. I processed requests for distributions from our annuity(养老金)policy holders around the country. Someone might have forgotten to sign a form, for example, or might have omitted security information. To solve the problem, I’d mail the person a letter.
The company had been through several combinations, so in our department alone we had a collection of about 140 templates(模板) for letters related to distributions. The longer I worked with the letters, the more I saw how they could be improved. Some had overlapping information and could be combined. Some had incorrect grammar or needed updating. I also noticed that industry terminology(专业术语) wasn’t standard across all the versions.
When I told my department supervisor about this in 2008, she agreed that the letters needed revamping. She said I should stop what I’d been doing and start the new work. In a relatively short time, I was able to make numerous improvements and reduce the number of letters to 70. It was an informal job change until a managers’ meeting several months later.
At that meeting, a vice president who was unaware of my new work mentioned that the division’s entire stock of 1,700 letters should be reviewed. My manager told her that she knew the perfect person for the job—me. The position was still considered temporary when I took on the extra tasks, but I was able to show that the work had value, and I was officially promoted and given a raise in November 2009.According to Paragraph 1, which of the following statements is true?
| A．The author admired those who got a promotion in his company. |
| B．It is no surprise to see people around us change their positions. |
| C．The author tried his best to get a promotion in his company |
| D．The author was eager to seek another job. |
Which of the following problems with the letters is NOT mentioned in the passage?
| A．Some information was overlooked. |
| B．Some information needed to be united. |
| C．Some had grammatical mistakes. |
| D．Industry terminology didn’t meet the standard. |
The underlined word “revamping” in Paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to .
| A．repeating | B．rebuilding | C．improving | D．strengthening |
The author started to review the letters when .
| A．he was hired by the company |
| B．he was promoted |
| C．he was recommended at a managers’ meeting |
| D．his department supervisor agreed his idea |
Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
| A．Where there is will, there is a way. |
| B．Creating a position, and earning a promotion. |
| C．Don’t let the chance go, when it comes. |
| D．Ways to get a promotion. |
For years, business people in Western Europe were worried. They knew they could not compete against business from the U.S. The United States is much larger and had many more resources than any Western European countries.
Some European people realized that the European nations need to join together to help each other. If they could forget their language differences and the differences in customs, they might become strong competition against other countries.
In 1958, six of the European countries --- Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Germany and Italy got together and decided to cooperate. They called their group the European Economic Community, or the Common Market. These countries agreed to join their resources together.
Within a few years, the European Economic Community had worked so well that its members were more prosperous than many other European nations. Soon, other nations began to realize the advantage of the Common Market. Today the Common Market includes most of the important countries in Western Europe. It is helping Western Europe to again take its place as a leader among the industrial nations of the world. From the passage we know the U.S. is much richer than _____ in resources.
| A．any other Western European countries |
| B．any other country in Western Europe |
| C．any country in Western Europe |
| D．every country in Europe |
The members of the European Economic Community have developed fast because they ___.
| A．share their resources and become more prosperous |
| B．can again take the place as a leader in the world |
| C．forget the differences in their languages and customs |
| D．have become strong competition against the U.S. |
Which statement is true?
| A．The Common Market is only a political association. |
| B．The Common Market is an economic and political association |
| C．The Common Market is only an economic association |
| D．The Common Market is neither an economic association nor a political one. |
. In order to____， the Western European countries decided to cooperate.
| A．join together to found a united country |
| B．help each other to smooth away the differences in customs |
| C．work and act together for common purpose |
| D．work together and fight against the U.S. |
My husband and children think they are very lucky that they are living and that it’s Christmas again. We live on a dirty street in a dirty house among people who aren’t much good. But Johnny and children can’t see this，never can they see! What a pity it is that our neighbors have to make happiness out of all this dirt. I decided that my children must get out of this. The money that we’ve saved isn’t nearly enough.
The McGaritys have money but they are so proud. They look down upon the poor. The McGarity girl just yesterday stood out there in the street eating from a bag of candy while a ring of hungry children watched her. I saw those children looking at her and crying in their hearts; and when she couldn’t eat any more she threw the rest down the sewer(下水道). Why, is it only because they have money? There is more to happiness than money in the world, isn’t there?
Miss Jackson who teaches at the Settlement House isn’t rich, but she knows things. She understands people. Her eyes look straight into yours when she talks with you. She can read your mind. I’d like to see the children be like Miss Jackson when they grow up.This passage mainly suggests that the writer _______.
| A．is easy to get along with |
| B．is unhappy with the life they are living |
| C．is good at observing and understanding |
| D．is never pleased with her neighbors |
What do you think of McGarity girl?
| A．She is proud and hungry. | B．She is selfish and cruel. |
| C．She is lonely and friendless. | D．She is unhappy and misunderstood. |
In this text, the writer tries to tell us that _______.
| A．money is the key to everything |
| B．the more money you have, the less happy you’ll be |
| C．there is something more important than money |
| D．when talking to people we should look into their eyes |
Why play games? Because they are fun, and a lot more besides, following the rules, planning your next move, acting as a team member…. These are all “game” ideas that you will come across throughout your life.
Think about some of the games you played as a young child, such as rope-jumping and hide-and-seek. Such games are entertaining and fun. But perhaps more importantly, they translate life into exciting dramas that teach children some of the basic rules they will be expected to follow the rest of their lives, such as taking turns and cooperating.
Many children’s games have a practical side. Children around the world play games that prepare them for work they will do as grown-ups. For instance, some Saudi Arabian children play a game called bones，which sharpens the hand-eye coordination（协调）needed in hunting.
Many sports encourage national or local pride. The most famous games of all, the Olympic Games, bring athletes from around the world together to take part in friendly competition. People who watch the event wave flags, knowing that a gold medal is a win for an entire country, not just the athlete who earned it. For countries experiencing natural disasters or war, an Olympic win can mean so much.
Sports are also an event that unites people. Soccer is the most popular sport in the world. People on all continents play it—some for fun and some for a living. Nicolette Iribarne, a Californian soccer player, has discovered a way to spread hope through soccer. He created a foundation to provide poor children with not only soccer balls but also a promising future.
Next time you play your favorite game or sport, think about why you enjoy it, what skills are needed, and whether these skills will help you in other aspects of your life.Through playing hide-and-seek, children are expected to learn to _____.
| A．be a team leader |
| B．obey the basic rules |
| C．act as a grown-up |
| D．predict possible danger |
The underlined part in Paragraph 2 most probably means that games can_____.
| A．describe life in an exciting way |
| B．turn real-life experiences into a play |
| C．make learning life skills more interesting |
| D．change people’s views of sporting events |
According to the passage, why is winning Olympic medals so encouraging?
| A．It inspires people’s deep love for the country. |
| B．It proves the exceptional skills of the winners. |
| C．It helps the country out of natural disasters. |
| D．It earns the winners fame and fortune. |
Iribarne’s goal of forming the foundation is to _______.
| A．bring fun to poor kids |
| B．provide soccer balls for children |
| C．give poor kids a chance for a better life |
| D．appeal to soccer players to help poor kids |
Dear Kind-Trustee-Who-Sends-Orphans-to-College,
Here I am! I traveled yesterday for four hours in a train. It’s a funny feeling, isn’t it? I never rode in one before.
College is the biggest, most puzzling place — I get lost whenever I leave my room. I will tell you more about it later when I’m feeling less confused; also I will tell you about my lessons. Classes don’t begin until Monday morning, and this is Saturday night. But I wanted to write a letter first just to get acquainted(认识的).
It seems strange to be writing letters to somebody you don't know. It seems strange for me to be writing letters at all — I've never written more than three or four in my life, so please overlook it if these are not a model kind.
Before leaving yesterday morning, Mrs. Lippett and I had a very serious talk. She told me how to behave all the rest of my life, and especially how to behave towards the kind gentleman who is doing so much for me. I must take care to be very respectful.
But how can one be very respectful to a person who wishes to be called John Smith? Why couldn’t you have picked out a name with a little personality? I might as well write letters to Dear Flagpole or Dear Clothes-line.
I have been thinking about you a great deal this summer; having somebody take an interest in me after all these years makes me feel as though I had found a sort of family. It seems as though I belonged to somebody now, and it’s a very comfortable feeling. I must say, however, that when I think about you, my imagination has very little to work upon. There are just three things that I know: I.You are tall. Ⅱ. You are rich.Ⅲ. You hate girls.
I suppose I might call you Dear Mr. Girl-Hater. Only that's rather rude to me. Or Dear Mr. Rich-Man, but that's rude to you, as though money were the only important thing about you. Besides, being rich is such a very external（外在的） quality. Maybe you won’t stay rich all your life; lots of very clever men get broke in Wall Street. But at least you will stay tall all your life! So I've decided to call you Dear Daddy-Long-Legs. I hope you won’t mind. It’s just a private pet name we won’t tell Mrs. Lippett.
The ten o’clock bell is going to ring in two minutes. Our day is divided into sections by bells. We eat and sleep and study by bells. It's very lifeful. There it goes! Lights out. Good night.
Observe how precisely I obey rules — due to my training in the John Grier Home.
Yours most respectfully,
Jerusha Abbott
To Mr. Daddy-Long-Legs SmithJerusha thought that she couldn’t be very respectful to “John Smith” because __________.
| A．he was a total stranger to her |
| B．she was sure it was a false identity |
| C．the name was too common |
| D．nobody would like to be called that way |
According to Jerusha, being rich may be __________.
| A．temporary | B．unimaginable | C．traditional | D．rude |
The fact that her day is “divided into sections by bells” makes Jerusha feel __________.
| A．too busy | B．restricted by rules |
| C．pressed for time | D．full of energy |
Jerusha decided to call the trustee Dear Daddy-Long-legs __________.
| A．in order to show her respect for him |
| B．because it was his only inner quality |
| C．in order to make them feel closer to each other |
| D．because she had always wanted a father |
CONFUCIUS would be happy if he lived in the modern world. He would see his works and philosophies still popular among teenagers even though they speak Internet slang (网络语言), like PK, PLMM and GG.
In Changzhou No 2 Middle School, Jiangsu, all Senior 1 students now take a course in "Lun Yu" (The Analects of Confucius, 《论语》), once a week. The school aims to improve students' appreciation of the Confucian heritage as well as ancient Chinese civilization.
"Students' attendance in this course will account for 30 percent of their Chinese score on the final exam. This reward encourages their interest in the course, which is difficult but full of wisdom," said Cao Yongzhong, a Chinese teacher at the school.
It won't be easy for students to enjoy The Analects of Confucius in ancient Chinese as they have so many other subjects to learn and exams to prepare for.
Cheng Yun, 17, didn't like the "additional burden" at first, but now it turns out to be a course that she looks forward to.
"I thought it would take up my time for homework, but it doesn't. Confucius' sentences are short and concise (精炼的). I even use some of his wise sayings in my compositions, which makes my writing more persuasive," Cheng said.
Despite the fact that all students are required to learn some chapters of the book when in junior school, they may be too young to understand the truths revealed by Confucius.
"Although I prefer the language we use nowadays to Confucius', 'The master said' in the book does help me shape my personality," said Zhang Junzhuo, 17.
Here are some of Confucius' sayings. See if you can figure out to which sentences they are in "The Analects of Confucious":
• Learning without thought is labour lost; thought without learning is perilous.
• The superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions.
• The gentle man is open and at ease; the mean man is full of worries and anxieties.
• Don't do to others what you would not want done to yourself.
• The mechanic who wishes to do his work well must first sharpen his tools. Which do you think is the best title for this passage?
| A．Difficult But Interesting | B．“Confucius Says” Into Classes |
| C．I Appreciate Lun Yu | D．The Analects of Confucius |
What does the phrase “account for” in paragraph 3 mean?
| A．To explain why something happens. |
| B．To form a particular amount or part of something. |
| C．To tell the number of something. |
| D．To work out something. |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．Students can easily enjoy the ideas in Lun Yu. |
| B．You’ll get 30 marks from learning Lun Yu. |
| C．Learning “Lun Yu” is an additional burden to students, as they have so many other subjects to learn and exams to prepare for. |
| D．The No. 2 Middle School stress that students should enjoy ancient Chinese civilization. |
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