Businesses put lots of time and money into new plans, programs and excellent employees with the hope things will change. Yet, at the end of the effort, not much changes. What happens?
In most cases, those new plans, programs and employees enter a company with an existing culture (文化). And plans, programs and new employees have a way of conforming to(顺应)the existing culture. The culture of your business is the result of a particular mindset, or a particular way of thinking and the general feelings about certain things. Most often, it is the mindset of the founder or people managing the business.
The founder has gotten to where he is because of his skill sets, knowledge base and personal beliefs, which unfortunately all come with inherent (固有的)limits. Why Skills, knowledge and beliefs come from what he or she already knows or has experienced. In other words, it comes from the past. We (people) try to make the past fit the future. Just because something worked in the past, doesn't mean it is suitable for the future. As the saying goes, if you do and think what you have always done and thought, you will have what you have always had.
Therefore, lasting changes have to start with the way people think. To make changes in the way you think, you will be required to set goals beyond your basic abilities and continuously think them through. It is a way to train yourself and people to get out of the comfort zone where you feel happy with your knowledge and skills.Which question does the author try to answer?
| A．What past experience is useful for businesses |
| B．How much time is needed for making plans |
| C．How can changes be made in businesses |
| D．What kinds of employees are the best |
Where does the business culture mainly come from?
| A．The founder | B．The progress | C．The new employees | D．The collective effort |
What does the author think about the mindset of the company leader?
| A．It can prevent the enrichment of experience |
| B．It is useful far skill and knowledge learning |
| C．It is important for personal beliefs build-up |
| D．It may limit the company's development |
A black and white kitten with a broken back lay on animal doctor Betsy Knenon's examination table. A regular customer had rushed him to her office after his pet dog brought the cat home in his mouth. The dog's owner was horrified, believing that his pet had caused the cat's injuries. But Kennon found no teeth marks or bite wounds, which showed that the dog had probably saved, not harmed, the kitten.
In Kennon’s opinion, however, the cat was a hopeless case. Many doctors would have put down such a badly hurt animal. But she couldn’t be so cruel. The kitten’s bright eyes and sad face had won her over. There was no way of finding his owner, so Kennon, a single woman aged 56, decided to keep him.
She gave him a round of shots and fed him food mixed with medicines. He couldn’t move his back legs but soon started pulling himself forward with his front legs. The doctor named him Scooter and contacted a company that makes carts for disabled animals. Scooter took to his new wheels like a natural. In no time he was able to move freely, if somewhat awkwardly, around Kennon’s office, home and even her backyard. The sight of the determined Scooter was uplifting and amusing in equal measure and Kennon had to smile each time the cat entered the room.
Kennon was convinced that her kitten could share his high spirits with others. So she took Scooter to the local hospital to see if he could help the patients. His first patient was an elderly woman who’d had a stroke and hadn’t spoken to anyone for two days. Scooter jumped out of Kennon’s arms and onto the bed, rolled over to the patient, and lay gently near her cheek, purring softly. The woman looked at Scooter. “Kitty,” she murmured as she began to talk to him. Amazed, Kennon turned to the doctor--- and saw that she was in tears. The cat had engineered a small miracle.
Today Scooter spends about ten hours a month working with patients who are recovering from strokes and injuries. Again and again, Kennon watches as her cat provides hope and comfort. As one patient who’d lost her leg in a car accident said, “If he can do it, so can I.” From Paragraph 1, we know that ___________.
| A．the dog’s owner was a stranger to Kennon |
| B．the cat had several bite marks on its body |
| C．the dog was extremely cruel to the cat |
| D．who actually injured the cat was unknown |
The underlined phrase “put down” in Paragraph 2 most probably means___________.
| A．hurt |
| B．killed |
| C．refused |
| D．replaced |
Why did Kennon decide to keep the cat?
| A．She wanted a companion. |
| B．The cat’s owner abandoned him. |
| C．She liked the cat. |
| D．The cat was hopeless. |
How did Kennon help the cat move around?
| A．By curing his broken back. |
| B．By getting him a special cart. |
| C．By feeding him medicines. |
| D．By exercising him in her backyard. |
According to the passage, what is the main reason that the cat works miracle?
| A．He is able to inspire others. |
| B．Patients feel sympathy for him. |
| C．People are amused by his appearance. |
| D．He has the ability to cure the ill. |
The UK has a well-respected higher education system and some of the top universities and research institutions in the world．But to those who are new to it all, sometimes it can be confusing．
October is usually the busiest month in the college calendar．Universities have something called Freshers' Week for their newcomers．It's a great opportunity to make new friends, join lots of clubs and settle into university life．
However, having just left the comfort of home and all your friends behind, the outlook of meeting lots of strangers in big halls can be nerve-wracking （令人头痛的）．Where do you start? Who should you make friends with? Which clubs should you join?
Luckily, there will be thousands of others in the same boat as you worrying about starting their university social life on the right foot．So just take it all in slowly．Don't rush into anything that you'll regret for the next three years．
Here are some top advice from past students on how to survive Freshers' Week:
·Learn rules．Make sure you know British social manners．Have a few wine glasses and snacks handy for your housemates and friends．
·Be kind．Sometimes cups of tea or even slices of toast can give you a head start in making friends．
·Be sociable．The more active you are, the more likely you'll be to meet new people than if you're someone who never leaves their room．
·Bring a doorstop．Keep your door open when you're in and that sends positive messages to your neighbors that you're friendly．
So with a bit of clever planning and effort, Frsshers' Week can give you a great start to your university life and soon you'll be passing on your experience to next year's new recruits． Which of the following statements is FALSE according to the passage?
| A．October is generally the busiest month for universities. |
| B．It's a good idea to put a doorstop in your door. |
| C．A bit of planning can make Freshers' Week easier. |
| D．The first week of your every year at university is called Freshers'Week. |
The underlined word "recruits．" in the last paragraph refers to____．
| A．courses |
| B．freshers |
| C．neighbors |
| D．challenges |
We can infer from the 4th paragraph that ______.
| A．the newcomers usually miss the days living at home |
| B．most of the students in the UK spend three years in universities |
| C．many freshers are worried about how to fit university life |
| D．all the new students will make new friends and join certain clubs |
Why does the author suggest having wine glasses and snacks handy?
| A．To pass the busy university life. |
| B．To help make friends with other freshers. |
| C．To show yourself a drinker as others. |
| D．To pass the time in a happy way. |
The main purpose of writing this passage is to ______.
| A．tell the newcomers how to make a new start in universities |
| B．introduce something about higher education system of the UK |
| C．discuss something about the Freshers' Week in the UK |
| D．advise the freshmen how to behave well in the beginning |
The Harrington School is an old one-room schoolhouse in Georgia. The building has not been used in years. Community leaders and even the local historical society thought it wasn’t worth saving. “Just look at it and you could tell it was going to fall any minute, so let’s tear it down, ” they said.
The Harrington School was built in nineteen twenty-five for black children on St. Simons Island. Amy Roberts well remembers she attended first grade there in nineteen fifty-three. That was a year before the United States Supreme Court ruled that schools had to be racially integrated. A number of states kept blacks from attending school with whites. After the ruling, the children joined white students at St. Simons' other elementary school.
The old schoolhouse continued to be used for social activities and a day care center. By 1970, however, it was empty. Amy Roberts worried that developers might tear it down. So she started the African-American Heritage Coalition to try to save it.
“If it's not saved, then eventually you would not know that we existed here on St. Simons. Everything of African-American heritage has been torn down，” she said.
In 2009 the Harrington School was weeks away from destruction. Then a local historian named Patty Deveau took a closer look. She remembered a movement called the Rosenwald Fund.Georgia historian Jeanne Cyriaque explains, “At the very core of that movement was the involvement of the community, sympathetic whites and philanthropy, merging together to do what today we'd call partnerships.”
Julius Rosenwald was a businessman. In 1915 he donated money to black communities to build their own schools. By the late 20s, the Rosenwald Fund had donated to more than 5,000 educational buildings in 15 states across the South. One-third of rural black children were attending a Rosenwald school.
“This particular school kind of embodies to me what was going on with the communities at the time, because in many African-American communities, it was African-American families that gave land for these schools to be built.” Jeanne Cyriaque said.
Now, preservation architects are developing plans to restore the Harrington School. Amy Roberts and others were surprised by what the experts found about the structure. “They went through it and they talked about how sound it was and how, you know, I mean, they'd never seen anything like this. I mean, it was, like, in great shape!”
What do you learn about the Harrington School?
It only has one room and is going to fall down.
It was built in 1925 and is poor condition now.
It has not been used since 1954.
Though it was built over 85 years ago, it is still in good condition.According to the second paragraph, we learn that _______.
| A．the Harrington School was ruled by the United States Supreme Court |
| B．the Harrington School used to be a white school mixed with blacks |
| C．black children went to separate school before the ruling |
| D．the Harrington School was forbidden to be used for racial reasons |
The meaning of the underlined word “integrated” is similar to _______.
| A．mixed |
| B．completed |
| C．seperated |
| D．destroyed |
Amy Roberts is anything but _______.
| A．a black woman |
| B．an African-American |
| C．a clerk who used to work in the African-American Heritage Coalition |
| D．a woman in her sixties |
Which of the following titles do you think would attract the readers most?
| A．A school with a Long History |
| B．Saving a School, and Its History |
| C．Saving the African-American Heritage |
| D．The Harrington School, an African-American Heritage |
WASHINGTON——Chinese Vice-President XiJinping arrived at Andrews Air Force Base in Washington，February 13，2012．Vice-President XiJinping said he would explore important problems in an active and practical manner with his America hosts on Monday during his five-day official trip here after arriving at Andrews Air Force Base in the afternoon．
In a written statement given upon his arrival，Xi said as the international situation experiences complex and complete changes，China and the United States have more extensive common interests and shoulder more important common responsibilities on the present world stage.
The purpose of the current visit is to “carry out the important consensus reached by President Hu with President Obama during his visit to the United States in January last year and to advance the building of the China—US cooperative partnership based onmutual respect and mutual benefit,” said Xi.
According to Xi，bilateral(双边的)relations have moved forward in spite of some twists and turns during the past several decades.
“This has brought enormous benefits to our two countries and two peoples，and has had a positive，farreaching impact on peace，stability and the prosperity of the AsiaPacific region and the world at large.”
Xi said that “whether we can seize opportunities，tackle challenges and build a cooperative partnership at the new historical starting point matters to the future of our two countries and the world as a whole.”
Xi said he looks forward to engaging in extensive dialogue and exchanges with Americans from various sectors to enhance cooperation and strengthen friendship.
Xi is scheduled to meet US senior government officials，including Henry Kissinger，Brent Scowcroft，Zbigniew Brzezinski，Madeleine Albright and Henry Paulson this evening to listen to their advice on ChinaUS ties. Meetings between Xi and US VicePresident Biden and President Obama are scheduled on Tuesday. The passage mainly tells us ______.
| A．Xi's fiveday official trip |
| B．ChinaUS cooperative partnership |
| C．Xi is set to discuss important bilateral problems |
| D．China and the US have more common interests |
It can be inferred from the second paragraph that ______.
| A．the current world stage remains peaceful |
| B．China and US should build the cooperative partnership |
| C．Xi himself wrote a statement about his arrival |
| D．China and the US have the equal rights |
The underlined word “consensus” in Paragraph 3 means ______.
| A．agreement |
| B．opinion |
| C．partnership |
| D．benefit |
According to the passage，bilateral relations between China and US have experienced ______.
| A．enormous dialogues |
| B．extensive exchanges |
| C．many challenges |
| D．various hardships |
What is Xi's attitude towards the visit?
| A．Respectful. |
| B．Optimistic. |
| C．Approving. |
| D．Expectant. |
Life is difficult.
It is a great truth because once we truly understand and accept it, then life is no longer difficult.
Most people do not fully see this truth. Instead they complain(抱怨) about their problems and difficulties as if life should be easy. It seems to them that difficulties stand for a special kind of suffering especially forced on them or else on their families, their class, or even their nation.
What makes life difficult is that the process of facing and solving problems is a painful one. Problems, depending on their nature, cause sadness, or loneliness(孤独) or regret or anger or fear. These are uncomfortable feelings, often as painful as any kind of physical pain. And since life causes a lot of problems, life is always difficult and is full of pain as well as joy.
Yet, it is in this whole process of solving problems that life has its meaning. Problems are the serious test that tells us success from failure. When we want to encourage the growth of human spirit, we encourage the human ability to solve problems, just as in school we set problems for our children to solve. It is through the pain of meeting and working out problems that we learn. As Benjamin Franklin said, "Those things that hurt, instruct(指导)." It is for this reason that wise people learn not to fear but to welcome the pain of problems. From the passage, it can be inferred that_______.
| A．everybody has problems |
| B．we become stronger by facing and solving the problems of life |
| C．life is difficult because our problems bring us pain |
| D．people like to complain about their problems |
The writer probably used just one short sentence in the first paragraph to ___.
| A．save space |
| B．persuade readers |
| C．make readers laugh |
| D．get readers' attention |
The main idea of paragraph 3 is that _________.
| A．most people feel life is easy |
| B．the writer feel life is easy |
| C．the writer likes to complain about his problems |
| D．most people complain about how hard their lives are |
According to the passage, we give school children difficult problems to solve in order to ______.
| A．encourage them to learn |
| B．teach them to fear the pain of solving the problems |
| C．help them learn to deal with pain |
| D．teach them how to respect problems |
The saying from Benjamin Franklin "Those things that hurt, instruct" suggests that ______.
| A．we do not learn from experience |
| B．we do not learn when we are in pain |
| C．pain teaches us important lessons |
| D．pain cannot be avoided |
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