“Anything you want, anytime you need it.”
The message appeared on computer screens across the country at the same time, on the same day: December 12th, at 12 p.m.. Simultaneously, important looking envelopes containing cards with the same message were hand-delivered to the offices of all the major news companies.
One found its way to the desk of Chris Lin, a business reporter at The Post. The card was beautifully designed – a black background with the words printed out in crisp white letters. There was no explanation on the back, just a website address.Chris went to the website. Its style was identical to the card’s and said: “Anytime: Starting Tomorrow.”
The next day websites and blogs were filled with articles theorising about Anytime. Was it a shopping website like Tao Bao or Amazon? A joke? Something illegal? Anytime’s marketing had worked – it was a household name before it’d even made a single sale.
When the opening came, that day at noon, the Anytime website suddenly had a single field that read, “What do you want?” All you had to do was type the words into that box, and then specify how quickly you wanted your item delivered: within one, ten, or twenty-four hours.
Bloggers were the first to test the service. And their reviews were glowing. Within weeks, Anytime had become a part of daily life. Nobody used other delivery sites or the post anymore as Anytime was much cheaper and faster.
Chris still wondered what exactly Anytime was. He tried to find out who owned the company, but it was registered in a small country that did not require such information to be made public. He did find some interesting facts, though. Anyone who challenged the company, it seemed, met with serious trouble. A government official critical of Anytime for avoiding tax was forced to leave his position after news stories suddenly appeared claiming he was dishonest. The head of another company taking Anytime to court died in a car accident just days before the case was to begin.
Chris began making a list of all the people who had something terrible happen to them after opposing or criticising Anytime. By lunch, he had more than one hundred examples. Something was definitely wrong. Chris worked on his list the rest of the day, emailing people who could provide more information and looking through newspaper records. After working through the night, an exhausted Chris finally fell asleep at his desk at 4 a.m..
When he woke a few hours later, there was a message flashing on his computer screen: “Stop making trouble.” Chris smiled. He had no intention of stopping now that he knew he was on the right track.
1.What was on the front of the card sent to Chris Lin?
A. An invitation to a company opening.
B. The website address of a new company.
C. The words “Anytime: Starting tomorrow”.
D. The words “Anything you want, anytime you need it”.
2.Why did the company choose to send the cards to many news reporters?
A. Because it didn’t have enough money for traditional advertising.
B. Because it wanted to attract the reporters as customers.
C. So the reporters would write stories about the new company.
D. So people would find the new company interesting.
3.What did Chris’ s research suggest about Anytime?
A. Itmay be very dangerous.
B. Its popularity would soon decrease.
C. It was doing business all over the world.
D. It was being widely criticised by journalists.
4.How did Chris feel at the end of the story?
A. Scared that he would get into trouble.
B. Confident that he would find the truth.
C. Nervous about what the company would do.
D. Satisfied that he had discovered the company’s secret.
The world’s richest man might seem to have it all, but Bill Gates has one regret. The self-made billionaire said he felt stupid for not knowing any foreign languages.
Speaking in his third Ask Me Anything question-and-answer session for online forum Reddit(红迪网), the Microsoft founder said that he wished he spoke French, Arabic or Chinese.
He said: “I took Latin and Greek in high school and got A’s and I guess it helps my vocabulary. I keep hoping to get time to study one of these—probably French because it is the easiest. I did Duolingo for a while but didn’t keep it up.”
Gates, who is worth $79.3 billion, praised Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg for surprising an audience in Beijing when he spoke fluent Chinese. “Mark Zuckerberg amazingly learned Chinese and did a Q&A with Chinese students—unbelievable, isn’t it?” he said
This isn’t the first time for Gates to admit his regret over language. He also showed his habits at home and personal insights.
Last February, Gates said he likes to do the dishes himself—to his own special standards every night and also told the interviewer that his wife, Melinda, would likely want Samuel L. Jackson to play her husband in a biopic(传记片).
He also admitted that he would pick up a $100 bill if he found it on the street.
As he took the top spot on Forbes(福布斯)28th Annual Billionaires list last year for the fourth time, he said he is pretty basic when it comes to spending on clothes and food, but that he enjoys investing in shoes andracquets(球拍)when he plays tennis.
When asked a life lesson he had to learn the hard way, the billionaire said staying up too late is a habit he is still trying to break. “Don’t stay up too late even if the book is really exciting. You will regret it in the morning. Pam still working on this problem.” he said.
1.Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
A. An Interview with Bill Gates B. How Bill Gates Succeeded
C. Bill Gates’ Regret D. The Richest Billionaire
2.The underlined part in Paragraph 8 may actually mean that_____.
A. it is important to lay a good foundation of life
B. food and clothing are basic needs for people’s life
C. he doesn’t spend much money on food and clothes
D. he never cares about buying food and clothing
3.What advice did Bill Gates give?
A. Avoid staying up too late.
B. Be a good language learner.
C. Do the dishes yourself at home.
D. Pick up the $100 bills in the streets.
4.Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A. Bill Gates is also the founder of Facebook.
B. Bill Gates topped the list of Forbes 28 times.
C. Bill Gates was good at learning languages in high schoo1.
D. Bill Gates’ wife wants Samuel to play a game with Gates.
Welcome to AMDA
Your future in the performing arts doesn’t have to be a dream. For over 50 years, AMDA has launched some of the most successful careers in theatre, film and television. AMDA creates industry professionals who don’t just wait for life to happen—they stage their own career path. Now it’s your turn.
Program description
At AMDA, we believe a performer must perform. From the first day, you’ll find many performance opportunities in the three core areas of acting, musical theatre and dance, both in and out of the classroom, plus individual voice lessons. Over the course of your four semesters (学期), you’ll also improve your performance technique through an intensive curriculum that focuses on both foundational and advanced concepts in acting, musical theatre and dance. Finally, through courses in career preparation, you’ll learn how to apply all of this training to a successful career on stage and screen.
Philosophy and mission
AMDA is committed to providing a splendid performing arts education to a diverse community of creative artists. AMDA serves as both school and stage, where students are given the support and opportunity to identify their own personal objectives and to develop and improve their own distinctive artistic voices. AMDA tries to create an environment for students to develop the skills, confidence, imagination, and power to contribute to their community as artists, businesspeople, lifelong learners, and hard-working citizens of the world Above all, AMDA wants to teach students that commitment and passion are the marks of a successful and joyous career.
Registration
6305 Yucca Street Los Angeles
800-367-7908
https: //www.amda.edu
1.What is the curriculum of AMDA about?
A. Drawing.
B. Philosophy.
C. Performing
D. Photography.
2.How long does the course last?
A. One semester.
B. Two years.
C. Three semesters.
D. Four years.
3.What can students learn in AMDA?
A. How to sing beautifully.
B. How to train a performer.
C. The way to build a stage.
D. The way to be a director.
The measure of a man’s real character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out.--Thomas Macaulay。
Some thirty years ago, I was studying in a public school in New York. One day, Mrs. Nanette O’Neillgave an arithmetic___to our class. When the papers were___,she discovered that twelve boys had made the __ mistakes throughout the test.
There is really nothing new about__in the exams. Perhaps that was __ Mrs. O’Neill didn’t evensay a word about it. She only asked the twelve boys to__after class. I was one of the twelve.Mrs. O’Neill asked no questions, and she didn’t__us either.She wrote on the blackboard the__words by Thomas Macaulay. She then ordered us to__these words into our exercisebooksone hundred times.
I don’t__about the other eleven boys. Speaking for myself I can say: it was the most importantsingle__of my life. Thirty years after being introduced to Macaulay’s words, they__seem to methe best yardstick(准绳), because they give me a__to measure myself rather than others. ___of usare asked to make great decisions about__ going to war or armies going to battle. But all of us arecalled upon daily to make a great many ___ decisions. Should the wallet, found in the street, be putinto a pocket or turned over to the ____? Should the__change received at the store be forgottenor___? Nobody will know except___. But you have to live with yourself, and it is always better tolive with someone you respect.
1.A. test B. paper C. lesson D. problem
2.A. examined B. finished C. marked D. answered
3.A. same B. usual C. silly D. serious
4.A. lying B. talking C. guessing D. cheating
5.A. how B. why C. what D. when
6.A. come B. leave C. remain D. apologize
7.A. excuse B. reject C. spare D. scold
8.A. above B. common C. special D. following
9.A. get B. put C. copy D. repeat
10.A. worry B. hear C. talk D. know
11.A. chance B. lesson C. incident D. memory
12.A. even B. still C. always D. almost
13.A. way B. choice C. reason D. sentence
14.A. All B. Few C. Some D. None
15.A. nations B. families C. individuals D. organizations
16.A. final B. temporary C. important D. personal
17.A. finder B. stranger C. passer-by D. policeman
18.A. some B. extra C. small D. necessary
19.A. paid B. shared C. returned D. remembered
20.A. me B. us C. you D. them
Smokejumpers are a special type of firefighter. They jump from planes into areas that are difficult to reach by car or on foot. When they arrive there, they first examine the land and decide 1. to fight the fire. Their main goal is to stop a fire from 2. (spread). They will use basic equipment to clear land of plants and other dry materials. The work is dangerous, 3. they love being able to jump out of planes, fight fires, and live in the forest. As 38-year-old Alexi Tishin, who 4. (work) as a smokejumper for 15 years, says, “This is the best job for tough guys.”
Last year the empty land across from my bus stop was a sad, empty, ugly space, with dead bushes and one short tree. Then some1. (gardener) changed that. They were tired of looking at the sad space while they were waiting2.the bus, so they made it into a beautiful garden. Now you can see colorful vegetable plants and sweet-smelling flowers. Yellow butterflies fly from plant to plant3. (happy), and tiny birds sing in the green trees. I love taking the bus now.
