Some of the most powerful companies in the world have co-founders. For example, Google(Sergey Brin and Larry Page),Apple(Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs),and Microsoft(Bill Gates and Paul Allen)and so on. Having partners can help to deal with the pressure and the failures that come with running a business. No matter how down on your luck you feel they may provide emotional support. They may have extra skills, and be on hand to help out with the day-to-day problems. And an alternate point of view may help to broaden your mind and aid the risk of mistakes being overlooked.
Everybody knows Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7.When the phone was launched in 2016,customers praised it for its storage, design and usability, and it may well have been a hit if it weren’t for the fact that it occasionally caught fire and exploded. It was soon banned immediately from flights, and Samsung had no choice but to recall the entire model. The shortcoming reportedly cost the company $1 billion, and a further $17 billion in lost sales. But remember, based on the lesson, the Galaxy Note 8 and the Galaxy Note 9 are well received in the world! Now we know that failing is part of business success.
One thing that all great companies have in common is that they have failed many times—and luckily, they bounced back. Take Sarah Blakely, founder of shapewear brand Spanx for example. She credits her business success specifically to her failures. “I’d get kicked out of buildings all day long, “she remembered. “People would tear up my business card in my face. But my friends and I knew I could sell and I knew I wanted to sell something I had created. I learned that ‘no’ doesn’t always mean ‘no’ ,and that you may get 30 nos before you get the one yes. People told me no with Spanx for two years. “Spanx is worth just over $1 billion—it was a company that Blakely who took a degree in a law school started with just $5 000!
1.What can we learn from the examples in Paragraph 1?
A.Two heads are better than one.
B.Constant dropping wears the stone.
C.God helps those who help themselves.
D.All things are difficult before they are easy.
2.Why does the author mention Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7,8 and 9?
A.To suggest customers should follow the new trends.
B.To prove Samsung is responsible for customers.
C.To show Samsung paid for its product failure.
D.To explain that failures don’t spell the end.
3.What mainly contributed to Sarah Blakely’s success?
A.Her friends’help. B.Her will power.
C.Her good luck. D.Her education background.
4.How does the author develop the passage?
A.By making contrast. B.By making classification.
C.By giving examples. D.By giving numbers.
Owning a lovable,cute pet can unquestionably make one’s home life better and obviously,it can affect pet owners’professional lives as well.In fact,according to a new survey,people who have owned pets may be more professionally successful,and this is definitely good news for ambitious pet parents.
The survey was conducted by Kelton Global Research for Banfield Pet Hospital,according to Fast Company.The researchers surveyed 857 adults in the United States with a variety of careers,as explained in the survey summary on Banfield’s website.Among the C-suite executives(CEOs,etc.)surveyed,93 percent grew with a pet in their home,with 78 percent claiming that growing up with a pet helped cause their career suceess as an adult.Interestingly,83 percent of C-suite executives who participated said they grew up with a dog,59 percent of them said they grew up with a cat,and 37 percent of them said they grew up with another kind of pet.(You’re correct these numbers do not add up.It would seem that many of the people interviewed grew up with multiple kinds of pets.)
So,how exactly does pet ownership cause career success? Well,according to Banfield’s research,executives reported that their pet helped teach them lessons like responsibility,creativity,empathy,discipline,and organization,which have all been valuable in the business world.But what about people who grew up pet-less,but have adopted pets as adults? Luckily for those,the survey showed that current pet ownership can also help with professional success.
According to the research,86 percent of current pet parents surveyed said owning pets helps them stick to a routine,better manage their time,and multitask more efficiently.But even if you don’t think your pet ham directly helped you,your coworkers’knowledge that yon have a pet may actually be beneficial for your career.In fact,80 percent of people surveyed said they“feel more connected to colleagues who are pet owners,”and 79 percent of those surveyed believe that fellow co-workers who have pets are“hard workers.”
1.What do the figures in Paragraph 2 show?
A.There is a rising demand for pets.
B.Owning pets can make for professional success.
C.More and more CEOs become aware of pots’effects.
D.Pets become commercialized among C-suite executives.
2.What can we learn from this passage?
A.The research is based on people from many walks in the world.
B.Keeping pets provides the most valuable lessons for career.
C.Pet ownership hardly benefits those who keep pets as adults.
D.People who own a pet tend to get along well with colleagues.
3.What is the author’s attitude toward keeping a pet?
A.Indifferent. B.Critical. C.Objective. D.Concerned.
Parents and kids today dress alike,listen to the same music,and are friends.Is this a good thing? Sometimes,when Mr.Ballmer and his 16-year-old daughter,Elizabeth,listen to rock music together and talk about interests they both enjoy,such as pop culture.he remember his more distant relationship with his parents when he was a teenager.“I would never have said to my mom,‘Hey,the new Weezer album is really great.How do you like it?’”says Ballmer.“There was just a complete gap in taste.”
Music was not the only gulf.From clothing and hairstyles to activities and expectations,earlier generations of parents and children often appeared to move in separate orbits.
Today,the generation gap has not disappeared,but it is getting narrow in many families.Conversations on subjects such as sex and drugs would not have taken place a generation ago.Now they are comfortable and common.And parent—child activities,from shopping to sports,involve a feeling of trust and friendship that can continue into adulthood.No wonder greeting cards today carry the message,“To my mother,my best friend.”
But family experts warn that the new equality can also result in less respect for parents.“There’s still a lot of strictness and authority on the part of parents out there,but there is a change happening,”says Kerrie,a psychology professor at Lebanon Valley College.“In the middle of that change,there is a lot of confusion among parents.”
Family researchers offer a variety of reasons for these evolving roles and attitudes.They see the 1960s as a turning point.Great cultural changes led to more open communication and a more democratic process that encourages everyone to have a say.
“My parents were on the‘before’side of that change,but today’s parents,the 40-year-olds,were on the‘after’side,”explains Mr.Ballmer.“It’s not something easily accomplished by parents these days,because life is more difficult to understand or deal with,but sharing interests does make it more fun to be a parent now.”
1.What can we learn about Mr.Ballmer in Paragraph 1 ?
A.He and Elizabeth both 1ike Weezer.
B.He had different interests with his mom.
C.He had a bad relationship with his mom.
D.He liked talking about music with his mom.
2.What does the underlined word“democratic”probably mean?
A.Equal. B.Peaceful. C.Active. D.Considerate.
3.The passage is mainly about_____________.
A.the problems of parent-child relationship
B.the strategies for parent-child relationships
C.the development of parent-child relationship
D.the ways for parents to handle parent-child problems
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.What is the speaker’s attitude?
A.No one is born a genius.
B.Too much practice is not useful.
C.Talented people needn’t work hard.
2.When did Mozart begin composing?
A.At the age of three. B.At the age of five. C.At the age of eight.
3.How did Jimi Hendrix learn to play the guitar?
A.His father taught him. B.He learned at schoo1. C.He taught himself.
4.What happened to Einstein after graduation?
A.He couldn’t find a job.
B.He was an immediate success.
C.He gave up his studies for a while.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What does the man want the woman to do by Monday?
A.Call the models. B.Finish the files. C.Send out the invitations.
2.When is the charity party?
A.This weekend. B.Next week. C.Next month.
3.Where do the speakers probably work?
A.At a baking company.
B.At a fashion company.
C.At a housing company.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.Where does the conversation take place?
A.In Thailand. B.In Hawaii. C.In Mexico.
2.What do we know about the camera?
A.It can be used underwater.
B.It cannot be dropped.
C.It’s pretty heavy.
3.How much did the man spend on his camera equipment in total?
A.$200. B.$300. C.$350.
