In one of the old buildings near our school，one could see an old man sitting by a large window on the first floor．His name was James．During the three years at schoo1, I had hardly ever found him missing from his usual position．
He was a high-ranking government official and lived happily with his wife．Once there was a bus accident，in which a number of passengers were seriously injured and were taken to the hospital for treatment．James was responsible for the rescue operation．It was a big hospital，but James was shocked to notice how ill-equipped it was．There were no enough life-saving drugs and life—supporting equipment． The injured and their companions had to struggle there．James attempted to help．However，though he emptied his pockets，many of them died that day．
That was a turning point in his life．He made a decision to devote his life to helping others，particularly the poor and needy patients and their companions．He began spending much of his income on these people．Since this required a lot of time and energy，he found it difficult to fulfill his official duties and therefore chose to retire，which，in turn，reduced his income considerably．
His wife was deeply worried. Most of the time，James was out and paid least attention to home affairs．Meanwhile，as he was spending a lot helping others，she had to struggle even to meet the household expenses．Though she was not opposed to his helping the poor，she urged him not to overlook his own life and home，but it had no effect on him．One day they had a heated argument and in the end she left him，never to return．Though he continued with his work，this was a great blow and did serious harm to his health and enthusiasm and was soon forced to stay indoors．That was when he took his position by the window，spending his time looking outside．
A few weeks after my graduation，I returned to school，only to find the buildings gone．I heard that they were torn down．All the people left except James．He refused to go and the next morning，he was found at his usual place by the window，dead．
1.What changed James’ view towards life?
A.The difficulties in his career．
B.The deaths in the bus accident．
C.The bad conditions in the hospital．
D.The responsibilities in the operation．
2.James chose to retire in order to____________________.
A.take care of the injured passengers
B.find a better job to increase his income
C.spare more time and energy to help others
D.stay away from the difficult official duties
3.James’ wife left because_________________________．
A.she was strongly against his deeds
B.James paid too little attention to his work
C.her work to support their daily life was too tiring
D.James failed to keep a balance between charity and home
4.The underlined word “this” in Paragraph 4 refers to ____________.
A.His decision to retire B.The departure of his wife
C.The argument with his wife D.His devotion to helping others
5.What is possibly the reason why James sat by the window every day?
A.He expected his wife to return.
B.He looked forward to going out.
C.He desired to watch the students.
D.He attempted to know the outside life.
Most of the time, travelers in foreign countries rely on public transportation to get around. But having your own car provides freedom and is especially helpful. There are a few best car rental companies in the U. S. for travelers to choose from.
Enterprise
One of the car rental industry’s most expensive providers, Enterprise’s daily price averages close to $50. What they do well, however, might help you save money. The company reduces or gets rid of a lot of the sneaky(暗中的)additional costs that most other companies make their money from. It’s super-convenient and there are almost 6,000 locations across the U. S. You can return the car to any location.
Courtesy of National
National Car Rental, a sister company of Enterprise, excels when it comes to customer service, taking the No.2 spot in J. D. Powers’ annual report and taking a five-star score for both whole satisfaction and its book process among customers. National’s offerings and programs are aimed especially at business travelers, with companies taking advantage of the company’s business rental program, which lets employees at any sized company get cars at a fair price.
Courtesy of Hertz
Although it’s one of the largest car rental companies there--- it has more than 1,600 airport locations in the U. S. alone--- it’s definitely not the cheapest, with an average daily price of $48.50, putting it on a par with Enterprise. We love the range of cars that the company offers: There’s definitely your business-trip standards, as well as high-capacity cars for families and compact economy cars(紧凑的经济型轿车)for those on a budget.
Courtesy of Budget
Budget, true to its name, has some of the cheapest car rentals in the industry, with an average rental cost of about $35/day and an extra discount--- up to 35 percent--- if you pay when you book. They also do the Mustang weekend program where you can get a free third day--- although it offers four-door full-size cars only, it’s still an offer that’s attractive to families hitting the road for a quick weekend trip.
1.If Mike rents a car from Enterprise, he _____.
A.will avoid some additional costs
B.can rent a car for a month at most
C.must return the car to the rental place
D.will be punished to pay more money for an extra day
2.National Car Rental _______.
A.only serves businessmen and officials
B.provides the best service for customers
C.has a huge variety of transport to rent
D.requires customers to book in advance
3.What does the underlined part in Paragraph 4 mean?
A.Courtesy of Hertz serves its natives as Enterprise.
B.Courtesy of Hertz provides driving services as Enterprise.
C.Courtesy of Hertz’s daily average price is as high as Enterprise’s.
D.Courtesy of Hertz and Enterprise offer different kinds of cars.
4.Which of the following statements about Courtesy of Budget is true?
A.It can help customers save a lot of money.
B.Its returning process has some disadvantages.
C.It usually introduces special offers to its employees.
D.Customers can book through its online check-in system.
5.What is the purpose of the passage?
A.To attract more travelers to visit the U.S.A.
B.To provide readers with useful suggestions about traveling.
C.To persuade people to start more car rental companies.
D.To introduce some best car rental companies to travelers.
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It wasn’t yet 8:30 am. However, instead of entering my office, I was leaving it. Carrying a plastic shopping bag of my personal things, I moved in a(n)____way to my car, and drove home crying. I had just been____
For following weeks, I was troubled by the____of that sudden lay-off: What about the people who would be____by my abandoned projects? Would I have a chance to get another job?____with anxiety, shame and sudden outbursts of tears, I felt completely____“What should I do next?” I asked myself.
One day, over dinner with my good friend Sophia in a restaurant, I told her about my____, “Being fired came as a____I am not a bad person. I don’t know____it happened to me. In fact, I was so hard-working and____to my company”. After listening to my words, she____me, “Never be so depressed. Being fired isn’t the same thing as being bad. There are lots of____that we cannot escape in life, and we have to face them____and find solutions. I think you should make some changes to help you____this issue. Unemployment just means a new start.” Her words gave me a lot of confidence and strength, which____me to take action to change the bad situation. I had a firm belief that everything would hopefully____fine.
Then a long journey of applying for new jobs began. In addition, I made a decision — starting to____the people who helped me either with the emotional support of my unemployment or in my search for a new job. I would send each of them a thank-you card. Sophia had helped me a lot, and she got my first card.
Expressing gratitude is the best thing that I have done to____my negative thoughts and move forward. Fortunately, I have got a(n)____job that fits my skills and interests. No matter what happens in the future, I will____this wonderful decision and show more people my thanks.
1.A.relaxing B.confident C.unsteady D.humorous
2.A.adopted B.fired C.cheated D.fined
3.A.shadow B.guidance C.standard D.background
4.A.promoted B.trusted C.refused D.affected
5.A.Agreeing B.Connecting C.Struggling D.Dealing
6.A.positive B.confused C.confident D.serious
7.A.promises B.goals C.feelings D.needs
8.A.occasion B.threat C.present D.shock
9.A.why B.when C.whether D.where
10.A.attractive B.occupied C.aware D.faithful
11.A.blamed B.greeted C.encouraged D.announced
12.A.challenges B.opportunities C.arguments D.responsibilities
13.A.practically B.bravely C.secretly D.excitedly
14.A.rely on B.look into C.give up D.deal with
15.A.drove B.ordered C.forbade D.expected
16.A.set about B.turn out C.result from D.hold back
17.A.thank B.entertain C.understand D.help
18.A.explain B.remove C.suspect D.accept
19.A.difficult B.ridiculous C.satisfying D.embarrassing
20.A.research B.replace C.select D.continue
He ______ writing the paper now. He hadn’t written a single word when I left him ten minutes ago.
A.shouldn’t be B.can’t have finished
C.can’t be D.mustn’t have finished
Many companies don’t realize ____ important the customers are, which is why they lose their customers unconsciously.
A.what B.whether C.how D.which
Don’t act before you have a second thought about the mission_____ you are unable to handle any potential emergency.
A.as long as B.so that C.even if D.in case
