Like many lovers of books, Mary and her husband, Richard Goldman, seldom walked past a bookstore without stopping to look inside. They often talked of opening their own store one day.
When Mary was in hospital with heart trouble in 1989, they decided it was time to get serious. Richard, who worked for a business company, expected to work for himself, and Mary needed to slow down from her job.
They started by talking to bookstore owners and researching the industry(产业). “We knew it had to be a specialty(专业) store because we couldn’t afford enough money,” says Mary. One idea came to her: She’d read somewhere that about 20 percent of books sold were mysteries, and many buyers spent more $300 a year on books. She and Richard were themselves mystery readers.
On Halloween 1992, they opened the Mystery Lovers Bookshop and Café near their home. With three children in college, the couple could not spend all the family’s money to start a shop. To pay the $100,000 cost, they drew some of their savings, borrowed from friends and from an bank.
The store only broke even in its first year, with only $120,000 in sales. But Mary was always coming up with new ways to attract(吸引) buyers. The shop had a coffee bar and it offered gifts to mystery lovers and provided dinners for book clubs that met in the store. She also invited some writers to discuss their stories.
Today Mystery Lovers makes sales of about $420,000 a year. After paying taxes, business costs and the six part-time sales workers, Richard and Mary together earn about $34,000.
“The job you love may not go hand in hand with a million-dollar income(收入)” says Richard. “This has always been about a pleasant life for ourselves, not about making a lot of money.”
1.When Mary was in hospital, the couple realized that ____.
A. they had to put their plan into practice
B. health was more important than money
C. heart trouble was a serious illness
D. they both needed to stop working
2.After Mary got well from her illness they began _____.
A. to study how to open a bookstore
B. to buy and read more mystery books
C. to do market research on book business
D. to work harder to save money for the bookstore
3.How did their bookstore do in the first year?
A. They had to borrow money to keep it going.
B. They made just enough to pay all the costs.
C. They succeeded in making a lot of money.
D. They failed though they worked hard.
4.According to Richard, the main purpose of opening the bookstore is _____.
A. to pay for their children’s education
B. to get to know more writers
C. to set up more bookstores
D. to do what they like to do
The engineer Camillo Oliver was 40 years old when he started the company in 1908. At his factory in Ivrea, he designed and produced the first Italian typewriter(打字机). Today the company's head office is still in Ivrea, near Turin, but the company is much larger than it was in those days and there are offices all around the world.
By 1930 the company had 700 workers and it turned out 13,000 machines a year. Some went to offices and homes in Italy, but more typewriters were sold to other countries.
Camillo's son, Adriano, started working for the company in 1924 and later he became the boss. The production(生产) line was improved a lot and some top engineers in technology and design fields worked for him. The company developed new and better typewriters. More and more people became interested in their products. In 1959 it produced the ELEA computer system. This was the first mainframe(主机) computer designed and made in Italy.
After Adriano died in 1960, the company had a period of financial(财政) problems. Other companies, especially the Japanese, made faster progress in electronic technology than the Italian company.
In 1978, Carlo de Benedetti became the new boss. Olivetti increased its marketing and service networks and made agreements with other companies to design and produce better office equipment(设备). Soon it became one of the world's leading companies in information technology and communications. There are now five companies in the Olivetti group---one for personal computers, one for other office equipment, one for systems and services, and two for telecommunications.
1.What fact does the passage provide?
A. By 1930 Olivetti produced over 1,000 typewriters each month.
B. Olivetti made more money in the 1960s than in the 1950s.
C. Some of Olivetti's 700 workers often visited users in Italy.
D. Olivetti set up offices in other countries from the very beginning.
2.From the text we know that Olivetti
A. produced the best typewriter in the world.
B. designed the world's first mainframe computer.
C. sold more typewriters abroad than other companies.
D. has five companies with its head office in Ivrea.
3.Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
A. Camilla Olivetti’s Career
B. The Success of Olivetti
C. The History of Olivetti
D. The Production of Olivetti
In China，people born in and after the 1980s are called the post-80s generation(一代人)．
Most of them come from single-child families. However，this generation is playing a more and more important part in China，and their image in people’s minds is changing．Han Han,a popular youth writer,is one of them．
Han Han was born in 1982 in Shanghai．His talent for writing was clear at an early age．
When he was 17,he drew the public’s attention with the article Viewing the People through the Glass. The article won first prize in the national New Concept Composition Competition．Later，Han Han again surprised the public by leaving high school. “I did poorly in Grade One of high school and failed to move up to the next grade. I tried my best to improve my studies，but failed ,so I gave up. However ,I am always learning, since learning and going to school are two different things.” Han Han said.
Han Han’s first novel Three Folded Gates sold very well in China．Later the book was
translated(翻译)into several languages and sold abroad．
In the following years, Han Han wrote a lot of books. All of them were welcomed by the market．In 2006，he started blogging(写博客)and had great success. Today，Han Han’s blog has become one of the honest blogs on the Internet．
1.The post-80s generation__________．
A. have changed China’s image
B. are playing an important role in China
C. are very good at writing
D. are people who are more than 80 years old
2.What can we learn from Han Han’s words in the second paragraph?
A. He was good in all his subjects．
B. He never studied hard at school．
C. His school life was interesting and colourful
D. He didn’t stop learning after he left school．
3.When did Han Han begin to write a blog?
A. When he was seventeen.
B. When he was fourteen
C. When he was twenty
D. When he was twenty-four.
4.Which of the following is TRUE，according to the passage?
A. Three Folded Gates was only sold in China．
B. Nobody was surprised that Han Han left high school．
C. Han Han was not liked by the post-80s generation．
D. Han Han’s blog is very popular on the Internet．
5.What does the passage mainly talk about?
A. The post-80s generation．
B. Han Han ,a popular post-80s writer．
C. Blogging on the Internet．
D. Popular books written by Han Han．
The 2014 FIFA World Cup, the twentieth World Cup football match, was held in Brazil from June 12th, 2014 to July 13th, 2014. Thirty-two teams from different countries brought us sixty-four wonderful games during the World Cup. This is the second time the World Cup is held in this country and the fifth in South America. Thousands of football fans watched the games. |
|
A Bite of China(舌尖上的中国), a mouth-watering documentary TV program featuring delicious Chinese food, has interested a large number of people. The program has become very popular since it was shown on TV. The documentary provides not only Chinese delicious food but also the relationships between people and food. “We made this documentary with our respect and love for food. I hope it will help people learn more about Chinese food as well as Chinese culture.” said the director Mr. Chen. |
|
Lu Jialei, a school girl from Hangzhou, China, won the championship of the first Chinese Character Dictation Contest, which made her become famous overnight. Lu is a hard-working girl and always comes top at school. “I like reading and I’m crazy about learning Chinese characters. I enjoy the contest and hope more and more people become interested in learning Chinese characters.” said Lu Jialei after winning the contest. |
|
1.How long did the 2014 FIFA World Cup last?
A. About a week.
B. About two weeks.
C. About a month.
D. About two months.
2.Which is NOT true according to the articles?
A. Lu Jialei always gets good grades at school.
B. The World Cup has been held in South America twice.
C. Many people like watching the TV program A Bite of China.
D. Lu Jialei hopes more people can take much interest in Chinese characters.
3.Where may the articles probably come from?
A. A story book.
B. A science report.
C. A sports magazine.
D. The Internet.
Sui Lu is now well-known as a Chinese gymnast (体操运动员). She was one of the ‘brightest’ at the Guangzhou Asian Games. At the Games 18-year-old Sui won gold medals in team, all-round, balance beam and floor exercise.
Sui started in gymnastics at the age of 3 and joined the national team in 2005. The Hunan girl was first when she got two gold medals in the 2008 National Championships (锦标赛) in Tianjin. thought Sui would go to the Beijing Olympics. But Sui made a few small in the following two World Championships in Russia and France. She wasn’t to be in the Olympic team. The girl cried her heart out.
The failure changed Sui a quieter, but more hard-working person. ‘These last two competitions have helped me learn to become more , especially on the balance beam,’ Sui said.
She proved again at the 11th Chinese National Games. At the Games she
two gold medals.
Now, Sui’s is to go to the 2016 Olympics. ‘I’ve been to the Olympics,’ said Sui. ‘I will try my best to get the chance and I won’t give up
the last moment.’
1.A. teams B. coaches C. stars D. singers
2. A. two B. three C. four D. five
3.A. running B. training C. swimming D. teaching
4.A. noticed B. forgotten C. advised D. seen
5. A. Somebody B. Everybody C. Anybody D. Nobody
6.A. changes B. friends C. mistakes D. excuses
7. A. refused B. warned C. found D. chosen
8.A. happy B. lonely C. poor D. angry
9. A. into B. for C. with D. at
10.A. excited B. proud C. beautiful D. careful
11.A. himself B. herself C. myself D. yourself
12. A. won B. gave C. found D. sold
13.A. reason B. job C. dream D. way
14.A. never B. still C. even D. already
15.A. since B. when C. after D. until
The teacher asked the students _________________.
A. if they are interested in dinosaurs
B. when was Audery Heben born
C. What they will do with the computers
D. how many trees they had planted
