Even at school there had been an unhealthy competition between George and Richard.
“I’ll be the first millionaire in Coleford!” Richard used to boast.
“And you’ll be sorry you knew me,” George would reply “because I’ll be the best lawyer in town!”
George never did become a lawyer and Richard never made any money. Instead both men opened bookshops on opposite sides of Coleford High Street. It was hard to make money from books, which made the competition between them worse.
Now with only one bookshop in town, business was better for George. But sometimes he sat in his narrow , old kitchen and gazed out of the dirty window , thinking about his former rival （竞争对手）。Perhaps he missed him?
George was very interested in old dictionaries, He’d recently found a collector in Australia who was selling a rare first edition. When the parcel arrived, the book was in perfect condition and George was delighted. But while he was having lunch, George glanced at the photo in the newspaper that the book had been wrapped in. He was astonished—the smiling face was older than he remembered but unmistakable! Trembling, George started reading.
“Bookends have bought ten bookstores from their rivals Dylans. The company, owned by multi-millionaire Richard Pike, is now the largest bookseller in Australia. ”
1.George and Rivhard were at school.
A. roommates B. good friends
C. competitors D. booksellers
2.How did George feel about Richard after his disappearance?
A. He envied Richard’s marriage.
B. He thought of Richard from time to time.
C. He felt lucky with no rival in town.
D. He was guilty of Richard’s death.
3.George got information about Richard from .
A. a dictionary collector in Australia
B. the latter’s rivals Dylans
C. a rare first edition of a dictionary
D. the wrapping paper of a book
4.What happened to George and Richard in the end?
A. Both George and Richard became millionaires.
B. Both of them realized their original ambitions.
C. George established a successful business white Richard was missing.
D. Richard became a millionaire while George had no great success.
Directions: For each blank in the following passage there are four words or phrases marked A, B, C and D. Fill in each blank with the word or phrase that best fits the context.
Most people believe they don’t have much imagination. They are 1.Everyone has imagination, but most of us, once we become adults, forget how to 2it. Creativity isn’t always 3with great works of art or ideas. People at work and in their free time 4think of creative ways to solve problems. Maybe you have a goal to achieve, a tricky question to answer or you just want to expand your mind! Here are three techniques to help you.
Making connections This technique involves taking 5ideas and trying to find links between them. First, think about the problem you have to solve or the job you need to do. Then find an image, word, idea or object, for example, a candle. Write down all the idea/words 6with candles: light, fire, matches, wax, night, silence, etc. Think of as many as you can. The next stage is to relate the 7to the job you have to do. So imagine you want to buy a friend an original 8; you could buy him tickets to match or take him out for the night.
NO limits! Imagine that normal limitations don’t 9. You have as much time/space/money, etc. as you want. Think about your goal and the new 10.If your goal is to learn to ski, 11, you can now practise skiing every day of your life （because you have the time and the money）. Now 12this to reality. Maybe you can practise skiing ever day in December, or every Monday in January.
Be someone else! Look at the situation from a 13point of view. Good businessmen use this technique in trade, and so do writes. Fiction writers often imagine they are the 14in their books. They ask question: What does this character want? Why can’t she get it? What changes must she make to get what she wants? If your goal involves other people, put yourself in their 15. The best fishermen think like fish!
1.A. wrong B. unbelievable C. reasonable D. realistic
2.A. put up with B. catch up with C. make use of D. keep track of
3.A. equipped B. compared C. covered D. connected
4.A. skillfully B. routinely C. vividly D. deeply
5.A. familiar B. unrelated C. creative D. imaginary
6.A. presented B. marked C. lit D. associated
7.A. ideas B. ambitions C. achievement D. technique
8.A. experience B. service C. present D. object
9.A. work B. last C. exist D. change
10.A. possibilities B. limitations C. tendency D. practice
11.A. in fact B. in particular C. as a whole D. for example
12.A. devote B. adapt C. lead D. keep
13.A. private B. global C. different D. practical
14.A. features B. themes C. creatures D. characters
15.A. positions B. dreams C. images D. directions
Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.
|
A. contents B. taking C. carefully D. plastic E. packaging F. declined G. freely H. typical I. contracts J. registered |
If the package looks pretty, people will buy just about anything. So says an advertising executive in New York, and he has proved his point by selling boxes of rubbish for the price of an expensive bottle of wine.
Justin Gignac,26, has sold almost 900 1.presented plastic boxes of rubbish from the street of Big Apple at between ＄50 and ＄100 each. Buyers from 19 countries have paid for the souvenirs（纪念品）. The idea has been so successful that he is thinking of promoting it around the world.
It all began when Mr Gignac was at a summer workshop, “We had a discussion about the importance of 2.,”he recalls.” Someone said packaging was unimportant. I disagreed. The only way to prove it was by selling something nobody would ever want.”
He searches the streets of Manhattan and typical 3.include broken glass, subway tickets, Starbucks cups and used 4.forks. “Special editions” are offered at a high price. He charged ＄100 for rubbish from the opening day of the New York Yankees’ stadium.
Mr Gignac denies 5.his customers for fools: “They know what they’re getting. They appreciate the fact that they’re taking something nobody would want and finding beauty in it.”
Some 6.customers include people who used to live in the city and want a down-to-earth souvenir. He claims he has even sold to art collectors.
Realizing that the concept appears to be a real money-maker, Mr Gignac has 7.a company and is employing his girlfriend as vice president. He 8.to discuss his profit margins: “It’s actually quite a lot of effort putting them together-but yes, garbage is free.”
Mr Gignac is considering more varieties of souvenirs. He maintains that he has signed 9.with people interested in similar projects from as far as Berlin and London.
As a new diplomat, he often thinks of he can react more appropriately on such occasions.
A. what B. which C. that D. how
David threatened his neighbour to the police if the damages were not paid.
A. to be reported B. reporting
C. to report D. having reported
The American newspaper has been around for about three hundred years. In 1721, the printer James Franklin. Benjamin's older brother, started the New England Courant, and that was what we might recognize today as a real newspaper. He filled his paper with stories of adventure, articles on art, on famous people, and on all sorts of political subjects.
Three centuries after the appearance of Franklin's Courant. few believe that newspapers in their present printed form will remain alive for long Newspaper complies are losing advertisers （广告商）, readers, market value. and. in some cases, their sense of purpose at a speed that would not have been imaginable just several years ago The chief editor （主编） of the times said recently, "At places where they gather, editors ask one another, 'How are you?', as if they have just come out of the hospital or a lost law came. “An article about the newspaper appeared on the website of the Guardian, under the headline “NOT DEAD YET.”
perhaps not, but the rise of the Internet which has made the daily newspaper look slow and out of step with the world, has brought about a real sense of death. Some American newspapers have lost 42% of their market value in the past thee years The New York Times Company has seen its stock （股票） drop by 54% since the end of 2004, with much of the loss coming in the past year A manager at Deutsche Bank suggested that stock-holders sell off their Times stock The Washington Post Comply has prevented the trouble only by changing part of its business to education its testing and test-preparation service now brings in at least half the company's income.
1.What can we learn about the New England Curran?
A. It is mainly about the stock market.
B. It marks the beginning of the American newspaper.
C. It remains a successful newspaper in America.
D. It comes articles by political leaders.
2.What can we infer about the newspaper editors?
A. They often accept readers' suggestions
B. They care a lot about each other's health.
C. They stop doing business with advertisers.
D. They face great difficulties in their business.
3.Which of the following found a new way for its development?
A. The Washington Post B. The Guardian
C. The New York Times. D. New England Courant
4.How does the author seem to feel about the future of newspapers?
A. Satisfied B. Hopeful
C. Worried D. Surprised
