The drug store was closing for the night and Alfred Higgins was about to go home when his new boss approached him.
“Empty your pockets please, Alfred,” Sam Carr demanded in a firm voice.
Alfred pretended to be shocked but he knew he’d been caught. From his coat he withdrew a make-up kit, a lipstick and two tubes of toothpaste.
“I’m disappointed in you, Alfred!” said the little gray-haired man.
“Sorry, sir. Please forgive me. It’s the first time I’ve ever done such a thing,” Alfred lied, hoping to gain the old man’s sympathy.
Mr Carr’s brow furrowed as he reached for the phone, “Do you take me for a fool? Let’s see what the police have to say. But first I’ll call your mother and let her know her son is heading to jail.”
“Do whatever you want,” Alfred shot back, trying to sound big. But deep down he felt like a child. He imagined his mother rushing in, eyes burning with anger, maybe in tears. Yet he wanted her to come quickly before Mr. Carr called the police.
Mr. Carr was surprised when Mrs Higgins finally arrived. She was very calm, quiet and friendly. “Is Alfred in trouble?” she asked.
“He’s been stealing from the store,” the old man coolly replied.
Mrs. Higgins put out her hand and touched Mr. Carr’s arm with great gentleness as if she knew just how he felt. She spoke as if she did not want to cause him any more trouble. “What do you want to do, Mr. Carr?”
The woman’s calm and gentle manner disarmed the once-angry store-owner. “I was going to get a cop. But I don’t want to be cruel. Tell your son not to come back here again, and I’ll let it go.” Then he warmly shook Mrs. Higgins’s hand.
Mrs. Higgins thanked the old man for his kindness, then mother and son left. They walked along the street in silence. When they arrived home his mother simply said, “Go to bed, you fool.”
In his bedroom, Alfred heard his mother in the kitchen. He felt no shame, only pride in his mother’s actions. “She was smooth!” he thought. He went to the kitchen to tell her how great she was, but was shocked by what he saw.
His mother’s face looked frightened, broken. Not the cool, bright face he saw earlier. Her lips moved nervously. She looked very old. There were tears in her eyes.
This picture of his mother made him want to cry. He felt his youth ending. He saw all the troubles he brought her and the deep lines of worry in her grey face. It seemed to him that this was the first time he had ever really seen his mother.
1.Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A. It was the first time Alfred had stolen anything.
B. Alfred tried to sound big to hide his fear.
C. Mr. Carr set a trap to catch Alfred stealing.
D. Mr. Carr had planned to forgive Alfred from the beginning.
2.What does the underlined word “disarmed” probably mean?
A. annoyed B. made less angry
C. convinced D. got over
3.What was the mother’s attitude toward Alfred?
A. She felt disappointed with him. B. She was very strict with him.
C. She was supportive of him. D. She was afraid of him.
4.What impressed Alfred most about his mother at the drugstore was ________.
A.how angry she was B. that she didn’t cry
C.that she was able to save him D. how effectively she handled Mr. Carr
5.From the last paragraph, we know that Alfred ________.
A.was no longer a youth B. felt proud of his mother
C.wanted his mother to be happy D. felt guilty and regretful for his deed
A different sort of generation gap is developing in the workplace. Someone --- specifically the father-daughter team of Larry and Meagan Johnson --- has figured out that on some American job sites, five generations are working side by side.
In their new book about generations in the workplace the pair argue that while such an age difference adds a lot of texture and a variety of life experiences, it can also bring tensions and conflicts.
The Johnsons are human-resource trainers and public speakers. Dad Larry is a former health-care executive; daughter Meagan is a onetime high-level sales manager.
Here are the oldest and youngest of the five generations they identify:
They call the oldest group Traditionals, born before 1945. They were heavily influenced by the lessons of the Great Depression and World War Two. They respect authority, set a high standard of workmanship, and communicate easily and confidently. But they’re also stubbornly independent. They want their opinions heard.
At the other extreme are what the Johnsons call Linksters, born after 1995 into today’s more complicated, multi-media world. They live and breathe technology and are often social activists.
You won’t find many 15-year olds in the offices of large companies, except as volunteers, of course, but quite old and quite young workers do come together in sales environments like bike shops and ice-cream stores.
The Johnsons, Larry and Meagan, represent a generation gap themselves in their work with jobsite issues. The Johnsons’ point is that as the average lifespan continues to rise and retirement dates get delayed because of the tight economy, people of different generations are working side by side, more often bringing with them very different ideas about company loyalty and work values.
The five generations are heavily influenced by quite different events, social trends, and the cultural phenomena of their times. Their experiences shape their behavior and make it difficult, sometimes, for managers to achieve a strong and efficient workplace.
Larry and Meagan Johnson discuss all this in greater detail in a new book, “Generations, Inc.: From Boomers to Linksters --- Managing the Friction Between Generations at Work,” published by Amacom Press, which is available in all good bookstore from this Friday.
1.The type of generation gap in paragraph 1 refers to the difference in beliefs ________.
A. between managers and workers B. among family members
C. among employees D. between older and newer companies
2.Which of the following statements is NOT true about Traditionals?
A. They’ve learned much from war and economic disaster.
B. They’re difficult to work with as they are stubborn.
C. They respect their boss and hope to be respected.
D. They’re independent workers with great confidence.
3.According to the passage, the Linksters are usually ________.
A. found working in the offices of large companies
B. influenced by media and technology
C. enthusiastic multi-media activists
D. ice-cream sellers
4.According to the passage, modern workforces are more diverse because ________.
A. people want to increase their average lifespan
B. many young people are entering the workforce
C. employees with different values can benefit their companies
D. retirement dates are being delayed for economic reasons
5.What’s the main purpose of the passage?
A. To promote a new book by Larry and Meagan Johnson.
B. To describe the five different workplace generations.
C. To introduce the Johnsons’ research about diverse workforces.
D. To identify a major problem in modern workforces.
A 33-year-old financial analyst in California recently quit his job to devote himself to an unpaid job teaching math on the Internet, and his lessons are reaching almost 100,000 people a month. Salman Khan’s voice is heard every day on the net --- by tens of thousands of students around the world who are hungry for help learning math. He has posted 1,200 lessons on YouTube ... lessons that appear on an electronic blackboard, which range from basic addition to advanced mathematics for science and finance. And they are free.
Khan lives in Silicon Valley, with his wife, a doctor, and their new baby. He got the idea for his “Khan Academy” four years ago, when he taught a young cousin how to convert kilograms to grams. With Khan’s help, the cousin got good at math, and Khan began a new career.
Now, Khan records his lessons himself, but he never goes on camera. “It feels like my voice in their head. You’re looking at it and it feels like someone’s over your shoulder talking in your ear, as opposed to someone at the blackboard, which is distant from you,” he said.
When Springfield High School in Palo Alto, California invited Khan to speak in person --- he immediately connected to the students there.
The idea of short lessons that can be played over and over again attracted high school senior Bridget Meaney. She says she had trouble with math in the seventh grade. “I think the teachers are good, but they can’t teach at a speed that’s perfect for everyone,” she said. “I like the idea of learning something in class but then going back and pressing pause or rewind and actually getting a deeper understanding of it.”
Originally, Khan kept his lessons short because of YouTube restrictions. Now, he thinks short is better. “Education researchers now tell me that 10 minutes is how long someone can have a high level of concentration. And anything beyond that and your brain switches off,” he said.
For Khan, teaching math, science, and finance is just the beginning. He says he’s ready to expand his YouTube site to include other subjects as well.
1.What gave Khan the idea of teaching math online?
A. His success in helping his cousin learn math.
B. His discovery that many students found learning math difficult.
C. A suggestion made to him at a local high school.
D. His interest in Internet teaching.
2. Why does Khan never go on camera?
A. He’s too shy to show his face on camera.
B. It’s restricted by YouTube for education videos.
C. He wants to keep distance from the viewers.
D. He wants to create a more relaxed learning atmosphere.
3. From the passage, we know that ________.
A. Khan travels to many schools to promote his lessons
B. Khan plans to include more subjects in the future
C. Khan gives live math lessons every day for free
D. Khan set up the Khan Academy with his wife
4.Why does Bridget Meaney like Khan’s lessons?
A. Khan teaches seventh grade math better than her teacher.
B. The lessons can be watched repeatedly until fully understood.
C. She can perfectly follow the pace of Khan’s teaching.
D. She cannot concentrate when learning in class.
5.What does Khan mean by “short is better” in the 6th paragraph?
A. Keeping the lessons short can ensure better concentration.
B. YouTube recommends short lessons for its site.
C. Short lessons encourage students to return to the website.
D. Students enjoy short mathematics lessons more.
AHeading off to college this year? Here are some fashion tips from our experts you should keep in mind:
Dress to impress: Stylist and business consultant Daniela Smith says, “Girls should keep in mind that your college professors will often be the bridge that connects you to your future career and your classmates will become your professional network. You don’t need to dress like you’re going to the office, but you should display an ability to properly present yourself with appropriate maturity and confidence, and look put together.”
Logo mania (品牌狂热症): Wearing the logos of brands aimed at younger customers physically identifies you as part of that age group, so consider the targeted age group of the stores you shop at. It’s tempting to load up on logos, especially well-known logos that signify high-end brands. But consider this: college is a time of self-discovery, a chance to develop your own personal style. Instead of wearing logos head to toe, “walking advertisement”-style, why not express who you really are?
Wear real pants! The combination of leggings and baggy shirts is all too common on college campuses. Smith points out that leggings, yoga pants, and sweatpants are entirely unacceptable in public unless you’re exercising. Although leggings worn as pants are a common trend among high school and college girls, they are not an appropriate choice for daywear. As a young woman, your style choice should begin to reflect your maturity level. So, get rid of leggings and wear real pants!
Keep the cute factor to a minimum: Stay away from sweaters and T-shirts with smiling animals, cartoon characters, or Hello Kitty on them. Sure, kittens might be cute, but they’re not doing you any favors in the style department. Dressing too cutesy can take years off your look, and not necessarily in a good way!
1. The second paragraph indicates the importance of ________.
A. impressing professors B. getting on well with classmates
C. creating a professional image D. dressing appropriately
2.The author believes that college girls should ________.
A. choose a logo that suits their age
B. try to load up on well-known logos
C. use logos to show who they are
D. find their identity by trying different logos
3.The author recommends wearing real pants because ________.
A. leggings and baggy shirts are too common
B. yoga pants and sweatpants are not as comfortable
C. real pants can present you with appropriate maturity
D. people like real pants better than the other pants
4.What’s the writer’s attitude towards sweaters with animals on them?
A. They make people look lovely.
B. They are very fashionable these days.
C. They will show you’re an animal lover.
D. They are not suitable for college-aged students.
5.In which magazine would you most likely find this passage?
A. Business Week. B. Parents. C. In style. D. Travel & Leisure.
阅读下面短文，按照句子结构的语法性和上下文连贯的要求，在空格处填入一个适当的词或使用括号中词语的正确形式填空，并将答案填写在答题卡标号的相应位置上。
Viennese-born composer Frederick Loewe, 1. we remember from his classical musicals including “My Fair Lady” and “Camelot”, was not always famous. He studied piano with the great masters of Europe and achieved huge success as a 2. (music) and composer in his early years. But 3. he immigrated to the United States, he failed as a pianist. For a while he tried other types of work including gold mining and boxing. 4._______ he never gave up his dream and continued to play the piano and write music.
During those difficult years, he could not always afford 5. (make) payments on his piano. One day, bending over the keyboard, he could hear nothing but the music that he played with such 6. inspiration. When he finished and looked up, he was astonished to find that he had an audience of three moving men who were seated on the floor.
They said nothing and made no movement toward the piano. Instead, they7. (dig) into their pockets, pooled together enough money for the payment, placed 8. on the piano and walked out, empty handed. 9._________ (move)) by the beauty of his music, these men recognized excellence and responded 10. it..
The story goes that some time ago, a man had a very lovely little daughter．One day the man 1 his 3-year-old daughter for 2_ _ a roll of gold wrapping paper．Money was tight and he became 3 when the child tried to decorate a 4 to put under the Christmas tree．However , the little girl brought the gift to her father the next morning and said, "This is for you, Daddy．"
The man was 5 by his earlier 6 , but his anger flared again when he found out the box was __7 ．He yelled at her, stating, "Don’t you know, when you give someone a present, there is 8 to be something inside?" The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and cried, "Oh, Daddy, it’s not empty at all．I blew kisses into the box．They are all for you, Daddy．"
The father was crushed. He 9 his arms around his little girl, and he begged for her 10 ．Only a short time later, an 11 took the life of the child. It is also told that her father kept that gold box by his bed for many years and whenever he was discouraged, he would take out a(an) 12 kiss and remember the love of the child who had put it there．In a very real sense, each one of us, as human beings, has been given a gold container 13 unconditional love and kisses．．．from our children, family members, friends and God. There is simply no other __14 , anyone could hold, more 15 than this．
1.A．asked B．praised C．begged D．punished
2.A．wasting B．stealing C．selling D．holding
3.A．glad B．angry C．sad D．upset
4.A．room B．hall C．box D．ball
5.A．puzzled B．surprised C．scared D．embarrassed
6.A．overwork B．overreaction C．overcoat D．overtime
7.A．empty B．heavy C．full D．wet
8.A．happened B．seemed C．supposed D．used
9.A．put B．turned C．handed D．gave
10.A．kindness B．forgiveness C．sadness D．carelessness
11.A．overcoat B．incident C．accident D．action
12.A．imaginary B．kind C ．gentle D．warm
13.A．filled with B．pleased with C．crowded with D．equipped with
14.A．world B．feeling C．possession D．love
15.A．expensive B．precious C．comfortable D．interesting
