I had my first job at a local diner called the Buttercup Bakery when I was 22. I worked there for seven years and learned so many lessons, especially from a fellow waitress Helen who had incredible self-respect and did what she loved—serving people. She made everyone smile and feel good, customers and co-workers alike.
Being a waitress changed my life. One of my regular customers was Fred Hasbrook, an electronics salesman. Thanks to the newfound confidence I picked up from Helen, I dreamed of having my own restaurant. But when I called my parents to ask for a loan, they said, “We just don’t have the money.”
The next day, I shared my dream with him and said, “Fred, I know I can do more if somebody would just have faith in me.”
He walked over to some of the other diner regulars and the next day handed me checks totaling $50,000—along with a note that I have to this day. It reads, “The only collateral（担保）on this loan is my trust in your honesty as a person. Good people with a dream should have the opportunity to make that dream come true.”
I took the checks to Merrill Lynch—the first time I had ever entered a brokerage（经纪业）house—where the money was invested for me. I continued working at the Buttercup, making plans for the restaurant I would open. My investments soured, though, and I lost the money.
After great deliberation（考虑） I decided to apply for a job at Merrill Lynch. Even though I had no experience, I was hired and ended up becoming a pretty good broker. Eventually I paid back Fred and my customers the $50,000, plus 14-percent annual interest. Five years later, I was able to open my own firm.
I got a thank-you note from Fred, which will be imprinted on my head forever. He had been sick and wrote that my check had helped cover his mounting medical bills. His letter read, “That loan may have been one of the best investments that I will ever make.”
1. According to the passage, the author thought ______.
A. Helen was full of complaint about her work
B. it was easy for Helen to make everyone happy and comfortable
C. she was lucky to have a job working with Helen
D. it was not acceptable to live in such a bad condition
2.By saying that “Being a waitress changed my life.” the author means that ______.
A. the author got a high pay by working hard
B. the author borrowed $50,000 with no interest from Fred Hasbrook
C. the effort which she had made influenced her a lot
D. the experience working as a waitress was worthwhile for the author
3. Which of the following statements is not true of Fred Hasbrook?
A. Fred Hasbrook was one of the author’s regular customers.
B. Fred Hasbrook lent the author $50,000, together with other customers.
C. Fred Hasbrook’s self-respect had a great effect on the author.
D. Fred Hasbrook’s himself did not have much money.
4.What made the author’s customers lend her money according to the passage?
A. Her maturity. B. Her honesty. C. Her faith. D. Her success.
Have you ever noticed what happens to an idea once you express it? Just talking about it or writing it down causes you to make it clear in your own mind. How can you use this to increase your brain power? Start writing.
By putting thoughts into words, you are telling yourself the logic (逻辑) behind what you think, feel, or only partly understand. Often, explaining a thought is the process of understanding. In other words, you increase your brain power by exercising your “explain power.”
Try this experiment. Explain how you’ll increase your brain power, even if you have no idea right now. Just start with anything, and create an explanation. For example, start with “I’ll learn chess,” or “I’ll read an article on the mind every week.” Explain how that will help. You’ll be surprised how often this becomes a workable plan, and if you actually do this, you’ll have a better understanding of your brain from now.
Another benefit of writing is that it helps you remember. Many, if not most, highly productive people are always taking notes. You can try keeping it all in your head, but if you keep a journal of your ideas the next time you’re working on a big project, you’ll probably have more success.
Want to understand a topic? Write a book about it. That’s an extreme example, but if you are learning something new, write a letter to a friend about it, and you will understand it better. Want to invent something? Write an explanation of the problem, why you want to solve it, and why it is worth solving, and you’re half-way there.
Writers don’t always write because they clearly understand something beforehand. Often, they write about something because they want to understand it. You can do the same. Writing will help bring you to an understanding. Give it a try.
1.What would be the best title for the text?
A. A Way on How to Write.
B. Increase Your Brain Power through Writing.
C. Brain Power Helps Improve Your Writing.
D. How to Start Your Writing.
2.According to the text, writing can help you a lot in the following ways EXCEPT ______.
A. the increase of your brain power
B. the ability to remember
C. the development of your interest in study
D. the better understanding of a topic
3. If a writer writes something, it means that he or she ______.
A. has understood it very well
B. needs to understand it better
C. wants to remember it in his or her mind
D. is exercising his or her “explain power”
4.The underlined sentence “you’re half-way there” in the fifth paragraph implies
that ______.
A. you are already successful
B. you still need to work hard
C. writing can help you walk half way
D. writing is important to solve problems
5. What’s the main purpose of the writer writing the text?
A. To advise readers to start their writing.
B. To explain the importance of writing.
C. To persuade readers to become writers.
D. To increase readers’ brain power.
When is the right time to get kids involved in teamwork and what does it mean to be part of a team? There are many great ways to introduce kids to team building. Use team building games and activities to get kids to understand the meaning of being in a team.
Try to find some games that have kids work together on some kind of problem solving. Children naturally have a shorter attention span (一段时间) than adults so present it in a funny way. Create a reward system for teams that are able to work together in order to reach a common goal. When they solve the problem and receive a reward, it gives them initiative to keep working hard and cooperating with others. The best games are those that require direct communication between team members.
Organize a game of 20 questions for the kids to play while building a team. Draw up a series of cards with different questions on each. Have each child select a card and then ask another question on it casually. It’s a great way for the kids to share and discover common interests. Kids need to be entertained and social when in a large group. This will lighten the mood greatly and help the quieter team members to come out of their shells.
Have the kids sit in a circle or around a table and share their favorite things. Start with something like movies or books and move on to anything from toys to animals. Sharing interests creates discussion. When you share interests with someone, it is easier to relate to them. Kids finally want to be friends with most other kids. Encouraging them to get along socially is always positive. By sharing interests they can form valuable bonds that will serve them as both individuals and as a team.
1.What’s the main idea of the passage?
A. How to be active in a game.
B. How to share common interests with others.
C. A game for the kids to play
D. Ways to get kids to understand the meaning of being a team.
2.Which of the following is TRUE?
A. Children have a shorter attention span than adults.
B. The game of 20 questions requires kids to answer questions in turn.
The best team game is having the kids sit in a circle.
A reward is the most important part in team activities.
3.Who is the passage meant for?
A. Teenagers. B. Parents. C. Teachers. D. Managers.
There are many famous writers in the English world, among whom Jane Austen (1775—1817) has been popular with all ages. But then Jane Austen wrote her novels in England, she was writing about a world that most of us would not recognize.
But today Austen’s books are in greater demand than ever. In the last ten years, five of the six novels have been made into Hollywood films, while her books continue to be bestsellers. So why is Austen still popular?
Richard Jenkyns, a professor of English at Oxford University, argues that her novels still appeal to people because they focus on issues that are as relevant today as they were when she wrote them. Her novels are about women trying to find a perfect husband, but also explore issues surrounding marriage, friendship and the family. “The plots are fairly timeless stories about human interaction which are familiar to us,” Jenkyns says.
The most famous book Austen wrote is Pride and Prejudice, a love story between Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy. At first the two characters do not get on. They finally fall in love, but still have to overcome opposition (反对) to their relationship from their families.
All of Austen’s books are easy to read, making them popular with children and adults, but they work on different levels so people can take what they need from them, author Kate Henry says.
Austen is often praised as the greatest romance writer in the English language, so it is surprising she remained unmarried. “Maybe she was too much of a romantic, waiting for a perfect man,” Henry says.
1.Which of the following can NOT explain why Austen is still popular?
A. Her novels are all about love and marriage.
B. Her novels still make sense to today’s people.
C. All her novels are easy to read.
D. Her novels benefit people of different reading levels.
2. The underlined word “relevant” in Paragraph 3 probably means ______.
A. strange B. related C. funny D. unimportant
3.According to Henry, Austen remained unmarried because ______.
A. she was used to the life of being single
B. the perfect man didn’t appears in her life
C. she was too busy to think of marriage
D. she was afraid of marriage
4.Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A. More and more people like reading Austen’s novels.
B. Austen died when she was 42 years old.
C. Pride and Prejudice is a novel about love.
D. Austen is often regarded as the greatest writer in the English language.
In my whole childhood I focused on training to play professional soccer. Through the mid 90’s I 36 through Olympic training and on June 13,1997 I was 37 with a minor league team, when a 16-year-old boy ran a stop sign(闯红灯).That night 38 my life. I was on my motorcycle and got 39 by a car, partly disabling me six months. I lost most of my memory, 40 coma (昏迷)symptom and had to learn to 41 all over. During the coming 24 months of physical treatment I changed my 42 of life.
I began making 43 as if each day was my last day 44. Before the 45 , I was studying at a university. I was taught that the 46 of life was to study career skills and pursue financial 47. After returning from near death I went 48 searching. I traveled through the native reservation of the northern USA and witnessed the most extreme 49. I slowly realized there was so much more to 50 than just doing things for myself. I started listening to the people I met and 51 to help them any way possible.
Everywhere I stayed I met 52 people telling me stories about 53 the earth and making better use of nature’s energy. In 2005 my father quickly died from cancer and I 54 the desire to do much of anything for myself. I started looking for well-off people to aid those 55. I’ve accumulated a list of people nearing life threatening situations or those trying to make a major effect on the world and now I try to help them full time.
1.A. advanced B. fought C. looked D. won
2.A. playing B. working C. competing D. coming
3.A. corrected B. influenced C. destroyed D. changed
4.A. run B. hit C. knocked D. stuck
5.A. spread B. caught C. showed D. suffered
6.A. walk B. talk C. eat D. drive
7.A. duty B. view C. course D. dream
8.A. decisions B. discoveries C. promises D. studies
9.A. possible B. available C. present D. alive
10.A. event B. experience C. difficulty D. disaster
11.A. reality B. value C. purpose D. content
12.A. balance B. situation C. stability D. expense
13.A. head B. spirit C. heart D. soul
14.A. poverty B. anxiety C. anger D. simplicity
15.A. nature B. society C. life D. happiness
16.A. refused B. volunteered C. tended D. learned
17.A. wonderful B. famous C. wealthy D. cautious
18.A. developing B. exploring C. respecting D. understanding
19.A. realized B. controlled C. gained D. lost
20.A. in despair B. in need C. in touch D. in season
— The window must have taken you quite a lot of time that day.
— Right. They____ for weeks.
A. haven’t been cleaned B. hadn’t been cleaned
C. didn’t clean D. haven’t cleaned
