In business, there is a speed difference: It's the difference between how important a firms leaders say speed is to their competitive (竞争的) strategy（策略）and how fast the company actually moves. The difference is important regardless of industry and company size .Companies fearful of losing their competitive advantage spend much time and money looking for ways to pick up the speed.
In our study of 343 businesses, the companies that choose to go, go, go to try to gain an edge ended up with lower sales and operating incomes than those that paused at key moments to make sure they were on the right track, What’s more, the firms that “slowed down to speed up “improved their top and bottom lines, averaging 40% higher sales and 52% higher operating incomes over a three-year period.
How did they disobey the laws of business physics, taking more time than competitors yet performing better? They thought differently about what “slower” and “faster” mean. Firms sometimes fail to understand the difference between operation speed (moving quickly )and strategic speed (reducing the time it takes to deliver value ).Simply increasing the speed of production, for example ,may be one way to try to reduce the speed difference .But that often leads to reduced value over time, in the form of lower-quality products and services.
In our study, higher-performing companies with strategic speed always made changes when necessary. They became more open to ideas and discussion. They encouraged new ways of thinking. And they allowed time to look back and learn. By contrast (相比而言), performance suffered at firms that moved fast all the time, paid too much attention to improving efficiency, stuck to tested methods, didn’t develop team spirit among their employees, and had little time thinking about changes.
Strategic speed serves as a kind of leadership. Teams that regularly take time to get things right , rather than plough ahead full bore , are more successful in meeting their business goals . That kind of strategy must come from the top.
1. What does the underlined part “gain an edge ”in Paragraph 2 mean ?
A. Increase the speed.
B. Get an advantage.
C. Reach the limit.
D. Set a goal.
2.. The underlined part “the laws of business physics” in Paragraph 3 means ___________.
A. spending more time and performing worse.
B. spending more time and performing better
C. spending less time and performing worse
D. spending less time and performing better
3.What can we learn from the text?
A. how fast a firm moves depends on how big it is.
B. how competitive a firm is depends on what it produces.
C. Firms guided by strategic speed take time to make necessary changes.
D. Firms guided by operational speed take time to develop necessary team spirit.
4.. Which could be the best title for the text?
A. Improve quality? Serve better.
B. Deliver value? Plough ahead.
C. Reduce time? Move faster.
D. Need speed? Slow down.
“Experience may possibly be the best teacher, but it is not a particularly good teacher.” You might think that Winston Churhill or perhaps Mark Twain spoke those words, but they actually come from James March, a professor at Stanford University and a pioneer in the field of organization decision making. For years March( possibly be wisest philosopher of management) has studied how humans think and act, and he continues to do so in his new book The Ambiguities of Experience.
He begins by reminding us of just how firmly we have been sticking to the idea of experiential learning :“Experience is respected；experience is sought；experience is explained.”The problem is that learning from experience involves（涉及）serious complications（复杂化），ones that are part of the nature of experience itself and which March discusses in the body of this book.
In one interesting part of book，for example，he turns a double eye toward the use of stories as the most effective way of experiential learning. He says“The more accurately（精确的）reality is presented，the less understandable the story，and the more understandable the story, the less realistic it is.”
Besides being a broadly knowledgeable researcher. March is also a poet, and his gift shines though in the depth of views he offers and the simple language he uses. Though the book is short, it is demanding；Don’t pick it up looking for quick, easy lessons. Rather, be ready to think deeply about learning from experience in work and life.
1.
According to the text, James March is ____________.
A. a poet who uses experience in his writing
B. a teacher who teachers story writing in university
C. a researcher who studies the way humans think and act
D. a professor who helps organizations make important decisions
2.
According to James March, experience ______________.
A. is overvalued B. is easy to explain
C. should be actively sought
3.
What can we learn from Paragraph 3?
A. Experience makes stories more accurate.
B. Stories made interesting fail to fully present the truth.
C. The use of stories is the best way of experiential learning.
D. Stories are easier to understand when reality is more accurately described.
4.
What’s the purpose of this text?
A. To introduce a book. B. To describe a researcher.
C. To explain experiential learning. D. To discuss organizational decision making.
The pound new Library of Birmingham（LoB）will be the most visible sign of the way the city is accepting the digitalization（数字化）of everyday life.
Set to open in 2013, the £188m LoB is already beginning to tale shape next to the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, with which it will share some equipment.
As digital media（媒介）is important to its idea. the project is already providing chances for some of the many small new local companies working at the new technologies.
Brian Gambles, the LoB project director, says it is about giving people the right tools for learning,“The aim is to mix the physical with the digital. Providing 24-hour services which can be used through many different ways. It is important to enable us to reach more people, more effectively.”
The digital library will, he says, be as important as the physical one, allowing the distant use of the services, making sure that it is never closed to the public.
Even before the LoB is complete, the public has been able to go online to visit the Virtual（虚拟的）LoB, designed by Baden, the Birmingham virtual worlds specialists. Not only have the public been able to learn about LoB, but the virtual one has also enabled those working on the LoB to understand the building and how it will work before it even opens.
Two other small Birmingham-based digital companies are working on the LoB projects. Substrat, a digital design company, is developing what it calls “enlarge reality” project. It is about the use of an exciting smart phone, an important part of the LoB which is in the early stages of development is an online library of figures of the city being built by a digital content company in Cahoots, in which users will be encouraged to add to and comment on the material.
Gambles says: “Technology will enable us to make the library’s content and services open to citizens as sever before.”
1.
The underline part “its idea” in Paragraph 3 refers to the idea of____
A. the equipment B. the project
C. the digital media D. the physical library
2.
While visiting the Virtual LoB, the public can_____
A. get a general idea of the LoB
B. meet many world-famous experts
C. learn how to put up a library building
D. understand how the specialists work on the project
3.
Which of the following is true of the LoB when it opens?
|
a. It offers better learning tools b. It reaches users in different ways c. It provides users with smart phone d. It allows users to enrich its material e. It gives non-stop physical and digital services |
A. a, b, d B. a, c, e C. b, c, d D. b, d, e
4.
This text is most probably taken from .
A. a put book B. a library guide
C. a handbook D. a newspaper report
Exploit your parking space
An unused parking space or garage can make money. If you live near a city center or an airport, you could make anything up to £200 or £300 a week. Put an advertisement（广告）for free on Letpark or Atmyhousepark.
Rent（出租）a room
Spare room? Not only will a lodger（房客）earn you an income, but also, thanks to the government-backed “rent a room” program, you won’t have to pay any tax on the first £4500 you make per year. Try advertising your room on Roomspare or Roommateeasy.
Make money during special events
Won’t want a full-time lodger? Then rent on a short-term basis. If you live in the capital, renting a room out during the Olympics or other big events could bring in money, Grashpadder can advertise your space.
Live on set
Renting your home out as a “film set” could earn you hundreds of pounds a day, depending on the film production company and how long your home is needed. A quick search on the Internet will bring up dozens of online companies that allow you to register your home for free—but you will be charged if your home gets picked.
Use your roof
You need the right kind of roof, but some energy companies pay the cost of fixing solar equipment(around￡14,000), and let you use the energy produced for nothing. In return, they get paid for unused energy fed back into the National Grid. However, you have to sign a 25-year agreement with the supplier, which could prevent you from changing the roof.
1.
If you earn ￡5000 from renting a room in one year, the tax you need to pay will be based on ______.
A. ￡800 B. ￡500 C. ￡4500 D.5000
2.
Where can you put an advertisement to rent out a room during a big event?
A. On Letpark. B. On Roomspare.
C. On Grashpadder. D. On Roommateeasy.
3.
If you want to use energy free, you have to_____.
A. sign an agreement with the government
B. pay around ￡14,000 for the equipment
C. sell the roof to some energy companies
D. keep the roof unchanged for within 25 years
4.
For whom the text most probably written?
A. Lodgers. B. Advertisers.
C. House owners. D. Online companies
It’s 5:00 in the morning when the alarm (闹钟) rings in my ears. I roll out of bed and walk blindly through the dark into the bathroom. I turn on the light and put on my glasses. The house is still as I walk downstairs while my husband and three kids sleep peacefully. Usually I go for a long run, but today I choose my favorite exercise DVD insanity. Sweat pours down my face and into my eyes. My heart races as I face my body to finish each movement. As I near the end of the exercise ,I feel extremely tired, but a smile is of my face. It’s not a smile because the DVD is over , but a smile of success from pushing my body to its extreme limit.
Some people enjoy shopping, smoking , food, work, or even chocolate. But I need exercise to get through each day. Some shake heads when they see me run through the town. Others get hurt when I refuse to try just one bite of their grandmother’s chocolate cake. They raise their eyebrows, surprised by my “no thank you,” or by my choice to have a salad. Over the years , I have learned it’s okay to just say “no.” I shouldn’t feel sorry for refusing food that I don’t want to eat.
So what drives me to roll out of bed at 5:00 a.m.? What gives me the reason to just say to ice cream? Commitment. A commitment to change my life with a way that reduces daily anxiety, increases self –confidence and energy, extends life and above all improve my body shape. This is the point where a smile appears on my face as I look at myself in the mirror or try on my favorite pair of jeans that now fit just right. It’s through commitment and sweat that I can make a difference within myself inside and out.
1.
Why is there a smile on the author’s face in the morning?
A. Because she sees her family sleeping peacefully.
B. Because she finishes her favorite exercise
C. Because she enjoys the interesting DVD
D. Because she feels a sense of achievement
2.
Which of the following is true according to Paragraph 2?
A. She doesn’t treat others politely
B. She likes to make others surprised
C. Others don’t understand what she does
D. Others try to help her by offering her food
3.
What does the underlined word “commitment” in the last paragraph mean?
A. Good health B. Firm belief C.A strong power D.A regular half
4.
What can we learn about the author from the text?
A. She acts in a strange way
B. She wants to look different from others
C. She aims to develop a good body shape
D. She has difficult getting along with others
I truly feel that my mother led me here, to Morzaine, and to my future as a happy wife and business woman. When Mum 21 in October 2007,I was a cook. In December that year, while I was working for a wedding, a pearl necklace Mum had left me 22 .I was distraught（忧心如焚的）. Some days later, I was 23 that a guy who was working with us that day. “could probably have made a fortune 24 the necklace he found.” 25 .he returned it. Hearing how I’d 26 Mum for six months before her death, he said, “Christmas is going to be 27 —why not go out to the Alps for a couple of weeks?”
I come to Morzaine ,a small ,friendly village in the Alps and___28_ fell in love with it .What was __29__to be a stopgap (权宜之计) trip turned into a new life .I kept travelling between London and here and felt _30__than I had in months .In December 2008 , I was __31_as a hotel manager and moved here full time .
A month later, I met Paul, who was traveling here. We fell in love. In the beginning , I didn’t want to discuss___32__, because the sadness of losing Mum__33__felt great. Paul understood that and never___34__me but, by summer, we got married. A year later, we used his saving, and the money from the sale of Mom’s house, to build our own ___35__.
We want to give our guests a ___36__ feel, so each room is themed(以……为题) around memories from our lives. There are also styles to remind me of Mom ---- a tiny chair which ___37___ be in her bedroom is set in one room.
We are having a wonderful life Mum ___38___ naturally part of it, _39___ there’s no way we would be here if it wasn’t for the __40__ she gave me. I know she’s here in spirit, keeping an eye on us .
1.
A.died B. came C. returned D. visited
2.
A. burned B. disappeared C . broke D. dropped
3.
A.shown B. comforted C. persuaded D. told
4.
A. hiding B. stealing C. selling D. wearing
5.
A.Luckily B. Naturally C. Surely D. Hopefully
6.
A.nursed B. cured C. missed D. guarded
7.
A.long B. hard C. merry D. free
8.
A. suddenly B. finally C. nearly D. immediately
9.
A.said B. proved C. supposed D. judged
10.
A.smarter B. higher C. firmer D. lighter
11.
A.honored B. hired C. regarded D .trained
12.
A. travel B. business C. children D. marriage
13.
A.recently B. once C. still D. first
14.
A.left B. pushed C. surprised D. interrupted
15.
A.hotel B. restaurant C. home D. shop
16.
A.homely B. lively C. motherly D. friendly
17.
A.ought to B. used to C. might D. could
18.
A. takes B. keeps C. looks D. feels
19.
A. unless B. while C. because D. though
20.
A. money B. chair C. house D. necklace
