Cameron thought of himself as merely organized. He certainly did not consider that he took great pains over anything, he did just enough to get it right. Exactly right, of course, for as he was fond of telling his staff, "if it's not exactly right, it's wrong". Occasionally a worker might be sad on hearing these words, because it meant another hour or so of going over the same bit of work, correcting the mistakes which Cameron had patiently pointed out. And doing the corrections exactly right of course.
Strangely enough, his department had the reputation for performing the highest quality work in the company, and it was seen, and not only by those who worked in the department, as a sort of elite (出类拔萃) unit. Those programmes that had to work first time, straight out of the box, Cameron's men got those. "It's mission (任务) critical—give it to Cameron" was almost a catch-phrase with his team.
It helped that Cameron was not merely particular about things. He wanted things done just so, not because of a personal taste, but because he had discovered through patient experimentation that this was the best way for it to be done.
In Cameron's dictionary, "Take as long as you want" meant that you could work on your task not just in office hours, but that evening, and late into the early hours of the following morning if you so desired. But the project had to be in by its completion date, and yes, done exactly right. Or you did it again.
But he would always be regarded, and not least by himself, as someone who had failed to meet requirements, one of those who just couldn't cut it. You had to face it, if you were not working for Cameron, you were second best. So when word got out that Cameron had messed up, big time, the news was greeted with a mixture of sympathy, and entire relief that this perfection too was human.
1.Cameron was a___________.
A．software programmer B．a chief scientist
C．quality controller D．head of department
2."Mission-critical" work was given to Cameron because___________.
A．Cameron's work was error-free B．Cameron was critical
C．he didn't mind working late D．he had a good team
3.Working for Cameron, people felt that___________.
A．they were part of an elite
B．their mission was critical
C．Cameron was very particular about things
D．Cameron was patient and responsible
4.According to the underlined part in Paragraph 5, what is meant by someone “who couldn't cut it” ?
A．He didn’t cut corners. B．He wasn't good enough.
C．He had the wrong measurements. D．He was a perfection.
5.What can we learn about Cameron?
A．He never got things wrong.
B．He didn’t allow for any mistake.
C．He encouraged work to be done in office hours.
D．He was often misunderstood.
6.The attitude of the author towards Cameron is that of being___________.
A．positive B．sympathetic
C．non-subjective D．optimistic
Lightning flashed through the darkness over Donald Lubeck’s bedroom skylight. The 80-year-old retired worker was shaken by a blast of thunder. It was 11 p.m. The storm had moved directly over his two-story wood home in the rural town of Belchertown, Massachusetts. Then he heard the smoke alarm beeping. Lubeck padded down the stairs barefoot and opened the door to the basement, and flames exploded out.
Lubeck fled back upstairs to call 911 from his bedroom, but the phone didn’t work. Lubeck realized he was trapped. “I started panicking,” he says.
His daughter and young granddaughters, who lived with him, were away for the night. No one will even know I’m home, he thought. His house was three miles off the main road and so well hidden by pines that Lubeck knew calling for help would be fruitless.
Up a hill about a third of a mile away lived Lubeck’s closest neighbors, Jeremie Wentworth and his wife. Wentworth had been lying down, listening to the radio when it occurred to him that the sound was more like a smoke detector. He jumped out of bed, grabbed a cordless phone and a flashlight, and headed down the hillside toward the noise.
He dialed 911. “Is anyone there?” he called out as he approached the house. Wentworth knew that Lubeck lived in the house.
Then he heard, “Help me! I’m trapped!” coming from the balcony off Lubeck’s bedroom.
“I ran in and yelled,‘Don, where are you?’ Then I had to run outside to catch my breath.”
After one more attempt inside the house, he gave up and circled around back. But there was no way to get to him. “I shined the flashlight into the woods next to an old shed and noticed a ladder,” says Wentworth. He dragged it over to the balcony and pulled Lubeck down just as the second floor of the house collapsed.
Wentworth and Lubeck don’t run into each other regularly, but Lubeck now knows that if he ever needs help, Wentworth will be there.
Lubeck still chokes up when he tells the story. “I was alone,” he says. “Then I heard the most beautiful sound in my life. It was Jeremie.”
1.According to the text, Lubeck___________.
A．stayed calm in the fire B．couldn’t find a safe way out
C．lived on the first floor D．called for help in the fire
2.How did Wentworth help Lubeck escape?
A．He called 911.
B．He went upstairs and took Lubeck out.
C．He put out the fire.
D．He used a ladder and pulled Lubeck down.
3.Which of the following factors was not mentioned in the text that almost cost Lubeck’s life?
A．He was living in his wood home alone that night.
B．The storm was too heavy and the fire was too fierce.
C．He lived far from the main road and was surrounded by pines.
D．He was too frightened to escape from the danger.
4.What does the text mainly talk about?
A．A near neighbour is better than a distant cousin.
B．A good way to get a narrow escape.
C．God helps those who help themselves.
D．Blood is thicker than water.
In modern society, receiving systematic college education seems a necessary way for success as a graduate from first-class university may always get more opportunities than others. However, if it is gold, it will shine one day. In this article, we will get to know three most successful people in U.S. who never finished their college education. Following experiences of these successful dropouts may give you some inspiration.
1. Bill Gates
Harvard’s campus paper “Harvard Crimson” called Bill Gates “Harvard’s most successful dropout,” while the rest of the world preferred to name him “the world’s richest man” for more than a decade. Now, even not on the top, he is still among the list of the world’s wealthiest people.Gates entered Harvard in the fall of 1973. Two years later, he dropped out to found Microsoft with friend Paul Allen. And in 2007, he finally received an honorary doctorate from Harvard.
2. Steve Jobs
The iPad, even Buzz Lightyear probably wouldn’t have existed if Steve Jobs stayed in school. Because his family couldn’t afford his college education, Jobs had to drop out of Reed College just after entering for 6 months. Then he found Apple, NeXT Computer and Pixar, which had made great influences on development of modern technique and culture. However, this wizard thought that his brief college education was not worthless.
3. Frank Lloyd Wright
As the America’s most celebrated architect, Wright spent more time on designing colleges rather than attending classes in them. Once spent one year in the University of Wisconsin-Madison, then he left for Chicago and started to learn from Louis Sullivan, the “father of modernism." Wright’ s splendid resume included more than 500 works, most famous of which are Fallingwater and New York City's Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.
1.What does“dropouts”in Paragraph One mean?
A．Hardworking students.
B．Very successful students.
C．Students failing to finish their school education.
D．Students from poor families.
2.Which of the following is right according to Paragraph One?
A．People graduating from famous universities are more likely to get jobs.
B．Many successful people had the experience of giving up their school education.
C．If one has a lot of gold, he will become very rich one day.
D．We should stop our college education to follow in those successful people’s steps.
3.According to the writer, Bill Gates _________.
A．is richer than any other man in the world
B．is well-known in Harvard University
C．finally finished his study at Harvard and got a doctorate degree
D．is the only founder of Microsoft
4.Which of the following statements can’t be learned from the last two paragraphs?
A．The reason for Jobs’ dropping his college education is that his parents couldn’t pay for it.
B．Jobs thought his six-month college education gave him no help.
C．Wright’s teacher was a very famous artist.
D．Wright is the designer of New York City’s Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.
5.What does the author want to tell us in this passage?
A．Successful people often have unordinary life experience.
B．College education is not so important to one’s success.
C．People from poor families are more likely to give up their college education.
D．Even without college education, one can still achieve success with one’s hard work.
My First Job
Jay Leno is a very famous TV host in NBC．He started his talk show titled The Jay Lena Show in September 2009．It was a very popular TV programm in America．Here is the story of his first job．
I gained a very strong work concept from my parents, both of whom lived through a hard period of time-the Great Depression （大萧条）．They couldn't ___36___ people who didn't work regularly．I once told my mom that Sylvester Stallone was getting $12 million for ten weeks of work．"What's he going to do the rest of the _37__?" she asked．
I took my first job at Wilmington Ford near my homerown of Andover, Massachusetts, when I was 16．I worked until five or six o'clock on school days and __38____ 12-hour days during the summer as a prepper（擦洗汽车的小工）．This meant washing and polishing the new cars, and making sure the paper floor mats were in __39__．Another responsibility was taking off the hubcaps (车轮毂盖） at night, so they wouldn't get stolen, and 40 them the next day．This was 41 work because we had about seven acres of 42 One day, carrying an armful of hubcaps 43 a corner, I almost __44__ our new general manager．Scared, I dropped them all．He __45 me on the spot．
I was too ashamed to tell my parents．Every day for about two weeks, I stayed __46 until evening．Then I would go home and say I had a ．__47___ day at work．
Trying to make a last 48 , I wrote a letter to Henry Ford II and told him what happened．I said that we were a reliable Ford family and that when I was old enough, I was going to buy a Mustang． __49__ the owner of the dealership(经营店） called．"I don't know who you know in Detroit．" he said．"but if you want your job back, you've 50 it.”
Later, during college, I wanted to work at a Roils-Royce dealership, but the owner said there were no openings．So 1 started washing cars there anyway．When the ___51__ noticed me, I said I was working until he _52__ me．He did．And the second day, I started to work there as a sales clerk．
It 53 persistence (坚持） to succeed．Attitude 54_ matters．I have never thought I was better than anyone else, but I have always believed I couldn't be _ 55 ．
1. A．see B．know C．understand D．love
2. A．day B．month C．week D．year
3. A．put in B．took up C．gave out D．stuck to
4. A．place B．need C．shape D．fashion
5. A．changing B．selling C．replacing D．cleaning
6. A．hard B．normal C．regular D．plain
7. A．mats B．cars C．areas D．floors
8. A．at B．in C．beyond D．around
9. A．broke into B．looked across C．crashed into D．came across
10. A．fired B．left C．punished D．forgot
11. A．calm B．busy C．still D．alone
12. A．stressful B．relaxing C．bad D．great
13. A．effort B．change C．dialogue D．decision
14. A．Gradually B．Eventually C．Temporarily D．Hopefully
15. A．reached B．passed C．got D．caught
16. A．prepper B．owner C．clerk D．customer
17. A．helped B．tired C．hired D．called
18. A．makes B．shows C．carries D．takes
19. A．also B．even C．never D．ever
20. A．followed B．scolded C．defeated D．interrupted
If we a full preparation, the meeting wouldn't have been so successful．
A．haven't made B．wouldn't make
C．didn't make D．hadn’t made
______ early for his date, Mark spent time reading the newspaper．
A．Arriving B．Having arrived
C．Arrived D．To arrive
