Last Christmas was a very difficult time for me. My family and all of my close friends were back home in Florida, and I was all alone in a rather cold California. I was working too many hours and became very sick.
I was working a double shift at the Southwest Airlines ticket counter, it was about 9:00 PM on Christmas Eve, and I was feeling really miserable inside. There were a few of us working and very few customers waiting to be helped. When it was time for me to call the next person to the counter, I looked out to see the sweetest-looking old man standing with a cane. He walked very slowly over to the counter and in the faintest voice told me that he had to go to New Orleans. I tried to explain to him that there were no more flights that night and that he would have to go in the morning. He looked so confused and very worried. I tried to find out more information by asking if he had a reservation or if he remembered when he was supposed to travel, but he seemed to become more confused with each question. He just kept saying, “She said I have to go to New Orleans.”
After much time, I was able to at least find out that this old man had been dropped off at the curb on Christmas Eve by his sister-in-law and told to go to New Orleans, where he had family. She had given him some cash and told him just to go inside and buy a ticket. When I asked if he could come back tomorrow, he said that she was gone and that he had no place to stay. He then said he would wait at the airport until tomorrow. Naturally, I felt a little ashamed. Here I was feeling very sorry for myself about being alone on Christmas, when this angel named Clarence MacDonald was sent to me to remind me of what being alone really meant. It broke my heart.
Immediately, I told him we would get it all straightened out, and our Customer Service agent helped to book him a seat for the earliest flight the next morning. We gave him the senior citizen’s fare, which gave him some extra money for travelling. About this time he started to look very tired, and when I stepped around the counter to ask him if he was all right, I saw that his leg was wrapped in a bandage. He had been standing on it that whole time, holding a plastic bag full of clothes.
I called for a wheelchair. When the wheelchair came, we all stepped around to help him in, and I noticed a small amount of blood on his bandage. I asked how he hurt his leg, and he said that he had just had bypass surgery and an artery was taken from his leg. Can you imagine? This man had had heart surgery, and then shortly afterward, was dropped off at the curb to buy a ticket with no reservation to fly to New Orleans, alone!
I never really had a situation like this, and I wasn’t sure what I could do. I went back to ask my supervisors if we could find a place for him to stay. They both said yes, and they obtained a hotel voucher for Mr. MacDonald for one night and a meal ticket for dinner and breakfast. When I came back out, we got his plastic bag of clothes and cane together and gave the porter a tip to take him downstairs to wait for the airport shuttle. I bent down to explain the hotel, food and itinerary (行程) again to Mr. MacDonald, and then patted him on the arm and told him everything would be just fine.
As he left he said, “Thank you,” bent his head and started to cry. I cried too. When I went back to thank my supervisor, she just smiled and said, “I love stories like that. He is your Christmas Man.”
1.Last Christmas the writer had a miserable time because ______.
A．there were more customers than usual waiting to be helped
B．it was freezing cold in California at Christmas time
C．she was working all alone at the ticket counter
D．she was far away from her family and friends
2.The writer’s first impression of the old man was that he was ______.
A．gentle-looking and weak B．tired out and worried
C．confused and very sick D．sad and anxious
3.The old man wanted to fly to New Orleans to ______.
A．see his friends there
B．spend the Christmas with his family
C．visit his sister-in-law
D．undergo heart surgery
4.On hearing the old man say that he would wait at the airport the whole night, the writer felt a bit ashamed. This is because ______.
A．she felt sorry that she couldn’t do the old man a favor
B．she realized that someone was even more miserable than she felt
C．it took her a long time to find out how helpless the old man was
D．the old man was like an angel in the writer’s eyes
5.The writer called for a wheelchair for the old man because ______.
A．the old man had broken his leg when he was dropped off at the curb
B．the old man could spend the whole night on it at the airport
C．the old man was carrying a whole lot of clothes
D．the old man had had surgery just before and was very weak by then
6. By calling the old man the writer’s Christmas Man, the writer’s supervisor implied that ______.
A．the old man had told the writer a love story on Christmas
B．the old man had caused a lot of trouble for the writer on Christmas
C．the old man was the best gift the writer could have received on Christmas
D．the old man was the only customer the writer had served on Christmas
Last week Adele's second album, 21, sold 257,000 copies in the UK, a sales figure that would look incredible as an opening sales week for any album by any global superstar. The fact that the album was celebrating its 10th week at No.1, and that each of the previous nine weeks it had sold over 100,000 copies, makes what Adele has achieved look miraculous. The last female singer to spend that long at No.1 in the UK was Madonna in 1990 with her greatest hits compilation, The Immaculate Collection.
For Adele, the success of 21 is part of a perfect storm of talent, timing and a connection that went beyond gender, age and credibility. But what does it say about the state of the music industry? Does Adele's success signal a return to the MOR(适合大众口味的音乐) musical depression, when the likes of James Blunt dominated the charts? Her success may well lead to a great many similar acts aiming for an MOR audience, but that's more the fault of an industry desperate to recreate any kind of success by creating poor copies until the world shouts "stop now".
What seems to have set Adele apart is her apparent ordinariness, besides that incredible voice. While Gaga parades around in a dress made of meat and Beyonce orbits a world out of touch to the majority of most human beings, Adele's chain-smoking, girl-you'd-like-to-go-to-the-pub-with persona stands out. Even for a British act, her ordinariness goes against trend, with fellow Jessie J adopting a very American habit of over-emoting, talking about a "journey" and making the idea of being a pop star seem fairly difficult.
It's this universality and broad appeal that's helped her translate talent into sales. While the first single from 21, Rolling in the Deep, appealed to Radio 1 listeners and bloggers, the second single, Someone Like You, is so successful that silenced the grand O2 Arena during this year's Brit Awards. The press can write pages and pages in that there's enough of a connection of musicians – Rick Rubin worked on the album, there's a cover of the Cure, Mumford & Sons were an influence – while the gossip magazines have been excited by the fact that the album is one long break-up record, eager to find the ex.
In 1990, Madonna was a global superstar with a back catalogue of era-defining hits to her name. She was untouchable and, tellingly, unknowable. She was (and still is) a megastar, but a megastar of a different age. These days, we want to know a bit more about our artists; that they have relationship problems, walk their dog. Her selling point and appeal is precisely the fact that she exists at the point between everyday ordinariness and pop star.
For now, Adele's success should be celebrated, especially for becoming an unlikely global star on her own terms. The danger is that we're headed for a lot of fairly boring pop, a situation that led to the "birth" of Gaga a few years back. Pop goes in cycles and it feels like we're headed back towards the very middle of MOR.
1.Adele’s achievement seems unbelievable for the reason that ____________.
A．the sales of her second album achieved an incredible success last week in the UK
B．her second album ranked first in a row with the incredible average sales per week
C．Madonna was the last female singer in the UK to stay at No. 1 as long as she did
D．she is such an ordinary singer with so fascinating a voice in the music industry
2.According to the author, the success of Adele’s second album __________________.
A．to a large extent depends on her apparent talent for music
B．is because of her extraordinariness and the wonderful voice
C．lies in gift, timing and something beyond sex, age and trust
D．is largely due to the state of the music industry currently
3.Compared with other female pop stars, what does the author think of Adele?
A．She stands out in a totally different way from Gaga and Beyonce.
B．She and Madonna are contemporary megastars in music.
C．Only she and Madonna spent that long at No.1 in the UK.
D．Jessie J and she both have an American habit of expressing themselves.
4.What helped Adele successfully turned her gift of singing into sales?
A．Her musical talent.
B．The joint work of musicians in the album.
C．Her incredible voice.
D．Her universality and broad appeal.
5.The author thinks that the current musical trend in the UK is _______________.
A．satisfying B．disappointing C．dangerous D．desperate
Suleman Dawood
S c h o o l o f B u s i n e s s
“Become a part of the community dedicated to excellence and knowledge creation.”
Lahore University of Management Science is a premier institution known for its academic excellence. It offers a diverse range of undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs in the areas of management, computer science, computer engineering, economics, law and social science.
Suleman Dawood School of Business (SDSB) of the University is recognized as one of the most prestigious(有声望的)business schools in the region. SDSB offers programs at the graduate (MBA, EMBA) and the undergraduate (BSc Accounting and Finance) levels and also offers executive education. The school is now ready to launch a world-class PhD programme.
Faculty (全体员工) Positions Subject Areas
Why Join LUMS
Applicants should forward their letter of interest and detailed curriculum vitae（个人简历） with a passport size photograph to the following address:
Convenor, SDSB Faculty Search Committee
Suleman Dawood School of Business
Lahore University of Management Science, Opposite Sector U, D.H.A. Lahore, Pakistan
Email: sdsbfacultyjobs@lums.edu.pk URL:www.lums.edu.pk
1.From the text, we can learn that .
A．SDSB is one of the schools in LUMS
B．SDSB is known for its academic excellence
C．LUMS is one of the most famous business schools in the region
D．SDSB offers a diverse range of programs in the areas of management
2. Why does SDSB need faculty members?
A．The school needs state-of-art teaching and research facilities.
B．The faculty is recruited from the finest universities of the world.
C．The school is making an expansion thanks to some major sponsorship.
D．The school needs permanent and visiting faculty positions.
3.If you joined LUMS, you would .
A．study supply chain management
B．have high quality teacher intake
C．get a PhD from a well-known university
D．have the opportunity for professional growth and development
4.Applicants should provide the information except .
A．a photograph B．a PhD certificate
C．a letter of interest D．detailed curriculum vitae
5. What type of article do you think this text is?
A．A novel. B．A poem. C．An advertisement. D．A play.
What Is a Boy?
Between the innocence of babyhood and the seriousness of manhood we find a delightful creature called a “boy”. Boys come in different sizes, weights, and colors, but all boys have the same belief: to enjoy every second of every minute of every hour of every day and to fill the air with noise until the adult males pack them off to bed at night．
Boys are found everywhere—on top of, under, inside of, climbing on, swinging from, running around, or jumping to. Mothers spoil them, little girls hate them, older sisters and brothers love them, and God protects them. A boy is TRUTH with dirt on its face, BEAUTY with a cut on its finger, WISDOM with chocolate in its hair, and the HOPE of the future with a snake in its pocket．
When you are busy, a boy is a trouble-maker and a noise. When you want him to make a good impression, his brain turns to jelly or else he becomes a wild creature bent on destroying the world and himself with it.
A boy is a mixture – he has the stomach of a horse, the digestion of stones and sand, the energy of an atomic bomb, the curiosity of a cat, the imagination of a superman, the shyness of a sweet girl, the brave nature of a bull, the violence of a firecracker, but when you ask him to make something, he has five thumbs on each hand.
He likes ice cream, knives, saws, Christmas, comic books, woods, water (in its natural habitat), large animals, Dad, trains, Saturday mornings, and fire engines． He is not much for Sunday schools, company, schools, books without pictures, music lessons, neckties, barbers, girls, overcoats, adults, or bedtime.
Nobody else is so early to rise, or so late to supper. Nobody else gets so much fun out of trees, dogs, and breezes. Nobody else can put into one pocket a rusty knife, a half eaten apple, a three-feet rope, six cents and some unknown things.
A boy is a magical creature—he is your headache but when you come home at night with only destroyed pieces of your hopes and dreams, he can mend them like new with two magic words, “Hi, Dad!”
1.The whole passage is in a tone of _________．
A．ambition and expectation B．respect and harmony
C．humor and affection D．confidence and imagination
2.By saying “he has five thumbs on each hand.”, the author means .
A．he has altogether five fingers B．he is slow, foolish and clumsy
C．he becomes clever and smart D．he cuts his hand with a knife
3.According to the writer, boys appreciate everything in the following except _________．
A．ice cream B．comic books
C．Saturday mornings D．Sunday schools
4.What does the writer feel about boys?
A．He feels curious about their noise．
B．He is fed up with these creatures．
C．He is amazed by their naughtiness．
D．He feels unsafe staying with them．
完形填空（共20小题；每小题1分，满分20分）
On the day before the bass（鲈鱼）season opened, he and his father were fishing early in the evening.
When his pole 1 he knew something huge was on the other end. His father watched with 2 as the boy skillfully worked the fish alongside the dock. 3 , he very cautiously lifted the 4 fish from the water. It was the largest one he had ever seen, 5 it was a bass.
The boy and his father looked at the handsome fish, gills（鱼鳃）playing back and forth in the moonlight. The father 6 a match and looked at his watch. It was 10 P.M.——two hours 7 the season opened. He looked at the fish, then at the boy. “You’ll have to put it back, son,” he said.
“Dad！” 8 the boy.
“There will be other fish,” said his father.
“Not as big as this one,” cried the boy again.
He looked around the lake. No other fishermen or boats were anywhere 9 in the moonlight. He looked again at his father. 10 no one had seen them, nor could anyone ever know what time he caught the fish, the boy could 11 from his father’s voice that the decision was not changed. He slowly 12 the hook out of the lip of the huge bass and lowered it into the 13 water. The boy suspected that he would never again see such a great fish.
That was 34 years ago. Today, the boy is a successful architect in New York City. And he was 14 . He has never again caught such a magnificent fish as the one he caught that night long ago. But he does see that same fish—— again and again——every time he 15 a question of ethics(道德).
For his father taught him, ethics are simple 16 of right and wrong. It is only the 17 of ethics that is difficult. Do we do right when no one is looking？We would if we were taught to put the fish back when we were young. For we would have learned the 18 . The decision to do right lives fresh and fragrant in our 19 . It is a 20 we will proudly tell our friends and grandchildren.
1. A．broke down B．bent over C．turned up D．turned out
2. A．desire B．fear C．admiration D．love
3. A．In the beginning B．Finally C．Besides D．All in all
4. A．delighted B．frustrated C．frightened D．exhausted
5. A．but B．however C．and D．while
6. A．won B．beat C．struck D．picked
7. A．after B．until C．when D．before
8. A．yelled B．shouted C．said D．cried
9. A．around B．front C．back D．right
10. A．Ever since B．Even though C．In case D．Now that
11. A．say B．speak C．talk D．tell
12. A．worked B．loosed C．looked D．attached
13. A．shallow B．black C．low D．white
14. A．content B．wrong C．right D．pleased
15. A．come up with B．gets on with C．meets with D．catches us with
16. A．matters B．events C．questions D．things
17. A．meaning B．understanding C．practice D．point
18. A．fact B．truth C．faith D．incident
19. A．mind B．heart C．memory D．brain
20. A．lesson B．story C．concept D．standard
–Putting on a happy face not only helps to make friends, but also makes us feel better.
–_______________.
A．I’d love to B．I’m with you on that
C．It’s up to you D．It’s my pleasure
