It was an international drug dealing case, one that involved a lot of money and a lot of violence. Agents who had entered the organization had worn wires and collected evidence for years. A conviction(法庭判决) depended on an accurate translation of their tape recordings. “Five languages were involved, “says Liz Elting, 44, one of the owners of TransPerfect, the translation company chosen for the job. “The slightest mistake could mean the criminals would go free.”
When Elting started her business 18 years ago with Phil Shawe, both were attending New York University’s Stern School of Business. Neither realized just how many situations would require their services. TransPerfect’s 4,000 linguists(通晓外语的人) cover more than 100 languages.
Getting Ahead with Liz Elting
What inspired you to start TransPerfect?
When I was eight, my dad bought a KFC in Portugal. Unfortunately, the Portuguese didn’t want anything American. They thought my dad was a CIA spy! That taught me how fast things can change. I’ve studied in Spain and worked in Venezuela. This business is the perfect combination of my love for languages, cultures and business.
Is the staff multilingual?
Many are. I speak French and Spanish. My partner, Phil, who is American, likes to say he speaks English on a good day.
What languages are requested most often?
Spanish and Japanese. Chinese, Middle Eastern, Indic(South Asia), and Eastern Europeans are on the rise.
How difficult is it to manage such a diverse workforce（员工团队）?
Our challenge is to be culturally appropriate in every country. When we hand our year-end bonuses in the US, for example, we have to remember that in India, bonuses are given in the fall.
Any advice for someone starting a business?
Get started before you have kids. In the beginning, I didn’t know how to do this business on the side. I wasn’t married, didn’t have kids, and wasn’t concerned about balancing my work and personal life. Now, with strong managers in place, I can spend more time with my family (husband Michael Burlant and sons Zachary, nine and Jacob, seven), traveling and playing baseball.
1.What is the purpose of the first paragraph?
A. To report on an international drug dealing case.
B. To encourage people to start a business before they have kids.
C. To present the importance of learning foreign languages.
D. To introduce Liz Elting and her company TransPerfect.
2.What does the underlined word “wires” mean in the passage?
A. A type of clothes costing a lot of money.
B. A piece of equipment designed to record messages.
C. Thin metal worn to protect yourself against violence.
D. A organization symbol made of thin metal.
3.Neither realized just how many situations would require their services. is ______________.
A. a company that offers international legal services
B. one which has branches in countries all over the world
C. one whose staff all have to speak several languages.
D. a company whose services are in great demand.
4.It can be inferred that _______________.
A. Liz learned that love is the answer to problems of cultural misunderstanding
B. Liz started her company with a schoolmate at the age of 18.
C. The success is simply a little beyond Liz and her partner’s expectations
D. Liz and Phil are now strong managers with rich experience.
Serving only adults, Ramsey House offers you professional hotel standards of accommodation and food service coupled with the friendly, relaxed atmosphere of a high-class non-smoking guest house.
Situated within walking distance of St David’s, the smallest city in Europe, the house stands in its own attractive gardens and has private off-road parking. In the opposite direction, there is easy access to the Pembrokeshire Coast Path, where you can see some of Britain’s most spectacular coastal scenery with its abundant bird life and wild flowers.
We have three double and three twin rooms. Each is individually furnished and decorated to 4-star standard with comfortable beds, central heating, remote control color TV, hair dryers and plenty of mirrors. All the rooms have a modern, well-lit en-suite bathroom with WC, shaver socket and electric shower.
All first-floor rooms have views of either the sea, the Cathedral or open country, and there are three ground-floor rooms with garden views, ideal for guests unable to climb stairs.
Our full Welsh breakfast offers you a great start to the day with homemade bread, cookies and preserves. We can also prepare fresh picnic lunches for your day out walking the Coast Path or on the beaches.
There is comfortable lounge with lots of books and leaflets about Pembrokeshire to help you plan your trips. Weather permitting, guests may enjoy the peace and quiet of our gardens and watch the birds feeding. Drinks are served in both the garden and lounge.
We also have secure bicycle storage, a drying room and light laundry facilities.
Nearby are some of the safest and cleanest beaches in Europe offering a variety of water sports including sailing, surfing, wind-surfing and sea angling. Visitors are welcome at St. David’s City Golf Club and several other Pembrokeshire clubs. We are also conveniently situated for easy access to the bird sanctuary islands of Ramsey, Skomer and Skokholm.
A warm welcome awaits you at Ramsey House all year round. You will find it the ideal touring center in all seasons.
House Owners: Ceri &Elaine Morgan
01437 72021
1.According to the passage, St. David’s is the name of _________________.
A. a Bed & Breakfast hotel B. the Coast Path
C. a Welsh town D. Ramsey House
2.Which of the following is TRUE?
A. Guests may come to this house by car or by bike without parking problems.
B. Guests have to eat their lunches out on the Coast Path or the beaches.
C. Guests staying in the lowest-level rooms have a good view of the sea.
D. On the Coast Path guests can enjoy water sports and play golf.
3.Which of the following tourists may not be interested in this ad?
A. Ana, a wheelchair user, who enjoys holidays by the coast.
B. A married couple with two young children showing interest in Pembrokeshire.
C. Tina, a Ph.D graduate, who attaches great importance to travel safety.
D. Xavier, a bird-watching enthusiast, who knows little about the local area.
As hand-held devices such as smartphones are becoming more common, users are reporting some new physical problems. Florida chiropractor Dean Fishman began noticing an increased number of patients talking about neck and shoulder pain. He discovered these symptoms were due to the overuse of hand-held devices, particularly the action of bending the neck, and then coined the term “Text Neck.” As if the painful symptoms weren’t bad enough, Fishman warns that an untreated case of Text Neck could lead to permanent spinal(脊椎) damage.
Other doctors have warned about “iPad Hand,” a condition that occurs when people use tablets like the iPad for hours at a time. Most people use their left hand to support the tablet and their right hand to tap or scroll. Doing this for long periods without changing positions can result in severe joint pain.
In order to avoid or reduce the possibility of getting Text Neck or iPad Hand, use the following basic ergonomic(人体工学的) principles:
Avoid awkward positioning. Don’t strain your neck, and stay aware of how you are positioned in relation to the device. Make sure that both your neck and shoulders are relaxed and that you aren’t leaning over for a long period of time.
Take frequent breaks when using any kind of mobile device. Many doctors recommend that users change their position every 15 minutes.
When using a tablet, use a case that can support the device on a table or your lap at a comfortable viewing angle.
Along with a case, use a separate keyboard with your tablet. This will be more comfortable since you’ll be resting both hands on the keyboard. And since you won’t be holding the tablet, you’ll be less likely to experience hand or arm pain.
1.What kind of product for hand-held devices does the writer discuss?
A. One for recording. B. One for charging.
C. One for telephoning. D. One for typing.
2.Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined word “coined” (Para1)?
A. cashed B. created C. changed D. completed
3.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. If you are holding an iPad for long periods, it could cause spinal damage.
B. Text Neck symptoms include long-term damage in the back.
C. You are advised to lean over in relation to the device.
D. You should rest your hands on the keyboard at times.
4.In which magazine would you most likely find this article?
A. Personal Finance B. Science Fiction Monthly
C. Mind and Body D. Smartphone World
I entered high school having read hundreds of books. But I was not a good reader. Merely bookish, I lacked a point of view when I read. Rather, I read in order to get a point of view. I searched books for good expressions and sayings, pieces of information, ideas, themes—anything to enrich my thought and make me feel educated. When one of my teachers suggested to his sleepy tenth-grade English class that a person could not have a "complicated idea" until he had read at least two thousand books, I heard the words without recognizing either its irony (嘲讽) or its very complicated truth. I merely determined to make a list of all the books I had ever read. Strict with myself, I included only once a title I might have read several times. (How, after all, could one read a book more than once?) And I included only those books over a hundred pages in length. (Could anything shorter be a book?)
There was yet another high school list I made. One day I came across a newspaper article about an English professor at a nearby state college. The article had a list of the "hundred most important books of Western Civilization." "More than anything else in my life," the professor told the reporter with finality , " these books have made me all that I am ." That was the kind of words I couldn’t ignore. I kept the list for the several months it took me to read all of the titles. Most books, of course, I hardly understood. While reading Plato's The Republic, for example, I needed to keep looking at the introduction of the book to remind myself what the text was about. However, with the special patience and superstition (迷信) of a schoolboy, I looked at every word of the text. And by the time I reached the last word, pleased, I persuaded myself that I had read The Republic, and seriously crossed Plato off my list.
1.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. The writer thought it was impossible for one to read two thousand books.
B. While at high school, the writer had plans for reading.
C. The writer only read books no more than 100 pages.
D. The writer thought the teacher was not being serious about the suggestion of reading.
2.The underlined phrase "with finality" most probably means ____________.
A. firmly B. immediately C. simply D. pleasantly
3.The writer's purpose in mentioning The Republic is to________.
A. explain why it was included in the list
B. describe why he seriously crossed it off the list
C. show that he read the books blindly though they were hard to understand
D. prove that he understood most of it because he had looked at every word
4.The writer provides two book lists to ________.
A. show how he developed his point of view
B. tell his reading experience at high school
C. introduce the two persons' reading methods
D. explain that he read many books at high school
When responding to any adult, you must answer by saying “Yes ma’am” or “No, sir.” Just nodding your head is not acceptable.
Because I grew up in rural North Carolina, this rule comes 36 to me, and it seems the obvious choice to come first. If you want children to respect you, you have to let them know 37 . Simply telling them you want them to address you by saying “sir” lets them know 38 you expect them to treat you. I also tell my students it’s a very useful tool when 39 with adults, and furthermore it also 40 handy for any adult interacting with another adult. Case in point: I was 41 the phone recently with the phone company discussing the inaccuracies(差错) of my 42 . The lady I spoke to was not 43 and seemed annoyed. 44 , in the midst of the conversation, I threw in a “yes, ma’am,” and her entire 45 changed. She became far more helpful and 46 to deal with, and she 47 cutting my bill in half.
Some of my students in Harlem were to be 48 for a chance to attend a high-rated junior high school. The school only had thirty openings for the following year, and twelve of my students were 49 the many kids across the city who applied for the spots. I practiced what the interview would be 50 with my students, and one main thing I stressed was, “ 51 you say ‘yes ma’am’ or ‘no sir’ no matter what!” Weeks after the interviews, I was delighted to hear that all twelve of my students had been 52 . When I talked with the admissions director at the school, the main 53 he made over and over was how 54 my students were in their interviews. It seemed like just such a simple thing to do, but it gets 55 .
1.A. frequently B. eagerly C. constantly D. naturally
2.A. you B. it C. themselves D. why
3.A. the way B. the wish C. the method D. the reason
4.A. disagreeing B. debating C. dealing D. discussing
5.A. comes in B. gets on C. goes out D. brings in
6.A. on B. in C. by D. with
7.A. record B. phone call C. message D. bill
8.A. useful B. hopeful C. optimistic D. helpful
9.A. Instead B. Then C. Moreover D. Otherwise
10.A. method B. thinking C. attitude D. feeling
11.A. interesting B. easy C. close D. different
12.A. took up B. came up C. picked up D. ended up
13.A. introduced B. demanded C. intended D. interviewed
14.A. among B. above C. over D. with
15.A. popular B. familiar C. like D. successful
16.A. Make sure B. By no means C. Make a promise D. Be cautious
17.A. received B. allowed C. appreciated D. accepted
18.A. contributionB. comment C. impression D. reason
19.A. considerate B. confident C. polite D. clever
20.A. results B. responsibility C. relief D. reforms
—This is a really awful movie.
—____________. I was bored to tears, too.
A. I told you so B. You can say that again
C. Not a bit D. No wonder.
