With the help of Gloria, his wife, Tom Peterson worked for many years to build a solid business selling television sets, stereo systems, and home appliances. Tom developed an excellent with their full satisfaction guarantee and friendly service. He was proud of his high percentage of repeat .
About five years ago, Tom was by the owners of a competing company, Stereo Super Stores. They wanted him to them out. The price was very attractive. Everything looked good. Before making his final Tom asked Gloria what she thought about the purchase. She told him that the numbers looked good it didn't feel to her. However, Tom was so self-confident and so convinced that this was a rare , he went ahead and made the . Within months he discovered that he had made a big . He had paid too much for a company. He tried as hard as he could to make it work out, but he couldn't turn things .He was forced into bankruptcy (破产). He was about to lose everything, including his business.
Tom was embarrassed, but he is a survivor. He looked at his situation. He decided to admit his mistake and, rather than getting stuck in lawsuits (诉讼), he would focus his on saving and rebuilding his original business. He saw also that he had made a mistake by not listening to his , and that he needed to learn from this . He dealt with the crisis in a way that delighted people, who in turn respect for him. Old customers poured into his store. He and Gloria to changes in retailing (零售) and have built an even better business than before.
In the business world, it is natural to gain and lose, of Peterson’s experience is an example. Only those who regard their mistakes as gifts and learn from them attract endless profits.
1.A. popularityB. reputationC. causeD. foundation
2.A. customersB. assistantsC. friendsD. visitors
3.A. appointedB. approvedC. approachedD. appreciated
4.A. sellB. payC. buyD. check
5.A. decisionB. choiceC. determinationD. judgment
6.A. as thoughB. now thatC. even thoughD. in case
7.A. terribleB. fairC. rightD. attractive
8.A. possibilityB. occasionC. eventD. opportunity
9.A. profitB. purchaseC. reservationD. appointment
10.A. differenceB. discoveryC. commitmentD. mistake
11.A. dyingB. controversialC. clumsyD. tiring
12.A. inB. aroundC. downD. up
13.A. originalB. variousC. uniqueD. precious
14.A. quietlyB. loudlyC. openlyD. secretly
15.A. beliefsB. spiritsC. attemptsD. energies
16.A. producerB. wifeC. relativeD. adviser
17.A. experienceB. enterpriseC. processD. history
18.A. wonB. showedC. achievedD. earned
19.A. belongedB. adaptedC. adoptedD. appealed
20.A. themB. whatC. thatD. which
Imagination is the ability to form a mental image of something that is not perceived (感知) through the five senses. 1. It gives the ability to look at any situation from a different point of view, and to mentally explore the past and the future.
2. Though too much daydreaming may make one impractical, a certain degree of daydreaming provides temporary happiness, calmness and relief from stress.
Imagination is not limited only to seeing pictures in the mind. It includes all the five senses and the feelings. One can imagine a sound, a taste, a smell, a physical sensation or a feeling. 3. Others find it easier to imagine a feeling. And some are more comfortable imagining the sensation of one of the five senses.
A developed and strong imagination never makes you impractical. 4. And it is a great tool for recreating and remodeling your world and life.
Imagination has a great role and value in everyone’s life. It is much more than just idle (懒散的) daydreaming. 5. For example, we use our imagination whenever we plan a party, trip, our work or a meeting. We use it when we describe an event, write a story or cook a cake.
A. This is actually what most of us do, because we don’t use the power of imagination correctly.
B. We all use it, whether consciously or unconsciously, in most of our daily affairs.
C. It makes it possible to experience a whole world inside the mind.
D. This ability has various forms, one of which is daydreaming.
E. On the contrary, it strengthens your creative abilities.
F. However, imagination may have some disadvantages.
G. For some people it is easier to see mental pictures.
Researchers conducting a study of hospital stays for over two hundred and eighty six thousand older folks found something interesting in their data.
The number of hospitalizations for heart disease and stroke went down significantly among a certain group of people at a certain time of year. What folks, and what time of year, you ask? Flu season and the lucky people were the ones who got flu shots (流感疫苗).
It’s generally recommended that people over fifty get their flu shots every year. Influenza (流行性感冒) is no small thing. it’s responsible for around thirty six thousand deaths a year in the U. S. alone. Getting the shots also cuts down on the chances of getting pneumonia (肺炎), which is especially dangerous in seniors.
But what wasn’t known was that there seems to be an added benefit to getting a flu shots in terms of warding off heart problems. The data, in fact, are quite strong in suggesting this is the case.
In this study, flu shots cut clown the number of hospitalizations for heart disease by nineteen percent. Stroke went down sixteen percent one season and a whopping twenty-three percent a second season. These are big results.
So what's the connection between getting a flu shot and having a stronger heart? It isn’t yet known.
Researchers speculate that the flu virus itself may do damage to blood vessels (血管), possibly making clots (血块) more likely. Blood clots in the heart can cause heart attacks, and blood clots in the brain can cause strokes.
Whatever the specific details are, there's one more good reason to follow your doctor’ s advice and get that annual flu shot.
1.According to the study, the number of hospitalizations for heart disease and stroke went down significantly among the ones who _____.
A. got flu shots after they were ill
B. got flu shots before they were ill
C. got flu shots at the flu season
D. got flu shots whenever convenient
2.The benefits of getting flu shots can be listed except that_____.
A. it can cut down on the chances of getting pneumonia
B. it can cut down the number of hospitalizations for heart disease
C. it can kill the flu virus
D. if can make blood clots
3.The underlined phrase "warding off" probably means_______.
A. keeping away B. dealing with
C. setting off D. picking up
4.According to the passage, we'd better ______.
A. work out to fight against influenza
B. get flu shot every year
C. follow our doctor's all advice
D. protect our blood vessels
As the new semester begins, millions of college students across the country are trying hard to remember how best to write a paper or, more likely, how best to delay that paper.
Procrastination (拖延) is the thief of time and a lot of students suffer from it. They can spend whole days in the library doing nothing but staring into space, eating snacks, surfing the Internet, watching videos and looking at other students sitting around them, who, most likely, are doing nothing either.
Paralyzed (使失去活力) by their habit to procrastinate, they write micro blogs about their fears, asking their online friends if they sometimes have the same issue. But this does nothing to break the spell (魔咒).
According to a recent report, 95 percent of us procrastinate at some point and 20 percent of the world’s population are always procrastinating. The figures are disappointing. Procrastinators are less wealthy, less healthy and less happy than those who don’t delay. Procrastinators like to find excuses to justify their behavior, but BBC columnist Rowan Pelling says they are all wrong.
Many procrastinators tell themselves they are perfectionists who work best under pressure. Pelling says this is nonsense, as work done at the last minute is more likely to have mistakes than work done on time. The behavior of procrastinators often makes them feel ashamed, inconveniences others and annoys loved ones.
Pelling also points out that procrastination feels particularly delinquent (过失的）in a society that thinks of speedy action as admirable, and, at times, even as a moral good.
Fortunately, social scientists have thrown their weight behind efforts to understand this behavioral mistake and offer strategies to control it. Piers Steel, a Canadian social scientist and author of The Procrastination Equation, believes human is “designed” to procrastinate. Nevertheless, he suggests a couple of good ways to get through the task at hand.
1.From the first two paragraphs we can learn that _____.
A. procrastination is beneficial to many students
B. many students are under great pressure in their study
C. lots of college students work hard to write good essays on time
D. many students have the habit of delaying finishing their tasks
2.Which behavior belongs to procrastination? _____
A. Never dream away the time.
B. Always complete the tasks ahead of time.
C. Never put off till tomorrow what should be done today.
D. Always wait to work until the “good mood” or “good time”.
3.According to the passage, which of the following statements is not true? _____
A. Procrastination makes people waste their time.
B. Procrastinators usually complete their tasks perfectly.
C. Speedy action is considered as a moral standard in the society.
D. Procrastination is common among people.
4.What is most likely to be discussed in the paragraph that follows? _____
A. Measures to deal with procrastination.
B. Approaches to handling the study pressures.
C. More examples to illustrate procrastination.
D. Introduction to the book The Procrastination Equation.
Several years ago, I had to replace a receptionist for my unit. Before I advertised for the position, I was approached by another manager, and asked if I would consider a transfer from his staff instead of opening a new competition. My natural question was to ask who he wanted me to consider and why.
It appeared from his description of this employee, Maria, that she was having a lot of problems performing her duties and had difficulties with her boss and did not appear to respond to any attempts he, the manager, had made to settle the issues. Now, after listening to his explanation, I really had severe doubts. What crossed my mind, after this discussion, was that he wanted me to take a problem off his hands.
I told him I would think about it and would let him know the next day. As promised, after thinking more about this potential performance issue, I decided that I would agree to speak with Maria privately before I made any decision.
And, what I found out during this interview, left me deep in thought. As it turned out, the performance issue appeared to result from working for a boss who never extended a good morning greeting, never gave a word of encouragement, and was constantly changing the work load and routines. The end result was a totally ruined employee who was unconfident and hated to see a new work day start.
I decided to accept her transfer to my unit. What started out as a shy, withdrawn and frightened employee turned out to be one of the most productive and loyal employee that I had ever worked with. Maria couldn’t do enough and was constantly asking for more responsibility. I was more than happy to give her what she needed – praise for work well done, respect as a person, and encouragement for doing well in anything she dealt with.
Sometimes we are guilty of holding others back from accomplishing or doing, or developing as they should or could. It may be a wise idea that we all look in the mirror, from time to time, to see what we are really like.
1.What can we learn about the writer from the first paragraph? _____
A. He is a manager in the company.
B. He doesn't like his receptionist.
C. He likes to compete with others.
D. He wants to find another position.
2.After hearing his colleague's description of Maria, the writer thought that Maria ____.
A. attempted to settle the issues
B. was a problem to her boss
C. shouldn't stay in the company
D. could get on well with others
3.Why did Maria fail to perform well in her previous job? _____
A. Her previous job was not suitable for her.
B. She had difficulty responding to her manager.
C. Her boss didn't inspire her working enthusiasm.
D. Her boss showed no trust in her ability.
4.The writer probably believes that a good boss should _____.
A. praise and award his employees a lot
B. respect, praise and encourage his employees
C. greet his employees and give them much work
D. always give his employees guidance in working
Keen to share your views and have your articles published in the Campus Link? We are calling for contributions to the following sections:
Lifestyle:
Do you travel widely, keep a journal of your adventures and have nice photographs that you might want to share? Or have you simply been somewhere that caught your imagination? Tell us all about your travels!
Are you an eager movie-goer? Be Leonard Maltin for the day and share your views of the latest blockbuster (大片) with our readers!
If food is your preferred choice of relaxation, try your hand at being food critic and send us your views on food/restaurants worth trying.
Research:
If this noble line of work is your bread and butter or passion, we want to hear from you! Share with Campus Link your research developments and breakthroughs. If you know of someone (your schoolmate or teacher) whose research work is a source of inspiration for our community, do not hesitate to send in your suggestions!
If you are interested in sharing any of the above, or if you know of someone worthy of feature, please get in touch with the Editor-in-Chief, at karinyeo@campuslink.sg.
Contributions will be selected based on their relevance and quality and Campus Link reserves the right to publish or reject a submission (提交的文章). All contributions will be edited for clarity and length. Please send your submissions in word.doc files and your photos in jpeg format.
1.In the Lifestyle section, you may not find _____.
A. journals of travels B. well-taken photographs
C. stories of Leonard Maltin D. opinions on restaurants
2.Which of the following is TRUE about Campus Link? _____
A. It offers readers bread and butter.
B. It welcomes research developments and breakthroughs.
C. It helps you to recognize your schoolmates and teachers.
D. It is a source of inspiration for the community.
3.The poster aims to _____.
A. declare the rights of Campus Link
B. introduce someone worthy of feature
C. share views and articles among teachers
D. encourage contributions for the next issue
