The benefits of being an independent business are truly great. Beyond the rewarding nature of owning something truly unique, small businesses have the edge over their big business counterparts in many areas. Consider the importance of being independent and how that independence can help drive your business.
To some, having fewer customers simply means less cash flow; however, having a smaller base also allows you to focus more on customer satisfaction.
Companies are always searching for ways to improve customer service and have more of their business. Whether through paying special attention to who comes through your door or monitoring your customers through the social network, it’s less of trouble to make sure your customers’ needs are being met when there’s a smaller sample to deal with. In addition, it becomes much easier to create a personal connection with buyers when you have enough time and attention to show them some love.
Small businesses have an inherent advantage over their big box competitors in the sense that they can offer something different. People want to see the independent businesses that offer unique products and flavor to their communities. Your business can be the difference when it comes to what customers want.
Of course, big box companies will almost always beat you down when it comes to price. Consider, however, that if you can offer a truly unique product or experience, price becomes much less of an issue.
People like the idea of supporting local independent businesses versus “the big guys”. So, what businesses are booming due to the rise of independence?
Craft Beer(精酿啤酒) — The craft beer movement in the United States is supported so widely that big breweries have taken to creating their own competing “craft beer” brands in an attempt to follow the trend. While Anheuser Busch represents nearly half of America’s breweries, craft beer has seen a huge jump in sales in recent years.
Video Games — Whether through PCs, traditional consoles or mobile games, independent developers are supported by enthusiastic fans and micro-transactions in an industry that was formerly dominated by bigger developers.
Musicians — The modern web offers immense opportunities to musicians, resulting in more economic and artistic freedom. A surprising number of mainstream artists have seen great success from their independent releases, such as Macklemore’s The Heist, which has sold over one million copies in the United States alone.
Some small businesses don’t want to be small businesses forever. Regardless, consider what independence does for you and your company. If you offer something out of the ordinary, you can build an audience that respects your individuality and supports your cause.
The necessity of being an independent business | |
A focus on customer 1.______________ | A smaller sample of customers makes it easy to 2.________ to customers’ needs. |
With enough time and attention to show customers some love, an independent business person finds it easier to connect with them 3._________. | |
An offer of something completely different | Small businesses can offer something 4.________ the ordinary to their communities. |
Being different can 5._________ a large number of active consumer groups. | |
A really unique product or experience can make customers take 6.__________ less seriously. | |
An appeal to an independent business | In the USA, craft beer is very popular with people, having 7.________ well in recent years. |
Independent game developers gain the support of crazy fans in an industry that 8.__________ to be in the control of bigger developers. | |
A surprising number of mainstream artists 9.________ great success to their independent releases. | |
A chance to 10._____ for some small businesses | For some small businesses, independence can attract a group of people that respect their individuality and support their development. |
动词填空
1.—Hi, long time no see. Where have you been all these days?
—I ________(be) in Europe on business.
2.—Be quick. I _____________ (wait) for you for nearly an hour!
—Sorry, I’ll arrive soon.
3.The last 3 years ___________ (see) great changes in China.
4.The film _____________________ (finish) by the time you get to the cinema.
5.Three minutes earlier and the patient _______________ (save).
6.If we ________________ (book) a table earlier, we wouldn’t be standing in the queue now.
7.__________________ (explain), the boy finally got my meaning.
8.Mr. Smith teaches at a university, but he _____________ (work) on the exhibition to help out.
9.If you aren’t satisfied with the result, I _____________ (do) it all over again.
10.My brother ________________ (be) all right again by the end of this month.
单词拼写
1.New York is a m_________________ city where people from different backgrounds work and live together.
2.He dislikes me and never supports me. In a word, he has p_______________ against me.
3.The man from the insurance company is making a___________ of the accident and will make compensation.
4.Ladies and gentlemen, welcome board our flight！ Our s____________ will serve foods and drinks during the five-hour trip.
5.Taiwan is part of China and we will never allow its s________________ from the mainland.
6.A positive attitude will keep one healthy both physically and s_________________.
7.Several teachers are awarded prizes for their d_______________ to their work.
8.She had a normal p_________________ and delivered a healthy child.
9.I went to the basketball match and got Kobe’s a_________________ signature(亲笔签名) after the game.
10.A good student is one who is self-disciplined, imaginative and full of c___________.
Conventional wisdom says that hardship can make us old before our time. In fact, a new study suggests that violence not only leaves long-term scars on children’s bodies, but also changes their DNA, causing changes that are equal to seven to ten years of premature aging.
Scientists measured this by studying the ends of children’s chromosomes(染色体), called telomeres, says Idan Shalev, lead author of a study published in Molecular Psychiatry.
Telomeres are special DNA sequences which prevent the DNA in chromosomes from separating. They get shorter each time a cell divides, until a cell cannot divide any more and dies.
Several factors have been found to shorten telomeres, including smoking, radiation and psychological stresses such as being treated badly when young and taking care of a chronically ill person.
In this study, researchers examined whether exposure to violence could make children’s telomeres shorten faster than normal. They interviewed the mothers of 236 children at ages 5, 7 and 10, asking whether the youngsters had been exposed to domestic violence between the mother and her partner; physical maltreatment by an adult; or bullying. Researchers measured the children’s telomeres—in cells obtained by swabbing the insides of their cheeks—at ages 5 and 10.
Telomeres shortened faster in kids exposed to two or more types of violence, says Shalev. Unless that pattern changes, the study suggests, these kids could be expected to develop diseases of aging, such as heart attacks or memory loss, seven to 10 years earlier than their peers.
Shalev says there is hope for these kids. His study found that, in rare cases, telomeres can lengthen. Better nutrition, exercise and stress reduction are three things that may be able to lengthen telomeres, he says.
He study confirms a small but growing number of studies suggesting that early childhood adversity imprints itself in our chromosomes, says Charles Nelson, a professor of pediatrics and neuroscience at Harvard Medical School.
1.The new study found that ________.
A. violence leaves scars on a child’s mind
B. hardship can change a child’s aging
C. violence can speed up a child’s aging
D. hardship has a long-term effect on a child’s mind
2.According to the text, telomeres ________.
A. can make a cell die quickly
B. can help prevent DNA from separating
C. become shorter before they die
D. are at the ends of people’s chromosomes
3.All of the following things can shorten telomeres EXCEPT ________.
A. smokingB. cell divisionC. maltreatmentD. doing exercise
4.Which of the following is TRUE, according to the text?
A. Violence can cause quick cell division in children’s body.
B. Being treated badly will make a child’s telomeres shorten faster.
C. Researchers measured the children’s telomeres from their legs in the study.
D. Children who have shorter telomeres may have a heart attack earlier.
5.Which is the best title for the passage?
A. Violence Ages Children’s DNA
B. Children’s Changing DNA Patterns
C. Violence and Telomeres
D. the Function of Telomeres
Outside her cottage, old Mrs. Taylor was hanging out laundry on a wire line, unaware that some children were hiding in a nearby tree watching her every move. They were determined to find out if she really was a witch.
They watched nervously as she took a broomstick to sweep the dirt from her stone steps. But much to their disappointment, she didn’t get on the broomstick and fly off. The old lady only looked up when her hen began to make sounds loudly — signaling that she had laid an egg in the nest on the top of the haystack(干草堆).
The old lady put aside her broomstick and walked to the haystack, followed by Michael, a black cat she had rescued from a fox trap. With only three legs, it was hard for Michael to keep up with his mistress. The cat was proof for the children that only a witch would own a black cat with three legs! Crawling further along the branches, they could clearly see the haystack.
Mrs. Taylor was standing on a wooden box with the new-laid egg in one hand. Placing the egg in her pocket, she readied herself to climb down. Then, without warning, the box broke under her and she crashed to the ground. The children were in horror.
“Should we go and help her?” asked Mia.
“What if it’s a trick?” replied Patrick. “She probably knows we’re here. Witches know things like that!”
After thinking for a while, Julia said “Anyway, we should go and check whether she is all right.”
Approaching prudently, they could see a wound on the old lady’s forehead. She had knocked her head on a stone and was unconscious.
“Go and get Dad,” Mia yelled to her brothers. “Tell him about the accident.”
The boys didn’t need another excuse to leave. They ran as fast as they could for help, hoping that Mrs. Taylor would not regain consciousness and turn the girls into frogs.
Later, in the hospital, the old lady smiled her thanks. “I was so lucky that you lovely children happened to be passing when I fell. I must have yelled quite loudly.”
The children exchanged guilty glances, but were very pleased that she was not a witch after all!
1.Mrs. Taylor stopped sweeping when ________.
A. her doorstep became very clean
B. she heard the hen making sounds loudly
C. she noticed the children in the tree
D. her cat Michael managed to get her attention
2.Why was Patrick not willing to help Mrs. Taylor when she fell?
A. He thought that she could be cheating them.
B. He was afraid of the three-legged black cat.
C. He did not think that she was hurt in the fall.
D. He knew he and the others shouldn’t have been in her tree.
3.Which of the definitions is closest in meaning to the underlined word “prudently”?
A. Slowly.B. Hurriedly.C. Carefully.D. Quietly.
4.Which of these old sayings best summaries the lesson from story?
A. Make hey while the sun shines.
B. Never judge a book by its cover.
C. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
D. People in glasshouses shouldn’t throw stones.
“Never talk to strangers.” Many children are taught this simple rule as a precaution against abduction(诱拐). In June, 2005, an 11-year-old boy was lost in the Utah wilderness for four days. During that time, he stayed on the path. He saw people searching for him but deliberately hid from them, afraid someone might “steal” him. Eventually, the unfortunate game of hide-and-seek ended and he was found. According to the Canada Safety Council, this alarming incident shows how unwise it is to instill(灌输) a fear of strangers in children. The “stranger danger” message can prevent children from developing the social skills and judgment needed to deal effectively with real-life situations. In a difficult situation, a stranger could be their lifeline to safety.
To have a child go missing is a parent’s worst nightmare. The threat of abduction by a stranger is minimal when compared with other possible reasons for a disappearance. In 2004, there were 67,266 missing-children cases in Canada. Only 31 involved abduction; in most of those cases the abductor was a relative, friend, or person known to the family. There were 671 cases of children wandering off, and 332 cases of abductions by a parent. Almost 80 percent of all cases were runaways. These statistics cast doubt on the idea that children should never talk to strangers. Wandering off is more common — but a lost children may have to call upon a stranger for help, and must develop the ability to judge what kind of people to approach. The “never talk to strangers” rule does not protect children in the situations they are most likely to face. On top of this, it can be confusing. Adults do not model the behavior; they often talk to strangers. A child may not know how to tell who is a stranger, and who is not.
For young children, nothing replaces close supervision(监管). Pre-schoolers do not understand risk and tend to act without thinking. Children need to develop habits and attitudes that will protect them from the real threats and dangers they may face. The Canada Safety Council encourages parents to give their children age-appropriate positive messages about safety, bearing in mind how youngsters may understand their world.
1.Which of the following statements is NOT true about the 11-year-old boy?
A. He practiced the “never talk to strangers” rule.
B. He hid from the rescuers to avoid possible abduction.
C. He eventually showed up when his hide-and-seek game ended.
D. He stayed where he was, expecting the coming of familiar people.
2.Among the possible reasons for the missing-children cases in Canada, which one is the most frequent?
A. Being abducted by a parent.B. Wandering off.
C. Being abducted by strangers.D. Running away.
3.The “never talk to strangers” rule is confusing to children because __________.
A. a friendly and attractive person may be dangerous
B. adults do not act upon the rule and strangers are hard to tell
C. the rule does not protect children in the situation of abducting
D. a lost child may have difficulty in communicating with a stranger
4.Which would the author agree with about the “never talk to strangers” rule?
A. It is not well recognized by parents.
B. It is not effective in keeping kids safe.
C. It is easy enough for children to follow.
D. It is practical as a safety tip in daily life.
