It was 7:00 am in Paris,France,and the taxi company had just called a second time to say they couldn't find my house.Once again I spelt out____even a blind person could follow.I glanced____at my watch,and waited.Only two hours remained____my flight left—and it was one and a half hours'____to the airport.
Outside,heavy rains were____.My house was so far north in the city that buses____only three times a day.
The telephone rang again."Terribly sorry,"began the man at the taxi company.Then I realized that the taxi company,flooded with calls,could only____in-city runs.I had heard this happens when the____gets bad.I____ into the phone that I had a____to catch and I would meet the taxi outside my house.
Standing in the wind-driven rain,I looked____the road.No taxi.A car went by,the driver and passenger staring at the____foreigner in the downpour.
____a white car appeared and____to a stop.A young man threw open the door,waving to me to get in.Shaking with cold and____,I climbed in.
In the most____French,the man said he was called Will,with whom I had spoken three times that morning.He had left his post in the office and____here in his personal car.He___ _again,but didn't explain why no taxi would pick me up____me straight to the airport,he refused the 2,000 franc I pressed into his hand.
A few hours later,as the storm-delayed plane____,I opened the newspaper.On the second page my eyes caught the headline of a short article: Taxi Strike Begins This Morning in Paris.
1.A. house B. directions C. surroundings D. field
2.A. aimlessly B. hopelessly C. cautiously D. impatiently
3.A. before B. after C. unless D. when
4.A. visit B. experience C. ride D. distance
5.A. falling down B. pouring down C. putting down D. turning down
6.A. pass B. rush C. take D. travel
7.A. allow B. permit C. offer D. afford
8.A. climate B. condition C. season D. weather
9.A. whispered B. threatened C. shouted D. forced
10.A. ship B. plane C. train D. bus
11.A. again and again B. now and then C. up and down D. here and there
12.A. crazy B. amazing C. awesome D. energetic
13.A. Immediately B. Finally C. Permanently D. Constantly
14.A. arrived B. pushed C. continued D. pulled
15.A. curiosity B. fear C. excitement D. anger
16.A. fluent B. usual C. polite D. formal
17.A. fled B. escaped C. attempted D. raced
18.A. commented B. apologized C. admitted D. insisted
19.A. Fetching B. Bringing C. Delivering D. Driving
20.A. took off B. set off C. broke off D. knocked off
Body language is extremely important when it comes to making good first impressions.It's always helpful to know what body cues show you in a positive light,especially during interviews or networking when you're meeting someone for the first time.1.Keep these tips in mind when you're interacting with another person.
Smile slowly.If you're too quick to come to a smile,your expression may not look genuine.Real smiles happen gradually,but remember not to do it too slowly because it can also look creepy.2.
3.When you're nervous or excited,your voice may come out in a higher pitch.Take a deep breath and lower your pitch,because a deeper voice is considered to have more authority and confidence.In fact,even dogs respond better to deeper voices when you are trying to give them a command.
Make eye contact.4.Don't go overboard and gaze without breaking eye contact,because that can make people feel uncomfortable.Spend the majority of the time making eye contact,but remember to briefly take breaks.
Lean.Move your body slightly forward toward the person you're talking to.5.However,if you want to show that you're relaxed,lean back a little bit.Don't overdo the leaning or it may either look like you have no idea of what personal space is if you lean forward too much or make you look uninterested and uppity if you lean too far back.
A.Have good posture.
B.Speak in a deeper voice.
C.This reflects interest.
D.Do your best to imitate a natural smile by practicing in the mirror.
E.It can make a difference and even make you more likeable.
F.When talking to someone,making eye contact shows interest and also confidence.
G.It can make you look less professional and less confident and enthusiastic.
Every year,billions of kilograms of fresh produce are wasted in the United States.Meanwhile,millions of poor Americans go hungry,without access to healthy and affordable meals.Evan Lutz,CEO and founder of Hungry Harvest,was inspired to act after seeing extreme poverty in areas of Baltimore,Maryland.He wants to reduce the so—called food waste in that area.His work is to make sure no food goes to waste and no person is ever hungry in America.And he combines that goal with a love for business.
Hungry Harvest is a business which collects and sells fruits and vegetables that most food companies will throw away.Everything doesn't grow the same way on a farm.But all that is too big or too small gets thrown out.That is why everything in a grocery store looks similar.Hungry Harvest will box those imperfect ones and deliver them to customers once a week.
For every purchase,Hungry Harvest delivers healthy food to people in need.Hungry Harvest has recovered 300,000 pounds of produce to date and provided 100,000 pounds to those in need.
Lutz established Hungry Harvest in 2014.Its success depends on team work.Every week on Monday or Tuesday they will decide what will go into the next week's box by calling up packing houses and wholesalers to see what they will normally throw away that week.They then place the order.The last step ls to send goods to customers.
In January 2016,Lutz appeared on the American business competition television show "Shark Tank" and got even more than he expected: $100,000.Lutz is using the money to expand.Actually,more than six billion pounds is wasted each year due to "ugly" surface.Hungry Harvest is on the way to saving more food from going to waste and feeding hungry families.
1.Why is Hungry Harvest set up?
A. To reduce poverty and food waste.
B. To collect and sell thrown—away food.
C. To make enough money to expand.
D. To sell deserted food to the poor.
2.The underlined word "recover" in Paragraph 3 means " ".
A. get over an illness
B. regain a former condition after a financial loss
C. reuse materials from waste products
D. get back the use of one's sense
3.Why do you think Evan Lutz is successful?
a.He combines his goal with a love for business.
b.He depends on team work.
c.He got $100,000 from a TV show.
d.He is kind-hearted and creative.
A. a,b,c B. b,c,d
C. a,c,d D. a,b,d
4.Who will not benefit from Evan Lutz's business?
A. Hungry Harvest. B. Hungry families.
C. Food companies. D. Fruit farmers.
In this day and age,it may seem that getting two people with different views together to discuss them leads to a disaster.Just think about what would happen if you sat down and had an open and honest conversation with someone with completely opposing views.Could it bring you closer together?
However,the Human Library Organization is counting on it.At a Human Library,people volunteer to become "books" and make their experiences open and available."Readers" are encouraged to ask them questions freely,and they'll get honest answers in return.There's no judgment,and no questions are off—limits.
You won't find unpleasant comments,and you won't lose faith in humanity.At the Human Library,you actually feel letter about the world you live in.You might even make a new friend!
"The human books consist of people who have been discriminated by society."said Ronni Abergel,the Human Library Organization's founder,who has set out to build a space for conversations that can challenge prejudices through dialogue."The most pleasantly surprising thing about it is how close all the human books become to one another."she said.
Human Libraries help to remind us there really is more that unites us than divides us.And as events now spread throughout 82 countries,with Human Libraries even set to launch soon in Pakistan and Jordan,you can tell that is a shared feeling.
"We can spend billions and billions in trying to build up homeland security and our safety,but real safety comes from having positive relations to other groups in your community."said Abergel,"Real safety is not going to come from building walls.It's going to come from reaching out and getting to know each other."
1.What does the first paragraph imply?
A. Heated discussions are often carried out among people.
B. People with opposing views are not honest enough.
C. Open dialogues can't always lead to close relation.
D. We tend to have open dialogues with people around us.
2.What can readers do at a Human Library?
A. Read whatever books they like.
B. Regain confidence in humanity.
C. Get a fair judgment and experience.
D. Answer questions about prejudice.
3.What do we know from Paragraphs 5?
A. Human Libraries have achieved great popularity.
B. Human "books" all have rich experience.
C. Human "books" feel surprised at how close they are.
D. Human Libraries have been set up in Jordan.
4.What did Abergel advise people to do to get real safety?
A. Spend less money on homeland security.
B. Join other groups in the community.
C. Pull down walls between communities.
D. Strengthen bonds between people.
"Everybody is a genius.But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree,it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid."—Albert Einstein
If you have a kid with special needs in the school system,chances are you have come across that saying hanging on a classroom wall.My five-year-old daughter Syona has cerebral palsy（脑瘫）and it means,combined with her communication and sight problems,that normal standard isn't always an accurate measure of her abilities.
By now you have probably heard about Chris Ulmer,the 26-yearold teacher in Jacksonville,Florida,who starts his special education class by calling up each student individually to give them much admiration and a high-five.I couldn't help but be reminded of Syona's teacher and how she supports each kid in a very similar way.Ulmer recently shared a video of his teaching experience."I have seen their confidence increase rapidly."he said.All I could think was: how lucky these students are to have such good teachers.
Syona's teacher has an attitude that can best be summarized in one word: awesome.Her teacher doesn't focus on what can't be done—she focuses on what can be done.Over the past several months,my husband Dilip and I have seen Syona's confidence increase tenfold.She uses words she wouldn't have thought of using before.She recently told me about her classmate's trip to Ecuador and was very proud when I understood her on the first try.
I actually wonder what the influence would be if we did something similar to what Ulmer does with his students in our home.We've recently started our day by reminding each other of the good qualities we all possess.If we are reminded of our strengths on a regular basis,we will become increasingly confident about progress and success.
1.What does the author think of Albert Einstein's saying?
A. Funny. B. True.
C. Strange. D. Confusing.
2.What can we learn about Syona's teacher?
A. She is Syona's favorite teacher.
B. She puts Einstein's quote on the wall.
C. She uses videos to teach her students.
D. She helps increase her students' confidence.
3.Why did Syona feel proud in the third paragraph? .
A. Her mother knew what she expressed.
B. Her progress was appreciated by her parents.
C. She had developed a positive attitude.
D. She had been to Ecuador with her classmate.
4.What change has taken place in the author's family?
A. They've invited Ulmer's students to their home.
B. They visit Ulmer's classroom regularly.
C. They give each other praise every day.
D. They feel grateful to people in their lives.
A good book is indeed the best friend of a person.The same goes for high—profile CEOs of world recognized companies as well.Let's have a look at the favorite books of some of the world-famous CEOs.
Apple CEO—Tim Cook,Competing against Time by George Stalk Jr.and Thomas M.Hout
This book is based on 10 years of valuable research done by the authors.It talks about how new concepts of managing time in new product development,production and sales provide companies with the advantages to succeed in this highly competitive world.
Microsoft CEO(Former)—Bill Gates,The Catcher in the Rye by J.D.Salinger
A few themes explored in the novel are rebellion（叛逆）,anxiety and confusion.It admits that young people are a little confused,but can be smart about things and see things that adults don't really see.Gates said,"I didn't actually read The Catcher in the Rye until I was 13,and ever since then I've said that's my favorite book."
Oracle CEO—Larry Ellison,Napoleon by Vincent Cronin
This book is considered by far the best biography ever written on Napoleon Bonaparte.Ellison said,"It's interesting to read about him for a couple of reasons: to see what an ordinary man can do with his life and to see how history can distort（歪曲）the truth entirely."
OWE CEO—Oprah Winfrey,To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
This book talks about how a little girl observes the people around her.Winfrey said,"I read it in eighth or ninth grade,and I was trying to persuade other kids to read the book.So it makes sense to me that now I have a book club, because I have been doing that probably since I read this book."
1.What is the theme of Competing against Time?
A. Time efficiency. B. Product development.
C. Apple company. D. Sales concepts.
2.Which book talks about kids disobeying rules?
A. Competing against Time. B. The Catcher in the Rye.
C. Napoleon. D. To Kill a Mockingbird.
3.What can be inferred from the passage?
A. All people mentioned are world—famous CEOs.
B. Napoleon is the best biography of all time.
C. Larry Ellison enjoys reading biography.
D. To Kill a Mockingbird has a deep influence on Winfrey.
