No one likes to make mistakes. But a new study says organizations learn more from their failures than from their successes, and keep that knowledge longer.
One of the researchers was Vinit Desai, an assistant professor at the University of Colorado Denver Business School. He worked with Peter Madsen from the Marriott School of Management at Brigham Young University in Utah.
They did not find much long-term "organizational learning" from success. It is possible, they say. But Professor Desai says they found that knowledge gained from failure lasts for years. He says organizations should treat failures as a learning opportunity and not try to ignore them.
The study looked at companies and organizations that launch satellites and other space vehicles. Professor Desai compared two shuttle flights. In two thousand two, a piece of insulating (隔热的) material broke off during launch and damaged a rocket on the Atlantis. Still the flight was considered a success. Then in early two thousand three, a piece of insulation struck the Columbia during launch. This time, the shuttle broke apart on re-entry and the seven crew members died. NASA officials suspended all flights and an investigation led to suggested changes.
Professor Desai says the search for solutions after a failure can make leaders more open-minded. He points to air-lines as an example of an industry that has learned from failures in the past. He advises organizations to look for useful information in small failures and failures they avoided. He also urges leaders to encourage the open sharing of information. The study appeared in the Academy of management Journal.
The mistakes we learn from do not have to be our own. We recently asked people on our Facebook page to tell us a time they had done something really silly. Fabricio Cmino wrote: Not long ago I wanted to watch TV, but it wouldn't turn on, so I did everything I could to start it. Thirty minutes later my mum showed up and, passing by, said to me "Did you try plugging it?" "I'm just dusting, Mum!" So she wouldn’t notice how dumb I am sometimes!
Bruno Kanieski da Silva told about a time he looked everywhere for his key. It was in his pocket. He wrote: I always promise I will never do it again, but after a few weeks, where is my wallet? For sure it will be in a very logical place.
1.What we get from failure differs from that from success is that ________.
A. what we learn from failure is more powerful
B. what we learn from success does no good to us
C. the knowledge gained from failure is important
D. the knowledge gained from failure lasts longer
2.From the passage, we can infer that ________.
A. the insulating material problem in 2002 didn't arouse enough attention
B. there were no astronauts on Columbia
C. in spite of the problem, Atlantis was considered a success
D. Columbia exploded during its launch time
3.The writer gives the last two paragraphs to show that ________.
A. many people make mistakes in the world
B. mistakes were a very embarrassing thing when found by others
C. we can also draw a lesson from others’ mistakes
D. making mistakes was a necessity
4.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Only organizations can learn from mistakes.
B. Failure may result from faults that have been ignored.
C. Lessons from the shuttle flights are more important.
D. Leaders often lack an open mind and seldom share information.
Humans and many other mammals have unusually efficient internal temperature regulating systems that automatically maintain stable core body temperatures（核心体温）in cold winters and warm summers. In addition, people have developed cultural patterns and technologies that help them adjust to extremes of temperature and humidity（湿度）.
In very cold climates, there is a constant danger of developing hypothermia（低体温）, which is a life threatening drop in core body temperature to below normal levels. The normal temperature for humans is about 37.0°C. However, differences in persons and even the time of day can cause it to be as much as 6°C higher or lower in healthy individuals. It is also normal for core body temperature to be lower in elderly people. Hypothermia begins to occur when the core body temperature drops to 34.4°C. Below 29.4°C, the body cools more rapidly because its natural temperature regulating system usually fails. The rapid decline in core body temperature is likely to result in death. However, there have been rare cases in which people have been saved after their temperatures had dropped to 13.9—15.6°C. This happened in 1999 to a Swedish woman who was trapped under an ice sheet in freezing water for 80 minutes. She was found unconscious, not breathing, and her heart had stopped beating, yet she was eventually saved despite the fact that her temperature had dropped to 13.7°C.
In extremely hot climates or as a result of uncontrollable infections, core body temperatures can rise to equally dangerous levels. This is hyperthermia. Life threatening hyperthermia typically starts in humans when their temperatures rise to 40.6—41.7°C. Only a few days at this extraordinarily high temperature level is likely to result in the worsening of internal organs and death.
1.Why can humans keep stable body temperatures in different seasons?
A. Because their bodies are unusually efficient.
B. Because they experience different climates.
C. Because they can adjust to cultural patterns and technologies.
D. Because they have internal temperature regulating systems.
2.What does Paragraph 2 mainly discuss?
A. The dangerous effects of hypothermia.
B. The change of body temperature.
C. The survival of the Swedish woman.
D. The regulating systems of natural temperature.
3.People are unlikely to survive under the body temperature .
A. higher than 34.4°C B. lower than 29.4°C
C. between 40.6—41.7°C D. between 34.4—37°C
4.What is the best title for the passage?
A. Surviving in an ice trap
B. Getting to know hypothermia
C. Adapting to climate extremes
D. Changing core body temperature
Augustus Saint-Gaudens and his family immigrated to New York, America, from Dublin, Ireland, in 1848 when he was just six months old. As he grew up, Augustus liked racing his friends around the block, buying candies at the store, especially drawing—drawing pictures of the shoemakers at his father's shoe shop. At the age of 13, his father told him it was time to go to work. Augustus replied, "I should like it if I could do something which would help me to be an artist. " He began as an apprentice to a cameo cutter out of stone and shell, and carved cameos of people, lions, and even the head of Hercules from Greek mythology, when the Civil War had just begun.
At 19, with his earnings and his parents' support, he travelled to Paris and Rome for further training and artistic study. Before he left, he drew a portrait of his mother in pencil and sculpted a small bust(半身像) of his father out of clay. Then, 22-year-old Augustus opened an art studio in Rome and worked on his first life-sized sculpture, called Hiawatha. An art patron was impressed with this sculpture and promised to help Augustus "until your genius and labors shall have met with the reward to which I feel they are entitled".
In 1876, Augustus was chosen to design a monument to the Civil War hero Admiral David Farragut of the U. S. Navy. Completed five years later, when he was 33, his first major sculpture for the U. S. was unveiled at Madison Square in New York City, the sculptor's boyhood home. One art critic called it "the best monument of the kind the city has to show". Then the giant Standing Lincoln in Lincoln Park, Chicago in a setting by architect White, 1884-1887, was considered the finest portrait statue in the U. S.
However, in 1900, aged 52, his doctors told him he had cancer. Even though he was often ill, he continued to work at his home and studio in Cornish, New Hampshire.
In 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt requested that Augustus redesign American coins—to convey the strength of the nation. Augustus made lifelike pencil sketches of his coin designs. Yet, Augustus died in August 1907, two months before his l0-dollar and 20-dollar gold coins were issued. Augustus Saint-Gaudens had fulfilled his dream-and more! He was one of the greatest American sculptors not only of his day but also of all time.
1.What did Augustus like doing as a child?
A. He enjoyed selling candies at the store. B. He enjoyed chasing after his friends at school.
C. He liked drawing pictures of his father's workers. D. He liked going to work as a shoemaker in his father's shop.
2.How did Augustus become a sculptor?
A. He received sponsorship from an art critic.
B. He sculpted a small bust of his parents out of clay.
C. He opened an art studio in Rome and worked on Hiawatha.
D. He learned hard as an apprentice and carved many nice works.
3.When did Roosevelt request Augustus to redesign American coins?
A. At his age of 33. B. At his age of 57. C. At his age of 52. D. At his age of 59.
4.What is the text mainly about?
A. The history of the Civil War. B. The remarkable sculptor's life.
C. The comments on Augustus' works. D. The outstanding sculptor's masterpieces.
Eco-friendly Vauban, lied in the southwest part of Germany, has everything－tree-lined streets, perfect houses－but it’s missing one urban feature of the last 100 years or so: the car. And Vauban residents(居民) don’t mind one bit. Vauban doesn’t ban cars entirely. Rather, it just tries to reduce the use of cars by creating “parking-free” and “car-free” living. In Vauban, parking spots are a no-no private property(私人财产). Cars can only be parked in public parking lots, so living without a car saves residents the cost of parking in the public lot. Cars also are prevented from using certain roads and must stick to strict speed limits. With these limitations, fewer than 20 percent of residents own cars. Without cars, bikes are almost religion in this small town. Kids pick them up even before they can ride one. Vauban is about much more than just using two wheels instead of four. In Vauban , residents ride bikes and even receive money from the electric company for selling electricity back to the power grid (电网系统). It’s an environmentally-friendly city of the future, with organically grown food, renewable energy, and carbon-neutral homes. And now, with a population of 5,500, it’s attracting attention from around the world. Can an eco-friendly city like Vauban be a model for Americans to stop their over-reliance on the cars?
Sometimes when I watch a news report what’s in the back of my mind is what isn’t being reported or stressed. While this eco-friendly city is inspiring in that it shows residents getting exercise and fresh air through the majority use of bicycles, as well as good old fashioned walking, common sense would tell you that even for a place like Vauban, Germany, it owes its existence to the cars.
Do you think that bicycles were able to transport all the construction materials that were needed to build and maintain the eco-friendly homes and businesses in Vauban? It took cars to help build this utopia. It’s one of the paradoxes of life that sometimes in order to get away from relying on something like the car, you actually have to rely on that very thing at the beginning and into the foreseeable future to some degree.
I myself haven’t owned a car for more than 14 years, and mostly get around town running, walking, or using public transportation. There are times I wish I had one, since it would make many things easier, but overall I’m glad not to have to deal with the headaches of owning a car, which caused me to get rid of it in the first place. And all the walking and running has helped to keep me fit and healthy.
To get even close to being like eco-friendly Vauban, Americans will need to absolutely change the way they live. Commuting( 乘车上下班) patterns will have to change, public transportation will have to be invested in, and so on. And though ending our love affair with the car will be impossible during my lifetime, we may at least start to see more Vauban-like areas in the USA.
We can hope that Americans will consider using their feet more to get around, cutting down on pollution , and giving themselves some more exercise.
1.Why don’t over 80% of the residents in Vauban own car?
A. The streets there are very narrow B. There are many limitations on the use of cars.
C. The government limits the number of cars. D. Most cars belong to their public property
2.The underlined word “paradoxes” in Paragraph 3 probably means_____.
A. opposite things B. big shortcomings C. great strengths D. firm bases
3.How does the writer feel of not owning a car?
A. Curious B. Proud C. Grateful D. Regretful
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.Who is Fran Smith?
A. A weather reporter. B. A news host. C. A finance expert.
2.When will the rain stop completely?
A. By Thursday afternoon. B. By Wednesday evening. C. By tonight.
3.What will the weather be like next week?
A. Dry. B. Rainy. C. Foggy.
4.What time of year is it?
A. Spring. B. Summer. C. Fall.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What is the woman’s advice?
A. Studying harder B. Just being honest. C. Choosing a career early.
2.What might t11e man write his essay about?
A. What he wants to major in. B. His unknown future. C. His high school experience.
3.Who might Mrs.Watson be?
A. The man’s drama teacher. B. The man’s math teacher. C. The man’s English teacher.
