Question

    Being a young boy, I began to learn what people said was not always what they really meant or felt. And I knew it was possible to get others to do what I wanted if I read their real feelings and responded suitably to their needs. At the age of eleven, I sold rubber door-to-door after school and quickly worked out how to tell if someone was likely to buy from me. When I knocked on a door, if someone told me to go away but their hands were open and they showed their palms (the inside surfaces of their hands), I knew it was safe to continue because they weren't angry although they may have a dismissive(不屑的) attitude. If someone told me to go away in a soft voice but used a pointed finger or closed hand, I knew it was time to leave.

As a teenager, I became a salesperson, and my ability to read people earned me enough money to buy my first house. Selling gave me the chance to meet people and study them close and to know whether they would buy or not.

I joined the life insurance(保险)business at the age of twenty. And I went on to break several sales records for my company, becoming the youngest person to sell over a million dollars’ worth of business in my first year. This achievement allowed me to become a member of the well-known Million Dollar Round Table(MDRT), which recognizes the world’s top achievers in life insurance. I was lucky that the skills I’d learned as a boy in watching body language while selling could be used in this new area, and were directly related to the success I could have in any business closely connected with people.

1.Which of the following meant the author must give up the rubber sale?

A.A customer’s gentle voice. B.A customer’s open palms.

C.A customer’s finger shape. D.A customer’s sign of anger.

2.What is the author’s main purpose of mentioning the success in life insurance?

A.To prove the magic of his studying body language

B.To show off his unusual insurance-selling achievements

C.To attract more people to buy his life insurance

D.To simply let readers know about his good luck

3.Which is the correct order of the author’s life events?

①He bought his first house

②He got the chance to meet people and watch body language

③He became a member of MDRT

④He broke the first sales record for the insurance company

A.①②④③ B.②①④③ C.①④②③ D.①④③②

4.What does the underlined words “new area” in the last paragraph refer to?

A.The study of selling products. B.The life insurance business..

C.The research of body language. D.The work for the MDRT

5.According to the passage, which of the following can best describe the author?

A.intelligent but overconfident B.open-minded and determined

C.thinking and sharp-eyed D.grateful and gentle

Answer

1.D

2.A

3.B

4.B

5.C

【解析】

这是一篇记叙文，作者讲述了自己从小积累了“察言观色”的能力，后来又得益于这一技能取得保险销售业绩上的重大突破，最终走向成功人生的故事。

1.细节理解题。根据原文第一段“If someone told me to go away in a soft voice but used a pointed finger or closed hand, I knew it was time to leave.”并结合作者上文提到的可以继续做销售的情形，可知虽对方语气温柔，但肢体语言是关键，如果对方用伸出的手指对着你，或合着双手，表现出生气的信号，就要放弃销售，故选D。

2.推理判断题。本题要求判断作者文中提及自己销售保险的成功经历的意图。文中作者围绕自己解读肢体语言（studying body language）的技能展开，且结合文中最后一句“I was lucky that the skills I’d learned as a boy in watching body language while selling could be used in this new area, and were directly related to the success I could have in any business closely connected with people.”可知作者再次强调自己解读肢体语言的技能“非同小可”，对日后取得成功作用极大，因此作者提及这一人生经历的目的应是prove the magic of his studying body language，故选A。

3.细节理解题。文中第一段作者提及自己在小小年纪（being a young boy）就有机会上门推销东西，学习观察别人的肢体语言；第二段介绍了自己在青少年时期（as a teenager）成为销售人员，靠能力买到人生第一套房子（my ability to read people earned me enough money to buy my first house）；第三段介绍自己成年之后，在二十岁时（at the age of twenty）加入保险公司做销售，打破了公司的销售记录（I went on to break several sales records for my company）；接着作者凭借自己的非凡成就，加入MDRT成为其中一员（This achievement allowed me to become a member of the well-known Million Dollar Round Table--MDRT）。根据以上的梳理，可知题干中的四件人生大事，顺序为②①④③，故选B。

4.指代猜测题。本题要求判断出短语“new area”的具体所指，结合上下文其应直译为“新领域”（文章与区域、地区无关）；接着根据短语所在的最后一段的主要内容，可知该段围绕自己成年后在保险公司做销售的成功经历展开，并强调之前的经历对他取得成功的巨大作用，在“this new area”所在句子的上一句作者说自己成为MDRT的一员，并介绍这个组织“recognizes the world’s top achievers in life insurance”。综上可知这个新领域指代的是人寿保险的业务，故选B。

5.推理判断题。本题要求解读作者本人的形象，文中的“我”从小培养了“察言观色”、解读肢体语言的技能，有着与形形色色的人打交道的丰富经历，依靠“识人”的能力一路走向成功，因此心思缜密、善于思考（thinking）和目光敏锐（sharp-eyed）应是描述作者特点的最恰当词汇；此外作者在文中介绍的成就均是客观的数据或事实，非自己的主观臆测，因此不能判定为过度自信（overconfident），故选C。