Question

    “Cleverness is a gift while kindness is a choice. Gifts are easy – they’re given after all. Choices can be hard.” ---Jeff Bezos.

I got the idea to start Amazon 16 years ago. I came across the fact that the Internet usage was growing at 2,300 percent per year. I'd never seen or heard of anything that grew that fast, and the idea of building an online bookstore with millions of titles was very exciting to me. I had just turned 30 years old, and I'd been married for a year. I told my wife MacKenzie that I wanted to quit my job and go to do this crazy thing that probably wouldn't work since most start-ups don't, and I wasn't sure what to expect. MacKenzie told me I should go for it. As a young boy, I’d been a garage inventor. I'd always wanted to be an inventor, and she wanted me to follow my passion.

I was working at a financial firm in New York City with a bunch of very smart people, and I had a brilliant boss that I admired very much. I went to my boss and told him I wanted to start a company selling books on the Internet. He took me on a long walk in Central Park, listened carefully to me, and finally said. “That sounds like a really good idea, but it would be an even better idea for someone who didn't already have a good job.” That logic made some sense to me, and he convinced me to think about it for 48 hours before making a final decision. Seen in that light, it really was a difficult choice, but eventually, I decided I had to give it a shot. I didn't think I'd regret trying and failing. And I suspected I would always be haunted by a decision not to try at all.

After much consideration, I took the less safe path to follow my passion, and I’m proud of that choice. For all of us, in the end, we are our choices.

1.What inspired the author with the idea of building an online bookstore?

A.His dream of being an inventor. B.Millions of exciting titles.

C.The support of his wife. D.The greatly increasing usage of the Internet.

2.Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined sentence?

A.He would be always feeling unsafe if he didn't try.

B.He would be very excited if he tried it out.

C.The idea of not trying would keep coming to his mind and disturb him.

D.The decision not to build the online bookstore would terrify him.

3.What can we know from the text?

A.The author appreciated his boss’s encouragement.

B.The author might not regret if he failed the idea.

C.The author might go back to his boss if he failed.

D.The author wanted someone else to try the idea.

4.Which of the following would be the best title for the text?

A.We Are What We Choose B.The Starting of Amazon

C.Cleverness and Kindness D.Following My Passion

Answer

1.D

2.C

3.B

4.A

【解析】

这是一篇记叙文。文章介绍了作者开设网上书城亚马逊的心路历程，有了妻子的支持和老板诚恳的建议，作者还是坚定地选择了自己的热情和想法并最终取得成功。

1.推理判断题。第二段第二、三句提到“I came across the fact that the Internet usage was growing at 2,300 percent per year. I'd never seen or heard of anything that grew that fast, and the idea of building an online bookstore with millions of titles was very exciting to me.”互联网的增长速度非常快，作者从来没有见过增长如此迅速的事物，因此想要在网上开书店的想法非常吸引作者，由此判断出互联网使用量的飞速发展让作者有了开网上书店的想法。故选D。

2.词句猜测题。第三段划线前的句子提到“but eventually, I decided I had to give it a shot. I didn't think I'd regret trying and failing.”经过艰难的考虑之后，作者最终还是决定要尝试一下，而且他也不会后悔尝试或失败，由此判断如果作者不尝试的话，尝试的想法会一直浮现在他的脑海里，并困扰着他。C项符合文意，故选C。

3.细节理解题。第三段倒数第三句提到“…he convinced me to think about it for 48 hours before making a final decision.”作者在告诉老板他的想法后，老板说服作者再考虑一下，由此可知老板并不看好作者的想法。故A项错误。文中并没有提到作者失败后的打算或计划，也没有提到作者想把这个想法让别人来实施，故C、D项错误。第三段倒数第二句提到“I didn't think I'd regret trying and failing.”作者不认为自己后悔尝试或失败，B项符合题意，故选B。

4.主旨大意题。第一段引用了Jeff Bezos的话，起到总起全文的作用，“Cleverness is a gift while kindness is a choice. Gifts are easy – they’re given after all. Choices can be hard.”聪明是一种天赋而善良是一种选择。天赋很容易，因为是被给予的，做选择却很难。文章第二、三段提到了作者开设网上书城前的心路历程，虽然妻子很支持，但老板却劝作者考虑再三，而作者经过了仔细的考虑后还是决定遵从自己的想法和选择。最后一段提到“I took the less safe path to follow my passion, and I’m proud of that choice. For all of us, in the end, we are our choices”作者选择跟随自己的热情，同时很骄傲自己所作的选择，并对文章主题进行了升华—选择塑造人生。所以短文的最佳标题为“选择塑造人生”。故选A。