Several days ago, a Beijing-based IT company fired about 400 people overnight. No one had expected the job cuts, which broke with traditional ways of letting go of workers in China. Moreover, what was special about this case was that the day before the 400 were fired, they all received from their boss a gift—the book “Who Moved My Cheese?
The book—a bestseller in the US—is being used by men and women to deal with
changes in their lives and work. Some large organizations, including Coca-Cola, Kodak and General Motors, ask their employees to read it in order to encourage them to be active towards changes.
Cheese is something related to everyone’s livelihood—our jobs, the Industries we
work in, relationships and love as well.
With China’s official entry into the WTO, the whole nation will face more changes
and challenges. So what should we do once this “cheese” on which we are so dependent is moved?
“Whatever challenges and changes we meet, we should face up to them bravely,” Jiang Hengwei, a civil servant said after reading the book.
Professor Zhang Yang in Renmin University of China agrees. “We should change ourway of thinking. The coming competitive foreign companies and products provide us withgreat chances to learn from them and improve our own products to meet international standards and be more competitive.”
“With hard work and wisdom, we will create a much larger and better piece of
cheese.” Zhang smiled confidently.
1.The whole passage is about _______.
A. people’s opinions about a bestseller of the US
B. what people think about China’s entry into the WTO
C. the change in people’s attitude towards changes and challenges
D. how a book influences the Chinese
2.The company in Beijing gave each of the 400 fired workers a copy of “Who Moved My Cheese” in order to _______.
A. be more competitive with foreign firms
B. find an excuse for their job cuts
C. let the workers make a living on their own
D. encourage the fired workers
3.The word “cheese” in the passage can refer to _______.
A. something we depend on for a living B. a most important kind of food
C. change or challenge D. way of life
4.From what Hengwei and Professor Zhang Yang said, we can know that _______.
A. they have different opinions on changes and challenges
B. people are not afraid of competition from foreign companies
C. the Chinese people are ready to face any changes and challenges
D. they are both greatly encouraged by the book
Once there was an 11-year-old boy who went fishing with his father in the middle of a New Hampshire lake. On the day before bass(巴斯鱼) season opened, they were fishing early in the evening, catching other fish with worms. Then the boy tied on a small silver lure(鱼饵) and put it into the lake. Suddenly he felt that something very big pulling on the lure. His father watched with admiration as the boy skillfully brought the fish beside the bank. Finally he lifted the tired fish from the water. It was the largest one he had ever seen, but it was a bass.
The boy and his father looked at the big fish. The father lit a match and looked at his watch. It was 10 p.m.—two hours before the season opened. He looked at the fish, then at the boy. “You’ll have to put it back, son,” he said.
“Dad!” cried the boy. “There will be other fish,” said his father. “Not as big as this one,” cried the boy. He looked around the lake. No other fishermen or boats were in sight in the moonlight. He looked again at his father.
Even though no one had seen them, nor could anyone ever know what time he had caught the fish, the boy could tell from his father’s voice that the decision couldn’t be changed. He threw the huge bass into the black water. The big fish disappeared. The boy thought that he would never again see such a big fish.
That was 34 years ago. Today the boy is a successful architect in New York City. He often takes his own son and daughters to fish at the same place.
And he was right. He has never again caught such a large fish as the one he got that night long ago. But he does see that same fish ... again and again ... every time he has an ethical (道德的) decision to make. For, as his father had taught him, ethics are simple matters of right and wrong. It is only the practice of ethics that is difficult.
1.What happened when the big fish turned out to be a bass?
A. The boy and his father discussed what to do with the big fish.
B. The boy threw the bass back into the water willingly.
C. The father lit a match in order to check the time.
D. They worried other fishermen may discover what they had done.
2.From the text we know that the father _________.
A. didn’t love his son B. always disagreed with his son
C. disliked the huge fish D. was firm and stubborn
3.The successful architect went fishing with his children at the same place because _______.
A. they might catch a big fish there B. he was taught a moral lesson there
C. it was a most popular fishing spot D. their children enjoyed fishing there
4.What does the story imply?
A. It is easy to say something, but difficult to do.
B. An ethical decision is always easy to make.
C. It’s hard to tell right from wrong sometimes.
D. Fishing can help one to make right decisions.
Sometimes I really doubt whether there is love between my parents. Every day they are very busy trying to __1__ in order to pay the high tuition for my brother and me. They don’t act in the __2__ ways that I read in books or I see on TV. In their opinion, “I love you” is too __3__ for them to say. Sending flowers to each other on Valentine’s Day is even more out of __4__.
One day, my mother was sewing a quilt. I sat down beside her. “Mom, I have a question to ask you. Is there __5__ between you and Dad?” I asked her in a very low voice. She didn’t answer immediately. She __6__ her head and continued to sew the quilt.
I was very worried because I thought I had _7_ her. I was in a great _8__ and I didn’t know what I should do. But at last I heard my mother say the following words:
“Susan,” she said thoughtfully, “Look at this thread．Sometimes it __9_, but most of it disappears in the quilt. The thread really makes the quilt __10__. If life is a quilt, then love should be a thread．It can hardly be seen __11_, but it’s really there. Love is __12__.”
I listened carefully but I couldn’t __13__ her until the next spring. At that time, my father suddenly got __14_ seriously. My mother had to stay with him in the hospital for a month. When they returned from the hospital, they both looked __15. It seemed both of them had had a serious illness. After they were back, every day in the morning and dusk, my mother helped my father __16__ slowly on the country road．
“Dad, how are you feeling now?” I asked him one day.
“Susan, don’t __17__ about me.” he said gently. “To tell you the truth, I just like walking with your mom.”__18__ his eyes, I know he loves my mother deeply.
Once I thought love meant flowers, gifts and __19__. But from this experience, I understand that love is just __20__ in the quilt of our life. Love is inside, making life strong and warm.
1.A．keep fit B．rise early C．earn money D．collect money
2.A．magic B．romantic C．fantastic D．attractive
3.A．simple B．easy C．relaxing D．luxurious
4.A．the question B．question C．reach D．control
5.A．feeling B．love C．quarrel D．smile
6.A．raised B．shook C．nodded D．bowed
7.A．hurt B．injured C．wounded D．harmed
8.A．surprise B．embarrassment C. depression D．sorrow
9.A．happens B．comes about C．appears D．occurs
10.A．warm and soft B．hot and hard C．thin and cool D．strong and durable
11.A．somewhere and sometime B．anywhere or anytime
C．more or less D．here and there
12.A．inside B．outside C．faraway D．nearby
13.A．believe B．understand C. recognize D. know
14.A． sick B． stuck C． up D．disabled
15.A. healthy B． pale C．red D. surprised
16.A．jump B．ride C．run D．walk
17.A．think B．talk C．worry D．concern
18.A．Reading B．Seeing C．Saying D．Writing
19.A. roses B． ring C． kisses D． jewelry
20.A． thread B． needle C． cloth D． cotton
—Liu Xiang failed to win the match.
—______?
A. So what B. How so C. For what D. Why not
Grain eaten by country people is _____ the fruit and vegetables they eat.
A. the twice weight of B. twice the weight of
C. as twice heavy as D. twice as heavier as
It is from May 1 to October 31, 2010 _____ the World Expo 2010 will be held, _____ is a great event for the Chinese people.
A. when; that B. that; when C. which; when D. that; which
