Ten years ago, Pierre Omidyar, a software engineer working in California’s Silicon Valley, began thinking about how to use the internet for a trading system in which buyers and sellers could establish a genuine market price．Over a long holiday weekend he wrote the computer code．At first, a trickle(细流)of users arrived at his website－including his girlfriend, who traded PEZ candy dispensers．By the end of 1995, several thousand auctions had been completed and interest in eBay was growing．And it grew and grew．From this modest beginning, eBay has become a global giant, with around 150m registered users worldwide who are set to buy and sell goods worth more than ＄40 billion this year．
The remarkable tale of eBay’s growth points to some important lessons for any business trying to operate online－and today that includes, one way or another, most firms．The commercial opportunities presented by an expanding global web seem almost limitless．But the pace of change is rapid, and so is the ferocity(残暴)of competition．To succeed, firms need agility, an open mind and the ability to reinvent themselves repeatedly．Most of all, they need to listen carefully to their customers, paying close attention to what they do and don’t want．
Such qualities, of course, would be valuable in any kind of business．Yet for online firms they are not a luxury, but necessary for mere survival．This is true for a variety of reasons．The internet is not only growing, but changing rapidly－which, in turn, changes the rules of the game for any business relying on it．The barriers to entry are still low compared with those for most offline businesses, which means that just keeping track of your existing rivals is not enough．These may not represent the greatest competitive threat tomorrow or the next day．That could come from a number of directions－a firm in a different type of online business; one that does not yet exist; or even from one of your own customers．On top of all this, the behavior of many consumers is constantly changing as well, as individuals discover new ways to shop and interact with each other via the web．
All these factors make the internet a dangerous place to do business, as well as one full of promise．eBay’s history demonstrates both of those things．It is probably safe to say that nothing like eBay could have existed without the internet－or could have grown so fast．Even though there have been signs of the firm’s rapid pace slowing a bit in America, its most “mature” market, there remain vast opportunities overseas, particularly, some argue, in China．Meg Whitman, eBay’s chief executive, believes the company is still only at the beginning of what it could achieve．
(1)
What is the purpose of the first paragraph?
[ ]
A．
To introduce the founder of eBay and his girlfriend．
B．
To demonstrate how clever the founder of eBay is．
C．
To show how eBay started and has grown．
D．
To introduce eBay to people．
(2)
Which of the following best summarizes Pierre Omidyar’s intention with regard to eBay?
[ ]
A．
To set up a global internet business．
B．
To allow people to freely buy and sell on the internet at acceptable prices．
C．
To set up a mechanism on the internet to allow people to trade at true market prices．
D．
To se up a business mechanism for his girlfriend．
(3)
Which of these is NOT necessary for a company selling on the internet to do?
[ ]
A．
Have the most competitive price for each of their online products．
B．
Be able to change to suit the prevailing market conditions．
C．
Be prepared to consider all options and alternatives．
D．
Have a good idea of what their customers do not want．
(4)
What does “barriers to entry are still low compared with those for most offline businesses” in paragraph 3 mean?
[ ]
A．
It is easier to set up an internet business than a conventional one．
B．
Internet trade is growing faster than traditional business sector．
C．
It is cheaper to set up an internet business than a traditional one．
D．
Companies generally prefer to do business online rather than offline．
(5)
Why does the article conclude that the internet “is a dangerous place to do business”?
[ ]
A．
Because companies that sell online may be unreliable．
B．
Because there are no controls on doing business on the internet．
C．
Because doing business online is unpredictable．
D．
Because even companies like eBay have problems doing business online．
● Seven nights'accommodation at the 3-star Hotel Nice
● Breakfast
●
The service of guides
● Government taxes
Join us for a wonderful holiday in one of the Europe's most wonderful-Naples in Italy if you want to have a nice time in a beautiful small quiet place
．The ancient Romans called the city“happy land”with attractive coastlinecolorful towns, splendid views and the warm Mediterranean Sea．Your best choice for a truly memorable holiday!
Choose between the peaceful traditional villages of Sant' Agata
, set on a hillside six miles away from Sorrento, or the more lively and well-known international resort town of Sorrento, with wonderful views over the Bay of Naples．
Breathtaking scenery
, famous sights and European restaurants everywhere．From the mysterious Isle of Capri to the hunting ruins of Pompeii, and from the unforgettable“Amalfi Drive”to the delightful resorts of Positano, Sorrento and Ravello, the area is a feast for the eyes!Join us, and you won't be disappointed!
Price based on two tourists sharing a double room at the Hotel Nice
．A single room, another￥2,000．A group of ten college students, ￥10,000 for each．
Like to know more?Telephone Newmarket Air Holidays Ltd on
：0845－226－7788(All calls charged at local rates)．
(1)
All the following are included in the price of ￥12
,000 EXCEPT ________．
[ ]
A．
transport between the airport and the hotel
B．
telephone calls made by tourists
C．
the service of guides to tourists
D．
double rooms for every two tourists
(2)
If you don
't like sharing a room with others, you have to pay ________．
[ ]
A．
￥12,000
B．
￥10,000
C．
￥2,000
D．
￥14,000
(3)
If you like to visit historical sites, which of the following is your best choice?
[ ]
A．
Amalfi．
B．
Sant' Agata．
C．
Pompeii．
D．
Sorrento．
(4)
Who is the advertisement intended for?
[ ]
A．
Potential tourists．
B．
College students．
C．
Quiet people．
D．
Old people．
阅读理解
Below is a web page from http：//www．tvguide．com/．
Tonight's TV Hot List：Sunday January 31, 2010
Grammy Awards 8/7c CBS
Beyoncé and Taylor Swift are ready to take home a lot of hardware tonight as they lead all artists with 10 and eight nominations．The ladies also perform, along with fellow Album of the Year nominees the Black Eyed Peas, Lady Gaga and the Dave Matthews Band．In addition, Bon Jovi, Green Day, Lady Antebellum, Maxwell, Pink and Zac Brown Band will also take the stage．But perhaps the most expected moment is the Michael Jackson tribute(吊唁礼物), which features the 3-D mini-movie "Earth Song" and will be highlighted by performers Celine Dion, Jennifer Hudson, Smokey Robinson, Carrie Underwood and Usher．
Maurer 9/8c NBC
A mysterious company named Sabre, headed by an attractive, stubborn CEO(Kathy Bates), appears out of nowhere and buys out(买断股份)Dunder Mifflin．As Michael is unwilling to follow Sabre's new policies, Andy and Erin write a welcome song to greet the company．Meanwhile, Pam and Jim hope to get accepted into a desired local day-care center．
Surviving Survivor 8/7c CBS
It's hard to believe it's been 10 years since the first season of Survivor．But tonight ten of the game's most iconic players, including previous winners Richard Hatch, Parvati Shallow and Tom Westman, discuss the series in detail and provide insights into how the game is actually played and the impact it's had on their lives．In addition, updates on beloved former castaways, like Ethan Zohn, Rupert Boneham and Elisabeth Hasselbeck, are given．
Private Practice 10∶01/9∶01c ABC
So Maya's pregnant and wants to have the baby．What to do now? Dink(Stephen Lunsford), the boy who did his part to get her into this mess, has a solution：He wants to marry her．You can imagine how Sam and Naomi will feel about that．And if that won't raise the histrionic level enough for you, how about this：A couple has two dying daughters, and only one can be saved．Their choice．And Brian Benben is back, so expect more Pete-Violet- Sheldon angst．
(1)
Edna is crazy about pop stars, so she will most likely choose ________ to enjoy．
[ ]
A．
Grammy Awards
B．
Maurer
C．
Surviving Survivor
D．
Private Practice
(2)
From the passage, we can learn that Dunder Mifflin is ________．
[ ]
A．
a CEO
B．
a company
C．
an employee in the company
D．
a piece of office equipment
(3)
According to the passage, Surviving Survivor is most probably ________．
[ ]
A．
a musical play
B．
a game show
C．
a love story
D．
a cultural documentary
(4)
The above programs ________．
[ ]
A．
are loved by all viewers
B．
are on the top list for the week
C．
are broadcast on the same channel
D．
are accessible on the same night
阅读理解
A few days ago I asked my son's governess(女家庭教师)Julia to come into my study．“Be seated, Julia,”I said, “Let's settle our accounts．I guess you most likely need some money, but maybe you're too polite to mention it．Now then, we agreed on thirty dollars a month…”
“Forty．”
“No, thirty．I made a note of it．I always pay our governess thirty．Well, um, you've been here two months, so…”
“Two months and five days．”
“Exactly two months．I made a special note of it．That means you have sixty dollars coming to you．Take off nine Sundays…you know you didn't work with Tom on Sundays, you only took walks．And three holidays…”Julia was biting her finger nail nervously, her face red, but－not a word．
“Three holidays, therefore take off twelve dollars．Four days Tom was sick and there were no lessons, as you were occupied(从事)only with Dick．Three days you had a toothache and my wife gave you permission not to work after lunch．Twelve and seven-nineteen．Take nineteen off…that leaves…hmm…forty one dollars．Correct?”
Julia's left eye reddened with tears welling up．Her chin trembled; she coughed nervously and blew her nose, but－still not a word．
“Around New Year's Day you broke a teacup and a saucer; take off two dollars．The cup cost more, it was a treasure of the family, but － forget it．When didn't I take a loss! Then, due to your neglect(疏忽), Tom climbed a tree and tore his jacket; take away ten．Also due to your carelessness the maid stole Dick's shoes．You ought to watch everything! You get paid for it．So, that means five more dollars off．The tenth of January I gave ten dollars．”
“You didn't．” sobbed Julia．
“But I made a note of it．”
“Well…if you say so．”
“Take twenty seven from forty one－that leaves fourteen．”
Both her eyes were filled with tears．Beads of sweat stood on the thin pretty little nose．Poor girl!
“Only once was I given any money,” she whispered, her voice trembling, “and that was by your wife．Three dollars, nothing more．”
“Really? You see now, and I didn't know that! Take three from fourteen－that leaves eleven．Here's your money, my dear．Three, three, three, one and one．Here it is!”
I handed her eleven dollars．She took them and pocketed them．
“Merci(法语：谢谢),”she whispered．
I jumped to my feet and started pacing the room．I was overcome with anger．“For what, this ‘merci'?” I asked．
“For the money．”
“But you know I've cheated you－robbed you! I have actually stolen from you! Why this ‘merci'?”
“In my other places they didn't give me anything at all．”
“They didn't give you anything? No wonder! I played a little joke on you, a cruel lesson, just to teach you．．．I m going to give you all the eighty dollars! Here they are in the envelope all ready for you．．．Is it really possible to be so spineless(懦弱)?Why didn't you protest? Why were you silent? Is it possible in this world to be without teeth and claws(爪)－to be such a fool?”
Embarrassed, she smiled．And I could read her expression, “It is possible．”
I asked her pardon for the cruel lesson and, to her great surprise, gave her the eighty dollars．She murmured her little “merci” several times and went out．I looked after her and thought, “How easy it is to crush(压榨)the weak in this world !”
(1)
What shocked the writer was Julia's ________．
[ ]
A．
nervousness in front of her boss
B．
acceptance of injustice(不公平)
C．
shyness when talking about money
D．
unwilling to express herself
(2)
The writer said, “Is it possible in this world to be without teeth and claws?” He was actually telling the governess ________．
[ ]
A．
to be more aggressive(侵略的)
B．
to be more careful in her work
C．
to protect her right
D．
to live independently
(3)
At the end of the story, the writer said, “How easy it is to crush the weak in this world!” to show ________．
[ ]
A．
his understanding of Julia's anxiety
B．
his worry about Julia's future
C．
his concern on the living condition of working - class people
D．
his sympathy(同情)for the mental state of the weak
(4)
From the story, we can tell that Julia's employer was ________．
