Like many lovers of books, Mary and her husband, Richard Goldman, seldom walked past a bookstore without stopping to look inside. They often talked of opening their own store one day.

       When Mary was hospitalized with heart trouble in 1989, they decided it was time to get serious. Richard, who worked for a business company, was eager to work for himself, and Mary needed to slow down from her demanding job.

       They started by talking to bookstore owners and researching the industry. “We knew it had to be a specialty store because we couldn’t match the big chains dollar for dollar,” says Mary. One figure caught her attention: She’d read somewhere that roughly 20 percent of books sold were mysteries (推理小说), and many buyers spent more $300 a year on books. She and Richard were themselves mystery readers.

       On Halloween 1992, they opened the Mystery Lovers Bookshop and Café near their home. With three children in college, the couple could not spend all the family’s money to start a shop. To cover the $100,000 cost, they drew some of their savings, borrowed from relatives and from an bank.

       The store merely broke even in its first year, with only $120,000 in sales. But Mary was always coming up with new ways to attract customers. The shop had a coffee bar and it offered gifts to mystery lovers and served dinners for book clubs that met in the store. She also invited dozens of writers to discuss their stories.

       Today Mystery Lovers makes sales of about $420,000 a year. After paying taxes, business costs and the six part-time sales clerks, Richard and Mary together earn about $34,000.

       “The job you love may not go hand in hand with a million-dollar income,” says Richard. “This has always been about an enjoyable life for ourselves, not about making a lot of money.”

72.When Mary was in hospital, the couple realized that ____.

       A. they had to put their plan into practice

       B. health was more important than wealth

       C. heart trouble was a serious illness

       D. they both needed to stop working

73.After Mary got well from her illness they began _____.

       A. to study industrial management  

       B. to buy and read more mystery books

       C. to do market research on book business

       D. to work harder to save money for the bookstore

74.How did their bookstore do in the first year?

       A. They had to borrow money to keep it going.

       B. They made just enough to cover all the costs.

       C. They succeeded in earning a lot of money.

       D. They failed though they worked hard.

75.According to Richard, the main purpose of running the bookstore is _____.

       A. to pay for their children’s education      

       B. to get to know more writers

       C. to set up more bookstores 

       D. to do what they like to do

If you look up the word “create” in the dictionary , you will find it means “to bring into being, to cause to exist something each of us does daily”.
We are creative whenever we look at or think about something in a new way First, this includes an awareness of our surroundings.It means using all of our senses to become aware of our world.This may be as simple as being aware of color and texture(质地),as well as taste, when we plan a meal.Above all, it is the ability to notice things that others might miss.
A second part of creativity is an ability to see relationships among things.If we believe the expression,“There is nothing new under the sun, the creativity is remaking or recombining(重组) the old in new ways.”For example, we might do this by finding a more effective way to study or a better way to arrange our furniture, or we might make a new combination of camera lenses and filters to create an unusual photograph.
A third part of creativity is the courage and drive to make use of our new ideas, to ask for them to achieve some new results.To think up a new idea is one thing; to put the idea to work is another.
These three parts of creativity are included in all the great works of geniuses, but they are also included in many of our day-to-day activities.
【小题1】Which of the following activities is NOT a creative one according to the passage?

A.To prepare for a meal.
B.To arrange the furniture in a special way.
C.To buy some books from a bookstore.
D.To“write”a letter with the computer.
【小题2】“There is nothing new under the sun” really implies that _________.
A.a new thing can only be created at the basis of earlier things
B.a new thing is only a tale
C.we can seldom create new things
D.we can hardly see really new things in the world
【小题3】What does the author think about the relationship between a new thought and its being put into
practice?
A.It’s more difficut to create a new thought than to use it in practice.
B.To find a new thought will clearly lead to the production of a new thing.
C.A man with an excellent ability of practice can easily become an inventor.
D.One may come up with a new thought, but can not put it into practice.
【小题4】The best title for this passage is__________.
A.How to Develop One’s Creativity
B.What Is Creativity
C.The Importance of Creativity
D.Creativity, a Not Faraway Thing

Henry found work in a bookstore after he finished middle school. He wouldn’t do anything but wanted to get rich. Mr. King thought he was too lazy and was going to send him away. Henry was afraid and had to work hard.

It was a cold morning. It was snowing and there was thin ice on the streets. Few people went to buy the books and the young man had nothing to do. He hated to read, so he watched the traffic. Suddenly he saw a bag fall off a truck and it landed by the other side of the street.

“It must be full of expensive things,” Henry said to himself. “I have to get it, or others will take it away. ”

He went out of the shop and ran across the street. A driver saw him and began to whistle (鸣笛), but he didn’t hear it and went on running. The man drove aside, hit a big tree and was hurt in the accident. Two weeks later Henry was taken to court (法庭). A judge asked if he heard the whistle when he was running across the street. He said that something was wrong with his ears and he could hear nothing.

“But you’ve heard me this time.” said the judge.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Now I can hear with one ear.”

“Cover the ear with your hand and listen to me with your deaf (聋的)one. Well, can you hear me? ”

“No, I can’t, Sir.”

1.What was Mr. King?

A.a driver                               B.a doctor

C.a policeman                           D.a shopkeeper

2.Why did Mr. King want to send Henry away?

A.Because Henry was too lazy.

B.Because Henry hoped to be rich.

C.Because Henry finished middle school.

D.Because Henry sold few books.

3.What did a driver do when he saw Henry run across the street?

A.He drove aside and hit a big tree.

B.He began to whistle to him.

C.He went out of the bookstore.

D.He shouted at him.

4.Why did Henry say that he was deaf?

A.He wanted to have a joke with the judge.

B.He wanted to get the judge’s help

C.He wanted to find another piece of work

D.He didn’t want to pay for the accident.

 

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