When 7-year-old Warren Buffett said,“I will be the richest man one day,” his friends made fun of his “daydreaming”. But ever since then the little boy has set about learning how to make money by selling drinks, delivering newspaper and buying stocks. The American had already earned $9,000 (equal to $90,000 today) by the time he graduated from high school.

 And this month the 78-year-old man, who earned his fortune by making a lot of sound investment in the stock market, took the place of Microsoft founder, Bill Gates, as the world’s richest man. Gates’ worth declined $1.5 billion to $55.5 billion in 33 days after the recent financial storm, according to Forbes Magazine.

 Buffett, the only son of a stockbroker, was ready to think outside the box to develop his business from a very early age. At 8, he went to golf courses collecting and selling the used balls. At 11 when he sold soda pop door-to-door with a friend, the pair collected lids on streets to judge which flavor was the most popular.

 As a paper boy during high school, Buffett delivered two competitor papers, so that even when customers canceled one of the subscriptions, he could still make a profit from the other. With his paper delivery savings, Buffett bought 162,000 square meters of farmland and collected rent. Young Buffett stepped into the stock market at 11 but earned only $5. The experience taught him one of the virtues in investing, patience.

After graduating from university, Buffett started his venture with stocks with his childhood earnings and money from friends. He researched the stocks and just bought those of solid companies that were undervalued and inexpensive at the time. By sticking to companies such as American Express and Coca-Cola, Buffett has become rich.

“Learning is important to Buffett’s success. He is a learning machine who can spend his entire day reading. He keeps learning from books, street smarts and investigation, from both success and failure. In this way, he over-achieved his aptitude (能力).” said Charlie Munger, his longtime business partner.

The passage is mainly about ___________.

A. why Buffett took the place of Bill Gates as the world’s richest man

B. what effect Buffett’s childhood experiences had on his success

C. how Buffett earned his fortune and achieved his aptitude

D. what Buffett dreamt about when he was a child

Which of the following is true about Buffett?

A. His worth is more than $ 55.5 billion now.

B. He is next to Bill Gates in wealth at the present time.

C. He achieved great success on stepping into the stock market.

D. He bought 162,000 square meters of farmland by selling soda pop.

How did Buffett behave at the stock market?

A. He often prefers some inexpensive stocks.

B. He will buy the stock whose price is lower than its value.

C. He always borrows money from his friends to buy stocks.

D. He will sell the stock if its price doesn’t go up.

Which is the main factor that determines Buffett’s success?

A.  His education.                      B. His family background.

C.  His desire to learn.                D. His cooperation with his partner.

What can we infer from the passage?

A. Buffett is an immediate success in the stock market.

B.Buffett and Gates are business partners.

C.His father helped him a lot in his business.

D.Buffett has a good sense of business.

Runners in a relay(接力) race pass a stick in one direction. However, merchants passed silk, gold, fruit, and glass along the Silk Road in more than one direction. They earned their living by traveling the famous Silk Road.

The Silk Road was not a simple trading network. It passed through thousands of citied and towns. It started from eastern China, across Central Asia and the Middle East, and ended in the Mediterranean Sea. It was used from about 200 B, C, to about A, D, 1300, when sea travel offered new routes(路线) , It was sometimes called the world’s longest highway. However, the Silk Road was made up of many routes, not one smooth path. They passed through what are now 18 countries. The routes crossed mountains and deserts and had many dangers of hot sun, deep snow and even battles. Only experienced traders could return safe.

The Silk Road got its name from its most prized product. Silk could be used like money to pay taxes or buy goods. But the traders carried more than just silk. Gold, silver, and glass from Europe were much found in the Middle East and Asia. Horses traded from other areas changed farming practices in China. Indian merchants traded salt and other valuable goods. Chinese merchants traded paper, which produced an immediate effect on the West. Apples traveled from central Asia to Rome. The Chinese had learned to graft(嫁接) different trees together to make new kinds of fruit. They passed this science on to others, including the Romans. The Romans used grafting to grow the apple. Trading along the Silk Road led to world-wide business 2,000 years before the World Wide Web.

The people along the Silk Road did not share just goods. They also shared their beliefs. The Silk Road provided pathways for learning, diplomacy(外交), and religion (宗教)

 

53. It’s probable that traders along the Silk Road needed         .

A. to remember the entire trade route       B. to know the making of products

C. to receive certain special training         D. to deal with a lot of difficulties

54. The Silk Road became less important because          .

A. it was made up of different routes        B. silk trading became less popular

C. sea travel provided easier routes           D. people needed fewer foreign goods

55. New technologies could travel along the Silk Road because people          .

A. learned from one another                  B. shared each other’s beliefs

C. traded goods along the route             D. earned their living by traveling

56. What is the best title for the passage?

     A. The Silk Road ; Past and Present            B. The Silk Road; East Meets West

C. The Silk Road; Routes Full of Dangers    D. The Silk Road; Pathways for Learning


Holiday Inns and McDonald’s. both saw unmatched growth in the 1960s. Their growth opened another direct business operation—franchising.
These operations have the same general pattern. The franchisor, the parent company, first establishes a successful retail business. As it expands, it sees a profit potential in offering others the right to open similar business under its name. The parent company’s methods and means of identification with consumers are included in this right. The parent company supplies skill, and may build and rent stores to franchisees. For these advantages the franchisee pays the franchisor a considerable fee. However, some of the advantages and disadvantages are different.
By extending a “proven” marketing method, a parent can profit in several ways. First, the franchisee’s purchase price gives the parent an immediate return on the plan. Then the sale of supplies to the franchisee provides a continuing source of profits. As new businesses are added and the company’s reputation spreads, the values of the franchise increases and sales of franchises become easier. The snowballing effect can be dramatic. Such growth, too, bring into play the economies of scale. Regional or national advertising that might be financially impossible for a franchisor with 20 franchises could be profitable for one with 40.
The parent, then, finds immediate gains from the opportunity to expand markets on the basis of reputation alone, without having to put up capital or take the risk of owning retail stores. Added to this advantage is a less obvious but material one, Skilled, responsible retail managers are rare. People who invest their capital in franchises, though, probably come closer to the ideal than do paid managers. In fact, the franchisee is an independent store operator working for the franchisor, but without an independent’s freedom to drop supplies at will. Of course the factory’s costs of selling supplies are less. But also certainly the franchisee buying goods that have had broad consumer acceptance will not casually change supplies, even when the contract permits. If the hamburger is not what the customer expected, they may not return. Having paid for the goodwill, the franchisee won’t thoughtlessly destroy it.
【小题1】 Franchising refers to a business operation in which a successful parent company          .

A.sells name-brand goods to a private investor
B.rents proven ideas and techniques for investment
C.sells the right, the guidance to a business under its name
D.takes no advertising responsibility for individual investors
【小题2】. The advantages of franchising to the parent company are all the following EXCEPT      .
A.an immediate investment return
B.the profit from the sale of supplies
C.the ownership of additional retail stores
D.the possibility of profitable advertising
【小题3】 The passage mainly tells the reader          .
A.the advantages and disadvantages of franchising
B.the benefits of franchising to the franchisor
C.the unmatched economic growth in the 1960’s
D.some regional and national business operation
【小题4】. What will the author probably discuss after the last paragraph?
A.More advantages of franchising.
B.Negative aspects related to franchising.
C.The standard of consumer acceptance.
D.Risks of investment besides franchising


第三部分:阅读理解(共20小题;每小题2分,满分40分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项。
A
Ruth Mckenney was born in 1911 in Mishawaka, India. She grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, and at the age of fourteen she got her first job working nights in a printer’s shop. She also worked as a waitress, but after dropping two fruits salads on the floor, she was fired.
While Miss Mckenney was studying in an Ohio State University, she found an outside job as a reporter for the Columbus Dispatch. In fact, she left college before she got her degree in order to devote all her time to newspaper work. She later worked on papers in Akron, Ohio, and New York City.
In New York, Miss Mckenney began to write stories about the amusing experiences she shared with her sister. These were published in the New York magazine, and later in a book called “My Sister Eileen”. This book was an immediate bestseller, and soon became a hit play. Miss Mckenney has also written a guide to England and a number of serious books on American labor.
Miss Mckenney married Richard Bransten in 1937. They had one daughter.  It came as no surprise when the author named her Eileen.
Ruth Mckenney died in 1972.
56. The Columbus Dispatch is the name of _____.
A. a department of Ohio State University        B. the printer’s shop
C. a state of the United States                         D. a newspaper
57. Ruth Mckenney started her newspaper work _____.
A. after she left college                           B. when she was a university student
C. after she got her degree                        D. when she worked in New York City
58. Which of the following was a great success?
A. My Sister Eileen.                               B. The hit play.
C. Miss Mckenney’s newspaper work.         D. The New York magazine.
59. Why do you suppose it came as no surprise when the author named her daughter “Eileen”?
A. Because the best-selling book made her famous and its heroine’s(女主角)name was Eileen.
B. Because this name could help her to remember her sister forever.
C. Because she had only one daughter and she loved her so much.
D. Because she wished her daughter would be as successful as she had been.

Theodor Seuss Geisel was born in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1904. He was famous because of the books he wrote for children. They combine funny words, pictures, and social opinion.
Dr Seuss wrote his first book for children in 1937. It is called And to Think I Saw It on Mulberry Street. A number of publishers refused to publish it. They said it was too different. A friend finally published(出版) it. Soon other successful books followed. Over the years, he wrote more than forty children’s books. They were fun to read. Yet his books sometimes dealt with serious subjects.
By the middle 1940s, Dr Seuss had become one of the best-loved and most successful writers of children’s books. He had a strong desire to help children. In 1954, Life magazine published a report about school children who could not read. The report said many children’s books weren’t interesting. Dr Seuss decided to write books that were interesting and easy to read.
In 1957, Dr Seuss wrote The Cat in the Hat. He used less than 225 words to write the book. This was about the number of words a six-year-old should be able to read.
The story is about a cat who tries to entertain two children on a rainy day while their mother is away from home. The cat is not like normal cats. It talks. The book was an immediate success. It was an interesting story and was easy to read. Children loved it. Their parents loved it, too. Today many adults say it is still one of the stories they like best.
【小题1】What’s the best title for this passage?

A.Some of Dr Seuss’ books for children.
B.What are Dr Seuss’s books mainly about?
C.Dr Seuss — a famous writer of children’s books.
D.Why are Dr Seuss’ books different?
【小题2】What do we know about Dr Seuss’s first book for children?
A.It was Dr Seuss’ worst book.
B.It dealt with a very serious subject.
C.Neither children nor adults like it.
D.Many publishers didn’t take it seriously at first.
【小题3】How did Dr Seuss help children according to Paragraph 3&4?
A.By asking others to help them in magazines.
B.By writing interesting and simple books.
C.By changing his old books into simpler ones.
D.By giving them books for free.
【小题4】 Adults most probably think that Dr Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat is _________
A.interestingB.seriousC.difficultD.boring
【小题5】What does the underlined word “combine” mean?
A.like very muchB.fall in love with
C.bring something togetherD.pay attention to

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