My newly-rented small apartment was far away from the centre of London and it was becoming essential for me to find a job, so finally I spent a whole morning getting to town and putting my name down to be considered by London Transport for a job on the underground. They were looking for guards, not drivers. This suited me. I couldn’t drive a car but thought that I could probably guard a train, and perhaps continue to write my poems between stations. The writers Keats and Chekhov had been doctors. T.S. Eliot had worked in a bank and Wallace Stevens for an insurance company. I’d be a subway guard. I could see myself being cheerful, useful, a good man in a crisis. Obviously I’d be overqualified but I was willing to forget about that in return for a steady income and travel privileges — those being particularly welcome to someone living a long way from the city centre.

The next day I sat down, with almost a hundred other candidates, for the intelligence test. I must have done all right because after about half an hour’s wait I was sent into another room for a psychological test. This time there were only about fifty candidates. The interviewer sat at a desk. Candidates were signaled forward to occupy the seat opposite him when the previous occupant had been dismissed, after a greater or shorter time. Obviously the long interviews were the more successful ones. Some of the interviews were as short as five minutes. Mine was the only one that lasted a minute and a half.

I can remember the questions now: “Why did you leave your last job?” “Why did you leave your job before that?” “And the one before that?” I can’t recall my answers, except that they were short at first and grew progressively shorter. His closing statement, I thought, revealed (揭示) a lack of sensitivity which helped to explain why as a psychologist, he had risen no higher than the underground railway. “You’ve failed the psychological test and we are unable to offer you a position.”

Failing to get that job was my low point. Or so I thought, believing that the work was easy. Actually, such jobs — being a postman is another one I still desire — demand exactly the sort of elementary yet responsible awareness that the habitual dreamer is least qualified to give. But I was still far short of full self-understanding. I was also short of cash.

The writer applied for the job chiefly because _________.

A.he wanted to work in the centre of London

B.he could no longer afford to live without one

C.he was not interested in any other available job

D.he had received some suitable training

The writer thought he was overqualified for the job because _________.

A.he often traveled underground       B.he had written many poems

C.he could deal with difficult situations    D.he had worked in a company

The length of his interview meant that _________.

A.he was not going to be offered the job

B.he had not done well in the intelligence test

C.he did not like the interviewer at all

D.he had little work experience to talk about

What does the writer realize now that he did not realize then?

A.How unpleasant ordinary jobs can be.   B.How difficult it is to be a poet.

C.How unsuitable he was for the job. D.How badly he did in the interview.

What’s the writer’s opinion of the psychologist?

A. He was very aggressive.   B. He was unhappy with his job.

C. He was quite inefficient. D. He was rather unsympathetic.

About 1,000 students were having a final exam in a huge lecture hall. Obviously the teacher wasn’t very well liked, who kept shouting out how much time was left. During the exam he was so  36   going around the room making sure that nobody   37  . He asked the students to pile the   38   tests on the huge desk. This made for quite a mess(混乱).

    Anyway, everyone needed a fairly good   39  . Many students did poorly when rushed.  40of the students thought that he must get a good grade, so he went on when the professor said “  41   down and check up your exam sheets”.

Five   42   turned into ten, ten into twenty, twenty into forty … almost an hour   43   the test was over, our friend finally put down his pencil,   44   up his work, and headed to the front to present his final. The whole time, the professor sat there,   45   waiting for the student to complete.

“What do you think you are doing?” It was clear that the professor had   46   only to give the student a   47   time.

“Turning in my exam,” replied the student confidently.

“I’m afraid I have some bad   48   for you,” the professor gloated(幸灾乐祸), “Your  49 is an hour late. You’re FAILED it. And I’ll see you next term when you   50   my course.”

The student smiled slyly(狡诈地)   51   asked the professor, “Do you know who I am?” “No,” cried out the professor   52  .

The student   53   the professor right in the eyes and said slowly, “I didn’t think so,” so he lifted up one of the   54   half way, put his test neatly into the center of the pile, let the pile fall  55   his test in the middle, turned around, and walked out of the huge lecture hall.

36.A.kind                       B.busy                       C.strict                      D.serious

37.A.cheated                   B.failed                            C.slept                       D.passed

38.A.written                   B.succeeded               C.unfinished               D.completed

39.A.teacher                   B.friend                     C.grade                      D.paper

40.A.All                         B.One                        C.None                      D.Each

41.A.pencils                   B.papers                    C.hands                     D.books

42.A.students                  B.minutes                  C.sheets                     D.piles

43.A.if                           B.though                    C.before                    D.after

44.A.gathered                 B.brought                  C.sent                        D.made

45.A.strangely                B.excitedly                 C.anxiously                D.curiously

46.A.promised                B.managed                 C.waited                    D.worked

47.A.easy                       B.hard                       C.long                       D.good

48.A.information            B.result                      C.advice                    D.news

49.A.exam                      B.time                       C.arrival                    D.turn

50.A.accept                    B.repeat                     C.learn                      D.begin

51.A.and                        B.but                         C.so                          D.however

52.A.cruelly                   B.calmly                    C.angrily                   D.firmly

53.A.searched                 B.hit                          C.blamed                   D.looked

54.A.hands                     B.eyes                       C.desks                      D.piles

55.A.changing                B.burying                  C.improving               D.sticking

A jobless man applied for the position of “office boy” at Microsoft. The HR manager interviewed him and then watched him cleaning the floor as a test.
“You are employed,” he said. “Give me your e-mail address and I’ll send you the application to fill in, as well as date when you may start. ”
The man replied, “But I don’t have a computer, neither an e-mail. ”
“I’m sorry,” said the HR manager. “If you don’t have an e-mail, that means you do not exist. And who doesn’t exist cannot have the job. ”
The man left with no hope at all. He didn’t know what to do, with only ten dollars in his pocket. He then decided to go to the supermarket and buy 10kg tomatoes. He then sold the tomatoes from door to door. In less than two hours, he succeeded to double his capital. He repeated the operation three times, and returned home happily with 60 dollars.
The man realized that he can survive in this way, and started to go every day earlier, and return late. Thus, his money doubled or tripled every day. Shortly, he bought a cart, then a truck, and then he had his own fleet of delivery vehicles. Five years later, the man is one of the biggest food retailers in the US.
He started to plan his family’s future and decided to have a life insurance. He called an insurance broker and chose a protection plan.
When the conversation was concluded the broker asked him his e-mail. The man replied, “I don’t have an e-mail. ”
The broker answered curiously, “You don’t have an e-mail, and yet have succeeded to build an empire. Can you imagine what you could have been if you had an e-mail?” The man thought for a while and replied, “Yes, I’d be an office boy at Microsoft!”
【小题1】Why can’t the man have the job at Microsoft?

A.Because he was lazy.B.Because he didn’t pass the test.
C.Because he didn’t have an e-mail.D.Because he didn’t have a computer.
【小题2】The underlined word “triple” can be replaced by ______.
A.become largeB.become 3 times
C.increase quicklyD.decrease quickly
【小题3】According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
A.The man is one of the biggest food retailers in the world.
B.The man didn’t give up though he failed the interview.
C.He started his career by selling tomatoes in the supermarket.
D.Those who have e-mails can work at Microsoft.
【小题4】The man can be described as _______.
A.helpful and considerateB.positive and generous
C.smart and hardworkingD.stubborn and unselfish
【小题5】Which proverb can best describe the story?
A.Misfortune may be an actual blessing. B.Where there is a will, there is a way.
C.Accidents will happen. D.No pains , no gains.

A jobless man applied for the position of “office boy” at Microsoft. The HR manager interviewed him and then watched him cleaning the floor as a test.
“You are employed,” he said. “Give me your e-mail address and I’ll send you the application to fill in, as well as date when you may start. ”The man replied, “But I don’t have a computer, neither an e-mail. ”
“I’m sorry,” said the HR manager. “If you don’t have an e-mail, that means you do not exist. And who doesn’t exist cannot have the job. ”
The man left with no hope at all. He didn’t know what to do, with only ten dollars in his pocket. He then decided to go to the supermarket and buy 10kg tomatoes. He then sold the tomatoes from door to door. In less than two hours, he succeeded to double his capital. He repeated the operation three times, and returned home happily with 60 dollars.
The man realized that he can survive in this way, and started to go every day earlier, and return late. Thus, his money doubled or tripled every day. Shortly, he bought a cart, then a truck, and then he had his own fleet of delivery vehicles. Five years later, the man is one of the biggest food retailers in the US.
He started to plan his family’s future and decided to have a life insurance. He called an insurance broker and chose a protection plan.
When the conversation was concluded the broker asked him his e-mail. The man replied, “I don’t have an e-mail. ”
The broker answered curiously, “You don’t have an e-mail, and yet have succeeded to build an empire. Can you imagine what you could have been if you had an e-mail?” The man thought for a while and replied, “Yes, I’d be an office boy at Microsoft!”
【小题1】Why can’t the man have the job at Microsoft?

A.Because he was lazy.B.Because he didn’t pass the test.
C.Because he didn’t have an e-mail.D.Because he didn’t have a computer.
【小题2】The underlined word “triple” can be replaced by ______.
A.become largeB.become 3 times
C.increase quicklyD.decrease quickly
【小题3】According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
A.The man is one of the biggest food retailers in the world.
B.The man didn’t give up though he failed the interview.
C.He started his career by selling tomatoes in the supermarket.
D.Those who have e-mails can work at Microsoft.
【小题4】The man can be described as _______.
A.helpful and considerateB.positive and generous
C.smart and hardworkingD.stubborn and unselfish
【小题5】Which proverb can best describe the story?
A.Misfortune may be an actual blessing. B.Where there is a will, there is a way.
C.Accidents will happen.D.No pains, no gains.

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