Peter Huszcz once taught in an agricultural (农业的)college. In the 1990s, he moved to Canada. Peter started out washing dishes in a restaurant in downtown Ottawa. When the manager asked him to help out rolling meatballs in the kitchen, he soon 1earned how to do the job very well. But it was boring and Peter suggested that the manager should buy a meatball-making machine. When the manager told him there was no such thing as a meatball maker, Peter was quick to notice that something was missing in the market. Putting his engineering knowledge to good use, he quickly came up with a simple method—the Magic Meatball Maker.

He was sure there was a market for his machine. but it took him ten years of hard work to find it. He had to take risks, but he believed in his idea, and he managed to persuade other people to believe in him too. A local manufacturer (制造商) offered to produce the first 1,000 units in return for a share in the profits (收益), local shops offered to keep his meatball makers and a friend’s daughter helped him out with his first sales.

But his lucky break came when he managed to persuade a TV shopping channel to help sell the Magic Meatball Maker. The channel broadcast a program about how the invention worked in the studio kitchen. Within minutes, they had sold more than 4,000 units.

This was just the start. Peter had been right. He had said his meatball maker would bring him great wealth, and it has: more than two million dollars so far and it’s till selling to thousands of American housewives all across the USA.

1.Working in the restaurant, Peter_______ .

A. was chosen to be the manager B. found a chance to make money

C. broke a meatball-making machine D. was poor at making meatballs by hand

2.Which of the following helped Peter’s business take off?

A. A local shop. B. A friend’s daughter

C. A local manufacturer D. A TV shopping channel

3.What’s the right order to describe Peter’s life?

A. Teacher→dish washer→inventor→businessman

B. Dish washer→teacher→inventor→businessman

C. Businessman→dish washer→inventor→teacher

D. Inventor→businessman→dish washer→teacher

4.What can we learn from the story?

A. Better late than never

B. A friend in need is a friend indeed

C. Where there is a will, there is a way.

D. In time of danger, one’s mind works fast.

假设你叫李明,你的初中同学王强到贵阳读高中,他来信告诉你,他的英语跟不上那里学生的英语水平,

课堂上听不懂,不知道怎样才能提高英语,希望你给他提些有关英语学习的建议。现在请你根据以下内容提示给他写一封回信。

要点如下:

1.对他在英语学习方面有困难表示关心,并愿意提供帮助。

2.给他提出建议:①每天背单词、短语,丰富词汇量;②多听英语录音或光盘,模仿准确的语音语调,提高听力;③课外多阅读,提高阅读能力;

3.提出希望:希望他在英语方面能取得进步,并赶上其他同学。

注意:1.书信必须包括以上提供的内容要点,可以适当增加细节,使内容连贯;

2.词数:词数100左右;

参考词汇:记住:memorize;丰富:enrich;语调:intonation

Dear Wang Qiang,

I’m glad to hear from you.___________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Yours

Li Ming

Bolivia has a population of three and a half million. About one tenth of the total population are white; one-fourth are mixed Indians and white; and more than half are full-blooded Indians. The government and the industries are under the control of the white people.

The Indians today live in much the same way as their ancestors. Most of them are farmers. Many work in the mines, for mining is the most important industry on Bolivia’s. Of all the mining products, tin is the most important, which makes up three-fourths of all Bolivia’s exports. The eastern slopes of the Andes, since there are very few roads there, are fertile but not highly developed. The two primary means of transportation are river boats and porters. East of the hill region is the great plains where tropical plants are grown. A serious problem for Bolivia is the transport of food from the warm regions, where it is grown, to the mountainous regions, where most of the people live.

Bolivia gained its independence from Spain about a hundred years ago. It has been slow in developing, but its rich resources promise a better future in it.

1.The majority of the Bolivian population are __________.

A. full-blooded Indians B. mixed Indian and white

C. white citizens D. all whites and mixed-blooded people

2.The Indian’s way of life today is ___________.

A. quite different from that of their ancestors B. quite interesting

C. almost the same as their ancestors’ D. very exciting

3.The eastern slopes of the Andes is not highly developed because ________.

A. there are thick forests there B. there are very few roads there

C. there are many fine mines there D. they are not fertile enough

4.Bolivia has been slow in developing , but it has hope for a better future because of its ____.

A. mining products B. rich resources

C. independence from Spain D. two primary means of transportation

People all need friends because nobody wants to be lonely and a friend can help you in good and bad times. You have made friends since childhood, but you still don’t know who your true friends are. Here are some signs to tell you if your friend is a true friend:

Always honest

Honesty is important to keep a relationship alive. A true friend always tells you the truth. It may be hard sometimes but lying can destroy a friendship. It is important that your friend speaks honestly and never makes up stories.

There are always periods in your life when you have problems or difficulties. A true friend will always have time to listen to your problems and give advice. It may not be able to offer a solution to your problems but the fact that your friend made time to listen is a sign he/she cares for you. Your friend is not a true friend if he/she can never make time for you when you are in trouble. You also need to be reasonable and accept that your friend also has other things to do so he/she can’t always listen immediately to your problems.

Always respectful (尊敬的)

A true friend will always respect your opinion no matter whether he/she agrees or not. Your true friend may disagree but never insists that he/she is correct.

Always understanding

It is possible that some problems will arise between you and your friend. A true friend will always be forgiving (体谅的) and understanding even if it isn’t his/her fault. We are all different people and we all make mistakes. A true friend is always forgiving and understanding because he/she doesn’t want to take the risk of losing his/her best friend.

1.What’s the best title for the third paragraph?

A. Always there for you B. Keep your secrets

C. Always happy for you D. Remember your important days

2.According to the passage, a true friend will always________.

A. follow your advice

B. offer a solution for your problems

C. listen immediately to your problems

D. respect your opinion even if he/she disagrees with it

3.Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?

A. Never tell lies to friends. B. Making time for friends.

C. Sharing fun with friends. D. Paying attention to a friend’s opinions.

4.What’s the author’s purpose in writing this passage?

A. To teach us how to make true friends.

B. To find out how long a friendship can last.

C. To introduce his experience in making friends.

D. To tell us how to find out if a friend is a true friend.

Gallows humor(黑色幽默)seem like a mistake, or at least in poor taste. But psychologists say that gallows humor can be an important way to relieve stress. “Humor makes you feel in control and it can give you that feeling that everything is okay even when it's not,” says James M. Jones, a psychology professor at the University of Delaware.

Psychologists say that just because you're laughing doesn't mean you’re wasting time. Occasional teasing among colleagues, particularly if it revolves around things associated with the job, can boost creativity, departmental cohesiveness(凝聚力)and performance.

“There are a lot of stressors out there,” says Ed Dunkelblau, a psychologist with the Institute for Emotionally Intelligent Learning in Chicago. “But gallows humor is a way of making difficult things a little less difficult.”

This is true as long as the humor is used for the right purpose. The main point of it should be inspiring people --- not laughing at them. “Anything that would lift morale(士气)in terms of the company would be good humor,” says Thierry Guedj, a professor of business and psychology at Boston University. “Before you say or do anything, think about, ‘How is this helping my employees’ morale?’”

You want to give your employees and co-workers a sense of belonging, so don’t make observations that are aggressive. Most obviously, Dr Guedj says, don’t make comments about people’s physical appearance, or faith. If you have any doubt, it's appropriate, don't go through with it.

Or you can take aim at the one person you know won't be offended(冒犯):Yourself. “If there's going to be a joke or story, it should be you,” Mr. Dunkelblau says. For example, if you're a marketing manager reviewing a failed campaign that you led, begin with a line like, “The guy who gave permission to this deal might just be looking for work next week.”

“People with the ability to laugh at themselves can give other people permission to laugh at themselves too,” Mr. Jones says. “And if you can laugh at yourself, you feel better about yourself.”

1.According to the text, gallows humor has the following functions EXCEPT ________.

A. reducing pressure

B. improving performance

C. making people more creative

D. leading to a big mistake

2.What is Ed Dunkelblau’s attitude towards gallows humor?

A. Positive. B. Negative.

C. Neutral. D. Uncertain.

3.Which of the following would Dr. Guedj most probably agree with?

A. Gallows humor is the basic source of morale.

B. Gallows humor allows people to laugh at others.

C. Gallows humor may sometimes be used for the wrong purpose.

D. Anything that may lift morale can be called gallows humor.

4.When people use gallows humor, they should ________.

A. observe who is aggressive

B. show a sense of belonging

C. doubt about the result of humors

D. try to avoid irritating others

5.What can we infer from the text?

A. People tend to laugh at others rather than themselves.

B. Laughing at ourselves can help relieve the stress of others.

C. People can’t avoid offending others with gallows humor.

D. People who laugh at themselves are hard to be friends with.

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