题目内容
Proudly reading my words, I glanced around the room, only to find my classmates bearing big smiles on their faces and tears in their eyes. Confused, I glanced toward my stone?faced teacher. Having no choice, I slowly raised the report I had read carefully, hoping to hide myself. “What could be causing everyone to act this way？”
Quickly, I flashed back to the day Miss Lancelot gave me the task. This was the first real task I received in my new school. It seemed simple: go on the Internet and find information about a man named George Washington. Since my idea of history came from an ancient teacher in my home country, I had never heard of that name before. As I searched the name of this fellow, it became evident that there were two people bearing the same name who looked completely different! One invented hundreds of uses for peanuts, while the other led some sort of army across America. I stared at the screen, wondering which one my teacher meant. I called my grandfather for a golden piece of advice: flip (掷) a coin. Heads—the commander, and tails—the peanuts guy. Ah! Tails，my report would be about the great man who invented peanut butter, George Washington Carver.
Weeks later, standing before this unfriendly class, I was totally lost. Oh well, I lowered the paper and sat down at my desk, burning to find out what I had done wrong. As a classmate began his report, it all became clear，“My report is on George Washington, the man who started the American Revolution.” The whole world became quiet! How could I know that she meant that George Washington?
Obviously, my grade was awful. Heartbroken but fearless, I decided to turn this around. I talked to Miss Lancelot, but she insisted: No re?dos; no new grade. I felt that the punishment was not fair, and I believed I deserved a second chance. Consequently, I threw myself heartily into my work for the rest of the school year. Ten months later, that chance unfolded as I found myself sitting in the headmaster's office with my grandfather, now having an entirely different conversation. I smiled and flashed back to the embarrassing moment at the beginning of the year as the headmaster informed me of my opinion to skip the sixth grade. Justice is sweet!
1.What did the author's classmates think about his report?
A．Positive. B．Ridiculous
C．Boring. D．Puzzling.
2.Why was the author confused about the task?
A．He was unfamiliar with American history.
B．He followed the advice and flipped a coin.
C．He forgot his teacher's instructions.
D．He was not familiar with the new school.
3.The underlined word “burning” in Para. 3 probably means ________.
A．annoyed B．ashamed C．ready D．eager
4.In the end, the author turned things around ________.
A．by redoing his task
B．through his own efforts
C．with the help of his grandfather
D．under the guidance of his headmaster
The benefits of being an independent business are truly great. Beyond the rewarding nature of owning something truly unique, small businesses have the edge over their big business counterparts in many areas. Consider the importance of being independent and how that independence can help drive your business.
To some, having fewer customers simply means less cash flow; however, having a smaller base also allows you to focus more on customer satisfaction.
Companies are always searching for ways to improve customer service and have more of their business. Whether through paying special attention to who comes through your door or monitoring your customers through the social network, it’s less of trouble to make sure your customers’ needs are being met when there’s a smaller sample to deal with. In addition, it becomes much easier to create a personal connection with buyers when you have enough time and attention to show them some love.
Small businesses have an inherent advantage over their big box competitors in the sense that they can offer something different. People want to see the independent businesses that offer unique products and flavor to their communities. Your business can be the difference when it comes to what customers want.
Of course, big box companies will almost always beat you down when it comes to price. Consider, however, that if you can offer a truly unique product or experience, price becomes much less of an issue.
People like the idea of supporting local independent businesses versus “the big guys”. So, what businesses are booming due to the rise of independence?
Craft Beer(精酿啤酒) — The craft beer movement in the United States is supported so widely that big breweries have taken to creating their own competing “craft beer” brands in an attempt to follow the trend. While Anheuser Busch represents nearly half of America’s breweries, craft beer has seen a huge jump in sales in recent years.
Video Games — Whether through PCs, traditional consoles or mobile games, independent developers are supported by enthusiastic fans and micro-transactions in an industry that was formerly dominated by bigger developers.
Musicians — The modern web offers immense opportunities to musicians, resulting in more economic and artistic freedom. A surprising number of mainstream artists have seen great success from their independent releases, such as Macklemore’s The Heist, which has sold over one million copies in the United States alone.
Some small businesses don’t want to be small businesses forever. Regardless, consider what independence does for you and your company. If you offer something out of the ordinary, you can build an audience that respects your individuality and supports your cause.
The necessity of being an independent business | |
A focus on customer 1.______________ | A smaller sample of customers makes it easy to 2.________ to customers’ needs. |
With enough time and attention to show customers some love, an independent business person finds it easier to connect with them 3._________. | |
An offer of something completely different | Small businesses can offer something 4.________ the ordinary to their communities. |
Being different can 5._________ a large number of active consumer groups. | |
A really unique product or experience can make customers take 6.__________ less seriously. | |
An appeal to an independent business | In the USA, craft beer is very popular with people, having 7.________ well in recent years. |
Independent game developers gain the support of crazy fans in an industry that 8.__________ to be in the control of bigger developers. | |
A surprising number of mainstream artists 9.________ great success to their independent releases. | |
A chance to 10._____ for some small businesses | For some small businesses, independence can attract a group of people that respect their individuality and support their development. |