Some time ago, I discovered a whole lot of antique(古董) shops near my home. So I left home one morning carrying the char that had a broken leg. I didn’t think there would be any difficulty in getting it mended. I went into the first shop expecting a friendly reception. I was quite wrong. The man wouldn’t even look at my chair.

The second shop, although slightly more polite, was just the same, and the third and the fourth — so I thought that my approach must be wrong.

I went into the fifth shop with a plan in my mind. I placed the chair on the floor and said to the shopkeeper, “Would you like to buy a chair?” He looked it over carefully and said, “Yes. How much do you want do it, sir?” “Twenty pounds,” I said. “Ok,” he said, “I’ll give you twenty pounds.” “It has a slightly broken leg,” I said. “Yes, I saw that; it’s nothing.”

Everything was going according to the plan and I was getting excited. “What will you do with it?” I asked. “Oh, it will be easy to sell once the repair is done.” “I’ll buy it,” I said. “What do you mean? You’ve just sold it to me.” he said. “Yes, I know but I’ve changed my mind. I’m sorry. I’ll give you twenty-seven pounds for it.” “You must be crazy,” he said. Then, suddenly the penny dropped. “I know what you want. You want me to repair your chair.” “You’re right.” I said. “And what would you have done if I had walked in and said, ‘Would you mend this chair for me?’” “I wouldn’t have agreed to do it,” he said. “We don’t do repairs, not enough in it and too much trouble. But I’ll mend this for you, shall we say for five pounds?” He was a very nice man and was greatly amused by the whole thing.

1.We can learn from the text that in the first shop the writer ________.

A. was rather impolite

B. was warmly welcomed

C. asked the shopkeeper to buy his chair

D. asked the shopkeeper to repair his chair

2.Why did the writer said “Would you like to buy a chair?” in the fifth shop?

A. He was sure that he won’t be able to have the chair repaired.

B. He wanted to make some money by selling the chair.

C. He had a plan in mind about how to get his chair mended.

D. He planned to get a new chair after selling the broken one.

3.The expression “the penny dropped” in the last paragraph means the shopkeeper ________.

A. changed his mind

B. accepted the offer

C. saw the writer’s purpose

D. decided to help the writer

4.How much will the writer pay?

A. £5 B. £7 C. £20 D. £27

Most airlines go all out to ensure their passengers have the best possible flight experience. Now, Europe’s low-budget airline, easyJet, wants to extend the positive experience beyond the plane ride with “Sneakairs”—smart shoes that allow visitors to explore new cities and towns without ever looking at a map.

To transform Sneakairs from an ordinary shoe to a tour guide, all the wearer has to do is enter his or her desired destination into the easyJet smartphone app. A built-in GPS will determine the wearer’s starting location while the Google Maps navigation(导航) tool will help chart the best route. Whenever a change of direction is necessary, the app will communicate with the appropriate shoe via the Bluetooth and cause it to vibrate(振动). For example, if the wearer needs to turn right, he/she will feel the sensation in the right shoe. Should the user miss the turn, the smart shoes will both vibrate at the same time, reminding him/her to change course.

Visitors that wander off the suggested path or decide to take a break for a cup of coffee or a meal have nothing to worry about. The smart app will automatically determine the new location and chart out a new route, once the desired destination is reached. Sneakairs will vibrate three times to inform the user of the arrival and then go back to being ordinary shoes—until their navigation services are needed again!

Sneakairs is certainly not the first navigation shoe in the market. However, easyJet is the first airline to offer them to passengers just as they are about to land in an unknown city. However, before Sneakairs can go mainstream, the easyJet team still needs to make some adjustments. Among the challenges that need to be addressed is the smart shoe’s three-hour battery life, which is hardly enough for a tourist to catch all the delights a new or town has to offer!

1.The airline easyJet designed Sneakairs in order to ________.

A. help people exercise with better shoes

B. attract more people to choose easyJet

C. make sure their passengers have the best possible flight experience

D. provide passengers with further pleasant experience beside their flight

2.What does the author mainly talk about in Paragraph 2?

A. How Sneakairs works.

B. How visitors choose routes.

C. How users avoid getting lost.

D. What users should pay attention to.

3.What might easyJet do to improve its smart shoes?

A. Bring down their cost.

B. Add more functions.

C. Develop more types.

D. Make the battery last longer.

4.Where does this text probably come from?

A. A commercial ad.B. A science report.

C. A tourist map.D. An airline guide.

Most people say “yes” much more readily than “no”.

A friend is moving house this weekend and would like some help, and you agree. But, what you really wanted was a couple of quiet days relaxing at home. Or a roommate spends the entire weekends playing video games and wants to borrow your homework for “reference”. But, you’ve just finished it after taking a whole day to work hard.

Many people say “yes” to those kinds of requests. They tend not to consider their own interests and feelings, and are often angry with themselves afterwards.

Saying “no” requires courage and considerable practice, in fact, according to psychologists.

“Everyone wants to be liked,” says Gabriel Steinki, a German psychologist. “Saying ‘no’ risk losing the affection of the person asking the favor or even a job.”

The result is that many people say “yes” just for keeping the peace. But experts say this is regrettable. Anyone should have the right to say “no”.

In fact, rejecting a request can even help to strengthen a relationship because it expresses a true feeling.

But, for people used to agreeing to every request, changing can be a long and uncomfortable learning process.

Most people believe that “If I say ‘no’, I’ll lose the affection of the person. But the affection is important to me.” This way of thinking can be replaced by this “If he only likes me because I always do what suits him, then the price of his affection is too high in the long term.”

Steinki says the key is talking to the other person to find a mutual(相互的) solution. “One needs to present the situation from one’s own point of view, and to suggest how the situation can be dealt with to the advantage of both parties. The other person must have the feeling that his interests are being considered.”

When the refusal is not accepted, Steinki advises giving the reasons calmly again until the person gets the message.

1. Most people say “yes” much more readily than “no” because ____________.

A. they don’t care about their own interests and feelings

B. they don’t know they will regret afterwards

C. they have already been used to saying “yes”

D. they care more about others’ affection

2. According to the writer, what should you do if you want to refuse the other person’s request?

A. Just say you can’t help him.

B. Say sorry to him.

C. Refuse him clearly.

D. Talk to the other person to find a mutual way.

3. According to the writer, what should you do if your refusal is not accepted?

A. Say yes to him.

B. Repeat your reason for his acceptance.

C. Just go away.

D. Say no to him.

4. What is the best title of the passage?

A. You Need Courage to Say “No”

B. “Yes” More than “No”

C. Nobody Has the Right to Say “No”

D. It’s Easy to Say “Yes”

根据短文内容,从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

Having a clean and organized workspace takes time and effort—especially if we want to keep it that way. ___1.___ According to recent statistics, the average office employee spends one and a half hours a day looking for things. That's an hour and a half that is wasted every day because of disorganization. Keeping things organized can give you more time each day. Having a clean workspace can have a number of additional surprising benefits. Let's look at some of those now.

___2.___

Untidiness can be a distraction that interferes with your thought process and prevents you from being as effective as you can be. When your workspace is clean and organized, you can spend more time focused on your tasks, without the unorganized chaos to attend to.

Attain More Success

It's hard to be productive when you're disorganized. Organization can make it easier to concentrate, and allows you to get things done faster. Whether you're an employee or self­employed, organization is a crucial component for success. If clients see that you're well­ organized, they'll be more willing to trust you. __3.___

Make a Better Impression

In addition to making it easier to focus and work, having a clean workspace also helps to convey a professional image. Your workspace says more about you than you may think. When someone walks past your space, they instantly form an opinion about you based on what your space looks like. __4._ However, to the outsider, you may look overwhelmed and incapable of taking on extra projects.

Have a Happier Work Experience

If you're surrounded by a clean environment you'll have space to think, will be able to get more done and will feel better working in that space.

Fortunately, keeping your space clean and organized is easier than you might think. ___5._ You'll be amazed at the difference a clean workspace can make to your mindset and how much more you'll be able to accomplish during the day.

A. Improve Focus

B. Regain Tidiness

C. But the results are more than worth it

D. Maybe you feel productive with papers scattered around

E. It shows that you know what you're doing and that you are capable

F. Clearly being disorganized can have a negative effect on your performance

G. Try to get rid of or throw away everything that you don't need to maximize your productivity

阅读下面短文,从短文后面各题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D中,选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。

The cultures of the East and the West really distinguish from each other a lot. This is because the culture systems are two ____ systems on the whole.

The origin of the eastern culture is mainly from two countries: China and India. Both of the two cultures are gestated(孕育) by ____. In China, the mother river is the Yellow River, ___ the Indian one is the Hindu River. These two cultures have ____ for several thousand years and formed their own styles. Then in Tang Dynasty of China, the Chinese culture ____ went overseas to Japan, ____ into the Japanese society and ____ the Japanese culture nowadays. Though a bit different from the Chinese one, it ____ to the same cultural system.

When the two mother rivers gave birth to the eastern culture, another famous culture was ____ on the Mesopotamian Plain(米索不达米亚平原): the Mesopotamian Civilization. This civilization later on developed into the cultures of the Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. And these two are well-known as the ___ of the European culture. ___ the Chinese culture, the European one is also ____ to waters. When the colonists(殖民者) of England ___ in America, their culture went with them over the Atlantic Ocean. So the American culture doesn't ____ from the European one a lot.

At the same time, the ____ of the language systems adds to the cultural differences. In the East, most languages belong to the pictographic(象形文字的) languages while the Western languages are ___ based on the Latin system, for example, the one I'm using to write this paper.

Other factors like human race difference counts ___ . However, ____ the far distance and the steep areas between the East and West, the two cultures seldom ____ until recent centuries. ____ they grew up totally in their own ways with almost no interference from the other.

1.A. different B. complex C. sensitive D. simple

2.A. mountains B. plains C. lakes D. rivers

3.A. or B. for C. while D. when

4.A. developed B. improved C. created D. protected

5.A. suddenly B. quietly C. gradually D. naturally

6.A. changed B. mixed C. made D. turned

7.A. defend B. interrupted C. ended D. shaped

8.A. comes B. belongs C. brings D. adds

9.A. brought up B. carried out C. given out D. picked up

10.A. result B. sign C. base D. content

11.A. Through B. Except C. With D. Like

12.A. used B. devoted C. related D. given

13.A. joined up B. settled down C. broke down D. went up

14.A. come B. suffer C. result D. differ

15.A. distinction B. contact C. appearance D. collection

16.A. properly B. hardly C. simply D. mostly

17.A. in turn B. as well C. at least D. so far

18.A. in terms of B. due to C. as to D. in case of

19.A. transform B. display C. communicate D. distinguish

20.A. Therefore B. Meanwhile C. Furthermore D. However

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