People in communities have slowly been pushed apart through the years,mostly because people simply aren't taking the time to say a simple"hello,"After considering this phenomenon,I decided I was going to(36)changethe way I was doing things.
My(37)doubtcame one morning when I was in the community library.I passed by a girl who(38)droppedher books out of her locker.Thinking like most that someone else would help her pick them up,I continued my way,However,when I had to (39)gobackbecause I stupidly forgot my book,I noticed she had just finished packing them up by herself,No one had stopped to(40)helpher.
"OK"I thought to myself,"this is where I should have changed."
My best opportunity came a few days later when I saw a man(41)sittingby himself waiting for the library to open,so I sat down next to him and began a(42)conversation.It was difficult to get started,and even when I had to say goodbye,almost every(43)responsefrom my new friend had a tone (语气)of doubt in it,And who could blame him?
People aren't used to making an(44)unpreparedchat with a stranger.But a change,no matter how(45)desperately it is needed,doesn't just happen,It takes people like us to make it possible.I(46)adviseyou to take a small step out of your comfort zone and try to make someone's day a little brighter,Together,we can really make society come (47)closeras a whole.
36.A.change | B.explain | C.learn | D.show |
37.A.trouble | B.doubt | C.wish | D.opportunity |
38.A.took | B.dropped | C.got | D.pulled |
39.A.come out | B.stand by | C.go back | D.turn up |
40.A.please | B.greet | C.help | D.praise |
41.A.sitting | B.walking | C.riding | D.running |
42.A.discussion | B.lesson | C.report | D.conversation |
43.A.joke | B.response | C.cry | D.story |
44.A.unchangeable | B.unprepared | C.unforgettable | D.unfinished |
45.A.desperately | B.frequently | C.simply | D.widely |
46.A.allow | B.warn | C.order | D.advise |
47.A.later | B.straighter | C.closer | D.slower. |
I was growing up in Kuala Lumpur in the early 1960s,(38)when children from different races and religions played and studied (39)together in harmony.At that time my family lived a stone's (40)throw from Ismail's.And no one was bothered that Ismail was a Malay Muslim and I was an Indian Hindu-we just (41)accepted our differences.Perhaps,our elders had not filled our heads with unnecessary advice,well (42)meant or otherwise.
We were nine when we became friends.During the school holidays,we'd (43)explore the countryside on our bicycles,hoping to (44)come across the unexpected.At times Ismail would accompany my family as we made a rare shopping trip to town.We would be glad of his (45)company.
When I was twelve,my family moved to Johor.Ismail's family later returned to their village,and I (46)lost touch with him.
One spring afternoon in 1983,I stopped a taxi in Kuala Lumpur.I (47)stated my destination.The driver acknowledged my (48)instructions but did not move off.Instead,he looked (49)fixedly at me."Raddar?"he said,using my childhood nickname (绰号).I was astonished at being so (50)familiarly addressed (称呼).Unexpectedly!It was Ismail!Even after two (51)decades we still recognized each other.Grasping his shoulder,I felt a true affection,something (52)hard to describe.
If we can allow our children to be (53)themselves without prejudice,they'll build friendships with people,regardless of race or religion,who will be (54)by their side through thick and thin.On such friendships are societies built and (55)then we can truly be,as William Shakespeare once wrote,"We happy few.We band of brothers".
36.A.interested | B.pleased | C.puzzled | D.excited |
37.A.parties | B.cities | C.villages | D.races |
38.A.why | B.which | C.how | D.when |
39.A.together | B.around | C.alone | D.apart |
40.A.drop | B.throw | C.move | D.roll |
41.A.refused | B.made | C.sought | D.accepted |
42.A.paid | B.meant | C.preserved | D.treated |
43.A.explore | B.search | C.discover | D.desert |
44.A.get through | B.deal with | C.come across | D.take away |
45.A.arrival | B.choice | C.effort | D.company |
46.A.lost | B.gained | C.developed | D.missed |
47.A.stated | B.ordered | C.decided | D.chose |
48.A.attempts | B.instructions | C.opinions | D.arrangements |
49.A.anxiously | B.carelessly | C.disappointedly | D.fixedly |
50.A.familiarly | B.strangely | C.fully | D.coldly |
51.A.departures | B.months | C.years | D.decades |
52.A.possible | B.funny | C.hard | D.clear |
53.A.them | B.themselves | C.us | D.ourselves |
54.A.from | B.by | C.with | D.against |
55.A.still | B.otherwise | C.then | D.instead. |
Everyone in business has been told that success is all about attracting and retaining (留住) customers.It sounds simple and achievable.But,(50)inreality,words of wisdom are soon forgotten.Once companies have attracted customers they often (51)overlook the second half of the story.In the excitement of beating off the competition,negotiating prices,securing orders,and delivering the product,managers tend to become carried away.They forget what they regard as the boring side of business-(52)ensuring that the customer remains a customer.
(53)Failing to concentrate on retaining as well as attracting customers costs business huge amounts of money annually.It has been estimated that the average company loses between 10and 30per cent of its customers every years.In constantly changing (54)markets,this is not surprising.What is surprising is the fact that few companies have any idea how many customers they have lost.
Only now are organizations beginning to wake up to those lost opportunities and calculate the(55)financial
implications.Cutting down the number of customers a company loses can make a big (56)difference in its performance.Research in the US found that a five per cent decrease in the number of defecting (流失的) customers led to (57)profit increases of between 25and 85per cent.
In the US,Domino's Pizza estimates that a regular customer is worth more than $5,000over ten years.A customer who receives a poor quality product or service on their first visit and(58)asaresult never returns,is losing the company thousands of dollars in(59)potential profits (more if you consider how many people they are likely to tell about their bad experience).
The logic behind cultivating customer (60)loyalty is impossible to deny."In practice most companies'marketing effort is focused on getting customers,with little attention paid to(61)keeping them",says Adrian Payne of Cornfield University'School of Management."Research suggests that there is a close relationship between retaining customers and making profits.(62)Established customers tend to buy more,are predictable and usually cost less to service than new customers.Furthermore,they tend to be less price (63)sensitive,and may provide free word-of-mouth advertising.Retaining customers also makes it (64)difficult for competitors to enter a market or increase their share of a market.
50.A.in particular | B.in reality | C.at least | D.first of all |
51.A.emphasize | B.doubt | C.overlook | D.believe |
52.A.denying | B.ensuring | C.arguing | D.proving |
53.A.Moving | B.Hoping | C.Starting | D.Failing |
54.A.markets | B.tastes | C.prices | D.expenses |
55.A.culture | B.social | C.financial | D.economical |
56.A.promise | B.plan | C.mistake | D.difference |
57.A.cost | B.opportunity | C.profit | D.budget |
58.A.as a result | B.on the whole | C.in conclusion | D.on the contrary |
59.A.huge | B.potential | C.extra | D.reasonable |
60.A.beliefs | B.loyalty | C.habits | D.interest |
61.A.altering | B.understanding | C.keeping | D.attracting |
62.A.Assumed | B.Respected | C.Established | D.Unexpected |
63.A.agreeable | B.flexible | C.friendly | D.sensitive |
64.A.unfair | B.difficult | C.essential | D.convenient. |
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1.With help from a Mr. H, you can ________.
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B. finish your homework on time
C. remember your teacher’s instructions
D. get your room tidied on your way home
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A. repair your TV B. organize your homework
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4.Where would you be most likely to find the two texts?
A. On a notice board B. In a company brochure
C. On a teenage website D. In a college newspaper