Some people look at a hole and see empty space. Others see opportunity. That’s what Sheri Schmelzer spotted a few years ago when everyone—including her three children—started wearing Crocs, the colorful shoes dotted with holes.

“My kids and I were clowning around, and my eldest daughter, Lexie, got the sewing kit out. I brought one of the Crocs, pulled some buttons, rhinestones, and fabric out of the kit, and stuck them in the holes. Lexie said, ‘Mom, I love that!’”

Sheri and Lexie, then seven, spent the rest of the day filling holes in the family’s 12 pairs of Crocs. Every look-alike shoe was suddenly unique. When her husband, Rich, experienced in setting up businesses, came home later that day, says Sheri, “I could see the light bulb go on over his head,” Crocs had sold millions of pairs of shoes; the couple figured they could create a business simply by riding the wave. Rich refused to let a decorated Croc leave their Boulder, Colorado, house until he’d filed a patent.

But first they needed a name. “Rich and I had seen a movie where Meg Ryan says to Tom Hanks, ‘I’m such a flibbertigibbet!’ That became my nickname, so I called the business Jibbitz.” While Sheri designed, Rich strategized. They decided to sell the charms through a website, Jibbitz.com

Six months later, in February 2006, Sheri was doing so well that Rich left his business to work with her full-time. She was making hundreds of Jibbitz to order, by hand, by herself, in their basement. And filling those holes wasn’t as easy as it looked. The bigger the shoe, the bigger the holes; it took six models before Sheri figured out how to make her charms one-size-fits-all. Later Rich found a way to get plastic Jibbitz manufactured in China.

Someone at Crocs was sure going to notice the charms—after all, the company was headquartered (总部设在) just ten miles down the road. Duke Hanson, one of Crocs’ founders, spotted Lexie and her Jibbitz at the local pool, handed her his business card, and said, “Have your mom call me.”

Sheri and Rich met with Crocs executives, but no one suggested buying the company. Sheri was actually relieved because she wanted to see if she, not Crocs, could make it big. And she did. In December 2006, Crocs bought Jibbitz for $20 million, with the Schmelzers staying on board.

1. The passage is mainly about ____.

       A. how the Schmelzers found opportunities out of nothing.

       B. how the Schmelzers found opportunities and developed their business

       C. how creativity matters to a successful business

       D. how the business of Crocs became successful.

2. When Sheri said, “I could see the light bulb go on over his head”, she meant that ____.

       A. Rich was really excited              B. Rich liked their shoe charms

       C. saw this as a business opportunity   

D. Rich wasn’t satisfied with the decorations

3. From Paragraph 5, we can learn that ____.

       A. the Schmelzers kept improving to make their business successful

       B. Sheri does not trust others when it comes to designing Jibbitz

       C. making the products unique is key to business success

       D. Rich made a lot of sacrifices for their family business

4. Which of the following is arranged in the right order according to the text?

       a. the Schmelzers applied for a patent   b. Crocs’ shoes sold well

       c. the Schmelzers set up their website

       d. by making their products in China, the Schmelzers spread their business.

       A. acdb                 B.bacd                  C. bcad                 D. adcb

Some people look at a hole and see empty space. Others see opportunity. That’s what Sheri Schmelzer spotted a few years ago when everyone—including her three children—started wearing Crocs, the colorful shoes dotted with holes.

“My kids and I were clowning around, and my eldest daughter, Lexie, got the sewing kit out. I brought one of the Crocs, pulled some buttons, rhinestones, and fabric out of the kit, and stuck them in the holes. Lexie said, ‘Mom, I love that!’”

Sheri and Lexie, then seven, spent the rest of the day filling holes in the family’s 12 pairs of Crocs. Every look-alike shoe was suddenly unique. When her husband, Rich, experienced in setting up businesses, came home later that day, says Sheri, “I could see the light bulb go on over his head,” Crocs had sold millions of pairs of shoes; the couple figured they could create a business simply by riding the wave. Rich refused to let a decorated Croc leave their Boulder, Colorado, house until he’d filed a patent.

But first they needed a name. “Rich and I had seen a movie where Meg Ryan says to Tom Hanks, ‘I’m such a flibbertigibbet!’ That became my nickname, so I called the business Jibbitz.” While Sheri designed, Rich strategized. They decided to sell the charms through a website, Jibbitz.com<http://www/jibbitz.com.>

Six months later, in February 2006, Sheri was doing so well that Rich left his business to work with her full-time. She was making hundreds of Jibbitz to order, by hand, by herself, in their basement. And filling those holes wasn’t as easy as it looked. The bigger the shoe, the bigger the holes; it took six models before Sheri figured out how to make her charms one-size-fits-all. Later Rich found a way to get plastic Jibbitz manufactured in China.

Someone at Crocs was sure going to notice the charms—after all, the company was headquartered (总部设在) just ten miles down the road. Duke Hanson, one of Crocs’ founders, spotted Lexie and her Jibbitz at the local pool, handed her his business card, and said, “Have your mom call me.”

Sheri and Rich met with Crocs executives, but no one suggested buying the company. Sheri was actually relieved because she wanted to see if she, not Crocs, could make it big. And she did. In December 2006, Crocs bought Jibbitz for $20 million, with the Schmelzers staying on board.

64. The passage is mainly about ____.

         A. how the Schmelzers found opportunities out of nothing.

         B. how the Schmelzers found opportunities and developed their business

         C. how creativity matters to a successful business

         D. how the business of Crocs became successful.

65. When Sheri said, “I could see the light bulb go on over his head”, she meant that ____.

         A. Rich was really excited                 B. Rich liked their shoe charms

         C. saw this as a business opportunity    

D. Rich wasn’t satisfied with the decorations

66. From Paragraph 5, we can learn that ____.

         A. the Schmelzers kept improving to make their business successful

         B. Sheri does not trust others when it comes to designing Jibbitz

         C. making the products unique is key to business success

         D. Rich made a lot of sacrifices for their family business

67. Which of the following is arranged in the right order according to the text?

         a. the Schmelzers applied for a patent   b. Crocs’ shoes sold well

         c. the Schmelzers set up their website

         d. by making their products in China, the Schmelzers spread their business.

         A. acdb                       B.bacd                        C. bcad                       D. adcb

Humans have sewn by hand for thousands of years. It was said that the first thread was made from animal muscle and sinew (腱). And the earliest needles were made from bones. Since those early days, many people have been involved in the process of developing a machine that could do the same thing more quickly and with greater efficiency.

Charles Wiesenthal, who was born in Germany, designed and received a patent on a double-pointed needle that eliminated the need to turn the needle around with each stitch (缝合) in England in 1755. Other inventors of that time tried to develop a functional sewing machine, but each design had at least one serious imperfection. [来源:学,科Frenchman Barthelemy Thimonnier finally engineered a machine that really worked. However, he was nearly killed by a group of angry tailors when they burned down his garment factory. They feared that they would lose their jobs to the machine.

American inventor Elias Howe, born on July 9, 1819, was awarded a patent for a method of sewing that used thread from two different sources. Howe’s machine had a needle with an eye at the point, and it used the two threads to make a special stitch called a lockstitch. However, Howe faced difficulty in finding buyers for his machines in America. In frustration, he traveled to England to try to sell his invention there. When he finally returned home, he found that dozens of manufacturers were adapting his discovery for use in their own sewing machines.

Isaac Singer, another American inventor, was also a manufacturer who made improvements to the design of sewing machines. He invented an up-and-down-motion mechanism that replaced the side-to-side machines. He also developed a foot treadle(脚踏板) to power his machine. This improvement left the sewer’s hands free. Undoubtedly, it was a huge improvement of the hand-cranked machine of the past. Soon the Singer sewing machine achieved more fame than the others for it was more practical, it could be adapted to home use and it could be bought on hire-purchase. The Singer sewing machine became the first home appliance, and the Singer company became one of the first American multinationals.

However, Singer used the same method to create a lockstitch that Howe had already patented. As a result, Howe accused him of patent infringement（侵犯）. Of course, Elias Howe won the court case, and Singer was ordered to pay Howe royalties（版税）. In the end, Howe became a millionaire, not by manufacturing the sewing machine, but by receiving royalty payments for his invention.

1.Barthelemy Thimonnier’s garment factory was burned down because _____________.

A. people did not know how to put out the fire

B. Elias Howe thought Thimonnier had stolen his invention

C. the sewing machines was couldn’t work finally

D. workers who feared the loss of their jobs to a machine set fire

2.Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the passage???

A. Singer is an American inventor and manufacturer.

B. The Singer sewing company became more practical.

C. The foot treadle helped to make the sewer’s hands free.

D. Singer made improvements to the design of sewing machines.

3.Why did the court force Isaac Singer to pay Elisa Howe a lifetime of royalties?

A. Because the judge was against Singer for his surly attitude.

B. Because Howe had already patented the lockstitch used by Singer.

C. Because Singer had borrowed money from Howe and never repaid it.

D. Because Singer and Howe had both invented the same machine.

4.Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?

A. A Stitch in Time Saves Nine

B. The Case between Howe and Singer

C. Patent Laws on the Sewing Machine

D. The Early History of the Sewing Machine

根据下列句子及所给单词的首字母，写出各单词的完全形式（每空限填一词）。
【小题1】Of the twelve m____________ in the year, January comes first.
【小题2】Jackie ,do remember to wash your hands b_____________ the meal!
【小题3】Mary’s suitcase was too heavy. Mike c_____________ it upstairs for her.
【小题4】I’d like to s__________ the last cake with you, you have half and I’ll have half .
【小题5】Mobile phones cost less now, they are much c___________ than they once were.
【小题6】Many people believe that it is a good h________ to get up early in the morning .
【小题7】Shakespeare was b_______ on April 26, 1564 and died on the same day in 1616.
【小题8】If something happens s__________ , it happens quickly and unexpectedly.

对话填空（共10小题，每小题1分，满分10分）

W: Good evening, sir. I was told that you were robbed.

M: I certainly was.

W: When did that happen?

M: About two hours ago.

W: Why didn’t you r______ it then?

M: I couldn’t. I was tied to a chair and my mouth wasf______ with something.

W: Please tell me exactly what happened.

M: I was sitting in this room watching TV when someone )k         at the door.

Without thinking, I opened it.

W: That wasn’t very wise, sir.

M: I know. I was e_____ my wife, you see, and I t______ it was her.

W: You should never open a door without going to see who it is.

M: Yes, I regret that now.

W: What happened?

M: Two men pushed inside and then t______ me with a knife.

W: Did you take a good look at them?

M: I’m afraid not, They were both w       stockings over their faces.

W: What did they take?

M: My wallet with $200 in it, my watch, and some of my wife’s j______ from my bedroom.

W: They don’t seem to have done much damage to the flat.

M: No. They had just begun to search when the dogs next d______ began to bark. They ran off. It was some time b         my wife returned and set me free. I phoned the police at once.

W: My men began searching the area as soon as we received your call. I can’t promise you that we’ll recover your property, but we’ll certainly do our best.