Frank Woolworth was born in Rodman, New York, in 1852. His family were very poor farmers, and there was never enough to eat. Frank did not want to be a farmer. He took a short business course, and went to work as a salesman in a large city.

   Woolworth realized he had a natural skill for showing goods to attract people’s interest, but he soon learned something more important. One day his boss told him to sell some odds and ends（小商品）for as much as he could get. Frank put all these things on one table with a sign which said “FIVE CENTS EACH’. People fought and pushed to buy the things and the table was soon cleared.

    Soon afterwards, Woolworth opened his own store, selling goods at five and ten cents. But he had another lesson to learn before he became successful. That is, if you want to make money by selling low-price goods, you have to buy them in large quantities directly from the factories. Once, for example, Woolworth went to Germany and placed an order for knives. The order was so large that the factory had to keep running 24 hours a day for a whole year. In this way, the price of the knives was cut down by half.

    By 1919, Woolworth had over 1000 stores in the US and Canada, and opened his first store in London. He made many millions and his name became famous throughout the world. He always ran his business according to strict rules, of which the most important was : ‘THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT.”

1.Frank took a short business course in order to __________.

   A. earn more money for his family   B. learn something from a salesman

   C. get away from the farm          D. get enough to eat

2.Frank sold the odds and ends quickly because ________.

   A. he knew how to get people to buy his goods

   B. he cut down the price by half

   C. he had put the goods on a table in a very nice way

   D. the sign he put on the table was well designed

3.The price of the knives was cut down by half because _________.

   A. the factory workers worked 24 hours a day

   B. knives were ordered in large quantities directly from the factory

   C. the knives were made in German, where labour was cheap

   D. the knives were produced in one factory

4.__________  make Woolworth a world-famous man.

   A. His business skills and his wealth  

B. The low price of the goods he sold

   C. His trip to Germany and his huge order of knives

   D. His natural skill for showing things

5.The belief that “The customer is always right” suggests that __________.

   A. whenever there is a quarrel between the customer and shop assistant, the customers are always right.

   B. If you want to succeed, the rule is the only way

   C. stores must always follow the customer’s orders if they want to make more money

   D. stores should do their best to meet the customer’s needs if they want to be successful

BILL GATES has promised to give all of his US $ 58 billion fortune to charity—rather than leaving it for his children.

The founder of Microsoft, who steps down from his post Friday, said he wants to make a “positive contribution” to the world. He has promised to transfer his money to the charity he has set up with his wife Melinda, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which funds health and education projects around the world.

He revealed(透露) his decision a week before he steps down as executive chairman of Microsoft, the firm he founded more than 30 years ago. The 52?year?old will continue to work as non?executive chairman and will spend just one day a week at the business.

Speaking about the joint?decision he made regarding his fortune with his wife, he said,“We’ve chosen not to pass it on to our children. We want to give it back to society in the way that it will have the most positive impact.” He said he did not want to leave it in his will for his children and added,“It’s like saying which children are most important.”

In an interview with BBC’s Newsnight, he said:“I want to make a positive contribution to the world.”

Bill Gates will step down from his post Friday, 33 years after he founded Microsoft in 1975. His success with the computer giant has made him the richest man in the world for 13 years in a row according to Fortune magazine’s rich list.

When he founded the firm he said he wanted to put “a computer on every desk and in every home.” Many people have said that the computer revolution would not have happened without him and more than 90 percent of computers in the world run on Microsoft Windows.

He will be succeeded in his post by Steve Balmer, the co?chief executive since 2000. Although the move was announced two years ago and there has been lots of planning, many people speculate that Gates’ departure will leave a big gap in the firm.

Charlene Li, from Consultants Forrester Research, said:“What they’re going to lose is that founding focus, and the ability to rally the troops.”

Microsoft has an outstanding financial performance and currently has profit margins estimated at 30  percent. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation claims to be the biggest philanthropic organization in the world.

Why has BILL GATES promised to give all of his US $58 billion fortune to charity?

A.He wants to make a positive contribution to the world.

B.He has set up the charity with his wife Melinda.

C.He has decided to step down from his post.

D.More than 90 percent of computers in the world run on Microsoft Windows.

Who set up the charity to which Bill Gates will transfer the money?

A.Bill Gates.                    B.Melinda Gates.

C.Bill Gates and his wife.        D.Bill Gates and Steve Balmer.

What’s Charlene Li’s attitude towards Bill Gates’ departure?

A.Optimistic.  B.Worried.    C.Critical.        D.Neutral.

The underlined sentence “He will be succeeded in his post by Steve Balmer.” means Steve Balmer will.

A.be as successful as Bill Gates

B.fill the gap Bill Gates leaves in the firm

C.start a computer revolution with the help of Bill Gates

D.take over after Bill Gates steps down

When Charles Strattion was five, he stopped growing. His mother took him to see the famous showman, P. T. Barnum, and thought a small person would be the perfect addition to his show. He hired Charles’ parents along with him, and they traveled around the world together.

He gave the two-foot-tall Charles a new name, general Tom Thumb. He taught Tom how to sing, dance, act, and tell jokes. When he felt Tom was ready to perform on stage, he made up ads. To stir up great interest, he said that Tom was eleven years old and had come from England.

Tom’s act was very popular and brought in a lot of money. By the time Tom was an adult, he had grown very rich. He had become a billionaire at the age of twenty-five.

Fortunately for Tom, Mr. Barnum added more little people to his show, and Tom became lucky in love as well. One of the little people was Lavinia Warren, a school teacher. Tom was able to win her love, and they married.

The ceremony and reception were the talk of the town. They were attended by many rich and famous people and by about two thousand guests. Crowds filled the street of New York to have a look at their tiny wedding carriage. The couple even met with President Abraham Lincoln on their honeymoon, just before going to live in Tom’s house in Connecticut.

Their wedding, which took place during the Civil War, provided a welcome escape from the sad problems of war. Not willing to let this bit of sunshine fade, communities throughout the country held Tom Thumb’s weddings. In these weddings, small boys and girls, all dressed up, went through marriage ceremony for fun.

1.“the talk of the town” means      .

A．they were in the newspaper

B．people spread many rumors about them

C．they were the most popular things happening

D．they were discussed in a city meeting

2.What does the author think about Tom Thumb’s wedding?

A．People gave it too much of their attention.

B．It helped people cheer up in a dark time

C．It was funny and ridiculous

D．Tom and Lavinia were stupid.

3.Which of the following is the best description of the fact that Tom was smart?

A．He became a billionaire at twenty-five

B．He learned how to sing, dance, and act at a very young age.

C．He met with President Lincoln during his honeymoon

D．He married a school teacher.

4.It was very funny when Tom danced on a wooden plate held by a person who was eight feet tall because      .

A．the wooden plate would make it sound as of Tom were tap dancing

B．it made Tom feel taller

C．the eight-foot-tall man was the only tall person Tom trusted

D．the difference between them would make Tom look even smaller

5.What does the author imply in the last paragraph?

A．Weddings always make people feel full of sunshine

B．People are always disappointed during wartime

C．Entertainment can serve an important purpose

D．People should be married even if they are small

第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题，每小题2分，满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中，选出最佳选项。
A
A Subway Superhero
Wesley Autrey can't fly, but he is still being called a real-life Superman! Last week, the brave 50-year-old rescued Cameron Hollopeter, 20, from being hit by a train. The train was entering a subway station in New York City. The young man had fallen from the station's platform and onto the train tracks a few feet below.
Autrey, a construction worker and Navy veteran(老兵), was with his two young daughters when he saw Hollopeter fall. Autrey made a quick decision and jumped onto the tracks. He then rolled himself and Hollopeter into a gap, or opening, between the rails. Autrey used his own body to protect the young man.
Five of the train’s cars passed over the two before stopping completely. The two men were both unharmed. Hollopeter’s stepmother, Rachel Hollopeter, called Autrey an “angel”. Autrey visited the New York Film Academy student in the hospital on Wednesday.
For his bravery, Autrey was given a hero's welcome at City Hall. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg presented Autrey with the Bronze Medallion (铜奖章）. It is the city'’s highest award for achievements by its citizens. Mayor Bloomberg called Audrey “ a great man-a man who makes us all proud to be New Yorkers."
After the ceremony at City Hall, a limousine (豪华轿车)took Autrey to a meeting with multimillionaire businessman Donald Trump. Trump awarded Autrey with $ 10,000. The heroic father also received $ 5,000 from the New York Film Academy, a trip to Disney World, and one year of free sub way rides.
Even after all this attention; Autrey still doesn't see himself as a Superman.” I did it out of a split-second reaction," Autrey said on CBS' The Early Show. "And if I had to do it again, I probably would."
56. Wesley Autrey is still being called a real-life Superman because      
A. he can rescue anybody in danger as he has the ability to fly
B. he rescued a young man from being hit by a running train
C. he protected his daughters from harm in a subway station
D. he succeeded in stopping a train from running over a passenger
57. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A. When he saw Hollopeter fall, Wesley Autrey was waiting for someone alone.
B. When he saw Hollopeter fall, he thought over a long period of time before he jumped onto the tracks.
C. After he saw Hollopeter fall, he made a quick decision and pulled the young man out of the track as soon as possible.
D. After he saw Hollopeter fall, he quickly made a decision to protect Hollopeter from harm.
58. In order to honor Autrey's bravery,New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg gave Autrey_____as a reward.
A. a cheque of $10,000                    B. a limousine
C. the Bronze Medallion                   D. a cheque of $5,000
59. It can be inferred that if Autrey met with another accident like this one, he
A. would not do it again for he was afraid of losing his own life
B. would do it again for getting another piece of Bronze Medallion
C. would do it again so as to get another 15000-dollar cheque as a prize
D. would also do it out of his own conscience

Thomas Alva Edison was awarded more patents on inventions than any other American. When he died in 1931, Americans wondered how they could best show their respect for him. One suggestion was that the nation observe a minute or two of total blackout. All electric power would be shut off in homes, streets, and factories. Perhaps this suggested plan made Americans realize fully what Edison and his inventions mean to them. Electric power was too important to the country. Shutting it off for even a short time would have led to complete confusion. A blackout was impossible.

On the day of Edison's funeral, many people silently dimmed their lights. In this way they honored the man who had done more than anyone else to put the great force of electricity at his countrymen's fingertips.

1.This selection says that Thomas Edison ________.

2.People decided to honor Edison when ________.

3.The suggested plan was to ________.