He is________to the company.

A. of great important 　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. of great importance

C. great importance 　　　　　　　　　　　　  D. great important

A. of great important 　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. of great importance

C. great importance 　　　　　　　　　　　　  D. great important

He is ________ to the company.

[　　]

Making an apology is not the same as making amends. Sometimes we apologize just because it’s the easiest thing to do. What’s actually important is to identify where we go wrong, take full responsibility for our mistakes and , if possible, try to make up for them.
A recent case involving Hewlett-Packed, the US computer giant, shows the importance of presenting a sincere apology. The Chinese consumers who had bought notebook computers of certain models, which have been put on Chinese market since 2007, suffered a massive flash screen failures and overheating problems. Through investigation, Chinese AQSIQ (国家质检总局) identified these HP computers had quality problems and HP admitted this. HP made a proposal that they would extend the warranty (保修) period of such computers, but this could not satisfied the consumers. What they needed was a thorough description of the truth. HP has “sincerely” apologized. But the consumers remain angry, and say that only a product recall — as HP has done in the past — will prove that the apology is sincere.
Another apology that fell flat on its face was that of Thierry Henry, the famous French footballer. His deliberate handball in November 2009 created the goal which knocked Ireland out of the 2010 World Cup. The incident caused great anger in the football world, and eventually Henry issued an apology. Two days later, he wrote, “I’m not the referee…but if I hurt someone I’m sorry.” Better late than never, perhaps, but even then he passed the blame onto the referee!
Such high-profile cases, which attract a lot of publicity often under the spotlight, but similar incidents occur in our everyday lives. Stress caused by schoolwork and tiredness can sometimes result in outbursts of anger against friends and family. Have you ever lost your temper for minor reasons? After calming down, most people are quick to realize their mistake and apologize. But it’s just as important to identify what caused the error in the first place and take action to ensure it doesn’t happen again.
No one should hold a negative attitude to making a sincere apology. Empty words are easy to say, but they are as useless as they sound. A real show of remorse（痛悔;自责）demands hard work and commitment to put error right. 
【小题1】What does the author intend to tell us in the case of HP?

If Dick Drew had listened to his boss in 1925, we might not have a product that we now think of as of great importance: a new type of tape. Drew worked for the Minnesota Mining Company. At work he developed a kind of material strong enough to hold things together. But his boss told him not to think more about the idea. Finally, using his own time, Drew improved the tape, which now is used everywhere by many people. And his former company learned from its mistake. Now it encourages people to spend 15 percent of their work time just thinking about and developing new ideas.   
Creativity is not something one is just born with, nor is it necessarily a character of high intelligence. The fact that a person is highly intelligent does not mean that he uses it creatively. Creativity is the matter of using the resources one has to produce new ideas that are good for something.
Unfortunately, schools have not tried to encourage creativity. With strong attention to test results and the development of reading, writing and mathematical skills, many educators give up creativity for correct answers. The result is that children can give back information but can’t recognize ways to use it in new situations. They may know the rules correctly but they are unable to use them to work out practical problems.
It is important to give children choices. From the earliest age, children should be allowed to make decisions and understand their results. Even if it’s choosing between two food items for lunch, decision-making helps thinking skills. As children grow older, parents should let their children decide how to use their time or spend their money. This is because the most important character of creative people is a very strong desire to find a way out of trouble.

1. 1.

   What did the company where Drew once worked learn from its mistake?

   1. A.
      They should encourage people to work a longer time.
   2. B.
      People should be discouraged to think freely.
   3. C.
      People will do better if they spend most of their work time developing new ideas.
   4. D.
      It is necessary for people to spend some of their work time considering and improving new ideas.
2. 2.

   According to the passage, creativity is ________.

   1. A.
      something that most people are born with
   2. B.
      something that depends mainly on intelligence
   3. C.
      a way of using what one has learned to work out new problems
   4. D.
      something that is not important to the character of a person at all
3. 3.

   Why do schools tend to fail to encourage creativity?

   1. A.
      They give children too many choices.
   2. B.
      They are not strict enough with children.
   3. C.
      They care too much about examination marks.
   4. D.
      They don’t understand the importance of education.
4. 4.

   Which of the following skills is the most important in developing creativity?

   1. A.
      Reading.
   2. B.
      Writing.
   3. C.
      Mathematical skill.
   4. D.
      Decision-making.