I never thought I would have a life-changing experience at Wal-Mart.
Although my thoughts were only on speed, the checkout line I was standing in wasn't moving as quickly as I wanted, and I glanced toward the cashier.
There stood a man in his seventies, wearing glasses and a nice smile. I thought, well, he's an old guy!
For the next few minutes I watched him. He greeted every customer before scanning the items. Sure, his words were the usual, "How's it going?" But he did something different--he actually listened to people. Then he would respond to what they had said and engage them in brief conversation.
I thought it was odd. I has grown accustomed to people asking me how I was doing simply out of robotic conversational habit. After a while, you don't give any thought to the question and just mumble something back. I could say, "I just found out I have six months to live," and someone would reply, "Have a great day!"
But that wasn't the end.
He gave them the change, walked around the counter, and extended his right hand in an act of friendship. He looked the customers in the eyes. "I sure want to thank you for shopping here today," he told them. "You have a great day. Bye-bye."
The looks on the faces of the customers were priceless. There were smiles and some sheepish grins. All had been touched by his simple gesture--and in a place they never expected. They would gather their things and walk out, smiling.
Of course, he did the same to me and I got to know his name--Marty.
Who was that guy? It was as if Sam Walton had come back from the dead and invaded this old guy's body.
I had never walked away from that shop feeling like that

1. 1.

   What was most customers' reaction to Marty's behavior?

   1. A.
      They thought it priceless
   2. B.
      They thought it awful and odd
   3. C.
      They felt somewhat offended
   4. D.
      They were in some way moved
2. 2.

   The checkout line the writer was standing in moved slower than expected because______

   1. A.
      the cashier did more than scanning the items
   2. B.
      the cashier couldn't work as fast as others
   3. C.
      there were some big purchases
   4. D.
      the writer was not patient enough
3. 3.

   What can we infer about Sam Walton?

   1. A.
      He might be Marty's father or grandfather
   2. B.
      He might have died while working in the market
   3. C.
      He might be friendly and devoted to Wal-Mart
   4. D.
      He might have come back from the dead once before
4. 4.

   According to the writer, when common people ask you "How's it going?"

   1. A.
      they are just practicing their conversation ability
   2. B.
      they are inquiring about your private information
   3. C.
      they don't expect to hear any negative answers
   4. D.
      they don't really care what you may answer
5. 5.

   What does the writer intend to express through the text?

   1. A.
      Our everyday life is always full of surprises
   2. B.
      Being different is a good way of doing business
   3. C.
      A little positive action can make a big difference
   4. D.
      Most customers enjoy being treated this way

       I never thought I would have a life-changing experience at Wal-Mart.

Although my thoughts were only on speed, the checkout line I was standing in wasn’t moving as quickly as I wanted, and I glanced toward the cashier.

There stood a man in his seventies, wearing glasses and a nice smile. I thought, well, he’s an old guy!

For the next few minutes I watched him. He greeted every customer before scanning the items. Sure, his words were the usual, “How’s it going?” But he did something different—he actually listened to people. Then he would respond to what they had said and engage them in brief conversation.

I thought it was odd. I have grown accustomed to people asking me how I was doing simply out of robotic conversational habit. After a while, you don’t give any thought to the question and just mumble something back. I could say, “I just found out I have six months to live,” and someone would reply, “Have a great day!”

But that wasn’t the end.

He gave them the change, walked around the counter, and extended his right hand in an act of friendship. He looked the customers in the eyes. “I sure want to thank you for shopping here today,” he told them. “You have a great day. Bye-bye.”

The looks on the faces of the customers were priceless. There were smiles and some sheepish grins. All had been touched by his simple gesture-and in a place they never expected. They would gather their things and walk out, smiling.

Of course, he did the same to me and I got to know his name. Marty.

Who was that guy? It was as if Sam Walton had come back from the dead and invaded this old guy’s body.

I had never walked away from that shop feeling like that.

56．The checkout line the writer was standing in moved slower than expected because      .

       A．the cashier did more than scanning the items     B．there were some big purchases

       C．the cashier couldn’t work as fast as others        D．the writer was not patient enough

57．According to the writer, when common people ask you “How’s it going?”       .

A．they are just practicing their conversation ability

       B．they don’t really care what you may answer

       C．they are inquiring about your private information

       D．they don’t expect to hear any negative answers

58．What was most customers reaction to Marty’s behaviors?

       A．They thought it priceless.                  B．They felt somewhat offended.

       C．They thought it awful and odd.         D．They were in some way moved.          

59．What can we infer about Sam Walton?

       A．He might be Marty’s father or grandfather.

       B．He might have died while working in the market.

       C．He might be friendly and devoted to Wal-Mary.

       D．He might have come back from the dead once before.

60．What does the writer intend to express through the text?

     A．Our everyday life is always full of surprises.

     B．A little positive action can make a big difference.

     C．Being different is a good way of doing business.

     D．Most customers enjoy being treated this way.

Before Nicolas Sarkozy became French president, he was asked if he thought about presidency when he looked in the mirror while shaving. “Not just when I’ m shaving,” he answered.

When Francois Hollande, now president-elect (总统当选人) of France, was asked the same question, he replied: “Do I see myself as president? No, I am a presidential candidate. A candidate must not think himself president; he must give hope that he becomes president.”  

Hollande has promised to be a “normal president” – something Sarkozy certainly was not. Sarkozy celebrated his election in 2007 at a world-class Parisian restaurant. He took holidays on the yachts (游艇) of wealthy businesspeople. Hollande, by contrast, was still going around Paris on his three-wheeled motorbike at the start of this year. One member of his party said he looked “more like a pizza delivery man” than the next president.

“That is the key to Hollande’s success because the election is turning into a sort of referendum (公民投票) for or against Nicolas Sarkozy,” Eric Dupin, a journalist and political observer told Global Post. “Francois Hollande is the one who appears not only as his main opponent politically, but also as his complete opposite psychologically.”

When he was the Socialist party leader, Hollande was nicknamed “the marshmallow (软糖)” because he hated fights. Sarkozy, by contrast, is known to be loud and aggressive.

When faced with Sarkozy’s verbal attacks during the election, Hollande stayed calm. This sometimes annoyed even his own supporters. “I wish he would just let go and savage (用暴力对付) Sarko,” one Hollande voter said to the Guardian.

But Hollande still knows how to fight. Stéphane Le Foll, a Socialist MEP who has been one of Hollande’s closest advisors for 17 years and is co-directing his campaign, said Hollande had quietly planned his presidential bid for 10 years. “I think we all underestimated this guy,” Alain Minc, one of Sarkozy’s closest friends and advisers, told Reuters.

Hollande was born in 1954 into a middle-class family. He lived through the 1968 protests that nearly overthrew the French government. “They shocked him, but also politicized him, he said in a recent interview, making him understand that change was possible,” reported the New York Times. When Hollande was 15, he told friends he expected to become president.

“I didn’t come to the first rank either by chance or by obsession (执迷),” Hollande said in an interview with Reuters. “I got there because I put myself in this situation, and because I deserved it.”

68. By citing Hollande and Sarkozy’s replies to the same question, the author intends to show ________.

A. Sarkozy is more confident than Hollande

B. Hollande is more modest than Sarkozy

C. Hollande is less ambitious than Sarkozy

D. Sarkozy is more humorous than Hollande

69. What is the key to Hollande’s success in the presidential election according to Eric Dupin?

A. His dislike of fights.

B. His careful plan for the presidential bid.

C. How different he is from Sarkozy.

D. The gentle way in which he ran his campaign.

70. What did Hollande think he owed his success to, according to the article?

A. His good luck.                          B. His devotion and efforts.

C. His obsession with politics.        D. His personality and experience.

71. What is the purpose of the article?

A. To show what kind of a person Hollande is.

B. To compare the differences between Hollande and Sarkozy.

C. To show what French people think of Hollande.

D. To explain why Sarkozy lost the election.