When Jack Ma founded the Alibaba Group in 1999, he had 500,000 yuan in his hand and the support of 17 friends. Now eight years later, Alibaba has become China’s largest online commerce company, earning a profit of 1.36 billion yuan in 2006.
But when asked what makes him proud, Ma surprised many people by putting his employees way ahead of his legendary e-commerce websites.
“I feel most proud of my team, and the least of the websites,” Ma said. “The secret of my success is relying on team work and having a sense of mission（使命）”
Ma made the remarks on the eve of Alibaba Group’s shares becoming available for trade on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange last Tuesday. On the first day of trading, the shares more than doubled in value.
Eight years ago, when Ma created Alibaba, he envisioned（预想）that the Internet would change people’s lives. But the former English teacher knew little about computer science. “So I decided to hire someone who knows technology and respected his decisions,” he said.
Ma said he trusts his employees fully as long as they are diligent and have a sense of purpose.
“When people apply to work for Alibaba, I talk with them for two hours to lower their expectations. I tell the applicants not to expect a pay raise or promotion, but to prepare to work long hours and to be criticized by the boss, “ Ma said.
But Ma is not a rigid（严厉的）boss. He is like a friend in the eyes of most his employees. Unlike traditional companies where most of the people do just what their boss asks, he treats them as partners and encourages them to present their own ideas.
“I have confidence in the online commercial service in China and encourage my more than 4,000 staff to remain united to make Alibaba the biggest ecommerce supplier for China, Asia and even the world,” said Ma.
He promotes company values of honesty, passion and teamwork. Those who don’t accept these principals will find it hard to work there, no matter how talented they are.
“I have seen many who are more clever and hardworking than my team and me,” Ma said. But “we have a loyal team which has stayed on the same course, no wavering（摇摆）.” And Ma pursuing his dream is the magnet（磁铁）that draws talents in.
57. What did Jack Ma do before he founded Alibaba?
A. He was a waiter.                B. He was a technician.
C. He was a teacher.               D. He was a manager of a small company.
58. What is Jack Ma’s characteristic in terms of his management?
A. Trusting his employees fully.
B. Putting his employees ahead of himself before performing and trade.
C. Promoting company values of honesty, passion and team work.
D. Pursuing his dream is the magnet that draws talents in.
59. What does Ma take the most pride in?
A. His employees.            B. His website.
C. Alibaba Group’s Shares.     D. His efficient management.
60. According to the text, which remarks following is NOT reasonable?
A. Jack Ma believes an employee’s talent is less important than the acceptance of the company’ principals.
B. Alibaba is an online commerce company started eight years ago.
C. Alibaba has become the biggest e-commerce company in China.
D. Alibaba’s shares rocketed after they made their first public appearance on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange last week.

 (浙江省金华一中2008年5月高考模拟E篇)

When Jack Ma founded the Alibaba Group in 1999, he had 500,000 yuan in his hand and the support of 17 friends. Now eight years later, Alibaba has become China’s largest online commerce company, earning a profit of 1.36 billion yuan in 2006.

But when asked what makes him proud, Ma surprised many people by putting his employees way ahead of his legendary e-commerce websites.

“I feel most proud of my team, and the least of the websites,” Ma said. “The secret of my success is relying on team work and having a sense of mission（使命）”

Ma made the remarks on the eve of Alibaba Group’s shares becoming available for trade on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange last Tuesday. On the first day of trading, the shares more than doubled in value.

Eight years ago, when Ma created Alibaba, he envisioned（预想）that the Internet would change people’s lives. But the former English teacher knew little about computer science. “So I decided to hire someone who knows technology and respected his decisions,” he said.

Ma said he trusts his employees fully as long as they are diligent and have a sense of purpose.

“When people apply to work for Alibaba, I talk with them for two hours to lower their expectations. I tell the applicants not to expect a pay raise or promotion, but to prepare to work long hours and to be criticized by the boss, “ Ma said.

But Ma is not a rigid（严厉的）boss. He is like a friend in the eyes of most his employees. Unlike traditional companies where most of the people do just what their boss asks, he treats them as partners and encourages them to present their own ideas.

“I have confidence in the online commercial service in China and encourage my more than 4,000 staff to remain united to make Alibaba the biggest ecommerce supplier for China, Asia and even the world,” said Ma.

He promotes company values of honesty, passion and teamwork. Those who don’t accept these principals will find it hard to work there, no matter how talented they are.

“I have seen many who are more clever and hardworking than my team and me,” Ma said. But “we have a loyal team which has stayed on the same course, no wavering（摇摆）.” And Ma pursuing his dream is the magnet（磁铁）that draws talents in.

  57. What did Jack Ma do before he founded Alibaba?

A. He was a waiter.                B. He was a technician.

C. He was a teacher.               D. He was a manager of a small company.

  58. What is Jack Ma’s characteristic in terms of his management?

A. Trusting his employees fully.

B. Putting his employees ahead of himself before performing and trade.

C. Promoting company values of honesty, passion and team work.

D. Pursuing his dream is the magnet that draws talents in.

  59. What does Ma take the most pride in?

A. His employees.            B. His website.

C. Alibaba Group’s Shares.     D. His efficient management.

  60. According to the text, which remarks following is NOT reasonable?

A. Jack Ma believes an employee’s talent is less important than the acceptance of the company’ principals.

B. Alibaba is an online commerce company started eight years ago.

C. Alibaba has become the biggest e-commerce company in China.

D. Alibaba’s shares rocketed after they made their first public appearance on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange last week.

When Jack Ma founded the Alibaba Group in 1999, he had 500,000 yuan in his hand and the support of 17 friends. Now eight years later, Alibaba has become China’s largest online commerce company, earning a profit of 1.36 billion yuan in 2006.

But when asked what makes him proud, Ma surprised many people by putting his employees way ahead of his legendary e-commerce websites.

“I feel most proud of my team, and the least of the websites,” Ma said. “The secret of my success is relying on team work and having a sense of mission（使命）”

Ma made the remarks on the eve of Alibaba Group’s shares becoming available for trade on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange last Tuesday. On the first day of trading, the shares more than doubled in value.

Eight years ago, when Ma created Alibaba, he envisioned（预想）that the Internet would change people’s lives. But the former English teacher knew little about computer science. “So I decided to hire someone who knows technology and respected his decisions,” he said.

Ma said he trusts his employees fully as long as they are diligent and have a sense of purpose.

“When people apply to work for Alibaba, I talk with them for two hours to lower their expectations. I tell the applicants not to expect a pay raise or promotion, but to prepare to work long hours and to be criticized by the boss, “ Ma said.

But Ma is not a rigid（严厉的）boss. He is like a friend in the eyes of most his employees. Unlike traditional companies where most of the people do just what their boss asks, he treats them as partners and encourages them to present their own ideas.

“I have confidence in the online commercial service in China and encourage my more than 4,000 staff to remain united to make Alibaba the biggest ecommerce supplier for China, Asia and even the world,” said Ma.

He promotes company values of honesty, passion and teamwork. Those who don’t accept these principals will find it hard to work there, no matter how talented they are.

“I have seen many who are more clever and hardworking than my team and me,” Ma said. But “we have a loyal team which has stayed on the same course, no wavering（摇摆）.” And Ma pursuing his dream is the magnet（磁铁）that draws talents in.

57. What did Jack Ma do before he founded Alibaba?

A. He was a waiter.                B. He was a technician.

C. He was a teacher.               D. He was a manager of a small company.

58. What is Jack Ma’s characteristic in terms of his management?

A. Trusting his employees fully.

B. Putting his employees ahead of himself before performing and trade.

C. Promoting company values of honesty, passion and team work.

D. Pursuing his dream is the magnet that draws talents in.

59. What does Ma take the most pride in?

A. His employees.            B. His website.

C. Alibaba Group’s Shares.     D. His efficient management.

60. According to the text, which remarks following is NOT reasonable?

A. Jack Ma believes an employee’s talent is less important than the acceptance of the company’ principals.

B. Alibaba is an online commerce company started eight years ago.

C. Alibaba has become the biggest e-commerce company in China.

D. Alibaba’s shares rocketed after they made their first public appearance on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange last week.

If I have to choose three critical factors in achieving success in my career, these would be my choices—belief, action and discipline.

Belief

       In order to achieve success in your career, you have to first believe. You need to believe that you can achieve it. You need to have faith in your goals and your path to success. Once your mind is convinced that you can do it, everything is possible. Belief is the “mind and heart” part of the three critical success factors.

Action

       Nothing moves until you do something. Believing alone is not going to achieve anything. It must be followed up with concrete action. Your plan for career success is nothing unless you act upon it wholeheartedly. When you act upon what you believe, there is focus. And there is energy. That energy propels (drive forward) you to greater heights. Action is the “hands and legs” part of the three critical success factors.

Discipline（自制力）

       Action in itself is not enough to increase the chances of success. But disciplined action would do that. One of the main reasons why people fail is that there is no discipline in their action. They give themselves excuses when they cannot consistently go ahead with their plans. You need some form of sacrifice（牺牲）if you want to achieve success in your career. That sacrifice takes discipline. Discipline also ensures that you can be persistent（坚持的）, especially when you’re faced with challenges after challenges in your journey to success. Discipline is the “untiring, determined hands and legs” part of the three critical success factors.

       When what you think, feel and do become one, there is nothing that can stop you from achieving career success