A jobless man applied for the position of “office boy” at Microsoft. The HR manager interviewed him and then watched him cleaning the floor as a test.

“You are employed,” he said. “Give me your e-mail address and I’ll send you the application to fill in, as well as date when you may start. ”

The man replied, “But I don’t have a computer, neither an email.”

“I’m sorry,” said the HR manager. “If you don’t have an email, that means you do not exist.And who doesn’t exist cannot have the job.”

The man left with no hope at all. He didn’t know what to do, with only $10 in his pocket. He then decided to go to the supermarket and buy 10Kg tomatoes. He then sold the tomatoes from door to door. In less than two hours, he managed to double his capital. He repeated the operation three times, and returned home with $60.

The man realized that he could survive in this way, and started to go every day earlier, and return late. Thus, his money doubled or tripled every day. Shortly, he bought a cart, then a truck, and then he had his own fleet of delivery vehicles. Five years later, the man is one of the biggest food retailers in the US.

He started to plan his family’s future, and decided to have a life insurance. He called an insurance broker, and chose a protection plan.  

When the conversation was concluded the broker asked him his e-mail. The man replied, “I don’t have an email.”

The broker answered curiously, “You don’t have an email, and yet have managed to build an empire. Can you imagine what you could have been if you had an e mail?” The man thought for a while and replied, “Yes, I’d be an office boy at Microsoft!”

1.Why can’t the man have the job at Microsoft?

A．Because he was lazy.                     B．Because he didn't pass the test.

C．Because he didn’t have an e-mail.          D．Because he didn’t have the application.

2.The underlined word “tripled” can be replaced by “_________”.

A．became 3 times                        B．became large

C．increased quickly                       D．decreased quickly

3.According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?

A．The man is one of the biggest food retailers in the world.

B．Those who have e-mails can work at Microsoft.

C．He started his career by selling tomatoes in the supermarket.

D．The man didn’t give up though he failed the interview.

4.Which proverb can be the title of the story?

A．Misfortune may be an actual blessing (幸事).

B．Actions speak louder than words.

C．Accidents will happen.

D．No pains, no gains.

Writing a long book seemed to be too much for me. So, for a long time, I just wrote short articles. One day, inspiration(灵感) for an article hit me and, as I started writing, paragraphs began flowing out fast. It turned out to be too long to be an article. I thought it would not hurt to try self-publishing a booklet(小册子). The first printing of this 32-page black and white booklet sold out within a week. Here is something that I have learned through my experience.

1.Start small.

Don’t try to have a 400-page work as your first publication. I suggest you publish a booklet under 50 pages to launch your career as an author.

2.Ask for advice.

If you know some people who have published something, ask them for advice and help. You will gain useful information from them and save yourself many problems.

3.           

When you put your heart into something only to hear“We’re not interested”,you may get hurt. But you must remind yourself that this is quite common. Every“yes”you receive comes after at least five“noes”,especially at the beginning. You need to revise your book many times to reduce the chances of being turned down.

4.The more you market, the more you sell.

You can publish an excellent book. But if no people know about it, you cannot expect many buyers. Send out an e-mail to friends, family and business partners, telling them your book’s publication date. Ask them to help sell your book.

Do not be afraid to try novel ideas.

1.What does the underlined word“launch”in Point 1 there mean?

2.What’s the best title for Point 3?

3.According to the passage, if you want to have more copies of your book sold, you should      .

4.About self-publishing a book, the writer would most probably agree that       .

Beverage Service    We serve a variety of soft drinks, coffee, tea and free of charge. However, as flying has a dehydrating effect, water and non-alcoholic beverages are recommended.

Electronic Equipment    Cellphones, FM/AM radios, portable television sets and electronic toys with remote controls must not be used in the cabin, as their signals may interfere with the aircrafts navigational instruments. Laptop computers and CD (MD, MP3) players may be used during cruising portions of the flight but not during the takeoff and landing.

Inflight Entertainment    A wide selection of international publications are available for your reading pleasure. You may keep this free copy of Morning Calm magazine, but kindly return all other reading materials after you have finished with them for the benefit of fellow passengers. A selection of music is available on eight channels, from channel 3 to 10. The channel changer is on your armrest. We also offer a selection of popular films; you may listen in English on channel 2. Paduk (go) and chess are available on request, and we have free postcards and stationery.

Medical Needs    We keep a selection of nonprescription medicine for any passenger suffering from mild sicknesses. An emergency medical kit is also available for more serious illnesses.

Travelling with Infants and Children    Baby bassinets are provided on a first come first serve basis and should be requested at the time of booking. Special meals for children and infants can be served if the request is made 24 hours before departure. Selected giveaways for children aged 2 to 12 are available on all international flights.

1.The services above are probably offered by ___________.

A．a traveling agent                        B．a medical center

C．an airline                              D．a five-star hotel

2.Which of the following is not allowed according to the passage?

A．Watching popular films.

B．Listening to MP3.

C．Having nonprescription medicine.

D．Using mobile phones.

3.If you turn on channel 5 on your armrest, what will you enjoy?

A．International news.                      B．Free-of-charge drinks.

C．Fashion magazines.                      D．Popular music.

4.When should a passenger request special meals for children and babies?

A．24 hours before departure.               B．At the time of booking.

C．Soon after the takeoff.                    D．At the time of landing.

The slogan “a dog is for life, not just for Christmas” has been going strong for 27 years now. Dogs and cats have been popular Christmas gifts in the gifts in the UK and Europe for many years. But some people still haven’t quite got the message.

The slogan still holds good. Some 105,000 dogs were rounded up by local government last year because they had been abandoned, many of them shortly after the festival season.

The main reason given by owners for handing their dogs over to the Dogs Trust is that the dogs need more attention than they can give; behavioral problems and moving home are also reasons given.

But Eleanor Silk, the Trust’s communications director, says, “It’s often four or five months after Christmas, in early summer, when owners find that the dog has got too big and too active, or it hasn’t been trained properly and has caused damage around the home.”

In any case, some organizations that help pets are quick to point out that if you are serious about getting a puppy(小狗) as a pet, Christmas is not the time to do it. Puppies need to get used to their new surroundings, to be introduced to a routine, and to be looked after like small children. It’s hard to meet any of these needs at Christmas. What’s more, pulling a puppy out of a Christmas stocking in itself sends the wrong message to children. It encourages children to think of the puppy as a toy, rather than a responsibility.

Appreciating what you’re taking on with a dog can be a sobering (清醒的) realization. “For life” means thinking about the effect they’ll have on your life. It also infers you will need to care for the dog for its whole life.

1.What would be the best title for the passage?

A．Dogs and Cats—the Most Popular Christmas Gifts.

B．A pet is for Life, Not just for Christmas.

C．How to Take Care of Your Pets over Christmas.

D．Let’s Help Those Abandoned Pets

2.According to the passage, which of the following is NOT a reason for pets to be abandoned?

A．Pets spread some diseases.

B．Pets damage some things in the house.

C．The owners can’t take good care of the pets.

D．The owners have to move to other places.

3.The underlined words “rounded up” in Paragraph 2 mean “________”.

A．given out as gifts

B．thrown away

C．gathered into one place

D．raised to make money

4.The fifth paragraph mainly tells us________.

A．how to take best care of Christmas pets

B．the right time to have a puppy as a pet

C．the reasons why Christmas is not the time to get a pet

D．the worries about Christmas pets from organizations that help pets

5.Why is the author against the idea of putting a dog in the Christmas stocking as a Christmas gift?

A．Because these dogs can still cause damage.

B．Because children will not take dogs seriously.

C．Because children don’t like to have dogs as Christmas gifts.

D．Because a Christmas stocking is not big enough to put a dog in.

Bill Gates, the billionaire Microsoft chairman without a single earned university degree, is by his success raising new doubts about the worth of the business world’s favorite academic title: the MBA (Master of Business Administration).

The MBA, a 20^th century product, always has borne the mark of lowly commerce and greed on the tree-lined campuses ruled by purer disciplines such as philosophy and literature.

But even with the recession(经济萎缩) apparently cutting down the hiring of business school graduates, about 79,000 people are expected to receive MBAs in 1993. This is nearly 16 times the number of business graduates in 1960.

“If you are going into the corporate world it is still a disadvantage not to have one,” said Donald Morrison, professor of marketing and management science. “But in the last five years or so, when someone says, ‘Should I attempt to get an MBA?’ the answer a lot more is: It depends.”

The success of Bill Gates and other non-MBAs, such as the late Sam Walton of Wal-Mart Stores Inc., has helped inspire self-conscious debates on business school campuses over the worth of a business degree and whether management skills can be taught.

The Harvard Business Review printed a lively, fictional exchange of letters to dramatize complaints about business degree holders. The article called MBA hires “extremely disappointing” and said “MBAs want to move up too fast, they don’t understand politics and people, and they aren’t able to function as part of a team until their third year. But by then, they’re out looking for other jobs.”

The problem, most participants in the debate acknowledge, is that the MBA has acquired an aura (光环) of future riches and power far beyond its actual importance and usefulness.

Business people who have hired or worked with MBAs say those with the degrees of ten know how to analyze systems but are not so skillful at motivating people. “They don’t get a lot of grounding in the people side of the business”, said James Shaffer, vice-president and principal of the Towers Perrin management consulting firm.

1.According to paragraph 2, what is the general attitude towards business on campuses ruled by purer disciplines?

2.. It seems that the argument over the value of MBA degrees had been fueled mainly by ___.

3.. What is the major weakness of MBA holders according to the Harvard Business Review?

4.. From the passage we know that most MBAs ________.

5. What is the passage mainly about?