In ancient Egypt, he pharaoh(法老)treated the poor message runner like a prince when he arrived at the palace, if he brought good news .However, if the exhausted runner had the misfortune to bring the pharaoh unhappy news , his head was cut off.

Shades of that spirit spread over today’s conversations. Once a friend and I pack up some peanut butter and sandwiches for an outing. As we walked light-heartedly out the door, picnic basket in hand, a smiling neighbor looked up at the sky and said , “Oh boy ,bad day for a picnic. The weatherman says it’s going to rain.” I wanted to strike him on the race with the peanut butter and sandwiches. Not for his stupid weather report, for his smile

Several months ago I was racing to catch a bus. As I breathlessly put my handful of cash across the Greyhound counter, the sales agent said with a broad smile, “Oh that bus left five minutes ago.” Dreams of head cutting!

It’s not the news that makes someone angry. It’s the unsympathetic attitude with which it’s delivered. Everyone must give bad news from time to time ,and winning professionals do it with the proper attitude. A doctor advising a patient she needs an operation does it in a caring way. A boss informing an employee he didn’t get the job takes on a sympathetic tone. Big winners know, when delivering any bad news, they should share the feeling of the receiver.

Unfortunately, many people are not aware of this. When you’ re tired from a long flight, has a hotel clerk cheerfully said that your room isn’t ready yet? When you had your heart set on the toast beef, has your waiter merrily told you that he just served the last piece? It makes you as traveler or diner want to land your fist fight on their unsympathetic faces.

   Had my neighbor told me of the upcoming rainstorm with sympathy, I would have appreciated his warning. Had the Greyhound salesclerk sympathetically informed me that my bus had already left, I probably would have said , “Oh ,that ‘s all right . I’ll catch the next one.” Big winners, when they bear bad news ,deliver bombs with the emotion the bombarded (被轰炸的) person is sure to have .

1. In Paragraph 1, the writer tells the story of the pharaoh to        .

   A. make a comparison                   B. introduce a topic 

C .describe a scene                      D. offer an argument

2. In the writer’s opinion, his neighbor was      

A. friendly        B. warm-hearted          C. not considerate        D. not helpful

3. From “Dreams of head-cutting!”(Paragraph 3), we learn that the writer        .

   A. was mad at the sales agent.

   B. was reminded of the cruel pharaoh

   C. wished that the sales agent would have had dreams.

   D. dreamed of cutting the sales agent’s head that night.

4. What is the main idea of the text?

   A. Delivering bad news properly is important in communication.

   B. Helping others sincerely is the key to business success.

   C. Receiving bad news requires great courage.

   D. Learning ancient traditions can be useful.

When middle-aged Alex gave up his job and made up his mind to become a self-employed writer, no one could tell surely whether he would succeed or not．He found a cold storage room in a building, set up a used typewriter and settled down to work．
After a year or so, however, Alex began to doubt himself．He found it was difficult to earn his living by selling what he wrote．But Alex determined to put his dream to the test-even though it meant living with uncertainty and fear of failure．This is the shadow land （虚幻世界） of hope, and anyone with a dream must learn to live there．
One day Alex got a call, "We need an assistant, and we're paying $ 6,000 a year．" $ 6,000 was real money in 1960．It would enable Alex to get a nice apartment, a used car and more．Besides, he could write in his spare time．As the dollars were dancing in Alex's head, something cleared his senses．He had dreamed of being a fulltime writer．"Thanks, but no," Alex said firmly and swiftly.
After Alex got off the phone, he pulled out everything he had: two cans of vegetables and 18 cents．Alex put the cans and cents into a paper bag, saying to himself," There's everything you've made of yourself so far．I'm not sure I ever felt so low．"
Finally his work was published in 1970．Instantly he had the kind of fame and success that few writers ever experience．The shadows had turned into focus of attention．
Then one day, Alex found a box filled with things he had owned years before．Inside was a paper bag with two cans and 18 cents．Suddenly he pictured himself working in that cold storage room．It reminds Alex, and anyone with a dream, of the courage and persistence （坚毅） it takes to stay the course (坚持到底)in the shadow land．
【小题1】Why did Alex give up his job?

A．Because he didn't like the working conditions．

B．Because he couldn't earn enough to make a living．

C．Because he felt he had no potential in his job．

D．Because he wanted to be a full-time writer．

When middle-aged Alex gave up his job and made up his mind to become a self-employed writer, no one could tell surely whether he would succeed or not．He found a cold storage room in a building, set up a used typewriter and settled down to work．

    After a year or so, however, Alex began to doubt himself．He found it was difficult to earn his living by selling what he wrote．But Alex determined to put his dream to the test-even though it meant living with uncertainty and fear of failure．This is the shadow land （虚幻世界） of hope, and anyone with a dream must learn to live there．

    One day Alex got a call, "We need an assistant, and we're paying $ 6,000 a year．" $ 6,000 was real money in 1960．It would enable Alex to get a nice apartment, a used car and more．Besides, he could write in his spare time．As the dollars were dancing in Alex's head, something cleared his senses．He had dreamed of being a fulltime writer．"Thanks, but no," Alex said firmly and swiftly.

    After Alex got off the phone, he pulled out everything he had: two cans of vegetables and 18 cents．Alex put the cans and cents into a paper bag, saying to himself," There's everything you've made of yourself so far．I'm not sure I ever felt so low．"

    Finally his work was published in 1970．Instantly he had the kind of fame and success that few writers ever experience．The shadows had turned into focus of attention．

    Then one day, Alex found a box filled with things he had owned years before．Inside was a paper bag with two cans and 18 cents．Suddenly he pictured himself working in that cold storage room．It reminds Alex, and anyone with a dream, of the courage and persistence （坚毅） it takes to stay the course (坚持到底)in the shadow land．

1.Why did Alex give up his job?

    A．Because he didn't like the working conditions．

    B．Because he couldn't earn enough to make a living．

    C．Because he felt he had no potential in his job．

    D．Because he wanted to be a full-time writer．

2.What did Alex express when he answered the call?

    A．He refused the job offer．

    B．He was willing to give them a hand．

    C．He expected them to pay him more money．

    D．He would write in his spare time．

3.What kind of person is Alex?

    A．Determined．  B．Modest．      C．Shy．     D．Brave．

4.Which of the following can be the best title of the passage ?

    A．Look before you leap．               B．Two heads are better, than one．

    C．Hold on to your dream, and it will come true．   D．A bird in hand is worth two in the bush．

When middle-aged Alex gave up his job and made up his mind to become a self-employed writer, no one could tell surely whether he would succeed or not．He found a cold storage room in a building, set up a used typewriter and settled down to work．

       After a year or so, however, Alex began to doubt himself．He found it was difficult to earn his living by selling what he wrote．But Alex determined to put his dream to the test—even though it meant living with uncertainty and fear of failure．This is the shadowland （虚幻世界） of hope, and anyone with a dream must learn to live there．

       One day Alex got a call, "We need an assistant, and we're paying $ 6,000 a year．" $ 6,000 was real money in 1960．It would enable Alex to get a nice apartment, a used car and more．Besides, he could write in his spare time．As the dollars were dancing in Alex's head, something cleared his senses．He had dreamed of being a fulltime writer．"Thanks, but no," Alex said firmly and swiftly, "．"

       After Alex got off the phone, he pulled out everything he had: two cans of vegetables and 18 cents．Alex put the cans and cents into a paper bag, saying to himself," There's everything you've made of yourself so far．I'm not sure I ever felt so low．"

       Finally his work was published in 1970．Instantly he had the kind of fame and success that few writers ever experience．The shadows had turned into focus of attention．

       Then one day, Alex found a box filled with things he had owned years before．Inside was a paper bag with two cans and 18 cents．Suddenly he pictured himself working in that cold storage room．It reminds Alex, and anyone with a dream, of the courage and persistence （坚毅） it takes to stay the course (坚持到底)in the shadowland．

56．Why did Alex give up his job?

       A．Because he didn't like the working conditions．

       B．Because he couldn't earn enough to make a living．

       C．Because he felt he had no potential in his job．

       D．Because he wanted to be a full-time writer．

57．What did Alex express when he answered the call?

       A．He refused the job offer．

       B．He was willing to give them a hand．

       C．He expected them to pay him more money．

       D．He would write in his spare time．

58．What kind of person is Alex?

       A．Determined．  B．Modest．        C．Shy．              D．Brave．

59．Which of the following can be the best title of the passage ?

       A．Look before you leap．      B．Two heads are better, than one．

       C．Hold on to your dream, and it will come true．

D．A bird in hand is worth two in the bush．

Alex quit his job and made up his mind to become a self-employed writer， no one could tell for sure whether he would succeed or not. He found a cold storage room in a building, set up a used typewriter and settled down to work.

　 After a year or so, however, Alex began to doubt himself. He found it was difficult to earn his living by selling what he wrote. But Alex determined to put his dream to the test—even though it meant living with uncertainty and fear of failure. This is the shadowland (虚幻世界) of hope, and anyone with a dream must learn to live there.

One day Alex got a call,“We need an assistant, and we’re paying $6,000 a year.” $6,000 was real money in 1960. It would enable Alex to get a nice apartment ,a used car and more. Besides, he could write in his spare time. As the dollars were dancing in Alex’s head, something cleared his senses. He had dreamed of being a writer--full time. “Thanks, but no,” Alex said firmly and swiftly, “I’m going to stick it out and write.”

After Alex got off the phone, he pulled out everything he had: two cans of vegetables and 18 cents. Alex put the cans and cents into a paper bag, saying to himself, “There’s everything you’ve made of yourself so far. I’m not sure I ever felt so low.”

Finally his work was published in 1970.Instantly he had the kind of fame and success that few writers ever experience. The shadows had turned into focus of attention.

Then one day, Alex found a box filled with things he had owned years before. Inside was a paper bag with two cans and 18 cents. Suddenly he pictured himself working in that cold storage room. It reminds Alex, and anyone with a dream, of the courage and persistence(坚毅) it takes to stay the course(持续到底) in the shadowland.

59. Why did Alex give up his job?

A .Because he didn’t like the working conditions.　 B. Because he couldn’t earn enough to make a living.

C. Because he wanted to be a full-time writer.　　 D. Because he felt he had no potential in his job.

60. What did Alex express when he answered the call?

A. He refused the job offer.　　　　　　　 　　B. He was willing to give them a hand.

C. He expected them to pay him more money.　　 D. He would write in his spare time.

61. What kind of person is Alex?

A. determined　 B. modest　　　　　 C. shy　　　　　　　 D. brave

62. Which of the following can summarize the passage best?

A. Look before you leap　　　　　　　　　　　 B. Two heads are better than one.

C. Hold on to your dream, and it will come true.　 D. A bird in hand is worth two in the bush.