Learn and Earn

Charlie and Jackie joined a wholesale company together just after graduation. They both worked very hard. After several years, the boss made Jackie sales manager but Charlie  __36__  a salesman. One day Charlie could not  __37__ it any more. He handed in his resignation letter (辞职信) to the boss and complained that the boss did not  __38__ hard-working employees, but only raised those who tried to please him. He thought that it was really __39___.

The boss knew that Charlie had spared no  __40__ for the company all these years, but in order to help Charlie to realize the  __41__ between him and Jackie, the boss asked Charlie to do the  following. “Go and __42__ if there is anyone selling watermelons in the market.” Charlie went, returned and  __43__ said, “Yes.” The boss asked, “How much per kilogram?” Charlie went back to the market to ask and returned to  __44__, “$ 12 per kg.”

The boss told Charlie that he would ask Jackie the  __45__ question. Jackie went, returned and said, “Boss, only one person selling watermelons. $ 12 per kg, $ 100 for 10 kg. He has a  __46__of 340 melons. On the table are 58 melons, and every melon weighs about 15 kg, __47__  from the South two days ago. They are fresh, red, and of good  __48__.”

Charlie was  __49___ and he realized the difference between himself and Jackie. He decided not to  __50__ but to learn from Jackie.

My dear friends, you know, a more  __51__ person is more observant, thinks more and understands in __52__. For the same matter, he sees several years ahead,  __53__ you see only tomorrow. The difference between a year and a day is 365 times, so how could you  __54__  ?

Think: how far have you seen ahead in your life? How __55__ are you?

Whether you admit or not, music is rooted in our daily life, weaving its beauty and emotion through our thoughts, activities and memories. So if you’re interested in music theory, music appreciation, Beethoven, Mozart, artists and performers, we hope you’ll spend some time here and learn from those music articles of note for all ages and tastes.
When I first started studying the history of music, I did not realize what I was getting into. I had thought that music history was somewhat of an unimportant pursuit（追求）. In fact, I only took my history of classical music class because I needed the credits（学分）. I did not realize how really attractive music history was. You see, in our culture many of us do not really learn to understand music. When I began to learn about the history of Western music, however, it changed all that for me.
When most of us think about the history of music, we think of the history of rock music, we assume that the history is simple because the music is simple. In fact, neither is the case, The history of music, whether you’re talking about classical music, rock music, jazz music, or any other kind, is never simple.
Even when the class was over, I would not stop learning about the history of music. It had attracted my interest, and I wanted more.
【小题1】What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?

A few months after returning the US from Germany, I took part in a college course in French. Since I have learned to speak German good in Germany, I thought that it might be interested to begin studying another language. At the first class, the teacher ask us to do a pronunciation exercise, in which he would say a word or two in French, and each student would do their best to copy. When he got to me, he kept having me to say more words, and I finally asked him why. “I find it great funs. It’s the first time I’ve heard an American speak French with a German accent.” he explained it.  

About ten years ago, a young and very successful businessman named Josh was traveling down a Chicago neighborhood street. He was going a bit too fast in his shiny, black, 12 cylinder Jaguar XKE, which was only two months old.

He was watching for kids rushing out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no child came out, but a brick sailed out and—WHUMP! —it hit the Jag’s shiny black side door! Immediately Josh stopped the car, jumped out, seized the kid and pushed him up against a parked car. He shouted at the kid, “What was that all about and who are you? That’s my new Jag, that brick you threw is gonna cost you a lot of money. Why did you throw it? ”

“Please, mister, please. . . I’m sorry!  I didn’t know what else to do! ” begged the youngster. “I threw the brick because no one else would stop! ” Tears were streaming down the boy’s face as he pointed around the parked car. “It’s my brother, mister” he said. “He rolled off the curb (路沿) and fell out of his wheelchair and I can’t lift him up. ”Sobbing, the boy asked the businessman, “ Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He’s hurt and he’s too heavy for me. ”

Moved beyond words, the young businessman tried hard to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. Straining, he lifted the young man back into the wheelchair and took out his handkerchief and wiped the scrapers and cuts, checking to see that everything was going to be OK. He then watched the younger brother push him down the sidewalk toward their home.

It was a long walk back to the black, shining 12 cylinder Jaguar XKE—a long and slow walk. Josh never did fix the side door of his Jaguar. He kept the dent (凹痕) to remind him not to go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at him to get his attention. Feel for the bricks of life coming at you.

1.The boy threw a brick at the businessman’s car because _____ .

A．the businessman drove at a high speed

B．he envied the brand-new car very much

C．he wanted to get help from the driver

D．he wanted to ask for some money

2.Which of the following is the right order of the story?

a. The younger brother threw a brick at Josh’s car.

b. The elder brother fell out of his wheelchair.

c. The younger brother begged Josh for help.

d. Josh lifted the elder brother back into his wheelchair.

e. Josh shouted at the younger brother.

A．a, c, b, e, d                            B．a, c, d, b, e

C．b, a, c, e, d                             D．b, a, e, c, d

3.What can we learn from the passage?

A．Josh would accept the money from the kids.

B．Josh was a kind-hearted man

C．The two kids were Josh’s neighbors.

D．Josh’s new car broke down easily.

4.According to the passage, the last sentence means _____ .

A．trying to be more understanding seeing others in trouble

B．driving fast in a neighborhood street is dangerous

C．trying to get ready for the trouble in your future life

D．protecting oneself from being hurt

Are you a man or a mouse? When people ask this question they want to know __36_  you think you are a  _37_  person or a coward(懦夫). But you will never really know the answer to this question __38__ you are tested in real life. Some people __39__ they are brave but when they come face to face with real __40_ , they act like cowards. Others think of themselves as cowards, but when they meet danger, they act like __41_.

Lenny had always thought of himself as a __42__ person. He got worried before examinations. He worried about his job and his health. All he wanted in life was to be safe and healthy. __43__ , on January 15^th, 2002, a plane crashed into the Potomac River in Washington. Lenny went to the river to see what was happening. He saw a woman in the __44__ water. Lenny did not feel afraid. He kept very __45__ and did a very courageous thing. He jumped into Potomac, __46__ to the woman, and kept her head __47__ the water. Seventy-eight people died that day. Thanks to Lenny, it was not __48__ .

When you are in a very __49__ situation and feel afraid, the body automatically（自动地）produces a chemical in the blood. This chemical is called adrenalin(肾上激素). __50__ adrenalin in the blood system, you actually feel stronger and stronger and are __51__ to fight or run away. However, when you are absolutely terrified, the body can produce too much adrenalin. When this __52__  , the muscles become very hard and you find you __53__ move at all. You are paralyzed(使无能为力) with fear. This is __54__  when we are very frightened, we sometimes say we are ‘petrified’, this word comes from a Greek word ‘petros’, which means ‘stone’. We are __55__ frightened that we become stonelike.

1. A. how           B. neither      C. whether       D. either

2.A. brave          B. real     C. hard              D. certain

3.A. when           B. until        C. after             D. once

4. A. realize       B. find     C. think             D. agree

5.A. life           B. question C. mouse         D. danger

6. A. soldiers      B. mice     C. heroes(英雄)      D. cowards

7.A. useful     B. brave        C. nervous       D. terrible

8.A. So         B. Therefore   C. Then           D. Actually

9.A. fresh          B. poisonous    C. warm              D. ice-cold

10.A. nervous       B. calm     C. frightened        D. excited

11.A. went          B. helped       C. spoke         D. swam

12.A. in            B. under        C. above         D. from

13.A. an accident   B. a mistake    C. seventy-eight     D. seventy-nine

14.A. dangerous     B. comfortable  C. different         D. favorable

15.A. With          B. Without  C. For           D. Like

16. A. afraid           B. unable       C. ready             D. anxious

17.A. gets          B. disappears   C. happens       D. goes

18.A. needn’t       B. can’t    C. mustn’t       D. shouldn’t

19. A. where        B. how      C. because       D. why

20. A. really           B. very     C. such              D. so