Linda and David have travelled by air from London to Sydney, Australia. Linda has promised(答应)her mother that she will ring her to let her know that they arrived safely. This is something she had done ever since she was a child. David thinks it is not a good idea to ring so far, to spend too much, and to say so little.

But Linda promised to ring. "However," she says, "‘it doesn’t cost much when you just think that it’s the other side of the world. It’s only six pence per second (每秒六便士)." "If you’re on that telephone for less than one minute, I’ll eat my hat, David says, "And one minute’s nearly four pounds(镑). " "That’s no more than you’d pay for a new hat," Linda answers.

She has asked the man at the hotel desk to get her the number. The telephone rings. Linda picks it up. "Hello, Mum. Is that you ?" She says. "Six pence per second," David told her.

“Hello, love. " It is Mrs Lee, Linda’s mother, speaking from London. "I can hear you very clearly just like you are in the next room. It‘s a better line than when you called me from your office. Do you remember? I shouted at that time, and still you couldn’t hear me sometimes. " "Yes, Mum. "Linda puts in. "I just wanted to ring to ……. " "I remember how you rang when you went to Betty‘s house to eat, when you were a little girl. And then when you …" Mrs Lee is a great talker

"Nearly four pounds." says David. Linda tries to tell her mother that it is time to say goodbye. "Yes, all right," says Mrs Lee," But you will write, won‘t you, as you did when you were at work …" Once again, Mrs Lee talks about the past. and there is no stopping her. "Four pounds fifty, ’says David. At last, Linda cuts her mother short, promises to write, and rings off.

"There! That was long, wasn’t it ?" " Four pounds, ninety pence. " David answers. " And you didn’t even say that we‘ve arrived. "

1.Linda is telephoning home to ______.

A. tell her mother some bad news

B. say that she and David have arrived safely

C. report an accident to her mother

D. say that she and David have left London

2.David says, ’Nearly four pounds, because ______.

A. he wants to let Linda know the cost of the call

B. he wants to buy himself a new hat

C. Linda has not told her mother they have arrived

D. he wants Mrs Lee to know how much the call costs

3.Mrs Lee goes on talking for so long because______.

A. she likes to hear all about the past.

B. she likes talking

C. Linda had not told her that she has arrived

D. she is going to pay for the telephone call

4.Linda tries to stop her mother by ______.

A. telling her how much the call is costing

B. writing a letter as she has promised to do

C. telling her that they have arrived safely

D. promising to write, and ringing off

Everyone knows that the Frenchmen are romantic, the Italians are fashionable and the Germans are serious. Are these just stereotypes or is there really such a thing as national character? And if there is, can it affect how a nation succeed or fail?

At least one group of people is certain that it can. A recent survey of the top 500 entrepreneurs in the UK found that 70% felt that their efforts were not appreciated by the British public. Britain is hostile to success, they said. It has a culture of jealousy. As a result, the survey said, entrepreneurs were “unloved, unwanted and misunderstood.” Jealousy is sometimes known as the “green – eyed monster” and the UK is its home.

Scientists at Warwich University in the UK recently tested this idea. They gathered a group of people together and gave each an imaginary amount of money. Some were given a little, others a great deal. Those given a little were given the chance to destroy the large amount of money given to others – but at the cost of losing their own. Two thirds of the people tested agreed to do this.

This seems to prove that the entrepreneurs were right to complain. But there is also conflicting evidence. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development recently reported that the UK is now the world’s fourth largest economy. That is not bad for people who are supposed to hate success. People in the UK also work longer hours than anyone else in Europe. So the British people are not lazy, either.

“It is not really success that the British dislike,” says Carey Cooper, a professor of management at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology. “It’s people using their success in a way that seems proud or unfair or which separates them from their roots.”

Perhaps it is the entrepreneurs who are the problem. They set out to do things in their way. They work long hours. By their own efforts they become millionaires. But instead of being happy they complain that nobody loves them. It hardly seems worth following their example. If they were more friendly, people would like them more. And more people want to be like them.

1.Most entrepreneurs surveyed believe that .

A.the British people hate success

B.the British people are hardworking

C.love of success is Britain’s national character

D.they are considered as “green – eyed monsters”

2.What does the result of the Warwich University’s test show.

A.Two thirds of the people tested didn’t love money.

B.Most people would rather fail than see others succeed.

C.An imaginary amount of money does not attract people.

D.Most people are willing to enjoy success with others.

3.The writer of the passage seems to suggest that .

A.jealousy is Britain’s national character

B.British entrepreneurs are not fairly treated

C.the scientists at Warwich University did a successful test

D.the entrepreneurs in the UK do not behave properly

4.The best title for this article can be .

A.Be More Modest and We Will Love You More

B.Proud Entrepreneurs

C.The Frenchmen are Romantic While The British are Hostile

D.Only Pains but No Gains

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