Some years ago, three brothers left the farm to work in the city. They were all hired by the same company and on the same pay. Three years later, Jim was being paid $ 500 a month, Frank was receiving $ 1000, but George was making $ 1500.

Their father was confused and decided to visit the employer. After listening to the father, the employer said, "I will let the boys explain for themselves."

Jim was called to the office and was told, "Jim, I learn the Far East Importers has just brought in a large transport plane loaded with Japanese import goods. Will you please go over to the airport and get a cargo inventory( 运货清单) ?

Three minutes later, Jim returned to the office. "The cargo was one thousand bolts(卷) of Japanese silk," Jim reported. "I got the information over the telephone from a member of the crew."

When Jim left, Frank, the $ 1000 a month brother, was called in.

    An hour later, Frank was back in the office with a list showing that the plane carried 1000 bolts of Japanese silk, 500 transistor radios ( 晶体管收音机), and 1000 hand painted bamboo plates.

Gorge, the $ 1500 a month brother, was given the same instructions. Working hours were over when he finally returned. "The transport plane carried one thousand bolts of Japanese silk," he be- gan. "It was on sale at sixty dollars a bolt, so I took a choice to buy them all. I have telegrammed a designer in New York offering the silk at seventy - five dollars a bolt. I expect to have the order tomorrow. I also found five hundred transistor radios, which I sold over the telephone at a profit of $ 2.30 each. There were a thousand bamboo plates, but they were of poor quality, so I didn't try. to do anything with them."

When George left the office, the employer smiled. "You see," he said, "the future is full of promise for one who shows initiative."

1. The best title of this passage is _______.

     A. The story of three brothers               B. The importance of doing market research

     C. A business deal                                      D. A clever employer

2. According to George, how much money did he expect to get for his company?

    A. $1,150.         B. $61,150.             C. $16,150.        D. $76,150.

3. What can we infer from the passage?

    A. Jim and Frank would be fired soon.

    B. Telegram played a very important part in George's business.

    C. The employer was aware of the three brothers' personalities and working attitude.

    D. The company would do nothing with the bamboo plates because of the bad quality.

4. According to the passage, which of the following best explains the meaning of the underlined word "initiative"?

   A. Doing a lot of extra work without complaining.

   B. Having patience in difficult situations without giving in.

   C. Having the sense of marketing and economics.

   D. Making decisions and taking action actively without being told to.

As the United States continues to argue over the future of illegal immigrants traveling across its borders, I went on a journey to discover what hardships people crossing the border from Tijuana must face.

I worked at a soup kitchen, where I came into contact with many poor citizens who had recently arrived in Tijuana. One of the people I served was a Guatemalan (危地马拉人) named Juan, who washed cars for low pay in the US. After we spoke for 10 minutes, Juan introduced me to his girl- friend, a local stripper (脱衣舞女) who offered to give me a free lap dance (热舞) if I ever de-cided to visit the club across the street. I certainly didn't need to respond to this.

I also visited a shelter for the recently deported (驱逐) and those who have recently arrived in Tijuana from other Mexican states. Tijuana is home to more than 1.5 million people and is populat-ed by many migrants(移居者) who arrive and leave mostly for reasons of employment.

Having dinner at the shelter, I talked with those who planned to stay the night. Seated at my table was a man in his 40s. He had recently been deported from Los Angeles for not having the proper legal documentation (证明文件).The only belongings he carried with him were a few clothes and an album filled with pictures of his wife and three daughters in Los Angeles. I was surprised by how open he was in sharing his story. I feel bad for not learning his name before I left.

Returning to my country on the final day of my trip awakened a strange feeling inside me. I went on this trip with an open mind and heart and was given the chance to communicate with so many different people that I wouldn't have met in my everyday life. I felt guilty for taking so many things for granted, while people a few hundred miles away are already satisfied with the simpler things that they have.

1. From the passage above, we know that Tijuana is ________.

   A. a city in Mexico                               B. a country near US

   C. a place in the US                                      D. a city where Juan came from

2. People came to Tijuana and left because ________.

   A. they were ordered to leave by government     B. they could not find jobs

   C. they were not satisfied with their daily life     D. they had nowhere to live in but shelters

3. By "strange feeling" in the last paragraph, we can imply that the writer ______.

     A. feels guilty for the people living there

     B. may love and value what he has now

     C. does not realize the simple life other people have

     D. thinks the people there are satisfied with their life

4. What is probably the best title for the passage above?

     A. A Real Lesson.                    B. A Pleasant Journey.

     C. The Simpler, the Better.             D. What a Life.

Follow the following tips to reduce your stress to manageable levels!

    Avoid "Must" think. Let go of the idea that you must do something in a certain way—for ex-ample, "I must get a great score on a test, or else." This thought pattern only adds to the stress you'll feel. Evaluate your situation coldly and logically, and not as a "life or death" situation.

Watch the Mess. Don't study in a messy or cramped area. Clear yourself a nice, open space that's free of distractions.

Set Manageable Goals. Break large projects into smaller and doable parts and you' 11 feel a positive sense of accomplishment as you finish each part.

Ocean Dumping. Imagine yourself walking on a beautiful beach, carrying a sand bucket. Stop at a good spot and put your worries into the pail. Drop the bucket and watch as it drifts away into the ocean.

Think Good Thoughts. Create a set of positive but brief affirmations and mentally repeat them to yourself just before you fall asleep at night, and you will feel a lot more positive in the morning.

Imagine Yourself Succeeding. Close your eyes and remember a real life situation in which you did well. Imagine facing your stressful situation with the same feelings of confidence.

Use Your Bed for Sleeping, Not Studying. Your mind may start to associate your bed with work, which will make it harder for you to fall asleep.

Comforting Sounds. If you want to play music, keep it low in the background. Classical mu-sic especially can aid the learning process.

Take a Hike, Pal. Need a study break? Take a short, brisk walk. Clear your mind.

1 .Suppose you meet a great difficulty, how can you reduce your stress?

    A. To imagine that you are successful.

    B. To draw back from it.

    C. To turn to others for help.

D. To divide it into small parts and finish them one by one.

2. "Ocean Dumping" really means _______.

     A. forgetting one's worries                     B. swimming in the ocean

     C. throwing things into the ocean                      D. sailing across the ocean

3. According to the passage, which kind of people are easy to come under pressure'?

     A. Self confident people.                        B. People with tidy habits.

     C. Open minded people.                       D. Work addicts.

4. From the passage we can learn _______.

     A. rock music can help the learning process

     B. you can think clearly while you are in bed

     C. thinking of your real - life success will do you good while facing difficulty

     D. you must treat everything as a "life - or- death" situation and consider it carefully

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