---Sir, I’m terribly sorry for not having handed in my homework on time, but I have been very busy all these days.
---No excuse for it, but I          drop it this time.

As the economy begins to recover, salary increases should do the same.
In the past few years, employers have raised workers’ salaries by about 4 percent per year--except for 2009, when the figure dropped to a historically low 2.1 percent, according to a survey of World at Word. About one-third of companies froze raises altogether.
For 2010, World at Work’s survey projects an average salary increase budget of 2.7 percent, a figure that shows the situation has improved but the job market is still weak. Between 10 percent and 15 percent of companies said they would freeze raises--far fewer than in 2009, but still more than in most years.
How can you get a raise? Avalos and others offer the following tips:
* Do your job well. This means producing high-quality work, of course, but also keeping the big picture in mind.
“It really comes down to positioning yourself as a high performer, somebody who is aware of business goals and helps the company meet their goals as an organization”, Avalos said
* Be visible. When times are tough, some workers think. “I’m going to hunker down and hope that nobody notices me, because I don’t want to be on a layoff list,” said Richard Phillips, owner of Advantage Career Solutions. This is a mistake, because you’re unlikely to get a raise if no one knows what you have accomplished. “If anything, what you want to do is be more visible.”
* Make your boss’s life easier. This means everything from having a good attitude to taking on extra tasks. If you don’t know how you can help your boss, ask.
* Ask for a raise. Talk to your boss and present your case: Here’s what I’ve done, here’s how it fits with the company’s goals, and here is why I think it’s worth a salary increase. In some cases, even if your company has an official raise freeze, you can get a raise if you make good case.
If the answer is no -- or if you’re not ready to ask directly -- Phillips suggests asking, “What would you like to see from me that would put me in line for a raise?”
A question like this can improve your standing. “Just asking the question says to the boss, ‘I’m thinking about where I fit in here, what I can do,” Phillips said, “That in and of itself has value.”

1. 1.

   The passage is mostly from a\an________.

   1. A.
      novel
   2. B.
      science fiction
   3. C.
      magazine
   4. D.
      biography
2. 2.

   Employers have raised workers’ salaries by about _______percent in 2007.

   1. A.
      4
   2. B.
      2.1
   3. C.
      2.7
   4. D.
      10
3. 3.

   If you want to get a raise, the most important thing you should keep in your mind is to ______.

   1. A.
      have your job done well
   2. B.
      be visible everywhere as possible as you can
   3. C.
      ask your boss for a raise directly
   4. D.
      change your job
4. 4.

   All the statements are true except________.

   1. A.
      the situation has improved but the job market is still weak
   2. B.
      salary increases should recover as the economy does
   3. C.
      producing high-quality work will surely help you get a raise
   4. D.
      that in and off an employee makes no difference

Mistakes are a part of life. To err is human. Failure is also a part of life, not the end of life. Be happy facing life’s challenges. When you make the effort to be happy and to improve your life, you are actually rewarded along the way.
Life is like a game and maybe you can award points for every effort that has been a success for you. Try it. Add ten points for every achievement. And when you have reached 50 points, just yell, “Hey, I’ve won!” and give yourself a reward. If you happen to have missed your points for whatever reason, tell yourself, “Well, I tried!” which is better than not trying at all. Don’t let it be said you didn’t try.
What is it that you want to make yourself happy? Actually happiness means different things to different people. For example, an athlete will be happy winning his first race. For a new mother happiness would be seeing her baby’s first steps. Happiness for a poor person would mean having a meal just for today. So happiness for you is really something simple that you want for yourself.
It really doesn’t have to be big. As a matter of fact, you should be always realistic(现实的). Make the best out of every given situation. If you expect a certain result from a situation and it does not happen, don’t get despondent. This just means trying harder next time. We all have in us the power to succeed. Don’t let “give up” be a part of your vocabulary

1. 1.

   By saying “To err is human”, the author means that______.

   1. A.
      human beings should try to avoid making mistakes
   2. B.
      no one is perfect and everyone makes mistakes
   3. C.
      mistakes and failures make up our life
   4. D.
      human beings make mistakes easily
2. 2.

   What’s the main idea of Paragraph 2?

   1. A.
      Try to reach 50 points
   2. B.
      Try to get as many points as you can
   3. C.
      Award yourself for your success
   4. D.
      Don’t be afraid of missing your points
3. 3.

   The author proves his idea in Paragraph 3 through______.

   1. A.
      examples
   2. B.
      numbers
   3. C.
      experiments
   4. D.
      stories
4. 4.

   The underlined word “despondent” in the last paragraph means______.

   1. A.
      frightened
   2. B.
      disappointed
   3. C.
      surprised
   4. D.
      excited

13．      a reply，he decided to write again.

A．Not receiving         B．Receiving not

C．Not having received    D．Having not received