“It’s the best…uhh…What? You don’t want it?...,”the inexpertienced young man uttered,his hope dashed.

“Again,you disappointed me,Andrew.When are you going to learn? You have to be sure and confident. And think how best to make him part with his money. Apply yourself, Son. All your college education will not help if you don’t put your mind to selling. Think on your feet. Use psychology,” Andrew spoke with diffidence overwhelmed by his father’s criticism.

“You’ve been in this shop for six months and you haven’t succeeded in selling a single computer. I tell you what. I’ll give you one more chance. I’ll give you another three more weeks. If you still can’t make one sale, I’ll call in your elder brother to replace you. He will also take over the shop when I retire. There. I’ll just give you one last chance to prove yourself,” said Mr. Whitely, his patience wearing thin.

Andrew’s heart missed a beat. This time he would have to do it. Do or Die! A sense of urgency gripped him. Somehow he must prove himself to his father.

It was now the end of the day and the shop was being closed. The assistant employed by his father, called Mike, chuckled and put his arms round poor Andrew to comfort him,“ Sort it out yourself. It’s gotta come from yourself.” he said.

The shop was located in a bustling shopping center. Andrew left the shop and walked round the complex aimlessly and by chance entered a large bookstore. He glanced at the books and was about to leave when his eyes caught some interesting titles:‘ How to increase your confidence,’‘ The art of communication,’‘How to sell well’amongst others.

The next minute he was out of the store with the shopping bag bugling with books. In his apartment (for he loves separately from his parents and little sister),he settled himself in his easy chair and devoured the contents of the books, one by one. His keen intelligence enabled him to focus the details that matter and pick out the ideas and techniques expounded.In a week his image underwent a transformation. Gone was the stubble that used to give him an untidy image likened to a heroin addict.He was also smartly dressed now. Instead of his usual slurred speech and incoherence ,he spoke with clarity, purpose and forcefulness.He was more convincing and persuasive. Above all, confidence flowed from his being and he seemed to have learned a few tricks of the selling trade. He worked hard at his sales pitch and one day he succeeded in selling a computer. His first sale. He had finally achieved the quota of one sale within the given time frame of three weeks. The job, the shop, was his. He had to thank Mike for it. And now he had to go beyond his first successs and score, consistently and persistently. Nevertheless he had proved himself at last and the future looked bright and promising.

We learn from the story that at the beginning Andrew’s father_________.

  A.holds the view that Andrew is hopeless

  B.has lost his patience with Andrew

  C.has given the shop to Andrew

  D.still hopes Andrew will improve

We learn from the story that Andrew_________.

  A.has turned himself into an experienced sales manager

  B.has tried in vain to get his job done in six months

  C.has let his father down in the end

  D.has done well with the help of Mike

What’s the most significant change of character in Andrew?

  A.He’s more convincing.                   B.He’s more hard-working.

  C.He is more confident.                   D.He is more intelligence.

What conclusion can we draw from the story?

  A.Success depends on hard work,talent,and willingnesss to make changes.

  B.However hard you try, you won’t achieve success without others’ help

  C.It takes time to succeed, you have to try again and again and never give up

  D.It’s good communication skills and some tricks that result in big business.

阅读下面短文，第1至5题表述了Anna、Smith、Wilkins、Crick和June在自己的生活及学习中遇到的问题，他们需要你的帮助，请从A、B、C、D、E和F中为其选出最合适的建议，选项中有一项是多余选项。

1．Anna: I get really frustrated easily, and sometimes I end up yelling at people I love．I'm not very sure why it happens, but I have no control over it．How can I stop?

2．Smith: Some kids are making fun of me because I'm doing very well at school．Isn't that something to be proud of? I need advice．

3．Wilkins: I can't sociaize．I am really shy, and I am already a freshman in high school. I have some new friends, but I am still shy to the cool kids．Can you help me, please?

4．Crick: I always say what I feel immediately and without thinking．Sometimes I get in trouble for it or feel sorry about it later．Is speaking your mind a good or a bad thing?

5．June: I love to read! But I don't have any time to read because of all of my activities．I don’t want to quit anything．What should I do?

A

       Instead of feeling upset, you should definitely be proud of yourself．Intelligence is a quality that everyone wants, and as you get older it's going to be what people love and respect about you．Still water runs deep．I'm sure as time goes by, some of those kids making fun of you might realize how cool you actually are．

B

       Everyone has to leam how to adapt to society and mix socially with others．No man is an island, as the saying goes．To become a sociable person, you must be naturally friendly．Besides, do something for a social situation．A teacher once gave me this great advice: Prepare a conversation in your head before going into an uncomfortable social situation．It sounds like a lot of work, but it's easy and it works! Get involved in activities that interest you and you will make new friends fast．

C

       Always keep a book with you so that you can read during pockets of free time．Turn some of your TV or computer time into reading time．Read for a little while right before bed, and find time to read on weekends．Also, talk to your parents about your schedule．You might not want to quit anything, but you might need to find more free time in order to have a happy balance in your life．

D

       That feeling is your conscience, and it's telling you that you need to confess what you did．Be brave and tell your parents．Even if they get upset when they hear about it from you, they would be even more upset to hear about it from your friend's mom．So pick a quiet time and say．Mom, Dad, I need to tell you something, but I'm afraid．Then spill the beans．No matter what they say, you'll be relieved not to have this secret any more．

E

       First, identify what is frustrating you, then learn to calm yourself down．The next time you start feeling frustrated, stop what you're doing and breathe deeply．Count to ten．Get up and walk around．Clear your mind before you come back to the frustrating task．If you keep a cool head, you'll be less likely to snap at others．And if you do yell at someone, apologize and admit that it's not that person's fault．Then calm down and try again．

F

       Speaking your mind can be a really good thing．Far too many people don't, except when talking about someone behind that person's back．However, there are times when honesty does more than good like when a girl asks if she looks fat．So in situations in which there's no real good, you are better off keeping your thoughts to yourself．In situations in which that is not the case like when your brother asks if his breath stinks feel free to tell the truth．Just be prepared to take it in return．