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An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer of his plans to leave the house building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife, enjoying his extended family. He would miss the pay check, but he needed to retire.
The employer was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He used shoddy materials to build the house. It was an unfortunate way to end his career.
When the carpenter finished his work and the employer came to inspect the house, he handed the front-door key to the carpenter. “This is your house,” he said, “my gift to you.”
What a shock! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently. Now he had to live in a home he hadn’t built very well.
It is the same with us. We build our lives in a distracted way, reacting rather than acting, willing to put up with less than the best. At important points, we don’t give the job our best effort. Then with a shock we look at the situation we have created and find that we are now living in the house we have built. If we had realized that, we would have done it differently.
Think of yourself as the carpenter. Think about your house. Each day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall, build wisely. It is the only life you ever build. Even if you live it for only one day more, that day deserves to be lived graciously and with dignity. The plague (牌匾) on the wall says, “Life is a do-it-yourself project.”
Who could say it more clearly? Your life today is the result of your attitudes and choices in the past. Your life tomorrow will be the result of your attitudes and the choices you make today.
1.Why was the carpenter ready to retire?
A. He wanted to have a relaxed life.
B. He found a better-paid job.
C. He could still survive without working.
D. He was tired of his job.
2.What does the underlined word “shoddy” in the second paragraph probably mean?
A. Beautiful. B. Best. C. Bad. D. General.
3.What is the main idea of the fifth paragraph?
A. We should build a good house to live in.
B. We always regret what we have done.
C. We should try our best to do things well.
D. We prefer to react, rather than act.
4.What does the author mainly want to tell us in the text?
A. We should build a house wisely.
B. Life is a do-it-yourself project.
C. Building a house is like building a life.
D. We should have the right attitude towards life.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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Position: Sales Manager
A Sales Manager with Hilton Hotels and Resorts will develop a sales team and a sales plan that maximizes revenue (收益) by driving the sale of conference facility space and guest rooms.
What will it be like to work for the Hilton Brand?
One of the most recognized names in the industry, Hilton Hotels & Resorts offers travelers a world of authentic (可信的) experiences. The brand continues to be innovative and forward-thinking. With products and services that meet the needs of tomorrow’s smart global travellers, we share experiences in which every guest feels cared for, valued and respected.
If you understand the importance of upholding a brand’s reputation, you may be just the person we are looking for to work as a Team Member with Hilton Hotels & Resorts.
What will you be doing?
As a Sales Manager, you will work with the Conference & Events Sales Department to maximize revenue opportunities. A Sales Manager will be directly responsible for performing the following tasks to the highest standards:
●Maximize all Conference & Events revenue opportunities
●Meet the hotel’s set targets
●Understand the marketplace to ensure the hotel stays competitive in the local market
●Ensure the sales team is developed effectively and embraces a culture of high quality
●Work effectively to build relationships with colleagues in the hotel
What are we looking for?
A Sales Manager serving Hilton Worldwide Brand hotels is always working on behalf of our guests and working with other Team Members. To successfully fill this role, you should maintain the following attitude, behavior, skills and values:
● Strong leadership skills that motivate the Sales Team to perform beyond expectations
● Excellent selling capabilities
● Desire to coach the Sales Team in selling techniques
● Excellent organizational and planning skills
What benefits will you receive?
Your benefits will include a competitive starting salary and holiday entitlement. As an employee you will become a member of the Hilton Club, which provides reduced hotel room rates in our hotels worldwide, plus discounts on products and services offered by Hilton Worldwide and its partners.
1.Hilton Hotel & Resorts ______.
A. is the most recognized brand in the industry
B. will focus on tourism in the future
C. wants to make every guest feel cared for, valued and respected
D. wants to maximize revenue by growing in size
2.Which of the following is NOT one of the tasks of the Sales Manager?
A. Meet the hotel’s set targets.
B. Get on well with colleagues.
C. Have a good understanding of the competitive market.
D. Decide the hotel’s development strategy.
3.What benefits does the hotel provide for the person who gets the position?
A. Living in Hilton Hotels worldwide free of charge.
B. Enjoying the products and services of the hotel free of charge.
C. Many opportunities to travel around the world.
D. A competitive starting salary.
4.The purpose of the text is to______.
A. promote the company
B. look for an employee
C. send an invitation
D. present a document
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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Hans Christian Andersen is a Danish writer famous for his fairy tales, many of which depict (描述) characters who gain happiness in life after suffering and conflict.
Andersen’s father was a poor shoemaker and his mother worked as a washerwoman. As a child he was highly emotional, suffering all kinds of fears and shame because of his unmanly interests. Encouraged by his parents, he composed his own fairy tales and arranged puppet (木偶) theater shows. At the age of 14, Andersen moved to Copenhagen to start a career as a singer—he had a beautiful voice. He succeeded in becoming associated with Royal Theater, but he had to leave it when his voice began to change. When casually referred to as a poet, he changed his plans and began to write plays, all of which were refused.
In 1822, Jonas Collin, the director of the Royal Theater, gave Andersen a grant to enter the grammar school at Slagelse. In 1827, Andersen gained admission to Copenhagen University, where he completed his education. In 1828 he wrote a shot story on travel, a fantastic tale in the style of the German Romantic writer, E. T. A. Hofmann. He traveled widely in Europe and remained a passionate traveler all his life.
As a novelist, Andersen made his breakthrough with The Improvisatore. The story described a poor boy’s integration (融合) into society, an Ugly Duckling theme of self-discovery. The book gained international success and remains the most widely read of all his works.
In his early collections, Andersen returned to the stories that he had heard as a child, but gradually he started to create his own tales. Most of Andersen’s works were original. Only 12 of his 156 known fairy stories drew on folktales.
The ugliness of the hero or heroine in his stories often conceals (隐藏) great beauty，which is revealed (揭示) after misfortune. Some of Andersen’s tales reveal a positive belief in the victory of the good, among them, The
Snow Queen and The Ugly Duckling, and some end unhappily, like the Little Match Girl. In The Little Mermaid the author expressed a longing for the ordinary life that he had never had. Andersen never married, and he died in his home in Rolighed in 1875.1.Why did Andersen leave the Royal Theater?
A. He no longer had a beautiful voice.
B. He would rather become a poet than a singer.
C. He wanted to travel abroad instead.
D. He had to go to school to study.
2.Which of the following statements is TRUE about Andersen?
A. Most of his works came from folktales he had heard.
B. The early plays he wrote achieved great success.
C. He had an unhappy life in childhood.
D. His parents were against his effort to compose fairy tales.
3.What did Andersen try to express in The Little Mermaid?
A. Happiness gained after suffering and conflict.
B. The desire for an ordinary life.
C. The failure to fit into society.
D. Great beauty concealed by ugliness.
4.What is the text mainly about?
A. How Andersen led his childhood.
B. How Andersen’s works finally became well-known.
C. The excellent works of Andersen.
D. An introduction to Andersen’s life and works.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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Hummingbirds (蜂鸟) are one of nature’s most energetic fliers and the only birds to hover in the air by relying on their strength alone.
Now scientists have found that it is the ratio (比值) of the bird’s wing length to its width that makes them so efficient. The discovery is helping experts compete with 42 million years of natural selection to build helicopters that are increasingly efficient.
David Lentink, an assistant professor at Stanford University in California, tested wings from 12 different species of hummingbirds, which he sourced from museums. He placed them on a machine used to test the aerodynamics (气力学) of the helicopter blades (桨叶). Professor Lentink’s team used the same machine to test the blades from an advanced micro-helicopter used by the UK’s army. They found that the micro-helicopter’s blades are as efficient at hovering as the average hummingbirds.
But while the micro-helicopter’s blades kept pace with the average hummingbird wings, they could not keep up with the most efficient hummingbird’s wing. The wings of Anna’s hummingbird were found to be about 27 percent more efficient than the man-made micro- helicopter’s blades.
While Professor Lentink wasn’t surprised at nature’s superiority, he said that helicopter blades have come a long way. “The technology is at the level of an average hummingbird,” he said. “A helicopter is really the most efficient hovering device that we can build. The best hummingbirds are still better, but I think it’s amazing that we’re getting closer. It’s not easy to match their performance, but if we build better wings with better shapes, we might match hummingbirds.”
Professor Lentink said that we don’t know how hummingbirds maintain their flight in a strong wind, how they navigate (确定方向) through branches, or how they change direction so quickly. He thinks that great steps could be made by studying wing aspect ratios—the ratio of wing length to wing width. Understanding these abilities and characteristics could be a benefit for robotics and will be the focus of future experiments.
1.What did the scientists find about hummingbirds?
A. Their wings are long and wide.
B. They can hover in the air for a long time.
C. The ratio of their wing length to wing width is very important.
D. They are the most energetic flier in nature.
2.Which is the right order of Professor Lentink’s research?
① Tested wings from different species of hummingbirds.
② Got resources from museums.
③ Analyzed the results and drew a conclusion.
④ Tested the blades from a micro-helicopter.
A. ①②③④ B. ②①③④ C. ②④①③ D. ②①④③
3.According to Professor Lentink, what will be the focus of future experiments?
A. To know how hummingbirds can fly in a strong wind.
B. To know how hummingbirds change direction so quickly.
C. To develop a new kind of helicopter.
D. To study the secrets of hummingbirds.
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
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When Julio Diaz stepped off the subway platform after work one night, he was simply planning to walk over to his ______ local diner for a meal. But when a teenager boy ______ him with a knife, Diaz knew the evening was about to take a more ______ turn.
The young man ______ Diaz’s wallet, and Diaz passed it over without ______. But just as the robber turned to walk away, Diaz called after him: “Hey, wait a minute. You forgot something.”
The robber turned around, ______.
“If you’re going to be ______ people for the rest of the night, you might as well take my coat to keep you ______.”
The teenager looked at Diaz in ______, and asked why he would do such a thing. Diaz ______, “If you’re willing to risk your ______ for a few dollars, then I guess you must really need the money.” He told the young man that he’d just been heading out for dinner, and that he would be happy for some ______.
The young robber decided to take Diaz up on his ______, and they headed into Diaz’s favorite local haunt (常去的地方) together. As they were sitting at the table, the manager, the dishwashers, and the ______ all said hello to Diaz, and the young man was ______ at his popularity. “You’re even nice to the dishwashers!” he exclaimed.
“Haven’t you been taught that you should be nice to everybody?” Diaz asked him.
“Yes, but I didn’t think people actually ______ that way,” the teenager replied. Thanks to Diaz, he was beginning to see that ______ wasn’t such a strange phenomenon.
When the bill came, Diaz told the teenager that he’d have to pay for the meal. After all, he still had Diaz’s ______.
But the teenager slid the wallet back across the table without a moment’s thought, and Diaz ______ him to dinner. Diaz also gave the would-be robber a $20 bill to take with him—in ______ for the young man’s knife.
“I figure, you know, if you treat people right, you can only hope that they treat you right.” Diaz said.
1.A. popular B. favorite C. perfect D. wonderful
2.A. approved B. provided C. combined D. approached
3.A. dramatic B. smooth C. natural D. academic
4.A. picked B. demanded C. returned D. obtained
5.A. objection B. doubt C. exception D. invitation
6.A. excited B. relaxed C. surprised D. satisfied
7.A. greeting B. troubling C. robbing D. stealing
8.A. healthy B. warm C. glad D. rich
9.A. disbelief B. sorrow C. horror D. danger
10.A. reacted B. repeated C. recited D. replied
11.A. confidence B. peace C. freedom D. burden
12.A. comfort B. company C. assistance D. devotion
13.A. trick B. advice C. trap D. offer
14.A. nurses B. students C. waiters D. farmers
15.A. amazed B. bored C. tired D. interested
16.A. responded B. discovered C. chose D. behaved
17.A. happiness B. kindness C. darkness D. loneliness
18.A. wallet B. coat C. bag D. Hat
19.A. advised B. compared C. treated D. led
20.A. charge B. control C. support D. exchange
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
Snow Queen and The Ugly Duckling, and some end unhappily, like the Little Match Girl. In The Little Mermaid the author expressed a longing for the ordinary life that he had never had. Andersen never married, and he died in his home in Rolighed in 1875.