Phineas T. Barnum is the best-known circus business owner of the nineteenth century. He excelled as a showman, and throughout his career in the entertainment business, he promoted many different forms of attractions.
Barnum’s first job was as a newspaper owner. He also worked as a writer and publisher. His lasting fame, however, is as a showman. Barnum considered this to be his main talent and he never changed this view of his character.
Barnum’s entertainment interests covered museums, traveling dance troupes, and even the mid-century US tour by Jenny Lind, the Swedish singer. He was, by nature, a risk-taker, and usually gained success from the most unlikely businesses.
Barnum was willing to adopt any manoeuvre that publicized his businesses. His American Museum in New York included hoaxes and freaks (恶作剧和怪物), both human and animal. This was not unusual by the standards of the time, but even he felt the need to prove his hoaxes fair, as advertising tricks.
Barnum’s unbounded self-confidence meant he never doubted his ability to make a success of any business. He opened America’s first aquarium (水族馆) and opened a theater in New York that was the largest and most modern in the city. He aimed to change the public knowledge of theaters, and in this, he largely succeeded. He made theater-going respectable.
Determination and hard work featured majorly in the qualities that Barnum displayed, and he frequently spoke about the necessity of both. He believed success only came to those who worked for it and knew they had the self-determination necessary. He also stated the necessity of understanding the business that a person was running. Knowledge and experience counted much in Barnum’s life, and he certainly knew the entertainment business.
Success in life, according to Barnum, could only be achieved when a person is in good health. He advised that getting healthy and maintaining a healthy body and mind would lead to happiness as well as success.
1. What does the underlined word “manoeuvre” in paragraph 4 mean?| A．Policy. | B．Strategy. |
| C．Advice. | D．Attitude. |
| A．To show Barnum’s firm belief in his own capability. |
| B．To tell us chances are important for any business. |
| C．To explain what kind of business was successful. |
| D．To indicate how bad people’s life was at that time. |
| A．It was respectable. |
| B．It was not highly thought of. |
| C．It was a common practice. |
| D．It was a way to acquire knowledge. |
| A．Suspicious. | B．Adventurous. |
| C．Unsteady. | D．Outstanding. |
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【推荐1】I felt anxious when going into my room from school. Every day, my room was something different. The hours away at school were long enough to cause a terrible change to my peaceful harbor. Today was no exception.
As I entered the house, Mom greeted me with a smile. It seemed like nothing was wrong. But I was still doubtful about it. Yesterday, around the mouth of my favorite figurine (小雕像) was a chocolate cookie. Obviously, Callie had enjoyed the cookie so much that she wanted to share it with my angel.
I looked around for Callie, who had just turned three. I didn’t see her, but I heard the TV blaring (发出声音) in the other room. As I examined the family room, I noticed it was pretty messy. There were toys all over the floor, but none of them seemed to be mine. Maybe she hadn't entered today. I was so hopeful that I breathed a sigh of relief.
I pushed my room door open and saw damage! There were a few headless dolls, some broken blocks, and a few juice-stained stuffed animals. “She did it again!” I screamed in anger. My mother ran up to me, embarrassed. She promised to put a Callie-proof lock on my door tonight. I felt better, because I knew that soon my room would truly belong to me. However, I was still angry with my little sister so I went into the family room to tell her how she had made life unpleasant for me. “Callie... ” I started. “Hooray!” she shouted.
She leaped off the sofa and hugged my knees with such happiness that I could only look down at her and smile. After all, she was only three and learning about the world in her own way. And she always chose to explore and destroy my room because she loved me, her big sister.
1. The purpose of the first paragraph is to introduce ______.| A．the unique family tradition | B．the background of the story |
| C．the challenges of school life | D．the troubles in high school |
| A．Naughty and lovely. | B．Smart and potential. |
| C．Horrible and awkward. | D．Shallow and energetic. |
| A．She was friendly to her sister. | B．She was angry with her sister. |
| C．She refused to accept her sister’s apology. | D．She thought her sister had done nothing wrong. |
| A．Her sister’s honesty. | B．The promise to her sister. |
| C．The love between sisters. | D．Her sister’s younger age. |
【推荐2】John，a very thin boy, loved football with all his heart when he was very young．Practice after practice，he eagerly gave everything he had．But being half the size of the other boys，he could only sit on the bench and hardly ever played in games．Even though the son was always on the bench，his father was always standing with cheers and encouraging him．
When John went to college, he decided to try out for the football team as a “walk-on”．Everyone was sure he could never make the cut，but he did．The coach thought he could provide the other members with the spirit they needed．
The news that he had survived the cut excited him so much that he rushed to the nearest phone and called his father．His father shared his excitement and was sent season tickets for all the college games．
It was the end of this last football season．One day John received a telegram and asked one week off．Nobody knew what happened except the coach．The coach said，“Don't plan to come back to the game on Saturday．”
Saturday arrived，and the game was not going well：When the team was ten points behind，John came back．“Coach，please let me play．I’ve just got to play today,”said John．The coach pretended not to hear him．But John persisted，and finally feeling sorry for the kid，the coach gave in．
Before long everyone could not believe their eyes. John was doing everything to fight. The opposing team could not stop him. He ran, he passed and blocked like a star. And at last his team won the game．
After the game，John looked at the coach，with tears in his eyes，and said，“Well,you knew my dad died,but did you know that my dad was blind?''John swallowed hard and forced a smile, “Dad came to all my games, but today was the first time he could see me play, and I wanted to show him that I could do it.”
1. Why did John hardly have any chance to play in games?| A．Because he had no time to practice． |
| B．Because he was too young to play games． |
| C．Because everyone looked down upon him． |
| D．Because his body condition was not good． |
| A．make progress | B．be allowed to join the team |
| C．cut himself | D．be refused by the coach |
| A．John felt very depressed as a “walk-on” |
| B．John's father always taught him how to play |
| C．John's father went to most of his college games |
| D．the coach was sure John would be the best player one day |
【推荐3】When Meglan Enz was 10 years old she decorated her bedroom walls with posters and pages torn from magazines of anything tied to the U. S. military. She couldn’t wait to be part of a world where it “was a big deal” for women to enlist.
Then one day there was a fire in her grandparents’ house on the family ranch in Hollister, California. By the time she and her parents arrived, the fire had been put out. Among the firefighting crew was a woman—caked in soot(灰), her head covered with a helmet and self-contained breathing apparatus(呼吸器). Enz was stunned.
“You’re actually a firefighter. Are you a woman firefighter?” “Yes,” Enz recalls the firefighter responding. “And I hope one day, you’ll think about it because we need a lot more women in the fire service.” And with that, the anonymous woman planted a seed in Enz’s young mind, so she abandoned her plan to join the military. Enz is now in her third season with CAL FIRE(California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection).
While statistics about the number of women in CAL FIRE only date back to 2019, they account for roughly 5.5 percent of the approximately 8,300 workforce. The job is demanding for anyone, especially female. Battling wildfires requires both physical and psychological strength, as well as endurance.
When Enz thinks back to that interaction she had as a child with the firefighter, she realizes that moment has never left her. Those instances underline the significance of mentor(导师)and of women—from any age or background—seeing other women in typically male-dominated professions. And they often come full circle.
Recently, Enz was coming of a fire line when she encountered a six-year-old girl, ginning with excitement over seeing a female firefighter. “This is so cool,” the girl said as she looked up at Enz. “I never see girls.” Enz choked up as she realized she had grown into that stranger who changed the course of her own life.
1. What is Enz’s initial dream?| A．Being a firefighter. | B．Being a soldier. |
| C．Being a mentor. | D．Being a professional. |
| A．The prejudices of the public. |
| B．The challenging requirements of the job. |
| C．The lack of physical strength. |
| D．The restrictions of local policy. |
| A．Modest and generous. | B．Outgoing and friendly. |
| C．Brave and determined. | D．Emotional and sensitive. |
| A．The influence of a mentor. | B．Reduce the wildfire risk. |
| C．Never give up your dreams. | D．Get ready for the firefight. |
IKEA is the world’s largest furniture retailer, and the man behind it is Ingvar Kamprad, one of the world’s most successful businessmen. Born in Sweden in 1926, Kamprad was a natural businessman. As a child, he enjoyed selling things and made small profits from selling matches, seeds, and pencils in his community. When Kamprad was 17, his father gave him some money as a reward for his good grades. He used it to start up a business—IKEA. IKEA's name comes from Kamprad's initials (I.K.) and the place where he grew up ('E' and 'A').
IKEA first began to sell furniture through a mail-order book in 1947. The furniture was all designed and made by manufacturers near Kamprad’s home. Initial sales were very encouraging, so Kamprad expanded the product line．Furniture was such a successful aspect of the business that IKEA became a pure furniture company in 1951.
In 1956 Kamprad saw a man disassembling a table to make it easier to transport. Kamprad was inspired. The man had given him a great idea:
Today there are over 200 stores in 32 countries. Amazingly, Ingvar Kamprad has managed to keep IKEA a privately-held company. In 2004 he was named the world’s richest man. He currently lives in Switzerland and is retired from the day-to-day operations of IKEA. IKEA itself, though, just keeps on growing.
1. The author states in Paragraph 4 that flat packaging___________.
| A．needs large space to store furniture |
| B．is a business concept inspired by Kamprad |
| C．helps reduce transportation costs |
| D．makes the company self-sufficient |
| A．Ingvar Kamprad established IKEA and succeeded. |
| B．IKEA is the world’s largest furniture retailer. |
| C．The advantages of IKEA’s furniture. |
| D．Ingvar Kamprad was a natural businessman. |
| A．The starter kept IKEA a company operated by a few people |
| B．The furniture was made by manufacturers in Kamprad’s home |
| C．The starter made a big fortune when he was a child |
| D．The goods sold in IKEA are limited and not welcomed |
| A．examples that illustrate a problem |
| B．order of events |
| C．analysis of a process |
| D．comparison and contrast |
【推荐2】David Rees runs a truly distinctive business. He charges customers $15 to sharpen their pencils to perfections, using a variety of tools.
I know what you're thinking—is this a joke? The 39-year-old gets asked that question a lot. To clarify everything, he even created a special section on his website telling everyone he's actually providing a real service.
You can supply your own pencil or you can have Rees sharpen one of his own favorite 2B pencils. After that, he mails it to you in a display tube with the shavings in a separate bag, and an authentic certificate which just happens to mention the pencil is so sharp as to be a dangerous object.
To achieve the desired result, the master sharpener uses all kinds of tools, including general sandpapers, pocket knives and even a special $450 sharpening machine. “It depends on what the customer wants to use his/her pencil for,” he says. “That determines the most appropriate pencil-sharpening technique. Some customers buy pencils as inspirational symbols while others buy them because of their special memories of classic 2B pencils.”
$15 to have a pencil sharpened is a bit expensive though, right? You're not the only one who feels that way, and David's unique business has really angered lots of people, who talk of inequality in America, saying it is so insane for the wealthy to pay $15 to sharpen a pencil. But others will say, “This is just our urge to put an end to the welfare state because new ideas arise along with the business.”
David admits his trade is sort of unusual. But there are those who actually value his service, as proven by the over 500 orders he has gotten.
1. How could David make money by sharpening pencils?| A．He invented new tools for the job. | B．He promoted his skill on his website. |
| C．He saved lots of time for other people. | D．He provided quality service to his customers. |
| A．knows all kinds of pencil users | B．provides personalized services |
| C．values ideas behind the pencils | D．always write with pencils |
| A．Deliberate | B．Rewarding | C．Unreasonable | D．Irresponsible |
| A．Indifferent | B．Disapproving | C．Objective | D．Supportive |
【推荐3】Jobs quickly became bored with college. He liked being at Reed, just not taking the required classes. In fact, he was surprised when he found out that there were strict course requirements. When Wozniak came to visit, Jobs waved his schedule at him and complained, “They are making me take all these courses.” Wozniak replied, “Yes, that’s what they do in college.” Jobs refused to go to the classes he was assigned and instead went to the ones he wanted, such as a dance class where he could enjoy both the creativity and the chance to meet girls. “I would never have refused to take the courses you were supposed to, that’s a difference in our personality.” said Wozniak surprisedly and admiringly.
Jobs also began to feel guilty about spending so much of his parents’ money on an education that did not seem worthwhile. “All of my working-class parents’ savings were being spent on my college tuition (学费).” he detailed his experience in a famous ceremony address at Stanford. “I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out okay."
He didn’t actually want to leave Reed；he just wanted to quit paying tuition and taking classes that didn’t interest him. Surprisingly, Reed tolerated that. “He had a very inquiring mind that was enormously attractive,” said the dean of students, Jack Dudman. “He refused to accept automatically received truths, and he wanted to examine everything himself.” Dudman allowed Jobs to audit classes and stay with friends in the dorms even after he stopped paying tuition.
“The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn’t interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting,” he said. Among them was a calligraphy (书法) class that appealed to him after he saw posters on campus that were beautifully drawn. “I learned about serif and sans serif typefaces (字体), about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically fine in a way that science can’t capture, and I found it fascinating.”
It was yet another example of Jobs consciously positioning himself at the intersection (相交点) of the arts and technology. In all of his products, technology would be married to great design, elegance, human touches, and even romance. “If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had so many typefaces. And since Windows just copied the Mac, it’s likely that no personal computer would have them.”
Meanwhile Jobs had a hard time at Reed. He went barefoot most of the time, wearing sandals when it snowed. Elizabeth Holmes made meals for him, trying to keep up with his obsessive diets. He returned soda bottles for spare change, continued his long hard journeys to the free Sunday dinners at the Hare Krishna temple, and wore a down jacket in the heatless garage apartment he rented for $20 a month. When he needed money, he found work at the psychology department lab maintaining the electronic equipment that was used for animal behaviour experiments. Occasionally Chrisann Brennan would come to visit. Their relationship developed abnormally. But mostly he tended to the beginning of his own soul and personal goal for enlightenment (开明).
“I came of age at a magical time,” he reflected later, “Our consciousness was raised by Zen, and also by LSD.” Even later in life he would credit certain drugs for making him more enlightened. “Taking LSD was a valuable experience, one of the most important things in my life. LSD shows you that there’s another side to the coin, and you can’t remember it when it wears off, but you know it. It heightened my sense of what was important—creating wonderful things instead of making money, putting
things back into the stream of history and of human consciousness as much as I could. ”
1. Jobs and Wozniak differed in ________.
| A．approach to freedom | B．appetite for knowledge |
| C．attitude to requirements | D．affection for college life |
| A．his family was in absolute poverty |
| B．he wanted to be independent of his parents |
| C．he wouldn’t have his parents’ money wasted |
| D．the college couldn’t prepare him for his set goal |
| A．rather difficult to get along with |
| B．quite good at solving problems |
| C．too stubborn to change his mind |
| D．very serious about existing beliefs |
| A．attend informally | B．miss occasionally |
| C．give successfully | D．conduct irregularly |
| A．to prove his value to the whole world |
| B．to bring something great into existence |
| C．to make himself wealthy for a better life |
| D．to show college was unimportant to him |
| A．Stay Out | B．Drop Out | C．Hold Out | D．Work Out |
