John H．Johnson was born in a black family in Arkansas city in 1918．His father died in an accident when John was six．He was reaching the high school age，but his hometown offered no high school for blacks．

Fortunately he had a strong﹣willed caring mother．John remembered that his mother told him many times，"Son，you can be anything you want really to be if you just believe．"She told him not to depend on others，including his mother．"You have to earn success，"she said．"All the people who work hard don't succeed，but the only people who do succeed are those who work hard．"

These words came from a woman with less than a third grade education．She also knew that believing hard work don't mean everything．So she worked hard as a cook for two years to save enough to take her son，who was then 15，to Chicago．

Chicago in 1933was not the promised land that black southerners were looking for．John's mother and stepfather could not find work．But here John could go to school，and here he learned the power of words﹣as an editor of the newspaper and yearbook at Du Sable High School his wish was to publish a magazine for blacks．

While others discouraged him，John's mother offered him more words to live by．"Nothing beats a failure but a try．"She also let him pawn（典当）her furniture to get the﹩500 he needed to start the Negro magazine．It is natural that difficulties and failures followed John closely until he became very successful．He always keeps his mother's words in mind．"Son，failure is not in your vocabulary!"

Now John H．Johnson is one of the 400 richest people in America﹣worth﹩150 million．

1. Why did John's mother decide to move to Chicago?

A．his father died when John was very young

B．life was too hard for them to stay on in their hometown

C．John needed more education badly

D．there were no schools for Negroes in their hometown

2. John's mother　　．

A．didn't believe in or depend on others

B．thought one could be whatever one wanted to be

C．believed one would succeed without working hard

D．thought no one could succeed without working hard

3. What does the underlined sentence "Nothing beats a failure but a try．"mean?

A．if you try，you would succeed

B．a failure is difficult to beat，even if you try

C．a try is always followed by a failure

D．no failure can be beaten unless you try．

Statistically, air travel is by far the safest way to travel and you can make flying even safer, just by following these simple rules． As your chances of being involved in an air accident are practically nil（零）, many of these rules concern what you should and shouldn’t do to make your journey safer when you are in the air.

●Fly on non-stop routes
Most accidents occur during the take off, climb, descent and landing period of a flight, so flying non-stop reduces your exposure to these complicated procedures.
●Choose larger aircraft
Although small aircrafts have very good safety records, those with more than 30 passenger seats are designed to comply（遵守 ）with much   stricter regulations and are tested more regularly to make sure they still comply. Also, in the unlikely event of a serious accident, larger aircrafts provide a better opportunity for passenger survival.
●Pay attention to the pre-flight safety briefing（简报）
The information may seem to be repeated, but it's worth listening to the flight attendants. And even if you have flown before, it doesn't mean you know everything about the aircraft you're on, such as the location of the closest emergency exit.
●Store things safely
Never put very heavy articles in the overhead storage bins. They may fall out when someone opens the bin and cause injury. Also, the bin may not be able to hold heavier objects during the violent movements of air caused by the wind.
●Keep your seat belt fastened while you are seated
Cabin crew always tell you this, but it's important. You could be seriously injured if the plane hits the violent movement of air unexpectedly. Always fasten your seat belt if you are told to. The general rule of flying is this: If you are told to do something, do it first and ask questions later.
●Let the flight attendant pour your hot drinks
Flight attendants are trained to handle hot drinks like coffee or tea in a crowded aisle on a moving aircraft, so allow them to pour the drink and hand it to you. Never ask to take a coffee pot from one of them.
4. What is the general reason for these air safety rules?

A．What to do in the event of a crash.

B．How to avoid sudden change.

C．How to improve safety while you are flying.

D．How to avoid injury.

5. The underlined phrase "The general rule" in the fifth refers to        .

A．anything the flight staff tell you to do

B．general safety advice

C．walking around the plane

D．pouring hot drinks

6. Which of the following is NOT true?

A．larger planes have more safety checks and are safer in an accident.

B．Take-offs are safer on non-stop flights than landing.

C．Every aircraft is different, so the safety procedures may be different.

D．Seat belts should be worn to protect against sudden change.

7. The best title should be        .

A．The safest way to travel	B．Air safety tips
C．Non-stop Routes	D．How to take a plane

       Space is where our future is — trips to the Moon, Mars and beyond. Most people would think that aside from comets (彗星) and stars, there is little else out there. But, since our space journey started we have left so much trash (垃圾) there that scientists are now concerned that if we don't clean it up, we may all be in mortal (致命的) danger.
       The first piece of space junk was created in 1964, when the American satellite Vanguard I stopped operating and lost its connection with the ground center. However, since it kept orbiting around the Earth without any consequences, scientists became increasingly comfortable abandoning (抛弃) things that no longer served any useful purpose in space.
       It is estimated (估计) that there are now over 500, 000 pieces of man-made trash orbiting the Earth at speeds of up to 17, 500 miles per hour. The junk varies from tiny pieces of paint chipped off rockets to cameras, huge fuel tanks, and even odd items like the million-dollar tool kit that astronaut Heidemarie Stefanyshyn Piper lost during a spacewalk.
       The major problem with the space trash is that it may hit working satellites and damage traveling spacecraft (飞船). Moreover, pieces of junk may collide (碰撞) with each other and break into pieces which fall back to the Earth. To avoid this, scientists have invented several ways for clearing the sky. Ground stations have been built to monitor larger pieces of space trash to prevent them from crashing into working satellites or space shuttles. Future plans include a cooperative effort among many nations to stop littering in space and to clean up the trash already there.
8. What was the first piece of man-made space trash­?

A．A camera.	B．A tool kit.
C．A fuel tank.	D．A broken satellite.

9. Why were scientists NOT concerned about space trash in the beginning?

A．It no longer served any useful purpose.

B．It was millions of miles away from the Earth.

C．It did not cause any problems.

D．It was regarded as similar to comets and stars.

10. Which of the following statements is true about space junk?­

A．It is huge, heavy machines.

B．It never changes position.

C．It floats slowly around the Earth.

D．It may cause problems for space shuttles.

11. What has been done about the space trash problem­?

A．Scientists have cleaned up most of the trash.

B．Large pieces of space trash are being closely watched.

C．Many nations have worked together to stop polluting space.

D．Ground stations are built to help store the trash properly in space.

Spring is coming, and it is time for those about to graduate to look for jobs. Competition is tough, so job seekers must carefully consider their personal choices. Whatever we are wearing, our family and friends may accept us, but the workplace may not.

A high school newspaper editor said it is unfair for companies to discourage visible tattoos (纹身), nose rings, or certain dress styles. It is true you can’t judge a book by its cover, yet people do “cover” themselves in order to convey certain messages. What we wear, including tattoos and nose rings, is an expression of who we are. Just as people convey messages about themselves with their appearances, so do companies. Dress standards exist in the business world for a number of reasons, but the main concern is often about what customers accept.

Others may say how to dress is a matter of personal freedom, but for businesses it is more about whether to make or lose money. Most employers do care about the personal appearances of their employees, because those people represent the companies to their customers.

As a hiring manager I am paid to choose the people who would make the best impression on our customers. There are plenty of well-qualified candidates, so it is not wrong to reject someone who might disappoint my customers. Even though I am open-minded, I can’t expect all our customers are.

There is nobody to blame but yourself if your set of choices does not match that of your preferred employer. No company should have to change to satisfy a candidate simply because he or she is unwilling to respect its standards, as long as its standards are legal.

12. Which of the following is the newspaper editor’s opinion according to Paragraph 2?

A．People’s appearances carry message about themselves.

B．Customers’ choices influence dress standards in companies.

C．Candidates with tattoos or nose rings should be fairly-treated.

D．Strange dress styles should not be encouraged in the workplace.

13. What can be inferred from the text?

A．Candidates have to wear what companies prefer for an interview.

B．What to wear is not a matter of personal choice for companies.

C．Companies sometimes have to change to respect their candidates.

D．Hiring managers make the best impression on their candidates.

14. Which of the following would be the best title for the text?

A．Employees Matter	B．Personal Choices Matter
C．Appearances Matter	D．Hiring Managers Matter

15. The author’s attitude towards strange dress styles in the workplace may best be described as       .

A．enthusiastic	B．negative
C．positive	D．sympathetic