Buy One Give One

       Buy One Give One (B1G1) is a Singapore-based business and non-profit organization with a job to create a world full of giving. We help businesses around the world give back in meaningful ways so that they can create measurable and long-lasting influence. Since 2007, we have worked with more than 1,600 businesses creating more than 88 million giving activities.
       Our business allows consumers, who may feel disconnected from the problems of the developing world, to become involved in social problems while still purchasing for themselves. For example, shoe brands like TOMS promise to donate one pair of shoes for every pair purchased. Soapbox gives soap to a needy child with every purchase. Watch company WeWood plants a tree every time you buy a watch. They have helped socially-conscious consumers purchase products and feel good about providing help to others.
See what some of our members say about being a part of B1G1.
*Karen Ormerod
       Every product purchased at our store influences the lives of disadvantaged people in the world. I had never imagined I would be operating a business that could change people’s lives. We are making a real difference by just doing what we normally do. It is a wonderful experience.
*Ben Baker
       What a good way of distributing resources to where they need to be, giving people the gifts of giving, and adding value to organizations along the way. We have already made 160,000 giving activities through B1G1. Giving has become a necessary part of our everyday business. It’s absolutely brilliant.
       B1G1 focuses on the influence of giving on people’s lives rather than simply the amounts donated. Our programs stress giving habitually in order to create growing influence around the world. When you join the B1G1 giving program, you create your own unique giving stories.
We do hope you can become a member of us!
1. According to the passage, what does B1G1 do?

A．Donate the profits to the people in need.

B．Help consumers purchase their favorite products.

C．Give away something extra when a product is sold.

D．Instruct owners how to operate businesses effectively.

2. How do the members feel about themselves as a part of B1G1?

A．Confident.

B．Proud.

C．Generous.

D．Energetic.

3. What is the purpose of the passage?

A．To invite businesses to B1G1.	B．To promote the products B1G1 sells.
C．To describe the gifts B1G1 gives.	D．To introduce the activities B1G1 involves.

Once when I was facing a decision that involved high risk, I went to a friend. He looked at me for a moment, and then wrote a sentence containing the best advice I’ve ever had: Be bold and brave — and mighty forces will come to your aid.

Those words made me see clearly that when I had fallen short in the past, it was seldom because I had tried and failed. It was usually because I had let fear of failure stop me from trying at all. On the other hand, whenever I had plunged into deep water, forced by courage or circumstance, I had always been able to swim until I got my feet on the ground again.

Boldness means a decision to bite off more than you can eat. And there is nothing mysterious about the mighty forces. They are potential powers we possess: energy, skill, sound judgment, creative ideas — even physical strength greater than most of us realize.

Admittedly, those mighty forces are spiritual ones. But they are more important than physical ones. A college classmate of mine, Tim, was an excellent football player, even though he weighed much less than the average player. “In one game I suddenly found myself confronting a huge player, who had nothing but me between him and our goal line,” said Tim. “I was so frightened that I closed my eyes and desperately threw myself at that guy like a bullet — and stopped him cold.”

Boldness — a willingness to extend yourself to the extreme—is not one that can be acquired overnight. But it can be taught to children and developed in adults. Confidence builds up. Surely, there will be setbacks (挫折) and disappointments in life; boldness in itself is no guarantee of success. But the person who tries to do something and fails is a lot better off than the person who tries to do nothing and succeeds.

So, always try to live a little bit beyond your abilities—and you’ll find your abilities are greater than you ever dreamed.

4. Why was the author sometimes unable to reach his goal in the past?

A．He faced huge risks.

B．He lacked mighty forces.

C．Fear prevented him from trying.

D．Failure blocked his way to success.

5. What is the implied meaning of the underlined part?

A．Swallow more than you can digest.

B．Act slightly above your abilities.

C．Develop more mysterious powers.

D．Learn to make creative decisions.

6. What can be learned from Paragraph 5?

A．Confidence grows more rapidly in adults.

B．Trying without success is meaningless.

C．Repeated failure creates a better life.

D．Boldness can be gained little by little.

7. What is the author’s purpose in writing this passage?

A．To encourage people to be courageous.

B．To advise people to build up physical power.

C．To tell people the ways to guarantee success.

D．To recommend people to develop more abilities.

Reward methods are an everyday occurrence in our classrooms. More than ever, a great number of incentive(激励) programs have been created to help teachers manage behavior, and motivate learners. However, there is evidence that in the long run, reward systems don’t work.

Many people believe that rewards can help students develop a reason to do better. However, this approach fails to address why children are unable to be successful in the first place. When a student who dislikes math frequently behaves badly in class, a simple and easy way to deal with the behavior might be to offer him a reward for not misbehaving. Yet this would do nothing to solve his real problem—which is his attitude towards math.

On the other hand, rewards can’t last forever. So what happens when they stop? Many experiments suggest once the rewards stop, people go back to behaving as they did before.

Some people might counter that. It may be true that students won’t positively work once we stop rewarding them, but at least they will have worked more than they otherwise would have! Unfortunately, there is another more surprising consequence of rewards that we need to consider: Rather than create motivation, they can actually decrease motivation.

In a classic study, some kindergarteners who enjoyed drawing with markers were observed in a classroom with different activities available. They were broken into two groups. Everyone in the first group was told that he or she could win an attractive certificate by drawing a picture with markers. Each was eager to get the certificate and drew a picture. Children in the second group were also encouraged to draw but didn’t get a certificate. After a delay of about two weeks, when the markers again appeared in the classroom but no certificate was promised, the children in the first group used the markers about half as much as children in the second group. Apparently, rewards actually made them enjoy drawing less.

What we really want is for students to take responsibility for their own learning. When much of the focus is on performance outcome, it can stop the development of self-motivation. The ‘self-determination theory’ claims all human beings will succeed when our basic, inborn, and emotional needs are met. By providing appropriate support and opportunities, we can help to meet the needs of all students and therefore increase their motivation.

8. The author mainly argues that ________.

A．students should be responsible for their learning

B．incentive programs help to solve real problems

C．motivation plays an important role in learning

D．reward methods for students are ineffective

9. The underlined word “counter” in Paragraph 4 probably means ________.

A．suspect

B．oppose

C．detail

D．confirm

10. In Paragraph 5, the author uses the example to show that ________.

A．rewards keep interest

B．children enjoy awards

C．children are changeable

D．rewards reduce motivation

11. The author persuades readers to accept his argument mainly by ________.

A．questioning the results of classic studies

B．comparing strengths with weaknesses

C．pointing out the problems with reward systems

D．giving examples of badly-behaved students

There’s no doubt that our character has a profound effect on our future. What we must remember, however, is not merely how powerful character is in influencing our fate (命运), but how powerful we are in shaping our own character and, therefore, our own fate. Character may determine our fate, but character is not determined by fate.

It’s a common mistake to think of character as something that is fully formed and fixed very early in life. It calls to mind old proverbs like “A leopard can’t change its spots” and “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.”

This perspective that our character is “etched in stone” is supported by a great deal of modern psychology emphasizing self-acceptance. As Popeye says, “I am what I am.” The hidden message is: Don’t expect me to be more, better, or different.

Finally, these views of humanity totally undervalue the lifelong potential for growth that comes with the power of reflection and choice.

How depressing it would be to believe that we can’t choose to be better, more honest, more respectful, more responsible, and more caring. None of us should give up the personal seeking to improve our character. Not because we’re bad, we don’t have to be sick to get better, but because we’re not as good as we could be.

There are so many things in life we can’t control, whether we’re beautiful or smart, whether we had good parents or bad, whether we grew up with affirmation or negation. It’s inspiring to remember that nothing but moral will power is needed to make us better.

No, it isn’t easy. But if we make a great effort to become more aware of the habits of heart and mind that drive our behavior, we can begin to place new emphasis on our higher values so that we become what we want our children to think we are.

12. What is the best title of the passage?

A．We shape our own character

B．Character determines our fate

C．Character is fully formed and fixed

D．We must meet what our children need

13. The author agrees that ________.

A．a leopard can't change its spots

B．in life we must attach importance to self-acceptance

C．we shouldn’t expect us to be more different

D．character is not fully formed and fixed very early

14. In the author’s opinion, which of the following is TRUE?

A．We can’t choose to be better.

B．We should seek to improve our character for we’re bad enough.

C．We should value our lifelong potential for growth.

D．We should make choices constantly.

15. What can we infer from the passage?

A．It is not difficult to improve ourselves.

B．We must try our best to be as good as possible.

C．Our children should copy our behavior.

D．We should control as many things as possible in life.