【推荐1】When I was a little girl, I remember that when my dad was repairing something, he would ask me to hold the hammer, so we would have time for a conversation with each other. I never saw my dad drinking or taking a night out. All he did after work was taking care of his family.

I grew up and left home for college and since then, my dad had been calling me every Sunday morning. And when I bought a house several years later, my dad painted it by himself in the fierce summer heat. All he asked was to talk to him, but I was too busy in those days.

Four years ago, my dad visited me. He spent many hours putting together a swing for my daughter. He asked me to have a talk with him, but I had to prepare for a trip that weekend.

One Sunday morning we had a telephone talk as usual. I noticed that my dad had forgotten some things that we discussed lately. I was in a hurry, so our conversation was short. Several hours later that day I received a call: My father was in hospital. Immediately I bought a plane ticket and on my way I was thinking about all the occasions I missed to have a talk with my dad. By the time I arrived at the hospital, my father had passed away. Now it was he who did not have time for a conversation with me. I realized how little I knew about my dad, his deepest thoughts and his dreams.

After his death I learned much more about him and even more about myself. All he ever wanted was my time. And now he has all my attention every single day.

1. When the author was a little girl, she________.

A．liked playing on the swing

B．often talked with her father

C．was good at repairing things

D．learned to take care of her family

2. Why did the author fail to have a talk with her father four years ago?

A．She had got tired of talking with him.

B．She was busy painting her house.

C．Her daughter asked her to play.

D．She was busy planning a trip.

3. When did the author begin to regret missing the talks with her father?

A．After her father’s sudden death.

B．Many years after her father’s death.

C．On her way to the hospital to see her father.

D．As soon as she got the news that her father was ill.

【推荐2】        As a manager, Tiffany is responsible for interviewing applicants for some of the positions with her company. During one interview, she noticed that the candidate never made direct eye contact. She was puzzled and somewhat disappointed because she liked the individual otherwise.

He had a perfect resume and gave good responses to her questions, but the fact that he never looked her in the eye said “untrustworthy,” so she decided to offer the job to her second choice. “It wasn’t until I attended a diversity workshop that I realized the person we passed over was the perfect person.” Tiffany admits. What she hadn’t known at the time of the interview was that the candidate’s “different” behavior was simply a cultural misunderstanding. He was an Asian-American raised in a family where respect for those in authority was shown by turning away your eyes. “I was just thrown off by the lack of eye contact, not realizing it was cultural,” Tiffany says. “I missed out, but will not miss that opportunity again.”

Many of us have had similar experiences with behaviors we describe as different. As the world becomes smaller and our workplaces more diverse, it is becoming essential to expand our understanding of others and to reexamine some of our false assumptions (假设) .

Hire Advantage

At a time when hiring qualified people is becoming more difficult, employers who can have no personal biases (偏见) from the process have an obvious advantage. My company, Mindsets LLC, helps organizations and individuals see their own blind spots. A real estate (房产) agent we worked with illustrates the positive difference such training can make .

“During my Mindsets coaching period, I was taught how to own a diversified workforce. I employed people from different cultures and skill sets. The agents were able to make use of their full potential and experiences to build up the company. When the real estate market began to change, it was because we had a diverse agent pool that we were able to stay in the real estate market much longer than others in the same profession.”

Blinded by Gender

Dale is an account executive who attended one of my workshops in charge of a diverse workforce. “Through some of the lessons, I discovered my personal bias.” he recalls. “I learned I had not been looking at a person as a whole person, and being open to differences.” In his case, the blindness was not about culture but rather gender.

“I had a management position open in my department; and the two finalists were a man and a woman. Had I not attended this workshop, I would have automatically assumed the man was the best candidate because the position required quite a bit of extensive travel. My assumption would have been that even though both candidates were great and could have been successful in the position, I assumed the woman would have wanted to be home with her children and not travel.” Dale’s assumptions are another example of the well-intentioned but incorrect thinking that limits an organization’s ability to promote the full potential of a diverse workforce. “I learned from the class that instead of forcing my gender biases into the situation, I needed to present the full range of duties, responsibilities and expectations to all candidates and allow them to make an informed decision.” Dale sings high praise for the workshop, “because it helped me make decisions based on fairness.”

A better Bottom Line

An open mind about diversity not only improves organizations from inside, it is profitable as well. These comments from a customer service representative show how an inclusive attitude can improve sales.” Most of my customers speak English as a second language. One of the best things my company has done is to contract with a language service that offers translations over the phone. It wasn’t until my boss received Mindsets’ training that she was able to understand how important inclusiveness was to customer service. As a result, our customer base has increased.”

Once we start to see people as individuals, we can move positively toward inclusiveness for everyone. Diversity is about coming together and taking advantage of our differences and similarities and about building better communities and organizations. When we begin to question our assumptions and challenge what we think we have learned from our past , from the media, peers, family, friends, etc, we begin to realize that some of our conclusions are imperfect or contrary to our fundamental values. We need to train ourselves to think differently, shift our mindsets and realize that diversity opens doors for all of us, creating opportunities in organizations and communities that benefit everyone.

1. In Tiffany’s view, the first candidate was passed over because he ________.

A．was an Asian-American

B．didn’t perform as perfectly as the second one

C．was untrustworthy

D．showed no respect for authority

2. Tiffany’s misjudgment about the candidate originated from ________.

A．racial discrimination

B．cultural differences

C．gender discrimination

D．emphasis on physical appearance

3. What kind of organization is Mindsets LLC?

A．A real estate agency.

B．A hi-tech company.

C．A company dealing with financial affairs.

D．A company training workforce.

4. Which of the following statements will Dale not agree with about Mindsets LLC’s workshop?

A．It helped him make fair decisions.

B．It helped him discover his personal bias about gender.

C．It helped him look at a person as a whole one.

D．It helped him find successful candidates.

5. The last paragraph is intended to tell us the importance of ________.

A．viewing people as individuals

B．challenging our past

C．training ourselves in Mindsets’ workshops

D．building better communications

【推荐1】When you choose a friend, you should be very careful. A good friend can help you study. You can have fun together and make each other happy. Sometimes you will meet fair weather friends. They will be with you as long as you have money or luck, but when you are down, they will run away. How do I know when I have found a good friend? I look for certain qualities of character, especially understanding, honesty and reliability (可靠).

Above all else, I look for understanding in a friend. A good friend tries to understand how another person is feeling. He is not quick to judge. Instead, he tries to learn from others. He puts himself in the other person’s place, and he tries to think of ways to be helpful. He is also a good listener.

At the same time, however, a good friend is honest. He does not look for faults (过错) in others. He notices their good points. In short, good friends will be honest to each other and accept each other.

Another quality of a friend is reliability. I can always depend on a good friend. If he tells me he will meet me somewhere at a certain time, I can be sure that he will be there. If I need a favor, he will do his best to help me. If I am in trouble, he will not run away from me.

There is a fourth quality that makes a friend special. A special friend is someone with whom we can have fun. We should enjoy our lives, and we would enjoy our friendship. That is why I especially like friends who are fun to be with. A good friend likes the same things I like. We share experience and learn from each other. A good friend has a good sense of humor , too. He likes to laugh with me. That is how we share in the joy of being friends. And I know that he is looking for the same quality in me.

When I meet someone who is reliable, honest, and understanding, I know I've found a friend!

1. Which of the following qualities the writer thinks is the most important in choosing a friend?

A．honesty	B．understanding
C．reliability	D．a sense of humor

2. If you have fair weather friends, ______ .

A．you will become rich

B．you can be sure that you get real friends

C．you will be refused when you get into trouble

D．they will give you all that they have when you need help

3. Good friends need to ______.

A．understand each other's feelings

B．be helped with money

C．always point out each other's mistakes

D．have money or luck

4. This passage mainly discuss ______ .

A．the importance of having a friend

B．where to choose friends

C．how to get along with friends

D．the qualities of a friend

【推荐2】Two years ago my grandmother was going to-turn 75. My family discussed what was the best way to celebrate. Should we throw her a party? Should we take her on a trip? We remembered that she had touched so many people's lives, and there were so many people for her to consider. Then someone got the idea that we should include everyone in the celebration by turning it into a tribute (献礼) to my grandmother.

We secretly sent out letters to the people in Grandmother’s address book and asked them to send a letter with a memory that they had shared with her. People sent us letters with poems, stories and pictures. The deep feeling that was shared through their reaction surprised us. We compiled (编辑) these letters into a memory book and amazed her with it on the morning of her birthday.

The unusual thing about my grandmother’s friends was not the number that she had, but the connection they shared. In many ways this book of friendship was the greatest achievement of my grandmother’s life.

I believe that developing true friendships is one of the most important things that anyone can do in one’s lifetime. It is not a matter of the number of friends one has, but the quality of the bonds. If one has had at least one true friendship before dying, then one can say one has lived a successful life. I have made many friends and I believe I have begun to develop the same types of friendships my grandmother kept up over her lifetime. I only hope that I will be as successful as she has been.

1. How did the author's family celebrate Grandmother's birthday?

A．They gave her a memory book of friendship.

B．They paid a tribute to her by inviting all her friends to the party.

C．They took her on a trip across the country.

D．They asked all her friends to give her their congratulations.

2. The underlined word “bonds” in the last paragraph probably means ______.

A．works	B．celebrations
C．relationships	D．successes

3. According to the passage, the author probably agrees that ______.

A．the more friends you have, the better you feel

B．true friendship is very important to us

C．developing true friendships is the most important thing in one’s lifetime

D．memory plays an important part in a family

【推荐3】My 10-year-old Donna said, “Mom, I made a new friend at school today. Can she come over tomorrow?” Donna was a shy girl and I wanted her to make some friends to bring her out of her shell.

“Sure, honey, that sounds great,” I said, thinking back to my own best friend, Lillian. We lived across the street from each other in Washington Heights, New York. We met at the age of 10, too. Like my daughter, I was shy, but Lillian drew me out. She was one of the friendliest people in school, with shiny black hair and a mile-wide smile.

In senior high school, Lillian went on a trip to Florida. This was the first time we had to be away from each other for a few days. “I’ll be back soon,” she told me. But three days later, Lillian’s sister told me that she had fallen into a river and hadn’t come out any more. Soon, my family moved to New Jersey. Whenever I thought of her, tears came into my eyes.

The next day Donna brought her new friend home. “Hi, Mrs Loggia,” the little girl said. Her hair was so shiny and black and she shot me a big smile. “My name is Laura.”

My daughter’s new friend was so much like Lillian. I was still puzzled (迷惑) when Laura’s mom came to pick her up later that afternoon. I opened the door to let her in. “Judy!” she cried. “It’s me, Lillian’s sister, from Washington Heights.” Yes, my daughter’s friend looked familiar. She was Lillian’s niece (侄女).

1. Who is the author’s daughter?

A．Lillian.	B．Donna.
C．Judy.	D．Laura.

2. The underlined words in the first paragraph “to bring her out of her shell” mean ________.

A．to help her become less shy

B．to help her become smart

C．to help her live happily

D．to help her walk out of her house

3. Laura looked familiar to the writer because she ________.

A．was the daughter of Lillian’s sister

B．was as old as her daughter

C．was from Washington Heights

D．had shiny black hair and a big smile, too

4. Why did the writer lose her best friend? Because ________.

A．she moved to New Jersey

B．they were different from each other

C．her best friend travelled to Florida

D．her best friend lost her life on a trip

【推荐2】When Joanne Morton and Lydia Shaw came across the Boston Public Market, which features only New England businesspersons, they knew they had to stop in. The women, visiting from southeastern Connecticut, always try to buy local things. “We always try to support our local farmers and businessmen,” says Shaw. “We’re not into big companies,” adds Morton.

They aren’t alone. A great number of Americans choose “local” food, according to recent surveys from the International Food Information Council Foundation. But what does it mean to shop local things? For some, it is still a matter of geography or it is about supporting their local economy （经济）. And for others, it is about knowing where their food comes from and how it is made, even if it is coffee shipped from a Costa Rican company.

Years earlier, Congress passed a bill that gave money to support local food. According to the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act, a product that can be considered local has to travel less than 400 miles.

But Lydia Zepeda, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has found the largest agreement about what can be called local: any product that comes from within an hour’s drive. “But is that with or without traffic?” she asks. “What if it crosses state lines?” adds John Hayes, a food science professor at Pennsylvania State University. “A customer might like to buy local things to help an old town,” he says. “Or maybe it’s just because local food tastes better,” says Kaitlin Bohon. “I taste a difference.” For Ms Bohon, buying local food is both about supporting New England business and knowing who grew and processed her food.

1. What does the underlined sentence in paragraph 1 probably mean?

A．We won’t work in big companies.

B．Big companies don’t support local farmers.

C．Big companies are not good shopping places.

D．We’re not interested in the products of big companies.

2. What is one reason for shopping local things?

A．Lower price.	B．After-sales service.
C．Local economy.	D．Transportation costs.

3. What’s the purpose of the text?

A．To show what can be called local.

B．To make people produce more local things.

C．To discuss the meaning of buying local things.

D．To introduce the development of local things.

4. From which part of a magazine does the text come?

A．Life.

B．Science.

C．Health.

D．Travel.