I work as a waiter in a café and love the job most of the time. I spend the morning hours with all the coffee and see the friendly customers (顾客) every day. But there’re always those mornings when a few unwanted customers come in. Maybe they are late for work, or simply wake up on the wrong side of the bed. They often make a short loud request (要求) for coffee without looking at me directly. It is hard to stand. And some customers are just discourteous and they believe that customers are always right, even if they act like fools. Things like good manners (礼貌) are often unseen in such situations.
Just like me, Austin Simms of Cups Coffee and Tea has had enough of this. Taking matters into his own hand, to help some customers with their manners, he placed a sign outside showing their new pricing method.
His new sign shows the cost of a coffee as $5. If a customer walks up to the server and simply says, “Small coffee,” he/she will need to pay $5 for that small coffee. The price of a “small coffee, please” goes down to $3. In other words, a nice “please” with a request for a small coffee will drop the price by $2. The coffee only costs $1.75 if the customer says, “Hello. One small coffee, please.” So you can see that customers that show the most manners get the largest discounts (折扣).
The new strategy (策略) certainly has got some people to rethink their manners given that the news has spread across the world. We can be sure that at least some customers have changed their behavior, and that’s a good thing, even if they do it to get discounted coffee. The more you do something, the more you get used to it. So, this little strategy that the business owner used could actually end up causing many people to be more polite all the time.
1. What does the underlined word “discourteous” in paragraph 1 mean?| A．Impolite. | B．Proud. | C．Confused. | D．Busy. |
| A．The size of the coffee customers request. |
| B．The way customers talk to servers. |
| C．Customers’ understanding of servers’ work. |
| D．Customers’ relationship with servers. |
| A．Helpful. | B．Creative. | C．Humorous. | D．Responsible. |
| A．To show he supports Austin’s method. |
| B．To explain the influence of discounts. |
| C．To show the importance of politeness. |
| D．To introduce the future of the café business. |
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【推荐1】Ruth Ginsburg spent her life fighting for women to be treated equally. In doing so, she became an inspiring role model for women and girls around the world.
Her passion for women’s rights began when she was young. She started off her adult life having trouble finding a job. Even though she had earned a law degree from Columbia University and was smart and capable of doing the job, she was passed over primarily. She felt she was being treated unfairly, or looked down on, only because she was a woman. She knew this was wrong and wanted to do something about it. But at the time there were no laws in the United States to protect her.
She decided to devote her career to being a lawyer and fighting for equal rights of women. Then, early in her lawyer career, when she was 29 years old, Ms. Ginsburg took a trip to Sweden to perform legal research.
To begin, in Sweden, she saw a female judge hosting a judgment. Then she observed law school classrooms where about 25% of the students were female vs. her own law school where only about 2% were female. Seeing the progress women had made in Sweden, she was even more sure that America was behind and wrong in its treatment of women. What she saw really focused her on fighting for women in the workplace.
Back in the USA, where laws advocating for women’s rights were missing, she decided to help invent laws, write them, and defend them. Ginsburg also became a professor to help other women to become lawyers so that they could do the same thing.
In 1993, after years of practicing and teaching law, she became the second female judge of the Supreme (最高) Court and one of the most respected judges in history. She changed the lives of many women and girls in the United States and beyond.
1. Why did adult Ginsburg fail to find a job at first?| A．Because she failed to obtain a necessary degree. |
| B．Because she was unable to do the job well. |
| C．Because she had poor working experience. |
| D．Because she received unfair treatment. |
| A．Creative and passionate. | B．Energetic and brave. |
| C．Determined and devoted. | D．Generous and strong-willed. |
| A．Ginsburg received many honors as a female judge. |
| B．Ginsburg ever majored in law at a university in Sweden. |
| C．The research in Sweden had a great influence on Ginsburg. |
| D．Ginsburg managed to make laws to ensure America’s freedom. |
【推荐2】During the 1930s，the Great War broke out. A 25-year-old American soldier, probably never thought that his life would change forever when he volunteered to go to France.
One night while the American unit was returning to the base after a bloody fight, Suleyman stumbled(绊倒) into the ground and noticed a bit of movement from the bush. Being stuck between two choices either its enemy or an animal, Suleyman found a five- year old girl from the bushes shivering with cold and utmost fear. Due to the atrocity of the war, the girl was abandoned by her family and the whole village was killed.
During the war, it was impossible to find the child’s family so Suleyman took this little French girl under his wings and gave her an American name Flora which means like the flower. Soon, Flora became the apple of the eye of everyone living in the army camp.
For one and a half years, Flora and Suleyman became inseparable; however, every fairy tale comes to an end. When the war ended, Suleyman was sent back to USA, while Flora was put in an orphanage (孤儿院), the Normandy School, which was founded by the American government for orphaned French children to have an education.
For years, Suleyman always thought about Flora. When the French National Olympic Team was playing in the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles in 1984, Suleyman gazed through the audience on TV, hoping to catch a glimpse of Flora, but he never could.
At the age of 85, Suleyman attended the 60th anniversary reception of the Great War where Suleyman shared his story with American and French officials. After hearing his story, a French journalist started to investigate the story, and all government files were read in detail. The moment the journalist helped dial the number, in tears, Flora said Suleyman was her hero, and everything came flooding back to her.
1. What does the underlined word “atrocity“ in Paragraph 2 probably mean?| A．Cruelty. | B．Challenge. |
| C．Range. | D．Stress. |
| A．Because Flora might be in the French team. |
| B．Because Suleyman was greatly interested in sports. |
| C．Because Flora might be watching the event. |
| D．Because Suleyman wanted to travel to Los Angeles. |
| A．Flora and Suleyman became attached to each other. |
| B．Suleyman sent Flora to an orphanage called Normandy School. |
| C．Suleyman found some animals in the bush. |
| D．Suleyman would never see Flora again. |
| A．A Tough Flower in the War |
| B．The Influence of the War |
| C．The Lost and Found Love |
| D．The Apple of the Father’s Eye |
【推荐3】As I drove along the road, small car flew across the center divider from the opposite direction and crashed into my car head-on. I fell unconscious and was awakened by the ringing of my mobile phone.
I was brought to Kuala Lumpur General Hospital bleeding on from my nose, mouth and legs. But the hospital staff was too busy to attend to me, so I called a friend to tell him about the accident. Some friends arrived very soon and sent me to a private hospital nearby. I saw my injured feet hanging from my body, blue and lifeless, and I begged the doctors to save them at all cost. They calmly promised to do their best.
The doctors made it. After I was discharged, I was given ten months medical leave. My heart sank, knowing that it meant I, a big man, couldn't work. How was I going to support my 65-year-old mother and other family members? I felt completely helpless, but a la of unexpected blessings came my way. When I was recovering at home, friends and relatives helped me with my banking, insurance or simply came to cheer me up.
When the casts（石膏）were removed, I did not let the sight of my weak legs discourage me. I worked hard at my physiotherapy（物理疗法）with only one aim. After eight months, I was walking without the aid of a walking stick. Oh February the following year, I returned to my job again. Today, after eight years, I have travelled to many counties as a tour leader.
The accident makes me realize how lives can change in a second. I value life more, not only of my own but also of everyone I know, and I will always try to help when I know of someone in trouble.
1. What made the author come back to life in the traffic accident?| A．Someone made a call to him. |
| B．A car crashed into his ear head-on. |
| C．One of his friends gave him first aid. |
| D．His mobile phone was out of order suddenly. |
| A．Was inspired. | B．Got injured. |
| C．Was discovered. | D．Left hospital. |
| A．He is honest and strong. | B．He is learned and intelligent. |
| C．He is optimistic and determined. | D．He is discouraged and desperate. |
| A．Life is very precious to people. | B．It's a hard job to be a tour guide. |
| C．Many people are in trouble in life. | D．It's a must for someone to help others. |
【推荐1】An elevator (电梯) can be an uncomfortable environment when the riders do not observe (遵守) the basic rules of common politeness. Good elevator etiquette (礼节) is mostly common sense.
Boarding an elevator etiquette means that you should wait until everyone who is getting off has left the elevator before you step inside.You should not try to block the doors of the elevator to hold them open.
While in an elevator, you should not eat, smoke, or talk on your cell phone.
If you are trapped in the back of a crowded elevator and you need to get off, call out “my floor” to warn other riders to the fact that you wish to get off.
| A．Stay in the front if you plan to get off soon. |
| B．This behavior is rude and potentially dangerous. |
| C．Then move slowly but firmly through the crowd. |
| D．Many people prefer to ride an elevator in silence. |
| E．In short, always keep everyone comfortable on an elevator. |
| F．But being aware (意识到) of it will make your elevator rides more comfortable. |
| G．It is polite to stand as close to a wall or corner as possible to make room for other riders. |
| A．Use good manners when driving. |
| B．People with good manners are accepted. |
| C．You will never regret being polite, but you might regret being rude. |
| D．You should learn good manners from people around you. |
| E．Tell jokes or pass on humorous stories that everyone will enjoy. |
| F．Make sure people are ready to listen to you before you start talking. |
| G．It is better to make a careful plan before you take action |
【推荐3】When people respect you, they see you in a very positive light. They admire you for your qualities that can be quite inspirational for people. Respectful people are patient and very calm.
Respectful people listen actively to others.
They are highly empathetic. They put themselves in other people’s shoes. They are considerate of people’s situations. They show kindness and are understanding towards others.
These people communicate in a respectful manner. They are polite even when they disagree with someone. They avoid using critical language and focus on finding common ground with others. They try to find a solution to problems in a very analytical manner.
| A．Inner confidence |
| B．Respectful communication |
| C．They don’t judge people quickly |
| D．This alone will not change the views others have of you |
| E．This is the second feature that makes them well respected among others |
| F．They are fully present at the moment and give their full attention to the speaker |
| G．People can depend on these kinds of people without fearing they will leave them |
