Cleverness is a gift while kindness is a choice. Gifts are easy—they’re given after all. Choice can be hard.
I got the idea to start Amazon 16 years ago. I came across the fact that the Internet usage was growing at 2300 percent per year. I’d never seen or heard of anything that grew that fast, and the idea of building all online bookstore with millions of titles was very exciting to me. I had just turned 30 years old, and I’d been married for a year. I told my wife MacKenzie that I wanted to quit my job and go to do this crazy thing that probably wouldn’t work since most start-ups don’t and I wasn’t sure what to expect. MacKenzie told me I should go for it. As a young boy, I’d been a garage inventor. I’d always wanted to be all inventor, and she wanted me to follow my passion.
I was working at a financial firm in New York City with a bunch of very smart people and I had a brilliant boss that I much admired. I went to my boss and told him I wanted to start a company selling books on the Internet. He took me on a long walk in Central Park, listened carefully to me, and finally said, “That sounds like a really good idea, but it would be an even better idea for someone who didn’t already have a good job. ”That 1ogic made some sense to me, and he convinced me to think about it for 48 hours before making a final decision. Seen in that light, it really was a difficult choice, but finally, I decided I had to give it a shot. I didn’t think I’d regret trying and failing. And I suspected I would always be haunted by a decision to not try at all.
After much consideration , I took the less safe path to follow my passion , and I’m proud of that choice. For all of us, in the end, we are our choice.
1. What inspired the author with the idea of building an online bookstore?| A．His dream of being an inventor. |
| B．The support of his wife. |
| C．The greatly increasing usage of the Internet. |
| D．Millions of exciting titles, |
| A．The idea of not trying would keep coming to his mind and disturb him. |
| B．He would be very excited if he tried it out. |
| C．Be would be always having a doubt if he didn’t try. |
| D．The decision to not try the online bookstore would terrify him. |
| A．Cleverness and Kindness | B．The Starting of Amazon |
| C．Following My Passion | D．We Are What We Choose |
| A．the boss thought the idea was suitable for the author |
| B．the author wanted someone else to try the idea |
| C．the author might not regret if he failed the idea |
| D．the author might go back to his boss if he failed |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Life can bring us down from time to time. At some point, you may find yourself in what you will consider as your darkest hour. As you try to find your way out of that bad situation, you should try to remind yourself that there will always be a reason to be grateful.
If you look at your situation now and compare it with someone else who is in much deeper trouble than you, I am sure that you'll find something to be thankful for. We all have our share of problems, but complaining about them so much only makes us blind to the fact that there are the miracles (奇迹) which happen around us each day.
When all your needs are provided, then you should be content and happy. If you have a roof over your head, some proper clothes to wear, enough food on the table, a comfortable place to sleep, clean water to drink and you are free to make your own choices, then you should be happy and grateful. Many people all around the world, especially those who are at war or those in very poor countries, would give anything to be in your shoes.
Even if you lose all your money or possessions and your heart is broken for some reason, as long as you are still alive, then everything you have lost can be regained. If you have a few good friends who will be there to support or help you, then be glad because true friends are hard to find. As long as you have someone to love and someone to love you back, then you are a very fortunate person. Remember to be patient and trust that things will get better.
1. That we complain about the bad situation only results in ________.| A．losing others' support |
| B．ignoring something good |
| C．having a far worse situation |
| D．taking everything for granted |
| A．really admire your shoes |
| B．are in a better situation than you |
| C．would like to be in your situation |
| D．never know the value of your shoes |
| A．you should be content and happy |
| B．what you've lost will be back soon |
| C．you will certainly lead a life you like |
| D．you will have a chance to get what you've lost back |
【推荐2】Last year my children gifted me a stainless steel (不锈钢的) coffee plunger (法式按压咖啡壶). I love to start the day with a strong black coffee and couldn't wait to use it. I looked forward to the following morning's coffee making, knowing that I probably wouldn't smash (打碎) this plunger as easily as I had done so often in the past.
But as I poured my first cup of coffee, the plunger spilled (洒出) all over the table. Thankfully no one was around to see my disappointed face! I kept trying, but each morning would see me wiping up the coffee. Then I realized that if I poured very slowly there would be no spilling.
This was at first a very painful experience. My normal practice was to rush through breakfast so that I could get on with my day.
But in time I learned not only to pour slowly but to enjoy the experience: the smell, the taste, and the stillness of a new day.
It prompted (促使) me to reflect upon whether there were other areas of my life I was rushing through. Most of life, it seemed.
I started to leave extra time to do even the most ordinary tasks. When shop owners would apologize for keeping me waiting, I'd say, "Not a problem, I'm not in a hurry." Even hanging out washing became pleasurable when a couple of extra minutes of standing still and listening to the birds singing in the trees around me became part of my routine.
Besides, one of my favorite experiences living in the inner city for many years was sitting on the front doorstep of our home spending time with strangers. We sat on the steps, each of us with a cup of coffee in our hands, listening to each other's stories. It was one of the warmest things about living in a busy city. It was as if the world around us slowed to a pace (步伐) we could both handle.
Stillness and quietness not only slow the pace of life, but also feed the soul, helping us to enjoy the world's small pleasures.
1. What was the author’s life like before receiving the coffee plunger?| A．Hurried. | B．Relaxing. |
| C．Simple. | D．Disappointing. |
| A．Dealing with the spilled coffee. | B．Learning to use the new coffee plunger. |
| C．Trying to pour coffee more slowly. | D．Rushing through breakfast. |
| A．She had more time for important things. |
| B．She found joy in ordinary tasks. |
| C．She made friends with many shop owners. |
| D．She had a better relationship with her family members. |
| A．To tell people how to live a meaningful and full life. |
| B．To reflect on the meaning of living a slow-paced life. |
| C．To show the importance of the gift from her daughter. |
| D．To encourage readers to communicate more with strangers. |
【推荐3】The way people hold to the belief that a fun-filled, and pain-free life equals happiness actually reduces their chances of ever attaining real happiness. If fun and pleasure are equal to happiness then pain must be equal to unhappiness. But in fact, the opposite is true: more often than not things that lead to happiness involve some pain.
As a result, many people avoid the very attempts that are the source of true happiness. They fear the pain inevitably(不可避免的) brought by such things as marriage, raising children, professional achievement, religious commitment(义务), self-improvement.
Ask a bachelor(单身汉) why he resists marriage even though he finds dating to be less and less satisfying. If he is honest he will tell you that he is afraid of making a commitment. For commitment is in fact quite painful. The single life is filled with fun, adventure, excitement. Marriage has such moments, but they are not its most distinguishing features.
Couples with infant children are lucky to get a whole night’s sleep or a three-day vacation. I don’t know any parent who would choose the word fun to describe raising children. But couples who decide not to have children never know the joys of watching a child grow up or of playing with a grandchild.
Understanding and accepting that true happiness has nothing to do with fun is one of the most liberating realizations. It liberates time: now we can devote more hours to activities that can genuinely increase our happiness. It liberates money: buying that new car or those fancy clothes that will do nothing to increase our happiness now seems pointless. And it liberates us from envy: we now understand that all those who are always having so much fun actually may not be happy at all.
1. According to the author, a bachelor resists marriage chiefly because _______ .| A．he is reluctant to take on family responsibilities |
| B．he believes that life will be more cheerful if he remains single |
| C．he finds more fun in dating than in marriage |
| D．he fears it will put an end to all his fun adventure and excitement |
| A．hatred | B．misunderstanding | C．prejudice | D．ignorance |
| A．Happiness often goes hand in hand with pain. | B．One must know how to attain happiness. |
| C．It is important to make commitments. | D．It is pain that leads to happiness. |
【推荐1】When I started Social-Engineer, I just left a company that was amazing. It was like a family. The pain of leaving was real for me and like all family separation, it wasn’t 100% smooth. I was heartbroken to leave but wanted to take every lesson I learned to my new company. I was determined to also take all the good memories with me. Yes, there were mistakes from both sides of the fence but instead of focusing on those, I went away remembering all the great times, life lessons and growth I had gifted to me.
I figured I would grow my company by being a nice man and working hard, and never demanding more from my people than I was willing to give, believing this approach would earn respect and effort in return. I would say things to myself like, “Well, I did this, so they should do that.” Or “I am this way, so they should be that way.”
And to be honest, it felt real. It felt like it was an honest evaluation.
But... But... But...
I started to have people problems. I am a very strong, direct communicator and although in many ways that is a strength, it can be a weakness in other ways. I often hurt people’s feelings. Even though I was very self-aware of this, I still messed up. Now this is odd to admit out loud for a company that basically focuses on helping dozens of companies make huge changes.
I went to see a psychologist. Natasha actively listened to all I said and then every now and then presented a thought as a question or a mild statement. She wanted to challenge me to change, challenge me to expand my thoughts. I was in my session with Natasha and I was saying things like this:
“I gave this person tens of thousands of dollars in a raise in one year, they should be more appreciative.”
“I have a great salary, benefits and support package, this person should have been more thankful.”
Natasha stopped me and said, “Well, you just SHOULD all over yourself, didn’t you? Did you pay for devotion? Did you pay for honor? Did you pay for appreciation?”
The sad answer was NO.
“You want to see the change that you so desire — then be the change,” Natasha said. She then mentioned Bruce Lee, who said “Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle... Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.”
I know what I should do. Will you join me?
1. Why was the author confident about his company management?| A．He believed he was gifted for it. |
| B．His employees were well qualified. |
| C．He had lessons and work principles. |
| D．His previous mistakes had been removed. |
| A．The rigid rules. | B．The lack of vision. |
| C．The company’s focus. | D．The author’s social skill. |
| A．The author fell into a thinking trap. |
| B．The employees expected too much. |
| C．The author was not really committed. |
| D．The employees were victims of management. |
| A．Read Bruce Lee. | B．Learn to change. |
| C．Take more duties. | D．Desire less for more. |
Everyone has a runway by which events enter into his life. The events here could be favors, miracle, connections, job opportunities, etc. The size of your runway determines the level of results that will be attracted into your life.
I have a story of two good friends. They finished high school together. One wanted to further his studies while the other decided to look for a job. As time went on, the one that wanted to work was always there to support the other one especially in the area of fees in school for a long time. As destiny would have it, they both lost contact and after a very long time, they met again but on a very different level. The one that added values to himself by going back to school had stepped up greatly to become the general manager of a big company and the other was just a little lifted. So, it was time to pay back. The one of general manager could only support him financially and make him the chief driving officer in the company. Even though he would have loved to give him a higher post he was not qualified especially in terms of skills, orientation, experience and so on. In other words, his runway was too short for such an opportunity.
Everyone must increase in knowledge and training . You must step up in your education level, human, business and communication skills. Your relationship with people must improve by being a good person. Your runway is enlarged anytime you add values to your life.
There are some jobs, opportunities, favor that cannot protect base in your life. They will have to be coming from other people into your life because you have failed to work on your own runway by improving on your abilities. It is not too late or too early to start in life because every stage in life is a good place to begin.
1. In the first paragraph, the president had to change his plan because _________________.
| A．the weather condition was bad for their journey |
| B．they couldn’t go into that country by their plane |
| C．they wanted to visit the neighboring country temporarily |
| D．the president had to deal with something back in his country |
| A．they had different life goals |
| B．one always wanted to beat the other |
| C．they had different education levels |
| D．they wanted to show their different success |
| A．The key to success. |
| B．The need of others’ help |
| C．The trouble from failure |
| D．The real meaning of life |
| A．Kindness Makes a Big Different |
| B．Depend on Yourself |
| C．Competition Exists Everywhere |
| D．Always Improve on Yourself |
【推荐3】I have a feeling that the existence of the memory box may have troubled my father from the beginning. He didn’t give it to me until my twenty-first birthday even though it had been in our house all that time. Charlotte knew about it, of course, but neither she nor my father could bring themselves to mention it. I think they were both afraid of its significance. Also I was a highly imaginative child and they simply didn’t know how to introduce this memory box into my life.
Now, however, their nervousness makes me curious. What exactly were they afraid of? Did they think I might be shocked, and if so why? At any rate, both of them were visibly on edge, almost guilty, when finally on the morning of my twenty-first birthday they told me about it. It was clear they were relieved when I showed little interest in it. I said I didn’t want to open it, or even see it.
This was a lie, and yet not a lie. The box did, in fact, make me curious even if I found I wanted to suppress (抑制) the feeling. Aged ten, I don’t think I would have been able to. I’m sure I would have been too excited at the thought that it might contain all sorts of treasures; and then around fifteen I’d have found it irresistibly romantic and would have been ready to weep on discovering dried roses pressed between the pages of meaningful poems. But at twenty-one I was very self-centred; my curiosity was only slight and I could more easily deny it. In fact, I felt a kind of discomfort at the notion of a dying woman choosing what to put in a box for me.
Nevertheless, there was no doubt that it forced me to think of Susannah. Growing up, I could hardly have thought of her less, wanting Charlotte to be my only mother. I was always angry if anyone referred to her as my stepmother. However, Charlotte herself would try to calm me by pointing out that, whether I liked it or not, that was exactly what she was.
After Charlotte died, the hardest thing I had to do was go back into our old home. For a whole month, I was obliged to go there day after day until every bit of furniture, every object, every book and picture, every piece of clothing, every last curtain and cushion was sorted out and ready to be collected by all manner of people. This was, of course, how I found the box, even though I very nearly missed it. My attention might not have been caught if it had not been for an odd-looking pink label attached to the parcel. On the label, written in ink which had faded but which you could still read was my own name – For my darling Catherine Hope, in the future.
1. Who left the memory box to the writer?| A．Her sister. | B．Her step mother. |
| C．Her father. | D．Her mother. |
| A．The writer had complicated feelings about the box. |
| B．The writer admitted to her parents she once told a lie. |
| C．The writer wondered why she didn’t want to see the box. |
| D．The writer was hardly curious about what was in the box. |
| A．Charlotte referred to herself as her stepmother. |
| B．She hoped Charlotte could care more about her. |
| C．Charlotte calmed her down by talking of Susannah. |
| D．She missed her mother from the bottom of her heart. |
| A．The writer didn’t see the box until Charlotte died. |
| B．The writer could have a happier childhood without the box. |
| C．The writer blamed her parents for not giving her the box earlier. |
| D．The writer didn’t know the existence of the box before she was 21. |
【推荐1】When I was about 4 years old, I decided to go to Disney World. For most young kids, it’s a normal request, but I had cerebral palsy (脑瘫). Walking into anywhere, let alone a crowded place like Disney World was, to put it lightly, a tall order. Luckily, I had people in my corner to help me. Over the next three years, I worked with physical doctors, acquired a walker, and practiced walking, standing, and balance — all skills that I would need to turn my goal into a reality.
I remember the feeling when my legs would protest doing any more work. Despite this, everyone else told me I could do it, so I kept it up. It was all because of people like my parents, brothers, teachers, and doctors that I was able to grow so much, both physically and mentally. Constantly pushing me to “walk on,” yet encouraging me whenever I needed it.
On June 9, 2008, as I stood in the tunnel leading into Main Street, my dad asked me if I wanted any help. I instantly replied, “No!” and situated myself facing the end of the tunnel, feet planted firmly, heart most likely beating out of my chest. Then I went, walking ever so slowly at first, then gradually speeding up. Step, step, step, step, bump. Holding fast onto the handlebars, I gathered up all my strength, picked up my walker and straightened out, picking up my pace once again. It wasn’t too long before the cheering increased because I had made it to the end, where my mom was waiting with tears in her eyes and arms open wide ready to hug her son and tell him how proud she was.
Looking back on that experience, I realize something pretty thoughtful. Every once in a while, life will throw a few bumps in the road. Though it may set you back for a bit, don’t let it stop you. Pick yourself back up and finish. It’s worth it. Besides, there just might be someone there cheering you on along the way.
1. Which of the following best explains “a tall order” underlined in paragraph 1?| A．An easy decision. | B．An available action. |
| C．A reasonable order. | D．A challenging task. |
| A．He eventually has his brain disease well cured. |
| B．He constantly gets courage and support from others. |
| C．He is likely to do any kind of work in his later life. |
| D．He is naturally gifted in keeping balance on his own. |
| A．explain he was terrified to take the first step |
| B．describe he took pride in his mother and friends |
| C．show how he managed to walk by himself |
| D．prove how he understood to respect others |
| A．Where Dreams Come True | B．When Bad Fortune Falls |
| C．How I Value Friendship | D．Why I Look Back My Life |
【推荐2】The storms in our lives often leave behind gifts if we open our eyes to see them. As the skies clear and you start to emerge from the loss, look for the silver linings.
Going through difficulties requires courage and determination. You have to dig deep and find the strength you didn’t know you possessed to overcome the challenges.
Coming out the other side of trouble sometimes gives you a fresh outlook. Priorities shift.
Your struggles and pain have given you understanding for what others maybe going through in their own lives. You now recognize the suffering of people around you and desire to help ease their burdens. Use your experience to be there for friends and family members facing difficulties.
| A．Dramatic changes often lead to transformation. |
| B．They’re there if you are bent on searching for them. |
| C．Offer a listening ear and share your story with them. |
| D．Storms shape us, but the silver linings make us suffer. |
| E．What seemed important before now pales in comparison. |
| F．Now you know you have the inner power to weather storms. |
| G．This new perspective removed previous doubt about yourself. |
