1 .

When senior leaders at toymaker Lego first learned that adults were buying large quantities of their plastic bricks and getting together to build Lego creations of their own, “they thought it was very strange,” says Smith-Meyer.

“Before the late 1990s, the company didn’t think their adult fans had value,” says Smith-Meyer. “Leadership actually thought adults were having a negative impact on the brand.” Thanks to a handful of employees who worked to change attitudes inside the company, gone are the days when labels on Lego boxes stated that the contents were appropriate only for children ages 7 to 12. Lego’s newest marketing motto is “Adults Welcome.”

Today Lego is the world’s largest and most profitable toymaker. The enthusiasm and buying power of adult fans of Lego played a major role in the company’s rise to the top. But insiders say the road from “kids only” to “adults welcome” was a long, uphill climb.

Lego founder Ole Kirk Kristiansen always knew he wanted to market his products completely to kids. When Kristiansen started The Lego Group in 1932, he made wooden toys that were intended for children. In 1946, he began making plastic toys. In 1958, he and his son developed the first coupling bricks, the basic design of which hasn’t changed much over the years. They’re even used together with bricks made today.

As the company grew over its first six decades, few imagined that its products could attract as many adults as children. Then attitudes began to shift in the late 1990s and early 2000s when Lego posted its first-ever loss in 1998. By 2003, when it reported a $238 million loss, the company was looking seriously at bankruptcy (破产). “Those were Lego’s dark days,” McKee says.

In the wake of the crisis, “Everyone suddenly wanted to see what designs I’d been working on with adult fans,” McKee says. In August 2005, when Lego CEO Jorgen Vig Knudstorp attended a fan meeting, he saw for himself the sea of adult supporters. “I see a future where we will be working more closely together,” he recalls. The booming partnership would eventually produce some of the company’s most popular and profitable themes, including Lego Creator and Lego’s Ambassador Network, and the company’s first-ever official fan conference: 2021’s Lego Con.

“Lego used to treat their adult customers like goods; today, they treat them like partners,” McKee says.

1. What did Ole Kirk Kristiansen do in 1932?

A．He developed the first coupling bricks.	B．He and his son invented wooden toys.
C．He began making plastic toys.	D．He set up his toy company.

2. Lego changed its attitude towards its adult fans when the company ________.

A．was faced with a business crisis	B．started treating them like goods
C．got financial support from them	D．found its products less attractive to kids

3. What can we learn from the passage?

A．Lego was forced to replace wooden toys with plastic ones.

B．Lego’s basic design of the first coupling bricks are still in use.

C．Lego’s partnership with gifted kids produced popular themes.

D．Lego has targeted adults as potential customers since it was founded.

4. What is the passage mainly about?

A．The world’s largest and most profitable toymaker.

B．Lego’s shift from “kids only” to “adults welcome”.

C．Lego’s dark days of the creation of plastic toys.

D．The brief but awesome history of Lego.

2 . Anyone who has ever travelled on airplanes knows how annoying delays (延误) are. Not only do they _________ us from getting where we need to be _________, they are also really boring. That’s why some Southwest Airlines employees tried to _________ their passengers when they were hit with a two-hour delay by holding a(n) _________ driver’s license photo contest (比赛)!

Kristen, a passenger, was _________ at first when her flight was delayed for several hours. However, her anger _________ when the gate agent announced the start of a(n) _________ game called “Win a prize for the worst driver’s license picture”.

“My flight to Washington, D.C. had been delayed for almost two and a half hours and I was getting heated until this gate agent _________ playing games with everyone waiting to pass the time, after which I started thinking I’ll be willing to _________ here all night if you keep this up,” Kristen wrote in her post, adding the game was ____________.

Kristen, who was ____________ to Washington, D.C. from Orlando to visit friends, praised Southwest Airlines in her post, and someone from the company quickly ____________.

“I’m glad our agent was able to make the delay a little more ____________ for you all, Kristen! We ____________ to have you on your way as soon as possible,” the spokesperson said, adding when Kristen asked the company to ____________ the prize to the Orlando-based team, “send over your confirmation, and I’ll be sure they get the recognition they deserve!”

When Kristen later described her ____________ to reporters, she said ____________ for the worst photos included Southwest products and $25 vouchers (代金券) toward future flights.

“I was really annoyed that the flight kept getting delayed,” Kristen said. “Once he started playing games, I was ____________ and having a great time and didn’t even ____________ that the flight was delayed.”

No wonder so many people ____________ Southwest!

1.

A．prevent

B．free

C．separate

D．rescue

2.

A．in turn

B．on purpose

C．on time

D．in short

3.

A．announce

B．entertain

C．urge

D．drop

4.

A．best

B．earliest

C．largest

D．worst

5.

A．confused

B．angry

C．frightened

D．patient

6.

A．boiled

B．returned

C．disappeared

D．remained

7.

A．funny

B．final

C．different

D．important

8.

A．considered

B．continued

C．admitted

D．started

9.

A．sleep

B．wait

C．perform

D．work

10.

A．amazing

B．challenging

C．disappointing

D．disturbing

11.

A．moving

B．running

C．flying

D．driving

12.

A．doubted

B．decided

C．apologized

D．replied

13.

A．competitive

B．bearable

C．accessible

D．practical

14.

A．agree

B．regret

C．hope

D．volunteer

15.

A．show

B．present

C．win

D．buy

16.

A．imaginations

B．condition

C．concerns

D．experience

17.

A．prizes

B．plans

C．services

D．appeals

18.

A．waving

B．shouting

C．laughing

D．dancing

19.

A．know

B．suspect

C．mention

D．mind

20.

A．love

B．understand

C．need

D．follow

3 . CHARITY HONORS SON’S MEMORY

Nonprofit providing gifts to 18 to 39-year-olds is raising memory

By PAM KRAOEN

RAMONA, Calif. — Before he died from cancer at age 29, Silas River Bennett spent his final months taking photographs of the world around him, emailing friends, buying Christmas gifts for his sisters and encouraging his family to give to the needy. “What was important to him was to have a sense of himself outside of cancer,” said his mom, Lorranie Kerz of Ramona.

Bennett went to the hospital in fall 2007 with severe back pains. He was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer that had spread to his bones. Doctors believed the cancer was environmentally caused, perhaps by exposure to some poisonous gas in the basement where he lived or poisons in the paints he used as a painter.

Kerz said her son was a man with a great sense of humor and a very creative mind. He had an “electric intellect” who loved debating, watching “Jeopardy!” — a game show on TV and telling stories with his photographs. After Bennett died in May 2008, Kerz wanted to honor the creative spirit and generosity of her son, whose nickname was “Sy”. The result was Sy’s Fund, a Romona-based all-volunteer national nonprofit that has fulfilled the wishes of more than 250 people aged 18 to 39 who are battling cancer. Sy’s Fund provides them with small gifts — such as laptops, cameras, guitar lessons, or printers — to lift their spirits and refocus their energies in a positive direction.

The group raises money through three fundraisers each year, such as golf tournaments and 5K races. This year, because of the COVID-19, they’re trying a virtual fundraiser for the first time. After registering online, participants must download the “Let’s Roam” app to their phones to donate. For those who want to apply for a wish grant, visit sysfund.org. The organization is also seeking more volunteer members. For details, email Kerz at lorraine@sysfund.org.

1. Why did Kerz found Sy’s Fund?

A．To honour his son.	B．To get rid of cancer.
C．To make his son famous.	D．To gain more profit.

2. What can we learn about Sy?

A．His cancer was caused by poisonous paints.

B．He spent his final months preparing for the fund.

C．He was energetic and lived a short but colorful life.

D．He died more than one year after he was diagnosed with cancer.

3. How does Sy’s fund help the needy?

A．By seeking more volunteers to tell stories.

B．By downloading some apps to the phones.

C．By providing cancer patients with small gifts.

D．By selling some things to cancer patients at a low price.

4. Where is this text most likely from?

A．A newspaper.	B．A guidebook.
C．An announcement.	D．A diary.