1 . Known as the birthplace of hip-hop, the South Bronx in New York City is a global center for music and art. However, it also suffers from poverty and pollution. Heavy trucks deliver unwanted construction waste to sorting stations, which then transfer waste to distant landfills.
Just graduating from college and working for an environmental group, Omar started to think about redirecting waste to those in need. He wondered, “Instead of destroying things like old doors, why not make this business a ‘cooperative’, which means people who work in the business own it and share the profits?”
Omar decided to start his business. He handed out flyers (小传单) along the truck-jammed, waste-filled streets to find individuals with similar ideas and interests to join him. Eventually, Omar found four workers and secured a warehouse. They reached out to relevant people, offering to remove items from construction sites for free. Soon, their warehouse was filled with donated materials, including 80 new toilets, unwanted doors, theater seats, and even a giant popcorn machine.
A few years ago, Omar started his first cooperative devoted to reusing construction waste. The cooperative began selling construction supplies at reasonable prices to neighborhood builders and home owners. With support from city officials, Omar began developing a new training program to equip local residents with the necessary skills for environmentally impact jobs.
Omar said, “Think about a wooden door that you’ve just bought. In order to produce that, someone had to cut down trees. In order to ship it across the country, someone had to pump oil out of the ground. You can avoid all that if you buy a good used door. And at the same time, you can reduce pollution, save money, and create jobs in communities like the South Bronx.”
Omar even had the image of a future with a whole network of green cooperative businesses in the area, which would work together to reuse different kinds of construction materials. “If you have a use for something,” Omar said, “it’s no longer waste.”
1. What do we know about the South Bronx in paragraph 1?A.It is free from poverty. |
B.It pays little attention to art. |
C.It suffers from a lack of landfills. |
D.It faces the problem of waste pollution. |
A.To seek for minds alike. |
B.To search for new materials. |
C.To build a warehouse for waste. |
D.To find repairmen for old doors. |
A.Modest and cautious. | B.Wealthy and intelligent. |
C.Humorous and generous. | D.Creative and hardworking. |
A.Omar — A Successful Builder |
B.Waste — A Way to Get Business |
C.Old Doors — Useful Recyclable Resources |
D.The South Bronx — The Best-known Construction Site |
2 . Izzi Dymalovski is a young girl from Melbourne, Australia. At the early age of just eight, she asked her mother if she could use some of her skincare products to
Izzi’s mother gave a suggestion to her daughter: allow time and make a(n)
Izzi immediately jumped into action and began working on the logo, brand, and even packaging
A.cover | B.improve | C.protect | D.remove |
A.in spite of | B.due to | C.except for | D.regardless of |
A.suitable | B.effective | C.necessary | D.practical |
A.requested | B.complained | C.regretted | D.advised |
A.embarrassed | B.delighted | C.upset | D.puzzled |
A.reply | B.effort | C.agreement | D.promise |
A.designed | B.discovered | C.copied | D.refused |
A.honestly | B.actively | C.gratefully | D.proudly |
A.launched | B.imagined | C.recorded | D.valued |
A.task | B.habit | C.dream | D.career |
A.products | B.collections | C.books | D.pictures |
A.observe | B.judge | C.explore | D.abandon |
A.applying for | B.troubling with | C.reacting to | D.cheering for |
A.young | B.brave | C.careful | D.generous |
A.performance | B.course | C.business | D.duty |
3 . Burn rate is the speed at which a startup business consumes money. My rate was $75, 000 a month. Four months after my company was set up, I had only a quarter of the starting capital left in the bank.
Looking for guidance, I went to talk to my friend, Arthur Walworth, about my new venture (创业投资).
“Times of great change always bring out the risk-takers, ” he said. “And they leave winners and losers. My grandfather invested a lot of money in a project of Thomas Edison’s that ended up in failure.”
I was lost in thought at the notion of a Thomas Edison’s project ending in failure. Damn. It could happen to anybody! I must continue.
At that time CD-ROM sales had bombed, so investors were fleeing from the field. I didn’t turn away from mine entirely, but instead linked it to the Internet.
My plan was to offer consumers descriptions of home-design products by using a special software and let them modify the designs. Then we can enable them to get online professional and constructional help to have their houses built, decorated and furnished according to their own choice.
To realize my plan, I needed investors, so I continued to meet regularly with venture capitalists (VC). One said I had a great idea. But indeed I needed to test it and get the money somewhere. To get this money from a VC is going to cost my wife and my children! He turned down my request.
Wife? Children? I barely remembered them.
I was working nonstop-struggling to turn the key in the lock, to find the right way ahead.
The pressure was terrible. It was just at this time that my parents and sisters stepped up. Two hundred thousand dollars. A lot of money to them, invested in this crazy son and brother without a moment’s hesitation. Dad and Mom had driven out from Chicago and seen the passion in my little office and the trouble at home.
With their help my company survived and has been prospering ever since.
1. When the author’s company started operation, he had _____.A.$450, 000 | B.$400, 000 | C.$350, 000 | D.$300, 000 |
A.rely on famous people all the time | B.invest as much money as possible |
C.face the risks of possible failure | D.think about nothing but success |
A.furniture design and production | B.online home-design service |
C.traditional home designing | D.home decoration business |
A.to improve his service | B.to start a new business |
C.to withdraw his money | D.to reduce his investment |
A.risky | B.timely | C.secure | D.abundant |