1 . When I was nine years old, I never dreamed that the small vending machine (自动售货机) I had owned would turn me into a small business owner. Wanting to inspire his daughter’s business sense, my dad brought home a vending machine he had purchased from a friend. Setting it down in front of me in our living room, he asked in all seriousness, “Do you want to start a business?” I said yes.
I owned 15 vending machines by the time I left high school, with all of the profits going toward my college fund. In addition to being a great bonding experience for my family, I couldn’t tell you how many skills I learned from starting and developing my own business that helped me gain responsibility. I learned that not every experience in life led to the comforting encouragement: Well, you were tried. You should face bravely all kinds of difficulties.
Understanding both personal and professional finances is one of the most important life lessons to learn—the earlier, the better. I had to be fearless and confident—learning these skills at a young age saved me from speaking with difficulty through presentations later in life. Truly understanding what you’re selling displays confidence and reliability, as does truly believing in it. Comprehending the ins and outs of your product and business shines through when speaking with clients though rejection (拒绝) happens all the time.
Throughout the unbelievable experience of running my own business in my childhood, I’ve learned valuable skills that help me in my school, job and personal life. I believe in the value of customer service. I go after clients and chances and understand that sometimes things don’t go my way. With the help of my parents and customers who supported me, I grew up as a young entrepreneur with skills to keep for the rest of my life.
1. Why did the author’s dad give her a vending machine?| A．To earn her college fund. | B．To raise her business awareness. |
| C．To complete her class project. | D．To enrich her after-class life. |
| A．It was tough but worthwhile. | B．It was scary but smooth. |
| C．It distanced her from her family. | D．It taught her how to refuse clients. |
| A．Her attitude towards rejection. |
| B．Her understanding of financial problems. |
| C．Her insight into her business experience. |
| D．Her vision of the future vending machines. |
| A．One can succeed without support. |
| B．One is never too old to run the business. |
| C．Customer needs matters most in business. |
| D．Abilities acquired will pay off in the future. |
2 . Chase Poust is a 7-year-old boy. He and his dad Steven, and his 4-year-old sister, Abigail were out for a family boating trip on Florida’s St. Johns River near Mandarin Point. Chase and Abigail were swimming at the back end of the anchored boat while Steven was on deck (甲板) fishing.
It was an idyllic (悠闲的) outing — until a strong wave came. It was too strong for Abigail to hold onto the boat. Instantly realizing his sister would be swept away, Chase let go of the boat as well to try and reach her.
Steven jumped into the water but after realizing he couldn’t keep up with both kids, he was faced with a hard decision. “I told them I loved them because I wasn’t sure what’s going to happen,” Steven told News-4 JAX. “I tried to stick with both of them. I wore myself out. She drifted away from me.”
Directing Chase to swim to shore for help, Steven stayed behind, keeping as close as he could to Abigail as the life-vest that was keeping her above the waves floated further and further from his reach.
It was a tough go for the 7-year-old, but rather than attempting to swim all out, Chase wisely paced himself. Stopping to float or dog paddle when he was tired, he’d rest and then set off again. It took Chase an hour to reach the shore. Once on solid ground, he ran to the nearest house and called for help.
Rescuers arrived soon to search for Steven and Abigail. Miraculously, the two were found and rescued about an hour later-more than a mile away from the family’s abandoned boat.
1. What happened during the family boating trip?| A．Chase went out fishing alone. | B．The boat ran into an anchored boat. |
| C．Steven fell off the boat by accident. | D．Abigail was washed away by a wave. |
| A．He couldn’t stick with both kids. | B．He didn’t know how to swim. |
| C．He couldn’t find rescuers nearby. | D．He wasn’t sure what might happen. |
| A．To hold Abigail tightly. | B．To look for helpers. |
| C．To wait calmly in the water. | D．To give the life-vest to Abigail. |
| A．Brave and clever. | B．Innocent and kind. |
| C．Proud and patient. | D．Honest and helpful. |
3 . Dad is a liar(说谎者), definitely. He never tells the truth about anything
He is the kindest man I have ever met, who never
Dad is a miser (吝啬鬼), undoubtedly. I hardly see Dad wear
It
So it surprised
Dear Dad, you’ve been
| A．interesting | B．good | C．bad | D．valuable |
| A．emphasize | B．realize | C．decide | D．admit |
| A．envies | B．blames | C．helps | D．hurts |
| A．noblest | B．cruelest | C．most selfless | D．most diligent |
| A．phoned | B．drove | C．went | D．stayed |
| A．health | B．business | C．experiment | D．treatment |
| A．better | B．harder | C．easier | D．healthier |
| A．meanwhile | B．anyway | C．however | D．therefore |
| A．change | B．incident | C．achievement | D．problem |
| A．belief | B．carelessness | C．lies | D．excuses |
| A．old | B．new | C．beautiful | D．cheap |
| A．one-third | B．half | C．thing | D．closet |
| A．so | B．but | C．since | D．although |
| A．holes | B．stains | C．hope | D．importance |
| A．woke | B．warmed | C．cheered | D．tore |
| A．act | B．shake | C．cry | D．cough |
| A．still | B．even | C．merely | D．seldom |
| A．somebody | B．anybody | C．everybody | D．nobody |
| A．controlling | B．pushing | C．criticizing | D．fighting |
| A．beg | B．allow | C．expect | D．cause |
