1 . Quietly sitting there reading, I found myself suddenly listening to the train guard’s announcements (通知). Train travelers will surely agree that when the guard (列车长) makes an announcement, whether it’s the recorded message or the guard’s message, few people listen to it, because it’s often quite dull or hard to understand. This one was different. I noticed that other passengers appeared to be listening, too. Not only that, everyone was smiling!
Why was so much attention being paid to this message? As best I can recall the guard said something along these lines, “Good Morning Ladies, Gentlemen and Children, this is the 7: 35 a.m. from Penrith to Central and you’ll be pleased to know that we are right on time. And what a lovely morning it is in Sydney today. The sun is shining, birds are singing, and all’s right with the world. I trust you have a great day wherever you’re going. Thanks for catching my train this morning and I hope to see you again soon.”
Quite a few people (obviously previous strangers) started talking to one another about the guards excellent message and how good it had made everyone feel. I started thinking about this, and then I found the young guard and said “Were you the guard on the 7: 35 a.m. from Penrith?” The guard seemed a bit stunned at first, replying, “Yes, yes.” “Well, I really appreciate your announcement. Thank you for your extremely good message, which gave me and the other passengers such a good start to the day. Please keep doing it.” I said.
There are two messages for me in what happened that day. Firstly, when people are happy in their work, it shows in what they do and say. Secondly, the story attaches much importance to the benefits that accumulate (积累) from thanking people for something they’ve done, particularly when it’s not expected. Can you imagine the conversation that guard would have when he got home?
1. Why do few train travelers listen to the announcements?| A．The messages are unattractive. |
| B．The guard’s voice is not clear. |
| C．They usually feel sleepy. |
| D．They are absorbed in books. |
| A．Patient. | B．Frightened. |
| C．Surprised. | D．Excited. |
| A．The beautiful weather. | B．The recorded message. |
| C．The train from Penrith. | D．The unexpected appreciation. |
| A．An Intelligent Guard. |
| B．A Boring Train Story. |
| C．A Different Train Announcement. |
| D．A Lovely Morning in Sydney. |
2 . Growing up in the small town of Palmerston, Ontario, I had a dream: to work in television. However, it sounded like a dream that could never come true.
Thankfully, my parents had raised me to have a lot of confidence. With their help and encouragement, I applied to the radio and television arts program at Ryerson in Toronto. After graduating, I worked for Bell Canada for a while, writing and producing commercials. I soon decided, however, that what I really wanted was to be on camera.
I went to the CBC and CTV and applied for a job. They both turned me down because I didn’t have any experience. Luckily, Global Television had just started broadcasting in Canada that year. I found out the president was named Mr. Slaight and called him. I said, “I’ve heard that your studio facilities are amazing. I could come at eleven o’clock on Tuesday or eleven o’clock on Wednesday for a tour. What would suit you better?” He stuttered a bit, then picked a day. When I hung up, I was scared but ecstatic.
On the appointed day, I arrived at the studio. When we sat down, he looked at me and said, “What do you want?” He sounded a little angry and frustrated — but very curious. “All I want is a chance,” I said. “If something on camera comes up at Global — I don’t care what — I want a chance to audition. That’s all I’m asking.”
Three months later, his secretary called and asked me to audition for a new game show. When I arrived at the station, I went right into an audition for a new show called Wintario. The following day, I was handed an airline ticket to Sault Ste. Marie to do the very first Wintario show.
From Wintario, everything happened for me. I hosted the National Santa Claus Parade for fifteen years. I did hundreds of television commercials, a number of movies, training videos, and travel shows. And everything came from finding the courage back in 1975 to make that one phone call.
1. What can we learn about the author from Paragraph 2?| A．She was born to be confident. |
| B．She failed to graduate in Toronto. |
| C．She was good at writing commercials. |
| D．She was not content with her first job. |
| A．Excited. | B．Amazed. | C．Proud. | D．Confused. |
| A．Positive and creative. | B．Sharp and responsible. |
| C．Curious and intelligent. | D．Courageous and confident. |
| A．The success of working on camera. |
| B．The importance of parents’ support. |
| C．The realization of an impossible dream. |
| D．The transformation of an ordinary girl’s life. |
3 . When most of us get a text message on our cell phone from an unknown person, we usually say ＂sorry,
On March 19, Dennis got a group text
＂Congratulations! But I think someone was mistaken,＂ Dennis
Much to the family’s surprise, Dennis stuck to his
Teresa
| A．unlucky | B．secret | C．new | D．wrong |
| A．received | B．translated | C．copied | D．printed |
| A．reasonable | B．special | C．necessary | D．practical |
| A．convincing | B．reminding | C．informing | D．warning |
| A．wake-up | B．recovery | C．growth | D．arrival |
| A．responded | B．interrupted | C．predicted | D．repeated |
| A．coming in | B．setting out | C．passing down | D．moving around |
| A．opinion | B．anxiety | C．excitement | D．effort |
| A．comparing | B．exchanging | C．discussing | D．sharing |
| A．accept | B．know | C．believe | D．bother |
| A．parents | B．doctors | C．patients | D．visitors |
| A．dream | B．promise | C．agenda | D．principle |
| A．bearing | B．collecting | C．opening | D．making |
| A．discouraged | B．relaxed | C．astonished | D．defeated |
| A．admit | B．need | C．appreciate | D．expect |
| A．found | B．selected | C．developed | D．posted |
| A．confirmed | B．simplified | C．clarified | D．accompanied |
| A．pity | B．blessing | C．relief | D．problem |
| A．smart | B．calm | C．sweet | D．fair |
| A．sympathy | B．attention | C．control | D．trust |
