1 . While Fernando and his wife were waiting in the ticketing line, he heard a man at the counter trying to get a ticket to Las Vegas. He was having trouble. He only had $150 and that wasn’t enough. The ticketing agent(售票员)was pretty unhelpful and told him he needed to go online and look for other ways.
The man kept trying to explain his situation to her but wasn’t getting anywhere. His English was limited, so it was difficult for him to communicate. He was becoming increasingly anxious—and she was becoming increasingly cold.
After he finally turned away from the counter, Fernando went up and asked what was up. He spoke Spanish so Fernando was able to understand his story.
The man had lost his job here in the San Francisco area and had no place to live, and only had $150. He had family who were living in Las Vegas and was trying to get there. He was told he could get a ticket for $150, but told Fernando that he couldn't read, didn't have a computer, and didn't know how to access the internet from the airport—let alone buy a low-cost ticket on the net.
Fernando believed him and wanted to help him. They walked back to the counter and Fernando bought a $330 ticket to Las Vegas for the man.
Fernando didn’t ask for anything and trusted that this guy’s story was true. He followed his heart, because he wanted to help him. And most importantly, he did.
Not only that, a month later when Fernando’s wife was going through the credit card statement, she saw the charge and asked her husband, “Wasn’t that ticket $240? Why is the bill $330?”
Fernando sheepishly replied, “I upgraded (升级) him.”
1. What prevented the man going home?| A．He lost his money. | B．He missed his flight. |
| C．He couldn’t communicate. | D．He couldn’t buy a ticket. |
| A．He lent the man some money. |
| B．He chose to believe the man’s words. |
| C．He helped the man explain to the agent. |
| D．He taught the man to connect the internet. |
| A．Curious. | B．Annoyed. |
| C．Proud. | D．Calm. |
| A．A Flight Ticket | B．A Homeless Man |
| C．An Interesting Trip | D．A Helpful Couple |
2 . Sit down，close your eyes and relax. Think about your childhood and the memories you created. What was your favorite childhood memory and what was your favorite as a child? Or what your favorite Christmas present or your favorite candy bar when growing up? Answers may come easily for some people but for others，it may take more time to think about.
Mary Jo McCarthy of Pequot Lakes wants to help others document their childhood memories which could be treasured by current families and for generations to come. McCarthy, 64, a short story author and retired columnist (专栏作家) for the Lake Country Echo weekly newspaper, began hosting a writing seminar (研讨班) titled “A Time to Remember”. The closes are limited to 12 people and are conducted in the nursery at Lutheran Church of the Cross in Nisswa and the registration fee is $25.
McCarthy said what led her to start the writing seminars was writing others’ biographies(传记). A retired businessman asked her to write his biography as a ghost writer. She said others from her church in Pequot Lakes had also asked her to write their biographies because they didn’t know how to write them. She thought hosting a class to help people write their own biographies would be more beneficial to them.
McCarthy said people had busy lifestyles those days and didn’t have a chance to sit down and write down their memories that they might forget and never remember. She said writing down the memories would document the person’s life，so other family members，especially future generations would be able to read about them.
1. In paragraph 1 the author raises some questions to________.| A．introduce the topic of the text |
| B．express his/her puzzle about memories |
| C．give some examples for readers about biographies |
| D．provide background details for readers about the retired columnist |
| A．She was strict with her students |
| B．She didn’t take charge of seminars |
| C．She got support from the local government |
| D．She once worked as a columnist in a newspaper |
| A．writing biographies is an easy job |
| B．a biography is part of family history |
| C．McCarthy had her own biographies published |
| D．fewer and fewer people feel interested in biographies |
| A．show how to write biographies |
| B．help people communicate with their families |
| C．call on people to write their own biographies |
| D．introduce McCarthy and her writing seminars |
3 . Raised in a motherless home，my father was extremely tightfisted towards us children. His attitude didn’t soften as I grew into adulthood and went to college. I had to ride the bus whenever I came home. Though the bus stopped about two miles from home，Dad never met me，even in severe weather. If I grumbled，he’d say in his loudest father-voice，“That’s what your legs are for！”
The walk didn’t bother me as much as the fear of walking alone along the highway and country roads. I also felt less than valued that my father didn’t seem concerned about my safety. But that feeling was canceled one spring evening.
It had been a particularly difficult week at college after long hours in labs. I longed for home. When the bus reached the stop，I stepped off and dragged my suitcase to begin the long journey home.
A row of hedge(树篱)edged the driveway that climbed the hill to our house. Once I had turned off the highway to start the last lap of my journey，I always had a sense of relief to see the hedge because it meant that I was almost home. On that particular evening，the hedge had just come into view when I saw something gray moving along the top of the hedge，moving toward the house. Upon closer observation，I realized it was the top of my father’s head. Then I knew，each time I’d come home，he had stood behind the hedge，watching，until he knew I had arrived safely. I swallowed hard against the tears. He did care，after all.
On later visits，that spot of gray became my watchtower. I could hardly wait until I was close enough to watch for its secret movement above the greenery. Upon reaching home，I would find my father sitting innocently in his chair.“ So！My son，it’s you！”he’d say，his face lengthening into pretended surprise.
I replied，“Yes，Dad，it’s me.I’m home.”
1. What does the underlined word“grumbled” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．Agreed willingly. | B．Explained clearly. |
| C．Spoke unhappily. | D．Accepted happily. |
| A．the tiredness after long hours in labs |
| B．the feeling of being less than valued |
| C．the fear of seeing something moving |
| D．the loneliness of riding the bus home |
| A．he was concerned about his son’s safety |
| B．he wanted to help his son build up courage |
| C．he didn’t want to meet his son at the doorway |
| D．he didn’t think his son was old enough to walk alone |
| A．Riding Bus Alone. | B．My College Life. |
| C．Terrible Journey Home. | D．My Father’s Secret. |
4 . About a month after I joined Facebook, I got a call from Lori Goler, a highly regarded senior director of marketing at eBay. She made it clear this was a business call. “I want to apply to work with you at Facebook,” she said. “Instead of recommending myself, I want to ask you: What is your biggest problem, and how can I solve it?”
My jaw hit the floor. I had hired thousands of people over the previous decade and no one had ever said anything remotely like that. People usually focus on finding the right role for themselves, with the implication that their skills will help the company. Lori put Facebook’s needs front and center. It was a killer approach. I responded, “Recruiting is my biggest problem. And, yes, you can solve it.”
Lori never dreamed she would work in recruiting, but she jumped in. She even agreed to trade earnings for acquiring new skills in a new field. Lori did a great job running recruiting and within months was promoted to her current job, leading People@Facebook.
The most common metaphor for careers is a ladder, but this concept no longer applies to most workers. As of 2010, the average American had eleven jobs from the ages of eighteen to forty-six alone. Lori often quotes Pattie Sellers, who came up with a much better metaphor: “Careers are a jungle gym, not a ladder.”
As Lori describes it, there’s only one way to get to the top of a ladder, but there are many ways to get to the top of a jungle gym. The jungle gym model benefits everyone, but especially women who might be starting careers, switching careers, getting blocked by external barriers, or reentering the workforce after taking time off. The ability to create a unique path with occasional dips, detours (弯路), and even dead ends presents great views of many people, not just those at the top. On a ladder, most climbers are stuck staring at the butt of the person above.
1. Why did Lori make the call?
| A．She helped Facebook to solve the biggest problem. |
| B．She wanted to make a business deal with Facebook. |
| C．She tried to ask for a pay rise in Facebook. |
| D．She wanted to become an employee in Facebook. |
| A．Lori was good at running recruiting. |
| B．Lori attached great importance to Facebook’s needs. |
| C．Lori jumped in Facebook with no adequate experience. |
| D．Lori was skilled in marketing at eBay. |
| A．Now all people don’t tend to climb the ladder. |
| B．None on the ladder can enjoy the great views. |
| C．Jungle gyms offer limited exploration for employees. |
| D．A pregnant woman, jobless, benefits little from the jungle gyms. |
| A．It’s a Jungle Gym, Not a Ladder. |
| B．Facebook’s Biggest Problem. |
| C．Applying for a Job in Facebook. |
| D．A Jungle Gym is Better than a Ladder. |
