1 . How do you create a restaurant business and become an overnight success at the age of 52?As Ray Kroc said, “I was an overnight success alright, but 30 years is a long, long night.” As the builder of the McDonald’s hamburger empire, he helped change America’s eating habits, as well as its nature of business by standardizing operations in the fiercely competitive fast-food industry.
But not many know how this entrepreneurial (创业的) success story came to be. Kroc was not a chef or a restaurateur. He never even went to college. For over three decades, he held a variety of jobs, from piano player to salesman of paper cups and multiple milkshake machines. “The two most important requirements for major success are, first, being in the right place at the right time and, second, doing something about it.” So said Kroc.
And in 1954, he was in the right place at the right time, and he did something about it. The salesman was surprised by a huge order for eight multi-mixers (多用搅拌机) from a hamburger stand in California. There he found a small but successful restaurant run by brothers Dick and Mac McDonald, and was amazed by the effectiveness of their operation. They produced a limited menu, concentrating on just a few items-burgers, fries and beverages-which allowed them to focus on quality at every step of production.
The brothers were looking for a new franchisee (特许经营者) and Kroc saw an opportunity. He pitched (推销) his vision of creating McDonald’s restaurants all over the US to them. In 1955 he founded the McDonald’s Corporation, and six years later bought the exclusive rights to the McDonald’s name and operating system. By 1958, McDonald’s had sold its 100 millionth hamburger.
Kroc wanted to build a restaurant system that would be famous for providing food of consistently high quality and uniform methods of preparation. He wanted to serve burgers, fries and beverages that tasted just the same in Alaska as they did in Alabama.
To achieve this, Kroc chose a unique path: persuading both franchisees and suppliers to buy into his vision, working not for McDonald’s, but for themselves, together with McDonald’s. He promoted the slogan, “In business for yourself, but not by yourself.” His philosophy was based on the simple principle of a three- legged stool: one leg was McDonald’s franchisees; the second, McDonald’s suppliers; and the third, McDonald’s employees.
Kroc believed in the entrepreneurial spirit, and rewarded his franchisees for their individual creativity. Many of McDonald’s most famous menu items — like the Filet-O-Fish, Big Mac, and Egg McMuffin — were created by franchisees.
1. From the passage we know .| A．Ray Kroc was born with a talent of running businesses |
| B．Ray Kroc borrowed his business idea from others |
| C．McDonald’s Corporation was started by two brothers |
| D．McDonald’s Corporation succeeded for its unique philosophy |
| A．Kroc formed the three legs of McDonald’s |
| B．many suppliers created new ways of making burgers |
| C．franchisees began to stick to a limited menu |
| D．employees would work hard for McDonald’s and for themselves |
| A．Lucky and creative. | B．Devoted but simple-minded. |
| C．Independent and far-sighted | D．Cooperative but strict. |
| A．The cooperation of Kroc and two brothers. |
| B．The contribution of McDonald’s to the US food industry. |
| C．The requirements for a successful fast-food chain. |
| D．The story of an entrepreneurial success. |
2 . I was now, in the months of November and December, expecting my crop of corn. On a sudden, I found I was in danger of losing it all by enemies of several sorts. It was hardly possible to keep away from them. The goats and the hares which I called enemies, tasting the sweetness of the leaf, lay in it day and night. As soon as it came up, they ate it so close that it could get no time to shoot up into stem.
I could do nothing but make a fence around it, which I did with a great deal of work because it required speed. However, as my land was small, suited to my crop, I got it totally well fenced in about three weeks’time. Shooting some of the animals in the daytime, I set my dog to guard it at night, tying him up to a post at the gate, where he would stand and bark all night long. So in a little time the enemies gave up and left the place, and the corn grew very strong and well.
But as the animals damaged it before, while my corn was in the leaf, the birds were likely to harm it now. Going along by the place to see how it grew, I saw my little crop filled with fowls, who stood, watching till I should be gone. I immediately let fly among them, for I always had my gun with me. I had no sooner shot than there rose up a little cloud of birds, which I had not seen at all, from among the corn itself.
1. Why were the goats and hares called enemies?| A．Because they woke him up at night without a break. |
| B．Because they damaged the fence over and over again. |
| C．Because they often came to feed on the young corn. |
| D．Because they always kept him away from the field. |
| A．He shot some animals with a gun. | B．He put a dog at the gate to watch it. |
| C．He drove away animals by himself. | D．He made a wooden fence around it. |
| A．Birds. | B．Hares. | C．Leaves. | D．Goats. |
3 . Cody McCasland is a double above-knee amputee(被截肢者) .He was born with a rare birth weakness that caused his legs to form both missing tibiae(胫骨) and knees. He has been receiving care at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children (TSRHC) since he was just two months old. After discussions, doctors decided that it was in Cody’s best interests to amputate(截肢) his legs to give him a chance to walk freely using artificial limbs. This surgery was completed when Cody was just 15 months old, and he received his first set of artificial limbs when he was 17 months old.
Over the past few years Cody has continued to challenge himself physically. Cody has competed in many athletic competitions, winning gold medals in running and swimming. He once ran the last part of the Team Cody Relay at, the Dallas White Rock Marathon. He competes as a double amputee on a normal competitive USA swimming team. He also enjoys horse riding, playing baseball and many other sports.
Team Cody was formed in 2014.Through the years, Team Cody has raised nearly $92, 000 for TSRHC, and in 2018, it also raised over $3, 500 for Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF). In 2019, Cody was asked to be a spokesperson for CAF. Cody attends events to help further the mission of CAF by supporting physically challenged persons to reach their athletic goals. Cody also serves as a teacher for new challenged athletes.
Cody has been enable to train, travel, compete in various athletic events and act as an inspiration for others. He has taken opportunities to meet some disabled people, spend time with them and-encourage them.
1. How can we describe Cody according to the text?| A．Funny and gentle. | B．Friendly and strong-willed. |
| C．Honest but shy. | D．Awkward but sympathetic. |
| A．He is quite good at swimming and running. |
| B．He joined a normal USA swimming team in 2014. |
| C．He managed towing old medals in world-class competitions. |
| D．He has been supported by CAF to compete for so many times. |
| A．He gives CAF chances to hold competitions. |
| B．He can train the disabled people to win races. |
| C．His experiences encourage others, especially those who are disabled. |
| D．He offers money to those who are poor or disabled through Team Cody. |
| A．The surgery for his legs was completed when he was just 15 months old. |
| B．He once ran a full Dallas White Rock Marathon by himself. |
| C．He has been disabled since he was a young teenager. |
| D．He became a spokesman for CAF in 2018. |
4 . Mark Twain was a great writer in America. He was also a funny man. There were many interesting stories about him.
In his city, a man didn’t like Mark Twain. On April Fool’s Day, the man wanted to play a joke on the great writer. A newspaper in New York said that Mark Twain died. All his friends around the country were sad when they read it. Then they decided to visit his home. When the friends got there, they found Mark Twain writing in front of his desk. They got a big surprise and thought the newspaper did a bad thing. But Mark Twain didn’t get angry. He smiled and said, “The report(报道)about my death is right. But the time is too early.”
1. The report about Mark Twain was on ______.| A．June 2nd | B．April 2nd | C．June 1st | D．April 1st |
| A．前往 | B．居住 | C．拜访 | D．悼念 |
| A．listening to the radio | B．reading |
| C．writing | D．watching TV |
| A．didn’t like that man | B．was a funny man |
| C．didn’t like the newspaper | D．knew he wouldn’t die |
5 . Xiao Ming gets up very late. He rides his bike to the school quickly. He doesn’t look at the traffic lights, so he hits a car. The driver takes him to the hospital right now. The doctor looks over Xiao Ming very carefully. Xiao Ming wants to go to the school but the doctor and the driver ask him to stay in bed.
“ Now my boy,“ says the doctor.“ Could you tell me your name, please?”
“ What are you going to do?” asks Xiao Ming.
“I’m going to tell your parents and your teacher. ”answers the doctor.
“But my parents know my name and my teacher knows my name, too.“ says Xiao Ming.
1. How does Xiao Ming go to school?| A．by bike | B．by car |
| C．by bus | D．on foot |
| A．His teacher | B．His parents |
| C．The driver | D．His students |
| A．Because he is very happy. |
| B．Because he doesn’t notice the traffic lights. |
| C．Because he doesn’t like going to school |
| D．Because he can’t see anything |
| A．He is very lovely. |
| B．He is very bad. |
| C．He is very lazy. |
| D．He is very good. |
6 . What do you do with old, shabby (破旧的) books? Many books are thrown away daily around the world. But some rubbish collectors refuse to let this valuable resource go to waste. Instead they are giving these books a second home and providing books for those who can’t afford them!
Rubbish collectors in Ankara, Turkey were unhappy to see so many books being thrown out as rubbish. So in 2017, they decided to salvage them. At first the books were only provided for other city workers and their families. But as the number of books grew, so did the number of users and contributors! Today, the collection has over 6000 books. It is housed in an old, disused brick factory. The library lends out books to community members as well as nearby schools. For the rubbish collectors, their next plan is to turn a garbage truck into a library on wheels!
The movement to collect abandoned books doesn’t only happen in Turkey. Book lover Jose Alberto Gutierrez has started a similar collection in his home in Bogota, Colombia. The school in his neighborhood didn’t have its own library. Jose regularly (定期地) sends books to the school. He believes that education is the key to helping people escape (逃离) poverty.
When Jose was young, he couldn’t attend school because his family was too poor. However, his mother would read to him every night. That’s why, as a rubbish collector, he couldn’t bear to let books die in the rubbish bin. His book collection project started over 20 years ago with one book, a thrown-out classic Russian novel. He kept bringing books home, and his house slowly turned into a community library with over 25,000 titles. He calls his place La Fuerza de las Palabras, which is Spanish for “The Strength of Words”.
Through the efforts of these people, the power of words and knowledge can be shared by everyone.
1. What does the fined word “salvage” in Paragraph 2 mean?| A．Refuse | B．Sell | C．Save | D．Read |
| A．It is really a big success |
| B．It is very popular among novelists |
| C．It has spread quickly to other cities |
| D．It has brought the collectors much money. |
| A．It was built 20 years ago |
| B．It was named by his mother |
| C．It is open to schoolchildren every night |
| D．It is filled with many thrown-out books |
| A．From rubbish to treasure | B．The best way to learn |
| C．Being a true book lover | D．The future library |
7 . Born in a rural village in Changzhi, Shanxi, Zhang Juncheng has had the spirit of research since he was a child. He has been the best learner among the brothers and sisters and after all the hard work, he finally got to junior high school. He also achieved good results in the high school entrance exam. However, because his family was poor, Zhang could only choose to give up his study and start to work. In order to improve his career development, several years later when a security company in Beijing came to recruit (招聘) people, Zhang signed up and got on the bus to Beijing.
“Before starting the job, you need to train at the security training base for a period of nearly one month, and the distribution (分配) will be determined by the results,“ he said. With a strong belief in mind, Zhang Juncheng devoted himself to training. He won first place in many assessments for his high professional ability. He ranked first among more than 500 people and was eventually assigned (分配) to Peking University.
He valued this hard-won opportunity of working at Peking University and worked hard. His business evaluation was perfect every time. At the same time, he made use of his spare time to learn, often for a few hours a day. What is worth mentioning is that he met the most important person on his learning path, Professor Cao Yan from the English Department, who helped him a lot in English and provided him with precious learning opportunities.
The hard work paid off. After half a year of hard study, he successfully passed the adult college entrance exam and was admitted to the Law Department of Peking University. Three years later, he succeed in obtaining his degree certificate (证书).
Now, he has been teaching in his hometown for more than 20 years, and he has founded a private secondary vocational (职业的) school mainly for rural children. For Zhang Juncheng, who has gone through ups and downs, he understands more about the meaning and importance of continuous learning.
1. Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the Zhang Juncheng?| A．He was born in a poor family and was forced to drop out of school halfway. |
| B．He successfully found a job in a university after receiving great help from a professor. |
| C．He went through strict and tough training before starting up the job as a security guard. |
| D．He got his law degree in Peking University and has been working as a teacher. |
| A．By giving a definition. . |
| B．By making a comparison. |
| C．By providing an example. |
| D．By following the time order. |
| A．Optimistic and generous. | B．Adventurous and artistic.. |
| C．Thoughtful! and humorous. | D．Strong-willed and devoted. |
| A．There’s more to life than being happy. |
| B．The world is but a little place, after all. |
| C．Nothing is impossible for a willing heart. |
| D．Nothing can be achieved without standards. |
8 . She went on talking about her husband and how and why they’d moved here. I was starting to think I’d made a mistake by coming. But then she started talking about something else that really stirred my blood. She knew all about me and Tom Sawyer and the money we’d gotten! Only she said it was $10,000 instead of $6,000.
“Yes,” she said.” And that poor boy. His pappy was a hard old man. He took that boy away, and next thing you know, the boy is murdered. He never had a chance.”
“Who done it?” I asked. I wanted to see what other folks knew about me and Pap.
“Some thought old man Fin did it himself, but that same night a slave ran away. They think it was the slave that killed him. Folks are out hunting for him right now, and there’s a $300 reward for whoever finds him.”
All that talk gave me the jitters. I needed to look busy, so I took up a needle off the table and tried to thread it. My hands shook, and I wasn’t doing a very good job. The woman smiled at me so I put the needle back down.
She kept looking at me pretty curious. Then she said, “What did you say your name was, honey?”
“M—Mary Williams.”
“I thought you said your name was Sarah.”
“Yes, ma’am. Mary is my middle name.”
“Come on,” she egged. “What’s your real name? Is it Bill or Tom or Bob? What is it?”
I was shaking like a leaf. I didn’t know what to say. “How’d you know I was a boy?”
“Cause when you thread a needle, you’re supposed to hold it still and put the thread through. You did just the opposite. Now tell me your real name.”
“George Peters,” I lied.
“Well, trot along now Sarah Mary Williams George Peters. And if you get into any trouble, just send word to me, Mrs. Judith Loftus.”
I rushed out and hopped into the canoe. I had to get back to Jim. I knew now that there were folks out there looking for him just to get that $300 reward.
1. In the sentence “His pappy was a hard old man”, whose father is the hard old man?| A．Mary’s. | B．Jim’s. | C．Huck’s. | D．George’s. |
| A．Seeking the boy. | B．Beating the boy. |
| C．Exchanging the boy. | D．Killing the boy. |
| A．To get the reward. | B．To help the woman. |
| C．To hide the nervousness. | D．To kill the woman. |
| A．From his looks. | B．From his questions. |
| C．From his voice. | D．From his behavior. |
9 . You Life is What You Make It
Zhang Tian graduated from university and got a teacher’s certificate last year. His parents wanted him to get a good job in Shanghai. But he was inspired by the idea of living independently away from home. So he applied for and became a volunteer teacher in a village school. Bringing with him lots of books, clothes, and two pairs of trainers, Zhang Tian travelled to the village with an eager heart. He imagined all sorts of exciting things about living and teaching in a village.
However, not everything lived up to Zhang Tian’s hopes. The school was much smaller than he expected, with only three classrooms. In front of the classrooms, there was a playground which got dusty on windy days and muddy on rainy days. Living In the village was also more challenging than he had thought. The power and water supplies were unstable, so he could only shower every three or four days, and he had to learn how to cook. The thought of leaving once flashed through his mind, but he quickly gave up the idea and found ways to deal with the challenges.
The school had just three teachers and Zhang Tian was the only English teacher. The other two local teachers were responsible for maths and Chinese. To make school life healthier and livelier for his students, Zhang Tian introduced more subjects to the school — music, art and PE. It is not surprising that PE is the kids’ favourite subject! Their school lives are now more attractive and interesting, and they enjoy playing football in the playground, as well as singing songs they’ve learnt. The school is now full of laughter and music. Zhang Tian is planning to organise the first ever school concert! Everyone is very excited.
1. Why did Zhang Tian choose to be a volunteer teacher?| A．He wanted to live independently. |
| B．His parents wanted him to be a teacher. |
| C．He wanted a new lifestyle and was inspired by teachers he met. |
| D．He needed the experience to get a teacher’s certificate. |
| A．PE was the kid’s favourite subject. |
| B．Students were short of books and desks. |
| C．The school even didn’t have a playground. |
| D．Living conditions were worse than he had expected. |
| A．Tough but meaningful. | B．Dull but interesting. |
| C．Easy and comfortable. | D．Lonely and hopeless. |
10 . In a quiet Northern California neighborhood, Michael seemed like a normal 11-year-old boy. His family made use of the Californian sunshine to grow orange trees and roses. All seemed good from the outside, but Michael was troubled.
Since he was taken in at 3 years old, Michael never really connected with his parents. There was a strictness about them that his nature couldn’t understand, and he was left to himself to sort out (整理) confusing feelings and the need for connection.
Without the tie a young boy needs at home, Michael often found himself down the street at his best friend’s house. Of course, the two boys laughed, read picture books and ate junk food. But the real reason why Michael liked his friend’s home was Mr. Christensen. He was the kind of father who understands boys.
With Mr. Christensen, the boys spent hours in the garage fixing an old sports car. They drove up the California coast at high speed, feeling the salt wind wash over them. The car was too loud to allow for any conversation, which was fine with Michael. He didn’t yet know how to express his feelings; for the time being, just being able to feel them was enough.
For many young boys, the language of connection is written in the wrenches (扳手) they and their parents turn, the wrestling matches they watch, the hours of their watching clouds race by overhead. Mr. Christensen understood that boys need time to learn this language. He knew a boy learns respect and duty by being loved in an unspoken way.
Some 50 years later, Michael remembers his time with Mr. Christensen. “My own father couldn’t raise me, so I was given away. My adoptive father (养父) did his best but never allowed a relationship to form between us. Luckily for me, I had Mr. Christensen. I have tried to be the kind of father he was, teaching, having fun and spending time with my child.”
1. What was the problem with young Michael?| A．He had to do hard work on the farm. |
| B．He dropped out of school with his best friend. |
| C．He was given up by his parents as a little kid. |
| D．He was treated badly by his adoptive parents. |
| A．Strong wind. | B．Too loud noise. | C．Busy repair work. | D．Driving excitement. |
| A．By taking part in competitions. | B．Through communication. |
| C．By studying hard. | D．Through doing things together. |
| A．Mr. Christensen. | B．His friends. |
| C．His own father. | D．His adoptive parents. |
