1 .         As a manager, Tiffany is responsible for interviewing applicants for some of the positions with her company. During one interview, she noticed that the candidate never made direct eye contact. She was puzzled and somewhat disappointed because she liked the individual otherwise.

He had a perfect resume and gave good responses to her questions, but the fact that he never looked her in the eye said “untrustworthy,” so she decided to offer the job to her second choice. “It wasn’t until I attended a diversity workshop that I realized the person we passed over was the perfect person.” Tiffany admits. What she hadn’t known at the time of the interview was that the candidate’s “different” behavior was simply a cultural misunderstanding. He was an Asian-American raised in a family where respect for those in authority was shown by turning away your eyes. “I was just thrown off by the lack of eye contact, not realizing it was cultural,” Tiffany says. “I missed out, but will not miss that opportunity again.”

Many of us have had similar experiences with behaviors we describe as different. As the world becomes smaller and our workplaces more diverse, it is becoming essential to expand our understanding of others and to reexamine some of our false assumptions (假设) .

Hire Advantage

At a time when hiring qualified people is becoming more difficult, employers who can have no personal biases (偏见) from the process have an obvious advantage. My company, Mindsets LLC, helps organizations and individuals see their own blind spots. A real estate (房产) agent we worked with illustrates the positive difference such training can make .

“During my Mindsets coaching period, I was taught how to own a diversified workforce. I employed people from different cultures and skill sets. The agents were able to make use of their full potential and experiences to build up the company. When the real estate market began to change, it was because we had a diverse agent pool that we were able to stay in the real estate market much longer than others in the same profession.”

Blinded by Gender

Dale is an account executive who attended one of my workshops in charge of a diverse workforce. “Through some of the lessons, I discovered my personal bias.” he recalls. “I learned I had not been looking at a person as a whole person, and being open to differences.” In his case, the blindness was not about culture but rather gender.

“I had a management position open in my department; and the two finalists were a man and a woman. Had I not attended this workshop, I would have automatically assumed the man was the best candidate because the position required quite a bit of extensive travel. My assumption would have been that even though both candidates were great and could have been successful in the position, I assumed the woman would have wanted to be home with her children and not travel.” Dale’s assumptions are another example of the well-intentioned but incorrect thinking that limits an organization’s ability to promote the full potential of a diverse workforce. “I learned from the class that instead of forcing my gender biases into the situation, I needed to present the full range of duties, responsibilities and expectations to all candidates and allow them to make an informed decision.” Dale sings high praise for the workshop, “because it helped me make decisions based on fairness.”

A better Bottom Line

An open mind about diversity not only improves organizations from inside, it is profitable as well. These comments from a customer service representative show how an inclusive attitude can improve sales.” Most of my customers speak English as a second language. One of the best things my company has done is to contract with a language service that offers translations over the phone. It wasn’t until my boss received Mindsets’ training that she was able to understand how important inclusiveness was to customer service. As a result, our customer base has increased.”

Once we start to see people as individuals, we can move positively toward inclusiveness for everyone. Diversity is about coming together and taking advantage of our differences and similarities and about building better communities and organizations. When we begin to question our assumptions and challenge what we think we have learned from our past , from the media, peers, family, friends, etc, we begin to realize that some of our conclusions are imperfect or contrary to our fundamental values. We need to train ourselves to think differently, shift our mindsets and realize that diversity opens doors for all of us, creating opportunities in organizations and communities that benefit everyone.

1. In Tiffany’s view, the first candidate was passed over because he ________.

A．was an Asian-American

B．didn’t perform as perfectly as the second one

C．was untrustworthy

D．showed no respect for authority

2. Tiffany’s misjudgment about the candidate originated from ________.

A．racial discrimination

B．cultural differences

C．gender discrimination

D．emphasis on physical appearance

3. What kind of organization is Mindsets LLC?

A．A real estate agency.

B．A hi-tech company.

C．A company dealing with financial affairs.

D．A company training workforce.

4. Which of the following statements will Dale not agree with about Mindsets LLC’s workshop?

A．It helped him make fair decisions.

B．It helped him discover his personal bias about gender.

C．It helped him look at a person as a whole one.

D．It helped him find successful candidates.

5. The last paragraph is intended to tell us the importance of ________.

A．viewing people as individuals

B．challenging our past

C．training ourselves in Mindsets’ workshops

D．building better communications

2 . Like most people, I was brought up to look upon life as a process of getting. It was not until in my late thirties that I made this important discovery: giving-away makes life so much more exciting. You need not worry if you lack money.
This is how I experimented with giving-away. If an idea for improving the window display of a neighborhood store flashes to me, I step in and make the suggestion to the storekeeper. One discovery I made about giving-away is that it is almost impossible to give away anything in this world without getting something back, though the return often comes in all unexpected form.
One Sunday morning, the local post office delivered an important special delivery letter to my home, though it was addressed to me at my office. I wrote the postmaster a note of appreciation. More than a year later I needed a post-office box for a new business I was starting. I was told at the window that there were no boxes left, and that my name would have to go on a long waiting list. As I was about to leave, the postmaster appeared in the doorway. He had overheard(无意中听到)our conversation. "Wasn’t it you that wrote us that letter a year ago about delivering a special delivery to your home?" I said yes. "Well, you certainly are going to have a box in this post office if we have to make one for you. You don’t know what a letter like that means to us. We usually get nothing but complaints."
1. From the passage, we understand that _____.

A．the author did not understand the importance of giving until he was in late thirties

B．the author was like most people who were mostly receivers rather than givers

C．the author received the same education as most people during his childhood

D．the author liked most people as they looked upon life as a process of getting

2. According to the author, _____.

A．giving means you will lack money

B．the excitement of giving can bring you money

C．you don’t have to be rich in order to give

D．when you give away money, you will be rich

3. The author would make the suggestion to the storekeeper _____.

A．in writing	B．in person
C．in the window display	D．about the neighborhood

4. When the author needed a post-office box, _____.

A．he had put his name on a waiting list

B．he wrote the postmaster a note of appreciation

C．many people had applied for post-office boxes before him

D．he asked the postmaster to make one for him

3 . Dear Guys,

I’d like to talk to you about the shame you subjected me to last night. Let me first refresh your memory: You, a group of fit, young men, were playing soccer on the field across from my apartment building. I, a better-than-average looking young woman, was walking along the sidewalk with my groceries. That’s when your ball came flying over the fence and landed in front of me.

One of you approached and asked politely if I would throw the ball back to you. Fighting the urge to drop my bags and run screaming down the street, I reluctantly (勉强地) agreed.

Before I continue, let me explain something that I didn’t have a chance to mention last night: I hate sports. More specifically, I hate sports involving balls. This results from my lack of natural ability when it comes to throwing, catching and hitting. I’m bad at aiming too. So you can understand why I’d be nervous at what I’m sure seemed to you like a laughably simple request.

However, wanting to appear agreeable, I put my bags down, picked up the ball and, eyes half-shut, and threw it as hard as I could.

It hit the middle of the fence and bounced back to me.

Trying to act casually, I said something about being out of practice, and then picked up the ball again. If you’ll remember, at your command, I agreed to try throwing underhand. While outwardly I was smiling, in my head, I was praying, oh God, oh please oh please oh please. I threw the ball upward with all my strength, terrified by what happened next.

The ball hit slightly higher up on the fence and bounced back to me.

This is the point where I start to take issue with you. Wouldn’t it have been a better use of your time, and mine, if you had just walked around the fence and took the ball then? I was clearly struggling; my smiles were more and more forced. And yet, you all just stood there, motionless.

Seeing that you weren’t going to let me out of the trouble, I became desperate. Memories of middle school softball came flooding back. I tried hard to throw the ball but it only went about eight feet, then I decided to pick it up and dash with ball in hand towards the baseline, while annoyed thirteen-year-old boys screamed at me that I was ruining their lives. Children are cruel.

Being a big girl now, I pushed those memories aside and picked up the soccer ball for the third time. I forced a good-natured laugh while crying inside as you patiently shouted words of support over the fence at me.

“Throw it granny-style!” one of you said.

“Just back up a little and give it all you’ve got!” another offered.

And, most embarrassing of all, “You can do it!”

I know you thought you were being encouraging, but it only served to deepen the shame.

Anyway, I accepted your ball-throwing advice, backed up, rocked back and forth a little, took a deep breath and let it fly.

It hit the edge of the fence and bounced back to me.

I surprised myself—and I’m sure you as well—by letting out a cry, “DAMN IT!!!” I then willed myself to have a heart attack and pass out in front of you just so I’d be put out of my misery.

Alas, the heart attack didn’t happen, and you continued to look at me expectantly, like you were content to do this all night. I had become a sort of exhibition for you. I could feel your collective thoughts drifting through the chain-link: “Can she really not do it? But I mean, really?”

Unfortunately for you, I wasn’t really game to continue your experiment. Three failed attempts at a simple task in front of a group of people in a two-minute period were just enough blows for me for one night. I picked up the ball one last time, approached the fence and grumbled, “Please just come get the damn ball.”

And you did. And thanks to you, I decided at that very moment to never throw anything ever again, except disrespectful glances at people who play sports.

Sincerely,

Jen Cordery

1. The writer agreed to throw the ball because ______.

A．she needed to have a relax carrying the heavy groceries

B．she wanted to refresh her childhood memories

C．she could not refuse the polite request from the young man

D．she had fallen in love with the young man at first sight

2. Which of the following is closet in meaning to the underlined word “game”?

A．anxious

B．brave

C．afraid

D．curious

3. Why did the writer mention her middle school memory?

A．To explain why she failed the attempts to throw the ball back.

B．To complain that she had not mastered the ball throwing skills.

C．To show how cruel those 13-year-old boys were.

D．To express her dislike towards softball.

4. What the boys said before the writer’s third attempt actually made the writer ________.

A．inspired

B．encouraged

C．awkward

D．depressed

5. What happened to the ball at last?

A．The writer managed to throw the ball back.

B．The boy got the ball back by himself.

C．The writer threw the ball away out of anger.

D．The boys got angry and left without the ball.

6. What’s the writer’s purpose in writing this open letter?

A．To express her regret over what she did the day before.

B．To announce that she would never play all games again.

C．To joke on her inability to throw the ball over the fence.

D．To criticize the young men for their cruelty to her dignity.

4 . The story happened years ago，when my daughter was still little.
I was driving across the country with my daughter to____my husband. Since I intended to get to my destination before supper time, I drove ____ for a long time without a stop. Then after driving for many miles, I became tired and needed to stop for a break to get ____
I found a rest area. It was mostly deserted, in a quiet area of the highway. I parked the car and carried my ____ into the restroom. When I came out I saw a middle-aged ____ wandering around. Feeling ____ about that, I asked the lady. What ____ me was: they were waiting for us!
The lady told me that she and her husband wanted to see us safely back into our ____ She explained that sometimes rest areas could be a ____ place for a young lady like me. She told me that she had a daughter almost my age, so they wanted to make sure that I got safely back on my way.
I was very touched by their ____. Being young, and probably naive to the potential ____ of rest areas, it had never occurred to me that there was any possibility of something going wrong. I ____ them for their kindness. My daughter and I continued our journey and ____ our destination safely.
I never got their names but years have passed and their kindness is still not ____ Sometimes angels come in make-up and just because you can’t see their ______ it doesn’t mean they aren’t angels.1.

A．desert

B．stop

C．join

D．save

2.

A．slowly

B．quickly

C．safely

D．quietly

3.

A．excited

B．bored

C．interested

D．refreshed

4.

A．daughter

B．luggage

C．license

D．car

5.

A．lady

B．man

C．couple

D．angel

6.

A．angry

B．curious

C．jealous

D．terrible

7.

A．surprised

B．worried

C．annoyed

D．upset

8.

A．room

B．car

C．area

D．park

9.

A．quiet

B．noisy

C．dangerous

D．safe

10.

A．devotion

B．honesty

C．potential

D．consideration

11.

A．stops

B．dangers

C．mistakes

D．changes

12.

A．forgave

B．asked

C．thanked

D．blamed

13.

A．reached

B．left

C．missed

D．passed

14.

A．seen

B．forgotten

C．deserted

D．recognized

15.

A．kindness

B．safety

C．faces

D．wings

5 . Natalie Doan, 14, has always felt lucky to live in Rockaway, New York. Living just a few blocks from the beach, Natalie can see the ocean and hear the waves from her house. “It’s the ocean that makes Rockaway so special.” she says.

On October 29, 2012, that ocean turned violent. That night, Hurricane Sandy struck the East Coast, and Rockaway was hit especially hard. Fortunately, Natalie’s family escaped to Brooklyn shortly before the city’s bridges closed.

When they returned to Rockaway the next day, they found their neighborhood in ruins. Many of Natalie’s friends had lost their homes and were living far away. All around her, people were suffering, especially the elderly. Natalie’s school was so damaged that she had to temporarily attend a school in Brooklyn.

In the following few days, the men and women helping Rockaway recover inspired Natalie. Volunteers came with carloads of donated(捐献的)clothing and toys. Neighbors devoted their spare time to helping others rebuild. Teenagers climbed dozens of flights of stairs to deliver water and food to elderly people trapped in powerless high-rise buildings.

“My mom tells me that I can’t control what happens to me,” Natalie says, “but I can always choose how I deal with it.”Natalie’s choice was to help. She created a website page, matching survivors in need with donors who wanted to help. Natalie posted information about a boy named Patrick, who lost his baseball and collection when his house burned down. Within days, Patrick’s collection was replaced.

In the coming months, her website page helped lots of kids: Christopher, who received a new basketball; Charlie, who got a new keyboard. Natalie also worked with other organizations to bring much-needed supplies to Rockaway. Her efforts made her a famous person. Last April, she was invited to the White House and honored as a Hurricane Sandy Champion of Change.

Today, the scars(创痕) of destruction are still seen in Rockaway, but hope is in the air. The streets are clear, and many homes have been rebuilt. “I can’t imagine living anywhere but Rockaway,” Natalie declares. “My neighborhood will be back, even stronger than before.”

1. When Natalie returned to Rockaway after the hurricane, she found _______.

A．some friends had lost their lives

B．her neighborhood was destroyed

C．her school had moved to Brooklyn

D．the elderly were free from suffering

2. According to Paragraph 4, who inspired Natalie most?

A．The people helping Rockaway rebuild.

B．The people trapped in high-rise buildings.

C．The volunteers donating money to survivors.

D．Local teenagers bringing clothing to elderly people.

3. How did Natalie help the survivors?

A．She gave her toys to other kids.

B．She took care of younger children.

C．She called on the White House to help.

D．She built an information sharing platform.

4. What do you think is the best title of the passage?

A．A Girl Helps Make a Difference

B．A Hurricane Disaster.

C．Home is Best.

D．Technology is Power.

6 . One of the easiest things in the world is to become a fault-finder. However, life can be _______ when you are not busy finding fault with it.

Several years ago I _______ a letter from seventeen-year-old Kerry, who described herself as a world-class fault-finder, almost always _______ by things. People were always doing things that annoyed her, and _______ was ever good enough. She was highly self-critical and also found fault with her friends. She became a really _______ person.

Unfortunately, it took a horrible accident to change her _______. Her best friend was seriously hurt in a car crash. What made it almost _______ to deal with was that the day before the _______, Kerry had visited her friend and had spent the whole time criticizing her _______ of boyfriends, the way she was living, the way she related to her mother, and various other things she felt she needed to ________. It wasn’t until her friend was badly hurt that Kerry became ________ her habit of finding fault. Very quickly, she learned to appreciate life rather than to ________ everything so harshly(刻薄). She was able to transfer her new wisdom to other parts of her ________ as well.

Perhaps most of us aren’t as extreme at fault-finding, ________ when we’re honest, we can be sharply ________ of the world. I’m not suggesting you ________ problems, or that you pretend things are ________ than they are, but simply that you learn to allow things to be as they are — ________ most of the time, and especially when it’s not a really big ________.

Train yourself to ＂bite your tongue＂, and with a little ________, you’ll get really good at letting things go. And when you do, you’ll get back your enthusiasm and love for life.

1.

A．lonely

B．great

C．quiet

D．uneasy

2.

A．received

B．answered

C．expected

D．rejected

3.

A．threatened

B．interrupted

C．bothered

D．spoiled

4.

A．anything

B．everything

C．something

D．nothing

5.

A．caring

B．boring

C．interesting

D．surprising

6.

A．attitude

B．plan

C．measure

D．explanation

7.

A．urgent

B．unnecessary

C．certain

D．impossible

8.

A．occasion

B．event

C．accident

D．adventure

9.

A．memory

B．notice

C．evidence

D．choice

10.

A．hear

B．contribute

C．express

D．admit

11.

A．aware of

B．afraid of

C．curious about

D．confused about

12.

A．discuss

B．realize

C．judge

D．settle

13.

A．family

B．life

C．career

D．education

14.

A．so

B．or

C．but

D．for

15.

A．proud

B．sure

C．hopeful

D．critical

16.

A．face

B．create

C．solve

D．ignore

17.

A．rarer

B．better

C．stranger

D．worse

18.

A．at least

B．at last

C．by far

D．so far

19.

A．task

B．deal

C．result

D．duty

20.

A．practice

B．speech

C．rest

D．pity

7 .        1. Mean old ladies

There is always a reason why an old lady gives you a serious look – you are being too loud, dressed improperly or not crossing the street in the right place. Sometimes it can be lovely, but if you are already having a bad day, a mean old lady can drive you mad.

What to do about it:

I’ve come to realize that when people start conflicts, it is actually an expression of their inner state expressed in an outside way. You, your personality, your looks or your actions have nothing to do with it. It is not personal, so why take it personally?

2. That person, who cuts in front of everybody in line

This is something that gets me angry. Even if I am not in a hurry, I still feel bad for the other people in line who are being treated unjustly. Are you more patient than I am or do you feel annoying too?

What to do about it:

If we have negative thoughts then we are wasting our energy on negativity. Situations like this could be a great opportunity to learn to control our first negative responses and practice understanding. After all, the person may just have a quick question or maybe there is an emergency.

3. Friends that tell you “I told you so”

It is one thing to admit that you made a mistake and another to hear it from a friend. Friends should be there to support you and cheer you up when you are feeling down, not make themselves feel better at your expense, right?

What to do about it:

It helps to remember that when people say “I told you so”, they may mean, “Please listen to my advice to avoid future mistakes.” If this is not the help you need – voice it out, without getting defensive.

1. According to the author, what can you do when meeting with a mean old lady?

A．Take it personally.	B．Take it seriously.
C．Don’t apologize to her.	D．Don’t get upset.

2. When seeing someone cutting in line, we’d better ________.

A．stop him immediately	B．treat it with a good state of mind
C．pretend not to see it	D．teach him a good lesson

3. The third tip intends to advise you ________.

A．not to keep silent at a friend’s improper suggestion

B．to tell your friend if they have misunderstood you

C．not to talk to your friend if they feel better at your expense

D．to apologize to your friend when you’ve done something wrong

4. What is the best title for this passage?

A．What to do when meeting with these people?

B．How to ask your friends for help when in trouble?

C．How to give advice to your friends when asked to?

D．What to say when faced with different situations?

8 . When I told my father that I was moving to Des Moines, Iowa, he told me about the only time he had been there. It was in the 1930s, when he was an editor of the literary magazine of Southern Methodist University（SMU）in Dallas, Texas. He also worked as a professor at SMU, and there was a girl student in his class who suffered from a serious back disease. She couldn’t afford the operation because her family was poor.
Her mother ran a boardinghouse in Galveston, a seaside town near Houston, Texas. She was cleaning out the attic（阁楼）one day when she came across an old dusty manuscript（手稿）. On its top page were the words, “By O. Henry”. It was a nice story, and she sent it to her daughter at SMU, who showed it to my father. My father had never read the story before, but it sounded like O. Henry, and he knew that O. Henry had once lived in Houston. So it was possible that the famous author had gone to the beach and stayed in the Galveston boardinghouse, and had written the story there and left the manuscript behind by accident. My father visited an O. Henry expert at Columbia University in New York, who authenticated the story as O. Henry’s.
My father then set out to sell it. Eventfully, he found himself in Des Moines, meeting with Gardner Cowles, a top editor at the Des Moines Register. Cowles loves the story and bought it on the spot. My father took the money to the girl. It was just enough for her to have the operation she so desperately needed.
My father never told me what the O. Henry story was about. But I doubt that it could have been better than his own story.
1. Who found the O. Henry’s manuscript?

A．The girl’s mother.	B．The author’s father.
C．The girl.	D．The author.

2. Which of the following might explain the fact that the manuscript was found in the   attic?

A．O. Henry once worked in Houston.

B．O. Henry once stayed in Galveston.

C．O. Henry once moved to Des Moines.

D．O. Henry once taught at SMU.

3. The underlined word “authenticated” in Paragraph 2 probably means ______.

A．named	B．treated
C．proved	D．described

4. According to the text, why did the author’s father go to Des Moines?

A．To sell the O. Henry story.

B．To meet the author himself.

C．To talk with the O. Henry expert.

D．To give money to the girl.

9 . 阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。
A HOLIDAY jet pilot (飞行员) said that he would land and call the police after a woman refused to stop smoking.
He warned Maureen Harkavy, “Put that cigarette out, or I’ll land the plane and have you arrested.”
Maureen, 47, was so shocked she wrote to the airline’s chairman. But his reply was even ruder.
“You seem to think you have a God-given right to pollute your neighbours’ atmosphere,” wrote John Ferriday of Paramount Airways.
(a)Said Maureen, “I only found out about it when I was checking in. I’m a nervous flyer so I lit a cigarette during the flight. A stewardess (空姐) asked me to put it out, but I said I wanted to carry on as there was no rule against smoking on the plane.” She was just finishing her cigarette when the pilot arrived.
(b) I’ve never seen such an unpleasant letter. She said, “I don’t think I’ll ever fly again.” But there was a funny side. Maureen explained, “We were offered duty-free (免税) cigarette from the stewardess on the plane!”
(c) Mr. Ferriday went on; “Believe me, you haven’t. Especially when you travel on my planes.”
Maureen and her husband Michael were moved to Paramount flight just before they left Portugal. But they were not told of the company’ s (公司的) no smoking policy.
(d) “He was loud and rude,” said Maureen. “He said if I lit another cigarette he would land the plane at Bordeaux and hand me to the French police.”
Later, from her home in Mosely, Birmingham, Maureen wrote to the company and received the rude reply.
1. The second half of the story has been in wrong order. (Parts a-d) Choose the rearranged order which you think is right.

A．a, c, b, d	B．c, a, b, d
C．c, a, d, b	D．d, a, b, c

2. Maureen Harkavy ____ on the plane.

A．accepted the warning

B．agreed to the warning

C．refused to do what she was told to

D．was so shocked that she wrote to the airline’s chairman

3. From the story we can see that the writer probably takes the side of ____ .

A．the pilot	B．the airline’s chairman
C．the stewardress	D．Maureen Harkavy

10 . Since we are social beings, the quality of our lives depends in large measure on our interpersonal relationships. One strength of the human conditions is our possibility to give and receive support from one another under stressful(有压力的) conditions. Social support makes up of the exchange of resources among people based on their interpersonal ties. Those of us with strong support systems appear better able to deal with major life changes and daily problems. People with strong social ties live longer and have better health than those without such ties. Studies over types of illnesses, from depression to heart disease, show that the presence of social support helps people defend themselves against illness, and the absence of such support makes poor health more likely.

Social support cushions stress in a number of ways. First, friends, relatives and co-workers may let us know that they value us. Our self-respect is strengthened when we feel accepted by others in spite of our faults and difficulties. Second, other people often provide us with informational support. They help us to define and understand our problems and find solutions to them. Third,we typically find social companionship supportive. Taking part in free-time activities with others helps us to meet our social needs while at the same time distracting(转移注意力) us from our worries and troubles. Finally,other people may give us instrumental support — money aid, material resources, and needed services — that reduces stress by helping us resolve and deal with our problems.

1. Interpersonal relationships are important because they can ________.

A．make people live more easily

B．smooth away daily problems

C．deal with life changes

D．cure types of illnesses

2. The researches show that people’s physical and mental health ________.

A．lies in the social medical care systems which support them

B．has much to do with the amount of support they get from others

C．depends on their ability to deal with daily worries and troubles

D．is related to their courage for dealing with major life changes

3. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined word “cushions” ？

A．Takes place of.	B．Makes up of.
C．Lessens the effect of.	D．Gets rid of.

4. Helping a sick neighbor with some repair work in spare time is an example of ________.

A．instrumental support

B．informational support

C．social companionship

D．the strengthening of self-respect