This parable（寓言）is told of a farmer who owned an old mule（骡子）. The mule fell into the farmer’s well. The farmer heard the mule praying for whatever mules do when they fall into wells. After carefully assessing（评估）the situation, the farmer sympathized（同情）with the mule, but decided that neither the mule nor the well was worth the trouble of saving. Instead, he called his neighbors together , told them what had happened, and asked them to help pour dirt to bury the old mule in the well and put him out his misery.
At the beginning, the old mule was crazy! But as the farmer and his neighbors continued shovelling and the dirt hit his back, a thought struck him. It suddenly dawned on him that every time a shovel load of dirt landed on his back, he would shake it off and step up!
This he did, blow after blow. “Shake it off and step up… shake it off and step up… shake it off and step up!” He repeated to encourage himself. No matter how painful the blows, or how distressing the situation seemed, the old mule fought panic and just kept right on shaking it off and stepping up!
It wasn’t long before the old mule, battered and exhausted, stepped triumphantly（胜利地）over the wall of that well! What seemed like it would bury him actually helped him… all because of the manner in which he handled his adversity（逆境）.
That’s life! If we face our problems and respond to them positively, and refuse to give in to panic, bitterness, or self-pity.
The adversities that come along to bury us usually have within them the very real potential to benefit us! Never be afraid to try something new. Remember that amateurs（生手）built the boat. Professionals built the Titanic

1. 1.

   Why did the farmer decide to bury the mule in the well?

   1. A.
      Because he thought the mule was of little use
   2. B.
      Because he didn’t like the praying made by the mule
   3. C.
      Because he thought the well couldn’t be used any longer after the accident
   4. D.
      Because he didn’t want to see the mule suffer more in the well
2. 2.

   What does the underlined sentence in the second paragraph mean?

   1. A.
      The mule became calm
   2. B.
      The mule became quiet
   3. C.
      The mule suddenly had an idea
   4. D.
      The mule lost heart
3. 3.

   Who saved the mule at last?

   1. A.
      The farmer
   2. B.
      The farmer’s neighbors
   3. C.
      The farmer and his neighbors
   4. D.
      The mule himself
4. 4.

   What lesson can we learn from the passage?
   a. One should give up something of little use.
   b. One should depend oneself when in trouble.
   c. One should show mercy to others who are in trouble.
   d. There must be something that one can do well no matter what he is.
   e. Be self-determined and never give up, and one can succeed in the end

   1. A.
      a, b, e
   2. B.
      b, d, e
   3. C.
      a, c, e
   4. D.
      b, c, e

Micro-blog is no longer simply a platform for self-expression, gossip and networking, as it is becoming an increasingly fierce battlefield for businesses wanting to promote their products and services.

Over the last year, micro-blogging has become wildly popular in China, with some 65 million China based micro-blog accounts registered(注册登记) by the end of 2010 and the number is growing by more than 10 million each month, according to Data Center of the China Internet (DCCI).

At present, China’s largest web portal Sina claims to have 5,000 company micro-blog users, including Starbucks, Channel, and IKEA. On the micro-blog pages of the companies, visitors can not only view advertisements, but also see consumer feedback (反馈) and even commentaries on hot social issues.

E-commerce (电子商务) expert Lu Bowang says micro-blogging has opened a whole new dimension of marketing. Through micro-blogs, companies can quickly grasp the attention of potential consumers and interact with them on a regular basis so to develop a friendly link with consumers, Lu said.

An Internet surfer nicknamed Xiaoben posted on his micro-blog page that he enjoyed drinking Puer tea, and within 10 minutes, a micro-blogger who owned an online shop selling Puer tea recommended his shop to Xiaoben. “It is a little bit like magic. I just make a wish, and then I get a micro-blog response.”

However, with more and more people micro-blogging to make money, experts warn that marketing via micro-blog could be a double-edged sword.

Huang Heshui, professor from Xiamen University says micro-blogging is highly personal and private, and that too many advertising messages can annoy micro-blog users leading them to dislike certain brands.

Further, a brand can be as easily damaged as established through micro-blogging, as consumers’ negative feedback about a certain product or company can be very quickly spread in the micro-blog community, Huang added.

The micro-blog managers should set up some rules and regulation to supervise micro-blog marketing, and at the same time, business organizations need to strengthen self-discipline(自律) and try to build up an honesty-based business culture, e-commerce expert Lu Bowang suggested.

1. By the end of March. 2011, the number of registered accounts based in China probably has

increased to __________.

A. 65,000,000　　 　 B. 10,000,000 　　 C. 5,000　 　　　 D. 95, 000,000

2. What is the purpose of telling Xiaoben's experience ?

A. To indicate how fast he got the tea.　　　　　

B. To strengthen micro-blog based marketing.　

C. To show the win-win situation in micro-blog marketing.　　　　

D. To persuade people to make a wish through micro-blog.

3. From what Professor Huang says, we can learn that_______.

A. Advertising information will lead to micro-bloggers' great anger

B. A brand's reputation can be easily damaged because it's founded through micro-blogging

C. Consumers' reaction plays a vital role in a company's survival in the micro-blog community.

D. Self-discipline requires enhancing if business is to succeed through micro-blogging.

4. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A. Micro-Blog: A Double-Edged Sword　 B. Business Online

C. A Fierce Battlefield　　　　　　　　 D. Micro-Blog Makes its Way to Business

This parable（寓言）is told of a farmer who owned an old mule（骡子）. The mule fell into the farmer’s well. The farmer heard the mule praying or whatever mules do when they fall into wells. After carefully assessing（评估）the situation, the farmer sympathized（同情）with the mule, but decided that neither the mule nor the well was worth the trouble of saving. Instead, he called his neighbors together , told them what had happened, and asked them to help pour dirt to bury the old mule in the well and put him out his misery.

At the beginning, the old mule was crazy! But as the farmer and his neighbors continued shoveling and the dirt hit his back, a thought struck him. It suddenly dawned on him that every time a shovel load of dirt landed on his back, he would shake it off and step up!

This he did, blow after blow. “Shake it off and step up… shake it off and step up… shake it off and step up!” He repeated to encourage himself. No matter how painful the blows, or how distressing the situation seemed, the old mule fought panic and just kept right on shaking it off and stepping up!

It wasn’t long before the old mule, battered and exhausted, stepped triumphantly（胜利地）over the wall of that well! What seemed like it would bury him actually helped him… all because of the manner in which he handled his adversity（逆境）.

THAT`S LIFE! If we face our problems and respond to them positively, and refuse to give in to panic, bitterness, or self-pity.

The adversities that come along to bury us usually have within them the very real potential to benefit us!

Never be afraid to try something new. Remember that amateurs（生手）built the boat. Professionals built the Titanic.

1．Why did the farmer decide to bury the mule in the well?

       A．Because he thought the mule was of little use.

       B．Because he didn’t like the praying made by the mule.

       C．Because he thought the well couldn’t be used any longer after the accident.

       D．Because he didn’t want to see the mule suffer more in the well.

2．What does the underlined sentence in the second paragraph mean?

       A．The mule became calm                      B．The mule became quiet.

       C．The mule suddenly had an idea           D．The mule lost heart.

3．Who saved the mule at last?

       A．The farmer                               B．The farmer’s neighbors 

       C．The farmer and his neighbors               D．The mule himself.

4．What lesson can we learn from the passage?

       a．One should give up something of little use.

       b．One should depend oneself when in trouble.

       c．One should show mercy to others who are in trouble.

       d．There must be something that one can do well no matter what he is.

       e．Be self-determined and never give up, and one can succeed in the end.

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

When I was 12, all I wanted was a signet (图章) ring. They were the "in" thing and it seemed every girl except me had one. On my 13th birthday, my Mum gave me a signet ring with my initials(姓名首字母) carved into it. I was in heaven.

What made it even more special was that it was about the only thing that wasn't being "replaced". We'd been burnt out in fires that swept through our area earlier that year and had lost everything—so most of the " new" stuff (东西) we got was really just to replace what we'd lost. But not my ring. My ring was new.

Then, only one month later, I lost it. I took it off before bed and it was missing in the morning. I was sad and searched everywhere for it. But it seemed to have disappeared. Eventually, I gave up and stopped looking for it. And two years later, we sold the house and moved away.

Years passed, and a couple of moves later, I was visiting my parents' when Mum told me that she had something for me. It wasn't my birthday, nor was it Easter or Christmas or any other gift-giving occasion. Mum noticed my questioning look. " You'll recognize this one," she said, smiling.

Then she handed me a small ring box. I took it from her and opened it to find my beautiful signet ring inside. The family who had bought our house 13 years earlier had recently decided to do some redecorations, which included replacing the carpets. When they pulled the carpet up in my old bedroom, they found the ring. As it had my initials carved into it, they realized who owned the ring. They'd had it professionally cleaned up by a jeweler before sending it to my mother. And it still fits me.

1.The underlined word "in" in the first paragraph probably means "_____".

A．fashionable        B．available          C．practical          D．renewable

2.When she got the ring back, the writer was about _____.

A．13 years old       B．15 years old        C．26 years old       D．28 years old

3.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A． The writer's family moved several times.

B． The writer never stopped looking for her ring.

C． The writer's ring was cleaned up by the new house owner.

D． The writer lost her ring in the morning when she took it off.

4.What would be the best title for the passage?

A．My New Ring                           B．Lost and Found

C．Lost and Replaced                       D．An Expensive Ring

McDonald's is the world single biggest food provider with annual sales of around $12.4bn. And the company's symbol Ronald McDonald is now （or so the company claims） the word's most recognized person after Santa Claus.

　　The first McDonald's restaurant was opened in San Bernardino, California, in 1948 by brothers Mac and Richard “Dick” McDonald. Mac ran the restaurant side; Dick was the marketing genius. He had already invented the drive-in laundry and had been the first person to use neon lights in advertising. Now he spotted the gap in the post-war, baby-boom market for cheap, family-orientated restaurants with simple menus, standardized food and efficient service.

　　After a slow start, business began to boom. By 1954, the brothers were joined by another entrepreneur, a kitchen equipment salesman called Ray A Kroc who owned the franchise to the Multimixer, milk shake maker used throughout the McDonald's chain. A year later, Kroc had bought the McDonald brothers' chain of 25 franchises for the equivalent of around $70m（￡44m）. Dick remained with the company until the Seventies, when he and Kroc fell out over Kroc's claim that the chain was his creation.

　　Today, an almost Stalinist cult of personality surrounds Kroc （who died in 1984） at McDonald's, while the brothers who gave the company its name have all but been written out of its history. But though Kroc did not found McDonald's, he was certainly responsible for the empire-building philosophy which led to its world domination. He ushered in such essential contributions to international cuisine as the Big Mac （1968） and the Egg McMuffin （1973）; and helped launch Ronald McDonald —— “in any language he means fun” —— on to television in 1963.

　　Every three hours, a new McDonald's franchise opens somewhere in the world; it can be found in more than 100 countries including India （vegetarian-only to avoid offending the non-beef-eating populace） and Israel （non kosher, despite fierce local objection）. McDonald's chain embodied the thrusting, can-do spirit of Fifties America with staff mottoes such as “If you've got time to lean, you've go time to clean.”

1. McDonald's was founded _____.

A. by a kitchen equipment salesman

B. in California.

C. by a marketing genius called Dick McDonald.

D. after the first World War.

2.What do we know about McDonald's brothers?

A. They were not McDonald's founders although they named the restaurant.

B. Their business was still in depression after several years.

C. They had clear job separation on business.

D. They sold their restaurant to a salesman in 1954.

3. Which is not Kroc's contribution to McDonald's ?

A. He launched the restaurant image Ronald McDonald on to television.

B. Under his lead, international cuisine as the Big Mac and the Egg McMuffin earned worldwide fame

C. He spotted the gap in postwar market for cheap, family-orientated restaurants.

D. He built McDonald's empire with a philosophy which led to its world domination.

4.Which statement is true according to the passage?

A. The single biggest food provider was however, not named after its founder

B. The international cuisine as the Big Mac, a beef hamburger, is provided every chain restaurant in the world.

C. Employees in McDonald's have no time to lean.

D. The symbol Ronald McDonald, means fun in any language, is said to the word most recognized person after Santa Claus.