The business executive was deep in debt and could see no way out. Creditors (债主) were closing in on him. Suppliers were demanding payment. He sat on the park bench, head in hands, wondering if anything could save his company from bankruptcy (破产).

    Suddenly an old man appeared before him. “I can see that something is troubling you.” he said. After listening to the executive, the old man said: “I believe I can help you.”

    He asked the man his name, wrote out a check, and pushed it into his hand saying: “Take this money. Meet me here exactly one year from today, and you can pay me back at that time.” Then he turned and disappeared as quickly as he had come.

    The business executive saw in his hand a check for $500,000, signed by John D. Rockefeller, then one of the richest men in the world!

    “I can settle all my debts in a moment!” he realized. But instead, the executive decided to put the uncashed check in his safe, just knowing it would give him the strength to work out a way to save his business.

    With renewed optimism, he made better deals and extended terms of payment. He closed several big deals. Within a few months, he was out of debt and making money once again.

    Exactly one year later, he returned to the park with the uncashed check. At the agreed-upon time, the old man appeared. But just as the executive was about to hand back the check and share his success story, a nurse came running up and grabbed the old man.

    “I’m so glad I caught him!” she cried. “I hope he hasn’t been bothering you. He’s always escaping from the rest home and telling people he’s John D. Rockefeller.” And she led the old man away by the arm.

What was the executive worried about?

A. He couldn’t produce enough for the suppliers.

B. The creditors wouldn’t lend him any money.

C. His products didn’t sell well.

D. He might run into bankcruptcy.

Which of the following statements about the old man is TRUE?

A. The old man had known the executive was in trouble before he came.

B. The old man’s way of helping the executive worked out well.

C. The check he wrote was far from enough for the executive.

D. In fact the old man didn’t want to have his money back.

The executive didn’t cash the check because ____________.

A. He was afraid that the bank didn’t have so much money.

B. The check gave him a lot of strength and encouragement.

C. He was uncertain if he could ever pay back the money.

D. He knew the old man wasn’t John D. Rockefeller at all.

The business executive was deep in debt and could see no way out. Creditors (债主) were closing in on him. Suppliers were demanding payment. He sat on the park bench, head in hands, wondering if anything could save his company from bankruptcy (破产).
Suddenly an old man appeared before him. “I can see that something is troubling you.” he said. After listening to the executive, the old man said: “I believe I can help you.”
He asked the man his name, wrote out a check, and pushed it into his hand saying: “Take this money. Meet me here exactly one year from today, and you can pay me back at that time.” Then he turned and disappeared as quickly as he had come.
The business executive saw in his hand a check for $500,000, signed by John D. Rockefeller, then one of the richest men in the world!
“I can settle all my debts in a moment!” he realized. But instead, the executive decided to put the uncashed check in his safe, just knowing it would give him the strength to work out a way to save his business.
With renewed optimism, he made better deals and extended terms of payment. He closed several big deals. Within a few months, he was out of debt and making money once again.
Exactly one year later, he returned to the park with the uncashed check. At the agreed-upon time, the old man appeared. But just as the executive was about to hand back the check and share his success story, a nurse came running up and grabbed the old man.
“I’m so glad I caught him!” she cried. “I hope he hasn’t been bothering you. He’s always escaping from the rest home and telling people he’s John D. Rockefeller.” And she led the old man away by the arm.
【小题1】What was the executive worried about?

The business executive was deep in debt and could see no way out. Creditors (债主) were closing in on him. Suppliers were demanding payment. He sat on the park bench, head in hands, wondering if anything could save his company from bankruptcy (破产).

    Suddenly an old man appeared before him. “I can see that something is troubling you.” he said. After listening to the executive, the old man said: “I believe I can help you.”

    He asked the man his name, wrote out a check, and pushed it into his hand saying: “Take this money. Meet me here exactly one year from today, and you can pay me back at that time.” Then he turned and disappeared as quickly as he had come.

    The business executive saw in his hand a check for $500,000, signed by John D. Rockefeller, then one of the richest men in the world!

    “I can settle all my debts in a moment!” he realized. But instead, the executive decided to put the uncashed check in his safe, just knowing it would give him the strength to work out a way to save his business.

    With renewed optimism, he made better deals and extended terms of payment. He closed several big deals. Within a few months, he was out of debt and making money once again.

    Exactly one year later, he returned to the park with the uncashed check. At the agreed-upon time, the old man appeared. But just as the executive was about to hand back the check and share his success story, a nurse came running up and grabbed the old man.

    “I’m so glad I caught him!” she cried. “I hope he hasn’t been bothering you. He’s always escaping from the rest home and telling people he’s John D. Rockefeller.” And she led the old man away by the arm.

1.What was the executive worried about?

A. He couldn’t produce enough for the suppliers.

B. The creditors wouldn’t lend him any money.

C. His products didn’t sell well.

D. He might run into bankcruptcy.

2.Which of the following statements about the old man is TRUE?

A. The old man had known the executive was in trouble before he came.

B. The old man’s way of helping the executive worked out well.

C. The check he wrote was far from enough for the executive.

D. In fact the old man didn’t want to have his money back.

3.The executive didn’t cash the check because ____________.

A. He was afraid that the bank didn’t have so much money.

B. The check gave him a lot of strength and encouragement.

C. He was uncertain if he could ever pay back the money.

D. He knew the old man wasn’t John D. Rockefeller at all.

The business executive was deep in debt and could see no way out. Creditors (债主) were closing in on him. Suppliers were demanding payment. He sat on the park bench, head in hands, wondering if anything could save his company from bankruptcy (破产).
Suddenly an old man appeared before him. “I can see that something is troubling you.” he said. After listening to the executive, the old man said: “I believe I can help you.”
He asked the man his name, wrote out a check, and pushed it into his hand saying: “Take this money. Meet me here exactly one year from today, and you can pay me back at that time.” Then he turned and disappeared as quickly as he had come.
The business executive saw in his hand a check for $500,000, signed by John D. Rockefeller, then one of the richest men in the world!
“I can settle all my debts in a moment!” he realized. But instead, the executive decided to put the uncashed check in his safe, just knowing it would give him the strength to work out a way to save his business.
With renewed optimism, he made better deals and extended terms of payment. He closed several big deals. Within a few months, he was out of debt and making money once again.
Exactly one year later, he returned to the park with the uncashed check. At the agreed-upon time, the old man appeared. But just as the executive was about to hand back the check and share his success story, a nurse came running up and grabbed the old man.
“I’m so glad I caught him!” she cried. “I hope he hasn’t been bothering you. He’s always escaping from the rest home and telling people he’s John D. Rockefeller.” And she led the old man away by the arm.

1. 1.

   What was the executive worried about?

   1. A.
      He couldn’t produce enough for the suppliers.
   2. B.
      The creditors wouldn’t lend him any money.
   3. C.
      His products didn’t sell well.
   4. D.
      He might run into bankcruptcy.
2. 2.

   Which of the following statements about the old man is TRUE?

   1. A.
      The old man had known the executive was in trouble before he came.
   2. B.
      The old man’s way of helping the executive worked out well.
   3. C.
      The check he wrote was far from enough for the executive.
   4. D.
      In fact the old man didn’t want to have his money back.
3. 3.

   The executive didn’t cash the check because ____________.

   1. A.
      He was afraid that the bank didn’t have so much money.
   2. B.
      The check gave him a lot of strength and encouragement.
   3. C.
      He was uncertain if he could ever pay back the money.
   4. D.
      He knew the old man wasn’t John D. Rockefeller at all.

The crowd cheered as the young man walked across the stage to receive his award as the company's top producer. He looked over the audience and trembled, and there was a clear pause that brought a silence to the room. It took him a moment to control himself.

"The last three months hit me pretty hard," he began. "And I feel the need to share a piece of my story though I'm not sure why. A friend called me about his new marketing system, an outbound (发往外国的) fax（传真）service that could reach thousands of potential customers at very little cost. I checked it out, got excited and accepted it. After thousands of faxes, it seemed that what I did was illegal . I was punished a dollar for every one sent out.

The crowd was surprised.

"I failed to do proper research, and didn't pay attention to the details. Now I am heavily in debt. As some of you know, I recently move up here from down south. I stored my stuff （资料）in my old office, which I closed down. When I drove back to pick it all up, I found that everything except my computer and the clothes I brought with me was gone."

He continued, "I drive a sports car. I love that car. One day while driving it, I stepped on the accelerator (油门), lost control at 85 miles an hour, and hit the guard rail. I damaged my car very badly."

"In three months, I got charged, lost everything I owned, and damaged my car. We all face challenges," he smiled. "I guess I wanted to share mine with you. Thanks for listening. " He left to a standing ovation (鼓掌).

Standing in the back of the room, I realized how much respect that young man earned. He faced his fear, publicly admitted his mistakes and never gave up, in spite of the difficulties. That day, he won much more than a trophy (奖杯).

50. According to the first paragraph, which word can describe the young man?

　 A. Calm.　　　　 B. Brave.　　　　　 C. Shy.　　　　　　 D. Nervous.

51. Why was the young man punished?

　 A. He made a serious mistake in his research. 　　

B. He illegally sent faxes to customers.

C. He stole a computer from an office. 　　　　　　　

D. He drove his car at a high speed.

52. The young man told his experiences perhaps to _________.　　　　　 .

　 A. encourage others to face challenges bravely　

B. let the audience forgive him

　 C. show his misunderstanding of the law　　　

D. complain about being treated unfairly