Bum rate is the speed at which a startup business consumes money. My rate would be $ 50,000 a month when my new media company started. So, I began looking around for individuals who would be my first investors. “Angel money” it was called. But when I reviewed my list of acquaintances to find those who might be able to help, I found the number got small.

　　With no other choices, I began meeting with the venture-capital companies. But I was warned they took a huge share of your company for the money they put in. And if you struggled, they could drop you cold.

　　As I was searching for “angel money”, I started to build a team who trusted me even though I didn't have money for paychecks yet.

　　Bill Becker was an expert in computer programming and image processing at a very famous Media Lab at M. I.T. With his arrival, my company suddenly had a major technology “guy” in-house.

　　Katherine Henderson, a filmmaker and a former real-estate dealer, joined us as our director of market research. Steve White came on as operating officer. He had worked for the developer of a home-finance software, Quicken. We grabbed him.

　　We had some really good people, but we still didn't have enough money. One night, my neighbor, Louise Johnson, came for a visit. She and I were only nodding acquaintances, but her boys and ours were constant companions. She ran a very good business at the time.

　　Louise was brilliant and missed nothing. She had been watching my progress closely. She knew I was dying for money and I had prospects but could offer no guarantees of success.

　　She told me that her attorney had talked to mine and the terms had been agreed upon. She handed me an envelope. Inside was a check for $ 500,000.

　　I almost fell down. I heard her voice as if from heaven.

　　“I have confidence in your plan,” she said. “You' 11 do well. You're going to work hard for it, but it' s satisfying when you build your own company.”

　　Who would have thought I'd find an angel so close to home? There were no words sufficient for the moment. We just said good night. She left and I just stood there, completely humbled and completely committed.

1.For a newly-established business, bum rate refers to___________.

A. the salary it pays to its staff

B. the interest it pays to the bank

C. the way in which it raises capital

D. the speed at which it spends money

2.By "Angel money", the author refers to__________.

A. the money borrowed from banks

B. the money spent to promote sales

C. the money raised from close friends

D. the money needed to start a business

3.To get help from a venture-capital company, you may have to__________.

A. put up with unfair terms　         B. change your business line

C. enlarge your business scope      　D. let them operate your business

4.The author easily built a team for his company because__________.

A. they were underpaid at their previous jobs

B. they were turned down by other companies

C. they were confident of the author and his business

D. they were satisfied with the salaries in his company

5.Louise decided to lend money to the author because__________.

A. she wanted to join his company

B. she knew he would build a team

C. she knew his plan would succeed

D. she wanted to help promote his sales

After the Summer Olympics are over, when all the athletics have gone home and the television audience has switched off, another group of athletics and fans will arrive at the host city, and another competition will begin. These are the Paralympics, the games for athletes with a disability. But in Beijing in 2008, for the first time, one of the greatest Paralympics will not be taking part.

　 She is a British athlete by the name of Tanni Grey-Thormpson. Born with spine hifida (脊椎裂) which left her paralysed from the waist down. Tanni used a wheelchair from the age of 7. at first, she was not keen on sport, apart from horse-riding, which gave her a sense of freedom. But in her teens, she started taking sports more seriously. She tried swimming, basketball and tennis. Eventually she found athletics, and never looked back.

　 Indeed, Tanni’s athletic career took off. In 1984, when she was 15, she pulled off a surprise victory in the 100metres at the Junior National Wheelchair Games.

　 In 1988, Tanni went to her first Paralympic Games in Seoul. She won bronze in the 400 metres. Even greater success followed at the 1992 Barcelona. Paralympics. Tanni won gold in the 100, 200, 400 and 800 metres relay, setting two world records in the process. In the same year she achieved she first of her six London Wheelchair Marathon victories.

　 Tanni’s enduring success had been part motivation(动机), part preparation, “The training I do that enables me to be a good sprinter(短跑运动员) enables me to be good at a marathon too. I train 50 weeks of the year and that keeps me prepared for whatever distance I want to race…. I am still competing at a very high lever, but as I get older things get harder and I want to retire before I fall apart.”

　 Indeed Tanni retired finally after the Visa Paralympic World Cup in 2007. Her wish is to coach young athletes for Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

　 In spite of ups and downs, she never take her fate lying down. In her splendid life, she has won an amazing eleven gold medals, four silvers and one bronze in series of Paralympics- a top lever athletic career covering two decades. She has won the London Wheelchair Marathon six times, more than any other competitor, and she has set over thirty world records.

　 What advice does she have for young athletes? “Work hard at your studies, and then train, train and train again.”

41. Which of the following sports did Tanni like before thirteen?

A. Basketball         B. Swimming.          C. Tennis.        D. Horse-riding.

42. When did Tanni win her first Olympic gold medal?

A. In 1984.           B. In 1988.             C. In 1992.       D. In 2007.

43. The underlined word “that” in the 5th paragraph refers to _______.

A. fifty weeks’ training             B. being a good sprinter

C. training almost every day         D. part motivation and part preparation

44. What’s the right order of the events related to Tanni?

a. She works as a coach.      b. She took up athletics.

c. She won four gold medals in Barcelona.   d. She competed in her first Paralympic Games.

e. She achieved a victory in her first London Wheelchair Marathon.

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

45. What can we learn from Tanni’s success?

A. Union is strength.                 B. Never too late to learn.

C. Well begun is half done.         D. No pains, no gains.

Lillian Hanson, a college student, expects to graduate in about two years. What makes Mrs Hanson different from her classmates is her age-----73 years. She has been studying at college, a few courses at a time, for 27 years.

　　When Lillian Hanson graduated from high school, she went to the bank to borrow money for further education. The banker gave her no encouragement. He didn't think that a country girl should borrow money to go to college. He thought she should be at home doing work in the house or around the farm. So Lillian Hanson went home and raised a family of nine children instead of going to college. Mrs Hanson never forgot her dream of getting a higher education. When her children were grown, she tried again.

　　She finds that it is the hardest part of going back to school at her age to sit in class for long periods of time. Because she is not as quick as she used to be, Mrs Hanson often gets up and walks around classes to keep from getting stiff(不灵活). At the beginning of a course in using the computer, the other students all stood up to give her a warm welcome when she introduced herself and explained why she was there and what her aims were.

1.Mrs Hanson couldn’t go to college immediately after she graduated from high school because _____.

　　A. she hadn't got enough money         B. she was a country girl

　　C. the banker ordered her not to borrow any money

　　D.the banker thought she should raise a family of nine children

2.The computer students welcomed Mrs Hanson warmly because ______.

　　A. she had got an excellent result in the exam

　　B. she was good at telling funny stories

　　C. they wanted to get her help in their studies

　　D. they were deeply moved by her spirit

3. Mrs Hanson is the sort of person who ________.

　　A. cares for study very much    B. likes to borrow money from the bank

　　C. never misses a chance to talk   D. tries to save any money for her family

4. In which order did Mrs Hanson do the following things?

　　a. she began her studies at college.         b. She finished high school.

　　c. She got married and gave birth of nine children.

　　d. She had her 73 rd birthday.     e. She went to the bank to borrow money.

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

The young couple had another quarrel. They were sitting silently when the landlady came in and asked, “You don’t   31  the house any more?” He kept silent and she   32  shook her head.
The landlady began   33  the house. After looking around, the landlady screamed, “See how you have   34  my house? The walls are full of nails! How could I rent it to others?”
She began looking around her   35 room. Four years ago on the wedding night, he felt deeply   36  to her, saying, “I feel so sorry to you for   37  you live in this small room. In the future I will buy our own big house.”
This tiny room has two nails on the wall next to the door, one for her bag and the other   38  . At that time, she threw all her stuff such as her bag and umbrella on the   39  once she entered the room, staring at the whole   40  and feeling terribly upset. Then he began   41  more nails into the wall. There were three nails on the left, on which   42  his clothes yesterday and four on the right used to   43  their wedding photo frame.
The landlady started to pull the nails out with a tool. After the nails were   44 , the walls were left with countless holes. Suddenly, she felt heartbroken as if she were   45  nonstop through these holes.
　　She   46  to her feet and exclaimed, “Stop removing the nails! We will rent the house   47  we buy our own!” He gazed at her surprised, and then turned round, tears over his cheek.
She   48 realized that marriage was like a wall and that all   49  and “cold wars” were like the nails on the wall.  50 , when they were removed, only a wall with holes would remain. But if all the nails were still in their own places, the wall was still complete and reliable.