To err is human. To blame（责备） the other guy is even more human.
Common sense is not all that common.
Why tell the truth when you can come up with a good excuse?
These three popular misquotes（戏谑的引语）are meant to be jokes, and yet they tell us a lot about human nature. To err, or to make mistakes, is indeed a part of being human, but it seems that most people don’t want to accept the responsibility for the problem. Perhaps it is the natural thing to do. The original quote about human nature went like this: “To err is human, to forgive, divine（神圣的）.” This saying mirrors an ideal: People should be forgiving of others’ mistakes. Instead, we tend to do the opposite – find someone else to pass the blame on to. However, taking responsibility for something that went wrong is a mark of great maturity（成熟）.
Common sense is what we call clear thought. Having common sense means having a good general plan that will make things work well, and it also means staying with the plan. Common sense tells you that you take an umbrella out into a rainstorm, but you leave the umbrella home when you hear a weather forecast for sunshine. Common sense does not seem to be common for large companies, because there are so many things going on that one person cannot be in charge of everything. People say that in a large company, “the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing.”
And what is wrong with a society that thinks that making up a good excuse is like creating a work of art? One of the common problems with making excuses is that people, especially young people, get the idea that it’s okay not to be totally honest all the time. There is a corollary（直接推论）to that: if a good excuse is “good” even if it isn’t honest, then where is the place of the truth?
【小题1】Which of the following is NOT based on common sense?

A．A secretary works to a timetable.

B．A company’s next move follows a good plan.

C．A girl goes out with an umbrella in stormy weather.

D．A man tries to manage everything in a large company.

【小题2】What can we infer from the last paragraph according to the writer?

A．A good excuse is the same as honesty.

B．Inventing a good excuse needs creative ideas.

C．Unpleasant truth is better than a good excuse.

D．Making a good excuse is sometimes a better idea.

【小题3】What would be the best title for this passage?

A．A Mirror of Human Nature

B．To Blame or to Forgive

C．A Mark of Maturity

D．Truth or Excuse

When I was a child I never said, "When I grow up, I want to be a CEO," but here I am. When I look back on my career, I realize the road to becoming a CEO isn't a straight, clear path. In fact, no two paths are the same. But whether you want to be a boss one day or not, there's a lot to learn from how leaders rise to the top of successful companies.  
As this series of stories shows, the paths to becoming a CEO may be different, but the people in that position(位置) share the qualities of commitment（义务）, work ethic（道德） and a strong desire for building something new. And every CEO take risks along the way—putting your life savings on the line to start a software company or leaving a big business to be one of the first employees at a startup.
I grew up in Minnesota, and learned how to be an entrepreneur（企业家）from my father, who has run a small business for almost 30 years. I went to Georgetown University and tried a lot of business activities in college with success. And I always had a dream job pattern(模式): to walk to work, work for myself and build something for consumers(顾客).  
I'm only 29, so it's been a quick ride to CEO. Out of college, I worked for AOL as a product manager, then moved to Revolution Health and ran the consumer product team. In mid-2007 I left Revolution Health and started LivingSocial with several other workmates, where I became a CEO.
Career advice: Don't figure out where you want to work, or even what industry you'd like to work at. Figure out what makes you do so. What gives you a really big rush? Answer why you like things, not what you like doing. . . and then apply it to your work life. Also, just because you're graduating, don't stop learning. Read more books than you did in college. If you do, and they're not, you're really well-positioned to succeed in whatever you do.
【小题1】What can we know from the first paragraph?

A．The writer hasn't achieved his childhood ambition.

B．The writer thinks there is some easy way to become a CEO.

C．The writer had an ambition of becoming a CEO in his childhood.

D．The writer believes success stories of CEOs can be beneficial(有益的) to everybody.

【小题2】According to the writer, successful CEOs should _____.

A．try not to take risks	B．stay in the same business
C．have a strong sense of creativity	D．save every possible penny

【小题3】What can we know about the writer from the passage?

A．He started LivingSocial when he was still a student of Georgetown University.

B．He used to run the consumer product team for AOL.

C．His business activities at college ended up in more failure than success.

D．His father had far-reaching influence on him.

【小题4】What does the underlined phrase “figure out” mean? ______.

A．断定

B．弄清

C．理解

D．领会

【小题5】Which of the following proverbs may the writer agree with according to the last paragraph?

A．Well begun is half done.

B．Everything comes to him who waits.

C．Time and tide wait for no man.

D．One is never too old to learn.

Expo 2010 is held in Shanghai from May 1 to October 31．People all over the world are looking forward to it．Here are several golden rules on how to best plan your hip．
Rule 1：Do your homework
Read everything you call before going．Really study the maps．Know the pavilions．Arrive at the entrance nearest Io the things you want to see．Have a plan．It will make a big difference．
Rule 2：Allow plenty of time
Expo 2010 is the largest attraction event in the history of the world．It will take many days to see it．Plan to spend from five to eight days or more seeing it．
Rule 3：Pace yourself
Expo is enormous．The distances are punishing．It is better to spend a day seeing a single area than to man hack and forth all over the site．Remember to wear the most comfortable shoes．Never mind what they look like．
Rule 4：Get going in May
At many Expos the crowds are smaller in May and in early June than any other time．And beware the last two weeks．During every Expo, people delay their visits and then in early October they suddenly realize．“Expo will close soon! I haven’t seen it!’’ As a result, the last several weeks usually have the most crowded days of the entire Expo．
Rule 5：Find out what everyone else is doing-and do the opposite
If you don't like large crowds and long lines．do the opposite．Here is all example：Most people go on Saturdays or on holidays, So avoid Saturdays and holidays．Go on weekdays when most people are at work．
Rule 6：Turn up
Expo 2010 is the largest celebration in China's history-an amazing once-in-a-lifetime event．When it is gone and it will never be seen again．So whatever you do，don't miss it!
【小题1】Expo 2010 will last _________．

A．five to eight days

B．several weeks

C．six months

D．a year

【小题2】According to Rule 4，you'd bettor not go to Expo on ________．

A．May 3

B．July 5

C．September 16

D．October 20

【小题3】When there are lots of people waiting in line to see the most popular activations, what’s your  best choice?

A．I'll wait in line as other people do．

B．I'll go back and return tomorrow．

C．I'll visit the less crowded places instead．

D．I'll sit on a bench to have a rest for about two or three hours．

【小题4】In Rule 6 “turn up” here means ________．

A．don't miss it	B．come and see
C．make the sound louder	D．never be seen again

阅读理解

From the time we were babies we have been taught manners. We are taught how to hold a knife and fork and not to talk with our mouths full. We are taught how to shake hands and when to stand and when to sit and the way to introduce people.

Sometimes good manners in one place are very bad manners somewhere else. Almost everywhere eating together means that people are very friendly to each other. But in parts of Polynesia（波利尼西亚）it is bad manners to be seen eating beside each other. So they politely turn their backs to each other when they are taking food.

Some East Africans spit four times as a kind of blessing（祝福）.They do it to show that they want a sick person to get well，or to bless a new-born baby. In most other places，spitting means something completely different. It usually shows an unhealthy habit. In many countries，it may mean that you hate someone.

When we go to visit someone we say “ Hello！” Or “ How are you ? ” or things like that.

But if you are visiting an East African village , everyone will be very careful not to pay attention to you, The polite thing there will be for you to go quietly，without speaking to anyone, and sit beside your friend. You should wait until he has finished what he is doing and then he will begin talking to you.

In a village in Arab , a visitor will walk behind all the tents until he gets to the one he wants to visit. If he passes in front , he will be invited into each tent and asked to eat. It is rude to refuse.

1.From this passage we know        .

A．it’s good manners to use a knife and fork to eat

B．it’s bad manners to stand and talk

C．it’s good manners not to talk with our mouths full

D．how to shake hands when we introduce people

2. In many places，spitting may mean        .

A．you give a new-born baby the blessing

B．you want a sick person to get well

C．you hate someone

D．you show your love to your relatives or friends

3. If you visit an East African village , you        .

A．should say “Hello”or “How are you？”to others

B．should talk to the villagers quietly

C．should be very careful and not to pay any attention to others

D．must wait until your friend has finished his work and then begin to talk to him

 

To err is human. To blame（责备） the other guy is even more human.

Common sense is not all that common.

Why tell the truth when you can come up with a good excuse?

These three popular misquotes（戏谑的引语）are meant to be jokes, and yet they tell us a lot about human nature. To err, or to make mistakes, is indeed a part of being human, but it seems that most people don’t want to accept the responsibility for the problem. Perhaps it is the natural thing to do. The original quote about human nature went like this: “To err is human, to forgive, divine（神圣的）.” This saying mirrors an ideal: People should be forgiving of others’ mistakes. Instead, we tend to do the opposite – find someone else to pass the blame on to. However, taking responsibility for something that went wrong is a mark of great maturity（成熟）.

Common sense is what we call clear thought. Having common sense means having a good general plan that will make things work well, and it also means staying with the plan. Common sense tells you that you take an umbrella out into a rainstorm, but you leave the umbrella home when you hear a weather forecast for sunshine. Common sense does not seem to be common for large companies, because there are so many things going on that one person cannot be in charge of everything. People say that in a large company, “the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing.”

And what is wrong with a society that thinks that making up a good excuse is like creating a work of art? One of the common problems with making excuses is that people, especially young people, get the idea that it’s okay not to be totally honest all the time. There is a corollary（直接推论）to that: if a good excuse is “good” even if it isn’t honest, then where is the place of the truth?

1.Which of the following is NOT based on common sense?

A．A secretary works to a timetable.

B．A company’s next move follows a good plan.

C．A girl goes out with an umbrella in stormy weather.

D．A man tries to manage everything in a large company.

2.What can we infer from the last paragraph according to the writer?

A．A good excuse is the same as honesty.

B．Inventing a good excuse needs creative ideas.

C．Unpleasant truth is better than a good excuse.

D．Making a good excuse is sometimes a better idea.

3.What would be the best title for this passage?

A．A Mirror of Human Nature

B．To Blame or to Forgive

C．A Mark of Maturity

D．Truth or Excuse