A TAXI driver taught me a million dollar lesson in customer satisfaction and expectation. Inspiring speakers charge thousands of dollars to give his kind of training to corporate directors and staff.  It cost me only a ＄12 taxi ride.

I had flown into Dallas just for the purpose of calling on a client. Time was important and my plan included a quick turn – around trip from and back to the airport. A clean taxi pulled up.

The driver rushed to open the passenger door for me and made sure I was comfortably seated before he closed the door. As be got in the driver’s seat, he mentioned that the neatly folded Wall Street Journal next to me for my use. He then showed me several tapes and asked me what type of music I would enjoy.

Well! I looked around for a “Candid Camera!” Wouldn’t you? I could not believe the service I was receiving! I took the opportunity to say, “Obviously you take great pride in you work. You must have a story to tell.”

“You bet,” he replied, “I used to be in Corporate America. But I got tired of thinking my best would never be good enough. I decided to find my right position in life, somewhere I could feel proud of being the best I could be.

I knew I would never be a rocket scientist, but I love driving cars, being of service and feeling like I have done a full day’s work and done it well. I evaluated my personal property and, I became a taxi driver!

One thing I know for sure, to be good in my business I jus have to meet the expectations of my passengers. But, to be GREAT in my business, I have to EXEED the customer’s expectations! I like the sound of being ‘great’ better than just being ‘average’. ”

Did I tip him big time? You bet!

 The taxi driver taught me a great life lesson: Go an extra mile when providing any service to others. And there is no good or bad job you can make any job good.

What lesson did the author learn from the taxi driver?

    A．How to make the best use of time.

    B．How to do better in the service business.

    C．How to turn an interest into your career.

    D．How to become a motivational speaker.

Why did the author look around for a “Candid Camera”?

    A．Because he was afraid he would be photographed in the cab.

    B．Because he was worried what the driver could be up to.

    C．Because he was amazed by the way the driver was treating him.

    D．Because he wasn’t interested in the tapes offered by the driver

It can be inferred from the story that          .

    A．the taxi driver couldn’t accept just being average

    B．the author was anxious to get back to meet a client

    C．when the author waited for a taxi at the airport, he was not in a rush

    D．the taxi driver loved to play his favorite music during rides

According to the story, the taxi driver        .

    A．was dissatisfied wit his present job

    B．was once often rewarded for being a model worker

    C．enjoyed offering his customers more than they expected

    D．was forced to become a taxi driver to support his family

A new factory that turns used wine bottles into green sand could revolutionize the recycling industry and help to filter（过滤）the nation's drinking water.

For the last 100 years special high grade white sand quarried（开采）at Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire has been used to filter tap water to remove bacteria and impurities—but this may no longer be necessary.

The green sand has already been successfully tested by water companies and is being used in 50 swimming pools in Scotland to keep the water clean.

Backed by one million pounds from the European Union and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs(Defar),a company based in Scotland is building a factory to turn beverage bottles back into the sand from which they were made.

The idea is not only to avoid using up increasingly scarce sand in Scotland and avoid any further quarrying but also to solve a crisis in the recycles only 750 000 tones of it.

Howard Dryden, the scientist and managing director of the company has spent six years working on what he calls Active Filtration Meadia, or AFM, the recycled glass. He says he needs bottles that have already contained drinkable liquids to be sure that drinking water would not be polluted.

"The fact is that tests show that AFM does the job better than glass, it is easier to clean and reuse and has all sorts of properties that make it ideal for other applications, "he claimed. He also thinks the market will be able to take 250 000 tones of green sand a year. The plan is to build five or six factories in cites in UK where the bottles come from to cut down on transport.

The factory will be completed this month and is expected to go into full production on January 14 next year. Once it is providing a "regular" product, the government's drinking water inspectorate will be asked to perform tests and approve it for general use by water companies.

It may no longer be necessary to use high-grade white sand to keep water clean because_____.

there is no need to keep water clean

A new factory has been set up

The green sand has been used to keep the water clean

White sand is being use up

According to the passage ,the new idea can do the following except_____.

A. avoiding using up increasingly scarce sand

B. avoiding further quarrying of white sand

C. solving the crisis in the recycling industry

D. cutting down the cost on transport

Tests show that ______ in keeping the water clean.

A .AFM is more efficient than white sand

B.AFM is more efficient than glass

C. glass is more efficient than AFM

D. white sand is more efficient than green sand

The underlined word "Backed" in the third paragraph can best be replaced by"_____".

A. Allowed             B. Opposed

C. Supported            D. Forbidden

What would be the best title for the passage?

A. Revolution in the Recycling for the Industry.

B. Modern Technology an New Markets.

C. Revolution in Environmental Protection.

D. Unlocking the Benefits of Green Sand.

A lesson in caring

It was a cold evening. My daughter and I were walking up Broadway. I didn’t notice a guy sitting inside a cardboard box. But Nora    36    . She wasn’t even four, but she   37    at my coat and said, “That man’s cold. Daddy, can we take him home?”

    I don’t remember my   38    . But I do remember a sudden   39    feeling inside me. I had always been delighted at how much my daughter noticed in her   40     , whether it was     41    flying or children playing. But now she was noticing   42    and beggary.

    A few days later, I saw an article in the newspaper about volunteers who picked up a food package from a nearby school on a Sunday morning and   43     it to an elderly person. It was quick and easy. I signed us up. Nora was   44    about it. She could understand the importance of food, so she could easily see how   45    our job was. When Sunday came, she was ready, but I had to    46    myself to leave the house to fetch the food package. On my way to the school, I fought an urge (强烈愿望) to turn    47    . The Sunday paper and coffee were waiting for me at home. Why do this?   48    , we phoned the elderly person we’d been appointed. She   49    us right over.

    The building was in a bad state. Facing us was a silver-haired woman in an old dress. She took the package and asked us to come in. Nora ran inside. I unwillingly followed.   50     inside, I saw that the department belonged to someone poor. Our hostess showed us some photos. Nora played and when it came time to say goodbye, we three hugged. I walked home    51    .

Professionals call such a(n)   52    “a volunteer opportunity”. They are opportunities and I’ve come to see. Where else but as volunteers do you have the opportunity to do something    53     that’s good for others as well as for yourself? Nora and I regularly serve meals to needy people and   54     clothes for the homeless. Yet, as I’ve    55     her grow over these past four years, I still wonder—which of us has benefited more?

A. did             B. was                           C. has              D. had

A. pulled　   B. replaced                C. waved   D. aimed

A. debate        B. reply                         C. explanation D. expression

A. general　　B. funny                          C. heavy           D. magical

A. web　　　 B. dream　　　　　       C. castle           D. world

A. insects        B. animals　　　　 C. plants　　　D. birds

A. coldness   B. illness 　　　           C. suffering　　D. appearance

A. sent  　　   B. returned　　　       C. devoted　　D. posted

A. concerned  B. sorry　　　　            C. worried      　D. excited

A. creative　　B. valuable　　　         C. shocking　　D. simple

A. warn　　　 B. stop　　　　  　      C. allow 　　　D. push

A. back 　　　B. away　　　　            C. up　　　　　D. out

A. Therefore　 B. But       　　          C. Anyhow　　　D. Also

A. requested   B. promised　　　        C. invited 　　 D. helped

A. Although    B. Once　　　　　       C. Because 　　D. Though

A. in tears       B. in surprise                  C. in reality       D.in disappointment

A. stay            B. visit 　　　　           C. reception　　D. challenge

A. fair            B. famous　　　　        C. difficult　　 D. enjoyable

A. collect        B. make　　　　  　    C. order 　　　 D. design

A. let              B. made　　　　  　    C. watched 　　    D. affected

A proven method for effective textbook reading is the SQ3R method developed by Francis Robinson. The first is to survey (the S step) the chapter by reading the title, introduction, section headings, summary., and by studying any graphs, tables, illustrations or charts. The purpose of this step is to get an overview of the chapter so that you will know before you read what it will be about.  In the second step (the Q step), for each section you ask yourself questions such as "What do I already know about this topic?" and "What do I want to know?" In this step you also take the section heading and turn it into a question. This step gives you a purpose for reading the section. The third step (the first of the 3 R's) is to read to find the answers to your questions. Then at the end of each section, before going on to the next section, you recite ( the second of the 3 R's) the answers to the questions that formed in the question step. When you recite you should say the information you want to learn out loud in your own words. The fifth step is done after you have completed step 2, 3 and 4 for each section. You review (the last of the 3 R's) the entire chapter. The review is done much as the survey was in the first step. As you review, hold a mental conversation with yourself as you recite the information you selected as important to learn. The mental conversation could take the form of asking and answering the questions formed the headings or reading the summary, which lists the main ideas in the chapter, and trying to fill in the details for each main idea.

The passage implies that the SQ3R method           .

   A. needs to be prove                B. leaves much to be desired

   C. turns out to be practicable         D. cannot be used by every reader

The SQ3R method consists of steps           .

   A. three        B. four        C. five        D. seven

According to the passage, the first step helps the readers           .

   A. read the first several paragraphs     B. scan the whole chapter

   C. study the graphs                 D. get the theme of chapter

Which of the following statements is true?

   A. In the last step, you should remember all the information.

   B. When you finish the last step, you will get both the main idea and the details.

   C. The mental conversation involves answering the questions asked by the author.

   D. While you are holding a mental conversation you select the important information.

A lesson in caring

It was a cold evening. My daughter and I were walking up Broadway. I didn’t notice a guy sitting inside a cardboard box. But Nora    36    . She wasn’t even four, but she   37    at my coat and said, “That man’s cold. Daddy, can we take him home?”

    I don’t remember my   38    . But I do remember a sudden   39    feeling inside me. I had always been delighted at how much my daughter noticed in her   40     , whether it was     41    flying or children playing. But now she was noticing   42    and beggary.

    A few days later, I saw an article in the newspaper about volunteers who picked up a food package from a nearby school on a Sunday morning and   43     it to an elderly person. It was quick and easy. I signed us up. Nora was   44    about it. She could understand the importance of food, so she could easily see how   45    our job was. When Sunday came, she was ready, but I had to    46    myself to leave the house to fetch the food package. On my way to the school, I fought an urge (强烈愿望) to turn    47    . The Sunday paper and coffee were waiting for me at home. Why do this?   48    , we phoned the elderly person we’d been appointed. She   49    us right over.

    The building was in a bad state. Facing us was a silver-haired woman in an old dress. She took the package and asked us to come in. Nora ran inside. I unwillingly followed.   50     inside, I saw that the department belonged to someone poor. Our hostess showed us some photos. Nora played and when it came time to say goodbye, we three hugged. I walked home    51    .

Professionals call such a(n)   52    “a volunteer opportunity”. They are opportunities and I’ve come to see. Where else but as volunteers do you have the opportunity to do something    53     that’s good for others as well as for yourself? Nora and I regularly serve meals to needy people and   54     clothes for the homeless. Yet, as I’ve    55     her grow over these past four years, I still wonder—which of us has benefited more?

A. did                     B. was                          C. has            D. had

A. pulled　　　　     B. replaced                   C. waved        D. aimed

A. debate                   B. reply                        C. explanation D. expression

A. general　　　　    B. funny                       C. heavy         D. magical

A. web　　　　　    B. dream　　　　　    C. castle         D. world

A. insects                   B. animals　　　　      C. plants　　　D. birds

A. coldness 　　　    B. illness 　　　       C. suffering　　D. appearance

A. sent  　　           B. returned　　　      C. devoted　　 D. posted

A. concerned              B. sorry　　　　         C. worried      　D. excited

A. creative　　　      B. valuable　　　      C. shocking　　D. simple

A. warn　　　　　    B. stop　　　　  　    C. allow 　　　D. push

A. back 　　　　      B. away　　　　          C. up　　　　 D. out

A. Therefore　　　    B. But     　　          C. Anyhow　　D. Also

A. requested 　　    B. promised　　　      C. invited 　　 D. helped

A. Although            B. Once　　　　　      C. Because 　　D. Though

A. in tears                  B. in surprise                C. in reality      D. in disappointment

A. stay                    B. visit 　　　　         C. reception　　D. challenge

A. fair                    B. famous　　　　       C. difficult　　 D. enjoyable

A. collect                   B. make　　　　　      C. order 　　　D. design

A. let                         B. made　　　　　      C. watched 　　D. affected