When I was a teenager growing up in Russia, I felt studying very boring, I wanted to leave school and have my own life. There were only two ways for me to do this—working in the toy factory in my town, or getting married. I chose the first one. I was nervous when I told my father that I wanted to leave school. I thought he would say, “No! You are going to college.” Instead,  he took me by surprise when he said, “OK. We’ll go to the toy factory.”

Two days later, he took me to the factory. I had a very romantic idea of working in a factory. I had imagined everyone to be friendly working together and having fun. I even imagined there would be music and singing. I guess I had watched too many movies as a teenager.

When we arrived at the factory gates, my father spoke to the guard and one minute later we went inside. My father said, “Take your time. Look around.” I walked around the factory, looking at the buildings, the workers, and listening to the noise. It was terrible. I ran back to my father and said, “I want to go home.”

He asked me, “What do you think of the factory?”

“It’s terrible,” I replied.

“And you have another choice, but I think getting married is even worse!” he said.

I went back to school the next day. From then on, I studied as hard as I could. Finally I got into a good college. I enjoyed studying English so I decided to major in languages at college. Thanks to my father and our trip to the factory, I now work at the United Nations and my father is very proud of me. I married a very good man and my life is much better than it would have been working in the factory!

1.The writer lived in ________ when she was a teenager.

A．Russia            B．Japan             C．China             D．England

2.At first she thought life in the factory would be ________ than in school.

A．more terrible      B．more colorful      C．busier            D．more boring

3.After they visited the factory, the writer ________.

A．decided to work there                   B．changed her romantic idea

C．wanted to get married                    D．argued with her father

4.Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A．The writer studied languages after she went into the college.

B．The writer now works at the United Nations.

C．The writer’s father used a special way to let his daughter go back to school.

D．The writer’s father is proud because his daughter married a good man.

 

Several years ago, I became very sad. There was something 1_____ with my left eye. At last, the doctors told me that I could never see from that eye again. This was the saddest 2_____ for me.

At the time, I 3 ____so lonely. So I went to my boss and asked for some help. He told me to go back to work.

One night I was waiting for the train. I wanted to jump in front of it. Then a man came and sat down 4_____ to me. He turned to me and 5_____ ,then he said, “You look like you need a 6_____ to talk to.” We sat there for hours just talking like old friends. His 7_____ were so kind. Then he gave me a wonderful hug(拥抱). I will never 8_____ it. Then he went to get on the train. He gave me another of his big smiles and said, “Remember, when you smile, it is because the angels are lifting the corners of your mouth up heaven(天堂).

I never saw him again. But he will be in my memories forever.

A smile can 9_____ doors and tear down(拆开) walls, You can smile at 10 _____ in the street. He will smile back and you will be filled with happiness, too.

1.A. wrong   B. strange   C. different

2.A. thing B. news C. result

3.A. feel  B. felt  C. fell

4.A. near   B. next   C. beside

5.A. silent   B. smiled   C. talked

6.A. friend   B. chance   C. way

7.A. heart   B. smile  C. words

8.A. remember   B. forget   C. miss

9.A. close   B. open   C. break

10.A. people   B. friend   C. stranger

 

I was being interviewed by a senior manager for a major insurance(保险业) company. I told him honestly why I wanted the job----I needed to keep my family in Boston. My wife recently died of a heart attack. A job in Boston would help me reduce some of the extreme trauma (精神创伤) and pain of the loss for my 16-year-old daughter. It was important for me to keep her in her high school. I could still hardly talk about the loss of my wife.
Bruce, the interviewer, was politely empathetic, but he didn't probe any further. He admitted my loss and with great respect, moved on to another subject. After the next round of the interview, Bruce took me to lunch with another person. Then he asked me to take a walk with him. He told me that he, too, had lost his wife. And, like me, he had also been married 20 years and had three children.
In his sharing, I realized that he had experienced the same pain as I had -----a pain that was almost impossible to explain to someone who had not lost a beloved one. He offered his business card and home phone number and suggested that, if I need help or just want someone to talk to, I should feel free to give him a call.
Whether I got the job or not, he wanted me to know that he was there if I ever needed help. When he had no idea if we would ever see each other again, he helped our family deal with one of the greatest losses. He turned the normally cold business interview into a caring support for another person in need.  
【小题1】The writer took part in the interview because __________.

A．hehad lost his job and wanted to find a new one.

B．he had to support his family in Boston.

C．his wife had recently died of a heart attack.

D．his daughter needed money for schooling.

【小题2】The underlined word "empathetic" in the second paragraph means ____.

A．善良的

B．容易相处的

C．聪明的

D．同情的

【小题3】Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE according to the passage?

A．Bruce invited the writer to lunch later.

B．Bruce shared his life experience with the writer.

C．Bruce was willing to help the writer.

D．Bruce finally gave the job to the writer.

【小题4】We can infer(推断) from the passage that ______.

A．Bruce and the writer saw each other often.

B．the writer got little help from Bruce.

C．the writer learned much from the job interview.

D．the writer had a better life afterwards.

【小题5】What is the best title for the passage?

A．An Act of Kindness	B．A Pleasant Interview
C．The Same Experience	D．An Important Lesson

When I was a teenager growing up in Russia, I felt studying very boring, I wanted to leave school and have my own life. There were only two ways for me to do this—working in the toy factory in my town, or getting married. I chose the first one. I was nervous when I told my father that I wanted to leave school. I thought he would say, “No! You are going to college.” Instead,  he took me by surprise when he said, “OK. We’ll go to the toy factory.”
Two days later, he took me to the factory. I had a very romantic idea of working in a factory. I had imagined everyone to be friendly working together and having fun. I even imagined there would be music and singing. I guess I had watched too many movies as a teenager.
When we arrived at the factory gates, my father spoke to the guard and one minute later we went inside. My father said, “Take your time. Look around.” I walked around the factory, looking at the buildings, the workers, and listening to the noise. It was terrible. I ran back to my father and said, “I want to go home.”
He asked me, “What do you think of the factory?”
“It’s terrible,” I replied.
“And you have another choice, but I think getting married is even worse!” he said.
I went back to school the next day. From then on, I studied as hard as I could. Finally I got into a good college. I enjoyed studying English so I decided to major in languages at college. Thanks to my father and our trip to the factory, I now work at the United Nations and my father is very proud of me. I married a very good man and my life is much better than it would have been working in the factory!
【小题1】The writer lived in ________ when she was a teenager.

A．Russia

B．Japan

C．China

D．England

【小题2】At first she thought life in the factory would be ________ than in school.

A．more terrible

B．more colorful

C．busier

D．more boring

【小题3】After they visited the factory, the writer ________.

A．decided to work there	B．changed her romantic idea
C．wanted to get married	D．argued with her father

【小题4】Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A．The writer studied languages after she went into the college.

B．The writer now works at the United Nations.

C．The writer’s father used a special way to let his daughter go back to school.

D．The writer’s father is proud because his daughter married a good man.

1 

I was being interviewed by a senior manager for a major insurance(保险业) company. I told him honestly why I wanted the job----I needed to keep my family in Boston. My wife recently died of a heart attack. A job in Boston would help me reduce some of the extreme trauma (精神创伤) and pain of the loss for my 16-year-old daughter. It was important for me to keep her in her high school. I could still hardly talk about the loss of my wife.

Bruce, the interviewer, was politely empathetic, but he didn't probe any further. He admitted my loss and with great respect, moved on to another subject. After the next round of the interview, Bruce took me to lunch with another person. Then he asked me to take a walk with him. He told me that he, too, had lost his wife. And, like me, he had also been married 20 years and had three children.

In his sharing, I realized that he had experienced the same pain as I had -----a pain that was almost impossible to explain to someone who had not lost a beloved one. He offered his business card and home phone number and suggested that, if I need help or just want someone to talk to, I should feel free to give him a call.

Whether I got the job or not, he wanted me to know that he was there if I ever needed help. When he had no idea if we would ever see each other again, he helped our family deal with one of the greatest losses. He turned the normally cold business interview into a caring support for another person in need.  

1.The writer took part in the interview because __________.

A. he had lost his job and wanted to find a new one.

B. he had to support his family in Boston.

C. his wife had recently died of a heart attack.

D. his daughter needed money for schooling.

2.The underlined word "empathetic" in the second paragraph means ____.

A.善良的   B.容易相处的  C.聪明的  D. 同情的

3.Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE according to the passage?

A. Bruce invited the writer to lunch later.

B. Bruce shared his life experience with the writer.

C. Bruce was willing to help the writer.

D. Bruce finally gave the job to the writer.

4.We can infer(推断) from the passage that ______.

A. Bruce and the writer saw each other often.

B. the writer got little help from Bruce.

C. the writer learned much from the job interview.

D. the writer had a better life afterwards.

5.What is the best title for the passage?

A. An Act of Kindness     B. A Pleasant Interview  

C. The Same Experience   D. An Important Lesson