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, clearly clarified 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 vary, but the people in that position
share the qualities of commitment, work ethic (守则) 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 varying degrees of success. And I always had a dream job pattern: to walk to
work, work for myself and build something for consumers.
     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 colleagues, 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.

1. What can we know from the first paragraph?

A. The author hasn't achieved his childhood ambition.
B. The author thinks there is some easy way to become a CEO.
C. The author had an ambition of becoming a CEO in his childhood.
D. The author believes success stories of CEOs can be beneficial to everybody.

2. According to the author, 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

3. What can we know about the author from the passage?

A. He started LivingSocial when he was still a student of Georgetown University.
B. His father had far-reaching influence on him.
C. His business activities at college ended up in more failure than success.
D. He used to run the consumer product team for AOL.

     Ben and his wife Susan were on their way to have dinner with their friends. It was a dark, windy night,
and they did not know the way very well. They drove through a town until they found what they thought
was the road to Dorling,where their friends lived. But it soon became clear that they were not on the road
to Dorling at all. The road that they were on was getting narrower,and there were no other cars on it. The wind was blowing harder with every minute that passed.
     They came to a small village .They drove past a church and then two houses without lights on. There
was nobody about to tell them where they were,or where the road went. Just then, Ben saw a telephone
box,twenty meters or so further on. While he walked back along the road to see if there was a name
outside the church,Susan telephoned their friends and told them that they were still on their way.
     Their friends were just saying that the dinner was already getting rather cold,when Ben came back to
the telephone box,his head down against the wind. He said that there was a tree lying across the road, and
that the telephone lines were down. Susan heard nothing more from their friends about the dinner.

1. Some time later Ben and Susan found they took a wrong road because ________.

A. their friends lived nearer than they drove
B. the road was getting narrower and their car alone was on it
C. the hard wind made them get lost
D. the road was not the same as before

2. Ben went to the church to see if there was a name outside because ________.

A. he was sure to find some people who knew Dorling
B. he hoped to get help from there
C. he wanted to telephone his friends where they were
D. he wanted to stay there for the night

3. Susan could hear nothing more from their friends because ________.

A. the telephone lines were broken by a tree
B. the strong wind made too much noise      
C. they got angry
D. they had all left

4. From the passage we know ________.

A. Ben and his wife often went out for dinners
B. Ben and his wife lived in the country
C. both Ben and his wife were shortsighted(近视的)
D. Ben and his wife seldom(很少) went to Dorling

     I was in a strange city I didn't know at all, and what's more, I could not speak a word of the language. On my second day I got on the first bus that passed, rode on it for several stops, then got off and walked
on. The first two hours passed pleasantly enough, then I decided to turn back to my hotel for lunch. After walking about for some time, I decided I had better ask the way. The trouble was that the only word I
knew of the language was the name of the street in which I lived, and even that I pronounced badly. I
stopped to ask a newspaper-seller. He handed me a paper. I shook my head and repeated the name of
the street and he put the paper into my hands. I had to give him some money and went on my way. The
next person. I asked was a policeman. He listened to me carefully, nodded and gently took me by the
arm. There was a strange look in his eyes as he pointed left and right and left again. I nodded politely and
began walking in the direction he pointed.?
     About an hour passed and I noticed that the houses were getting fewer and fewer and green fields
were appearing on either side of me. I had come all the way into the countryside. The only thing left for
me to do was find the nearest railway station.

1. The writer preferred to walk back to his hotel because.

A. he had no money to buy a ticket
B. he wanted to lose himself in the city?
C. he tried to know the city in this way
D. it was late and there were no buses passing by

2. The newspaper-seller______.

A. didn't know where the hotel was
B. didn't understand what the writer said?
C. could understand what the writer said
D. didn't want to take the money from the writer

3. From the story we know that the policeman______.

A. was kind but didn't understand the writer?
B. told the writer where to take a train
C. knew what the writer really meant
D. was cold-hearted and didn't help the writer

4. What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A. The writer got close to the hotel where he stayed.?
B. The writer got to the hotel with the policeman's help.?
C. The writer found he was much farther away from the hotel.?
D. The writer found the hotel in the direction the policeman pointed.

5. In your opinion, what was the writer's real trouble?

A. He didn't know the city at all.
B. He couldn't speak the language.?
C. He went too far in the wrong bus.
D. He followed the policeman's direction.

     In our old neighborhood, neighbors chatted over fences. Newcomers were welcomed with chocolate
and bread. It had been easy to find friends there. Our new community was different. It seemed that family
roots grew deep, deep as the Mississippi River that flowed past the tiny river town.
    We'd moved to decrease my husband's distance to work. Only thirty miles.
    After living there for six months, I was ready to move back home. I was lonely without a friend. My
three boys were lonely. My husband, Lonny, seemed okay, but he spent his days at work.
     Lonny noticed my sinking disposition.
     "Shawnelle, you look unapproachable," he said. He and I were sitting in lawn chairs. Samuel, our
three-year-old son sat in his own little chair.
     "What do you mean?"  "Body language. You placed our chairs fifteen yards away from everyone
else."
     "It doesn't matter. I'm not going to have friends here." Just then Samuel looked up. "Mom's right,
Dad. And we just want to go home."
     That's when I knew that I needed an adjustment. I didn't want my boys to learn that the way to work
through a tough time was to use a wounded and bitter attitude.
     Over the next few months I smiled when I didn't feel like it. We signed up for reading programs at the
library and often visited parks and the bike path along the river.
     One afternoon Samuel and I climbed up the stairs to the library activity room. A woman who I hadn't
seen before sat at a long table with a tiny boy.
     "Hi," she said. "I'm Tammy. Do you need a seat? There's one right here."
      I sat down next to Tammy. Soon class was over, and we still had a lot to say. "Why don't you come
over later?" Tammy asked. "I live on a farm. There's plenty of room for the kids to run." We went. And
since that day, we've been back a million times.
      When I look back, I'm grateful for that tough time. I learned to persevere. I'm glad I didn't give up.
      And as for my boys, they learned a lesson too. "Keep moving forward," is what I tell them. "Your
heart will follow."

1. Why did the writer move to a new neighborhood?

A. To find a part-time job in the library.    
B. To make new friends with the local people.
C. To enjoy the beauty of the Mississippi River.
D. To make her husband go to work conveniently.

2. Shawnelle decided to keep going when ________.

A. Tammy encouraged her to join conversations
B. Samuel expressed his wish to go back home
C. Lonny pointed out the mistakes of her body language
D. Tammy invited her to go to her farm

3. Shawnelle mentioned her friendship with Tammy to prove_________

A. women seemed to have endless words to say
B. Tammy was rich to have room for kids
C. her family had finally fitted in the new place
D. Tammy's farm was suitable for kids to play on

4. What lesson did Shawnelle teach her kids? 

A. Have a dream in difficult times.          
B. Never break up with old friends.
C. Be careful in making friends.            
D. Keep up in a tough time.

5. What does the underlined word disposition in the fourth paragraph probably mean?

A. mood          
B. sorrow        
C. depression        
D. livelines

      When 47-year-old volunteer Susan Boyle stepped on to the stage of Britain's Got Talent and
announced she was unemployed, had never been married and "never been kissed, actually", few in the
audience would have wondered why. This Ms. Boyle, looking unfashionable, from a village in Scotland,
shocked the three judges and the audience with the song "I Dreamed a Dream" from the musical Les
Miserables on a show of Britain's Got Talent, one of the hottest reality shows in Britain.
      She couldn't hide the awkwardness when walking to the center of the stage in a housedress, and
everyone-including the judges-seemed laughing at her when she said she wanted to be as successful as
Elaine Paige. As soon as she began singing, however, everyone present fell silent, then rose within
seconds to applaud her incredible voice as the celebrity (名人) judges sat open-mouthed, and remained
standing to the end.
After her performance, one of the judges Piers Morgan said, "Without doubt that was the biggest
surprise   I've had in three years of this show. When you stood there everyone was laughing at you. No
one is laughing now. That was amazing." Actress Amanda Holden followed, "I am so thrilled because I
know that everybody was against you. I honestly think that we were all being cynical (愤世嫉俗的) and
I think that's the biggest wake-up call ever."
     Susan obviously won over the hearts of millions around the world with sensation spreading across the
Atlantic. Hollywood actors Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore-who between them have nearly 1.5 million
followers-speak highly of her. Kutcher posted a link to the video clip (片段). The Scottish talent made
her first live American appearance via satellite connection on CBS's The Early Show, doing an interview
and singing live from her room. And she already accepted an invitation from talk show host Oprah
Winfrey.
     Now Boyle has become one of the world's hottest celebrities. The video clip of her performance has
been viewed more than 50 million times on YouTube, becoming a hit on the Internet. Not long ago she
came to China and was warmly welcomed.

1. We learn from the passage that Susan Boyle        .

A. rose from a low social background    B. was working in a company
C. had an unhappy marriage            D. won the championship in the Talent show

2.  At the beginning of the show, almost everyone       .

A. looked forward to her wonderful performance  
B. was attracted by her beautiful dress
C. looked down upon her                    
D. placed great hope on her

3. We can infer that        contributed most to her global popularity.

A. the judges    
B. the Internet    
C. the newspaper    
D. the advertisement

4. The 4th paragraph intends to tell us        .

A. how Susan Boyle achieved her success
B. the comment made by Ashton Kutcher
C. Susan Boyle's influence in the USA    
D. Oprah Winfrey's invitation to Susan Boyle

5. What can we learn from this passage?

A. Where there is a will, there is a way.      
B. Failure is the mother of success.
C. Pride goes before a fall.                
D. The gold will glitter wherever it is.

     A year after graduation, I was offered a position teaching a writing class. Teaching was a profession
I had never seriously considered, though several of my stories had been published. I accepted the job
without hesitation, as it would allow me to wear a tie and go by the name of Mr. Davis. My father went
by the same name, and I liked to imagine people getting the two of us confused. "Wait a minute" someone might say, "are you talking about Mr. Davis the retired man, or Mr. Davis the respectable scholar?"
     The position was offered at the last minute, and I was given two weeks to prepare, a period I spent
searching for briefcase (公文包) and standing before my full-length mirror, repeating the words, "Hello,
class. I'm Mr. Davis." Sometimes I would give myself an aggressive voice. Sometimes I would sound
experienced. But when the day finally came, my nerves kicked in and the true Mr. Davis was there. I
sounded not like a thoughtful professor, but rather a 12-year-old boy.
     I arrived in the classroom with paper cards designed in the shape of maple leaves. I had cut them
myself out of orange construction paper. I saw nine students along a long table. I handed out the cards,
and the students wrote down their names and fastened them to their breast pockets as I required.
     "All right then," I said. "Okay, here we go." Then I opened my briefcase and realized that I had never
thought beyond this moment. I had been thinking that the students would be the first to talk, offering their
thoughts and opinions on the events of the day. I had imagined that I would sit at the edge of the desk,
overlooking a forest of hands. Every student would yell. "Calm down, you'll all get your turn. One at a
time, one at a time!"
     A terrible silence ruled the room, and seeing no other opinions, I inspected the students to pull out
their notebooks and write a brief essay related to the theme of deep disappointment.

1. The author took the job to teach writing because ______.

A. he wanted to be expected
B. he had written some stories
C. he wanted to please his father
D. he had dreamed of being a teacher

2. What can we learn about the author from Paragraph 2?

A. He would be aggressive in his first class.
B. He was well-prepared for his first class.
C. He got nervous upon the arrival of his first class.
D. He waited long for the arrival of his first class.

3. Before he started his class, the author asked the students to ______.

A. write down their suggestions on the paper cards
B. cut maple leaves out of the construction paper
C. cut some cards out of the construction paper
D. write down their names on the paper cards

4. What did the students do when the author started his class?

A. They began to talk.
B. They stayed silent.
C. They raised their hands.
D. They shouted to be heard.

5. The author chose the composition topic probably because ______.

A. he got disappointed with his first class
B. he had prepared the topic before class
C. he wanted to calm down the students
D. he thought it was an easy topic

     The Board Meeting had come to an end. Bob started to stand up and knocked into the table, spilling
his coffee over his notes. "How embarrassing! I am getting so clumsy (笨拙的) in my old age."
      Everyone had a good laugh, and soon we were all telling stories of our most embarrassing moments.
It came around to Frank who sat quietly listening to the others. Someone said, "Come on, Frank. Tell us
your most embarrassing moment."
     Frank laughed and began to tell us of his childhood. "I grew up in San Pedro. My Dad was a
fisherman, and he loved the sea. He had his own boat, but it was hard making a living on the sea. He
worked hard and would stay out until he caught enough to feed the family. Not just enough for our family, but also for his Mom and Dad and the other kids that were still at home."
     He looked at us and said, "I wish you could have met my Dad. He was a big man, and he was strong
from pulling the nets and fighting the seas for his catch. When you got close to him, he smelled like the
ocean. He would wear his old canvas, foul-weather coat and his bibbed overalls. His rain hat would be
pulled down over his brow. No matter how much my mother washed them, they would still smell of the
sea and of fish."
     Frank's voice dropped a bit. "When the weather was bad he would drive me to school. He had this
old truck that he used in his fishing business. That truck was older than he was. It would wheeze (呼哧
呼哧响) and rattle down the road. You could hear it coming for blocks. As he would drive toward the
school, I would shrink (畏缩) down into the seat hoping to disappear. Half the time, he would came to
a sudden stop and the old truck would belch (喷出) a cloud of smoke. He would pull right up in front,
and it seemed like everybody would be standing around and watching. Then he would lean over and give me a big kiss on the cheek and tell me to be a good boy. It was so embarrassing for me. Here, I was
twelve years old, and my Dad would lean over and kiss me goodbye!"
     He paused and then went on, "I remember the day I decided I was too old for a goodbye kiss. When we got to the school and came to a stop, he had his usual big smile. He started to lean toward me, but
I put my hand up and said, "No, Dad." It was the first time I had ever talked to him that way, and he had
this surprised look on his face. I said, "Dad, I'm too old for a goodbye kiss. I'm too old for any kind of
kiss." My Dad looked at me for the longest time, and his eyes started to tear up. Then he turned and
looked out the windshield(挡风玻璃). " You're right," he said. " You are a big boy....a man. I won't kiss
you anymore."
Frank got a funny look on his face, and the tears began to well up in his eyes, as he spoke. "It wasn't long after that when my Dad went to sea and never came back. It was a day when most of the fleet (船队
) stayed in, but not Dad. He had a big family to feed. They found his boat adrift with its nets half in and
half out.He must have gotten into a strong wind and was trying to save the nets and the floats."
     I looked at Frank and saw that tears were running down his cheeks. Frank spoke again. "Guys, you
don't know what I would give to have my Dad give me just one more kiss on the cheek…to feel his
rough old face… to smell the ocean on him… to feel his arm around my neck. I wish I had been a man
then. If I had been a man, I would never have told my Dad I was too old for a goodbye kiss."

1. When his father drove him to the school, Frank would shrink down into the seat hoping to
     disappear because _______.

A. he was fed up with his father kissing him goodbye
B. he deeply regretted what he had done to his father
C. he was then too young to refuse a goodbye kiss
D. he hoped that his father would forgive him

2. In Frank's eyes, when his father said "You are a big boy… a man.", he probably felt ________.

A. disappointed
B. hurt
C. excited
D. proud

3. According to the story we can conclude that Frank's father ________.

A. was quite confident in his skills in fishing
B. loved his children but hardly expressed it
C. seldom gave up when faced with challenges
D. was full of devotion to his family

4. By saying the sentence "I wish I had been a man then…_____.

A. he was ashamed of his father's old truck
B. he thought he was old enough to go to school alone
C. he didn't want his schoolmates to see his father
D. he hated the way his schoolmates stared at his father

5. Which of the following may be the best title for this passage?

A. The Smell of the Ocean
B. We All Need Love
C. A Goodbye Kiss
D. Father's Embarrassment