Employees need several kinds of satisfactions if they are to remain productive and enthusiastic in industry. They need to know that their working conditions are safe and adequate for the kind of work they do. Also, they need reasonable hours of work in order to make their jobs acceptable. If they must work overtime several nights a week, their take-home pay may be higher, but their efficiency and feelings about their jobs will decline (下降).

In addition to agreeable working conditions, employees need to have adequate compensation(补偿) for the work they do. Today potential employees also examine the benefits package management offers to compare them with other companies. If one company offers stocks, insurance, vacations, and even child care, other industries must follow suit(仿效他人), or they lose out on hiring the best employees.

Adequacy of working conditions and financial compensation are hardly enough, however, to keep employees satisfied for long. Employees also need to feel confident of management's abilities to organize the company. The employer who pays well and has a new modern plant to display their product may still lose the loyalty and devotion of employees through lack of attention to details and disorganization. One recent research study showed that more than half the small businesses failed not due to lack of money but due to the employer's lack of management skill.

Which of the following could probably be the main idea of this passage?

A. Employees can improve their income in many ways.

B. Employees can hardly be satisfied.

C. Employers should be skillful in management.

D. Job satisfaction is tied to benefits.

Today's employees know how to protect their benefits by __________.

A. making comparisons between different companies

B. examining their agreements with the employer

C. asking for compensation for what they do

D. changing their jobs more often than before

The most important thing for a company to keep its employees loyal and energetic is __________.

A. to raise their salary from time to time

B. to maintain an effective management

C. to be skillful in organizing their work

D. to pay attention to the development of products

Henry Ford’s parents left Ireland during the potato famine and settled in the Detroit area in the.1840s. Ford was born in what is now Dearborn, Michigan. His formal education was limited, but even as a youngster, he was handy with machinery. He worked for the Detroit Edison Company, advancing from machine-shop apprentice to chief engineer.

In 1893, Ford built a gasoline engine, and within a few years, an automobile, still a novelty item of the rich or do-it-yourself engineers. In 1899, Ford left Edison to help run the Detroit Automobile Company. Cars were still built essentially one at a time. Ford hoped to incorporate ideas from other industries----standardized parts as Eli Whitney has used with gun manufacturing, or assembly line methods George Eastman tried in photo processing ----to make the process more efficient. This idea struck others in his field as crazy, so before long, Ford quit Detroit Automobile Company and began to build his own racing cars. They were good enough to attract backers and even partners, and in 1903, he set up the Ford Motor Company.

He still met resistance to his ideas for mass production of a car the average worker could afford. But he stuck to his goal and finally in 1908, began production of the Model T. Ford gradually adapted the production line until in 1913, his plant incorporated the first moving assembly line. Demand for the affordable car soared even as production went up: before Ford stopped making the model T in 1927, 15 million had been sold, and Ford had become the leading auto manufacturer in the country. In addition to the moving assembly line, Ford revolutionized the auto industry by increasing the pay and decreasing the hours of his employees, ensuring he could get enough and the best workers. During the Model T era, Ford bought out his shareholders so he had completed financial control of the now vast corporation. He continued to innovate, competitors (growing more powerful though fewer in number) began to cut into Ford’s market share.

Ford and his family spent a food deal of time and money on charitable work. They set up a historical museum in Greenfield Village, Michigan, and most notably set up the Ford Foundation, which provides grants for research, education, and development.

“A bore (讨厌鬼) is a fellow who opens his mouth and puts his feats (技艺) in it,” said Ford

51. The main idea of the first paragraph is _________.

A. Ford’s education            B. Ford’s family

 C. Ford’s quickness to learn   D. Ford’s interest and handiness in machinery

52. Which of the following statements is right?

A. Ford created the idea of standardized parts in industry

B. Ford is the first to imply production line in manufacturing

C. Ford is the first to create the idea of mass production of a car affordable for the average workers.

D. Ford is the first to make cars.

53. The reason why Ford left Detroit Automobile Company probably was that _________.

A. he was fired for his crazy idea

B. he hoped to carry out his own idea on car-making

C. people didn’t like to work with him

D. he wanted to set up his own car factory

54. According to the passage, Henry Ford can be probably described as a man of _______.

A. stubbornness  B. C. caution  C. determination  D. well-education

55. Which of the following quotes means most similarly with the last sentence of the passage?

A. You can’t build a reputation on what you are going to do.

B. Traditions are group efforts to keep the unexpected from happening.

C. The greatest thing you can do is surprise yourself

D. For us, there is only the trying. The rest is not our business.

Misunderstanding means East-West cultural clash. A failure to understand different customs lead to misunderstanding.

A common example of this clash occurs in China when Westerners complain that the Chinese are noisy and impolite, and feel uneasy with the questions: "Where are you from?" "Where do you work?" "How much do you earn?" "Are you married?" One Westerner has described this question and answer process as a "Laowai (foreigner) Litany." It's not surprising that foreigners in China who are not familiar with Chinese culture would be shocked by the questions and might feel that Chinese were meddling in their affairs.

Why do Chinese and Westerners have opposite behaviour in public and in society? Cultural differences partly explain this. Chinese culture is founded on collectivism. Instead of considering themselves individuals, Chinese are, above all, members of a community. They identify more with employees of the company, citizens of the country, husbands or wives, or fathers. They are used to thinking of groups. With this community spirit, it's not uncommon to approach others with questions. So, "Where are you from?" could mean "I'm interested in you and ready to be your friend;" "How much money do you earn?" could mean "If you don't earn enough to feed yourself, I'm happy to invite you to share my rice porridge;" and "Are you married?" could mean "If you're still single, I'll help you find a girlfriend."

For Chinese, asking a stranger questions is a normal way to show sympathy and to invite someone to have a friendly conversation. Chinese on a 10-hour train ride would be considered impolite or even arrogant if they refused to ask or answer questions. That is why a Chinese train ride is always happy and animated for Chinese, but can be noisy for a European.

Western culture is based on individualism. A Westerner sees himself or herself both as an individual and member of a community. Thus any insistence on communicating through questions might be considered annoying. In Europe, a person on a 10-hour train ride, will be considered polite if he or she wants to keep silent for the whole journey. This is also why train rides in Europe are agreeably quiet for Europeans, but possible painful for Chinese.

There seems to be fundamentally nothing wrong with being interested in strangers, depending on the circumstances, but either asking questions or not asking questions could prove indelicate. Whoever you are, be relaxed and polite no matter whether you get intrusive questions or a perfunctory hello.

66. Which is wrong about the above four questions in paragraph 2 ?

The Chinese use them to show their sympathy.

The Westerners will be shocked at these questions

They are often asked to open a conversation by Chinese people.

They imply the spirit of individualism.

67. According to the passage, all the following shows the culture differences between we Chinese and the Westerns except_________________.

the Chinese consider themselves to be members of a community while the Westerns don’t

western culture is founded on individualism

your questions will annoy a Westerner if he/she doesn’t want to communicate

train journey in Western countries are often quiet but noisy in China

68. On a ten-hour train ride___________________________.

the Chinese will probably talk with strangers happily

the Westerners are certain to talk with strangers

it is impolite for both the Chinese and the Westerners to keep silent

it is often painful for the Westerners to be in silence

69. The underlined word “animated”(in paragraph 4) possibly means_______________.

   A. causing shameful feelings       B. filled with noise

   C. full of life and spirit            D. important and agreeable

70. The main idea of the passage is probably_____________________.

A.we shouldn’t ask the Westerners the four questions

B.culture differences may lead to misunderstanding

C.it’s wrong to be interested in strangers

D.asking a stranger questions is a normal way to show sympathy

Misunderstanding means East-West cultural clash. A failure to understand different customs lead to misunderstanding.

A common example of this clash occurs in China when Westerners complain that the Chinese are noisy and impolite, and feel uneasy with the questions: "Where are you from?" "Where do you work?" "How much do you earn?" "Are you married?" One Westerner has described this question and answer process as a "Laowai (foreigner) Litany." It's not surprising that foreigners in China who are not familiar with Chinese culture would be shocked by the questions and might feel that Chinese were meddling in their affairs.

Why do Chinese and Westerners have opposite behaviour in public and in society? Cultural differences partly explain this. Chinese culture is founded on collectivism. Instead of considering themselves individuals, Chinese are, above all, members of a community. They identify more with employees of the company, citizens of the country, husbands or wives, or fathers. They are used to thinking of groups. With this community spirit, it's not uncommon to approach others with questions. So, "Where are you from?" could mean "I'm interested in you and ready to be your friend;" "How much money do you earn?" could mean "If you don't earn enough to feed yourself, I'm happy to invite you to share my rice porridge;" and "Are you married?" could mean "If you're still single, I'll help you find a girlfriend."

For Chinese, asking a stranger questions is a normal way to show sympathy and to invite someone to have a friendly conversation. Chinese on a 10-hour train ride would be considered impolite or even arrogant if they refused to ask or answer questions. That is why a Chinese train ride is always happy and animated for Chinese, but can be noisy for a European.

Western culture is based on individualism. A Westerner sees himself or herself both as an individual and member of a community. Thus any insistence on communicating through questions might be considered annoying. In Europe, a person on a 10-hour train ride, will be considered polite if he or she wants to keep silent for the whole journey. This is also why train rides in Europe are agreeably quiet for Europeans, but possible painful for Chinese.  

There seems to be fundamentally nothing wrong with being interested in strangers, depending on the circumstances, but either asking questions or not asking questions could prove indelicate. Whoever you are, be relaxed and polite no matter whether you get intrusive questions or a perfunctory hello.

66. Which is wrong about the above four questions in paragraph 2 ?

The Chinese use them to show their sympathy.

The Westerners will be shocked at these questions

They are often asked to open a conversation by Chinese people.

They imply the spirit of individualism.

67. According to the passage, all the following shows the culture differences between we Chinese and the Westerns except_________________.

the Chinese consider themselves to be members of a community while the Westerns don’t

western culture is founded on individualism

your questions will annoy a Westerner if he/she doesn’t want to communicate

train journey in Western countries are often quiet but noisy in China

68. On a ten-hour train ride___________________________.

the Chinese will probably talk with strangers happily

the Westerners are certain to talk with strangers

it is impolite for both the Chinese and the Westerners to keep silent

it is often painful for the Westerners to be in silence

69. The underlined word “animated”(in paragraph 4) possibly means_______________.

   A. causing shameful feelings               B. filled with noise

   C. full of life and spirit                    D. important and agreeable

70. The main idea of the passage is probably_____________________.

we shouldn’t ask the Westerners the four questions

culture differences may lead to misunderstanding

it’s wrong to be interested in strangers

asking a stranger questions is a normal way to show sympathy

Henry Ford’s parents left Ireland during the potato famine and settled in the Detroit area in the.1840s. Ford was born in what is now Dearborn, Michigan. His formal education was limited, but even as a youngster, he was handy with machinery. He worked for the Detroit Edison Company, advancing from machine-shop apprentice to chief engineer.
In 1893, Ford built a gasoline engine, and within a few years, an automobile, still a novelty item of the rich or do-it-yourself engineers. In 1899, Ford left Edison to help run the Detroit Automobile Company. Cars were still built essentially one at a time. Ford hoped to incorporate ideas from other industries----standardized parts as Eli Whitney has used with gun manufacturing, or assembly line methods George Eastman tried in photo processing ----to make the process more efficient. This idea struck others in his field as crazy, so before long, Ford quit Detroit Automobile Company and began to build his own racing cars. They were good enough to attract backers and even partners, and in 1903, he set up the Ford Motor Company.
He still met resistance to his ideas for mass production of a car the average worker could afford. But he stuck to his goal and finally in 1908, began production of the Model T. Ford gradually adapted the production line until in 1913, his plant incorporated the first moving assembly line. Demand for the affordable car soared even as production went up: before Ford stopped making the model T in 1927, 15 million had been sold, and Ford had become the leading auto manufacturer in the country. In addition to the moving assembly line, Ford revolutionized the auto industry by increasing the pay and decreasing the hours of his employees, ensuring he could get enough and the best workers. During the Model T era, Ford bought out his shareholders so he had completed financial control of the now vast corporation. He continued to innovate, competitors (growing more powerful though fewer in number) began to cut into Ford’s market share.
Ford and his family spent a food deal of time and money on charitable work. They set up a historical museum in Greenfield Village, Michigan, and most notably set up the Ford Foundation, which provides grants for research, education, and development.
“A bore (讨厌鬼) is a fellow who opens his mouth and puts his feats (技艺) in it,” said Ford

1. 1.

   The main idea of the first paragraph is _________.

   1. A.
      Ford’s education           
   2. B.
      Ford’s family
   3. C.
      Ford’s quickness to learn  
   4. D.
      Ford’s interest and handiness in machinery
2. 2.

   Which of the following statements is right?

   1. A.
      Ford created the idea of standardized parts in industry
   2. B.
      Ford is the first to imply production line in manufacturing
   3. C.
      Ford is the first to create the idea of mass production of a car affordable for the average workers.
   4. D.
      Ford is the first to make cars.
3. 3.

   The reason why Ford left Detroit Automobile Company probably was that _________.

   1. A.
      he was fired for his crazy idea
   2. B.
      he hoped to carry out his own idea on car-making
   3. C.
      people didn’t like to work with him
   4. D.
      he wanted to set up his own car factory
4. 4.

   According to the passage, Henry Ford can be probably described as a man of _______.

   1. A.
      stubbornness 
   2. B.
      caution  C. determination 
   3. C.
      well-education
5. 5.

   Which of the following quotes means most similarly with the last sentence of the passage?

   1. A.
      You can’t build a reputation on what you are going to do.
   2. B.
      Traditions are group efforts to keep the unexpected from happening.
   3. C.
      The greatest thing you can do is surprise yourself
   4. D.
      For us, there is only the trying. The rest is not our business.