He met her at a party. She was so outstanding that many guys were chasing after her, while he was so ordinary. At the end of the party, he invited her to have coffee with him. She was surprised but due to being being polite, she promised.

  They sat in a nice coffee shop, he was too nervous to say anything, and she felt uncomfortable, too. Suddenly he asked the waiter, “Would you please give me some salt? I’d like to put it in my coffee.” Everybody stared at him. It was so strange! His face turned red but still, he put the salt in his coffee and drank it. She asked him curiously, “Why do you have this hobby?” He replied, “When I was a little boy, I lived near the sea, I liked playing in the sea, I could feel the taste of the sea, just like the taste of the salty coffee. Now every time I have the salty coffee, I always think of my childhood, my hometown, and my parents who are still living there.” While saying that tears filled his eyes. She was deeply touched. Then she also started to speak, speaking about her faraway hometown, her childhood, and her family.

  That was a really nice talk, also a beautiful beginning of their love. They continued to date. She found that actually he was a man who met all her demands. He had tolerance, kind-hearted, warm and careful. Thanks to his salty coffee! They married. And, every time she made coffee for him, she put some salt in the coffee, as she knew that was the way he liked it. After 40 years, he passed away and left her a letter which said, “My dearest, please forgive my whole life’s lie. Remember the first time we dated? I was so nervous at that time, actually I wanted some sugar, but said salt. It was hard for me to change so I just went ahead. I didn’t like the salty coffee then, what a strange bad taste! But I have had the salty coffee for my whole life, for it was prepared by you.”

1. The man was nervous at the coffee shop, because _______.

 A. everybody stared at him at that time

 B. many guys chased after the woman

 C. he didn’t feel himself a match for the woman

 D. he had the strange habit of drinking salty coffee

2. From this passage, we can infer that ________.

 A. the man’s lie won the woman’s love

 B. the man’s parents onced lived near the sea

 C. the woman talked with the man, for they had the same experience

 D. the woman realised what salty coffee had to do with a good man

3. What can be concluded about the man?

 A. He had intended to give his wife a surprise at his death

 B. He unwillingly developed a taste for salty coffee after marriage

 C. He was so stubborn as to drink for a life what he didn’t like

 D. He enjoyed his lifelong bitter salty coffee out of love

4. Which of the following could be the best title for this passage?

 A. A Foolish Lie               B. Salty Coffee

C. A Sad Love Story        D. Love in a Coffee Shop

 

 

One day, a poor boy who was trying to pay his way through school by sending newspapers door to door, was so hungry that he decided to beg for a meal at the next house.

However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door. Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water. She thought he looked hungry so she brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it slowly, and then asked, “How much do I owe you?”

“You don’t owe me anything,” she replied. “Then I thank you from the bottom of my heart.” With these words, Howard Kelly left that house.

Years later the woman became badly ill and was finally sent to the hospital in a big city. Dr. Howard Kelly, now famous, was called in. When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes. Dressed in his doctor’s clothes, Dr. Kelly went into her room and recognized her at once. From that day on, he gave special attention to her, and decided to do his best to save her life.

At last the woman was saved. Dr. Kelly asked the business office to pass the final bill to him. He looked at it and then wrote something on the side. The bill was sent to the woman’s room. She was afraid to open it because she was sure that it would take the rest of her life to pay for it off. Finally she looked, and the note on the side of the bill caught her attention. She read these words:

“Paid in full with a glass of milk, Dr. Howard Kelly.”

Tear of joy flooded her eyes.

1.The boy sent newspapers door to door in order to ________.

A．continue his schooling	B．become a famous doctor
C．thank the woman for her kindness	D．support his poor family

2.Which is true about the boy and the woman?

A．He was too shy to ask her for some water.

B．She thought he was not hungry but thirsty.

C．She wanted him to pay for the glass of milk.

D．She never thought he would save her life later.

3.After Dr. Kelly knew who the woman was, he ________.

A．began to take good care of her himself

B．told her she once gave him a glass of milk

C．decided to try his best to save her

D．asked for her bill and paid it off at once

4.The best title for this passage is ________.

A．A Warm-hearted Woman	B．A Glass of Milk
C．The Final Bill	D．A Famous Doctor

 

 

Odland remembers like it was yesterday working in an expensive French restaurant in Denver.The ice cream he was serving fell onto the white dress of a rich and important woman.

Thirty years have passed,but Odland can’t get the memory out of his mind,nor the woman’s kind reaction(反应).She was shocked,regained calmness and,in a kind voice,told the young Odland.“It’s OK.It wasn’t your fault.”When she left the restaurant,she also left the future Fortune 500 CEO(总裁) with a life lesson:You can tell a lot about a person by the way he or she treats the waiter.

Odland isn’t the only CEO to have made this discovery.Rather,it seems to be one of those few laws of the land that every CEO learns on the way up.It’s hard to get a dozen CEOS to agree about anything,but most agree with the Waiter Rule.They say how others treat the CEO says nothing.But how others treat the waiter is like a window into the soul.

Watch out for anyone who pulls out the power card to say something like,“I could buy this place and fire you.”or “I know the owner and I could have you fired.”Those who say such things have shown more about their character(人品) than about their wealth and power.

The CEO who came up with it,or at least first wrote it down,is Raytheon CEO Bill Swanson.He wrote a best-selling book called Swanson’s Unwritten Rules of Management.

“A person who is nice to you but rude to the waiter,or to others,is not a nice person,”Swanson says.“I will never offer a job to the person who is sweet to the boss but turns rude to someone cleaning the tables.”

1.What happened after Odland dropped the ice cream onto the woman’s dress?

A.He was fired.

B.He was blamed.

C.The woman comforted him.

D.The woman left the restaurant at once.

2.Odland learned one of his life lessons from _______.

A.his experience as a waiter                    B.the advice given by the CEOs

C.an article in Fortune                     D.an interesting best-selling book

3.According to the text,most CEOs have the time opinion about _______.

A.Fortune 500 companies                 B.the Management Rules

C.Swanson’s book                           D.the Waiter Rule

4.From the text we can learn that _______.

A.one should be nicer to important people

B.CEOs often show their power before others

C.one should respect others no matter who they are

D.CEOs often have meals in expensive restaurants

 

The drug store was closing for the night and Alfred Higgins was about to go home when his new boss approached him.

    “Empty your pockets please, Alfred,” Sam Carr demanded in a firm voice.

Alfred pretended to be shocked but he knew he’d been caught. From his coat he withdrew a make-up kit, a lipstick and two tubes of toothpaste.

    “I’m disappointed in you, Alfred!” said the little gray-haired man.

    “Sorry, sir. Please forgive me. It’s the first time I’ve ever done such a thing,” Alfred lied, hoping to gain the old man’s sympathy.

Mr Carr’s brow furrowed as he reached for the phone, “Do you take me for a fool? Let’s see what the police have to say. But first I’ll call your mother and let her know her son is heading to jail.”

“Do whatever you want,” Alfred shot back, trying to sound big. But deep down he felt like a child. He imagined his mother rushing in, eyes burning with anger, maybe in tears. Yet he wanted her to come quickly before Mr. Carr called the police.

Mr. Carr was surprised when Mrs Higgins finally arrived. She was very calm, quiet and friendly.   “Is Alfred in trouble?” she asked.

“He’s been stealing from the store,” the old man coolly replied.

Mrs. Higgins put out her hand and touched Mr. Carr’s arm with great gentleness as if she knew just how he felt. She spoke as if she did not want to cause him any more trouble. “What do you want to do, Mr. Carr?”

The woman’s calm and gentle manner disarmed the once-angry store-owner. “I was going to get a cop. But I don’t want to be cruel. Tell your son not to come back here again, and I’ll let it go.” Then he warmly shook Mrs. Higgins’s hand.

Mrs. Higgins thanked the old man for his kindness, then mother and son left. They walked along the street in silence. When they arrived home his mother simply said, “Go to bed, you fool.”

In his bedroom, Alfred heard his mother in the kitchen. He felt no shame, only pride in his mother’s actions. “She was smooth!” he thought. He went to the kitchen to tell her how great she was, but was shocked by what he saw.

His mother’s face looked frightened, broken. Not the cool, bright face he saw earlier. Her lips moved nervously. She looked very old. There were tears in her eyes.

This picture of his mother made him want to cry. He felt his youth ending. He saw all the troubles he brought her and the deep lines of worry in her grey face. It seemed to him that this was the first time he had ever really seen his mother.

1.Which of the following is true according to the passage?

   A．Alfred tried to sound big to hide his fear.

   B．It was the first time Alfred had stolen anything.

   C．Mr. Carr set a trap to catch Alfred stealing.

   D．Mr. Carr had planned to forgive Alfred from the beginning.

2.What does the underlined word “disarmed” probably mean?

   A．annoyed                               B．convinced

   C．got over                              D．made less angry

3.What impressed Alfred most about his mother at the drugstore was ______．

    A．how angry she was                    B．how effectively she handled Mr．Carr

    C．that she didn't cry                       D．that she was able to save him

4.What was the mother's attitude toward Alfred?

    A．She was very strict with him．                           B．She was supportive of him．

    C．She felt disappointed with him．                         D．She was afraid of him．

5.From the last paragraph, we know that Alfred ______．

    A．was no longer a youth                   B．felt proud of his mother

    C．felt guilty and regretful for his deed           D．wanted his mother to be happy

 

Odland remembers like it was yesterday working in an expensive French restaurant in Denver. The ice cream he was serving fell onto the white dress of a rich and important woman.

Thirty years have passed, but Odland can’t get the memory out of his mind, nor the woman’s kind reaction(反应).She was shocked, regained calmness and, in a kind voice, told the young Odland. “It’s OK. It wasn’t your fault.”When she left the restaurant, she also left the future Fortune 500 CEO(总裁) with a life lesson: You can tell a lot about a person by the way he or she treats the waiter.

Odland isn’t the only CEO to have made this discovery. Rather, it seems to be one of those few laws of the land that every CEO learns on the way up. It’s hard to get a dozen CEOS to agree about anything, but most agree with the Waiter Rule. They say how others treat the CEO says nothing. But how others treat the waiter is like a window into the soul.

Watch out for anyone who pulls out the power card to say something like,“I could buy this place and fire you.”or “I know the owner and I could have you fired.”Those who say such things have shown more about their character(人品) than about their wealth and power.

The CEO who came up with it, or at least first wrote it down, is Raytheon CEO Bill Swanson. He wrote a best-selling book called Swanson’s Unwritten Rules of Management.

“A person who is nice to you but rude to the waiter, or to others, is not a nice person,” Swanson says. “I will never offer a job to the person who is sweet to the boss but turns rude to someone cleaning the tables.” 

What happened after Odland dropped the ice cream onto the woman’s dress?

A. He was fired.

B. He was blamed.

C. The woman comforted him.

D. The woman left the restaurant at once.

Odland learned one of his life lessons from _______.

A. his experience as a waiter     B. the advice given by the CEOs

C. an article in Fortune      D. an interesting best-selling book

According to the text, most CEOs have the time opinion about _______.

A. Fortune 500 companies     B. the Management Rules

C. Swanson’s book       D. the Waiter Rule

From the text we can learn that _______.

A. one should be nicer to important people

B. CEOs often show their power before others

C. one should respect others no matter who they are

D. CEOs often have meals in expensive restaurants