“Football is a very short-term career. Football really prepares you for almost nothing. The only thing I got out of football was the ability to work hard.” says Gales Sayers. So what do you do after your glory days on the field are over? Here’s what one of the top players, Gales Sayers did after he put down the pigskin.
Gales Sayers: #40, Chicago Bears, Running Back.  
Gales Sayers became famous in 1965. After recovering from a serious knee injury in 1968, Sayers returned to the Bears in 1969 and was awarded the George Halas Award as “the most courageous player in professional football.” At the award ceremony, he owed his prize to his friend and teammate Brian Piccolo, who was dying of cancer.
Sayers couldn’t get away from the injuries, though, and another blow to his knee put an end to his football career in 1971. His personal life was unfortunate as well, as he and his wife, Linda, split up that year. Shortly after that, Sayers started a new life and career as an assistant athletic director in the University of Kansas. By 1976 he was moving up the ladder at Southern Illinois University, becoming the first African-American athletic director at a major university.
Sayers started a computer supplies company in 1984 with his second wife, Ardie, whom he married in 1973. The couple was looking for a field with a future, and computers seemed to have it all. Seventeen years later, the company that bears his name is a national provider of technology solutions, with 10 locations and over 350 employees across the country. Just like in the old days the honors started rolling in. Sayers was listed into the Chicago Area Entrepreneurship(企业家) Hall of Fame in 1999.
【小题1】What does the underlined sentence “he put down the pigskin” mean?
A. Sayers ended his football career.              
B. Sayers was too tired to go on playing.
C. Sayers intended to start a new career.            
D. Sayers only wanted to rest for some time.
【小题2】 How many times was Sayers honored in his life?

A．Only once as a football star.

B．Only once as a businessman.

C．Twice in all.

D．We are not quite sure.

【小题3】 Sayers started his new career mainly because of _______ .

A．the first knee injury in l 968

B．his unfortunate personal life

C．another more serious knee injury

D．a friend’s being deadly ill

【小题4】What can be learned from this passage?

A．Football players are not successful all the time.

B．A successful businessman should be a ball player first.

C．A retired football player can easily make money.

D．Whatever you do, working hard is the most important.

Through years of hard work, Mrs. Smith, who ____ as a secretary for five years, is general manager of the company now.

A. serves            B. served            C. has served                D. had served

 

Zoe Chambers was a successful PR (Public Relations) consultant and life was going well — she had a great job, a beautiful flat and a busy social life in London. Then one evening in June last year, she received a text message telling her she was out of work. The first two weeks were the most difficult to live through." she said. "After everything I'd done for the company, they dismissed me by text! I was so angry and I just didn't feel like looking for another job. I hated everything about the city and my life."
Then, Zoe received an invitation from an old school friend, Kathy, to come and stay. Kathy and her husband, Huw, had just bought a farm in north-west Wales. Zoe jumped at the chance to spend a weekend away from London, and now, ten months later, she is still on the farm.
"The moment I arrived at Kathy's farm, I loved it and I knew I wanted to stay." said Zoe. "Everything about my past life suddenly seemed meaningless."
Zoe has been working on the farm since October of last year and says she has no regrets. "It's a hard life, physically very tiring." she says. "In London I was stressed and often mentally exhausted. But this is a good, healthy tiredness. Here, all I need to put me in a good mood is a hot bath and one of Kathy's wonderful dinners."
Zoe says she has never felt bored on the farm. Every day brings a new experience. Kathy has been teaching her how to ride a horse and she has learnt to drive a tractor. Since Christmas, she has been helping with the lambing — watching a lamb being born is unbelievable, she says, "It's one of the most moving experiences I've ever had. I could never go back to city life now."
【小题1】 When working as a PR consultant in London, Zoe thought she lived a______life.

A．satisfying

B．tough

C．meaningless

D．boring

【小题2】The most important reason why Zoe went to visit Kathy's farm is that______.

A．Zoe lost her job as a PR consultant	B．Kathy persuaded her to do so
C．Zoe got tired of the city life	D．Zoe loved Wales more than London

【小题3】 How does Zoe feel about the country life according to the passage?

A．Tiresome and troublesome.	B．Romantic and peaceful
C．Mentally exhausting but healthy	D．Physically tiring but rewarding.

【小题4】 Which of the following is closest to the main idea of the passage?

A．A friend in need is a friend indeed.	B．Where there is a will, there is a way.
C．A misfortune may turn out a blessing.	D．Kill two birds with one stone.

LAS VEGAS (AFP) — Children may not like it but a British technology firm has invented an electronic babysitter -- a wristwatch-like device that lets parents know where their children are at all times.
The GPS Child Locator, or num8, attaches securely to a child’s wrist and contains a Global Positioning System (GPS), said Matthew Salmon, a spokesman for the manufacturer, lok8u.
"It uses GPS and GSM (Global System for Mobiles) technology with an accuracy of 10 feet (three meters)," he said. "It tracks your child."
"It only starts working when the device is connected to the child’s wrist," Salmon said, and is "very difficult to get off."
"Even if the child managed to get it off it would send an emergency text message through to your mobile phone," he said. "It would give you a Google Maps image with their exact location, the street name and the zip code."
When a child is wearing the device, a parent sends the text message "wru" and the child’s current location is sent back to a mobile phone or computer.
Parents can also log on to the company website to discover their child’s present location.
"You can also set up a perimeter, an invisible fence, and if they wander out of this invisible fence which you put on the Internet it will warn you," Salmon said. "It will text you immediately."
Salmon said the device is waterproof and shockproof and lasts for three days with a full charge.
It will be available in both Britain and the United States this year and retails for 200 dollars with a 10 dollar a month subscription fee.
He said the company had received thousands of inquiries about the device since launching it this week. "Fifty percent are positive, 50 percent are negative, that it’s a bit Big Brotherish," he said. "But it’s really just about letting you have freedom of mind."
【小题1】Only when       does the device begin to work.

A．it uses GPS and GSM technology	B．it is put within about 3 meters
C．it’s joined to parents’ computer	D．it is fastened to the child’s wrist

【小题2】If a child is wearing the “wristwatch”, parents can track them by      .

A．sending the text message “wru”	B．replying to the text message
C．getting a Google Maps picture	D．phoning the local police station

【小题3】What Can we conclude from the text?

A．It won’t be easily found if a child loses t11e device

B．The device won’t work while a child is swimming

C．Parents can easily track children due to the device

D．The new product needs to be fully charged daily

【小题4】The purpose of the text is to      .

A．explain how to use the new device

B．attract more buyers to the new product

C．discuss advantages of a new invention

D．introduce a new electronic equipment

The Pacific island nation of Nauru used to be a beautiful place．Now it is an ecological disaster area．Nauru's heartbreaking story could have one good consequence-other countries might learn from its mistakes．
For thousands of years，Polynesian people lived in the remote island of Nauru，far from western civilization．The first European to arrive was John Fearn in 1798．He was the British captain of the Hunter, a whaling ship．He called the island Pleasant Island．
However, because it was very remote, Nauru had little communication with Europeans at first．The whaling ships and other traders began to visit，bringing guns and alcohol．These elements destroyed the social balance of the twelve family groups on the island．A ten-year civil war started，which reduced the population from 1,400 to 900.
Nauru's real troubles began in 1899 when a British mining company discovered phosphate(磷酸盐)on the island．In fact，it found that the island of Nauru was nearly all phosphate，which was a very important fertilizer for farming．The company began mining the phosphate．
A phosphate mine is not a hole in the ground；it is a strip mine．When a company strip-mines，it removes the to player of soil．Then it takes away the material it wants．Strip mining totally destroys the land．Gradually, the lovely island or Nauru started to look like the moon．
In 1968，Nauru became one of the richest countries in the world．Every year the government received millions and millions of dollars for its phosphate．
Unfortunately, the leaders invested the money unwisely and lost millions of dollars．In addition，they used millions more dollars for personal expenses．Soon people realized that they had a terrible problem—their phosphate was running out．Ninety percent of their island was destroyed and they had nothing．By 2000，Nauru was financially ruined．Experts say that it would take approximately$433，600，000 and more than 20 years to repair the island．This will probably never happen．
【小题1】What might be the author's purpose in writing the text?

A．To seek help for Nauru's problems．

B．To tell a heartbreaking story of a war．

C．To show the importance of money

D．To give a warning to other countries

【小题2】What was Nauru like before the Europeans came?
APeaceful and attractive       B．Modern and open
C．Rich and powerful            D．Greedy and aggressive
【小题3】The ecological disaster in Nauru resulted from

A．soil pollution	B．phosphate overmining
C．farming activity	D．whale hunting

【小题4】Which of the following was a cause of Nauru's financial problem?

A．Its phosphate mining cost much money

B．It spent too much repairing the island

C．Its leaders misused the money

D．It lost millions of dollars in the civil war.

【小题5】What can we learn about Nauru from me last paragraph?

A．The leaders will take the experts' words seriously

B．The ecological damage is difficult to repair.

C．The island was abandoned by the Nauruans

D．The phosphate mines were destroyed