Mr. Briggs got a job with an insurance company(保险公司) after he left school and went around visiting people in their homes to sell them life insurance. One day, after he had been working for the company for about a year, the insurance manager sent for him and said, “Mr. Briggs, I have been looking at your record as a salesman with our company, and there is one thing that surprises me about it. Why have you been selling insurance only to people over 95 years old, and why have you been giving them such generous（宽厚的）conditions? You’ll ruin our company if you go on like that.”
“Oh, no, sir,” answered Mr. Briggs at once, “Before I started work, I looked at the figures(数字) for deaths in this country during the past ten years, and I can tell you that few people die at the age of 95.”
【小题1】 Before he worked in an insurance company, what was Mr. Briggs?______.

A．He was a worker.	B．He was an official.
C．He was a student.	D．He was a businessman.

【小题2】The word “ruin” in the second paragraph means       .

A．lose

B．break

C．leave

D．destroy

【小题3】 Which of the following is true according to the passage?      

A．Mr. Briggs had studied the figures for deaths for several years.

B．Mr. Briggs began to look at the figures after he started work.

C．A great number of very old people die every year.

D．The number of the very old people who died every year is small.

Mr. Briggs got a job with an insurance company(保险公司) after he left school and went around visiting people in their homes to sell them life insurance. One day, after he had been working for the company for about a year, the insurance manager sent for him and said, “Mr. Briggs, I have been looking at your record as a salesman with our company, and there is one thing that surprises me about it. Why have you been selling insurance only to people over 95 years old, and why have you been giving them such generous（宽厚的）conditions? You’ll ruin our company if you go on like that.”

“Oh, no, sir,” answered Mr. Briggs at once, “Before I started work, I looked at the figures(数字) for deaths in this country during the past ten years, and I can tell you that few people die at the age of 95.”

1. Before he worked in an insurance company, what was Mr. Briggs?______.

A．He was a worker.	B．He was an official.
C．He was a student.	D．He was a businessman.

2.The word “ruin” in the second paragraph means       .

A．lose

B．break

C．leave

D．destroy

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

A．Mr. Briggs had studied the figures for deaths for several years.

B．Mr. Briggs began to look at the figures after he started work.

C．A great number of very old people die every year.

D．The number of the very old people who died every year is small.

 

His success ____ the fact ____ he had been working hard.

A. put in; which B. led to; because   C. lay in; that         D. got in; that

John said he had been working in the office for an hour, _______ was true.?

A. he B. this?

C. which D. who?

At the onset of a northern winter, many dream of warmer climates.In 1934 the Canadian-born composer Colin Mcphee did more than dream. He set out for the island of Bali.

In his book A House in Bali,Colin Mcphee described how he first gained insight into the essence of Balinese music.For about a month he had been working on transcribing a complete score to a Balinese play he had seen. It seemed impossible that so much beauty could be achieved with a scale(音阶)of only five tones.

But the distinctive embellishments(修饰音)of the music eluded him.Fortunately a young household helper and his friend decided to assist. One morning they set two objects next to Mcphee’s piano.They were gangas--metal keyed instruments.The two boys played them in what struck Mcphee as”a fast duet(二重奏） in Morse code”.

At last the composer had found the key to Balinese music.“Wait!” Mcphee would call out from the piano as the boys flew along,“Stop!Please!That bit once more!”

Patiently the boys would stop and began again.But soon they were flying again,faster than ever, amazing Mcphee with their memory and precision. Sometimes the patterns repeated.Sometimes they opened up into something new. Then, suddenly the whole duet would fly apart and the boys would burst out laughing,breaking the spell.

Although Colin Mcphee left the island in 1939,he remained spellbound by Balinese music.And its rich,distinctive sound would colour many of the compositions he would write for the next quarter century.

1.From the passage we can learn that_______________________.

A．Colin Mcphee set foot on the island of Bali in late winter

B．The book A House in Bali detailed how Colin Mcphee understood the life of the island

C．Colin Mcphee actually acquired much beauty of Balinese music

D．For a month Colin Mcphee had been watching a Balinese play he had seen before

2.The word “eluded” in the third paragraph can be replaced by________________.

A．attracted          B．shocked           C．disappointed       D．puzzled

3.Colin Mcphee was astonished because________________________.

A．the two locals played part of Balinese music once more unwillingly

B．Colin Mcphee eventually found the key to Balinese music

C．The two boys played their instruments so precisely and skillfully

D．The Balinese music displayed something new for Colin Mcphee

4.The passage is mainly about_______________________.

A．a book introducing the island of Bali

B．two Balinese boys playing gangas

C．a composer named Colin Mcphee

D．Balinese music touching Colin Mcphee