Even at school there had been an unhealthy competition between George and Richard. 

   “I’ll be the first millionaire in Coleford!” Richard used to boast. 

   “And you’ll be sorry you knew me,” George would reply “because I’ll be the best lawyer in the town!”

   George never did become a lawyer and Richard never made any money. Instead both men opened bookshops on opposite sides of Coleford High Street. It was hard to make money from books, which made the competition between them worse. 

   Then Richard married a mysterious girl. The couple spent their honeymoon on the coast—but Richard never came back. The police found his wallet on a deserted beach but the body was never found. He must have drowned.

   Now with only one bookshop in town, business was better for George. But sometimes he sat in his narrow, old kitchen and gazed out of the dirty window, thinking about his formal rival(竞争对手). Perhaps he missed him? 

   George was very interested in old dictionaries. He’d recently found a collector in Australia who was selling a rare first edition. When the parcel arrived, the book was in perfect condition and George was delighted. But while he was having lunch, George glanced at the photo in the newspaper that the book had been wrapped in. He was astonished—the smiling face was older than he remembered but unmistakable! Trembling, George started reading. 

   “Bookends have bought ten bookstores from their rivals Dylans. The company, owned by multi-millionaire Richard Pike, is now the largest bookseller in Australia.” 

1.George and Richard were ______ at school.

A. roommates     B. good friends    C. competitors    D. booksellers

2.How did George feel about Richard after his disappearance?

 A. He envied Richard’s marriage.

 B. He thought of Richard from time to time.

 C. He felt lucky with no rival in town.

 D. He was guilty of Richard’s death.

3.George got information about Richard from ______.

 A. a dictionary collector in Australia

B. the latter’s rivals Dylans

 C. a rare first edition of a dictionary

D. the wrapping paper of a book

4.What happened to George and Richard in the end?

 A. Both George and Richard became millionaires.

 B. Both of them realized their original ambitions.

 C. George established a successful business while Richard was missing.

 D. Richard became a millionaire while George had no great success.

 

A Letter from Steve Jobs
August 24, 2011
To the Apple Board of Directors and the Apple Community,
I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come.
So I resign（辞职）as CEO of Apple. I would like to serve, if the Board feels fit, as Chairman of the Board, director and Apple employee.
As far as my successor goes, I strongly suggest that we name Tim Cook as CEO of Apple.
I believe Apple’s brightest days are ahead of it. And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role.
I have made some of the best friends of my life at Apple, and I thank you all for the many years of being able to work alongside you.
Steve
More Information:
Steve Jobs (February 24, 1955—October 5, 2011) was an American businessman, designer and inventor. He is best known as the co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Apple Inc. Unluckily, in 2003, Jobs was diagnosed（确诊）with a pancreas neuroendocrine tumor（胰腺癌）. Although the cancer was treated in the first place, he appeared thinner as his health fell. On medical leave for most of 2011, Jobs finally made a decision to resign as Apple CEO in August that year. Shortly after that, on October 5, he died. He continues to receive honors and public attention for his influence in the technology and music industries.
【小题1】Why did Jobs resign as CEO of Apple according to the letter?

A．He was found seriously ill in 2003.

B．He felt he could no longer meet the responsibilities as a CEO.

C．He would like to be Chairman of the Board rather than CEO.

D．He was on medical leave for most of 2011.

【小题2】Which of the following statement is NOT true?

A．After receiving the medical treatment, Jobs was in good health again.

B．Tim Cook was a friend and co-worker of Jobs.

C．People will remember and honor Jobs for his influence in the technology and music industries.

D．Jobs believed that Apple would have a bright future.

【小题3】What is Jobs’ mood when writing this letter?

A．Optimistic for the company

B．Sorry for himself

C．Grateful to his friends and co-workers

D．All the above

Even at school there had been an unhealthy competition between George and Richard.
“I’ll be the first millionaire in Coleford!” Richard used to boast.
“And you’ll be sorry that you knew me,” George would reply “because I’ll surely be the best lawyer in our town!”
After graduation, George never became a lawyer and Richard was anybody but a millionaire …. Instead, it happened that both men opened bookshops on opposite sides of Coleford High Street, while it was hard to make much money from books then, which made the competition between them worse. Eventually, Richard closed down his, dreaming of making a fortune elsewhere. 
Now, with only one bookshop in the town, business was better for George. But sometimes he sat in his narrow old kitchen and gazed out of the dirty window, thinking about his former rival (竞争对手)。Perhaps he missed him? zxxk
George was very interested in old dictionaries, and he had recently found a collector in Australia who was selling a rare first edition. When the parcel arrived, the book was in perfect condition and George was quite delighted. But while he was having lunch, George glanced at the photo in the newspaper that the book had been wrapped in. He was astonished — the smiling face was older than he remembered but unmistakable! Trembling, George started reading: “Bookends Company has bought ten bookstores from its competitors. The company, owned by multi-millionaire Richard Pike, is now the largest bookseller in this country.”
【小题1】George and Richard were        at school.

A．roommates

B．good friends

C．competitors

D．booksellers

【小题2】How did George feel about Richard after his disappearance?

A．He envied Richard’s good fortune very much.

B．He thought about Richard from time to time.

C．He felt unlucky with no more rival in the town.

D．He was unhappy of Richard’s disappearance.

【小题3】George got information about Richard from       .

A．a dictionary collector in Australia

B．one of Richard’s competitors

C．some rare edition of a dictionary

D．the wrapping paper of a book

【小题4】What happened to George and Richard in the end?

A．Both George and Richard became millionaires by selling books.

B．Both of them realized their original ambitions, which were the same.

C．George established a successful business while Richard was missing.

D．Richard became a millionaire while George had no great success.

The new mayor of Hillsdale, Michigan, is a man of the people, ready to listen to their problems, but only until 6 p.m. Then he has to do his homework. Michael Sessions, 18, beat former mayor Douglas Ingles, 51, by just two votes and became the new mayor of Hillsdale. He is America's youngest mayor.

As Sessions was too young to enter the election in the spring of 2005, he registered- to vote on Sept. 22, one day after his 18-year-old birthday. The day after that he started his write-in campaign, which means he should persuade voters to remember his name and write it by hand on the voting ballots（选票）.

To help get his name known, Sessions earned＄700 by selling apples over the summer. He spent the money on posters and put them on the Hillsdale's lawns.

Sessions' month-long campaign included going door to door, explaining his ideas of the town's future in the kitchens of his neighbors. "They'd look at me, and say‘How old are you again? How much experience do you have?'And I say‘I'm still in high school', "he said. Sessions promised Hillsdale's voters he would renew local economy. “I was hopeful the whole time, ”he explained. One day he spent so long out on the streets knocking on the doors that he ended up in a hospital emergency room.

Sessions said that his schoolwork will not get in the way of his job as a mayor. “From 7:50 a.m. to 2:30p.m., I'11 be a student. From 3 to 6, I'11 be the mayor of Hillsdale," he said.

“He did a very brave thing that couldn't have been easy for him to do, "said Jack Vettel, a councilman in Hillsdale, a city of 8,200 about 75 miles southwest of Detroit. "He does care about this town. He's been here all his life. ”

Sessions will receive＄3, 600 a year during his four-year term, and will work out of his bedroom since the town does not provide the mayor with an office.

1.What is TRUE of Sessions' election campaign according to the text?

A．Sessions launched his election campaign on Sept. 22.

B．Sessions worked so hard that he once tried to persuade people in a hospital.

C．Sessions won the election campaign by a very close outcome.

D．Sessions felt disappointed when asked about his age and experience.

2.In order to gain more support from the voters Sessions had to do all these things EXCEPT＿.

A．put up posters'                         B．renew the economy

C．sell apples                             D．talk to neighbors in kitchens

3.What can we infer from the passage?

A．American mayors usually work from 3 p. m. to 6 p. m.

B．In America, young people are encouraged to get involved in politics.

C．All teenagers are allowed to enter political elections.

D．American mayors receive a salary of 3, 600 a year during their 4-year term.

4.Which of the following would best summarize the text?

A．Schoolboy becomes American's youngest mayor.

B．How to become a teenage mayor.

C．Hard work is the ticket to success.

D．Never too young to shake the world.

 

There is no question that teenagers need rules, which is often not a difficult thing for parents to give. What can be more challenging is giving teenagers their freedom. It can be difficult to draw the line between the two. However, some issues cannot be changed by discussion and require firm rules. For instance, rules should be established concerning driving the family car.

I will admit that I have no problem coming up with rules. To me they make life easier and they leave no room for questioning. What can be more difficult, however, is giving my teens their freedom. I guess there are really two primary reasons for this. One is that I sometimes am afraid to give them freedom. The second is that I’m not always so sure what the freedom should be.

It helps that I have a husband with whom I can discuss these problems. We talk about them, give our thoughts and then we come up with an agreement. Sometimes one of us might be more unwilling but we know that there comes a time when we really do have to learn how to let go of the reins (缰绳) a bit.

If we try to make life have nothing but rules, we are more likely to see our teen’s rebelling (反抗). They need to know that while we do have certain expectations, we also trust them to begin making their own choices and decisions. How else can they do that unless they are given the space and room to do it?

It’s really all about balance and I will be the first to admit that it can be a challenge to carry out. However, it is a necessary part of growing up. Yes, teens definitely need rules but they also need freedom.

1.According to the text, we can infer that the writer________.

A．refuses to give her children freedom

B．finds it difficult to make rules

C．doesn’t have a good relationship with her children

D．has trouble in giving freedom to her children

2.According to the writer, only rules without freedom will make the children _______.

A．strong-willed       B．rebellious         C．weak             D．independent

3.Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?

A．Rules are difficult to make for parents.

B．Rules and freedom are similarly important.

C．We should give children freedom as much as possible.

D．Rules are more important than freedom.

4.What does the underlined word “them” in Paragraph 3 probably refer to?

A．Problems.         B．Children.          C．Rules.            D．Reasons.