Many people believe Henry Ford invented the automobile (汽车). But Henry Ford did not start to build his first car until 1896. That was eleven years after two Germans developed the world's first automobile. Many people believe Henry Ford invented the production line that moved a car's parts to the worker, instead of making the worker move to the parts. That is not true, either. Many factory owners used methods of this kind before Ford. What Henry Ford did was to use other people's ideas and make them better. And he made the whole factory a moving production line.                      

  In the early days of the automobile, almost every car maker raced his cars. It was the best way of gaining public notice. Henry Ford decided to build a racing car. Ford's most famous race was his first one. It was also the last race in which he drove the car himself.

  The race was in 1901, at a field near Detroit. All of the most famous cars had entered, but only two were left: the Winton and Ford's. The Winton was famous for its speed. Most people thought the race was over before it began.

  The Winton took an early lead. But halfway through the race, it began to lose power. Ford started to gain. And near the end of the race, he took the lead. Ford won the race and defeated the Winton. His name appeared in newspapers and he became well-known all over the United States. Within weeks of the race, Henry Ford formed a new automobile company. In the 1903, a doctor in Detroit bought the first car from the company. That sale was the beginning of Henry Ford's dream. Ford said: "I will build a motor car for the great mass of people. It will be large enough for the family, but small enough for one person to operate and care for. It will be built of the best materials. It will be built by the best men to be employed. And it will be built with the simplest plans that modem engineering can produce. It will be so low in price that no man making good money will be unable to own one."     

 The Model T was a car of that kind. It only cost $850. It was a simple machine that drivers could depend on. Doctors bought the Model T. So did farmers. Even criminals.They considered it the fastest and surest form of transportation. Americans loved the Model T. They wrote stories and songs about it. Thousands of Model T's were built in the first few years.

1.

What do we know about Henry Ford from Paragraph 1?

A. He made good use of ideas from others.                                                                                                                                                                                     

B. He produced the first car in the world.                                                                                                                                                                                      

C. He knew how to improve auto parts.

D. He invented the production line.

2.

 Why did Henry Ford take part in the 1901 car race?            

A. To show off his driving skills.                          

B. To draw public attention.

C. To learn about new technology.                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

D. To raise money for his new company.

3.

 “That sale” in Paragraph 4 refers to        .

A. the selling of Ford cars at reduced prices  

B. the sale of Model T to the mass of people   

C. the selling of a car to a Detroit doctor

D. the sales target for the Ford Company

4.

What was Henry Ford's dream according to the text?   

A. Producing cars for average customers.

B. Building racing cars of simple design.   

C. Designing more car models.

D. Starting more companies.

 

 

There are two basic ways to see growth: one as a product, the other as a process. People have generally viewed personal growth as an external (外在的) result or a product that can easily be identified and measured．The worker who gets a rise, the student whose grades improve, the foreigner who learns a new language—all these examples of people who have measurable results to show for their efforts．

By contrast (对照) , the process of personal growth is much more difficult to determine, since it is a journey and not the specific signposts or landmarks along the way．The process is not the road itself, but the attitudes, feelings people have , and their caution or courage, as they meet with new experiences and unexpected difficulties．In this process, the journey never really ends；there are always new ways to experience the world, new ideas to try, new challenges to accept．

In order to grow, to travel new roads, people need to have a willingness to take risks, to face the unknown, and to accept the possibility that they may “fail” at first．How we see ourselves as we try a new way of being is necessary for our ability to grow．Do we see ourselves as quick and curious? If so, we tend to take more chances and be more open to unfamiliar experiences．Do we think we’re shy and indecisive? Then our sense of fear can cause us to hesitate, to move slowly, and we think we are slow to adapt (适应) change or that we’re not smart enough to deal with a new challenge．Then we are likely to take a more passive role or not try at all．

These feelings of insecurity (不安全) and self-doubt are both unavoidable and necessary if we are to change and grow．If we protect ourselves too much, then we stop growing．We become trapped inside a shell of our own making．

1．In the author’s eye, one who views personal growth as a process would ______． 

A．succeed in climbing up the social ladder

B．grow up from his own achievements

C．face difficulties and take up challenges

D．aim high and reach his goal each time

2．Which of the following can be viewed as the process of personal growing?

A．Our manager was always willing to accept new challenges．

B．Jane won the first prize in the speech competition．

C．Jerry picked up French during his stay in Paris．

D．Father’s salary rose from 5, 000 to 7,000．

3．For personal growth, the author is in favor of all the following EXCEPT _______．

A．being curious about more changes           

B．being quick in self-adaptation

C．having an open mind to new experiences         

D．staying away from failures and challenges

4．Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A．It is not so easy to measure personal growth．

B．To try and fail on the new road facing the unknown is unavoidable．

C．There are only two ways to see a person’s growth．

D．If you are too shy to take any risks in life, you cannot grow up． 

5．The best title for this passage should be ______．

A．Facing New Challenges                        B．Growth—Product or Process

C．Two Basic Ways of Growth                 D．Overcoming Internal Fears

 

In recent years many countries of the world have been faced with the problem of how to make their workers more productive. Some experts say the ___1___ is to make jobs more varied(多样的). But do more varied jobs ___2___ greater productivity? There is evidence to suggest that ___3___variety certainly makes the worker’s life more enjoyable, it doesn’t ___4___ make him work harder. As far as increasing productivity is concerned, then, ___5___ is not an important factor.

Other experts feel that giving the worker___6___ to do his job in his own way is important, and there is no doubt that this is true. The ___7___ is that this kind of freedom can’t easily be given in the modern factory with its complicated(复杂的) machinery which must be used in a ___8___ way. Thus while freedom of choice may be important, there is usually very little that can be done to ___9___ it.

Another important ___10___ is how much each worker ___11___ to the product he is making. In most factories the worker ___12___ only one small part of the product. Some car factories are now ___13___ with having many small production lines rather than one large one, so that each worker contributes more to the production of the cars on his___14___. It would seem that not only is degree of worker contribution an important factor ___15___ it is one we can do something about.

To what___16___ does more money lead to greater productivity? The workers themselves certainly think this is ___17___. But perhaps they want more money only because the work they do is so boring. ___18___ just lets them enjoy their spare time more. A ___19___ argument may explain demands for shorter working hours. Perhaps if we ___20___ making their jobs more interesting, they will neither want more money, nor will shorter working hours be so important to them.

1. A. answer   B. course C. attempt      D. system

2. A. run across      B. lead to       C. result from D. pick up

3. A. because  B. as       C. while  D. as though

4. A. mentally B. physically   C. carefully    D. actually

5. A. variety   B. relaxation C. creativity    D. machinery

6. A. judgement     B. freedom     C. direction    D. comfort

7. A. secret     B. skill    C. problem     D. strength

8. A. amusing B. dull    C. changeable D. fixed

9. A. use  B. create  C. supply D. fear

10. A. measure       B. invention    C. consideration     D. work

11. A. lies       B. sticks  C. objects       D. contributes

12. A. likes     B. equips C. transports   D. sees

13. A. tired     B. pleased       C. worrying       D. experimenting

14. A. own     B. will    C. line     D. hand

15. A. but       B. and     C. so       D. however

16. A. extent   B. quality       C. store   D. difference

17. A. natural  B. important   C. worrying    D. unbelievable

18. A. Rest     B. Sports C. Money       D. Playing

19. A. complete      B. friendly      C. given  D. similar

20. A. advise   B. succeed in  C. object to     D. are tried of

 

Last year more than one million Filipinos worked abroad as servants,nurses,sailors and in other difficult but low-paid jobs.Southeast Asians leave their poorer countries for their richer neighbours.

Many of these wage-earners return in the end.In the meantime,they send home huge amounts of money—in the Philippines’ case,over 10% of its GDP.Between January and November,the amount was up 18% on the same period of 2005.Poverty and unemployment are still high in the Philippines and other labour-exporting(劳务输出) countries.They would be far worse but for this outflow of bodies and inflow of dollars.As for those Asian countries that import(输入) labour,as in Europe,falling birth rates mean they are going to need more foreign workers.

On January 13th leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations(ASEAN) signed an agreement to help migrant(流动的) workers—with the realization that the flow of labour between their countries is a growing problem that they cannot blame on outsiders.A 2005 study showed that 8.4 million Southeast Asians worked outside their home countries,but this did not include the huge numbers of Indonesians doing so without papers.So the true total is probably rather higher.

Of the ten ASEAN countries,the Philippines,Indonesia,Myanmar,Cambodia,Vietnam and Laos export labour,Singapore and Brunei import it,and Thailand and Malaysia do both.Sziraczki of the UN’s International Labour Organization points out that,in the next ten years,the total labour force of the worker-exporting countries should grow by about a third.It makes sense to work on the problem before it gets out of control.

People in the receiving countries seem to be worried about competition for their jobs.Most Thais said their government should admit(准入) no more foreign workers,and a few thought otherwise.Even in Singapore,just over half of people are against admitting more foreign workers.Malaysians think that the increase in foreign workers has worsened crime rates(犯罪率).

1.It can be inferred from the case of the Philippines that ______.

A.the country is Asia’s main source of migrant workers

B.labour exports lead to a 10% growth of its GDP

C.the outflow of labour helps solve its social problems

D.the country both exports and imports labour force

2.The flow of labour is a growing problem because ______.

A.there is a greater flow of labour than reported

B.more Indonesians work abroad without papers

C.some countries suffer from low birth rates

D.the ASEAN is against admitting foreign workers

3.For the labour-importing countries,the flow of labour may lead to ______.

A.higher birth rates

B.lower crime rates

C.greater money inflows

D.stronger job competition

4.The writer of the text seems to ______.

A.support the flow of labour between countries

B.report fairly on the question of labour flow

C.express his worries over the ASEAN’s decision

D.regard the outflow of labour as a serious problem

 

There are two basic ways to see growth: one as a product, the other as a process. People have generally viewed personal growth as an external （外在的） result or a product that can easily be identified and measured. The worker who gets a rise, he student whose grades improve, the foreigner who learns a new language—all these examples of people who have measurable results to show for their efforts.

By contrast, the process of personal growth is much more difficult to determine, since it is a journey and not the specific signposts or land mar along the way. The process is not the road itself, but the attitudes, feelings people have, and their caution or courage, as they meet with new experiences and unexpected difficulties. In this process, the journey never really ends；there are always new ways to experience the world, new ideas to try, new challenges to accept.

In order to grow, to travel new roads, people need to have a willingness to take rise, to face the unknown ,and to accept the possibility that they may “fail” at first. How we see ourselves as we try a new way of being is necessary for our ability to grow. Do we see ourselves as quick and curious? If so, we tend to take more chances and be more open to unfamiliar experiences. Do we think we’re shy and indecisive? Then our sense of fear can cause us to hesitate, to move slowly, and we think we are slow to adapt change or that we’re not smart enough to deal with a new challenge. Then we are likely to take a more passive role or not try at all.

These feelings of insecurity and self doubt are both unavoidable and necessary if we are to change and grow. If we protect ourselves too much, then we stop growing. We become trapped inside a shell of our own making.

In the author’s eye, one who views personal growth as a process would ______.

A. succeed in climbing up the social ladder  B. grow up from his own achievements

C. face difficulties and take up challenges   D. aim high and reach his goal each time

Which of the following can be viewed as the process of personal growing? 

A. Our manager was always willing to accept new challenges.

B. Jane won the first prize in the speech competition.

C. Jerry picked up French during his stay in Paris.

D. Father’s salary rose from 5000 to 7000.

For personal growth, the author is in favor of all the following EXCEPT ______.

A. being curious about more changes   B. having an open mind to new experiences

C. being quick in self-adaptation      D. staying away from failures and challenges

The best title for this passage should be ______. 

A. Facing New Challenges        B. Growth—Product or Process

C. Two Basic Ways of Growth     D. Overcoming Internal Fears