Passage five(Meditation in Indonesian Business)

  It looked like a typical business meeting. Six men, neatly dressed in white shirts and ties filed into the boardroom of a small Jakarta company and sat down at a long table. But instead of consulting files or hearing reports, they closed their eyes and began to meditate, consulting the spirits of ancient Javanese kings. Mysticism touches almost every aspect of life in Indonesia and business is no exception. One of the meditators said his weekly meditation sessions are aimed mainly at bringing the peace of mind that makes for good decision-making. But the insight gained from mystic communication with spirits of wise kings has also helped boost the profits of his five companies.

  Mysticism and profits have come together since the 13th century introduction of Islam to Indonesia by Indian Moslem merchants. Those devout traders, called ‘Wali Ullah’ or ‘those close to God, ’ energetically spread both trade and religion by adapting their appeals to the native mysticism of Java. Legends attribute magic power of foreknowledge to the Wali Ullah. These powers were believed to be gained through meditation and fasting.

  Businessman Hadisiko said his group fasts and meditates all night every Thursday to become closer to God and to contact the spirits of the great men of the past. ‘If we want to employ someone at the managerial level, we meditate together and often the message comes that this man can’t hole onto money or he is untrustworthy. Or maybe the spirits will tell us he should be hired.’  Hadiziko hastened to add that his companies also hold modern personnel management systems and that formal qualifications are essential for a candidate even to be considered. Perspective investments also are considered through mystic meditation. ‘With the mind relaxed and open, it is easier to be objective in judging the risk of a new venture. Meditation and contact with the wisdom of the old leaders sharpens your own insight and intuition. Then you have to apply that intuition to the information you have and work hard to be successful. ’ Mystic meditation helped reverse a business slide his companies experienced in the mid-1980. Operating with normal business procedures, he lost more than $ 3 millions in that year alone. Meditation brought back his peace of mind. Putting the right persons in the right jobs and gaining confidence in his business decisions were the keys to a turning around that has brought expansion and profitability. The mysticism in Handspike’s boardroom is part of a growing movement in Indonesia called Kebatinan – the ‘search for the inner self.’

  One of his managers, Yusuf Soemado, who studied business administration at Harvard University, compared the idea of mystic management to western system of positive thinking. ‘Willpower and subconscious mind are recognized as important factors in business. Such approaches as psycho-cybernetics, Carnegie’s think and growth rates, or the power of positive thinking are western attempts to tap the same higher intelligence that we contact through meditation,’ he said.

1.What is the most important factor in their doing business?

A.Mysticism.     B.Religion.        C.Meditation.    D.Investment.

2.Whom do they consult?

A.The spirits of ancient Javanese kings.

B.Wali Ullah.

C.Old Kings.

D.Carnegie.

3.Why did Hadisike hasten to add ‘his companies also hold modern personnel management systems…’?

A.He thought Mysticism was not so good as expected.

To show they too focused on qualifications.

C.To show they hired qualified persons.

D.To show the possibility of combination of the scientific management with religion.

4.According to the passage, the function of the meditation is

A.to gain profit from the god.

[N]to gain peace of mind to make decision.

C.to gain foreknowledge.

D.to gain objective conclusion.

5.What does ‘operating with normal business procedures’ refer to?

A.Adopting the western way of doing business.

B.Ordinary way of doing business without meditation and fasting.

C.Contact with God.

D.Putting right persons in the right jobs.

Watching some children trying to catch butterflies one hot August afternoon, I was reminded of an incident in my own childhood．When I was a boy of 12 in South Carolina, something happened to me that cured me forever of wanting to put any wild creature in a cage.We lived on the edge of a wood, and every evening at dusk the mockingbirds would come and rest in the trees and sing. There isn’t a musical instrument made by man that can produce a more beautiful sound than the song of the mockingbird.

I decided that I would catch a young bird and keep it in a cage and in that way would have my own private musician.

I finally succeeded in catching one and put it in a cage. At first, in its fright at being captured, the bird fluttered about the cage, but eventually it settled down in its new home. I felt very pleased with myself and looked forward to some beautiful singing from my tiny musician.

I had left the cage out on our back porch, and on the second day of the bird’s captivity my new pet’s mother flew to the cage with food in her mouth. The baby bird ate everything she brought to it. I was pleased to see this. Certainly the mother knew better than I how to feed her baby.

The following morning when I went to see how my captive was doing, I discovered it on the floor of the cage, dead. I was shocked! What had happened! I had taken excellent care of my little bird, or so I thought.

Arthur Wayne, the famous ornithologist, happened to be visiting my father at the time, hearing me crying over the death of my bird, explained what had occurred. “A mother mockingbird, finding her young in a cage, will sometimes bring it poison berries. She thinks it better for her young to die than to live in captivity.”

Never since then have I caught any living creature and put it in a cage. All living creatures have a right to live free.

1.Why did the writer catch a mockingbird when he was a boy of 12?

A．He had just got a new cage.                B．He liked its beautiful feather.

C．He wanted it to sing for him.               D．He wanted a pet for a companion.

2.The mockingbird died because it ______.

A．was frightened to death                  B．ate the poisonous food its mother gave it

C．refused to eat anything                   D．drank the poisonous water by mistake

3.An ornithologist probably means ______.

A．a religious person                       B．a kind person

C．a schoolmaster                         D．an expert in birds

4.What is the most important lesson the writer learned from the incident?

A．Freedom is very valuable to all creatures.

B．All birds put in a cage won’t live long.

C．You should keep the birds from their mother.

D．Be careful about food you give to baby birds.

The literal meaning of philosophy is “love of wisdom”．But this meaning does not tell us very much．Unlike the other disciplines, philosophy cannot be defined by what you study, because it si actually unlimited．Anything can be the subject matter of philosophy: are, history, law, language, literature, mathematics, and in fact, the other academic disciplines are directly related to philosophy．For this reason you get a Doctorate（博士学位）of Philosophy （Ph．D．） in biochemistry, or computer science, or psychology．

       Two broad sub-fields of philosophy are logic and the history of philosophy．Logic is the science of argument and critical thinking．It provides sound methods for distinguishing good from bad reasonign．The history of philosophy involves the study of major philosophers and periods in the development of philosophy．

       Of what use is philosophy? First it is useful in educational advancement．It is necessary for understanding other disciplines．Only philosophy questions the nature of the concepts used in a discipline, and its relation to other disciplines．And through the study of philosophy, one develops sound methods of research and analysis that can be applied to any field．

       There are a number of general uses of philosophy．It strengthens one’s ability to solve problems, to communicate, to organize ideas and issues, to persuade, and to take what is the most important from a large quantity of data．These general uses are of great benefit in the career field, not necessarily for obtaining one’s first job after graduation, but for preparing for positions of responsibility, management  and leadership later on．It is very short-sighted after all, to take a course of studies only for the purpose of getting one’s first job．The useful skills developed through the study of philosophy have significant long-term benefits in career advancement．No other discipline systematically follows the ideals of wisdom, leadership, and capacity to resolve human conflict．

31．According to paragraph 1, philosophy can best be described as the study of        ．

       A．social sciences                           B．natural sciences

       C．both social and natural sciences             D．the subject matter of politics

32．What does “discipline” mean in the first paragraph?

       A．subject     B．science     C．literature   D．occupation

33．With the study of philosophy, you can        ．

       A．become a great leader

       B．succeed in everything

       C．find a good job soon after graduation

       D．make progress in your career development

34．According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?

       A．Philosophy is an independent discipline．

       B．Logic helps you to become a better thinker．

       C．The study of philosophy brings you immediate benefits．

       D．The meaning of philosophy is too limited to define．

35．From the passage, we can conclude        ．

       A．not all the subjects have to do with philosophy

       B．a person will get a Ph．  D．if he/she studies philosophy

       C．philosophy can be helpful for the study of any other subjects

       D．philosophy is the only solution to all the problems in the world

“What is the most important thing you’ve done in your life?” The question was put to me during a presentation I gave to a group of lawyers.
The answer came to me in an instant. It’s not the one I gave, because the situation was not right. As a lawyer in the entertainment industry, I knew the audience wanted to hear some amusing stories about my work with well-known people. But here’s the true answer:
The most important thing I’ve ever done occurred on October 8, 1990. I began the day playing tennis with an old friend I hadn’t seen for a while. Between points we talked about what had been happening in each other’s lives. He and his wife had just had a baby boy, who was keeping them up at night.
While we were playing, a car came screaming up the road toward the courts. It was my friend’s father, who shouted to my friend that his baby had stopped breathing and was being rushed to the hospital. In a flash my friend was in the car and gone, disappearing in a cloud of dust.
For a moment I just stood there, paralyzed(呆若木鸡). Then I tried to figure out what I should do. Follow my friend to the hospital? There was nothing I could accomplish there, I convinced myself. My friend’s son was in the care of doctors and nurses, and nothing I could do or say would affect the outcome. Be there for moral support? Well, maybe. But my friend and his wife both had large families, and I knew they’d be surrounded by relatives who would provide more than enough comfort and support, whatever happened. All I could do at the hospital, I decided, was to get in the way. Also, I had planned a full day with my family, who were waiting for me to get home. So I decided to head back to my house and check in my friend later.
As I started my car, I realized that my friend had left his truck and keys at the courts. I now faced another problem. I couldn’t leave the keys in the truck. So I decided to go to the hospital and give him the keys.
When I arrived, I was directed to a room where my friend and his wife were waiting. As I had thought, the room was filled with family members silently watching my friend comfort his wife. I went in and stood by the door, trying to decide what to do next. Soon a doctor appeared. He approached my friend and his wife, and in a quiet voice told them that their son had died.
For a long time the two held each other and cried, unaware of the rest of us standing around in pained silence. After they had calmed themselves, the doctor suggested they spend a few moments with their son.
My friend and his wife stood up and walked past their families. When they reached the door, my friend saw me standing in the corner. He came over and hugged me and started to cry. My friend’s wife hugged me, too, and said, “Thanks for being here.”
For the rest of that morning, I sat in the emergency room of that hospital and watched my friend and his wife hold the body of their infant son, and say goodbye.
It’s the most important thing I have ever done.
The experience taught me two lessons.
First: The most important thing I’ve ever done happened when I was completely helpless. None of the things I had learned in university, in three years of law school or in six years of legal practice were of any use in that situation. Something terrible was happening to people Icared about, and I was powerless to change the outcome. All I could do was standing by and watching it happen. And yet it was critical that I do just that—just be there when someone needed me.
Second: The most important thing I’ve done almost didn’t happen because of things I had learned in classroom and professional life. Law school taught me how to take a set of facts, break them down and organized them. These skills are critical for lawyers. When people come to us for help, they’re often stressed out and depend on a lawyer to think logically. But while learning to think, I almost forget how to feel. Today I have no doubt that I should have leapt into my car without hesitation and followed my friend to the hospital.
From that one experience I learned that the most important thing in life isn’t the money you make, the status you attain or the honors you achieve. The most important thing in life is the kids’ team you coach or the poem you write—or the time when you’re just somebody’s friend.
【小题1】When he was asked about the most important thing he had done in life at a presentation, the author __________.
A felt it was not an interesting question           
B. thought for a while and spoke his mind
C. gave an answer from a lawyer’s point of view   
D. didn’t give the real answer
【小题2】When he saw his friend rush to the hospital, the author could not decide whether to follow mainly because he thought _________.

第三部分：阅读理解 (共20小题，每小题2分，满分40分)
Foreign Media Praise China's Earthquake Relief
The Wall Street Journal Asia Edition (U.S.), the Globe and Mail (Canada), the Guardian (U.K.), among other foreign news agencies, have recently published articles on China's earthquake relief. They have all praised the earthquake relief efforts made by the Chinese government.
The Wall Street Journal Asia Edition published an article on May 21 saying that on the eighth day of the most serious natural disaster to hit China in decades, rescuing survivors from the ruins had been quickly replaced by the formidable challenge of helping them. The article said that people overseas have been deeply impressed by earthquake relief efforts by the Chinese government.
The Associated French Press (AFP) reported on May 21 that China has become more open amid the campaign.
Aircraft loaded with relief supplies from Ukraine, Russia, the United States, Singapore and other countries have arrived in disaster areas in southwestern China.
The Associated Press (AP) published an article on May 21 reporting that China is making great efforts to deal with a formidable task caused by the earthquake how to provide temporary shelter for so many people. The article said that many tents have been built; and food and medical care are provided to the people whose lives have been completely disrupted (混乱) by the earthquake.
The Global and Mail of Canada published an article on May 20 that said the rapid earthquake relief work in Sichuan demonstrates China's powerful economic strength.
An article carried in the British Guardian said that one week after the Sichuan earthquake, China began a three-day national mourning period at 14:28 on May19, and all Chinese people stood in silence for three minutes in memory of the victims.
The ongoing search and rescue action is encouraged by one miraculous survivor after another. Chinese officials said that, so far, no epidemic had occurred after the earthquake.
1. How many press media are mentioned in the article?
A. 3 B. 4 C. 5 D. 6
2. What is the best title of the passage?
A. Foreign media praise China's earthquake relief
B. the rapid earthquake relief work in Sichuan demonstrates China's powerful
economic strength
C. the most serious natural disaster to hit China in decades
D. Tens of thousands of people’s lives have been completely disrupted by the
earthquake.
3. According to the passage, what is the most pressing task in the earthquake-hit areas?
A. rescuing survivors
B. providing temporary shelter and food for the victims
C burying dead bodies
D. clearing away the ruins
4. What is the possible meaning of the underlined word  “formidable” in paragraph 4?
A. very difficult     B. glorious     C. light   D. pressing