Ryan and Lowry had been friends since high school， but it wasn’t until after college that they hit on the idea of a home-care-products company．“We were shocked to learn how toxic cleaning products were” says Ryan．Why couldn’t they create green products that would be just as environmentally pure as Aveda’s skin-and-hair-care lines?

When Ryan’s mom heard about the plan，she stared at him blankly: “I’ve never even seen you clean your room!” Not discouraged，Lowry experimented with nontoxic ways to clean while Ryan focused on marketing．In February 2001，they mixed their first four cleaning sprays and convinced the managers of 20 grocers to try them· Once they had their approval，they tapped friends and family and pooled their  savings to come up with $90，000 in seed money．

From the start，“Go big or go home’’ was their mantra(口頭禪)．Their first financing— that $l million—was due to be signed on September 11, 2001. By the time they got it, two months later，says Ryan, "we had$16 in the bank and personally owed$300,000.”

Seeking a national retailer(零售商)proved just as troublesome．The friends set their sights on Target，known for its trendy，affordable goods．“But Target didn’t like the product or the brand，”recalled Ryan．“We thought the deal was dead，but then a new buyer saw that even though we weren’t selling big volumes, we were  profitable, just on a smaller scale．”They won over Target．

Consumers were hooked on the natural things and wonderful fragrance. Today, the partners sell 130 products in more than 8,000 stores，and taxes are over$100 million. Such rapid growth has at times  stressed the men’s friendship. “Eric and I agree on ‘what’ but never on ‘how，’ says Lowry． “Although we are willing to challenge each other，we come up with interesting and smarter solutions．There’s little fire and ice between us.”

1.The underlined word “toxic” in Paragraph 1 most probably means——·

  A．poisonous    B．dirty    C．expensive    D．troublesome

2.When Ryan told his mom his plan, ___________.

A．he knew his mom was sure to support him

B．his mom asked him to clean his room

C．his mom suspected his ability

D．he was discouraged by his mom

3.We can learn from the third paragraph that ___________．

    A．Ryan and Lowry wanted to give up and go home at first

    B．their plan didn’t go smoothly at the very beginning

    C．they made profit two months later after their first financing

    D．$1 million was not enough as their seed money

4.The partners’ cleaning products are sold very well because_________．

    A．the products are made of natural material and smell nice

    B．their friends and family offered to use their products

    C．they cooperated with a well—known national retailer

    D．they convinced 20 grocer managers to try them

5.It can be inferred from the passage that___________．

    A．Aveda’s skin-and-hair-care lines are not so successful as Ryan and Lowry’s

    B．Target is a famous environment-friendly cleaning brand

    C．The friends "cooperation with Target was very successful

D．The partners get on well with each other in their business     

 

Children at a school in Italy have today begun an experiment to replace all their books with personal computers. The pupils involved will each be given a special laptop that contains their entire courses.

Until today, the Don Milani di Rivoli elementary school in central Turin was like any other. Children turned up, got out their books and pens and began the process of learning. But now, in what's being described as a unique experiment, 60 fifth-grade pupils and a number of third-graders, will start using computers only.

The mini-laptops, which run Windows software, all have a full curriculum programmed into them. The pupils will use the computers to do all their reading and writing. Security systems within the laptops mean the children's access to the Internet is strictly controlled. The machines weigh less than a kilogram, can be dropped from a height of 1.5 metres and are waterproof.

Instead of spending 700 dollars a year on books, the laptops, built by the Italian company Olidata, cost less than 400 dollars. One of the teachers involved in the scheme says that, for the first time, schools will be able to verify in a scientific way how a computer alone can improve the learning process. The experiment, which has the backing of parents, is due to last a year.

In other countries, such a programme is also being carried out. Venezuela is ordering one million low cost laptops for its school children. The machines will be based on the Intel Classmate laptop that has been designed for school children. Many see the deal as a blow for the One Laptop Per Child organization that has also been introducing its child- friendly machine to developing nations.

1. Which of the following is TRUE about the mini-laptop?

A. It is heavy for pupils to carry.         B. It can't be damaged by water.

C. It is one and a half meters high.              D. It is easily broken or damaged.

2. The pupils use the laptop to ____ in class.

A. learn their lessons as an aid

B. have a course named computer studies

C. surf the Internet mainly to find information

D. do what they used to do with books and pens

3. How much money can a pupil save by using the mini-laptop to replace all the books in a year?

A. Less than 400 dollars.                            B. More than 400 dollars.

C. More than 300 dollars.                   D. Less than 300 dollars.

4.Which of the following about the experiment is TRUE?

A. It has been carried out for over one year.

B. It has already turned out to be a success.

C. The pupils' parents are against it in fact.

D. The pupils' parents are supportive to it.

 

Well, that’s just the deal. _________ price will be out of my reach.

  A. The higher      B. A highest       C. The highest     D. A higher

A couple of years ago, I went to a lady’s house to buy some vitamins. Upon entering the house, I  36  that there was an electronic keyboard on a stand, leaning  37  the wall. Being a piano music lover and  38 , I asked, if the woman played. She nodded and added that she had been

 39  lessons at age 54! I told her that it was very   40  that she was pursuing （追求） her passion（熱情）to play the piano.  .  . 
Then she asked me  41  question. “I have been playing for 8 years now,” I answered. 
“Then you must play a song for me before you leave,” she  42 .I thought she was joking and I simply smiled. At the end of the deal of the vitamins, she  43 me of our musical “ 44 _”. She then showed me to an old upright piano in the living room,  45   asked me to play a song for her. I thought  46   and decided to play David Lantz’s “Return to the Heart”, since she had so much passion for  47 ,and it was my soul-searching song. 
I played the song to the best of my ability, and with my emotions  48  into it as possible. She loved it.  49  I was about to step out of the door, I heard a weak voice calling out, “Young man!”
I turned around. And there was an old lady  50  one little step at a time with the help of another woman. “I wanted to come out to  51  you for the beautiful song that you played. I have been very sick, and it’s very hard for me to  52 my bed, but your music made me feel good ”she said. With that, she turned around and walked  53  back to her room. 
I was deeply  54  by her appreciation and felt a deeper understanding for the song. It served its purpose beautifully, returning to one’s  55  for peace and joy. 
【小題1】 

A．observed

B．watched

C．noticed

D．caught

【小題2】 

A．on

B．a(chǎn)t

C．over

D．a(chǎn)gainst

【小題3】

A．player B．teacher C．composer D．starter

【小題4】

A．giving B．a(chǎn)ttending C．teaching D．reviewing

【小題5】

A．interesting B．wonderful C．moved D．impressive

【小題6】 

A．a(chǎn)nother

B．a(chǎn) different

C．the same

D．other

【小題7】 

A．a(chǎn)dvised

B．ordered

C．demanded

D．requested

【小題8】 

A．warned

B．reminded

C．a(chǎn)sked

D．required

【小題9】 

A．course

B．task

C．discussion

D．deal

【小題10】 

A．a(chǎn)nd

B．but

C．a(chǎn)s a result

D．what’s more

【小題11】 

A．for the moment

B．a(chǎn)t the moment

C．for a moment

D．a(chǎn)t a moment

【小題12】 

A．music

B．songs

C．the piano

D．vitamins

【小題13】 

A．dropping

B．falling

C．pouring

D．running

【小題14】 

A．Since

B．As

C．While

D．Because

【小題15】 

A．taking

B．making

C．having

D．giving

【小題16】 

A．thank

B．praise

C．a(chǎn)dmire

D．owe

【小題17】 

A．get on

B．get up

C．get off

D．get down

【小題18】 

A．quietly

B．calmly

C．happily

D．slowly

【小題19】 

A．shocked

B．touched

C．delighted

D．disturbed

【小題20】 

A．world

B．heart

C．brains

D．dreams

    News (March 6, 2008) that Microsoft was making a $44.6 billion bid to buy Yahoo was greeted with heated discussion by many Internet users on Friday. Here are some responses:

    Mark Galeassi of Kansas City, Missouri

    This is the best move for both parties. Yahoo has the ideas and Microsoft has the money to finally market these ideas correctly. Microsoft and Yahoo are a perfect fit and the deal will be good for consumers.

    Scott G. of New Jersey  

    I was a Yahoo user for years along with Hotmail from Microsoft. Then Google came along... Google Earth, Google Toolbar and Gmail. Google is so innovative (創(chuàng)新的) with everything they do. Yahoo and Microsoft... same old story... I don’t think the merger(合并) will do anything for either company except improve the Yahoo shareholders’ bank accounts:

    Michael Glosser of Estero, Florida

Right now, Yahoo offers a lot of features and tools at no cost for all different levels of Intemet users. Microsoft seeks nothing but profit. Undoubtedly, they’ll do nothing other than find ways to start removing Yahoo’s formerly non-priced features. Microsoft’s greed will ruin the great thing that Yahoo currently is.

    Toni Suarez of Hacienda Heights, California

    Perhaps it would bring better high technology innovations to e-mail and help in researching and developing a better Internet!

    Antonio Simmons of Parkville, Maryland

    Microsoft purchasing Yahoo would be nothing more than an attempt from Microsoft to further impose upon the users their poor-quality software and obtain more wealth for the company. In my opinion, they will never be able to compete with Google because Yahoo and Microsoft’s current search engines are too inferior (差的) to compete. Even if combined, they still lack.

77. Who is in favor of the merger of Microsoft and Yahoo?

 A. Antonio Simmons.  B. Michael Grosser.    C. Scott G.      D. Mark Galeassi.

78. In the opinion of Scott G.,   

 A. the merger will contribute to Microsoft

 B. Yahoo and Microsoft are lacking in innovation

 C. Google is getting short of management experience

 D. the merger will allow Microsoft to overtake Google

79. Michael Grosser is afraid that

 A. the merger will cost Yahoo’s free features

 B. the merger will lead to Microsoft’s monopoly (壟斷) of the market

 C. the increased competition will force Google out of the game

 D. Intemet users will have to buy Microsoft’s costly software

80. What is Antonio Simmons’ attitude towards Google?

 A. Doubtful.          B. Disapproval.    C. Positive.       D. Negative.