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| As waiters, we deal with customers every day and when something goes wrong, somehow we have the ability to keep on going. It's our responsibility to __1__ the customer. I remember my first __2__ job was at a fine restaurant. One afternoon, the manager informed all the cooks and waiters that a VIP __3__ were coming for lunch. The group were __4__ VIPs in the city's fashion industry. After the group arrived and got __5__ comfortably, drinks were __6__. Normally, the head waiter would be in charge of wine service. __7__, the manager asked me to serve that afternoon. I had __8__ done wine service, nor had I ever served a group of twelve. I arranged 12 wine glasses on the tray and went to the table. As I __9__ one of the glasses in front of the first customer, somehow I had __10__ my grip(抓,握)and six glasses fell on top of a young woman, and then to the floor and __11__ in pieces. I felt frightened and my face turned red. I apologized many times to the __12__ and to the rest of the group. Quickly, the manager __13__ my aid and helped in the cleanup, and sent out their drinks right away. I didn't understand why, but the group were forgiving me and the young woman __14__ informed me it was OK. My manager pulled me to the side and said, "If you know why an accident happened, __15__ from it and move on. You still have a table to serve and you can't show your __16__ or your disappointment. Mistakes and accidents do happen. Keep your __17__ up and be confident. The glasses are replaceable." I understood why he was truly a well __18__ restaurant manager within the neighborhood. His __19__ relationship with the group made the situation __20__ and the group forgave me for that. | ||||
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| 阅读理解 |
| When I was learning calligraphy(书法), my teacher told me a story. A calligrapher taught handwriting. One of his students who often practiced handwriting with old sheets of newspaper complained that he made very little progress though he had learned it with the calligrapher for a long time. His teacher said to him, "Try to use the best paper. Maybe you'll write better." The student did as he was told. It really worked.He made headway not long afterwards and felt curious. He asked his teacher about the reason. The calligrapher answered, "When you used old newspaper to practice handwriting, you would think you were writing a draft. It didn't matter if you wrote badly as old newspaper was plenty in supply.In that case you wouldn't pay much attention to it. Now you use the best paper and you'll treasure it. Each time you write you feel strongly about the rarity of chances and you'll devote to it with all your heart and soul; you'll do the handwriting much more attentively than practicing. Of course you've made rapid progress." Indeed, we spend our ordinary days just as they are worthless "old newspaper". We don't care if we scrawl and waste it, thinking that it will come endlessly-the "old newspaper" is inexhaustible. In such a mood we may each day pass by opportunities but fail to catch any of them. Life is not a military exercise but an actual war in which real weapons are used. In everyday life there's no chance for us to draft. That's because what we call "draft" actually is the answer sheet we write that cannot be changed. Every day of our life is something new. Let us take every day as a sheet of the best paper. |
| 1. The calligrapher in the story told the student to write on the best paper because he thought ________. |
| A. the student would practice more carefully on the best paper B. it was comfortable to write on the best paper C. the student had enough money to buy the best paper D. the student could write more on the best paper |
| 2. The student didn't make much progress at first because ________. |
| A. he didn't follow his teacher's advice B. he was too poor to buy better paper to write on C. he regarded his writing on old newspaper just as a draft D. he was not used to the calligrapher's teaching manner |
| 3. We learn from the passage that ________. |
| A. the student finally gave up B. the student made rapid progress by practicing more carefully C. the calligrapher was strict with his students D. old newspaper is not useful |
| 4. Which of the following is true according to the passage? |
| A. What teachers say is always true. B. Success calls for attentiveness. C. Handwriting is easy to practice. D. New things are always better than old ones. |
| 5. The writer wants to tell us that ________. |
| A. there are some good ways to practice handwriting B. life is like old newspaper C. we should learn from the student in the story D. life will not give us a chance to draw a draft |
| Pushing children too hard is a really big social problem that seems to be getting worse. Now we have 6montholds in music classes and swimming classes. Parents fear that if other children are attending these classes, they will be holding their own children back if they do not enroll, too. The other extreme, simply taking a_laissezfaire_approach and letting children do-or refuse to do-whatever they want, is not the answer either, of course. Dr. Taylor emphasizes that parents need to push their children based on what is best for children, not what is best for themselves. If children understand that an activity is in their best interests,then they will accept it, he finds. Dr. Taylor and other family experts remain pessimistic about the possibilities for widespread social change. "The force of our popular culture, driven by money and superficial(表面上的)values, cannot be resisted," he says. But change can take place at a "microlevel", in families and schools. When change does occur, the rewards can benefit everyone in the family. One mother supporting this new approach toward parenting mentions the advantages her family experienced after her children cut back on activities. "The biggest thing is that since we have done this, we are rested," she says. "Not only are our kids rested, because they're not in a ton of stuff, but my husband and I are rested, because we're not driving them everywhere. We weren't living in the moment when we were always busy. We were living by the schedule. The return on our investment of spending time together has been enormous." |
| 1. One of the reasons why parents push children so hard is that they ________. |
| A. believe in early development in children B. are too busy to take care of their children C. don't want their children to lag behind D. want to repeat what their parents did to them |
| 2. The phrase "a laissezfaire approach" (in Paragraph 2)most probably refers to ________. |
| A. denying them what they need B. controlling children in a flexible way C. developing a keen interest in children D. letting children do whatever they want |
| 3. The best way to encourage children to work hard is ________. |
| A. to make them believe it's in their best interests B. to consider the matter from parents' standpoint C. to emphasize the importance of hard work from time to time D. to make it interesting and enjoyable to them |
| 4. What the author doesn't approve of in the essay is ________. |
| A. achieving a balance between pushing children too hard and leaving them alone B. going from one extreme of pushing children too hard to the other of leaving them alone C. involving children in activities that will probably contribute to their development D. enrolling them in classes that are best for children |
| 5. The new approach toward parenting mentioned in the passage most likely refers to ________. |
| A. relieving children's hard work and unnecessary activities B. resisting the superficial values of pop culture C. reducing more activities off their school schedule D. spending more time with their children |