All eyes were on Jack Ma. The chairman of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd announced(宣布) that he decided to step down from leading the famous company he founded 20 years ago on Teachers’ Day.
“I still have lots of dreams to go after,” Ma wrote in an open letter last year to announce his leaving. "The world is big, and I am still young, so I want to try new things.”
The 55-year-old businessman showed that he was ready for new things by arriving at his good-bye party dressed up like a rock star.
In fact, his rags-to-riches(白手起家的) story is a good example of doing something different. Visiting the United States in 1995, Ma saw the internet and had the idea of setting up his own trading website. In 1999, he founded Alibaba with a group of friends in a shared apartment, working really hard for years to develop his ideas. With all the challenges, the company slowly brought online shopping business to China.
Although his success has encouraged a number of Chinese tech businessmen. Ma pointed out that the key is having a dream. “It’s the dreams that keep us never afraid of difficulties,” Ma said in a video posted on Sept 9.
Now the successful businessman is looking to focus on education. What can he offer?
“I’m not gonna teach English; I’m not gonna teach business. But I’m gonna teach young people how face challenges,” he told Bloomberg News. Skilled sailors(水手) were never made on calm waters. As Ma said, “Today is cruel. Tomorrow is crueler, But the day after tomorrow is beautiful.”
1.What did Jack Ma announce on Teachers’ Day?
A.His retirement(退休) from Alibaba. B.His plan to enlarge his online business.
C.His dream of becoming a rock star. D.His plan to return to teaching.
2.What does Paragraph 4 mainly talk about?
A.The important role of Alibaba.
B.How Ma got the idea for his business.
C.How Ma encourages others to do something different.
D.Difficulties Ma went through to found Alibaba.
3.What does Ma think dreams mean to us?
A.Dreams can guide us to get further education.
B.Dreams can give us confidence and power to face the challenges.
C.Dreams can push us to set up new businesses.
D.Dreams can lead us to help others more.
4.Jack Ma wants to focus on education because _________.
A.he wants to teach more people how to do business
B.he was tired of being in control of the big company
C.he hopes to encourage more young people to go for their dreams
D.he wants to make money in education field(领域)
5.The underlined sentence in the last paragraph could possibly mean _________.
A.Practice makes perfect B.Confidence is the key to success
C.Good conditions can’t help people grow and learn D.Challenges help us to develop new abilities
Four Funny Inventions
Time Temp Glasses
Are you a person who wants to know the time and temperature during the day? You might like Time Temp Glasses. These special glasses show what time it is above your right eye and how hot or cold it is above your left eye. Price: $20.00 for one pair.
Alarm Fork
Do you eat too quickly? Do you eat too much? How can Alarm Fork help you? Well, this fork has two lights: one green and one red. When the green light is on, it’s OK to take a bite of food. The fork “knows” when you take a bite, and soon the red light goes on. Wait for the green light before you take another bite. Now it is only $8.00 for one and you’ll receive a free gift for ordering.
Smell This
How do you know if the air that comes out of your own mouth smells nice or bad? Smell This is useful for this situation. It covers your nose and your mouth, so it is easy to tell. Maybe you need a piece of gum(口香糖). Original price: $15.00 for one. We’ll take 10% off the original price if you order now.
Banana Suitcase
Has this ever happened to you? You put a banana in your lunch bag in the morning, and when you open the bag at noon, the banana looks like someone drove a car over it. If you put your banana in Banana Suitcase, this will never happen. It keeps a banana fresh and delicious. Original price: $10.00! If you order now, you can save $3. 00!
1.Time Temp Glasses are special because they _________.
A.show time in different cities B.can tell your body temperature
C.help people see very faraway places D.can tell you the time and the temperature
2.According to the passage, Alarm Fork _________.
A.comes in two colors B.tells people what to eat
C.helps people eat healthily D.is popular in big restaurants
3.Now, if you buy one Smell This and Banana Suitcase now, you should pay at least _________.
A.$16.50 B.$25 C.$11.5 D.$20.5
4.The Banana Suitcase might be useful for someone who _________.
A.often takes bananas on trips B.wants to grow a banana plant
C.has little interest in eating bananas D.wants to tell if a banana has gone bad
5.Where might you see the passage?
A.In a tourist map. B.In a health report.
C.In a science magazine. D.In a medical dictionary.
A woman was walking down the street when a woman beggar(乞丐) came to her and asked for some money. The lady took a 50-yuan note out of her purse and asked, “If I give you this money, will you spend it on chocolate?”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” the beggar replied. “Does it look like I have nothing better to spend money on?”
“What about shopping?” the lady asked.
“No,” the beggar said, “don’t you understand I need money just to stay alive?”
“Will you spend it on your hair?” the lady asked.
Annoyed, the beggar replied, “No, I just need money for food and places to live in. Madam, I am really thankful for your money, but please don’t give me such a hard time!”
“Well, in that case(这样的话),” the lady said, “I would like you to eat dinner with me and my husband in the Mrs. Jone’s restaurant tonight. Come on, I’m heading to it. My husband has already been there waiting for me.”
“Why?” the beggar asked.
“Well,” the lady said, “I think it’s important for him to see what a lady looks like after she gives up chocolate, shopping, and hair appointments(预约)”
1.According to the passage, the woman beggar asked money to _________.
A.buy chocolate B.go shopping
C.have a haircut D.spend on food and places to live in
2.The woman was going to _________.
A.have dinner with her husband B.make a hair appointment
C.go shopping with her husband D.buy some food for the beggar
3.The underlined word “ridiculous” could possibly mean _________ in Chinese.
A.生气的 B.荒唐搞笑的
C.小气的 D.令人厌烦的
4.What does the woman mean from her last sentence?
A.She hopes that the beggar would make friends with her husband.
B.She hopes that her husband would agree her to spend money on chocolate, shopping or hair.
C.She wants to play a trick on the beggar.
D.She hopes her husband could know what a woman beggar looks like.
5.What can we infer from the passage?
A.The beggar would have dinner with the woman and her husband.
B.The woman wouldn’t give any money to the beggar.
C.The woman’s husband may be not happy with her about how she spends the money.
D.The beggar was not angry with the woman.
I remember believing in Santa when I was very young. But as I grew older, I began to doubt it. So I used tests to decide___________ Santa Claus was real.
The first test happened when I was 5 years old. I thought that if I___________ all night on Christmas Eve. I could see if Santa really came. But I fell ___________ When I woke up. I had a nice present under the tree.
The next year, I tested if Santa knew where I was. My family___________ Christmas in another state. I thought that if Santa was all knowing, he would know I wasn’t ___________. Sure enough, I found a gift the next morning.
At the age of 7, I had my final ___________. That year, I didn’t___________ out my Christmas letter to Santa. On Christmas Eve, my mother took me to a supermarket and led me around the toy section. I didn’t say a word, but I did look at a beautiful ___________ a few times. I bet that Santa wouldn’t know what to get me because he couldn’t___________ my mind. But Mom would know everything. On Christmas morning, I did find the doll and knew that Santa was ___________ Mom.
The magic and mystery of Santa made Christmas a fun time for me. In the future, I want it to be part of children’s childhood as well.
1.A.that B.whether C.how
2.A.looked up B.took up C.stayed up
3.A.ill B.apart C.asleep
4.A.spent B.spread C.stole
5.A.happy B.home C.safe
6.A.dream B.show C.test
7.A.send B.lay C.clear
8.A.toy car B.model plane C.doll
9.A.look B.open C.read
10.A.especially B.actually C.directly
— Will you join in the discussion with us?
— ________. Maybe I’ll have a meeting.
A.Well. I’m not sure B.Of course C.Not at all
— Wow, your dress looks nice. Could you please tell me ________?
— In Beauty Clothes Store!
A.when you bought it B.how you bought it C.where you bought it