Q: Paul had just left college and was offered an interview for a position in a company in New York. As he needed to move from Texas to New York if he got the job, he wanted to talk about the decision with someone before accepting it. But his parents had died. He remembered that his father had suggested he should turn to an old friend of his family if he needed advice. The older man said, "Go to New York and have the interview. But I want you to go on a train and I want you to get a private compartment . Don't take anything to write with, anything to listen to or anything to read, and don't talk to anybody except when you order the meal. Call me when you get to New York and I will tell you what to do next." At first, Paul followed the advice closely. The trip took two days. As he had brought along nothing to do, he quickly became bored. He realized he was being forced into quite time - he could do nothing but think. About three hours outside New York City he broke the rules, asked for a pencil and paper and kept writing down the thoughts until the train arrived in New York. Paul called the family friend from the train station. "Thank you, Uncle I know what you wanted. You wanted me to think. And now I know what to do.""I guessed you could understand my idea, Paul," came the reply, "Good luck." Now, years later, Paul runs a company in New York. And he always spends a couple of days being alone with no phone, no television and no people to think quietly.

Answer the following questions:
1. How long has Paul worked in New York?
2. Where did he live before?
3. What was he offered after college?
4. Where was the job?
5. Would he have to move there?
6. Who did he talk to about it?
7. Why not his parents/
8. So did the friend think he should go?
9. How did he tell him to get there?
10. Where should he sit?
11. What should he take?
12. Nothing to read even?
13. What about some music?
14. How long was the trip?
15. Did he talk to anyone?
16. Was he bored?
17. How much of the trip was left when he requested something?
18. What was it?
19. What did he tell the friend?
20. What did the friend tell him?
A: 1. years
2. Texas
3. an interview
4. New York
5. yes
6. an old friend of his family
7. his parents had died.
8. yes
9. on a train
10. a private compartment .
11. nothing
12. no
13. no
14. two days.
15. no
16. yes
17. three hours
18. a pencil and paper
19. Thank you
20. Good luck
Q: Rob Kalin learned the secret to success while he was still in his baby bed. At age one, the Boston-bom teacher's son dragged around a stuffed rabbit that had been lovingly sewn by one of his mother's students. True, one of the ears was sewn on backward, but that just added to its magic. "It was always special to me," Kalin remembers of his first handmade craft .

Kalin's appreciation for the simple and the simply eccentric inspired him to create etsy. com, an online craft fair, probably the largest market for handmade goods in the world. Last year, 350,000 woodworkers and other craftsmen sold their one-of-a-kind crafts on the four-year-old site.

They sell everything from hand-knit sleeves for Macbooks ($32) to myrtle-wood electric guitars ($3,200). And in an age of chain stores, it seems there's still a big market. More than three million consumers in 150 countries purchased about $87.5 million worth of crafts on Etsy last year.

Emily Worden, founder of Elemental Threads, a custom handbag and jewelry company, signed up with Etsy when she started her company two years ago. She pays Etsy a 20-cent standard fee for each item she lists on the site, plus a 3.5 percent commission on everything sold. Etsy allows her to track the number of times customers click on a particular item to view it. "We can see that our necklaces are a popularly viewed item and which color1s and sizes get the most views," she says. "That is a guide to evolving our product lines."

Today, Etsy's staff has ballooned to 70 employees, and the company reportedly earns more than $12 million a year.

Kalin's father was a carpenter and taught him early on how to use his hands. Indeed, in high school, he put his skills to work -- developing the photos of his classmates and handcrafting a graduate ID to attend design classes. Eventually, he was admitted to New York University, studying classics and working as a carpenter.

Kalin has also started sewing some of his own clothes. "I have to make something physical at least once a month," says Kalin, "or I go crazy."

Answer the following questions:
1. where was Rob born?
2. when did he learn how to succeed?
3. how old was he?
4. what business did he start?
5. what was his inspiration?
6. what was his special handmade item he had as a child?
7. what made it "magical" to him?
8. who made it?
9. was his mom a techer?
10. what is sold on his website?
11. how many employees does he have?
12. how much does the company make?
13. did Kalin go to college?
14. where?
15. what did he study?
16. what else?
A: 1. Boston
2. while he was still in his baby bed.
3. One
4. etsy. com
5. Kalin's appreciation for the simple and the simply eccentric
6. a stuffed rabbit
7. one of the ears was sewn on backward
8. one of his mother's students.
9. yes
10. one-of-a-kind crafts
11. 70
12. more than $12 million a year
13. yes
14. New York University
15. classics
16. working as a carpenter
Q: John Brown, an office worker, lives in Washington. He inherited $1 000 000 when he was 23. He didn't feel happy at all. His college friends were looking for their first jobs, but he didn't tell any of his friends and gave $ 1 000 000 of his money to a charity that helped poor children to live better lives. Today he is 36, he still wears cheap shoes and clothes and owns a small car only, but he is much happier. Up to now, John has helped 15 children from poor countries all over the world, $200 a month for each. The money is used to afford the child's education, food, medical care and clothing. John receives a report each year on the child's progress. They can write to each other, but usually the children do not speak English. Once John went to meet a little girl in Africa. He said that the meeting was very exciting. "When I met her, I felt very happy." he said. "I saw that the money was used for a very good plan. It brought me closer to the child. I will do everything I can to help those children in need." he added. ,A, B, C, D,.

Answer the following questions:
1. Where does John Brown live?
2. What is his job?
3. How old is he?
4. What happened when he was 23?
5. How long ago was that?
6. Did he like that?
7. What were his friends doing?
8. What did he do with the money?
9. What does the charity do?
10. Did he tell his friends?
11. Is he still helping kids?
12. How many?
13. How much does he give them?
14. Where are they from?
15. Does he get anything in return?
16. What?
17. How often
18. Has he ever met one of them?
19. Where?
20. How did he feel?
A:
1. Washington
2. he's an office worker
3. 36
4. He inherited $1,000,000
5. 13 years
6. no
7. looking for jobs
8. gave it to a charity
9. helped poor children
10. no
11. yes
12. 15
13. $200 a month
14. all over the world
15. yes
16. a report
17. each year
18. yes
19. in Africa
20. very happy