In New York, Ma witnessed the Alibaba Group opening on the New York stock exchange with the largest initial public offering (IPO,) in American history. "Alibaba, the world's largest Internet commerce company makes China equal to the US in the rapidly increasing global competition for technological innovation and economic transformation " commented the South China Morning Post. It has also made Ma China's richest man with a fortune of around $25 billion (153 billion yuan), reported Reuters. It's reported that Ma's rags-to-riches journey is just as spectacular as his Internet empire. Ma failed the national college entrance exams twice before he was finally in Hangzhou Normal University on his third attempt and failed in finding a suitable job several times. Aslo, Mr Ma is a big believer in perseverance, which was proved in his English study experience. However, it was his vision and goals that launched his career. During a short trip to the US as an interpreter in 1995, Ma first experienced the Internet. He believed in the Internet's business potential when few other Chinese people did. He started Alibaba in his Hangzhou apartment, with 17 friends and $60,000 of funds. At the time, when e-commerce was unheard of in China, _ he once said, according to The Guardian. His unusual ideas earned him the nickname "Crazy Jack Ma" . Indeed, Ma is different. Although he is very thin and about 160cm tall, "Ma is yet animated and forceful, said The Guardian. "He is funny, creative, and a compelling speaker. Ma told Time magazine that he was "old for the Internet". He started to slow down and looked around. According to The Wall Street Journal, Ma "plans to open a tai chi club with the actor Jet Li, build an entrepreneur university in Hangzhou and continue to work on several environmental projects." What's the best title of the passage? A) The Development of Alibaba Group B) Ma Yun's Personal Life C) Ma Yun's Crazy Success D) E-commerce in China
C
We've all heard about the power of positive thinking, but a recent study found that people who think they're getting fit actually get more positive benefits from activity, according to a Reuters Health article. The study examined hotel housekeepers over a period of four weeks. Some of the housekeepers were told that their work duties gave them enough activity to meet the Surgeon General's health guidelines . Another group of housekeepers were told nothing. After four weeks, the housekeepers who believed their work activity counted as exercise lost weight and body fat, and their blood pressure went down. The results of this study suggest that it's important to understand and believe in the positive benefits of your activity. So here are a few things to think about the next time you exercise: Just thirty minutes of quick walking each day can greatly reduce your risk of a heart attack. Even your housework -- like yard work and house cleaning -- can help you burn calories and increase your fitness levels. Weight bearing activity just a few times a week can build bone density and reduce your chances of developing osteoporosis . Three 10-minute workouts throughout the day are just as good to your health as one long workout. Moderate amounts of exercise have been linked to lower rates of heart disease, stroke and even cancer. Strength training can help make daily activities like carrying bags or laundry feel easier. Regular exercise will reduce stress, keep you in a good mood and improve the quality of your sleep. Which of the following is NOT the suggested things to think about when you exercise? A) Housework helps burn calories. B) Regular exercise leads to better sleep. C) Weight bearing activity does good to people.[:ZXXK] D) Walking a dog reduces the chance of a heart disease.
D
Q: Holidays are really important. Many of us will have childhood memories of summer holidays where we were taken away from home to experience new environments and learn in different ways. But holidays are expensive and, for those on low wages or living on benefits, they are often unobtainable. Even the cheapest holidays require travel and other additional costs that are difficult for many families to meet. For working parents, the long summer break can be a very difficult problem for childcare. When an annual leave allowance amounts to only five weeks, there is a need to spread this across the year. Couples can find themselves taking leave in turn in order to care for children who are on holiday. For some this makes even an affordable family holiday difficult. The schools that I visit in Nottingham are full of experienced staff committed to giving our children a caring and inspiring learning environment. The number of children receiving free school meals is quite large in Nottingham and many schools have breakfast clubs to make sure that children get a healthy start to the day. Most schools undertake programs of group or individual educational support. Schools also have an important role in safeguarding children's welfare through the ongoing touch and support with their pupils. During the long summer holidays, much of this is missed. While teachers are holidaying in the UK, many of their pupils spend the whole six weeks on the street where they live. The lack of free school meals for six weeks can result in pressure on a family budget and an inability to afford the inspiring experiences that help children to continue their learning. In setting out its plans for a five-term year, Nottingham City Council is seeking to reduce the summer holiday down to four and a half weeks, with a more balanced five terms of roughly eight weeks, each followed by a two-week break. We believe this will give real "down time" for school staff and pupils alike but will be short enough not to cause a real break in learning. We... The plans for a shorter summer holiday will help students _ . A) obtain the cheapest holidays without additional costs B) get a chance to spend six weeks a term with teachers in school C) benefit more from the caring and inspiring learning environment D) have more school days to receive free school meals
A: C
(Q).
It was an autumn morning shortly after my husband and I moved into our first house. Children were upstairs unpacking , and I was looking out of the window at my father moving around mysteriously on the front lawn. My parents lived nearby ,and Dad had visited us several times already. "What are you doing out there?" I called to him .He looked up, smiling. "I'm making you a surprise." Knowing my father, I thought it could be just about anything. A self-employed jobber, he was always building things out of odds and ends. When we were kids, he always created something surprising for us. Today, however, Dad would say no more, and caught ups in the busyness of our new life, I eventually forgot about his surprise. Until one gloomy day the following March when I glanced out of the window. Any yet... I saw a dot of blue across the yard. I headed outside for a closer look. They were crocuses , throughout the front lawn. Lavender, blue, yellow and my favorite pink ---- little faces moved up and down in the cold wind. Dad! I smiled, remembering the things he had secretly planted last autumn. He knew how the darkness and dullness of winter always got me down. What could have been more perfectly timely to my needs? My father's crocuses bloomed each spring for the next four or five seasons, bringing the same assurance every time they arrived: hard times was almost over. Hold on, keep going, light is coming soon. Then a spring came with only half the usual blooms. The next spring there were none. I missed the crocuses. I would ask Dad to come over and plant new bulbs. But I never did. He died suddenly one October day. My family was in deep sorrow, leaning on our faith. I missed him terribly. Four years passed, and on a dismal spring afternoon I was driving back when I found myself feeling depressed. "You've got the winter depression again and you get them every year." I told myself. It was Dad's birthday, and I found myself thinking about him. This was not unusual --- my family often talked about him, remembering how he... Which of the following would most probably be the worst time of the year as seen by the writer? A) Spring. B) Summer. C) Autumn. D) Winter.
(A).
D