Working hard comes naturally to me. The medical billing company I work for hired me as a claims researcher and in one year promoted me to head of the Northeast Region Follow-Up Team. "When are you going to finish?" My husband Joe said as he climbed into bed. "In a few minutes," I replied. My track record offered Joe little reason to believe me. Finishing was always just a moment or two away. Then after I knew he was sound asleep, I'd gather my paperwork and move to the kitchen table and work for a few more hours. Somewhere along the way , I found my enthusiasm for living was replaced with hard boring work that robbed me of both peace and pleasure. As the company expanded, my responsibility grew heavier every day. Resigning would end the madness and Joe encouraged me to do so daily "Just do it, Annie. Quit . You're heading for a break down." One day an email appeared on my computer screen. When I opened it the words "Administrative assistant for senior vice president" caught my eye .No , I thought . They'd think I was crazy . Who in their right mind would stop back to a secretarial position from a management position? At home that evening my interest in the job persisted. I had ten years of experience as an executive secretary long before I ever arrived at the company. The next morning I told my boss I intended to apply for the job. "You're in for a huge salary cut, and you'll lose your bonus," he said, "You're a leader, Annmarie, not a follower. How is it that you think this makes any kind of sense? You're crazy." "Not yet," I said "But if I stay in this position much longer , I'm pretty sure I'll end up that way." Admittedly the manager of human resources was shocked too, but from a budgetary standpoint it's hard to say no to someone who's asking for a salary cut and a decrease in benefits. That's pretty much a novelty you don't run into every day. I brought to the table a skill set, which included a working knowledge of every department in the operations areas of the company . Though I negotiated to a... To the manager of human resources , the author's changing her job was really _ . A) often seen B) bad news C) to his taste D) against his will
C
winter-swimming has become popular in Beijing. three years ago, few people would go swimming in the city waters. but now there is a winter-swimming enthusiasts'club and it has more than 2,000 members. the oldest is 84 years of age and the youngest is only 7. _ They may be workers, peasants, soldiers, teachers, students....Though it is now the coldest part of the season and the water temperature in the city's lakes is around 0degc, many winter-simmers still swim in the icy waters, even when it is snowing. They enjoy themselves in the lake, while the people by the side of the lake are wearing heavy clothes. why are so many people interested in winter-swimming? Because winter-swimming can be good for one's health. Bei Sha is a good example. He is 69 years old, and he once suffered from heart trouble for 26 years. After ten years of winter-swimming he is now in good health. Scientists are now studying the effects of winter-swimming on health. The best title for this passage should be _ . A) People in Beijing Like Swimming in Winter B) Winter-Swimming-----A Craze in Beijing C) People Benefit from Winter-swimming D) Winter-Swimmers are Brave Men
B
Q: There is a place where Christmas lives all year long. It is called Bronner's Christmas Wonderland in Frankenmuth, Michigan. The family-owned business calls itself the world's largest Christmas store. The late Wally Bronner started the business in 1945. Wayne Bronner, Wally's son, is president and CEO of what is now a multi-million dollar corporation. He learned the business from an early age. Some of his best memories are traveling to other countries with his father to find new products for the store. Bronner's sells more than 50,000 holiday products from 70 nations. Half of the products cost less than ten dollars. Wayne Bronner says the demand for small objects to hang on Christmas trees has expanded over the years. People spend more time, effort and money into decorating their homes with these ornaments, lights and religious scenes. Bronner's is famous for its nativity scenes which show the birth of Jesus Christ. Michigan has the nation's highest unemployment rate. Bronner's has been affected by the recession, too. But not in reduced sales. Wayne Bronner said: "Even though people are spending less, we're having more people visit here. And as a result we've actually had a sales increase." Bronner's success is also linked to community cooperation and investment. Frankenmuth is a town of 5,000 people in eastern Michigan's farm country. The town was settled by Bavarian Germans in the 1800s. It has kept its traditions alive in buildings and restaurants. Bavarian cultural themes and Bronner's huge store bring 3,000,000 visitors a year. The town is the most popular place for tourists in the state. Bronner's business is aimed at a single day of the year. But that is not too different from other businesses. "About half of our business is done in the last quarter of the year, in the last three months. And actually when you compare that with most retailers, that follows the same pattern." Wayne Bronner says the family's long-term planning and willingness to reinvest profits has developed the company into what it is... Bronner's success lies in the following EXCEPT _ . A) community cooperation and investment B) the family's long-term planning C) aiming its business at a single day of the year D) the willingness to reinvest profits
A: C
*Question*
The days of the sneak thief who stole a couple of apples or a packet of sweets from a chain store are actually over. I had a chance to say this to a young offender the other day, "Sweets from a chain store?" He said, "You must be joking. That's what kids do." I may add that he was aged 11. In other words, today's young criminals would find it laughable to risk being caught for petty theft of this description. They've got enough money in their pockets to buy the sweets they want, anyway. I think it's all too easy to put the blame on anyone but ourselves. Faced as they are with a society that frequently gives them up on the grounds of color1, race or low learning ability, these children turn to crime as a means of showing off their self-respect. Nurtured on films and TV glamorizing the role of the criminal, they are quick to copy these anti-heroes. It is a matter of increasing concern to the police and government that the Children and Young Persons Act, 1969, is becoming improper to deal with the rise in young criminals. Because the emphasis has been placed on the cause and gentle treatment of their crimes, rather than on old-fashioned methods of punishment, the children themselves know well that there is very little that can be done to prevent them continuing to steal, damage and in some case even cause the death of those they choose to terrorize . I don't like the look of this situation any more than you do. In our own interests and in those of our children and grandchildren, we cannot continue to take the "it's nothing to do with me" attitude we have used for so long. We must unite in a common demand for harder and stricter methods against these young criminals. In dealing with young criminals, the writer is obviously in favor of _ . A) severe punishment once used in the past B) showing great concern about our children C) more patient methods in educating young criminals D) treating every young criminal as our own child
**Answer**
A