In a moment of personal crisis, how much help can you expect from a New York tax

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In a moment of personal crisis, how much help can you expect from a New York taxi driver? I began studying this question and found the answers interesting.
One morning I got into three different taxis and announced, “Well, it’s my first day back in New York in seven years. I’ve been in prison.” Not a single driver replied, so I tried again. “Yeah, I shot a man in Reno.” I explained, hoping the driver would ask me why, but nobody asked. The only response came from a Ghanaian driver, “Reno? That is in Nevada?”
Taxi drivers were uniformly sympathetic when I said I’d just been fired. “This is America,” a Haitian driver said. “One door is closed. Another is open.” He argued against my plan to burn down my boss’s house. A Pakistani driver even turned down a chance to profit from my loss of hope; he refused to take me to the middle of George Washington Bridge—a $20 trip. “Why you want to go there? Go home and relax. Don’t worry. Take a new job.”
One very hot weekday in July, while wearing a red ski mask and holding a stuffed pillowcase with the word “BANK” on it, I tried calling a taxi five times outside different banks. The driver picked me up every time. My ride with a Haitian driver was typical of the superb assistance I received.
“Let’s go across the park.” I said. “I just robbed the bank there. I got $25,000.”
“$25,000?” He asked.
“Yeah, you think it was wrong to take it?”
“No, man. I work 8 hours and I don’t make almost $70. If I can do that, I do it too.”
As we approached 86th and Lexington, I pointed to the Chemical Bank.
“Hey, there’s another bank,” I said, “Could you wait here a minute while I go inside?”
“No, I can’t wait. Pay me now.” His reluctance may have something to do with money—taxi drivers think the rate for waiting time is too low—but I think he wanted me to learn that even a bank robber can’t expect unconditional support.
小题1:. From the Ghanaian driver’s response, we can infer that ____.

A．he was indifferent to the killing	B．he was afraid of the author
C．he looked down upon the author	D．he thought the author was crazy

小题2:. Why did the Pakistani driver refuse to take the author to the middle of the George Washington Bridge?

A．Because he was able to help the author to find a new job.

B．Because he wanted to go home and relax.

C．Because it was far away from his home.

D．Because he thought that the author would commit suicide.

小题3:.What is the author’s interpretation of the driver’s reluctance “to wait outside the Chemical bank”?

A．The driver thought that the rate for waiting time was too low.

B．The driver thought it wrong to support a taxi rider unconditionally.

C．The

driver was frightened and wanted to leave him as soon as possible.

D．The driver did not want to help a suspect to escape from a bank robbery.

小题4:. Which of the following statements is true about New York taxi drivers?

A．They are ready to help you do whatever you want to.

B．they often refuse to pick up those who would kill themselves.

C．They are sympathetic with those who are out of work.

D．They work only for money.

小题5:. The passage mainly discusses ____.

A．how to please taxi drivers.

B．how to deal with taxi drivers

C．the attitudes of taxi drivers towards riders in personal trouble

D．the attitudes of taxi drivers towards troublesome taxi riders

答案

小题1:.A
小题1:.D
小题1:.C
小题1:.C
小题1:.B

解析

略

举一反三

Getting your teen to think beyond his own immediate needs can be more difficult than cracking a nut with a plastic fork．But don"t worry．It"s not impossible．There are many ways to encourage your teen to care about th

ose outside his immediate circle of friends．As he begins to have responsibility towards others, he will realize he feels even better about himself．
"Teens are thinking about career, college, an

d what their future might look like," explains Michelle Maidenberg, a clinical director of Westchester Group Works, a center for group treatment in New York．"This is very challenging and just one of the reasons why they are so focused on their own

world．" Once teens participate in community service, however, they begin to look beyond their personal needs．They also learn firsthand about the challenges others face, and they experience a sense of authority as they realize they can make a real difference in others" lives．
Not sure how to convince a teen to get away from the cell phone and into a community project? Teens buy into community service when the project or program is in an area of their interest．
"Finding something in an area of interest for them keeps them motivated and inspired," Maidenberg says．For instance, if he is interested in culinary （烹饪） school, he could volunteer in a soup kitchen or bake for a project that supports families in need．Volunteer projects in your teen"s area of interest will build her knowledge base as well as help others．
Parents can do their part by participating i

n community service themselves．Teens can learn directly from their parents that personal enjoyment is not ,all that matters．
Let teens know the benefits they will obtain．“Give them every reason in the world to volunteer," Maidenberg advises．She says that working on

community service projects builds confidence．"By working with others, teens improve managerial, interpersonal and communication skills．Community service helps to approach maturity when they take a step back to see the needs of other people," she adds．Another reward: service hours look great on a resume!
小题1:.
According to Michelle Maidenberg, it"s hard to get teens to think beyond their own immediate needs partly because ___ ___．

A．they care more about their circle of friends

B．they have no interest in doing anything

C．they have to work hard for college

D．they are facing many challenges

小题2:.
The underlined phrase "buy into" in Paragraph 3 probably means ______．

A．agree to join in	B．spend money on
C．get away from	D．are interested in

小题3:.
The writer mentions the benefits in the last paragraph in order to ______．

A．make teens feel much better about themselves

B．encourage teens to care about his own needs

C．help parents reason teens into volunteering

D．get parents to do more community service

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I remember taking __48__ English class in college on the short story. Our first assignment was to read __49__ short stones and then discuss which one was better. After reading both，I wasn’t sure. Over the __50__ several months, my professor taught me __51__ one story was so much better than the other wan humorous __52__ was rich in metaphor（隐喻）and character development, while the other was humorous __53__ too shallow. I couldn’t see this at first. Yet, in a few months, my brain got reeducated an __54__ could see the difference between good and bad writing and could appreciate literature at a whole new level.
Going to college helps build a strong mind, which leads __55__ greater success in one’s life.

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When first entered, Vanak Restaurant does not look like much of a restaurant, but once the pleasant smells of kabob（烤肉串）hit the senses, you are incapable of calling it anything less.
Owned by a local couple, this Persian restaurant has an inviting, homelike atmosphere that many restaurants lack.
The space is small with only a few dining tables and nearly no decoration, but the environment is truly charming.
Lying in a hardly noticeable street corner, the restaurant still attracts all customers, especially those experienced in the delights of Middle Eastern cooking.
A common sight is that of old Persian men sitting in the corner talking loudly about world topics, watching news events on TV, drinking a black tea known as Persian chai, an reading local Persian newspapers all the while trying to finish off their plates piled with food.
The variety of food at the restaurant is limited, but the amount of each dish is fairly large. Most of the meals can serve two people and are under $10, so not only is it affordable but practical as well.
The food, especially appeals to health-conscious eaters because each dish is very healthy, made with limited fat and oil and served straight off the grill （烤肉架）.
The main dish that the restaurant is popular for is its kabobs, which are different style of grilled meat.
One delicious and extremely healthy dish is the Joojeh Kabob, which is made of grille chicken pieces served with cither rice or bread. Another great kabob is the Cbelo Kabob, kabob consisting of grilled beef.
Although the restaurant is small, the atmosphere and the food is delicious. It is a place that should not be overlooked.
小题1: When first entering the restaurant, one can find that it ________.

A．is splendidly decorated

B．has pleasant smells of kabobs

C．is crowded with dining tables

D．looks like a common restaurant

小题2:What activity is also mentioned apart from dining in the restaurant?

A．Watching news events on TV.

B．Drinking a kind of black coffee.

C．Reading local English newspapers.

D．Discussing world topics in low voices.

小题3:The food of the restaurant ________.

A．is served in small amounts

B．is rather expensive

C．is rich in variety

D．is very healthy

小题4: What is the dish Joojeh Kabob mainly made of?

A．Rice

B．Chicken

C．Bread

D．Beef

小题5:It can be inferred from the passage that the restaurant ________.

A．occupies a large space

B．owns a favorable location

C．is popular for its special food

D．has a quiet environment inside

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Diana Jacobs thought her family had a workable plan to pay for college for her 21-year-old twin sons: a combination of savings, income, scholarships, and a modest amount of borrowing. Then her husband lost his job, and the plan fell apart.
“I have two kids in college, and I want to say ‘come home,’ but at the same time I want to provide them with a good education,” says Jacobs.
The Jacobs family did work out a solution: They asked and received more aid form the schools, and each son increased his borrowing to the maximum amount through the federal loan (贷款) program. They will each graduate with $20,000 of debt, but at least they will be able to finish school.
With unemployment rising, financial aid administrators expect to hear more families like the Jacobs. More students are applying for aid, and more families expect to need student loans. College administrators are concerned that they will not have enough aid money to go around.
At the same time, tuition（学费）continues to rise. A report from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education found that college tuition and fees increased 439% from 1982 to 2007, while average family income rose just 147%. Student borrowing has more than doubled in the last decade,
“If we go on this way for another 25years, we won’t have an affordable system of higher education,” says Patrick M. Callan, president of the center. “The middle class families have been financing it through debt. They will send kids to college whatever it takes, even if that means a huge amount of debt.”
Financial aid administrators have been having a hard time as many companies decide that student loans are not profitable enough and have stopped making them. The good news, however, is that federal loans account for about three quarters of student borrowing, and the government says that money will flow uninterrupted.
小题1:
According to Paragraph 1, why did the plan of Jacobs family fail?

A．The twins wasted too much money.

B．The father was out of work.

C．Their saving ran out.

D．The family fell apart.

小题2:
How did the Jacobs manage to solve their problem?

A．They asked their kids to come home.

B．They borrowed $20,000 from the school.

C．They encouraged their twin sons to do part-time jobs.

D．They got help from the school and the federal government.

小题3:
Financial aid administrators believe that _______.

A．more families will face the same problem as the Jacobses

B．the government will receive more letters of complaint

C．college tuition fees will double soon

D．America’s unemployment will fall

小题4:
What can we learn about the middle class families from the text?

A．They blamed the government for the tuition increase.

B．Their income remained steady in the last decade.

C．They will try their best to send kids to college.

D．Their debts will be paid off within 25 years.

小题5:
According to the last paragraph, the government will .

A．provide most students will scholarships

B．dismiss some financial aid administrators

C．stop the companies from making student loans

D．go on providing financial support for college students

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In business, there is a speed difference: It"s the difference between how important a firms leaders say speed is to their competitive (竞争的) strategy（策略）and how fast the company actually moves. The difference is important regardless of industry and company size .Companies fearful of losing their competitive advantage spend much time and money looking for ways to pick up the speed.
In our study of 343 businesses, the companies that choose to go, go, go to try to gain an edge ended up with lower sales and operating incomes than those that paused at key moments to make sure they were on the right track, What’s more, the firms that “slowed down to speed up “improved their top and bottom lines, averaging 40% higher sales and 52% higher operating incomes over a three-year period.
How did they disobey the laws of business physics, taking more time than competitors yet performing better? They thought differently about what “slower” and “faster” mean. Firms sometimes fail to understand the difference between operation speed (moving quickly )and strategic speed (reducing the time it takes to deliver value ).Simply increasing the speed of production, for example ,may be one way to try to reduce the speed difference .But that often leads to reduced value over time, in the form of lower-quality products and services.
In our study, higher-performing companies with strategic speed always made changes when necessary. They became more open to ideas and discussion. They encouraged new ways of thinking. And they allowed time to look back and learn. By contrast (相比而言), performance suffered at firms that moved fast all the time, paid too much attention to improving efficiency, stuck to tested methods, didn’t develop team spirit among their employees, and had little time thinking about changes.
Strategic speed serves as a kind of leadership. Teams that regularly take time to get things right , rather than plough ahead full bore , are more successful in meeting their business goals . That kind of strategy must come from the top.
小题1: What does the underlined part “gain an edge ”in Paragraph 2 mean ?

A．Increase the speed.

B．Get an advantage.

C．Reach the limit.

D．Set a goal.

小题2:. The underlined part “the laws of business physics” in Paragraph 3 means ___________.

A．spending more time and performing worse.

B．spending more time and performing better

C．spending less time and performing worse

D．spending less time and performing better

小题3:What can we learn from the text?

A．how fast a firm moves depends on how big it is.

B．how competitive a firm is depends on what it produces.

C．Firms guided by strategic speed take time to make necessary changes.

D．Firms guided by operational speed take time to develop necessary team spirit.

小题4:. Which could be the best title for the text?

A．Improve quality? Serve better.

B．Deliver value? Plough ahead.

C．Reduce time? Move faster.

D．Need speed? Slow down.

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