Darno Setiadi is one of the top ten thousand richest men in Indonesia. Mr. Setiadi runs his own business, importing machinery from Europe and selling it all over the country. He employs over three hundred people and lives in a very large house in Jakarta, the capital city. However, as he will tell you, he had to travel down a long, hard road to get to where he is today.

“I built this business up from nothing through my own hard work,” said Darno. “I come from a poor family and have thirteen brothers and sisters. My dad died when I was fourteen and I had to go out to work to try to support the rest of my family. To begin with, I sold ice cream in the street; then I got a job selling cloth door-to-door. After that, I started traveling all over the island selling things to people and slowly I started getting ideas about what kind of products the different markets wanted.

“When I was twenty-one, I left my wife and two children at home and moved to Jakarta to set up my own business, selling all kinds of machines, but, particularly propellers (螺旋桨) for boats. There are over thirteen thousand islands in Indonesia, so there’s a huge market for that kind of thing. Luckily for me, some friends helped me get import licenses. Business was increasing and I could finally afford to bring my family over to join me.

“The only real problem I have now is who’s going to take control of the business when I retire. I’d like my son to run it, but he’s not really strong enough to do it! I think perhaps his childhood was too easy, and that has made him a bit too soft to do work like this!”

21. What does Darno sell now?

A. Cloth.                  B. Boats.                            C. Machines.                      D. Ice cream.

22. When Darno was in his early teens, he ______.

A. helped with his family business                     B. struggled to raise a big family

C. left his family to do business                         D. traveled all over the world

23. What does Darno worry about now?

A. His health problems.

B. How to spend his retired life.

C. How to keep controlling the market.

D. His son’s ability to take over his business.

24. Which of the following words can best describe Darno?

A. Kind-hearted and easy-going.               B. Sharp-eyed and hard-working.

C. Open-minded and world-famous.                 D. Well-educated and self-confident.

    On a typical school night, Jilly Dos Santos was lucky if she got six hours of sleep. Even when she finished her homework early, she often didn’t feel tired enough to fall asleep. So when her school board planned to change her high school’s start time from 7:50 a.m. to 7:20 a.m. — a full half hour earlier — she was outraged. “I thought it was the worst idea I’d ever heard,” she says.

    Fired up, Jilly used social media to encourage other students to join her in speaking up at the next school board meeting, and she started an online petition (请愿), which got 200-plus signatures. Then, with the help of another student, she put up more than 100 posters on school walls and emailed teachers to spread the word. The fight was on!

    The good news is that Jilly wasn’t alone — once she started her fight, she became part of a growing movement demanding to start school later. Now, about 43 percent of public high schools in the U.S. start school before 8 a.m., which is earlier than at most workplaces. One big reason schools have historically preferred early start times: They allow outdoor athletic teams to practice after school while the sun is still out.

    As she prepared for the school board meeting, Jilly learned all of the ways that more sleep makes for better students. At the school board meeting, Jilly shared what she had learned. “My heart beat so fat,” she admits. But her schoolmates gave her confidence. “About 30 students came to support me.”

    Armed with facts, Jilly explained her case convincingly. “The school board liked how I didn’t get emotional and just provided evidence. When I presented, I kept thinking, ‘If this were a class, what would get me an A?’ instead of ‘How loud can I yell?’ ”

    All of that hard work paid off. The school board decided that instead of making Jilly’s high school’s start time earlier, they would change the bus schedule and make the start time even later, at 8:55 a.m.

25. What does the underlined word “outraged” in Paragraph 1 mean?

A. Angry.                 B. Excited.                   C. Surprised.                     D. Interested.

26. Jilly used social media to ______.

A. win other students’ support                           B. show the importance of sleep

C. make her school’s plan known               D. ask her school to help some students

27. According to Paragraph 3, why do many schools start school early?

A. To save electricity in the evening.

B. To encourage students to sleep earlier.

C. To spare the time for outdoor practice.

D. To make students spend more time at school.

28. What do we know about Jilly’s performance at the school board meeting?

A. She wasn’t nervous at all.                             B. She expressed her ideas calmly.

C. She worked well with other students.                   D. She received praise for her suggestions.

March 24th

Greetings from Vietnam! We arrived here tired but excited. This is our first trip to Asia. We are looking forward to eating Vietnamese food for dinner tonight. Our hotel is cheap, but very clean. The owner gave us free drinks when we arrived, and has told us about some places that we shouldn’t miss. We plan to stay here in Ho Chi Minh City for a few days and visit temples in the city, and then travel to the north.

March 27th

Vietnam is fantastic! We visited a market in Cho Lon and saw many kinds of fruits and vegetables. Everything was so colorful, and we took hundreds of photographs! Later today we’ll take the train north. We’ll take the train north. We’ll stay in Hanoi for two days, and then catch a bus to Sapa. We’re going to go hiking in the mountains.

April 4th

Now we’re in the old capital city of Hue. Our trip to Sapa was long and tiring. From there, we took a truck to a small village in the mountains, and we went hiking for three days. This afternoon, we’re taking a walking tour in Hue. We’re going to visit the Forbidden Purple City, where the emperor (皇帝) lived.

April 6th

Hue is really a special city with lots to see. I would love to stay longer, but we’re both ready for the beach. Tomorrow we’ll take the train back to the south, and then we’re going to a town called Vung Tau. It has several beaches, and it’s famous for seashell crafts (手艺). Vietnam is an amazing country, with so much to explore. Three weeks here just isn’t enough.

29. The owner of the hotel mentioned in Paragraph 1 _______.

  A. was friendly and helpful                                B. knew little about Vietnam

  C. was one of the author’s old friends        D. asked the author to live there for free

30. In the author’s opinion, the market they visited in Cho Lon was ______.

  A. really small                 B. noisy                C. very modern           D. attractive

31. What’s the correct order of the places the author visited in Vietnam?

  A. Ho Chi Minh City → Hanoi → Sapa → Hue → Vung Tau.

  B. Ho Chi Minh City → Sapa → Hue → Vung Tau → Hanoi.

  C. Hanoi → Sapa → Hue → Ho Chi Minh City → Vung Tau.

  D. Hanoi → Hue → Sapa → Vung Tau → Ho Chi Minh City.

32. When will the author probably leave Vietnam?

  A. On April 6th.         B. On April 14th. C. On April 21st.      D. On April 28th.

    Did you know that something as simple as the wallpaper on your computer can tell people a lot about you? According to researcher Donna Dawson, our computers say something about what we’re like because they are part of our “personal space.”

    A picture of a child or family on the screen often means the person cares deeply about their loved ones. A photo of the person surrounded by friends shows they value their popularity and probably work well with other people. On the other hand, pictures showing examples of past successes, like winning a prize may mean a person is only interested in themselves.

    Pictures of nature and natural scenery tell people that you are driven to succeed and use the pictures to relax and remove the pressure in your life. Cityscapes, pictures of cities or towns, show that you enjoy travel and adventure. Most people with cityscapes as their wallpaper are optimistic, happy people who feel even better thinking about the places they’ve visited or want to visit.

    Pictures of animals show that you are optimistic and kind-hearted. You are often happy and you enjoy life and act young. Cartoons or drawings show that you are a multitasker, someone who does many things at once. You have many responsibilities, but you deal with them well. That’s one reason you like having something to smile about when you look at your computer wallpaper.

    Then, what does plain blue wallpaper tell us about a person? According to Dawson, a person with plain blue wallpaper probably values their privacy and keeps work from becoming too personal.

33. A prize photo as wallpaper suggests someone ______,

A. cares only about himself or herself                      B. has a strong wish to succeed

C. is confident about himself or herself                           D. works very well with others

34. Those who look on the bright side of things are likely to have wallpaper like ______.

A. pictures of nature and natural scenery                       B. pictures showing their past successes

C. city views or pictures of animals                                 D. photos of staying with friends.

35. What can be the best title for the text?

A. Where to Look for Your Computer Wallpaper

B. Computer Wallpaper Shows Your Personality

C. How to Place Wallpaper on Your Computer

D. Computer Wallpaper Interests Everyone

                Body language mistakes you should avoid at work

   Communication is not only about words but also gestures. Therefore, you should be careful about how you use your body when expressing yourself.

Avoiding eye contact

   When speaking with a workmate, avoiding eye contact makes you look unprofessional.   36  

Therefore, you should always keep eye contact especially when you are making a point.

Crossing your arms

   Crossing your arms shows that you are not open to others and that you want to put a distance between yourself and them.   37   In order to give others a warm feeling, just keep your arms open.

Checking the time

   Checking the time every few minutes makes people feel you are in a hurry or would rather be somewhere else.   38   Therefore, when you are speaking to your workmates, try not to look at the clock very often.

Bad body posture (姿势)

   Having a bad posture such as dropped shoulders or a lower neck can mean that you are not interested in what is going on around you.   39   Also, keep your head high.

Weak handshake

   A weak handshake means that you don’t care much about the person you are shaking hands with. Try to greet the person with a firm (有力的) handshake. However, don’t forget that a handshake that is too firm can be impolite.   40 

A. Therefore, try to find the right balance.

B. Nod your head to show that you are listening.

C. It looks like you are not interested in being there.

D. This shows that you have confidence in yourself.

E. This is generally considered as a position of defence.

F. It is important to stand or sit up straight when speaking to somebody.

G. It also shows that you are not confident or show no interest in the topic.