C

What makes one person more intelligent than another? What makes one person a genius, like the brilliant Albert Einstein, and another person a fool? Are people born intelligent or stupid, or is intelligence the result of where and how you live? These are very old questions and the answers to them are still not clear.

We know, however, that just being born with a good mind is not enough. In some ways, the mind is like a leg or an arm muscle. It needs exercise. Mental exercise is particularly important for young children. Many child psychologists (心理学家) think that parents should play with their children more often and give them problems to think about. The children are then more likely to grow up bright and intelligent. If, on the other hand, children are left alone a great deal with nothing to do, they are more likely to become dull and unintelligent.

Parents should also be careful with what they say to young children. According to some psychologists, if parents are always telling a child that he or she is a fool or an idiot, then the child is more likely to keep doing silly and foolish things. So it is probably better for parents to say very positive things to their children, such as “That was a very clever thing you did.” or “You are such a smart child.”

36. The words “intelligent” and “brilliant” in the first paragraph probably mean _______ while “dull” in the second paragraph means ________.

A. bright and splendid; slow in thinking and understanding

B. pretty and handsome; ordinary-looking

C. great and important; common

D. hopeful and helpful; careless

37. According to the context we can guess that a genius is ________ while an idiot is ________.

A. a normal person; a funny person

B. a strong person; a weak person

C. a highly intelligent person; a foolish or weak-minded person

D. a famous person; an ordinary person

38. A person ________ is more likely to become a genius.

A. whose parents are clever

B. often thinking about difficult problems

C. often helped by his parents and teachers

D. born with a good brain and putting it into active use

39. It is better for parents ________.

A. to praise and encourage their children more often

B. to be hard on their children

C. to leave their children alone with nothing to do

D. to give their children as much help as possible

40. Which of the following is NOT true according to the article?

A. Parents play an important part in their children’s growth.

B. The less you use your mind the duller you may become.

C. Intelligence is obviously the result of where and how you live.

D. What makes a person bright or stupid is still under discussion.

D

A company advertised in the newspaper for a sales position. Details of the requirements, salary and benefits were given. It was also clearly stated that applicants needed to take an aptitude test (能力倾向测试) and an interview. However, looking at the whole advertisement, one could not find any contact information of the company.

Most interested applicants thought that it was the company’s HR department’s carelessness or a printing error. They therefore waited patiently for the newspaper to publish an amendment(订正). But instead of waiting for the newspaper to publish the company details, another three applicants took the initiative(主动性) to find out the company’s contact information themselves.

Tim did a search on the Internet. By typing the company’s name, he easily obtained all the information including its contact number. Lisa called up the local telephone number search service and found out the company’s office number. She called up the office and got the required contact information. Donna put in a greater effort in her search. She remembered seeing a poster by the same company in the city so she drove all the way down and made a few rounds to search for it. She finally found it together with the company’s contact information.

Three days after that advertisement was published in the newspaper, most interested applicants were still waiting eagerly for an amendment. On the other hand, the application letters and resumes of Tim, Lisa and Donna had already reached the hands of the company’s HR manager. They were then called up for an interview. During the interview, all went well and immediately they were hired. The three of them were a little surprised at how fast things went on. They were expecting for an aptitude test as stated in the advertisement. The HR director answered them, smiling, “Our test is hidden in the advertisement itself. To be a good salesperson in this age, he or she has to be broad-minded and very importantly, does not follow rigid (死板的) steps or rules. You are all clever. In a short time, you’ve managed to find ways of contacting us. It shows clearly that you have passed the test with flying colors!”

The fools sit around waiting for their chances whereas the wise actively take actions with great initiative.

41. According to the passage the company wanted to test the applicants’ ______.

A. sales skills   B. carefulness     C. attitude  D. initiative

42. Whose search skill is the easiest of all?

A. Tim’s. B. Lisa’s. C. Donna’s. D. None.

43. What can we infer from the passage?

A. The HR manager of the company made a mistake.

B. The company meant to omit (遗漏) its contact information.

C. The HR manager of the company was unfit for his / her job.

D. A printing error occurred in the advertisement in the newspaper.

44. Which of the statements is NOT correct according to the passage?

A. Many applicants thought the company made a mistake.

B. The advertisement was very special to many applicants.

C. Whoever found the company’s contact information didn’t need to have an interview.

D. The company needed broad-minded and clever salespersons.