山东省实验中学2020届高三上学期诊断考试英语试题

山东省实验中学2020届高三上学期诊断考试英语试题

山东省实验中学2020届高三第二次诊断性测试 英语试题 ‎2019．11‎ ‎(考试时间：120分钟 试卷满分：150分)‎ 注意事项：‎ ‎ 1．本试卷由四个部分组成。其中，第一、二部分和第三部分的第一节为选择题。第三部分的第二节和第四部分为非选择题。‎ ‎ 2．答卷前，考生务必将自己的姓名、准考证号填写在答题卡上。‎ ‎ 3．回答选择题时，选出每小题答案后，用2B铅笔把答题卡上对应题目的答案标号涂黑；回答非选择题时，将答案写在答题卡上，写在本试卷上无效。‎ ‎ 4．考试结束后，将本试卷和答题卡一并交回。‎ 第一部分 听力(共两节，满分30分)‎ 第一节(共5小题；每小题1.5分，满分7.5分)‎ ‎ 听下面5段对话。每段对话后有一个小题，从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出 最佳选项。听完每段对话后，你都有10秒钟的时间来回答有关小题和阅读下一小题。每段对话仅读一遍。‎ ‎1．What did the woman do today?‎ A．She practiced the piano．‎ B．She wrote some letters．‎ C．She made a travel plan．‎ ‎2．What will the woman do tomorrow afternoon?‎ A．Go to the dentist． B．Go to a physics class． C．Meet with her trainer．‎ ‎3．What has Billy been doing this weekend?‎ A．Visiting museums．‎ B．Reading some science books．‎ C．Trying to come up with an idea．‎ ‎4．How do the speakers feel?‎ A．Tired． B．Enjoyable． C．Frightened．‎ ‎5．What does the woman mean?‎ A．She doesn’t want to leave．‎ B．She will take all the files away．‎ C．She has enough time to deal with her work．‎ 第二节(共15小题；每小题1.5分，满分22.5分)‎ ‎ 听下面5段对话或独白。每段对话或独白后有几个小题，从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳选项。听每段对话或独白前，你将有时间阅读各个小题，每小题5秒钟；听完后，各小题给出5秒钟的作答时间。每段对话或独白读两遍。‎ 听第6段材料，回答第6、7题。‎ ‎6．What did the woman say about the man’s brother?‎ A．He has changed a lot．‎ B．He was very impolite to her．‎ C．She can never understand him．‎ ‎7．What is the man’s explanation?‎ A．His brother has a pain in his neck．‎ B．High school life is too stressful．‎ C．That is the way teenagers are．‎ 听第7段材料，回答第8至10题。‎ ‎8．What are the speakers doing?‎ A．Looking for something．‎ B．Talking about a trip to France．‎ C．Checking their luggage at the airport．‎ ‎9．Where was the woman’s passport?‎ A．In her wallet． B．Under the desk． C． In her make-up bag．‎ ‎10．What is the woman like?‎ A．She is forgetful． B．She is impatient． C．She is very organized．‎ 听第8段材料，回答第11至13题。‎ ‎11．Where does the conversation take place?‎ A．In Thailand． B．In Hawaii． C．In Mexico． ‎ ‎12．What do we know about the camera?‎ A．It can be used underwater．‎ B．It cannot be dropped．‎ C．It’s pretty heavy．‎ ‎13．How much did the man spend on his camera equipment in total?‎ A．$200． B．$300． C．$350．‎ 听第9段材料，回答第14至16题。‎ ‎14．What does the man want the woman to do by Monday?‎ A．Call the models． B．Finish the files． C．Send out the invitations．‎ ‎15．When is the charity party?‎ A．This weekend． B．Next week． C．Next month．‎ ‎16．Where do the speakers probably work?‎ A．At a baking company．‎ B．At a fashion company．‎ C．At a housing company．‎ 听第10段材料，回答第17至20题。‎ ‎17．What is the speaker’s attitude?‎ A．No one is born a genius．‎ B．Too much practice is not useful．‎ C．Talented people needn’t work hard．‎ ‎18．When did Mozart begin composing?‎ A．At the age of three． B．At the age of five． C．At the age of eight．‎ ‎19．How did Jimi Hendrix learn to play the guitar?‎ A．His father taught him． B．He learned at schoo1． C．He taught himself．‎ ‎20．What happened to Einstein after graduation?‎ A．He couldn’t find a job．‎ B．He was an immediate success．‎ C．He gave up his studies for a while． ‎ 第二部分 阅读理解(共两节，满分35分)‎ 第一节(共10小题；每小题2.5分，满分25分)‎ ‎ 阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D 四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。‎ A Parents and kids today dress alike，listen to the same music，and are friends．Is this a good thing? Sometimes，when Mr．Ballmer and his 16-year-old daughter，Elizabeth，listen to rock music together and talk about interests they both enjoy，such as pop culture．he remember his more distant relationship with his parents when he was a teenager．“I would never have said to my mom，‘Hey，the new Weezer album is really great．How do you like it?’”says Ballmer．“There was just a complete gap in taste．”‎ Music was not the only gulf．From clothing and hairstyles to activities and expectations，earlier generations of parents and children often appeared to move in separate orbits．‎ Today，the generation gap has not disappeared，but it is getting narrow in many families．Conversations on subjects such as sex and drugs would not have taken place a generation ago．Now they are comfortable and common．And parent—child activities，from shopping to sports，involve a feeling of trust and friendship that can continue into adulthood．No wonder greeting cards today carry the message，“To my mother，my best friend．”‎ But family experts warn that the new equality can also result in less respect for parents．“There’s still a lot of strictness and authority on the part of parents out there，but there is a change happening，”says Kerrie，a psychology professor at Lebanon Valley College．“In the middle of that change，there is a lot of confusion among parents．”‎ Family researchers offer a variety of reasons for these evolving roles and attitudes．They see the 1960s as a turning point．Great cultural changes led to more open communication and a more democratic process that encourages everyone to have a say．‎ ‎“My parents were on the‘before’side of that change，but today’s parents，the 40-year-olds，were on the‘after’side，”explains Mr．Ballmer．“It’s not something easily accomplished by parents these days，because life is more difficult to understand ‎ or deal with，but sharing interests does make it more fun to be a parent now．”‎ ‎21．What can we learn about Mr．Ballmer in Paragraph 1 ?‎ A．He and Elizabeth both 1ike Weezer．‎ B．He had different interests with his mom．‎ C．He had a bad relationship with his mom．‎ D．He liked talking about music with his mom．‎ ‎22．What does the underlined word“democratic”probably mean?‎ A．Equal． B．Peaceful． C．Active． D．Considerate．‎ ‎23．The passage is mainly about_____________．‎ A．the problems of parent-child relationship B．the strategies for parent-child relationships C．the development of parent-child relationship D．the ways for parents to handle parent-child problems B Owning a lovable，cute pet can unquestionably make one’s home life better and obviously，it can affect pet owners’professional lives as well．In fact，according to a new survey，people who have owned pets may be more professionally successful，and this is definitely good news for ambitious pet parents．‎ The survey was conducted by Kelton Global Research for Banfield Pet Hospital，according to Fast Company．The researchers surveyed 857 adults in the United States with a variety of careers，as explained in the survey summary on Banfield’s website．Among the C-suite executives(CEOs，etc．)surveyed，93 percent grew with a pet in their home，with 78 percent claiming that growing up with a pet helped cause their career suceess as an adult．Interestingly，83 percent of C-suite executives who participated said they grew up with a dog，59 percent of them said they grew up with a cat，and 37 percent of them said they grew up with another kind of pet．(You’re correct these numbers do not add up．It would seem that many of the people interviewed grew up with multiple kinds of pets．)‎ So，how exactly does pet ownership cause career success? Well，according to Banfield’s research，executives reported that their pet helped teach them lessons ‎ like responsibility，creativity，empathy，discipline，and organization，which have all been valuable in the business world．But what about people who grew up pet-less，but have adopted pets as adults? Luckily for those，the survey showed that current pet ownership can also help with professional success．‎ According to the research，86 percent of current pet parents surveyed said owning pets helps them stick to a routine，better manage their time，and multitask more efficiently．But even if you don’t think your pet ham directly helped you，your coworkers’knowledge that yon have a pet may actually be beneficial for your career．In fact，80 percent of people surveyed said they“feel more connected to colleagues who are pet owners，”and 79 percent of those surveyed believe that fellow co-workers who have pets are“hard workers．”‎ ‎24．What do the figures in Paragraph 2 show?‎ A．There is a rising demand for pets．‎ B．Owning pets can make for professional success．‎ C．More and more CEOs become aware of pots’effects．‎ D．Pets become commercialized among C-suite executives．‎ ‎25．What can we learn from this passage?‎ A．The research is based on people from many walks in the world．‎ B．Keeping pets provides the most valuable lessons for career．‎ C．Pet ownership hardly benefits those who keep pets as adults．‎ D．People who own a pet tend to get along well with colleagues．‎ ‎26．What is the author’s attitude toward keeping a pet?‎ A．Indifferent． B．Critical． C．Objective． D．Concerned．‎ C Some of the most powerful companies in the world have co-founders．For example，Google(Sergey Brin and Larry Page)，Apple(Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs)，and Microsoft(Bill Gates and Paul Allen)and so on．Having partners can help to deal with the pressure and the failures that come with running a business．No matter how down on your luck you feel they may provide emotional support．They may have extra skills，and be on hand to help out with the day-to-day problems．And an alternate ‎ point of view may help to broaden your mind and aid the risk of mistakes being overlooked． ‎ Everybody knows Samsungs Galaxy Note 7．When the phone was launched in 2016，customers praised it for its storage，design and usability，and it may well have bean a hit if it weren’t for the fact that it occasionally caught fire and exploded．It was soon banned immediately from flights，and Samsung had no choice but to recall the entire model．The shortcoming reportedly cost the company $1 billion，and a further $17 billion in lost sales．But remember，based on the lesson，the Galaxy Note 8 and the Galaxy Note 9 are well received in the world! Now we know that failing is part of business success．‎ One thing that all great companies have in common is that they have failed many times—and luckily，they bounced back．Take Sarah Blakely，founder of shapewear brand Spanx for example．She credits her business success specifically to her failures．“I'd get kicked out of buildings all day long，”she remembered．“People would tear up my business card in my face. But my friends and I knew I could sell and I knew I wanted to sell something I had created．I learned that‘no’doesn’t always mean‘no’，and that you may get 30 nos before you get the one yes．People told me no with Spanx for two years．“Spanx is worth just over $1 billion—it was a company that Blakely who took a degree in a law school started with just $5 000!‎ ‎27．What can we learn from the examples in Paragraph 1?‎ A．Two heads are better than one．‎ B．Constant dropping wears the stone．‎ C．God helps those who help themselves．‎ D．All things are difficult before they are easy．‎ ‎28．Why does the author mention Samsungs Galaxy Note 7，8 and 9?‎ A．To suggest customers should follow the new trends．‎ B．To prove Samsung is responsible for customers．‎ C．To show Samsung paid for its product failure．‎ D．To explain that failures don’t spell the end．‎ ‎29．What mainly contributed to Sarah Blakely’s success?‎ A．Her friends’help． B．Her will power．‎ C．Her good luck． D．Her education background．‎ ‎30．How does the author develop the passage?‎ A．By making contrast． B．By making classification．‎ C．By giving examples． D．By giving numbers．‎ 第二节(共5小题；每小题2分，满分10分)‎ 根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。‎ Imagine you receive an e-mail that looks something like this：ARE YOU GOING TO CLASS TODAY? How does reading this message make you feel? Was he or she angry or did that person just forget to turn off the‘Caps Lock’on the computer? The fact is that this e-mail“sounds”like the writer is shouting because using all capital letters in an e-mail is usually the way that people shout online．Knowing when to and when not to use capital letters is just one example of online etiquette(规矩)often called netiquette． 31 Following are some of her suggestions．‎ First always remember that you are sending messages to a real person not just to a computer．Don’t type anything that you wouldn’t say to someone’s face． 32 So make sure your meaning is clear．‎ Don’t do anything online that you wouldn’t do in real life．Don’t take anything without paying for it unless it's free．Don’t read other people’s e-mail—you wouldn’t you’re your next-door neighbor’s mailbox and open their mail right? And do share your knowledge of the Internet with others． 33 ‎ ‎ 34 Good writing skills as well as correct grammar and spelling do matter．Send polite well-written e-mail messages to others．If you’re uncertain about how to spell a word or which phrase to use，look it up．There are lots of helpful books and websites．‎ It’s okay to express your opinions online in forums like chat rooms or message boards for example“MSN”or“QQ”but don’t start arguments with people． 35 But they are often unfair to other members of the group．Express your ideas but remember that fighting on or offline is just not right．‎ A．Remember you’re not the only one online．‎ B．“Flame wars”in online discussion can be interesting to read．‎ C．Try to respect others，such as their space，privacy，and feelings．‎ D．It’s a big place with lots of information and there fire many flew things to discover．‎ E．Remember that people judge you by your words and your actions，so do try to white wall．‎ F．Also remember that he cannot hear the tone of your voice or see the expressive on your face．‎ G．Virginia Shea’s book Netiquette lists a basic set of dos and don’ts for communicating rightly with others online．‎ 第三部分 语言知识运用(共两节，满分45分)‎ 第一节 完形填空(共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分)‎ ‎ 阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的A、B、C和D四个选颈中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡将该项涂黑。‎ ‎“5 pm，madam．”“What? My baby can no longer wait for that! Can you please ask the crew a favor to make it 36 ?”My 3-month-old baby was already very 37 ．His stomach became larger and larger in each hour that passed by．‎ Three days ago，we brought him to be 38 to the hospital where I worked due to several vomiting(呕吐)．I knew the danger very well because there were already 39 patients of this case that we had encountered．But it was not as simple as I 40 ．It held a bigger unknown threat that needed a(an) 41 surgery．But before the doctor could figure out the best 42 ，he ordered a CT Scan of the Whole Stomach．It was scheduled at the most famous hospital of the city 43 our own hospital didn’t have it yet．‎ Everything about him suddenly became so 44 ．I knew that his chance of 45 became very thin．So I was afraid that he couldn’t wait for another few hours if no intervention would be given．‎ ‎“Madam，we’re so blessed．His 46 is moved to 3 pm．”‎ I was 47 but another much bigger problem 48 ：I did not have the money ‎ needed．I had to send messages with my 49 to borrow money to the persons in my contact list．I only had few minutes left then．I asked for a vacant room and there I knelt down and cried while ‎50 a miracle to provide me with ways right then．As soon as I got up from my 51 ，my cell phone suddenly rang 52 ．“Ms．Lucero，please claim your money through…”And one after another，I 53 different messages telling me to get the money they sent for my baby．I had the money then in less than an hour! Not only for the CT Scan but for our immediate needs during our whole hospital stay!‎ I was so awed(敬畏的)at how destiny(命运) 54 all the incidents in our lives to come up for blessings that it has prepared ahead of us! But most of all，me first 55 that he has shown me，is that my baby shall live !‎ ‎36．A．1ater B．1onger C．earlier D．shorter ‎37．A．weak B．thin C．upset D．conscious ‎38．A．1eft B．admitted C．reserved D．accustomed ‎39．A．selfless B．valueless C．homeless D．countless ‎40．A．desired B．expected C．provided D．realized ‎41．A．fast B．simple C．complete D．immediate ‎42．A．approach B．thing C．tool D．hospital ‎43．A．since B．though C．unless D．while ‎44．A．changeable B．unstable C．predictable D．incredible ‎45．A．return B．death C．survival D．danger ‎46．A．departure B．result C．routine D．schedule ‎47．A．nervous B．relieved C．anxious D．desperate ‎48．A．rose B．raised C．arose D．aroused ‎49．A．request B．command C．suggestion D．application ‎50．A．meeting with B．1ooking for C．praying for D．finding out ‎51．A．memory B．dilemma C．feet D．knees ‎52．A．randomly B．surprisingly C．noisily D．continuously ‎53．A．accepted B．received C．wrote D．sent ‎54．A．found B．built C．arranged D．damaged ‎55．A．sign B．belief C．word D．1ook 第二节(共10小题；每小题1.5分，满分15分)‎ 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。‎ Sometimes we all need positive attitude tips to get through the day．What is this positive attitude anyway? It can be rather 56 (annoy)if you feel bad and I suggest you look at it positively．How?‎ If you are really feeling low，there is no way you can jump to a 57 (total)positive outlook．But there is a way—taking small 58 (step)and learning new ways of thinking，little by little．If you take it as 59 way of life，only 60 (expect)to find ways to feel a little better，one day you’11 notice you 61 (change)your thinking．‎ I've been following the path of positive thinking for over twenty years and I'm really happy I started to work on my thoughts．Sure I have gone 62 many unpleasant phases of life， 63 with the positive attitude I walked through them and later found al1 those phases were blessings in disguise．Still，when you start your journey of positive thinking，you shall meet wonderful new people，with 64 you can share positive attitude．And that’s really 65 makes the whole journey so much fun．We are here for each other．I really hope these tips work for you!‎ 第四部分 写作(共两节，满分40分)‎ 第一节 应用文写作(满分15分)‎ 假定你是李华，你市图书馆将播放关于中国茶文化的纪录片。你的外教Mr．Smith是中国茶文化的爱好者，请给他写一封邮件，邀请他一起观看。内容包括：‎ ‎ 1．播放时间、地点；‎ ‎ 2．纪录片的主要内容。‎ 注意：1．词数80左右；‎ ‎ 2．可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。‎ 参考词汇：纪录片documentary Dear Mr．Smith，‎ ‎________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________‎ Yours sincerely，‎ Li Hua 第二节 读后续写(满分25分)‎ 阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事。‎ Robert and Henry were two friends in the same class．They always played together and went home together．One day，Robert and Henry were going home from school，when，on turning a corner，Robert cried out，“A fight! Let’s go and see!”‎ ‎“No，”said Henry．“Let us go quietly home and not meddle with(插手)this quarre1．We have nothing to do with it and may get into trouble．Also our parents are expecting to have dinner with us together at home and I don’t want them to worry about me．”‎ ‎“You are a coward，and afraid to go，”said Robert，and off ha ran．Henry want straight home，and in the afternoon went to school as usual．‎ But Robert had told all the boys that Henry was a coward，and they laughed at him a great deal．From then on，they looked down upon Henry and didn’t want to play with him together．‎ Henry was sad but he wasn’t angry with Robert for his rude behavior，because he learned that true courage is shown most in bearing misunderstanding when it was not deserved，and that he ought to be afraid of nothing but doing wrong．Thus，he just ignored the other boys’laughter and continued to go to school and study as well．However，Robert didn’t invite Henry to go home with him anymore．Instead，he had some other boys who also thought Henry was a coward．Every day after school，they didn’t go home directly but went to the river or somewhere to play games and had a lot of fun．‎ A few days later，Robert was bathing with his new friends in a river，and got out of his depth．He struggled，and screamed for help，but all in vain．The boys who had called Henry a coward got out of the water as fast as they could，but they did not even try to help him．‎ 注意：‎ ‎ 1．所续写短文的词数应为150左右；‎ ‎ 2．至少使用5个短文中标有下划线的关键词语；‎ ‎ 3．续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；‎ ‎ 4．续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。‎ Paragraph 1：Robert was fast sinking．__________________________________________‎ Paragraph 2：Thus，Robert's life was saved．_________________________________‎ 山东省实验中学2020届高三第二次诊断性测试 英语试题答案 2019. 11‎ 第一部分：听力（共两节，满分30分）‎ ‎1—5 BACBC 6—10 BCACA 11—15 BACBC 16—20 BABCA 第二部分：阅读理解（共两节，满分40分）‎ ‎21—30 BAC BDC ADBC 31—35 GFDEB 第三部分：语言知识运用（共两节，满分45分）‎ 第一节 （每小题1.5分，满分30分） ‎ ‎36-40 CABDB 41-45 DAABC 46-50 DBCAC 51-55 DDBCA 第二节（共10小题；每小题1.5分，满分15分）‎ ‎56. annoying 57. totally 58. steps 59. a 60. expecting ‎ ‎61. have changed 62. through 63. but 64. whom 65. what ‎ 第四部分：写作（共两节，满分40分）‎ 第一节：应用文写作 （满分15分）‎ 要点齐全，思维流畅，表达连贯，书写美观 参考范文 Dear Mr. Smith, ‎ I’m writing to invite you to watch a documentary about Chinese tea culture, which will be shown in the City Library from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. this Sunday. ‎ It’s said that this documentary is in Chinese, with English subtitles. Moreover, the history of tea as a drink in China will be talked about in the documentary, as well as the important role tea plays in foreign trade as a commercial product. I’m sure this documentary will contribute a lot to your understanding of Chinese tea culture. ‎ Looking forward to your reply. ‎ ‎ Yours, ‎ ‎ Li Hua 第二节：读后续写（满分25分）‎ ‎ Robert was fast sinking. It seemed as if Robert would be drowned. Just at the moment, Henry happened to be passing by. Hearing the screams, Henry ran to the riverside, threw off his clothes and jumped into the water without hesitation. He reached Robert just as he was sinking the last time. By great effort, and with much danger to himself, he brought Robert to the shore.‎ ‎ Thus, Robert’s life was saved. Robert and his new friends were ashamed at having called Henry a coward. They realized that Henry had true courage. They said sorry to Henry for their rude behavior and asked for his forgiveness. Henry forgave them happily. He and Robert were friends again and they went home together as usual. From this, Robert learned what true courage was: never be afraid to do good, but always fear to do evil.‎ 听力录音稿 Text 1 ‎ M: I thought you had planned to practice the piano today, Lisa.‎ W: Well, I did nothing but write letters all day.‎ Text 2‎ M: Do you want to go with me to the gym tomorrow morning? My trainer said she would give you a free class.‎ W: I would love to. Just remind me to go to my dentist appointment in the afternoon.‎ Text 3‎ M: How long did it take you to finish your science project? I have been thinking about it all weekend, and I can’t come up with anything worth making! I don’t know what to do.‎ W: Don’t worry, Billy. It took me a couple of months to get my science project worked out when I was your age. It’ll come to you. Why don’t you try going to the museum?‎ Text 4 ‎ W: It’s so quiet up here. And look at all those stars!‎ M: I know. This is why I like coming up here. It’s nice to get out of the city once in a while, and I must admit that I love sleeping outdoors like this.‎ Text 5 ‎ M: You have one more month here before you get transferred to the Chicago office.‎ W: Don’t worry. I fully intend to use this time to clean up the office and organize all the files before I leave.‎ Text 6 ‎ W: Michael, your little brother was very rude to me last week. I was really surprised. ‎ M: I’m sorry, Janice. He will be sixteen in three weeks, and he has changed a lot since he started high school. ‎ W: I have two younger brothers myself, and they are not the easiest people to get along with, so I guess I can understand. ‎ M: In all honesty, I know I was a pain in the neck when I was his age, too. ‎ Text 7‎ M: Did you find your passport yet? The trip is in two days!‎ W: No, not yet, but I know it is somewhere around here!‎ M: Honey, you’d better find it! These tickets to France were not cheap.‎ W: I will, I will. You know me, always losing everything and then finding it at the last second…‎ M: Did you check the bathroom? Maybe it’s in your makeup bag. You could fit a house in that thing.‎ W: Why would I put it in there, Tim? That’s just silly. It probably fell under the desk.‎ M: If I check in the bathroom and it’s there, you owe me a drink! That’ll be the first thing we do when we get to the airport.‎ W: If you say so. I’m fairly certain I’m not that forgetful, though. Anyway, the drinks at the airport are usually pretty pricey.‎ M: Well, I guess you’d better start saving…‎ W: Why?‎ M: Guess what I found next to your lipstick?‎ Text 8 ‎ W: What a beautiful place this is!‎ M: Yeah. After the grayness of New York, the colors of Hawaii seem so bright.‎ W: Well, I’ve been to a lot of amazing beaches in Thailand and Mexico, but this is definitely one of the nicest ones I’ve been to. Why don’t we go for a swim? I hear there are lots of tropical fish we can see.‎ M: Good idea. I can use my new video camera — it’s waterproof.‎ W: Wow, where did you get that?‎ M: I got it in New York a week ago. It’s made by a company called GoPro. They specialize in making HD video cameras for outdoor sports. The bodies of their cameras are designed to be extra strong. The camera can handle being dropped, and I can use it underwater up to 60 meters deep.‎ W: And it’s so small and lightweight. How much did it cost?‎ M: Well, I could have gotten the older model for $200. But I bought the latest version for $300, because it’s lighter and has better picture quality. I also spent an extra $50 for an extra battery pack.‎ W: Well, let’s go so you can use it!‎ Text 9‎ M: I am going to need those files edited and completed by Monday, Sarah. I expect to see them on my desk first thing next week.‎ W: You got it, Mr. Bensen. Is there anything in particular you would like me to include?‎ M: Just make sure that you highlight all of our upcoming shows. I want our clients to be aware of our new events and clothes styles.‎ W: Of course, sir. Should I start sending out the invitations for next month’s charity party?‎ M: Yes! That needs to be a huge success if we expect anything from our summer line to be ready anytime soon.‎ W: I’ll call the models this weekend and remind them of the fitting next week. Hopefully, they can be helpful for the donations for the event.‎ M: I would like to think so. Isn’t that what this business is all about — making people look good and being surrounded by the people that look the best?‎ W: I guess so, sir. I’d like to think that our market is more than just good-looking people, though.‎ M: What the media wants, Sarah, the media gets.‎ Text 10 ‎ Nothing in this world can be achieved without effort. Mozart wasn’t born a composer. He practiced the piano from the age of three and began composing by the age of five. His father, who was also his teacher, was very strict with the boy.‎ Jimi Hendrix used to walk around his house with a guitar and play up to eight hours a day. As a child, Jimi used to listen to his father’s blues records alone with a broom, pretending to play it like a guitar. Neither of them had their gift just given to them at birth. They had to work hard and discover that they had a gift. And they didn’t just make do with what they had after that. They kept at it. Hendrix didn’t even know how to read music, so everything he learned, he learned through listening. ‎ Another example is Albert Einstein, the father of modern physics. He was told that he would never be a success at anything. No one wanted to hire him after he graduated from college. But he believed in himself, and he persevered with his studies on his own. ‎ Now, I’m not trying to say that everyone can be a Mozart or an Einstein if they just put in a lot of time doing something. But, with effort and passion, one can achieve a great deal. Without those things, you’re not going to achieve much. Luck comes to those who prepare for it. If you do something you love, don’t let little bumps along the road stop you.‎