Many of us have dreams of being our own boss and starting our own businesses，and one woman has been able to make her dreams a reality with the help of a complete change of lifestyle.
Catherine White，46，spent her teenage years washing cars in order to make ends meet and now she owns a ￡20 million business empire.Speaking to the Manchester Evening News，she said，"My childhood was so unstable，so I always wanted and needed to be independent.I didn't believe working for someone else gave me that and my future would still rely on someone else."
At 24，Catherine started her first business from a desk in her sister's art school but she was struggling with a panic disorder at the time and would find comfort in junk food，which led her to follow an unhealthy lifestyle.After the company reached a steady point a few years later，she decided to go travelling and in the process，completely changed her outlook on life.The woman said the "dramatic change" of scenery helped her mental health significantly，and she was even able to cut junk food out of her diet一dropping her from a size 24 to a size 12 by the time she returned to the UK.And the business mogul （大亨） believes changing her lifestyle also helped her succeed in her career as she is no longer scared of making decisions or speaking in public.
This year，Catherine aims to grow one of the companies under her Freedom Services Group umbrella，Stella Insurance.She set it up in Australia for women.With each deal，the business donates ＄5 to a charity，and plans are underway to launch in the UK.
The now-millionaire said， "In my wildest dreams，I wouldn't have thought it could become the size that it has."
（1）Why did Catherine decide to set up her own business？ CC
A．To accumulate work experience.
B．To make donations to a charity.
C．To depend on herself in the future.
D．To raise money for her illness.
（2）What can we learn about Catherine from the text？ AA
A．She used to be addicted to junk food
B．She was offered a job in an art school.
C．She was good at speaking in public.
D．She set up Stella Insurance in the UK.
（3）Which words best describe Catherine as a businesswoman now？ BB
A．Talented and energetic.
B．Successful and caring.
C．Ambitious and cautious.
D．Brave and imaginative.
（4）What message does the author seem to convey in the text？ DD
A．Well begun is half done.
B．Details determine success or failure.
C．Interest is the best teacher.
D．A strong-willed soul can reach his goal.
【答案】C；A；B；D
【解答】
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發(fā)布：2024/5/27 14:0:0組卷：5引用：2難度：0.5
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1．All routes to STEM （science，technology，engineering and mathematics） degrees run through calculus （微積分） classes.Each year，thousands of college students take introductory calculus.But only a small number ultimately complete a STEM degree，and research about why students abandon such degrees suggests that traditional calculus courses are one of the reasons.With scientific understanding and innovation increasingly central to solving 21st-century problems，this loss of talent is something society can ill afford.
Math departments alone are unlikely to solve this dilemma.Several of the promising calculus reforms were spearheaded by professors outside of math departments.STEM faculty are prioritizing cooperation across disciplines to transform math classes to cultivate a diverse generation of STEM researchers and professionals.
This is not uncharted territory.In 2013，life sciences faculty at the University of California，Los Angeles，developed a two-course sequence that covers classic calculus topics，but also emphasizes their application in a biological context.Creating this course，Mathematics for Life Scientists，wasn't easy.The life sciences faculty involved，none of whom had a joint appointment with the math department，said they turned to designing the course themselves after math faculty rejected their request for cooperation.
In Ohio，Wright State University's Engineering departments also revised math offerings.Rather than changing the content of the calculus course，they focused on preparing students for calculus by emphasizing "engineering motivation for math." The approach enhanced opportunities for students with weaker math backgrounds to succeed in engineering and doubled the average graduation rate of engineering students without reducing the average grade of graduates.Math learning is fundamental to all STEM fields，but the opposite also appears to be true.
（1）What problem is mentioned in paragraph 1？
A．Increasing STEM dropout rate.
B．The reform of calculus courses.
C．Shrinking admission to STEM majors.
D．The shaken belief in the role of calculus.
（2）What does "spearheaded" in paragraph 2 probably mean？
A．challenged
B．evaluated
C．cancelled
D．initiated
（3）What do we know about the calculus course reform according to the text？
A．STEM departments made calculus content easier to improve students' grades.
B．Math departments sought cooperation with STEM counterparts to urge reforms.
C．Placing calculus learning in specific STEM contexts is a workable approach.
D．Removing calculus is the key to increasing graduation rate of STEM students.
（4）What does "the opposite" in the last paragraph refer to？
A．The STEM fields may be the foundation of other science subjects.
B．The STEM fields may be central to making math learning effective.
C．Math learning may set barrier for science study in the STEM fields.
D．Math learning may make way for science study in the STEM fields.發(fā)布：2025/1/1 17:30:2組卷：24引用：3難度：0.5 -
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（1）Why did the author want to have a good appearance when she was young？
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B．Because she wanted to be one of the characters in the book.
C．Because she wanted to get higher scores in the job interviews.
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A．Surgery is becoming more and more popular.
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（4）Which of the following covers the passage best？
A．Inner beauty is the real beauty.
B．How do attractive persons become successful？
C．The key factor to find a good job is being attractive.
D．Plastic surgery is the best way to make a person more beautiful.
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B．If you have a good appearance，you must get higher scores in the job interviews.
C．Without the TV advertisements，there wouldn't have been a boom in plastic surgery.
D．Those who have good appearances should also develop the beauty in their hearts.發(fā)布：2025/1/1 18:0:1組卷：12引用：2難度：0.6 -
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keyboard
Yours，
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