Thomas had waited for years after he came up with the idea for Mother Earth. During that time, he collected as much information as he could about his business. He borrowed books from the library, talked to successful people in the field, and began planning carefully the amount of money and the kinds and numbers of supplies he would need. When he finally opened with a capital of $1，500，he set up his office in the kitchen and his printing press in the garage. Owing to his devotion(投入)to business, his talent, and his skill in management, Mother Earth? now has a circulation(发行量) of 300，000.

　　Not all small businesses are doing as fine as Mother Earth as 50% of the 450, 000 that start in America every year fail. Still, 95% of businesses in the US can be called “small”. Altogether these businesses amount to 40% of America’s gross national product(国民生产总值).

 

 

 

1According to the passage, which of the following is true of the small businesses in the U. S. ?

 A.All of them close down in the first two years.

 B.Most of them fail within the first two years.

 C.They all make big profits.

 D.Only half of them continue to operate after the first two years.

 

 

2According to paragraph 2, many people start small businesses in order to

 A.do heavy work or earn more money.

 B.do less paper work or take less responsibility.

 C.do more paper work or take less responsibility.

 D.do light work or live quiet lives.

 

 

3What preparations did Thomas make before he started his business?

 A.He stayed at home.

 B.He borrowed money from a bank.

 C.He made investigations and drew up a plan.

 D.He wrote a book.

 

 

4Thomas’success can be attributed to

 A.his talent, his skill in management, and his devotion to his work.

 B.his good luck.

 C.his good relations with a business manager.

 D.his good treatment of his workers.

 

 

5How many businesses in the U. S. can be called “small”?

 A.5%.

 B.40%

 C.50%.

 D.95%.

  2、U.S. Scientists Confirm Water on Mars

　　NASA scientists said that Mars was covered once by vast lakes, flowing rivers and a variety of other wet environments that had the potential to support life.

　　Laboratory tests aboard NASA''s Phoenix Mars Lander have identified water in a soil sample. The lander''s robotic arm delivered the sample Wednesday to an instrument that identifies vapors produced by the heating of samples.

　　"We have water," said William Boynton of the University of Arizona, lead scientist for the Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer, or TEGA. "This is the first time Martian water has been touched and tasted."

　　The robotic arm is a critical part of the Phoenix Mars mission. It is needed to trench into the icy layers of northern polar Mars and deliver samples to instruments that will analyze what Mars is made of, what its water is like, and whether it is or has ever been a possible habitat for life.

　　The soil sample came from a trench approximately 2 inches deep. When the robotic arm first reached that depth, it hit a hard layer of frozen soil. Two attempts to deliver samples of icy soil on days when fresh material was exposed were foiled when the samples became stuck inside the scoop. Most of the material in Wednesday''s sample had been exposed to the air for two days, letting some of the water in the sample vaporize away and making the soil easier to handle.

　　"Mars is giving us some surprise