Question

Burn rate is the speed at which a startup business consumes money. My rate was $ 75,000 a month. Four months after my company was set up, I had only a quarter of the starting capital left in the bank.

    Looking for guidance, I went to talk to my friend, Arthur Walworth about my new venture. “Times of great change always bring out the risk-takers,” he said. “And they leave winners and losers. My grandfather invested a lot of money in a project of Thomas Edison’s that ended up in failure. ”

    I was lost in thought at the notion (an idea or belief about something) of a Thomas Edison project ending in failure. Damn. It could happen to anybody! I must continue.

    At that time CD-ROM sales had bombed, so investors were fleeing from the field. I didn’t turn away from mine entirely, but instead linked it to the Internet.

    My plan was to offer consumers descriptions of home-design products by using a special software and let them modify the designs. Then we can enable them to get online professional and constructional help to have their houses built, decorated and furnished according to their own choice.

    To realize my plan I needed investors, so I continued to meet regularly with venture capitalists. One said I had a great idea. But I needed to test it. Get the money somewhere. To get this money from a venture capitalist is going to cost my wife and my children! He turned down my request.

    Wife? Children? I hardly remembered them.

    I was working nonstop --- struggling to turn the key in the lock, to find the right way ahead. The pressure was terrible. It was just at this time that my parents and sisters stepped up. Two hundred thousand dollars. A lot of money to them, invested in this crazy son and brother without a moment’s hesitation. Dad and Mom had driven out from Chicago and seen the passion in my little office and the trouble at home.

   With their help my company survived and has been prospering ever since.

1.When the author’s company started operation, he had _______ .

A. $ 450,000    B. $ 400,000   C.$ 350,000     D. $ 300,000

2.Arthur implies that to start a business in times of change, people have to _______ .

A. rely on famous people all be time

B. invest as much money as possible

C. face the risks of possible failure

D. think about nothing but success

3.The author’s company was engaged in _______

A. furniture design and production

B. online home-design service

C. traditional home designing

D. home decoration business

4.Faced with a very unfavorable market situation, the author decided  _______.

A. to improve his service         B. to start a new business

C. to withdraw his money        D. to reduce his investment

 

Answer 1

【答案】

 

1.B

2.C

3.B

4.A

【解析】

試題分析：本文講作者新開了一個公司，僅僅四個月的時間就只剩開始投資的四分之一了。于是作者去咨詢他的朋友，朋友說做生意，不是成功就是失敗，作者很沮喪。后來CD-ROM的銷售已經徹底失敗了，大家紛紛逃離這個市場，而作者并沒完全放棄，而是開始轉向網絡銷售，最后，在家人的幫助下，作者的公司終于得救了。

1.推理判斷題。從第一段可知，作者說每月花75，000美元，四個月之后賬戶里只剩下四分之一的資金，我們用75，000乘以4得到的300，000美元應該是總共用掉的錢．這個數額占總資金的四分之一，計算可得總資金是400，000美元。故選B。 

2.細節理解題。從第1段Arthur所說的話“they leave winners and losers(不是成功就是失敗)”可以看出前面所說的事情是有風險的。故選C。 

3.推理判斷題。從文章第六段第一句話“．．．offer consumers descriptions of home—design products．．．”以及后面的“．．．have their houses built．decorated and furnished…”可知，選項A、D都只是公司業務的一部分，C項文中沒有提及，只有B項才是完整的答案。故選B。 

4.細節理解題。 由文章第五段第二句“I didn’t turn away from mine entirely，but instead linked it to the Internet．”可知，作者沒有放棄而是開辟了新的路徑，這與A項表述一致。故選A。

考點：考查故事類短文閱讀。