Intermediate passages 1 The best recruiting agents

29 How to train elephant

Two main techniques have been used for training elephants, which we may call respectively the tough and the gentle. The former method simply consists of setting an elephant to work and beating him until he does what is expected of him. Apart from any moral considerations, this is a stupid method of training, for it produces a resentful animal that at a later stage may well turn into a man-killer. The gentle method requires more patience in the early stages, but produces a cheerful, good-tempered elephant who will give many years of loyal service. The first essential in elephant training is to assign to the animal a single trainer who will be entirely responsible for the job. Elephants like to have one master just as dogs do, and are capable of a considerable degree of personal affection. There are even stories of half-trained elephant calves who have refused to feed and pined to death when, by some unavoidable circumstance, they have been deprived of their own trainer. Such extreme cases must probably be taken with a grain of salt, but they do underline the general principle that the relationship between elephant and trainer is the key to successful training.

1. When comparing the tough and gentle elephant-training techniques, the writer considers the latter

A) to be stupid and largely immoral B) to be the method which is more successful

C) to be very time-consuming and lacking in rewards D) to be the one more likely to harm the elephant 2. The most important point when training an elephant is

A) not to change the trainer B) to give it a dog for company
C) to show it lots of affection D) not to try to train calves

3. According to the writer, the tough training technique

A) is much faster than the gentle B) requires a trainer of great physical strength
C) creates cheerful, loyal elephants D) is not only foolish but also immoral


30 Teenage entrepreneurs

Surveys often reveal that more than half of all the teenage entrepreneurs that have recently emerged in the United States are firstborn children, and many are from immigrant families. Some are content with modest revenues, others are primarily after big money - but most are driven simply by the desire to shape their own destinies. Certainly, all possess qualities such as ingenuity, a good intellect, a healthy sense of self, inner drive, and a clear-cut purpose. "It's not luck; it's hard work," says one of them. "If you work hard, you'll be successful - that's what I always say. You can't rely on anybody but yourself." Perhaps the most engaging quality of the teenage entrepreneurs is their effervescent optimism. Reared in an era of unprecedented exposure to news of disaster, terrorism, famine, and the threat of nuclear mayhem, they nevertheless developed into positive-thinking achievers. Aware of the obstacles, they are far more interested in the opportunities.

1. According to the passage, teenage entrepreneurs were able to succeed

A) despite growing up in a troubled age B) because they had emigrated to the United States

C) because they work much harder than anyone else D) as they were the first children born into their families

2. 
   The motivation most commonly found in teenage entrepreneurs is A) that, as immigrants, they are eager to succeed in the States
   

B) the need to support their younger brothers and sisters C) that they want to determine their own futures

D) the opportunity to become extremely wealthy

2. 
   While a moderate income can be pleasing for some entrepreneurs
   

A) more of them are concerned with helping their families B) many are only interested in what they can achieve
C) most get their satisfaction from the hard work D) others want to make a fortune

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