单选题
It"s time to stop complaining. The economy might be melting down like butter in a hot pot, but for some people — you, maybe? — this could be a very good thing.
Here"s why. At no other time in recent history has it been easier or cheaper to start a new kind of company. Possibly a very profitable company. Let"s call these start-ups LILOs, for "a little in, a lot out." These are Web-based businesses that cost almost nothing to get off the ground yet can turn into great moneymakers.
How do you get started? All that"s required is a great idea for a product that will fill a need in the 21st century. These days you"d do best if your idea either makes people money or saves them money. And launching now will make your company stronger later — you"ll learn to survive on fumes until the economy improves.
That"s what John Tayman is doing. He"s an author who lives in San Francisco, where I met him; he wrote reviews for a business magazine I edited. Tayman knew little about technology and even less about business. And yet he dreamed of a website that would summarize car reviews from other sources and rank every model of new car. "It"ll be like RottenTomatoes.com meets Kelley Blue Book," he explained to me during lunch one day last June. Tayman said he intended to build the site on the side while continuing to write for a living. He"d work on his new company only at night and on weekends. Oh, yes, and he had only about $10,000. "Good luck with that!" I thought. Ideas are much easier to produce than they are to execute.
Tayman went to work with nothing more than his PowerBook laptop. A very well-organized fellow, he quickly discovered a bunch of free stuff online — instructional manuals and sites that walk you through the process from start to finish. Within months, Tayman had a virtual staff of 20 employees working for him in five different countries. MotorMouths.com went live in January. Tayman figures he has worked about 10 hours a week on it and hasn"t spent a cent on marketing or advertising. Growth is modest but steady: nearly 10,000 people visit each week.
单选题
What is an advantage of starting a business now?
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】[解析] 根据题干中的starting a business将本题出处定位于第2段第2句。
第2段第2句提到，要想开一家新的公司，在近些年找不到比现在更容易或更便宜的时候了。C中的costs...much less对应原文中的cheaper，故为答案。A是针对该段中Possibly a very profitable company.所设的干扰项；B属于过度推断；D是针对文章第1段第1句It"s time to stop complaining.所设的干扰项。
单选题
What is essential to start your business according to the passage?
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】[解析] 根据题干中的essential和start your business将本题出处定位于第3段第2、3句。
由第3段第2、3句可知，创办公司唯一需要的是一个符合2l世纪需求的伟大创意，并且可以让人们赚钱或省钱。B的a good idea对应原文第3段第2句中的a great idea；helping people make or save money对应下句的either makes people money or saves them money，故为答案。C是针对该段最后一句launching now所设的干扰项；A和D原文未提及。
单选题
What is said about Tayman in the passage?
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】[解析] 根据题干中的Tayman将本题出处定位于倒数第二段。
倒数第二段倒数第4、5句提到，塔伊曼说，他打算在建立网站的同时，继续以写作为生。他只在夜间和周末进行新公司的工作。A对应原文中的he intended...while continuing to write...work...only at night and on weekends。B中的raised enough funds与该段提到的he had only about$10,000相矛盾；C与该段提到的Tayman knew little about technology and even less about business.相矛盾；D是针对该段中的he explained to me during lunch所设的干扰项。
单选题
How did the author feel on hearing of Tayman"s idea?
【答案解析】[解析] 根据题干中的Tayman"s website和now将本题出处定位于最后一段最后一句。
对于塔伊曼的网站的发展，文章只是在最后一段最后一句中提到：网站发展不快，但很稳定，每周大约有1万人的访问量。符合此意的只有A。文章中未提及该网站已经有很大的收益，故排除B；C是针对该段第2句a bunch of free stuff online所设的干扰项；D是针对最后一句nearly 10,000 people visit each week所设的干扰项。