John graduated from a key university and he was very good at his major. He wished to find a good job. One day, he went to a company to 21 for a job. He got the news in a newspaper. He did some research on this company. When he was 22 , everything went well. The manager asked him some questions and he answered them 23 . John was very satisfied with his performances and was very 24 that he could get th
e job. But at that moment, the manager’s phone 25 . He picked up the phone, listened and nodded. And then he turned around and said to John, “Sorry, I want to get some important 26 now. Please give me the book with the red 27 on that desk.” John looked around and found 3 books on the desk, so John went to the desk, took one book and handed it to him 28 . Holding the book, the manager 29 the phone and said, “Sorry, we cannot give the job to you.” John was 30 and wondered why. The manager said, “There are three 31 . First, when you came into the office room, I found that the third button on your shirt had been missing. Second, there are three books with red covers on that desk, but you didn’t ask me which one I needed and you took one randomly（随机地）. Third, I was answering the call. You should 32 to the desk to save time. These 33 showed you are not a careful person.” 34 , John didn’t get the job.
We can learn a(n) 35 from John’s experience. Some people don’t 36 the details in our life. But it is the details that 37 . Not only should we value what we learn but also we should pay more attention to the details. Sometimes they can even 38 our success or failure. We should form the habit of being careful and learn to keep the 39 of quantity and quality. We should keep it in mind that 40 comes first, without which quantity is of no significance.
21. A. apply B. vote C. prepare D. wait
22. A. contacted B. interviewed C. asked D. questioned
23. A. immediately B. slowly C. generally D. fluently
24. A. grateful B. excited C. confident D. lucky
25. A. lost B. called C. rang D. answered
26. A. arrangement B. response C. information D. result
27. A. cover B. picture C. character D. mark
28. A. eagerly B. politely C. purposely D. quickly
29. A. searched for B. picked up C. held on D. hung up
30. A. surprised B. helpless C. disappointed D. worried
31. A. methods B. results C. collections D. reasons
32. A. wander B. run C. walk D. move
33. A. parts B. facts C. details D. stories
34. A. Eventually B. Seemingly C. Similarly D. Regularly
35. A. subject B. idea C. skill D. lesson
36. A. mind B. mention C. ignore D. provide
37. A. trouble B. count C. interest D. impress
38. A. describe B. replace C. value D. determine
39. A. selection B. importance C. balance D. competition
40. A. quality B. quantity C. safety D. promise