Zong Qinghou was the founder (创始人) of Hangzhou Wahaha Group. He was born in 1945 in wartime China. He grew up very poor in Hangzhou and often went hungry. His father was out of work, and his mother supported the family of five children as a factory worker.
“Because of the hardship, as a child I had many dreams and hoped to make big money for my parents in return,” Zong said in a history book. As the eldest child, Zong left school after junior high to support his family and spent over ten years doing different jobs, including hard physical work at a far-away farm.
In 1978, Zong returned to Hangzhou and spent the next ten years working as a salesman. “My only dream at that time was to have my own company and do what I wanted to do, and I had been looking for such a chance,” he said in the history book. The chance finally came in 1987. Zong borrowed 140,000 yuan to start his own company, selling ice pops and stationery to students at a nearby primary school.
The company, which would later become Wahaha, sold ice pops for a cent each. The company is privately owned. During his door-to-door sales, Zong learned that many children were picky (挑剔的) eaters and didn’t get all the necessary nutrition (营养). That was a big headache for parents. Seeing a potential chance, Zong worked with a professor of nutrition to invent a vitamin drink for children, called Wahaha Oral Liquid.
The product became a huge success. The company achieved nearly 100 million yuan in sales in the third year after it went on the market. That year, Zong founded the Hangzhou Wahaha Group after buying a failing canned food factory.
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1.How many people were there in Zong’s family?
A Three.
B Five.
C Seven.
D Nine.
解析：选C。C 细节理解题。根据第一段最后一句“His father was out of work, and his mother supported the family of five children as a factory worker.”可知，宗庆后家里有爸爸妈妈和五个小孩，总共7口人。故选C。
2.What does the underlined word “hardship” mean in this passage?
A Success.
B Money.
C Courage.
D Difficulty.
解析：选D。D 词义猜测题。根据第一段中的内容“He grew up very poor in Hangzhou and often went hungry.”他在杭州长大，家里很穷，经常挨饿；以及宗庆后的爸爸失业了，妈妈一个人工作供养一家人。这种家庭情况是非常困难的。由此可推知，hardship指的是“艰难，困苦”，同difficulty。故选D。
3.How old was Zong when he started his own company?
A He was 35.
B He was 40.
C He was 42.
D He was 48.
解析：选C。C 数字计算题。根据第一段中的“He was born in 1945”以及第三段中的“The chance finally came in 1987. Zong borrowed 140,000 yuan to start his own company”可知，宗庆后出生于1945年，1987年成立的公司，他42岁。故选C。
4.Who did Zong invent Wahaha Oral Liquid for?
A Primary students.
B Children.
C Parents.
D Professors.
解析：选B。B 细节理解题。根据第四段最后一句“Zong worked with a professor of nutrition to invent a vitamin drink for children, called Wahaha Oral Liquid”可知，娃哈哈口服液是为儿童研发的。故选B。
5.What can we know from the last paragraph?
A Zong wasn’t a good inventor.
B Zong was a successful businessman.
C Wahaha Oral Liquid wasn’t popular at first.
D Zong’s company earned 100 million yuan in the first year.
解析：选B。B 推理判断题。根据最后一段中的“The product proved a huge hit, achieving nearly 100 million yuan in annual sales in the third year of its release. That year, Zong founded the Hangzhou Wahaha Group after acquiring a failing state-run canned food factory.”这款产品大获成功，在产品上市的第三年，年销售额接近1亿元。那一年，宗庆后收购了一家倒闭的国有罐头食品厂，成立了杭州娃哈哈集团。由此可知，作为一个商人的宗庆后非常成功。故选B。
