1 . To put it simply, stress can be the father of growth, while a crisis can be the mother of innovation. The notion that great good can emerge from great adversity (逆境) is as old as the legend of the great phoenix (凤凰), who not only arises but soars to new heights from its own ashes.
In 1598, William Shakespeare penned the play As You Like It. One of the most famous lines from that play is spoken in Act 2 Scene 1 by Duke Senior, “Sweet are the uses of adversity which, like the toad (癞蛤蟆), ugly and venomous, wears yet a precious jewel in his head.” Even 500 years ago, the potential value of adversity was recognized, not by a great healer, but by a great playwright. Can this really be the case?
Fast-forward to the great silent film star Mary Pickford. She was called the most popular actress in the world in the 1910s and 1920s. Failing to continue acting with the advent of the “talkies”(movies with recorded sound), she co-founded the film company United Artists. Shifting her talents to producing and directing, she became the most powerful woman in the entertainment industry. She once noted, “You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing that we call ‘failure’ is not the falling down, but the staying down.”
Rather than fear and try to avoid adversity, perhaps we should accept the inevitability (必然) of adversity and prepare for it. Indeed, positive things can emerge from adversity.
Adversity reveals true opportunities for those preparing to take advantage. Dr. John Krumboltz’s happenstance theory states that career and life development is best fostered by preparing for opportunities that you may not know even exist in the current moment. Numerous unpredictable factors are potentially shaping the future. These include the crises adversity brings.
In Friedrich Nietzsche’s book, Behold the Man, the German philosopher writes that a person who has “turned out well” could be recognized by the ability to take advantage of and prosper from adversity, just as he wrote before, “What does not kill him makes him stronger.”
So, the next time adversity enters your life, will you run from it, or will you embrace it and use it as a step ping stone to greater happiness and success?
1. Why does the author quote the line from Shakespeare’s play?| A．To emphasize the great wisdom of Shakespeare. |
| B．To highlight the beauty of Shakespeare’s language. |
| C．To challenge the conventional belief regarding adversity. |
| D．To show the long-standing recognition of adversity’s value. |
| A．Fame can block one’s achievements. |
| B．Strong determination overcomes adversity. |
| C．Accepting adversity results in positive outcomes. |
| D．Courage in the face of challenges leads to success. |
| A．Embracing uncertainty. | B．Managing life’s challenges. |
| C．Seizing hidden opportunities. | D．Focusing on personal growth. |
| A．Cautious. | B．Favorable. | C．Neutral. | D．Doubtful. |
| A．Finding value and opportunity in facing adversity. |
| B．Stress as the primary cause of growth and innovation. |
| C．How to avoid adversity and negative experiences in life. |
| D．Historical figures who failed to overcome adversity effectively. |
2 . The Important Things in Life
A philosophy professor stood before his class with some items on the table in front of him. When the class began,
He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course,
He then asked the students again if the jar was
The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up the remaining open areas of the jar.
He then asked once more if the jar was full. The students
“Now,” said the professor, “I want you to
“If you put the sand into the jar first,” he continued, “there is no
“
| A．wordlessly | B．motionlessly | C．hopelessly | D．delightedly |
| A．box | B．bottle | C．vase | D．jar |
| A．moved into | B．rolled into | C．pushed into | D．climbed into |
| A．empty | B．enough | C．full | D．complete |
| A．explained | B．commented | C．questioned | D．responded |
| A．identify | B．notice | C．realize | D．observe |
| A．disappeared | B．remained | C．changed | D．happened |
| A．friend | B．food | C．house | D．dream |
| A．supply | B．material | C．content | D．stuff |
| A．room | B．area | C．occasion | D．spot |
| A．transforms into | B．goes for | C．consists of | D．relies on |
| A．minor | B．optional | C．critical | D．irrelevant |
| A．Deal with | B．Go with | C．Talk with | D．Play with |
| A．Take care of | B．Take advantage of | C．Take out of | D．Take control of |
| A．boundaries | B．priorities | C．limits | D．goal |
3 . I am a guide at the California Academy of Sciences. Weeks ago, I was
I was so
I recently purchased my first laptop computer. In discussions with the
| A．seeing | B．visiting | C．leaving | D．saying |
| A．trapped | B．called | C．caught | D．fascinated |
| A．quickly | B．slowly | C．frequently | D．temporarily |
| A．going about | B．going by | C．going for | D．going through |
| A．expected | B．forced | C．urged | D．persuaded |
| A．satisfied | B．astonished | C．rigid | D．excited |
| A．wisdom | B．patience | C．passion | D．guilt |
| A．used | B．tried | C．pretended | D．forgot |
| A．fortune | B．greed | C．discontent | D．benefit |
| A．cashier | B．host | C．salesman | D．waiter |
| A．broken | B．old | C．favourite | D．dusty |
| A．want | B．need | C．hope | D．mind |
| A．obviously | B．specially | C．simply | D．necessarily |
| A．violent | B．absurd | C．shiny | D．similar |
| A．promise | B．identify | C．possess | D．access |
4 . How I Freed Up Time to Daydream
I enjoyed Twitter. I genuinely did.
So I blocked Twitter. I went from being on it nearly every day to being off it for two months now.
Being offline didn’t make my life a land of meditative happiness. I still have three young loud kids, a job, a church, a spouse and a messy house.
My friend Timothy is a studied musician. I asked him about the function of small breaks in music —of rests.
Our days, which are so full of work and thinking, of arguing and learning, of disappointments and confusion, of striving and creating, must have moments when nothing much is happening.
| A．My new motto born of this experience is |
| B．The problem is that I loved it a little too much |
| C．He said that music, like a living creature, needs to breathe |
| D．But there is one way that leaving Twitter has benefited my life and my mind |
| E．He said that rests in music, even short ones, create rhythm, variety and narrative |
| F．Leaving these small moments empty is what makes the difference between noise and music |
| G．I enjoyed connecting with others and hearing what people were talking about all over the world |
5 . For a long time I saw happiness as a huge banner (旗帜) across the finish line of a long race. I felt that only when I
It had been with me as I
As an old Chinese saying goes, “Stress is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are.” Perhaps we all should stop our race towards the
Don’t be a tortoise or a rabbit when it
| A．forgot | B．missed | C．offered | D．finished |
| A．speed | B．height | C．place | D．time |
| A．clearer | B．lower | C．closer | D．smaller |
| A．happiness | B．sadness | C．success | D．friendship |
| A．studied | B．fought | C．exercised | D．worked |
| A．lonely | B．sick | C．tired | D．hungry |
| A．courage | B．chance | C．wisdom | D．strength |
| A．real | B．perfect | C．common | D．colorful |
| A．comes to | B．turns to | C．gets to | D．goes to |
| A．still | B．ever | C．never | D．already |
6 . We cannot argue with reality. We cannot argue with science. Therefore, we simply cannot argue with the fact that there are no straight lines in the universe.
Let’s start with science. The science of a straight line falls under the subject of physics. It might seem like a complicated topic, but the theory behind it is pretty simple. If you start rowing in a boat from one place and keep sailing, the concept of the curved (弯曲的) Earth will take you in a circle and you will end up where you started. The brain forms the concept of a straight line to simplify what you see in nature. Consider it a tool for the mind to recognize reality.
The concept of straight lines was controversial and heavily influenced the politics and society of Europe from the 15th century to the 17th century. Greek thinkers and scholars like Aristotle in the 5th century already proved that the Earth was a globe, but many Europeans at that time did not believe in this idea! However, some Europeans during the Age of Exploration denied this belief. Just as the famous Italian scientist Galileo Galilei was persecuted (迫害) for advocating a heliocentric (日心的) model of the solar system, many thinkers like Giordano Bruno were shamed for believing that the Earth was round.
Well, my friends, let’s move on to life. The concept of nothing going in a straight line can be associated with life as much as it relates to science and architecture. Whenever you do something, it never turns out to play out exactly as planned. I especially know that as a thirteen-year-old! Life is a rough road—every time you go forward, it is followed by two steps back or to the side. Just like how science explains it, life is a curvy path full of unexpected twists, turns, and adventures that nobody can ever predict.
1. What does paragraph 1 function as?| A．An introduction to the topic. | B．A means to attract readers. |
| C．An explanation of a common sense. | D．A proof of the author’s opinion. |
| A．The mind could not recognize realities. | B．Things in nature might look complicated. |
| C．What you see in nature could seem simple. | D．People in the 16th century might find the Earth flat. |
| A．Plain and smooth. | B．Easy but fruitless. | C．Long and tough. | D．Bothersome but safe. |
| A．A Straight Line: Everything Simple | B．A Straight Line: People’s Good Wish |
| C．A Straight Line: Difficult To Prove | D．A Straight Line: Simply Nonexistent |
7 . When The Greatest Gift by Philip Van Doren Stern begins, we meet George Pratt the day before New Year.
After the man
As George walks around town, he notices he is a
First George learns that his beloved brother
George realizes these dark changes may stay forever unless he does something. He returns to the
| A．Depressed | B．Bored | C．Merciful | D．Sensitive |
| A．easy-going | B．warm-hearted | C．mysterious | D．committed |
| A．comment | B．talk | C．complain | D．whisper |
| A．dominant | B．important | C．incomplete | D．insignificant |
| A．chance | B．gift | C．family | D．lesson |
| A．disappears | B．emerges | C．remarks | D．remains |
| A．out of nowhere | B．out of date | C．out of control | D．out of place |
| A．awesome | B．awful | C．whole | D．broken |
| A．acquaintance | B．stranger | C．friend | D．colleague |
| A．worse | B．tougher | C．more colorful | D．more smooth |
| A．left | B．returned | C．died | D．resigned |
| A．growing | B．saddening | C．aging | D．hard-working |
| A．mistake | B．marriage | C．message | D．mindset |
| A．bridge | B．town | C．tree | D．home |
| A．prays | B．begs | C．adjusts | D．applies |
1. What is the importance of acknowledging our fears?
| A．To ignore and suppress our fears. |
| B．To have the courage to face them. |
| C．To compare ourselves to others. |
| A．It can hold us back from achieving our goals. |
| B．It can help us grow and reach our full potential. |
| C．It has no impact on our personal growth and development. |
| A．So that we don’t get discouraged by comparing our progress to others. |
| B．So that we can perform better than others. |
| C．So that we can gloat on our success. |
| A．Discomfort and animosity. | B．Decoding adversity. | C．Discomfort and adversity. |
9 . I was born and raised in Melbourne, Australia, and it was a shock to my parents that I arrived without arms or legs. My parents did their very best to keep me in the mainstream school system and give me every opportunity to live to the fullest.
We later moved to Brisbane, Australia. At age eight, I could not see a bright future ahead and I became depressed. When I was ten years old, I decided to end my life by drowning myself in a bathtub. After a couple of attempts, I realized that I did not want to leave my loved ones with the burden and guilt that would result from my suicide. I could not do that to them.
I wasn’t depressed in my entire childhood, but I did have ups and downs. At age thirteen I hurt my foot, which I use for many things like typing, writing and swimming. That injury made me realize that I need to be more thankful for my abilities and less focused on my disabilities.
A cleaner at my high school inspired me to start speaking about my faith and overcoming adversity when I was seventeen. Then, I found myself in front of three hundred sophomore (grade 10) students and I was very nervous. My knees were shaking. Within the first three minutes of my talk, half the girls were crying, and most of the boys were struggling to hold their emotions together. One girl in particular was sobbing very hard. We all looked at her and she put her hand up. She said, “I am so sorry to interrupt, but can I come up and hug you? ”
She came and hugged me in front of everyone, and whispered in my ear, “Thank you, thank you, thank you. No one has ever told me that they loved me and that I am beautiful the way I am.” Her gratitude inspired me to go across 44 countries and speak 2, 000 times. I realized that we all need love and hope.
I spoke on motivational topics after creating the company ‘Attitude is Altitude ‘to spread my messages of faith and hope around the world.
Dream big, my friend and never give up. We all make mistakes, but none of us are mistakes. Take one day at a time. Embrace (拥抱) the positive attitudes, perspectives (思考方法), principles and truths I share, and you too will overcome.
1. Nick first became depressed when ________.| A．he realized he was quite different from others | B．he found there was faint light in his future |
| C．he sensed heavy burden from his parents | D．he felt he had no one accompanying him |
| A．His faith in himself. | B．An injury to his foot. |
| C．The advice of a cleaner. | D．A talk with his classmates. |
| A．she wanted to show her love to him | B．she felt sympathy about Nick ‘s disability |
| C．Nick moved her with some encouraging words | D．she was sad that Nick could never pull through |
| A．With a positive attitude, any dream can be achieved. |
| B．By focusing on our disabilities, we can overcome them. |
| C．Those disabled can live as normally as common people. |
| D．We should focus on what we can do, not what we can’t. |
10 . I’ve always loved horses, but for years my riding took a back seat to my four kids’ soccer games, dance recitals and so on. As my children became more
I have a work-to-ride rent at a nearby stable (马厩). As soon as I arrive at the stable, I always
One day, as I wiped off my bridle (马笼头), my friend Mary asked with sad eyes, “Did you hear about Heather? She
“No, how awful! Heather’s son is around my age.” I murmured.
“Yes, it’s tragic,” she said. “I
“Yesterday? She was out here?”
“She and her grandsons went for a trail
I nodded
Relief from real life. We all need it, somewhere, somehow, because life is
| A．ambitious | B．enthusiastic | C．independent | D．responsible |
| A．on | B．in | C．off | D．behind |
| A．forget | B．hesitate | C．regret | D．stop |
| A．persuaded | B．joined | C．refused | D．forced |
| A．replacement | B．recovery | C．recharge | D．repair |
| A．lost | B．beat | C．abandoned | D．raised |
| A．wrote | B．talked | C．explained | D．whispered |
| A．adventure | B．walk | C．visit | D．ride |
| A．get through | B．get over | C．get away from | D．get across |
| A．silently | B．hurriedly | C．gratefully | D．eagerly |
| A．spread | B．developed | C．controlled | D．prevented |
| A．result from | B．recover from | C．depart from | D．suffer from |
| A．concern | B．affection | C．escape | D．value |
| A．tough | B．precious | C．simple | D．unclear |
| A．neater | B．smoother | C．softer | D．higher |
