Failure isn’t the end, unless you let it be. Don’t believe me? Here are four people who lived through failure before going on to become names known around the world.
Walt Disney
Disney began his career by being fired by a newspaper for not being creative enough. Later, his Mickey Mouse cartoons were rejected because they were considered to be “too scary for women”. Also, The Three Little Pigs was turned down because it only had four characters. Thankfully, we have the Disney Company today because Disney chose not to listen to any of his critics and press forward towards his dreams.
Stephen King
King is a best-selling writer whose work has been made into several motion pictures. However, his first work was rejected 30 times, which led to King throwing it in the trash. Thankfully, his wife persuaded him to keep working at it, and—from that poor start—Carrie was born.
Milton Hershey
The man who blessed us with the sweet milk chocolate treat we all love wasn’t a hit the first time around. He once worked for a local candy factory. But when he went out on his own, he failed miserably. Then he returned to the family farm and perfected the art of making delicious milk chocolate candy, which we enjoy today.
Theodor Geisel
This author struggled to write a novel that publishing companies would call “pure rubbish” several times — 27 to be exact. The man just wouldn’t quit, though. One fateful night, he ran into an old friend who was a children’s literature editor. The friend agreed to publish Geisel’s work. Better known today as Dr. Seuss, Geisel was never again called a failure after his first book became a hit.
1. Why is the Disney Company known to us nowadays?| A．Disney was rejected many times. | B．Disney improved his works later. |
| C．Disney got fired and began his career. | D．Disney ignored critics and fought for his dreams. |
| A．His big family farm. | B．His successful art career. |
| C．His delicious milk chocolate candy. | D．His experience in making milk chocolate. |
| A．They have a gift for making money. | B．They suffered several defeats on the path to success. |
| C．They are creative and highly educated. | D．They were successful at the very start. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】OHIP covers part or all of the following services:
Doctors
Whether you visit your doctor, or if you see one in a walk-in clinic, OHIP covers the full cost of your services-as long as they're medically necessary.
Hospital visits and stays
If you need to go to the hospital, OHIP covers:
● doctor and nursing services
● services to check what's wrong
● medicine for in-patients
● some medicine for out-patients
If you want a private or semi-private room, you or your private insurance will have to pay some or all of those hospital fees.
Dental surgery in hospital
Some dental surgeries need to be performed in a hospital because they are complex and/or you have another medical condition that needs monitoring during the procedure.
OHIP covers in-hospital dental surgeries such as:
● tumor removal
● rebuilding surgeries
● medically necessary tooth removal
Optometry (eye-health services)
OHIP covers the cost of one major eye exam every 12 months, plus any minor assessments you need, but only if you are:
● 19 years and younger
● 65 years and older
When you are 20 to 64 years old, OHIP may also cover a major eye exam if it has been requested for a specific reason by your doctor.
You may be qualified for additional eye care if you are on the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) or Ontario Works.
1. How can patients pay hospital fees in a private room?| A．By OHIP. | B．By medical donation. |
| C．By themselves. | D．By auto insurance. |
| A．Because they are too complex to accomplish. |
| B．Because they need lots of medical facilities. |
| C．Because doctors are afraid of medical accidents. |
| D．Because doctors need monitor patients' condition. |
| A．You're a member of OHIP. | B．You're a member of Ontario Works. |
| C．You're on the Ontario Dental House. | D．You're on the Ontario Support Program. |
【推荐2】Taking a cruise on the Yangtze River is the best way to discover the charm of the central part of China and enjoy the natural scenery, culture and history, such as Three Gorges, White Emperor City, Fengdu Ghost City, etc. There are many luxury cruise ships sailing between Chongqi ng and Yichang.
Victoria Sabrina
The Victoria Sabrina cruise, with a total guest capacity of 572 people, departed Chongqing for the first voyage in May 2020. It is the largest luxury vessel from Victoria Cruises and the only American cruise on the Yangtze. There are four elevators and three restaurants on board. It adopts a series of advanced technologies and equipment to reach the comfortable service standard.
Century Glory
The 2019 newly built Century Glory can house up to 650 guests once and still arrange very good space for everyone. All the 180 staff on Century Glory will try their best to make you feel at home. It is the first ship on the Yangtze River to have new intelligent technology. A passenger, with just a smart phone, can learn all aspects of his or her trip, including cruise information and activity schedules.
Yangtze Gold 7
The elegant Yangtze Gold 7, which first sailed on March 3rd in 2013, was built to accommodate 446 travelers. All cabins (船舱) feature floor-to-ceiling glass windows for a private and convenient river sightseeing. There are even two swimming pools, which are hardly seen on other cruises. Most comfortable facilities are the same with common cruises, such as laundry, library, restaurants, fitness center and cinema.
Sanctuary Yangtze Explorer
Launched in 2008 and re-decorated in 2017, Sanctuary Yangtze Explorer is a 92 meter long river vessel, carrying no more than 130 passengers. The nice floor to-ceiling windows in every cabin enable you to enjoy the fabulous river view no matter which one you choose. The 121 crew members on board always provide the finest and the most personalized one on one service to ensure your satisfaction.
1. Which cruise has the shortest history?| A．Victoria Sabrina. | B．Century Glory. |
| C．Yangtze Gold 7. | D．Sanctuary Yangtze Explorer. |
| A．Every cabin has floor-to-ceiling windows. | B．People can go swimming for relaxation. |
| C．It is almost a hundred-meter-long cruise ship. | D．One-on-one service is provided on board. |
| A．The mobile phone is very useful on Yangtze Gold 7. |
| B．One can enjoy the view without going out on Century Glory. |
| C．Sanctuary Yangtze Explorer has the most expensive ticket. |
| D．Century Glory has a maximum passenger capacity. |
【推荐3】Planning a visit to the UK? Here we help with ways to cut your costs.
AVOID BIG EVENTS
Big sporting events, concerts and exhibitions can increase the cost of accommodation and make it harder to find a room. A standard double room at the Thistle Brighton on the final Friday of the Brighton Comedy Festival (19 Oct.) cost ￡169.15 at Booking.com. A week later, the same room cost ￡118.15.
If you can be flexible and want to know dates to avoid—or you’re looking for a big event to pass your time—check out sites such as Whatsonwhen.com, which allow you to search for events in the UK by city, date and category.
STAY AWAY FROM THE STATION
If traveling to your destination by train, you may want to find a good base close to the station, but you could end up paying more for the sake of convenience at the start of your holiday.
Don’t be too choosy about the part of town you stay in. Booking two months in advance, the cheapest room at Travelodge’s Central Euston hotel in London for Saturday 22 September was ￡95.95. A room just a tube journey away at its Covent Garden hotel was ￡75.75. And at Farringdon, a double room cost just ￡62.95.
LOOK AFTER YOURSELF
Really central hotels in cities such as London, Edinburgh and Cardiff can cost a fortune, especially at weekends and during big events. As an alternative, consider checking into a selfcatering flat with its own kitchen. Often these flats are hidden away on the top floors of city center buildings. A great example is the historic O’Neill Flat on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, available for ￡420 for five days in late September, with room for four adults.
GET ON A BIKE
London’s ‘Boris bikes’ have attracted the most attention, but other cities also have similar programs that let you rent a bicycle and explore at your own pace, saving you on public transport or car parking costs.
Among the smaller cities with their own programs are Newcastle (casual members pay around ￡1.50 for two hours) and Cardiff (free for up to 30 minutes, or ￡5 per day).
1. “Farringdon” in Paragraph 5 is most probably ________.| A．the tube line to Covent Garden | B．a hotel away from the train station |
| C．the name of a travel agency | D．an ideal holiday destination |
| A．lies on the ground floor |
| B．provides cooking tools for tourists |
| C．is located in central London |
| D．costs over ￡100 on average per day in late September |
| A．to offer visitors some moneysaving tips |
| B．to show visitors the importance of selfhelp |
| C．to supply visitors with hotel information |
| D．to tell visitors how to book in advance |
【推荐1】Diana Ross, American pop singer and actress, achieved international popularity, first as the leader singer of the Supremes and later as solo (独唱的) artist. Diana Ross was born on March 26, 1944, in Detroit, Michigan. She was the second of six children of Fred and Ernestine Ross, who lived in one of Detroit’s poor districts. Because her family were closely connected with each other, Ross almost didn’t notice the difficult life as she grew up.
Ross’ professional career began in 1959, when she joined several neighborhood friends to form the Primettes. The group was renamed the Supremes after signing a recording contract (合同) with Motown late the following year. The group produced many number-one hit singles (热门单曲) on the US Billboard Hot 100, including Baby Love, Stop! In the Name of Love and Someday We’ll Be Together. In 1967, the group was renamed Diana Ross and the Supremes, foreshadowing (预示) Ross’ solo career, which she started in 1970.
Beginning with Ain’t No Mountain High Enough from her first solo album, Ross enjoyed more than ten years of great success with her hit singles. Ross also developed a film-acting career in the 1970s, beginning with a starring role as blues singer Billie Holiday in Lady Sings the Blues and continuing with Mahogany, for which she also recorded the theme song Do You Know Where You’re Going To.
However, in the mid-1980s, Ross saw her career begin to wane. Most of her albums were re-recordings of earlier material. In 2006, she produced I Love You, a collection of love songs by many artists, and she started an energetic concert tour the following year to make the album publicly known. Although you can’t find her songs on the US Billboard Hot 100 now, Ross remains popular as one of the leading musical performers of all time.
1. What can we know about Ross’ childhood?| A．She suffered from a serious disease. | B．She lived with her family happily. |
| C．She had six brothers and sisters. | D．She had no confidence in herself. |
| A．signed a contract with Motown in 1959 | B．had to break up in 1967 |
| C．used to be named the Primettes | D．was made up of Ross and her classmates |
| A．Someday We’ll Be Together | B．Baby Love |
| C．Stop! In the Name of Love | D．Ain’t No Mountain High Enough |
| A．Become weaker | B．Develop faster. |
| C．End quickly. | D．Start again. |
【推荐2】Eleven years ago, Ms. Liivand moved to Miami, Florida, where she continued swimming in the ocean. In one training session, she nearly wound up swallowing (吞) some plastic that was floating in the sea.
That experience made her think of all the sea animals facing similar pollution every day. She decided she wanted to work to make people more aware of plastic pollution.
She began swimming with a special single swimming fin attached to both of her feet. This rubbery “monofin” (单鱼鳍) allows her to swim by kicking both of her legs together. “Swimming without using my arms is similar to how dolphins swim,” says Ms. Liivand. She believes that swimming with a monofin “sends a bigger message”.
Ms. Liivand first set the world record for swimming with a monofin in 2019 off the coast of California. In 2020, she broke the record again in Miami, Florida. A year later, she set a new Guinness World Record again in Florida. For the last year, Ms. Livand has been getting up at 4 every day, putting on her monofin, and going swimming. To help improve her strength, she sometimes even pulled other people in the water.
On May 7, Ms. Liivand broke the record once more, this time swimming the length of a full marathon. It took her 11 hours and 54 seconds to swim 26. 2 miles. The water was rough, and she ran into a few problems, but she didn’t stop. “I got hurt by jellyfish,” she said, “And kept telling myself that it was not the time to cry.”
To keep her energy up, a friend followed her in a kayak (皮艇) and gave her food and water from time to time. Along the way, Ms. Liivand picked up all the trash she found and put it in the kayak. By the end of her marathon, the kayak held three bags full of trash.
1. What inspired Ms. Liivand to swim with a monofin?| A．Her own experience. | B．Her love for dolphins. |
| C．The increasing water pollution. | D．The sight of painful sea animals. |
| A．Generous. | B．Determined. | C．Intelligent. | D．Tolerant. |
| A．She intended to be a top swimmer. |
| B．She committed herself to protecting the sea. |
| C．She got world recognition for sea protection. |
| D．She proved to be an absolute perfectionist. |
| A．She got some treatment. | B．She had a break in the kayak. |
| C．She pulled others in the water. | D．She picked up rubbish in the sea. |
Most of us probably dreamed about becoming an astronaut when we were little. But how many of us actually became one, or are at least working toward it?
The advice "Always follow your dreams" is something that is typically easier said than done.
But still, this is the one piece of advice that Alyssa Carson wants to share with her peers. This 17-year-old girl from the US has become one of the candidates for NASA's 2033 project to go to Mars. If everything goes well, Carson will be one of the first human beings to ever set foot on the red planet.
Carson has dreamed of going to Mars since she was only three years old when watching an astronaut-themed cartoon. Learning humans have only been to the moon but not Mars contributed to her decision to be the first one to do so.
Since then, she has worked hard toward this goal. At the age of 12, Carson became the first person to attend all three NASA space camps, sitting with real astronauts in a NASA panel（座谈会）to discuss the future of Mars missions.
Now 17, Carson is continuing with her space training while still taking on her high school work like a "normal" teenager, except that she studies all her subjects in four languages—English, French, Spanish and Chinese.
“I don't think there's anything specific that makes it easier for me or makes it something that others can't do,” Carson said in an interview with Uproxx News. "I've just really focused myself on what I want to accomplish.”
And Carson is willing to make sacrifices for her dream. She's fully aware of the danger of the mission and the possibility that she might never be able to come back. She also accepts the fact that she can't get married and start a family because any loved ones left on Earth may be a distraction for her and for the mission. But Carson believes that it's all worth it, summarizing her view with this ancient Greek proverb she once quoted, “A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they'll never sit in.”
So after all the hard work that Carson has done and all the sacrifices she's made, everything still boils down to the simple phrase, "follow your dreams". And while some people's dreams may sound out of this world, in Carson's case, they literally（毫不夸张地）are.
1. What will happen to Carson in 2033 if everything goes well?（no more than 6 words）2. What made Carson decide to be the first one to go to Mars?（no more 15 words）
3. What preparation does Carson make for her dream?（no more 16 words）
4. How do you understand the underlined sentence?（no more than 20 words）
5. What do you think of the girl? And why?（no more than 25 words）
