A man may usually be known by the books he reads as well as by the company he keeps. One should always live in the best company, whether it be of books or of men.
A good book may be among the best of friends. It is the most patient and cheerful of companions. It always receives us with the same kindness; amusing and instructing us in youth, and comforting us in age.
Men often discover their similarity to each other by the common love they have for a book just as two persons sometimes discover a friend by the admiration which both entertain for a third. There is an old proverb, “Love me, love my dog.” But there is more wisdom in this: “Love my, love my book.” The book is a truer and higher bond(纽带) of union. Men can think, feel, and sympathize with each other through their favorite author. They live in him together, and he in them.
A good book is often the best container of a life preserving the best that life could think out; for the world of a man’s life is, for the most part, but the world of his thoughts. Thus the best books are treasuries of good words, the golden thoughts, which become our steady companions and comforters.
Books are by far the most lasting products of human effort. Temples and statues decay(腐朽), but good books survive. Time is of no account with great thoughts, which are as fresh today as when they first passed through their author’s minds, ages ago.
The great and good do not die, even in this world. Preserved in books, their spirits walked abroad. The book is a living voice. It is an intellect(智者) to which one still listens.
1. The writer introduces the topic of the passage by ____| A．describing life experience of great writers |
| B．telling his own story of reading good books |
| C．presenting the best thoughts in good books |
| D．comparing good books to good friends in life |
| A．Readers feel sympathy for the author. |
| B．Readers live together with the author. |
| C．Readers and the author share the same feeling. |
| D．Readers are the author’s companions and comforters. |
| A．We can learn about the great and good through books. |
| B．The most important part of a man’s life is his treasures. |
| C．Good books help us to know about their authors’ friends. |
| D．Books are often regarded as best containers in our life. |
| A．one should have some good friends |
| B．one should read as many books as possible |
| C．one should keep company with good books |
| D．books are the most lasting products of human efforts |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Shyness is the cause of much unhappiness for a great many people. Shy people are anxious and self-conscious; that is, they are concerned with their own appearance and actions too much. Negative thoughts are constantly occurring in their minds: What kind of impression am I making? Do they like me? Do I sound stupid? Am I wearing unattractive clothes?
It is obvious that such uncomfortable feelings must affect people unfavorably. A person's self-concept is reflected in the way he or she behaves and the way a person behaves affects other people's reactions. In general, the way people think about themselves has a deep effect on all areas of their lives.
Shy people, who have low respect, are likely to be passive and easily influenced by others. They need faith that they are doing "the right thing". Shy people are very sensitive to criticism. It makes them feel inferior(自卑). They also find it difficult to be pleased by praises because they believe they are unworthy of praise. A shy person may respond to a praise with a statement like this one: "You're just saying that to make me feel good, I know it's not true.” It is clear that, while self-awareness is a healthy quality, overdoing it is harmful.
Can shyness be completely got rid of, or at least reduced? Fortunately, people can overcome shyness with determination since shyness goes hand in hand with lack of self-respect. It is important for people to accept their weakness as well as their strengths. Each one of us has his or her own characteristics. We are interested in our own personal ways. The better we understand ourselves, the easier it becomes to live up to our chances for a rich and successful life.
1. The first paragraph is mainly about ________.| A．the effect of shyness on people | B．the cause of shyness |
| C．the feelings of shy people | D．the questions in the minds of shy people |
| A．harmful to people | B．a healthy quality |
| C．the cause of unhappiness | D．a weak point of shy people |
| A．shyness | B．criticism | C．sensibility | D．praise |
| A．have nothing to do with lack of self-respect |
| B．help us to live up to our full development |
| C．enable us to understand ourselves better |
| D．be overcome with determination |
【推荐2】The Happiness Myth
Happiness is not natural. It is a mere human construct. A state of contentment (let alone happiness) is discouraged by our genetic design because it would lower our guard against possible threats to our survival.
Chasing happiness is like chasing an elusive (难寻踪迹的) ghost, but the positive thinking industry claims to know its secrets. Self-help was popularized by Norman Vincent Peale, a colorful American pastor (牧师). He invented “positive thinking”, a concept now deeply embedded in our culture and steadily growing in influence. The global personal development industry was valued at $38. 28 billion in 2019 and is expected to grow at a rate of 5. 1%.
Popular films and books are full of supposedly inspirational statements about how all you need to do is believe in yourself and then you’ll be able to achieve anything in life. This is simply, and obviously, not true. I don’t think there is a need to explain that many obstacles and misfortunes in life are inevitable, or unmanageable. Our ancestors knew this, and many philosophical and religious traditions are based on the acceptance that being alive is a very challenging task, which comes with significant amounts of suffering. It goes without saying that we should do all we can to maximize our sense of wellbeing and minimize our suffering (as the “utilitarian” philosophers explain), but the end result cannot be a state of sustained bliss (极乐). We are not designed that way.
The self-help genre is not a homogeneous (同种类的) beast, however. It is, in fact, ironic how self-help books on happiness and those on how to make it big in life are put together in the same bookshop shelves, given that many of the former tell us that caring too much about the latter is the main obstacle to happiness.
The inevitable clash between mandatory (强制的) optimism and the realities of our existence comes with a heavy psychological price. It could be argued that positive psychology blames those who are suffering for their suffering, as it is based on the false idea that unhappiness is entirely avoidable. It follows therefore that an unhappy person must be inadequate and incompetent. Positive psychology encourages people who are struggling with a particular goal to persevere in the face of unfavorable odds, which is much more punishing psychologically in the long run than accepting defeat. I believe that coming to terms with life as it is, and not as the happiness industry tells us it could be, will make us happier, and we will feel more at peace with ourselves and with the world. Unfortunately, the devil always has the best tunes.
1. What is author’s main purpose in writing the first three paragraphs?| A．To analyze how personal development industry works. |
| B．To explain how unrealistic it is to pursue happiness in life. |
| C．To contrast modern people’s view of life with our ancestors’. |
| D．To review how the concept of happiness has changed over years. |
| A．they came from different publishers |
| B．they offer completely opposite values |
| C．their target readers belong to different age groups |
| D．they are the best-selling and slowest-selling books on the market |
| A．Happiness is a choice, and so is suffering. |
| B．Happiness is ideal. It is the work of the imagination. |
| C．Happiness is a by-product. You cannot pursue it by itself. |
| D．The search for happiness is one of the chief sources of unhappiness. |
| A．The core idea of the happiness industry is a beautiful lie. |
| B．The happiness industry has negative effects on the society. |
| C．Suffering contributes more to a meaningful life than happiness. |
| D．The one-sided interpretation of life proved more attractive to the public. |
【推荐3】Self-forgiveness has been defined as the process by which you become aware of any damage you’ve caused, seek to repair it, and eliminate or reduce your feelings of self-condemnation and guilt.
Forgiving yourself entails experiencing feelings of self-condemnation.
Self-forgiveness involves changing the way you think about your past mistakes. It’s of vital importance to stop interpreting them as sources of shame and regret.
The ability to forgive yourself also implies your firm belief that change is possible.
Finally, the last dimension of self-forgiveness is the awareness that you’re only human, hence, not perfect. Consequently, you’re capable of failing at any point in your life. Recognizing yourself as part of humanity can also help you to be more compassionate towards others.
| A．Self-forgiveness goes beyond feelings of self-pity. |
| B．This doesn’t refer to ignoring the fault you committed. |
| C．Self-forgiveness promotes your justice and reparation to others. |
| D．These are later replaced by the feeling of need to repair your mistakes. |
| E．You need to regard them as part of the process of becoming who you are. |
| F．Realizing this may be the first step you need to better face your future mistakes. |
| G．This means you’ll be more understanding and flexible in the face of others’ mistakes. |
I met him about three years ago. After knowing me for six months, he told me about his struggles with depression. Sadness was not the only emotion that came over me; I was shocked. He seemed so outgoing and happy all the time. I soon learned that he was physically and emotionally abused as a young child, causing him to have suicidal thoughts.
He refuses to talk to others about his depression because he now distrusts adults, especially those in his family. Nevertheless, he feels as if I understand him and that I know the right words to speak. Therefore, when it comes to helping him,
Many students at his school laugh at him when they notice scars on his arms from cutting. As he sees it, other kids have every right to make fun of him. But no one holds such a right, so I encourage him to ignore the heartless kids who treat him badly. When he feels the weight of judging eyes or hateful voices, I always remind him that I care about him unconditionally. Just hearing me say I will always be his best friend seems to give him the security he needs to keep on going.
My best friend once told me that if he had not had me, he would not be alive. He said that my encouraging words convinced him not to take his life. Our friendship has taught me that a single kind word can influence someone’s life. With the fragility of life as it is, I believe in the necessity of encouragement.
1. According to the first paragraph, what the author’s friend said made the author feel ______.
| A．puzzled | B．heartbroken. | C．frightened | D．hopeless |
| A．he is always ready to help his friend. |
| B．he hardly spares time to help his friend. |
| C．he has no good excuse for refusing his friend. |
| D．he is not good at communicating with his friend. |
| A．had a happy childhood but everything changed later |
| B．wanted to share his story but no one listened. |
| C．took it for granted that he was made fun of |
| D．was always of sad appearance |
| A．How to make a big difference to others. |
| B．The importance of encouragement. |
| C．How to get rid of depression |
| D．The necessity of security |
【推荐2】Life is like a big swing, dangling (摇摆) between happiness and sadness. As soon as we go down the slope of sadness, we accelerate over the ever-feel-good activity of happiness. At times of suffering, one who can rise above the occasion is the architect of many wins over sorrows.
To come through tougher times you have to encourage yourself up, when you are feeling low, lost and confused. This can be done effectively by self-talk.
Actually many times in our life, we find others advising us to do better in studies, sports, life etc. We usually get annoyed by these people and blank our ears to their constructive suggestions.
These are just some examples.
| A．Self-talk encourages us to learn from others. |
| B．If you are shy and you want to be a social person like your friend next door, |
| C．Our brain then receives the same message from the mind as well as the ears. |
| D．Self-talk is a way of talking to oneself. |
| E．If you are highly optimistic about doing better, there is no better motivator than self-talk. |
| F．You’ll never know how wonderful you are. |
| G．It is because they don’t come from within us. |
【推荐3】Sometimes people call each other “scared-cat”. But have you ever thought about this expression? When a cat is frightened, its heart starts beating faster, its muscles get tense, and there are changes in the chemicals in its blood stream. Although the cat doesn't realize this, its body is getting ready for action. If the danger continues, the animal will do one of two things. It will protect itself, or it will run away as fast as it can.
Something like this also happens to people. When we are excited, angry or scared by other feelings, our bodies go through many physical changes. Our hearts beat faster, and our muscles get tense. All of these changes make us more alert and ready to react. We, too, get ready to defend ourselves or run.
Human beings, however, have a problem that animals never face. If we give way to our feelings and let them take over, we can get into trouble. Have you ever said something in anger or hit somebody and regretted it later? Have you ever shouted at a teacher, told someone you were lonely, or said you were in love, and then wished later you had kept your mouth shut? It isn’t always clever to express your feelings freely.
Does this mean that it’s smarter always to hide our feelings? No! If you keep feelings of anger, sadness hidden away or bottled up inside, your body stays tense. Physical illnesses can develop, and you can feel disturbed badly inside. It can actually be bad for your health. It isn't good to keep pleasant feelings inside either; all feelings need to be expressed.
Feelings that you keep all bottled up inside, don’t just go away. It’s as if you bought some bananas and put them in a cupboard. You might not be able to see them, but before long you’d smell them. And if you opened the cupboard, chances are that you’d see little fruit flies flying all over them. They are bad.
You can try to treat feelings as if they were bananas in the cupboard. You can hide them and you can pretend they don’t exist, but they’ll still be around. And at last you’ll have to deal with them, just like those bananas.
1. When people and animals are aroused by anger or fear, ______.| A．they feel very regretful immediately | B．their muscles get neither tense nor relaxed |
| C．their hearts beat either faster or slower | D．they may get ready to attack or run away |
| A．They are usually not as alert as animals. |
| B．They sometimes can’t control their feelings. |
| C．They always do something wrong to other people. |
| D．They don’t pay attention to their physical changes. |
| A．In frustration. | B．In anger. | C．On guard. | D．Under attack. |
| A．To tell us that people’s feelings are like bananas in a cupboard. |
| B．To give us some advice on how to express our feelings. |
| C．To help us deal with feelings in a wise and proper way. |
| D．To prove that it isn’t always wise to express our feelings freely. |
【推荐1】One day I went to a store to get some needed items for my family.
I gathered up my goodies and headed for the checkout counter, only to be blocked in the narrow aisle (通道) by a young man who appeared to be about sixteen years old. I wasn’t in a hurry, so I patiently waited for the boy to realize that I was there. It was obvious now, he was mentally challenged and a little shocked as he turned and saw me standing so close to him, waiting to squeeze by. I said, "Hey Buddy, what's your name?"
“My name is Denny and I’m shopping with my Mommy,” he responded proudly.
"Wow.” I said, “that's a cool name; I wish my name was Denny, but my name is Steve. How old are you Denny?
“How old am I now, Mommy?” he asked his mother as she slowly came over from the next aisle. “You're fifteen years old, Denny”. Then he headed toward the toy section.
Denny’s mom thanked me for taking the time to talk with her son. She told me that most people wouldn’t even look at him, much less talk to him.
I told her that it was my pleasure and that there are plenty of red, yellow, and pink roses in God’s Garden; however, “Blue Roses” are very rare and should be appreciated for their beauty and distinctiveness.
You see. Denny is a Blue Rose and if someone doesn't stop and smell that rose with their heart and touch that rose with their kindness, then they’ve missed a blessing from God. So, the next time you see a BLUE ROSE, don’t turn your head and walk off. Take the time to smile and say Hello.
1. The best title of the passage would be __________.| A．A boy different from others | B．Kindness in the world |
| C．Blue roses in God's garden | D．Unforgettable experience in the store |
| A．he was checking out |
| B．he was searching for groceries in a store |
| C．the boy was selecting toys with his mom |
| D．the boy blocked his way to the counter |
| A．the author was upset when blocked in the narrow aisle |
| B．Denny was a boy with special needs |
| C．people around were eager to interact with Denny |
| D．Denny’s mom felt grateful to God |
| A．Gentle and patient. | B．Generous and active. |
| C．Admirable and energetic. | D．Curious and humorous. |
【推荐2】About 50 years ago, the famous British band The Beatles sang that “money can’t buy me love”. Today, British economists are saying that it perhaps can’t buy you happiness cither. This is showed by the Happy Planet Index (HPI 快乐指数) published recently by the New Economics Foundation (NEF) in London.
The index is about how well countries are using their resources. It shows how well they provide people with better health and longer and happier lives, and at what cost to their environment.
It would seem to be common sense that people in richer countries live happier lives, while those in developing countries are having a harder time. But the results are surprising, even shocking. The numbers show that some of the so-called developed countries are performing very badly. The United States, for example, ranks number 150th. On the other hand, some little-known developing countries are doing a much better job. A tiny island in the Pacific, Vanuatu, comes in first. There are 178 countries and areas in the index. China ranks number 31.
Countries are graded on the basis of information supplied in response to the following questions. How do people feel about their lives? How long does an average person live? How greatly does a country need to use its natural resources to maintain its living standards? This is what the index calls the “ecological footprint”.
The NEF found that the people of island nations enjoy the highest HPI rankings. Their populations live happier and longer lives, and use fewer resources.
The results also seem to show that it is possible to live longer, happier lives with a much smaller environment impact. The index points out that people in the US and Germany enjoy similar lives.
“However, Germany’s ecological footprint is only about half that of the US. This means that Germany is around twice as efficient as the US at producing happy lives,” says Nic Marks, head of NEF’s Center for well-being.
So the Happy Planet Index (HPI) tells us a brand-new concept of understanding “being happy”. HPI figures out different countries or individuals’ HPI through their “Ecological Footprint” and “Life Satisfaction Level” or “Life Expectancy”. Clearly, people’s HPI is related to their consumption of the resources on the earth.
You can find out your own HPI by visiting http: //www, happyplanetindex.org.
1. The passage is mainly about __________.| A．in which country people feel the happiest |
| B．why money can’t buy you happiness |
| C．what index can influence people’s happiness |
| D．what Happy Planet Index is |
| A．the richness of natural resources |
| B．the efficiency of energy consumption |
| C．the development of economy |
| D．the life expectancy of the people |
| A．The happiest countries listed in the index are quite different from those expected. |
| B．Developing countries are having & hard time reaching the top of the index. |
| C．Countries that have high HPI rankings have a greater impact on the environment. |
| D．The less happy countries depend on the developed countries’ resources. |
| A．some developed countries are performing badly ecologically |
| B．it is possible to live a happy life with fewer resources |
| C．not all the people in developed countries enjoy happy lives |
| D．history and culture play an important role in people’s lives |
【推荐3】Last winter, when I was heavily pregnant, I was visiting my sister and brother-in-law’s house and had to park in a nearby parking lot because they didn’t have accessible parking. The snow was extremely heavy and there was lots of ice on the ground—not many people had ventured out that evening!
When I returned to my car around 11 pm, I noticed that I was the only car left. Nervously, I hopped into the car and let it warm up a bit. When I finally tried to drive away, my wheels began to spin. I was stuck! I spun and spun and wondered what to do.
All of a sudden, in my rear view mirror, I saw four teen-aged boys approaching my car. They were walking side by side in a line and dressed a bit like gang members—at least I thought that’s what they looked like. My car was in a very isolated area and I began to panic. I was certain they were coming to my car to harm me. Terrified, I just froze. One of the young men tapped on my window and said “Excuse me, Ma’am, can we help you? You seem stuck.” Still afraid and fearing the worst, I said “I am stuck.” And the young man said “It’s okay, stay in your car and we’ll push you out of the snow.” And they did!
When they finally got me out of the snow, they smiled and waved. I rolled down my window and thanked them, embarrassed to have judged them so poorly.
1. Why did the author just freeze when the four young men were walking toward her car?| A．Because she was cold indeed in that freezing evening |
| B．Because she sat in her car for too long a time. |
| C．Because she was afraid of being harmed. |
| D．Because she knew they would rob her of the car. |
| A．One of the four teenagers was a gang member. |
| B．The young men enjoyed pushing cars out of the snow. |
| C．The author would have a baby in her car. |
| D．The kids wanted to help the author out of trouble. |
| A．Every man has his faults |
| B．Don’t judge a book by its cover |
| C．Fortune favors those who use their judgment |
| D．Think twice before you do |
An old man and his wife used to live on the second floor. Bill’s mother and the old lady were good friends. Unfortunately the lady died last month. Her husband could not live alone, so he had his grandson move over and live with him.
The grandson has become a problem to all the neighbors, especially to Bill’s family. The walls of the building are thin and he is noisy. Bill is used to peace and quiet but the young man likes to listen to the radio late at night. Sometimes friends of his visit and they make a lot of noise. That is too much for Bill’s family.
Bill’s mother once asked the old man politely if he was able to sleep well at night, but obviously the man didn’t understand what she meant. If he did and spoke to his grandson, the young man obviously didn’t listen, since things haven’t changed any. Everyone in Bill’s family agrees that something must be done though they don’t want to hurt the kind old man.
1. Bill’s family got angry because ________.
| A．the old lady had died |
| B．a young man moved in |
| C．the old man could not live alone |
| D．the grandson made a lot of noise |
| A．The old man could not live without his wife’s help. |
| B．The old man and his wife were sometimes making trouble too. |
| C．Bill’s mother was kind to her neighbors. |
| D．Bill’s mother was the only one who likes the young man. |
| A．he never thinks other people might not be happy with so much noise around |
| B．the walls of the building are thin |
| C．he likes to listen to the radio at night |
| D．friends of his visit |
| A．anyone is able | B．only the grandfather is going |
| C．Bill’s mother is able | D．nobody is likely |
“We found that the knowledge gained from success was often fleeting while knowledge from failure stuck around for years,” said professor Desai, who led the study. “But companies often ignore failure. Managers may fire people or turn over the whole workforce while they should treat the failure as a learning opportunity.”
Prof Desai compared the flights of the space shuttle Atlantis and the Challenger. During the Atlantis flight last year, a piece of insulation (绝缘体) broke off and damaged the left solid rocket booster (助推火箭) but didn’t influence the program. There was little investigation. The Challenger was launched next and another piece of insulation broke off. This time the shuttle and its seven–person crew were destroyed. The disaster led to a major investigation resulting in 29 changes to prevent future disasters.
The difference in response in the two cases came down to this: Atlantis was considered a success and the Challenger a failure.
“Despite crowded skies, airlines are extremely reliable,” he said. “The number of failures is extremely small. And past researches have shown that older airlines, those with more experience in failure, have a lower number of accidents.”
Prof Desai doesn’t recommend finding out failure in order to learn. Instead, he advises organizations to analyze small failures to collect useful information rather than wait for major failures.
1. Why did experts pay little attention to the problem of Atlantis?
| A．Because it worked perfectly. |
| B．Because the right booster was still OK. |
| C．Because nothing serious happened then. |
| D．Because fewer people died in the flight. |
| A．their planes couldn’t fly high in the sky |
| B．they gained much from experience in failure |
| C．their planes were often checked by the experts |
| D．they were unpopular among passengers |
| A．show failure is a better teacher than success |
| B．explain why Challenger failed |
| C．introduce something about Prof Desai |
| D．tell managers how to achieve success |
| A．Giving definitions. |
| B．Making comparisons. |
| C．Analyzing causes. |
| D．Providing different examples. |
【推荐3】New Year’s resolutions(决心) have been around long enough that we all tend to stick to the same ones—hit the gym, lay off the candy, read more books, call your mother—regardless of whether we follow through with our intentions.
While January 1st seems like the perfect time to have a new start again, exactly when people developed that mindset(思维模式) isn’t common knowledge. It turns out that the modern belief of a New Year’s resolution isn’t as old as you thought. According to many historians, the ancient Babylonians were the first group of people to make New Year’s resolutions. However, instead of making a commitment to self improvement, they made a commitment to the gods to pay their debts and return any objects they had borrowed.
An ancient Roman tradition from 46 B. C, bears even more likeness to modern resolutions. Emperor Julius Caesar declared January the month of Janus. Romans believed Janus looked backwards into the previous year and ahead into the future. In his honor, they made sacrifices to the god and promises of good behavior for the coming year.
But the modern New Year’s resolution didn’t fully form until centuries later. The practice was common enough by the early 1800s. An article in 1802 states, “Statesmen have sworn to have no other object in view than the good of their country. The physicians have determined to advise the use of medicine no more than is necessary, and to he very reasonable in their fees.”
The first time “New Year’s resolution” appeared as a phrase was in the January 1st issue of a Boston newspaper in 1813. “I believe there are a lot of people,” the article goes, “with a serious determination of beginning the New Year with new resolutions and new behavior, and with the full belief that they shall accept punishment for all their former faults and wipe them away.
So as you make (and possibly fail at) your New year’s resolutions, know that you’re in good company.
1. Whose New Years resolutions were most different from the present common practice?| A．Ancient Babylonians’. | B．Ancient Romans’. |
| C．Statesmen’s in the 1800s. | D．Boston people’s in 1813. |
| A．annual incomes | B．personal ambitions |
| C．professional honesty | D．academic improvement |
| A．To encourage people to make New year’s resolutions. |
| B．To give advice on how to make New Year’s resolutions. |
| C．To compare different New year’s resolutions in history. |
| D．To introduce the development of New Year’s resolutions. |
