【推荐2】Although women get angry just as often as men, rage remains the prototypical male emotion. “My kids still talk about my ‘freak-outs,’” says Kim Garretson, 54, a corporate strategist in Minneapolis, who once erupted into volcanic fury; in a restaurant when served a still-frozen entree.” I didn’t express much of anything, but once in a while, I’d just blow.”

Why do so many men lose their tempers? “The rage comes because there’s so much frustration when you cut off something that is you. Yet that’s what men do, because they’re afraid that if you give emotions an inch, they’ll take a mile.” says psychologist Kenneth W. Christian, PhD, author of Your Own Worst Enemy. If you don’t learn how to work with your emotions, you’re a shadow figure, a small incomplete version of yourself. It’s only a matter of time until the house of cards that you are falls apart.”

For Kim Garretson, that day came four years ago when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. As often happens when illness strikes men, he realized he had nothing to lose, and everything to gain, by letting himself feel. “I’m no longer afraid of expressing almost any emotion,” he says. “I get anger out with my quick, sharp tongue and move on. I use humor as an outlet, I’ve reconnected with old friends. I talk about the big questions of life. I search for spiritual meaning.”

Guys, Try These

In his Dirty Harry days, Clint Eastwood never flinched（退缩）. Now as a husband, father and Oscar-winning director of movies that explore the depths of men’s souls, the tough guy has turned tender -- but not talkative. “The men who hide their emotions the most may; in fact be the most sensitive,” observes Christian. Yet men can become more emotionally expressive without tears or fears. Here are some ways to start;

Develop a creative outlet. Hobbies like painting or playing a musical instrument can tap into a man’s soul. Remember that much of the world’s greatest art, music and literature was created by the allegedly emotionally challenged sex.

Release stress and anger through exercise. “When you get to the breaking point where you just want to put your head through a wall, taking a ten-minute time-out isn’t enough to calm down.,” says Westover, who in moments of extreme emotion finds a place to drop to the floor and do push-ups.

Try expressing “ a little” emotion. “Start with feelings you can control, find a sympathetic ear and use the term ‘a little,’” suggests Coleman, Saying you feel “a little” sad or “a little” scared feels safer than a full declaration of vulnerability.

Lean into the discomfort. “Rather than avoiding a feeling that you’re not sure how to handle, move toward it,” says psychologist Travis Bradbury, PhD, co-author of The Emotional Intelligence Quick Book. “Learning to handle emotions takes time and practice, because you need to retrain your brain, but it does get easier.”

1. Kim Garretson a 54-year-old corporate strategist, once got very angry when ________.

A．diagnosed with lung cancer	B．given a take musical instrument
C．dragged into a mountainous trip	D．served cold food in a restaurant

2. “They’ll take a mile.” (para. 2), ‘they’ refers to ________.

A．psychologists	B．cards
C．emotions	D．friends

3. If you fail to learn how to work with your emotions, _________.

A．you will sooner or later break down

B．you will be an active figure in shadow boxing

C．you will be afraid of expressing almost any emotion

D．you will spend more time searching for spiritual meaning

4. What main idea is discussed in the passage?

A．How to develop your emotions.	B．How to check your emotions.
C．How to handle your emotions.	D．How to express your emotions.

【推荐1】An important life lesson that I’ve drawn from running is to run at my own pace. It has guided me in many ways. In particular, it made me challenge the fixed expectations of retirement and aging.

Running is a metaphor (隐喻) for life. I realized this while training for a marathon to celebrate my 60th birthday. All the other runners being faster than me made me embarrassed. But my coach shared some valuable advice; run at your own best pace. Setting a goal or target time could be a limitation. He was right. Over time, I ran more easily and faster. I also enjoyed the experience much more.

I have applied this principle to other areas of my life. Finding a rhythm is not about efficiency or how many things I can get done in a day. It has more to do with what I decide to do at this stage in my life.

Running carries its own set of expectations, including what it means to be a strong runner. But expectations also extend to other areas of life, including what people at certain life stages should be doing or not doing. Expectations at my age can center on how leisure time is spent, decisions about employment, and even the role of a grandmother.

I used to think it was young people who bore peer pressure, but it’s easy to view retirement as another occupation with benchmarks (基准) to be met. We often make what someone else does the reference point. It’s a comparison trap.

Forget what others are doing. Their pace is not necessarily the pace you should run at. Run in your own way. It’s not better or worse — only different.

1. What does the author intend to tell in paragraph 2?

A．The origin of a life principle.	B．Her misunderstanding of running.
C．The importance of life expectations.	D．Her unpleasant training experience.

2. What does the author think about life expectations?

A．They are vital for retired people.	B．They vary at different life stages.
C．They cover every decision in life.	D．They are usually too high to fulfill.

3. What can we infer from paragraph 5?

A．Young people often compete with old people.	B．Retired people take up bad occupations.
C．Retired people are also under peer pressure.	D．A comparison trap makes young people stronger.

4. What message does the author mainly want to convey?

A．Retirement can’t stop old people’s dreams.

B．People should live life to the fullest.

C．People should live at their own speed.

D．Running at a fixed pace is beneficial to retired people.

【推荐2】Read the fable below and answer the questions.

THE STONE IN THE ROAD

Once upon a time there was a king who often thought, “Nothing good can come to a nation whose people only complain and expect others to solve their problems.” One day, he had an idea.

Early one morning, the king disguised himself and went to a local village. He placed a large stone in the middle of the main street and hid gold coins under the stone. Then he hid behind a huge maple tree and watched.

The first person down the street was a milkman with his cart. He crashed into the stone, spilling the milk everywhere. “What fool put this stone here?” he shouted. He picked himself up and angrily went away.

After a while, a group of women came along, each balancing a pot of water on her head. One woman tripped over the stone and her water pot went crashing to the ground. She picked herself up and limped away in tears. Neither she nor her friends thought about moving the stone out of the road.

The king watched all day as many people complained about the stone, but he found nobody making an attempt to move it. The king was in despair. “Is there no one in this village who feels any responsibility to keep their neighbors from harm?”

Just then, the king saw a young girl coming along. She was the daughter of a local farmer. She had been working all day and was very tired. But when she saw the stone, she said to herself, “This stone is a danger to anyone who comes down the street after dark. I'll move it out of the way.”

The girl pushed the stone with all her might. After a great deal of effort, she finally succeeded in moving it to the side of the street. Imagine her surprise when she saw the gold coins where the stone had been!

Just then, the king stepped out from behind the tree. “Oh sir,” the girl said, “does this gold belong to you? If not, we surely must find the owner, for he will certainly miss it.”

The king said, “My dear, the gold is mine. I put it in the road and moved the stone over it. Now the gold is yours, because you are the only person who has learnt the lesson I wanted to teach my people.”

1. What was the king’s idea for teaching an important lesson to his people?
_______________________________________________________________________
2. What was the response from most of the people?
_______________________________________________________________________
3. What did the young girl think and do when she saw the coins?
_______________________________________________________________________

【推荐3】In my generation, most people assume. We assume that after getting a driver’s license, we should see a brand new car sitting in our driveway. We assume that the latest iPhone product should be in our hands as soon as something goes wrong with our old one. We also assume that college, being as expensive as it is, is given. However, what we don't realize is that all of these things are very special privileges.

New cars, the latest technology and college fees are something that most people have in the place where I live. I' m not necessarily complaining about this. I live in a very fortunate area, and I try to remind myself of that every day.

Getting nice things is great, but sometimes, the competition that rules our lives gets too fierce. When someone else gets something great, you begin to think, "Why can't I have that?" When everyone around you goes to college, you think that one day you will obviously do the same, because who doesn’t?

Even now, being almost done with my first year of college, I constantly see people who forget why we're here, and how lucky we are to be on this campus. All of the distractions can surely keep you from doing your best, and they can easily make you forget your real purpose at college. The parties, friends, events, and overall social life can move you into a never-ending whirlpool (旋涡) of not doing schoolwork. Having fun is a part of life, but balance is the key when it comes to college.

Appreciation nowadays is slowly fading into a distant thought. We constantly forget how lucky we are to have the things and the life that we do. Surely, who doesn’t dream of a new car waiting for them, or that brand new iPhone that you see in all of the commercials? But wanting something is different from expecting it. Setting yourself up with an "I should get this" attitude will only push appreciation further away.

Appreciate what you have, but don't expect what you don't have. Say thank you to those who help and support you, and realize that whoever you are, you' re lucky in a great way.

1. Which of the following may the author agree with?

A．Assuming should be forbidden.

B．People of his generation are lazy.

C．What we have may be privileges.

D．College education shouldn’t be expensive.

2. What do we know about the author?

A．He is too poor to afford a new car.

B．He is sure that everyone can go to college.

C．He is a fortunate second-year student.

D．He is grateful for his college education.

3. What does the author think of the social activities at college?

A．They should be balanced in students' life.

B．They are totally a waste of time and money.

C．They make students confused about their life.

D．They are useful for students after graduation.

4. According to the fifth paragraph, people nowadays        .

A．don’t expect new cars or cell phones

B．don’t seem to appreciate what they have

C．always set up big goals in life

D．often complain they are unlucky