Modesty(谦逊) is a valuable quality in many cultures around the world. In China, this is no different. However, the phrase “毛遂自荐” seems to disagree with this.
During the Warring States Period, the Qin army marched(进军) on Handan. Seeing that Handan was in danger, Prince Pingyuan sought help from the state of Chu. He wanted to pick 20 talented people to go with him. However, he could only find 19 people who were good enough. Then, a man named Mao Sui volunteered.
Prince Pingyuan looked at Mao Sui with doubt, “How long have you been here with me?”
“Three years,” Mao Sui answered.
“I hear that a person with talent is like an awl(锥子) in a cloth bag. Its sharp point will soon pierce(戳) through the bag. You’ve been here for a long time, but I haven’t seen any of your achievements. Maybe you don’t have any talent.” said Prince Pingyuan.
“What I’m asking you now is to put me into that bag. If you do that, I will pierce through it. But not only the point—the whole awl,” Mao Sui said confidently.
Impressed, Prince Pingyuan allowed Mao to join his team, and Mao proved very helpful. Now the phrase “Mao Sui recommending himself” is used to describe someone who volunteers to do a task.
However, there is a fine line between self-confidence and arrogance(傲慢). It’s important to believe in yourself, but a strong ego can harm your career and professional relationships. So we recommend letting your work speak for itself.
1. Where was Mao Sui from?| A．Qin. | B．Chu. | C．Handan. | D．Pingyuan. |
| A．Show modesty. | B．Feel unconfident. | C．Be professional. | D．Volunteering for a task. |
| A．putting an awl into a bag | B．putting Mao Sui into a bag |
| C．letting Mao Sui join the army | D．refusing Mao Sui |
| A．Modesty isn’t a valuable quality. | B．Mao Sui was a confident person. |
| C．Prince Pingyuan didn’t like Mao Sui. | D．The writer thinks we should have a strong ego. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】In the state of Qin (秦国), there was a man called Shang Yang (商鞅). He was a statesman (政治家) and worked out many reforms (改革) for the state, like paying more attention to farming and giving rewards (报酬) to soldiers who were successful when at war.
But these reforms were not easily carried out (执行) at first. Most people didn’t trust Shang Yang. In order to solve this problem, Shang Yang came up with an idea. He put a thin wooden pole at the south gate of the Qin capital. Many people came to see him and the pole.
Then, in front of the crowd, Shang Yang said loudly, “The man who takes this pole to the north gate will get 10 gold pieces.”
It was a simple job and the reward was so large. However, some time passed and no one stepped forward. They all thought Shang Yang was making a joke.
Hearing no answer, Shang Yang stepped forward and said, “The reward now goes to 50 gold pieces.”
This reward was unbelievably large. Finally, a man from the crowd came forward. He put the pole on his shoulders and walked to the north gate. True to his word, Shang Yang gave the man 50 gold pieces.
After that, the people of Qin were all talking about what Shang Yang did about the pole. They believed he was a man of his word. So when Shang Yang began carrying out his reforms, the people followed him.
Under these great reforms, Qin grew stronger and stronger. At last, Qin made all the seven states into one empire (帝国).
1. Which of the following is TRUE about Shang Yang?| A．He was a statesman in Zhao. |
| B．His reforms included paying rewards to all the soldiers. |
| C．He paid little attention to farming. |
| D．His reforms were not welcomed by the people at first. |
a. A man took the pole to the north gate.
b. People thought Shang Yang was joking.
c. Shang Yang increased the reward to 50 gold pieces.
d. Shang Yang came up with an idea.
| A．bcda | B．dbca | C．dabc | D．bdca |
| A．A man who keeps his word. |
| B．A man who can speak loudly. |
| C．A man who likes to speak a lot. |
| D．A man who seldom speaks. |
| A．A fashion magazine | B．A guidebook | C．A story book | D．A poster |
【推荐2】Zheng He was an amazing man. He was born in 1371. Eleven years later, he was caught by the army of a rich young man called Zhu Di and made to work for him. Over time the rich man saw that Zheng He was very clever and strong and they became close friends. In 1403, Zhu Di was made the King of China and he asked Zheng He to join his government.
The King wanted to learn more about the world and show other countries his power. He asked people to build many new ships and let Zheng He lead seven sea ships to different parts of the world between 1405 and 1433. Zheng He travelled to India, Africa and the Middle East. A few people think his ships have even reached South America and Australia.
Each voyage lasted(持续) between two and four years and it is believed that he sailed more than 50,000 kilometers during the years of his travels. Zheng He led a fleet(船队) with 28,000 men and over 300 ships, such as boats for food, water and even soldiers’ horses.
On these trips, he brought with him many Chinese goods(物品) like silk and medicine to give to foreign kings or to sell for local goods. He came back from each trip with boats filled with expensive things such as gold, foreign guests and strange animals like a giraffe.
It is a pity that we may never learn everything about Zheng He’s travels. He died in 1433. After that, the new king stopped these trips and he burned(焚烧) almost all the books about Zheng He’s travels because he believed the trips were unlucky and too expensive. It is only in the last 50 years that historians have begun to carefully study the adventures(冒险) of great Zheng He.
根据短文内容, 选择最佳答案。
1. Why did Zhu Di want Zheng He to visit many different countries?
| A．To catch more people. | B．To find strange animals. |
| C．To show other countries his power. | D．To get gifts from the kings of other countries. |
| A．He was an honest man in the history. | B．It took him six years to finish all the trips. |
| C．He died at the age of 62 years old. | D．He travelled to all parts of the world by sea. |
| A．nobody remembered him | B．the new king burned nearly all the books about his travels |
| C．the new king thought these trips were lucky | D．the trips to other countries lasted 50 years |
| A．航行 | B．探索 | C．挑战 | D．贸易 |
| A．Chinese silk and medicine became more and more popular in India. |
| B．Zhu Di was really a great king in the history. |
| C．Many foreign guests became good friends with the new king. |
| D．Historians found out what difficulties Zheng He met in his trips. |
【推荐3】One day, Lord Bao and his servant saw a young boy in the town. The boy usually sold oil (油) in the street, but then he was crying.
“Little boy, why are you crying?” asked Lord Bao. “Every afternoon I put my head on this stone and have a sleep.” The boy said. “I always put my money next to me. But now it isn’t there.”
“I see,” said Lord Bao. “So this stone is the thief!” He shouted at the stone, “Do you have this boy’s money?” People in the street listened and laughed. They thought he was mad (发疯的).
Lord Bao turned to them, “Are you calling me mad? I must fine (罚款) each of you a one-cent coin (铜钱),” said Lord Bao.
Without speaking, people put their coins into the bag. Lord Bao watched very carefully. When a man in black put his coin into the bag, Lord Bao looked up at him. “You are the thief!” he said.
“But how do you know?” people asked in surprise.
Lord Bao carefully took the man’s coin from the bag and said, “Look at the coin! The boy is an oil seller and always has oil on his hands. So this is the boy’s coin, and this man is the thief.”
1. The boy was ________when Lord Bao saw him.| A．crying in the street | B．selling his oil | C．looking for his money | D．sleeping on a stone |
| A．make people laugh | B．stop the boy crying | C．catch the thief | D．give the boy money |
| A．Thieves are always in black. | B．The other people told him secretly. |
| C．The young boy saw the man stealing. | D．The man’s coin is full of oil. |
| A．kind | B．helpful | C．smart | D．mad |
Mike is from the USA．He is fourteen years old．He lives with his parents and his two sisters in New York．He likes Chinese music very much．
Mary is from England．There are four people in her family—her parents, her brother and Mary．Mary’s mother is an English teacher and her father is a doctor．Mary’s brother, Jim, is a student．
Wang Hao is a Chinese boy．He is from Jiangsu, China．But now he is in Beijing with his parents．He often visits his grandparents with his sister at the weekend．
1. There are ______ people in Mike’s family．
| A．four | B．five | C．six | D．seven |
| A．England | B．the USA | C．Jiangsu | D．Beijing |
【推荐2】What are the cultural differences between China and the West? You might be able to find the answer in Cao Siyu’s comics (漫画). Cao, 32, was born in Beijing, but left home at 20 and has studied and lived in the US, the UK, and France for 12 years. Having seen so many cultures, Cao wanted to use her drawing skills to show the differences she has experienced. So she created the cartoon series Tiny Eyes Comics.
“My experience shows that although travel is much easier and faster today, the distance (距离) between cultures hasn’t shortened,” Cao said. She hopes to build bridges and break down misunderstandings between different cultures. One of her cartoons shows water forms in different countries. Three glasses of water are shown. The glass of water from the US has ice; the one from France is full of sparkling water (气泡水); the one from China is steaming (冒热气的).
Cao also uses her cartoons to show different ways of thinking and social customs. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she used her comics to explain why Chinese people prefer to wear masks while western people don’t. “Her simple pictures have played a big part in reflecting Chinese culture,” Italian magazine Grazia reported.
Many foreign readers say that Cao’s comics help them understand China, while Chinese living abroad have felt that they are seen and understood.
She said that this voice has been the biggest motivation (动力) for her to keep creating.
1. How does Cao Siyu show people the cultural differences?| A．By living abroad. | B．By creating comics. |
| C．By writing for an Italian magazine. | D．By talking about her experience. |
| A．4 | B．12 | C．20 | D．32 |
| A．Mixing together. | B．Comunication. | C．Differences. | D．Failure of understanding. |
| A．cold water | B．ice water | C．sparkling water | D．hot water |
| A．Travel Is Much Easier and Faster Today | B．Comics Show Us How We Are Different |
| C．School Life Abroad Is Busy and Lonely | D．Different Ways of Thinking and Behaving |
【推荐3】Anna
I work in a bank from Monday to Friday. My house is near a park and it is about ten kilometers from my office. I usually go to work by train. I usually get up at 6:30 a.m. and take the train at 7:00 a.m. It usually takes me about thirty minutes to get to my office. The train is quick and cheap. I am never late for work.
Joe
I am a student. My house is near a beautiful lake. My school is across from the lake. I can walk to school across a bridge. It takes me about thirty minutes. But I often go to school by boat, because it is more fun. It takes me about twenty minutes.
Nancy
I’m a waitress. I work in a restaurant from Monday to Saturday. I often go to work by bus. It is about five kilometers from my house to the restaurant. It takes me about twenty-five minutes to go to work. Sometimes I am late for work because the traffic is very busy.
1. Anna usually gets to her office at about __________ in the morning.| A．6:30 | B．7:00 | C．7:30 | D．8:00 |
| A．takes a bus | B．takes a train | C．walks | D．takes a boat |
| A．five | B．ten | C．fifteen | D．twenty |
| A．餐馆 | B．交通 | C．市场 | D．车站 |
| A．Anna is sometimes late for work. |
| B．Joe lives near a river. |
| C．Nancy works five days a week. |
| D．They go out in different ways of transportation. |
