1 . From now on, never spend your precious time thinking of reasons for your failures and shortcomings. Instead, realize that the seeds of success were planted within you when you were born. Only you have the power to make those seeds grow.
The seeds, and the power to grow them, are contained in the most awesome machine ever created：the human mind. Success is a choice and not a chance. You were born a winner. You were born rich. You can be a success if only you make the right choice.
You cannot be successful without first developing your self-esteem. Your level of self-esteem is always based on the degree of control that you are able to exercise over yourself, and thus over your life. People with low self-esteem are people who do not believe that they have any power, or responsibility for their lives. They are the perennial（长期的）victims and martyrs. They are leaves tossed（摇摆）by the winds of chance blown about with any sudden change in the weather.
You can exercise control over your life only to the degree that you believe that you are responsible for everything that happens in your life. Failures think that everything happens by accident and chance. Successful people realize that they are responsible.
Everything happens as a result of something. If we can identify the cause, we can control the effect. We are responsible for what we choose to think and believe. One generally rises to the level that one expects. We are responsible for setting our expectations. Our success is dependent upon our level of confidence.
If you associate with positive-thinking people, you are definitely going to achieve success. On the contrary, the opposite happens. We are responsible for finding, planting, and nurturing the seeds that contain future victory, born from setbacks.
In short, in all areas of your life, whether they be financial, physical, emotional, or spiritual, you are responsible. Once you recognize this, accept it, and firmly believe it, you are on the road to success.
1. People with low self-esteem are compared to leaves because they ______.| A．are ready to change their minds | B．are easily affected by windy weather |
| C．don't have the power to face their fate | D．can't exercise control over themselves |
| A．success is the result of hard work | B．working hard will lead to success |
| C．their failure is only because of bad luck | D．they don't make efforts to succeed |
| A．whether we will succeed depends on our attitudes |
| B．one’s expectation is the key to future success |
| C．thoughts and beliefs are the result of creative mind |
| D．setting our expectations is essential before taking action |
| A．the proof of the author's points | B．the conclusion of the argument |
| C．an introduction to another topic | D．a comparison between two views |
| A．The secrets of success． | B．Success is a choice． |
| C．Develop our confidence． | D．How to achieve success． |
2 . My First Marathon
A month before my first marathon, one of my ankles was injured and this meant not running for two weeks leaving me only two weeks to train. Yet, I was determined to go ahead.
I remember back to my 7th year in school. In my firs P.E. class, the teacher required us to run laps and then hit a softball. I didn't do either well. He later informed me that I was “not athletic”.
The idea that I was “not athletic” stuck with me for years. When I started running in my 30s, I realized running was a battle against myself, not about competition or whether or not I was athletic. I was all about the batter against my own body and mind. A test of will!
The night before my marathon, I dreamt that I couldn't even find the finish line. I woke up sweating and nervous, but ready to prove something to myself.
Shortly after crossing the start line, my shoe laces(鞋带) became untied. So I sopped to readjust. Not the start I wanted!
AI mile 3.1 passed sign: “GO FOR IT, RUNNERS!”
By mile 17, I became out of breath and the once injured ankle hurt badly. Despite the pain, I stayed the course walking a bit and then running again.
By mile 21, 1 was starving!
As I approached mile 23, I could see my wife waving a sign. She is my biggest fan. She never minded the alarm clock sounding at 4 a.m. or questioned my expenses on running.
I was one of the final runners to finish. But I finished! And I got a medal. In fact, I got the same medal as the one that the guy who came in first place had.
Determined to be myself, move forward, free of shame and worldly labels(世俗标签), 1 can now call myself a “marathon winner”.
1. A month before the marathon, the author__________.| A．was well trained | B．felt scared |
| C．made up his mind to run | D．lost hope |
| A．To admit the support of his teacher. | B．To amuse the readers with a funny story. |
| C．To show he was not talented in sports. | D．To share a precious memory. |
| A．To show the author's injured ankle. | B．To show the length the Marahon |
| C．To show the wife's support to the author. | D．To show the author’s great perseverance |
| A．He made it. | B．He quit halfway. |
| C．He got the first prize. | D．He walked to the end. |
| A．A man owes his success to his family support. | B．A winner is one with a great effort of will. |
| C．Failure is the mother of success. | D．One is never too old to learn. |
3 . Aava Whistler Hotel
Star Ratings：★★★
Location: Whistler
Rooms：192
Stay at the Aava Whistler Hotel and experience a great vacation．The Aava Whistler Hotel is within minutes from over a hundred shopping malls, and restaurants．It also has a great number of recreational facilities, including swimming, diving and even skiing．Hotel services include 24-hour reception, laundry and room service．Guests can stay in cozy rooms equipped with air conditioning, bathroom and television．From CN￥496 per night．
Best Western Cairn Croft Hotel
Star Ratings：★★★
Location: East Lundy's Lane
Room：166
Relax and unwind at the Best Western Cairn Croft Hotel．This resort-style hotel is located just minutes from the airport．At this hotel, guests can enjoy a large number of recreational facilities, including children's activities, sightseeing and a swimming pool．Business travelers can also take advantage of spacious meeting and banqueting facilities for hosting corporate events．All rooms come with basic amenities（便利设施）．From CN￥439 per night．
Clarion Hotel& Suites Downtown Montreal
Star Ratings：★★★
Location: Montreal．
Rooms：266
Conveniently located just 20 minutes from the airport, the Clarion Hotel& Suites Downtown Montreal is a moderately-priced three-star hotel that provides services to both business and leisure travelers．The Clarion has spacious meeting facilities and modern business centers for business travelers．It has a sauna and a whirlpool where guests can relax．All rooms come with basic amenities, including cable TV and a kitchenette．From CN￥553 per night．
Delta-Bow: Valley Hotel
Star Ratings：★★★
Location: Calgary
Rooms：398
The Delta Bow-Valley Hotel is located a couple of blocks north of Olympic Plaza, east of James Short Park, and north-east of the Petro-Canada Centre．Apart from business and recreational services such as a business center, a fitness center and a restaurant, all rooms in the Delta come with a mini-bar and in-house movies．From CN￥1, 227 per night．
1. What do all four of the hotels have in common?| A．They all have three-star ratings． |
| B．They all have the same number of rooms． |
| C．They are all close to the airport． |
| D．They all provide a room with a mini-bar． |
| A．Aava Whistler Hotel |
| B．Clarion Hotel & Suites Downtown Montreal |
| C．Best Western Cairn Croft Hotel |
| D．Delta Bow Valley Hotel |
| A．Aava Whistler Hotel |
| B．Best Western Cairn Croft Hotel |
| C．Clarion Hotel & Suites Downtown Montreal |
| D．Delta Bow Valley Hotel |
| A．They all come with a mini-bar and in-house movies as well as laundry． |
| B．They all come with basic amenities, including cable TV and a kitchenette． |
| C．They all come with the basic amenities, including a swimming pool． |
| D．They all come with skiing facilities, fitness rooms and saunas． |
| A．People who are fond of swimming, skiing and sightseeing． |
| B．The family or travelers who will hold a big birthday party． |
| C．The companies which are preparing the annual conference． |
| D．Those who enjoy watching films while drinking in the room． |
4 . Spring lifts our spirits. It's a time for Nature to bring us back to life after a cold season. I live not far from the Kairaku Park, which is one of the largest gardens in Japan, and famous for its near 10,000 plum trees. I am fortunate to have them all outside my backyard, and take advantage of the walking paths daily.
I see the same trees and swans every day, but that day was different. At the edge of the small lake, I saw some new -born black swans. They were pretty and cute. They stayed with their mom.While taking a few photos of the sunset, I was interrupted by a high sound going on for some time. So, I turned around and saw one little swan was stuck by two stones. Its mother was trying to make it out but failed. I tried to get near but the mother was ever so angry! She wouldn't allow me to get close, so I turned to an old man sitting on the bench and said,“Excuse me, the swan baby can't move and I want to help it, but the mother is extremely angry! Could you please do me a favor?"
After hearing my words, the man smiled at me first and then agreed to help me. He drove the mother away with great efforts, and for several times, he was almost hurt by the mother. Thanks to him, I was able to get there and push the little swan out of the gap finally. Oh, I really hoped it wasn't injured, but at least it was alive and swimming!
In spring, I become more physically active. Things around don't make us, but Nature does, and it keeps us going. I am positive that all of us have a little piece of nature in our own neighborhoods. Somewhere we will be reminded why natural life is so important-- -because we grow with it! Personally, I am happy that baby birds can put a smile on my face! I struggle for having a small number of "things" in life, and being filled with simple reality--at one with Nature.
1. What can we know about the author from Paragraph 1?| A．Her favorite season is spring. | B．She enjoys doing outdoor sports. |
| C．Her backyard is filled with plum trees. | D．She is satisfied with her living environment. |
| A．She took a few photos of the sunset. |
| B．She made a little swan's mother angry. |
| C．She met some swans and helped one of them. |
| D．She met an old man and made friends with him. |
| A．Well-known. | B．Warm-hearted. | C．Selfish. | D．Outgoing. |
| A．Nature. | B．kindness. | C．The garden. | D．The things around. |
| A．is really a nature lover | B．is short of some life skill |
| C．asks people to help the weak | D．calls on more people to protect the environment |
5 . Old age may not sound exciting. But recent findings offer good news for older people and for people worried about getting older. Researchers found that people become happier and experience less worry after they reach the age of 50. In fact, they say by the age of 85, people are happier with their life than they were when they were 18 years old.
The findings came from a survey of more than 340,000 adults in the United States. The Gallup Organization questioned them by telephone in 2008. At that time, the people were between the ages of 18 and 85. The researchers asked questions about emotions like happiness, sadness and worry. They also asked about mental or emotional stress.
Arthur Stone in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science at Stony Brook University in New York led the study. His team found that levels of stress were highest among adults between the ages of 24 and 25. The findings showed that stress levels dropped sharply（突然地） after people reached their fifties.
The study also showed that men and women have similar feeling patterns as they grow older.
However, women at all ages reported more sadness, stress and worry than men.
Researchers say they do not know why happiness increases as people get older. One theory is that, as people grow older, they grow more thankful for what they have and have better control of their feelings. They so spend less time thinking about bad experiences.
Professor Stone says the emotional patterns could be connected to changes in how people see the world, or maybe even changes in brain chemistry.
The researchers also considered possible influences like having young children, being unemployed or being single. But they found that influences like these did not affect the levels of happiness and well-being（幸福） related to age.
1. According to the survey of the Gallup Organization people are most likely to become happier.| A．when they are between the ages of 18 and 85 |
| B．when they come to their old age |
| C．when they are in their twenties |
| D．when they are 18 years old |
| A．20 | B．25 | C．35 | D．40 |
| A．have a positive attitude towards their life |
| B．know how to spend money wisely |
| C．dream about good things every day |
| D．control their behaviors better |
| A．Those who are worried about getting old |
| B．Those who are single and unemployed |
| C．Those who feel unhappy all the time |
| D．Those who suffer from mental stress |
| A．Women Are Easier to Be Happy in Life |
| B．The Young Are Happier Than the Old |
| C．Getting Older Means Getting Happier |
| D．The Younger, the Happier |
Many roads and places in Singapore（新加坡）are named in order that the pioneers will be remembered by future generations. Thus we have names such as Stamford Road and Raffles Place. This is in keeping with traditions in many countries ---- in both the West and the East.
Another way of naming places is naming them after other places. Perhaps they were named to promote friendships between the two places or it could be that the people who used to live there were originally from the places that the roads were named after. The mystery is clearer when we see some of the roads named in former British bases. If you step into Selector Airbase you will see Piccadilly Circus ---- obviously named by some homesick Royal Air Force personnel.
Some places were named after the activities that used to go on at those places. Bras Basah Road is an interesting example, “Base Basah” means “wet rice” in Malay（马来语）. Now why would anyone want to name a road “Wet Rice Road”? The reason is simple. During the pioneering days, wet rice was laid out to dry along this road.
A few roads in Singapore are named by their shapes. There is “Circular Road” for one. Other roads may have part of their names to describe their shapes, like “Paya Lebar Crescent”. This road is called a crescent（月牙） because it begins on the main road, makes a crescent and comes back to join the main road again.
1. We learn from Paragraph 1 that _____.| A．the government is usually the first to name a place |
| B．many places tend to have more than one name |
| C．a ceremony will be held when a place is named |
| D．people prefer the place names given by the government |
| A．Change suddenly. | B．Change significantly. |
| C．Disappear mysteriously. | D．Disappear very slowly. |
| A．Raffles Place. | B．Selector Airbase. |
| C．Piccadilly Circus. | D．Paya Lebar Crescent. |
| A．after a person | B．after a place | C．after an activity | D．by its shape |
| A．Some place names in Singapore are the same as in Britain. |
| B．Some places in Singapore are named for military purposes. |
| C．The way Singaporeans name their places is unique. |
| D．Young Singaporeans have forgotten the pioneers. |
