1 . Everyone tries their best in life, and sometimes a few kind words of encouragement can help people realize that their efforts are not in vain (徒劳).Ⅰ remember a time when I was in fifth grade, and I was a very shy girl.
There was a drawing competition at my school that day. As everyone started to use their creative ideas to draw, I was only trying to think of something creative that could express my thoughts and emotions. Lost in my own world, I was brought back to reality when my art teacher called my name from behind. She came to me and encouraged me, saying, “Don’t overthink it, just put whatever comes to your mind on the canvas (画布). Do your best, and you will do well.”
Taking her words of wisdom to heart, I started my painting. Time flew by, and soon the bell rang, signaling the end of the time limit. We all turned in our canvases for inspection (检查). The next day, the winners of the competition were announced in front of the whole school. To my surprise, I heard my name being called second prize. It was a bolt from the blue for me, as I had never dared to dream of winning any prize.
Later on, I expressed my gratitude to my art teacher for her words of encouragement and for believing in me. That day, I became aware of my talent and started painting more whenever I had free time. Sometimes, I think that if it weren’t for her words of encouragement, I may have never discovered the talent I have.
Overall, this experience taught me the importance of encouraging others and how a few kind words can make a significant impact on someone’s life.
1. What was the author doing when called by the art teacher?| A．Organizing a drawing competition. | B．Trying to get some creative ideas. |
| C．Painting her work on her canvas. | D．Trying to get help from others. |
| A．Easy. | B．Interesting. | C．Challenging. | D．Encouraging. |
| A．Addiction. | B．Puzzlement. | C．Disappointment. | D．Surprise. |
| A．The Power of Encouragement |
| B．The Importance of Art Competitions |
| C．Overcoming Shyness Through Painting |
| D．Discovering Your Great Natural Ability |
2 . Signs That You Are Growing
Growing is a lifelong process. Here are the signs that show that you are actually growing and not getting stuck in the process.
Often, we see how badly people look when they get overly upset due to unimportant things. So the first sign of maturity (成熟) is letting the small things go and not getting angry over a tiny detail that didn’t go as you planned.
You start forgiving and understanding other people
When we are young, we are often unforgiving. As we mature, we are better able to understand the world beyond black and white.
You always complete things that matter
Immature people don’t know when to commit (承诺) themselves and their energy or resources are always not well employed.
You accept the possibility of being wrong
Being mature is knowing that you are always growing up. You are never done learning and developing. This means that you don’t set yourself up as the highest authority.
| A．You follow the crowd |
| B．You let the small things go |
| C．Instead, mature people focus on completing things that matter |
| D．Immature and mature people can both have plans for their lives |
| E．Rather, you open your mind to other ideas and new possibilities |
| F．Becoming more understanding is a sign of strength, not weakness |
| G．Mature people appear more confident, however, they are not overconfident |
3 . A few years ago, I visited my daughter Sandra and my granddaughters, Jocelyn and Hailey.
One evening I noticed Hailey was a bit unhappy. I asked her what the
I asked her, “Do you know what Grandpa does when he is feeling sad? I go to my
“Where is your happy place, Grandpa?” Jocelyn
“My happy place is on the inside of your hugs (拥抱),” I replied. “It’s the best place in the world. Don’t ever
Extra big hugs were
The next morning, Sandra was under a bit of pressure to complete an assignment (任务). She lost her
Jocelyn said, “Mom, are you having a
Jocelyn said, “Would you like to go to Grandpa’s happy place?” With that
After some
I cherish (珍爱) my time with
| A．purpose | B．problem | C．plan | D．choice |
| A．slowly | B．late | C．early | D．suddenly |
| A．shy | B．tired | C．nervous | D．sad |
| A．happy | B．secret | C．new | D．proper |
| A．wondered | B．warned | C．answered | D．repeated |
| A．put up with | B．go back to | C．look down on | D．get out of |
| A．changed | B．expected | C．offered | D．refused |
| A．power | B．patience | C．balance | D．trust |
| A．bad | B．long | C．special | D．lonely |
| A．helped | B．found | C．thanked | D．held |
| A．safe | B．favorite | C．famous | D．personal |
| A．closed | B．wide | C．bright | D．watery |
| A．play | B．service | C．work | D．life |
| A．friends | B．family | C．strangers | D．audience |
| A．pride | B．humor | C．truth | D．love |
4 . To figure out what you want to do, maybe you can do what you know best: read everything; find the most useful tips and start putting a plan into action. There are some tips for you to think about what to do with your life.
It may feel impossible to predict what exactly you’ll be doing next, but what you can do is connecting the dots and looking back. Find the common thread. What did you do?
Schedule it in your calendar and give yourself the space to think. You’ll make progress even if it’s just a few hours every other week.
Seek knowledge, not results.
If you focus on the excitement of discovery, your motivation will always be fueled. If you focus only on results, your motivation will be like weather - it will die the minute you hit a storm.
Collect experiences.
Look backward and take the lessons. Learn to collect experiences from the past to guide current behaviour in time. Your career and life are long. You may have one or many callings, and there will be multiple pathways.
| A．Take time to reflect. |
| B．Explore them all or not. |
| C．Start by looking backward. |
| D．What did you learn? |
| E．Who were you? |
| F．So the key is to focus on the journey, not the destination. |
| G．Try to work hard on the pathway you chose. |
