1 . It was June 15, and in two days I would be turning thirty. I was insecure about entering a new decade of my life and feared that my best years were now behind me.
My daily routine included going to the gym for a workout before going to work. Every morning I would see my friend Nicholas at the gym. He was seventy-nine years old and in terrific shape. As I greeted Nicholas on this particular day, he noticed I wasn’t full of my usual vitality and asked if there was anything wrong. I told him I was feeling anxious about turning thirty. I wondered how I would look back on my life once I reached Nicholas’ sage, so I asked him, “What was the best time of your life?”
Without hesitation, Nicholas replied, “Well, Joe, this is my philosophical answer to your philosophical question.”
“When I was a child in Austria and everything was taken care of for me and I was nurtured by my parents, that was the best time of my life.”
“When I was going to school and learning the things I know today, that was the best time of my life.”
“When I got my first job and had responsibilities and got paid for my efforts, that was the best time of my life.”
“When I met my wife and fell in love, that was the best time of my life.”
“The Second World War came, and my wife and I had to flee Austria to save our lives. When we were together and safe on a ship bound for North America, that was the best time of my life.”
“When we came to Canada and started a family, that was the best time of my life.”
“When I was a young father, watching my children grow up, that was the best time of my life.”
“And now, Joe, I am seventy-nine years old. I have my health, I feel good and I am in love with my wife just as I was when we first met. This is the best time of my life.”
1. Why did the author feel anxious according to the article?| A．He would be 30 in two days. |
| B．He was worried about getting old. |
| C．He didn’t go to the gym to exercise. |
| D．Nicholas asked questions he didn’t want to answer. |
| A．He spent his childhood with his grandparents in Austria. |
| B．He dropped out of school, found a job and got paid. |
| C．He took part in the Second World War and met his wife. |
| D．He started a family and became a young father in Canada. |
| A．Casual. | B．Anxious. | C．Positive. | D．Negative. |
| A．Live a day at a time. | B．You get what you pay for. |
| C．Every man has his price. | D．Strike while the iron is hot. |
2 . I talked to one of my friends this morning. To make things easier, let’s call him Peter. Peter is an acting(代理的)manager in our company. He’s going to retire next year. I actually asked him whether he would apply for extension and maybe then he would become the manager. He simply answered “No, I don’t put off my retirement. I don’t need the “Manager” title to become successful either. In fact, I am already successful by my own definition(定义).”
His simple reply left me speechless. I then continued to ask him what he meant by that. He spent the next 30 minutes telling me how he had managed to send his son and daughter to learn medicine. He told me how hard it was for him to find almost $100,000 to make sure his children got the best education. Now they are very successful and Peter is very proud of what his children have achieved. This is where he thinks he succeeds in his life.
The story is truly encouraging. It tells me that the definition of success is different from one person to another. Some may consider becoming a manager is success. Another will consider bringing up successful children as their success.
Personally, I think Peter’s success is when he found out his personal definition of success. He knows that money and ranks are not success to him. That is why he didn’t ask for extension and fight for that “Manager” title.
What’s your definition of success? Peter did give me one tip to help me answer that question. If you answer “becoming a millionaire” as your definition of success, and you have made it as a millionaire, can you still smile and say “my life is complete”, knowing that today is your last day of your life?
1. The underlined word “extension” in the first paragraph means _______.| A．staying longer at work | B．giving up one’s job |
| C．adding more money | D．changing one’s job |
| A．Angry. | B．Calm. | C．Sad | D．Surprised. |
| A．teachers | B．doctors | C．managers | D．engineers |
3 . On the first day of my new high school, I almost had a nervous breakdown. Everything about the school seemed so difficult. When I got home, my parents said, “You're nervous and that’s okay. Everyone is afraid of high school.” I denied(否认)it. I wanted to be strong, so I refused to let anyone know about my fear, even my closest friends.
On the first day I was late for every class and was constantly lost. The school seemed like a puzzle that I couldn’t figure out. Was this how the whole year was going to be? I didn’t think I could rise to this challenge, especially carrying a huge backpack that I could hardly lift. It was so big that I could knock someone out with it! The schoolmates seemed to regard me as a fool, and they were probably right.
Despite my fears, after the first week I finally had my schedule figured out. With the exception of falling up and down the stairs a couple of times and getting laughed at, high school was turning out to be not so bad. It was actually much better than middle school and much more challenging.
Since then, I’ve been elected vice monitor of my class, which wasn’t much of a victory since only three people ran for the four positions.
It is normal to be scared about a new school. Take a deep breath and relax. High school is something that any student can overcome. Make sure you take part in some out-of-class activities because you’ll find it easier to make friends. Try to do your best, even if it isn’t straight A’s.
Most important of all, be who you are, whether you’re a “fool”, an athlete, or a lower grader. Don’t try to pretend(假装)to be someone you’re not. Now you know the true secrets of high school.
1. From the author’s first day experience we can infer that ______.| A．his home was far from the school |
| B．he got to school before classes began |
| C．he was fond of the school immediately. |
| D．he didn't know the right way to class |
| A．was still not used to the schedule |
| B．gradually adapted(适应)himself to the new school |
| C．found high school not so challenging as he had imagined |
| D．ran for monitor of his class against three other students |
| A．making more friends |
| B．getting more A’s at school |
| C．being who he really is |
| D．joining in out-of-class activities |
4 . Every year, more books on happiness are published. And every year, more people feel depressed because they do not see themselves as happy. They don’t remember or know what it feels like, and instead, they feel guilty that they aren’t as happy as everyone says they should be. This is really a sad state of emotional affairs.
The books, blogs, YouTube videos and advice columns (专栏) will tell you that if you read, exercise, stay busy, help others, and increase your intimacy (亲密) every day, then you too can be happy.
The simple truth is that no one can be happy all the time. That doesn’t mean you have to be sad, angry, or depressed the rest of the time but that you can find a middle ground called contentment. This middle ground is a good place mentally and emotionally, and spending time there is a healthy choice.
Contentment is somewhere between satisfied and peaceful. When you are in that place, the stuff of life can be going on around you, but you don’t need to allow it to bother you. And that, my friends, is a very nice way to go through life.
I find contentment in walks and in writing, and in talking with my partner and reminding each other that our life is good, despite temporary setbacks or scary moments. Because I know about myself and I can respond differently. Doing this takes away stress and will keep you from losing your state of contentment.
If there is even one thing that puts you in a state of contentment — you do it regularly and early enough each day — it will help you go through any challenges you may have to face later.
Right at this moment, things around me are still a little out of my control — such is life — but I am feeling pretty good because I actively living my purpose. I am now content, and that feeling will last the whole day through. You can do the same.
1. What does the author want to stress by mentioning “Books on happiness in paragraph 1?| A．People find it difficult to agree on what happiness is. |
| B．Such books are so popular that they are sold out very soon. |
| C．Happiness is something easy to gain in our daily life. |
| D．Experts find it useless to argue about the value of happiness. |
| A．He turns to such media as blogs. |
| B．He definitely communicates with partners. |
| C．He adjusts himself and reacts positively. |
| D．He sees himself unlucky and feels depressed. |
| A．Still water runs deep. | B．Health is better than wealth. |
| C．Enough is as good as a feast. | D．One good turn deserves another. |
| A．To introduce a novel experience. |
| B．To advocate a proper life attitude. |
| C．To encourage studies on happiness. |
| D．To persuade us to work endlessly. |
5 . I never thought I would be a “runner”. I was the girl who
She was one of the weakest-looking women I’ve ever seen. She must have been close to seventy years old,
A week later, I found myself in the
A year later, I was
| A．talked | B．walked | C．ran | D．swam |
| A．friends | B．teachers | C．students | D．patients |
| A．save | B．use | C．make | D．raise |
| A．while | B．when | C．until | D．before |
| A．breath | B．hand | C．arm | D．eye |
| A．wearing | B．holding | C．pulling | D．waving |
| A．turned down | B．turned over | C．taken over | D．taken down |
| A．passing | B．watching | C．seeing | D．calling |
| A．strangely | B．determinedly | C．excitedly | D．anxiously |
| A．agreed | B．learned | C．decided | D．explained |
| A．shop | B．street | C．park | D．gym |
| A．had to | B．preferred to | C．got to | D．liked to |
| A．prize | B．survivor | C．plan | D．woman |
| A．earlier | B．longer | C．harder | D．farther |
| A．even | B．again | C．ever | D．still |
| A．watched | B．traveled | C．stood | D．waited |
| A．wandered | B．witnessed | C．wished | D．wondered |
| A．kind | B．brave | C．generous | D．honest |
| A．finished | B．won | C．entered | D．missed |
| A．good | B．right | C．possible | D．necessary |
