1 . The biggest misconception that I've ever heard of is that in order for us to find success in anything, we must be willing to give up something else.
Over the years, I've come to realize that isn't true. As I grow, I find several things are truly stopping us from living a more fulfilling life. Below are some.
Place limitations on yourself
On the surface, limitations are the things that stop you from achieving something.
Lack self-control
We all have some aspect about ourselves that we don't like.
Our ability to come up with creative solutions for our problems comes from our ability to learn and adapt. If you're not learning anything, you're not progressing. Leonardo da Vinci once said, "Learning never exhausts the mind." And I believe it.
Final thoughts
When you get stuck on something, you are never truly stuck
A.Lack self confidence. |
B.Lack learning and adaptability. |
C.We shouldn't bottle up our own weaknesses. |
D.Maybe you're someone who drinks a lot of alcohol or smokes. |
E.It means that what you are currently doing isn't enough to get you over the barrier. |
F.Whether it's career or health, one must be sacrificed in order for the other to succeed. |
G.However, limitations are also the things that keep you restricted in the same life cycle. |
2 . “Ding... ding...,” the bell rang. The English teacher came into the classroom with test papers in his hand. All the students shouted. The teacher
There was not a question but only a small black “X” in the middle of the paper. The students were very
All the students thought about it hard and then wrote down their answers quietly. At the end of the class, the teacher collected their papers and read the answers.
Then the teacher said, “Don’t worry about the
Then the students discussed and expressed
Our life is a
We should try to take our eye off problems and
A.asked | B.complained | C.explained | D.guessed |
A.difficult | B.hard | C.easy | D.special |
A.waited | B.looked | C.searched | D.cared |
A.sell out | B.bring out | C.give out | D.put out |
A.Before | B.After | C.While | D.Until |
A.happy | B.sad | C.surprised | D.relaxed |
A.hated | B.forgot | C.remembered | D.noticed |
A.hear | B.worry | C.write | D.learn |
A.yourselves | B.ourselves | C.myself | D.themselves |
A.None | B.All | C.Neither | D.Both |
A.somebody | B.nobody | C.Everybody | D.anybody |
A.quickly | B.hardly | C.angrily | D.carefully |
A.results | B.suggestions | C.presents | D.jobs |
A.like | B.in | C.at | D.with |
A.her | B.his | C.their | D.your |
A.problem | B.challenge | C.gift | D.window |
A.Except | B.However | C.Also | D.Besides |
A.more important | B.bigger | C.smaller | D.more serious |
A.enjoy | B.Waste | C.invite | D.throw |
A.door | B.spirit | C.skill | D.journey |
“Life is not easy for any of us. We must work, and above all we must believe in ourselves. We must believe that each one of us is able to do something well, and that, when we discover what this something is, we must work until we succeed.”
—Madame Curie
读了居里夫人的这段话,你有何感想?请结合生活中的具体事例对你的观点加以说明。______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4 . I watch documentaries, not movies. I read history books, not fiction. I use every free moment to accomplish one of the tasks on my never-ending checklist, and I am completely filled with thoughts of productivity. An hour sleeping is an hour wasted. And like the rest of 21st century America, I like it. But this fixation on productivity is increasingly destroying character and transforming men into robots.
New York Times columnist David Brooks warned American University students of this cultural decline in a speech. “We cut off all things spiritual and emotional in a competitive urge to stand out”, he said, “The pressure to succeed professionally, to acquire skills, to do the things you need to do to succeed in an information age economy really became the overwhelming(难以应付的)pressures, and it sort of weakens the thinking about character and morality.”
Many students happily go to college, viewing it as a next step on their rise to professional achievement. Forcing as many success-building activities into their schedules as they can, they enjoy keeping busy with little sleep. “Today’s outstanding kids are likely to spend their afternoons and weekends shuttling from one skill-improving activity to the next,” Brooks wrote in an article, “We fear failure more than we desire success.”
A century ago, college was about character building. Today, our characters are in decline. We are experts on economics, material things and professional skills. We fail to discuss and understand relationships, emotions and all things spiritual.
Philosopher Karl Popper divided the world into two categories: Clocks and Clouds. Clock problems are those that can be taken apart, examined and solved through deductive reasoning(演绎推理). Clouds cannot be taken apart. Cloud problems represent whole systems that need to be understood in a different way.
“When we have a Cloud problem, we try to turn it into a Clock problem,” Brooks said. And in a reason-centered culture, adding titles to one’s resume becomes a trend. At American University, 85 percent of seniors (and 89 percent of business majors) graduate with at least one practical experience which is often helpful to a student’s future career, but can sometimes draw focus away from academics.
To prevent the death of man’s character, Brooks urges rediscovering our human natures through falling in love. And by love he means love for a task, job, or another person. “Synchronicity is key to happiness,” he said. Rather than crazily increasing our long lists of accomplishments, we need to lose ourselves in what we do, and success will come on its own.
1. From Paragraph 1, we can learn that people ________.A.are controlled by time | B.are eager to achieve |
C.are changing their characters | D.are keen on reading books more |
A.Tolerant. | B.Uncertain. | C.Approving. | D.Curious. |
A.success comes from devotion to work |
B.the focus on human natures counts |
C.more work contributes to happiness |
D.love is more important than focus |
A.criticize students’ desire for achievements |
B.stress the importance of productivity |
C.warn about the pressure to seek success |
D.bring awareness to character building |
5 . Once there was a farmer with a wife and two sons. He became quite
After some time, his wife died and
So he thought about this for a long time and he
And he called his neighbors and said, “I’m going to
So the neighbors provided them with
Certainly the brothers didn’t want to be robbed of the
So the brothers sat down and one
But the other brother said, “No, I think our father was saying that the
So like all the other
A.rich | B.strong | C.clever | D.busy |
A.hard | B.easy | C.different | D.ordinary |
A.always | B.often | C.never | D.sometimes |
A.also | B.thus | C.ever | D.still |
A.work | B.move | C.study | D.play |
A.healthy | B.sick | C.foolish | D.wise |
A.brothers | B.friends | C.children | D.relatives |
A.showed | B.taught | C.visited | D.called |
A.lost | B.hidden | C.planted | D.put |
A.harvest | B.find | C.buy | D.use |
A.leave | B.travel | C.die | D.disappear |
A.look at | B.look out | C.look after | D.look for |
A.relief | B.money | C.water | D.food |
A.gold | B.silver | C.oil | D.coal |
A.dug | B.piled | C.operated | D.searched |
A.advised | B.asked | C.followed | D.doubted |
A.loved | B.cared | C.understood | D.cheated |
A.gardening | B.fishing | C.building | D.farming |
A.roots | B.stones | C.fields | D.pipes |
A.farmers | B.workers | C.fishers | D.builders |
6 . Last fall, I went to New York for sightseeing. I visited many tourist attractions there, and I also saw many unfortunate citizens on the street, like beggars and homeless folks.
Standing outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art, I heard a voice ask, “Can you do me a favor?” When I turned around, I saw an elderly blind woman with her hand extended out. Naturally, I reached into my pocket for some change immediately and placed it in her hand without even looking at her. I was really annoyed at being bothered by a beggar. What I only thought at that moment was to send her away.
But the blind woman said with a warm smile on her face, "I don't want your money. I just need you to show me the way to the subway entrance."
In an instant, I realized what I had done just now. Her unexpected words took me by surprise and shame. I had acted with prejudice ——I'd judged another person simply for what I assumed she had to be. I felt ashamed of myself and couldn't face the old woman anymore. And I felt small beside her.
The incident reminded me that I believed in being humble, even though I had lost that belief for a moment. The thing I had forgotten about myself is that I am an immigrant. I left Honduras and arrived in the U. S. at the age of 15. Through the years, I have experienced many acts of prejudice. I remember a time at the age of 17 when I was a busboy, I heard a father tell his little boy that if he did not do well in school, he would end up like me. But now, living my American middle-class lifestyle, it is too easy to forget who I am and where I have been, and to lose sight of where I want to go. It is the blind woman who cured me of my blindness.
1. What did the author think the blind woman wanted at first sight?A.To ask for directions. | B.To offer him some help. |
C.To demand some donations. | D.To borrow money from him. |
A.He had a prejudice on the woman. | B.He couldn't face the woman. |
C.He was judged by his appearance. | D.He was an immigrant himself. |
A.To indicate he led a miserable life. | B.To tell he didn't work hard at school. |
C.To prove he used to be a humble man. | D.To show he used to be unfairly judged. |
A.Be Considerate - Always Minding Your Words |
B.Be Humble - Always Dropping Your Prejudice |
C.Be Generous - Always Helping Those in Need |
D.Be Aggressive - Always Having a Big Dream |
7 . Years ago a farmer owned land along the Atlantic seacoast. He constantly advertised for hired hands but never made it because most people were afraid of the awful
Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age,
"Well,I can sleep when the wind blows," answered the little man.
Although puzzled by this answer, the farmer,
Then one night the wind
But the little man.
The farmer was tempted to fire him on the spot.
When you're prepared,spiritually, mentally and physically , you have nothing to
A.temperatures | B.hardships | C.storms | D.surroundings |
A.greeted | B.begged | C.approached | D.informed |
A.suitable | B.ready | C.available | D.desperate |
A.in | B.with | C.behind | D.around |
A.cheerful | B.satisfied | C.disappointed | D.regretful |
A.flew | B.blew . | C.marched | D.paced |
A.strength | B.breath | C.lantern | D.clothes |
A.shouted | B.explained | C.warned | D.reminded |
A.rolled over | B.turned up | C.lay down | D.wore out |
A.Therefore | B.Instead | C.Meanwhile | D.Moreover |
A.excitement | B.puzzlement | C.amazement | D.disappointment |
A.blocked | B.handled | C.stuck | D.barred |
A.Nothing | B.Everything | C.Something | D.Anything |
A.which | B.what | C.how | D.why |
A.waste | B.admire | C.spare | D.fear |
8 . One day in summer,little Jack was playing on the beach with his father.Suddenly,he saw a little tortoise moving slowly on the sand.He started to look at it carefully and began to touch it with his hand.To his surprise,the tortoise stopped moving.It pulled in its head and legs,and closed its shell tightly.He touched it again but the tortoise didn’t move at all.Jack became angry.He used a stick and tried to force it to open.
When his father saw this,he stopped him and said,“No,son,you mustn’t do that!You will kill the tortoise.You won’t get it open with a stick.”Jack was curious and asked,“Why?”
“Just wait and see,”his father replied.Then he picked up the tortoise and put it in a bag.
After they came back home,the father took the tortoise out of the bag.He put it near the fireplace.After a few minutes,the tortoise began to move a little.The tortoise stretched out its head and legs.At last,the tortoise began to crawl across the room.How excited Jack was when he saw this.
“Son,now you see,”said his father,“sometimes,you can’t force someone to do things he doesn’t like.But if you get him warm first,he will do what you want him to do.”
1. One day Jack and his father was playing_______.A.in the zoo | B.on the beach | C.in the garden | D.on the hill |
A.cooked it | B.killed it | C.threw it into the sea | D.put it in a bag |
A.warm | B.cold | C.hungry | D.thirsty |
A.people refuse to do things we want them to do |
B.people will do things we want them to do |
C.we can force people to do things they don’t like |
D.we can’t force people to do things they don’t like |
9 . Mr Wu is an English teacher. Last Monday at the beginning of class, he
The girl's
“And today is my lucky day,”he added.
“
“This morning, I
“Your e-bike broke down and it's your lucky day?” The students were
“My e-bike broke down a quarter before class, so I
The students’ eyes opened wide, and then they smiled. Mr Wu smiled back. Somehow, his story had
A.proudly | B.cheerfully | C.seriously | D.angrily |
A.busy | B.satisfying | C.terrible | D.meaningful |
A.question | B.suggestion | C.decision | D.introduction |
A.fail | B.hate | C.seem | D.choose |
A.Who | B.When | C.Why | D.How |
A.walked | B.ran | C.drove | D.rode |
A.surprised | B.bored | C.impatient | D.nervous |
A.left | B.checked | C.repaired | D.found |
A.hospital | B.school | C.park | D.bank |
A.somewhere | B.anywhere | C.everywhere | D.nowhere |
A.However | B.Also | C.Instead | D.Otherwise |
A.and | B.but | C.so | D.or |
A.yesterday | B.the other day | C.today | D.tomorrow |
A.hurt | B.touched | C.controlled | D.worried |
A.dream | B.purpose | C.wish | D.luck |
As teenagers, you have many
Andrew Mathews,
You must also never give up