1 . Great work is work that makes a difference in people’s lives, writes David Sturt, Executive Vice President of the O.C. Tanner Institute, in his book Great Work: How to Make a Difference People Love. Sturt insists, however, that great work is not just for surgeons or special-needs educators or the founders of organizations trying to eliminate poverty in sub-Saharan Africa. The central theme of Great Work, according to Sturt, is that anyone can make a difference in any job. It’s not the nature of the job, but what you do with the job that counts. As proof, Sturt tells the story of a remarkable hospital cleaner named Moses.
In a building filled with doctors and nurses doing great life-saving work, Moses the cleaner makes a difference. Whenever he enters a room, especially a room with a sick child, he engages both patients and parents with his optimism and calm, introducing himself to the child and, Sturt writes, speaking “little comments about light and sunshine and making things clean.” He comments on any progress he sees day by day (“you’re sitting up today, that’s good.”) Moses is no doctor and doesn’t pretend to be, but he has witnessed hundreds of sick children recovering from painful surgery, and parents take comfort from his encouraging words. For Matt and Mindi, whose son McKay was born with only half of a heart, Moses became a close friend. As Sturt explains, “Moses took his innate (与生俱来的) talents (his sensitivity) and his practical wisdom (from years of hospital experience) and combined them into a powerful form of patient and family support that changed the critical-care experience for Mindi, Matt and little McKay.”
How do people like Moses do great work when so many people just work? That was the central question raised by Sturt and his team at the O.C. Tanner Institute, a consulting company specialized in employee recognition and rewards system.
O.C. Tanner launched an exhaustive Great Work study that included surveys to 200 senior executives, a further set of surveys to 1,000 managers and employees working on projects, an in-depth qualitative study of 1.7 million accounts of award-winning work (in the form of nominations (提名) for awards from corporations around the world), and one-on-one interviews with 200 difference makers. The results of the study revealed that those who do great work refuse to be defeated by the constraints of their jobs and are especially able to reframe their jobs: they don’t view their jobs as a list of tasks and responsibilities but see their jobs as opportunities to make a difference. No matter, as Moses so ably exemplifies (例证), what that job may be.
1. According to Sturt, which of the following is TRUE?A.It’s not the nature of the job, but what you do that makes a difference. |
B.Anyone in the world is responsible to delete poverty and change the world. |
C.Anyone can make a difference in people’s lives no matter what kind of job he does. |
D.Surgeons, special-needs educators and founders of organizations can succeed more easily. |
A.By keeping optimistic and calm when facing patients and their parents at hospital. |
B.By showing his special gift and working experience when working at hospital. |
C.By showing his sympathy and kindness to patients when entering their rooms. |
D.By pretending to be a doctor or nurse when entering a room with a sick child. |
A.demands | B.advantages | C.disadvantages | D.limitations |
A.Great work is work that makes a difference in people’s lives no matter what you do. |
B.If a boss has trouble recognizing his employees, he can ask O. C. Tanner for advice. |
C.Moses makes a difference through his sensitivity and his practical wisdom. |
D.Those who do great work are never defeated by others or their jobs themselves. |
2 . One morning in July 2011, a taxi sat wandering outside Petco Park stadium in San Diego. And Wade LeBlanc, a (an)
“You’re Wade LeBlanc,” the taxi driver said.
“Right.”
“You got some good stuff.”
This
“I think there are some things you should think about
Wait, what? This guy was offering
The next day, in Tucson, LeBlanc met his
LeBlanc included the new
The funny thing about advice: We so often take it from the
“Expert advisers often make surprisingly inaccurate predictions about the future, yet people
Now, not everyone took experts’ advice. The more
A.excellent | B.struggling | C.ambitious | D.awkward |
A.surprised | B.concerned | C.disturbed | D.angered |
A.avoiding | B.making | C.trying | D.crossing |
A.player | B.director | C.joker | D.loser |
A.service | B.advice | C.chances | D.courses |
A.accepted | B.worried | C.smiled | D.laughed |
A.explained | B.interrupted | C.listened | D.guessed |
A.parents | B.coach | C.driver | D.fans |
A.changes | B.contributions | C.additions | D.objectives |
A.included | B.announced | C.suggested | D.resisted |
A.aim | B.effect | C.hobby | D.move |
A.patient | B.optimistic | C.brilliant | D.justified |
A.attractive | B.popular | C.humble | D.wrong |
A.overvalue | B.skip | C.ignore | D.involve |
A.identified | B.supported | C.opposed | D.started |
A.qualifications | B.benefits | C.prize | D.degree |
A.follow | B.abandon | C.provide | D.improve |
A.literary | B.successful | C.careful | D.negative |
A.tolerate | B.help | C.know | D.trust |
A.job | B.example | C.excuse | D.gift |
3 . To learn to think is to learn to question. Those who don't question never truly think for themselves. These are simple rules that have governed the advancement of science and human thought since the beginning of time. Advancements are made when thinkers question theories and introduce new ones. Unfortunately, it is often the great and respected thinkers who end up slowing the progress of human thought. Aristotle was a brilliant philosopher whose theories explained much of the natural world, often incorrectly. He was so esteemed by the scientific community that even 1,200 years after his death, scientists were still trying to build upon his mistakes rather than correct them!
Brilliant minds can intimidate upandcoming thinkers who are not confident of their abilities. They often believe they are inferior to the minds of giants such as Aristotle, leading many to accept current paradigms instead of questioning them.
I, like many thinkers of the past, once believed in my mental inferiority. I was certain that my parents, my teachers-adults in general-were always right. They were like a textbook to me; I didn't question what was written on those pages. I respected them, and accepted whatever they told me. But that attitude soon changed. My mind's independence was first stimulated in the classroom.
A stern, 65yearold elementaryschool science teacher once told me that light is a type of wave. I confidently went through years of school believing that light is a wave. One day,however I heard the German exchange student mention that light could be made up of particles. As the others laughed at his statement, I started to question my beliefs.
Maybe the teachers and textbooks hadn't given me the whole story. I went to the library, did some research and learned of the lightasawave versus lightasaparticle debate. I read about Einstein's discovery of the dual nature of light and learned the facts of a paradox(悖论) that puzzles the world's greatest thinkers to this day. Light behaves as both a particle and a wave, it is both at once. I realized I had gone through life accepting only half of the story as the whole truth.
Each new year brought more new facts, and I formulated even more questions. I found myself in the library after school, trying to find my own answers to gain a more complete understanding of what I thought I already knew. I discovered that my parents and teachers are incredible tools in my quest for knowledge, but they are never the final word. Even textbooks can be challenged. I learned to question my sources, I learned to be a thinker. I once believed that everything I learned at home and at school was certain, but I have now discovered to reexamine when necessary.
Questions are said to be the path to knowledge and truth, and I plan to continue questioning. How many things do we know for sure today that we will question in the future? At this moment, I know that our sun will burn for another five billion years, and I know nothing can escape the gravity of a black hole. This knowledge, however, may change in the next 20 years-maybe even in the next two. The one thing we can control now is our openness to discovery. Questions are the tools of open minds, and open minds are the key to intellectual advancement.
1. In the first paragraph, Aristotle is taken as an example to show that ______.A.he is the greatest and respected philosopher of all time |
B.huge influence of great thinkers may block human thought |
C.advancements are made when thinkers question theories |
D.great thinkers often make mistakes and then correct them |
A.Frighten. | B.Encourage. | C.Strength. | D.Persuade. |
A.what he learned from textbooks before turned out to be wrong |
B.he was inspired by the different ideas from an exchange student |
C.he was laughed at by other students for his unacceptable statement |
D.he was not satisfied with his life and desperate to achieve success |
A.looks down upon great thinkers all the time |
B.never doubts what he has learned in the textbook |
C.always throws himself into the laboratory |
D.determines to be a thinker and questioner |
A.the author is not quite sure about his future |
B.we human beings don't dare to predict future |
C.theory of black holes will change in two years |
D.questioning is necessary to promote advancement |
A.Following rules. | B.Challenging yourself. |
C.Questioning giants. | D.Predicting future. |
4 . I have the bad habit of skipping to the last pages of a book to see how it ends while I’m still in the middle of it. This habit
At times I didn’t
Life has often had to
A.concerned | B.annoyed | C.frightened | D.embarrassed |
A.impatience | B.difficulty | C.influence | D.effort |
A.demanding | B.carrying | C.writing | D.reading |
A.interest | B.excitement | C.anger | D.sadness |
A.extend | B.spread | C.limit | D.devote |
A.bring out | B.let out | C.try out | D.figure out |
A.fearing | B.enjoying | C.doubting | D.imagining |
A.pages | B.things | C.reports | D.novels |
A.Indeed | B.Still | C.Surely | D.Finally |
A.ending | B.plot | C.outline | D.passage |
A.happily | B.carefully | C.unwillingly | D.foolishly |
A.counted | B.left | C.happened | D.backed |
A.start | B.finish | C.work | D.change |
A.touch | B.amuse | C.worry | D.surprise |
A.allow | B.force | C.remind | D.encourage |
A.admitting | B.returning | C.responding | D.referring |
A.present | B.memory | C.dream | D.future |
A.right | B.first | C.new | D.blank |
A.more or less | B.line by line | C.one by one | D.now and then |
A.story | B.job | C.plan | D.hope |
5 . Some of the greatest problems we face today are concerned with the gradual destruction of our environment. Brown clouds; wildlife
But does it do any good?
I recently learned something about flamingos (火烈鸟). These beautiful birds gather in
However, the next day they
The
Then one day something
A few can make a
If you believe in a cause (事业), don’t
A.protection | B.extinction | C.migration | D.separation |
A.questions | B.costs | C.examples | D.problems |
A.drive | B.run | C.cycle | D.stand |
A.tiny | B.different | C.huge | D.similar |
A.comes | B.passes | C.varies | D.moves |
A.all | B.any | C.none | D.most |
A.gather | B.try | C.sing | D.appear |
A.attract | B.require | C.escape | D.pay |
A.plan | B.trend | C.activity | D.movement |
A.since | B.though | C.unless | D.while |
A.responsibility | B.notice | C.chance | D.measure |
A.put off | B.cut off | C.carried out | D.worked out |
A.approaches | B.works | C.changes | D.disappears |
A.significant | B.reasonable | C.adequate | D.small |
A.continues | B.delays | C.finishes | D.begins |
A.familiar | B.strange | C.magnificent | D.unrealistic |
A.point | B.decision | C.difference | D.mistake |
A.useless | B.tireless | C.extra | D.special |
A.give up | B.give in | C.give away | D.give out |
A.identify | B.understand | C.predict | D.solve |
6 . Exams never made me break out in a nervous sweat with tears threatening to ruin my already-trembling façade — but this one did. Even booking my piano exam reduced me to a blubbering mess of anxiety.
I feel permanently scarred inside churches — no longer admiring their beauty because, over the years, I have received such terrible marks from examiners hiding behind the stained-glass partitions. Despite being 15 — too old, too cool to be frightened — I remember trembling inside the bathroom stalls before my tests. I wished I never had to play in front of others.
But this time, after booking my Level 8 Royal Conservatory of Music piano exam, I went back to my normal routine. A little practice here, a little practice there. And then it happened.
My trusty, 10-year-old electric piano gave out. Middle C started to sound like an F-sharp and all other keys sounded like they were a fourth above their natural tone. Thankfully, my precious, boredom-saving buttons still worked. I could still change my piano’s settings from “piano” to “harpsichord .” I admit, it was a lot of fun banging on my wacky keys. Each note bonged like the sound on children’s TV shows when a character repeatedly runs into a wall.
Goofiness aside, I had to get my act together. I hated practicing but I really wanted a good mark. When I told my father what had happened to my piano, he only glared at me with disappointment, “When I was your age, I learned to be resourceful.”
Hmm. I had a broken piano, an exam coming up in a few months and a father who refused to buy me a new piano because he wanted to teach me a “life lesson”. I finally came upon a decision: I’d practice at school.
Going to a private school had to have its benefits, so I looked for a place to play. The school had many pianos but only a few in tune. Within a few days of searching, my piano books, my artistic best friend and I headed off to a music room at every available opportunity.
I loved finding new pianos in hidden corners of the school and I laughed at the dusty old historic pianos. They really had character. I spent hours in those music rooms while my friend honed her art skills in sketching and drawing. She suffered through my annoying, repetitive scales while I looked over my shoulder once in a while and admired her work. Not only did I become a better musician, but I also managed to gain a few subpar skills as an art critic.
As my exam drew close, all the music teachers knew to look for me in the piano rooms during recess, after school and late on Fridays. In anticipation of my assessment, one of my music teachers let me perform for her as a mini practice exam. To my surprise, she was greatly impressed.
Within a few months I went from not caring about my playing to feeling actually, maybe, kind of proud of my work. And over countless hours spent in my favorite, soundproof music room, I discovered that behind the piano, I could become anyone. Talking to other people never came easy to me, but I was able to express myself through music. I became overjoyed. It was like I had developed a sixth sense, one that only musicians could understand.
When I played, my worries about what others thought of me and how I viewed myself merged to reveal who I really am. All my adolescent musings made me feel like I was in a cage, but music gave me the key. Sitting behind a piano and creating music combined the movement of my body and the inner workings of my heart.
Music had never been the love of my life but that was changing. I loved the idea of being on a stage and creating something for others to enjoy and remember. Actually, it wasn’t a something, but rather a feeling that the audience would carry outside into a world where music wasn’t the only thing that people cared for.
When the time came to play in front of an examiner, instead of fearing my judge, I feared nothing but being unable to represent all my hard work. All the anxiety I had about going up on stage dimmed, and when the lights went on, all I could think about was the marvellous journey I’d had to get here. Trilling the keys reminded me of when I’d spent nearly two hours alone in a music room, more content than I had been anywhere else. Playing the melody reminded me of the bittersweet music experiences of past years.
Many days later, I received my mark. Not only did I earn a rarely mentioned “well done” and an 82 per cent, I had rewritten what music meant to me.
Now whenever I get caught up in the daily struggle, I remember the hard work that it took to reach my goal. Whenever I feel discouraged, I never forget to look at the gleaming keys of my new upright piano. As my father always says, some lessons are just learned the hard way.
1. What made the author so stressful inside churches these years?A.The religious atmosphere. | B.The artistic performance. |
C.The horrible surroundings. | D.Her colorful fantasy. |
A.The author’s family was too poor to afford a new piano. |
B.The father was quite angry about the author’s bad behavior. |
C.The author showed great dissatisfaction about her father. |
D.The father wanted the author to address the problem independently. |
A.mixed | B.separated | C.interacted | D.exploited |
A.Her good friend accompanied her to get through hard time. |
B.Her teachers treated her much better than before. |
C.Her family supported her quite well. |
D.Her own understanding of musical value. |
A.Nervous — disappointed — angry — calm |
B.Curious — frustrated — hopeful — grateful |
C.Frightened — indifferent — passionate — proud |
D.Depressed — satisfied — disappointed — peaceful |
A.An important Music Test |
B.A Hard but Enjoyable Life |
C.The Key to Happiness |
D.My Favourite Piano |
7 . From a young age, I was taught to be kind to people around. My parents
Last week, as I left the house for work, I carried with me some
As the car
Once again she
I was thankful that I could
Next time you want to do something nice for someone, don’t
A.cheerfully | B.confidently | C.particularly | D.smoothly |
A.difficult | B.rich | C.comfortable | D.fortunate |
A.find | B.exchange | C.spare | D.abandon |
A.casual | B.worn | C.old | D.fashionable |
A.needy | B.clumsy | C.lucky | D.lonely |
A.pulled | B.stopped | C.approached | D.drew |
A.wanted | B.ordered | C.touched | D.signaled |
A.threw | B.collected | C.dragged | D.dropped |
A.surprised | B.embarrassed | C.panicked | D.worried |
A.bag | B.pocket | C.car | D.hand |
A.waved at | B.looked up at | C.shook hands with | D.nodded at |
A.realized | B.watched | C.recognized | D.noticed |
A.bottle | B.drop | C.lot | D.cup |
A.pointed out | B.gave out | C.picked out | D.took out |
A.satisfaction | B.communication | C.appreciation | D.expectation |
A.afford | B.offer | C.understand | D.remember |
A.donations | B.differences | C.senses | D.kindness |
A.strengthened | B.changed | C.shook | D.destroyed |
A.hold out | B.hold on | C.hold back | D.hold down |
A.idea | B.power | C.position | D.opportunity |
8 . The first time I went hunting wild geese with my father, I couldn't catch them no matter how hard I tried. Every time I tried to approach them,
Hearing my trouble, my father
“That's
Not quite understanding why, I
I picked up a piece of stone from the ground and threw it at the slave. As
I followed my father's instructions to repeat this
"You can approach the geese now,"
So I got close to the wild geese again. The slave saw me, but it took no
The tragedy often occurs in this
A.somehow | B.anyway | C.somewhat | D.anyhow |
A.surprised | B.touched | C.annoyed | D.entertained |
A.aimed | B.laughed | C.stared | D.pointed |
A.father | B.soldier | C.slave | D.leader |
A.unlucky | B.unusual | C.informal | D.incorrect |
A.when | B.how | C.why | D.where |
A.start | B.beg | C.kill | D.watch |
A.refused | B.offered | C.pretended | D.decided |
A.suggested | B.expected | C.reported | D.whispered |
A.suddenly | B.immediately | C.carefully | D.angrily |
A.directions | B.forms | C.methods | D.shapes |
A.trick | B.word | C.plan | D.idea |
A.Actually | B.Finally | C.Obviously | D.Especially |
A.blaming | B.teasing | C.hatting | D.attacking |
A.meaning | B.shouting | C.warning | D.feeling |
A.answered | B.explained | C.repeated | D.reminded |
A.courage | B.notes | C.action | D.pictures |
A.busy with | B.tired of | C.angry at | D.used to |
A.Hopeless | B.Careless | C.Heartless | D.Speechless |
A.way | B.order | C.time | D.situation |
9 . Are you aware that every single person on this planet who has ever lived, lives now or will live, has a different perception of reality? The way each of us perceives the world is to some degree different than any other person's perception of reality. __①__ What is absolutely real and right for you may be an illusion, or nonexistent, or completely false for another!
It's important to know this. __②__ For example, the news media loves to create drama, and one of their favorite methods is to elicit(引起) fear: fear of other people, fear of the weather, fear of the economy, etc. The news media tells us how to perceive the world—and if a person takes the newscasters at their word, they perceive the world to be very dangerous and hostile. To that person,the mental images and emotions suggested by other people create a version of reality that is completely different from the reality perceived by someone who does not watch the news.
Things are not always what they seem. For most people, seeing is believing, which is why magicians, artists and marketers are so successful. Just like the TV news, they show you only what they want you to see and it is perceived as reality. But how would that reality change if you saw what went on behind the scenes or what was left out?
What's your story?
We all have a story. Over time, your story takes on a life of its own and you become your story. But who's the author and why did him put so much crap in there? All that unnecessary suffering, struggle, heartache, worry and pain... wouldn't it be better to live a story without all that? Who wants to live in a story with that much boredom and unfulfilled longings?
The story got its start when you were born, and was coauthored by you along with the influences in your life. __③__ Anytime you were influenced by someone or something, you unconsciously handed your pen over and said “Here, you write this about me.” So you are not even writing your OWN story! No one does—until they recognize that fact, and make a conscious decision to take control of the pen. You CAN write your story the way you want it to play out.
________________
It is helpful to understand how the brain takes reality and filters it to create your unique perception of reality. It's an automatic unconscious action that is based on:
● Physical experiences (which is why some optical illusions are extremely unsettling)
● Past conditioning (how you are programmed to see the world)
__④__ When you become aware of the fact that you are constructing your own reality, you can take charge and build one that is more pleasing. If you change your mind, your vibration and your intentions, you can change your circumstances! Instead of, “I am a victim of circumstance,” imprint in your mind, “I am the cocreator of my life”; Instead of, “I am sick and tired of...” imprint in your mind,“I am in control and enthusiastic about what I do”.
Raise your vibration by thinking, talking and acting more positively. As positiveness becomes a mental habit,that change will become your new inner reality, which will soon manifest in your outer reality.
The power of perception is immense. Choose to see more good than bad, more abundance than lack, more love than indifference and more success than struggle.
1. How does the author present his viewpoints in the first three paragraphs?A.By answering questions. | B.By giving examples. |
C.By making comparisons. | D.By drawing conclusions. |
A.① | B.② | C.③ | D.④ |
A.Seeing is not believing |
B.Live up to your expectations |
C.Change your perception and create a new reality |
D.Physical experiences and past conditioning really count |
A.Instructive. | B.Humorous. |
C.Critical. | D.Ironic. |
My mother was a supporter of physical punishment, but for all her talking she has never spanked (打屁股) my siblings, and me only once. Instead she found ways of punishment that left a more lasting memory than giving us a spanking. One of the most memorable of these occasions occurred when I was four.
In the early 70’s my mother attended college during the day and I was in day care. One day at day care I watched an extremely tired mother attempt to pick up her daughter. The little girl asked, “Momma, are we going to McDonald’s for dinner?” The mother replied, “Honey, not tonight. Momma has to run a few errands (差事) and then we have to go home and cook dinner for Daddy.” “But I wanna go.” “Susie, I said not tonight. Maybe, if you are a good girl, we can go tomorrow.” Susie immediately dropped to the floor, kicking and screaming, “I want to go to McDonald’s.”
No amount of pleading (恳求) or scolding her mother tried stopped Susie’s tantrum (发脾气). Finally her mother gave in, “Okay, Susie, let’s go to McDonald’s.” Susie stopped yelling. With a smile on her face she grabbed her mother’s hand and they left. To say I was amazed would be inaccurate (不准确的); I was delighted that anything I wanted could be had by throwing a tantrum.
That day my mother picked me up early from day care because we were going to a store to purchase some Christmas items. I was excited by the lights and decorations, and as we walked through the toy section on the way to the counter, I saw a toy I had to have. It was a white and red telephone whose bells rang as it was pulled along on a string. Looking lovingly up at my mother I asked, “Mama, can I have that telephone? ”
She replied, “Baby, not now, but if you are a good girl, maybe Santa will bring it to you.” “But Mama, I want that telephone right now.” Her eyes narrowed and her hand tightened on mine. “Becky, you can’t have that telephone today, but if you misbehave, you can have a spanking.”
注意:
1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右;
2. 应使用5个以上短文中标有下划线的关键词语;
3. 续写部分分为两段,每段的开头语已为你写好;
4. 续写完成后,请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Paragraph l:
By now we were standing in the long holiday line to pay the bill, and I figured it was a good chance.
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Paragraph 2:
“Mama, stop. Mama, get up,” I tearfully pleaded.
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