1 . Once upon a time, a daughter complained to her father that her senior high school life was unhappy and that she was tired of struggling with homework all the time.
Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Once the three pots began to boil, h placed potatoes, eggs and coffee beans in them. After 20 minutes, he took them out, putting the potatoes and eggs in a bowl and the coffee in a cup.
Turning to his daughter, he said, “Look closer, and touch the potatoes.” She did and noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After puling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to taste the coffee. Its good smell brought a smile to her face.
“Father, what does this mean?” she asked. He then explained that the potatoes, the eggs and the coffee beans were in the same adversity (逆境)—the boiling water. However, each one reacted differently.
The strong and hard potato became soft and weak in boiling water. The egg was fragile, with the thin outer shell protecting its liquid until it was put in the boiling water. Then the inside of the egg became hard. However, the coffee beans were unique. After they were exposed to the boiling water, they changed the water and created something new. “Which one do you want to be like,” he asked. “When adversity knocks on your door, how will you respond?”
In life, challenges happen to us all, but the only thing that truly matters is what happens within us.
1. Why did the girl complain to her father?A.Because of her tiring job. | B.Because of her hard school life. |
C.Because of her father’ s busy work. | D.Because of the food her father cooked. |
A.The girl liked the coffee best. |
B.The father was good at cooking. |
C.Different people have different reactions to adversity. |
D.The girl didn’t like the potatoes and eggs. |
A.thick | B.hard | C.strong | D.easily-broken |
A.Challenges and responses. | B.Adversities and a chef. |
C.A chef and coffee beans. | D.Father and daughter. |
2 . Two of the saddest words in the English language are “if only”. I live my life with the goal of never having to say those words, because they express regret, lost opportunities, mistakes, and disappointment.
My father is famous in our family for saying, “Take the extra minute to do it right.” I always try to live by the “extra minute” rule. When my children were young and likely to cause accidents, I always thought about what I could do to avoid an “if only” moment, whether it was something minor like moving a cup full of hot coffee away from the edge of a counter, or something that required a little more work such as taping padding (衬垫) onto the sharp comers of a glass coffee table.
I don’t only avoid (避免) those “if only” moments when it comes to safety. it’s equally important to avoid “if only” in our personal relationships. We all know people who lost a loved one and regretted that they had foregone an opportunity to say, “I love you” or “I forgive you.” When my father announced he was going to the eye doctor across from my office on Good Friday, I told him that it was a holiday for my company and I wouldn’t be here. But then I thought about the fact that he’s 84 years old and I realized that I shouldn’t give up an opportunity to see him. I called him and told him I had decided to go to work on my day off after all.
I know there will still be occasions when I have to say “if only” about something, but my life is definitely better because of my policy of doing everything possible to avoid that eventuality (可能发生的事). And even though it takes an extra minute to do something right, or it occasionally takes an hour or two in my busy schedule to make a personal connection, I know that I’m doing the right thing. I’m buying myself peace of mind and that’s the best kind of insurance (保障) for my emotional well-being.
1. Which of the following is an example of the “extra minute” rule?A.Start the car the moment everyone is seated. |
B.Leave the room for a minute with the iron working. |
C.Wait for an extra minute so that the steak tastes better. |
D.Move an object out of the way before it trips (绊倒) someone. |
A.To keep her appointment with the eye doctor. |
B.To meet her father who was already an old man. |
C.To join in the holiday celebration of the company. |
D.To finish her work before the deadline approached. |
A.given up. | B.Lacked. | C.Avoided. | D.Wasted. |
A.The Emotional Well-being | B.The Two Saddest Words |
C.The Most Useful Rule | D.The Peace of Mind |
3 . My grandchild, Harold, was celebrating his 7th birthday. Asked what
Harold remembered me telling of these
I followed the
As I presented the perfectly crafted fudge to Harold, his eyes sparkled with
A.colour | B.gift | C.plan | D.game |
A.did | B.witnessed | C.bought | D.considered |
A.stick | B.pie | C.candy | D.soup |
A.changes | B.failures | C.thrills | D.hardships |
A.fact | B.reason | C.belief | D.theory |
A.complained | B.resisted | C.persisted | D.agreed |
A.story | B.recipe | C.grandson | D.thought |
A.avoided | B.regretted | C.enjoyed | D.kept |
A.scary | B.interesting | C.amazing | D.awkward |
A.quiet | B.proper | C.regular | D.difficult |
A.ahead | B.late | C.fine | D.wrong |
A.joy | B.intelligence | C.humor | D.inspiration |
A.stood for | B.weighed on | C.struck at | D.washed over |
A.education | B.involvement | C.growth | D.fun |
A.interruption | B.request | C.answer | D.pleasure |
4 . Eugenie George was a financial writer and educator from Philadelphia. When she first heard that her friend Jean passed a financial counseling exam, her heart
But then, instead of being
Finding pleasure in another person’s good
A.flew | B.rose | C.swam | D.sank |
A.bought | B.needed | C.tore | D.divided |
A.upset | B.anxious | C.delighted | D.scared |
A.committed | B.admitted | C.permitted | D.submitted |
A.energy | B.expectation | C.envy | D.effort |
A.direction | B.aim | C.fantasy | D.attitude |
A.hurt | B.attracted | C.inspired | D.persuaded |
A.appreciated | B.realized | C.praised | D.doubted |
A.fear | B.experience | C.journey | D.concern |
A.respond to | B.agree with | C.compete with | D.turn to |
A.definitely | B.eventually | C.merely | D.hardly |
A.kind | B.gentle | C.close | D.secure |
A.purpose | B.fortune | C.impression | D.income |
A.Recognizing | B.Showing | C.Sharing | D.Envying |
A.application | B.tradition | C.profession | D.satisfaction |
5 . I have dreamed of taking a trip to Hawaii since I graduated, but the best thing always needs waiting.
I took a trip with my friends to Haleakala National Park, which lies in Hawaii.
When we arrived at Haleakala National Park, we were advised to watch the early morning sunrise. I was lost in the sightseeing (观光) that afternoon, so I could hardly wait to see the sunrise. The next morning, we all got out of bed very early and got to the seaside at 3 o’clock. In the first half an hour, we imagined how wonderful it would be when the first light came out through the thick clouds and how soft it would be when the light touched our skin, so we waited and waited. However, another half an hour later, I gradually lost my patience since there was nothing but the chilly darkness, and I felt that I was frozen to death. (冻死) But my friends were still extremely cheerful.
Nearly another one hour later, “Amazing!” Judy burst out and we all shouted to welcome the light, which was really unbelievable. Until today, I dare say that it is the most impressive sunrise in my life. However, waiting in the morning darkness is also one memory I can’t forget forever.
Waiting sometimes is really a hard thing for most of us as it needs patience and strong-willed determination (决心) , but what about the result after that? It might turn out to be pleasing and unbelievable. So, it is really worth (值得的) waiting for the best.
1. What can we learn from the passage?A.he author’s friends and the author took a trip to China. |
B.Hawaii is a good place to enjoy the sunrise. |
C.Sometimes, it is worth waiting for the best. |
D.The author enjoyed the worst sunrise in his life. |
A.About 3 o’clock. | B.About 4 o’clock. |
C.About 5 o’clock. | D.About 6 o’clock. |
A.Total. | B.Cold. | C.Terrible. | D.Interesting. |
A.Excited all the time. | B.Afraid all the time. |
C.Firstly excited then afraid. | D.Firstly excited then impatient. |
6 . Just about 50 years ago, needing money to support my family—my novels weren’t bestsellers—I had the idea of taking the longest train trip imaginable and writing a travel book about it. The trip was improvisational (即兴的). I didn’t have a credit card. I had no idea where I’d be staying nor how long this trip would take. And I’d never written a travel book before. I hoped my trip wouldn’t suffer a lot, though it was obviously a leap in the dark.
I set off with one small bag containing clothes, a map of Asia, a travel guidebook and some travelers’ cheques. I was often inconvenienced, sometimes threatened, now and then disturbed for bribes, occasionally laid up with food poisoning—all this vivid detail for my narrative.
What I repeated in the more than four-month trip was the pleasure of the sleeping car. Writing on board the Khyber Mail to Lahore in Pakistan, “The romance associated with the sleeping car comes from the fact that it is extremely private, combining the best features of a cupboard with forward movement. Whatever drama is being shown in this moving bedroom is heightened by the landscape passing the window...” A train is a carrier that allows residence.
I wrote The Great Railway Bazaar on my return in 1974, and it appeared to good reviews and quick sales. That’s the past. Nothing is the same. All travel is time-related. All such trips are singular and unrepeatable. It’s not just that the steam trains of Asia are gone, but much of the peace and order is gone. Who’d risk an Iranian train now or take a bus through Afghanistan?
But I’ve been surprised by some of the more recent developments in travel. I rode on Chinese trains for a year and wrote Riding the Iron Rooster, but now China has much cleaner and swifter trains and modernized destinations. A traveler today could take the same trip I took in 1986—1987 and produce a completely different book.
All travel books are dated. That’s their fault that they’re outdated, and it’s their virtue that they preserve something of the past that would otherwise be lost.
1. What happened at the beginning of the author’s trip to Asia?A.He made full preparations for the trip. |
B.He had expected the journey to be rough. |
C.He organized the trip with his family’s support. |
D.He started the trip out of his passion for traveling. |
A.For its romantic scenery. | B.For its reassuring privacy. |
C.For its full equipment. | D.For its long distance. |
A.The landscape in Asia was gone. | B.Train trip was no longer popular. |
C.He couldn’t write another bestseller. | D.Transportation and travel had changed a lot. |
A.Practice makes perfect. | B.Sharp tools make good work. |
C.Travel, truth is not the arrival card. | D.The journey, not the arrival matters. |
7 . Once when I was facing a decision that involved high risk, I went to a friend. He looked at me for a moment, and then wrote a sentence containing the best advice I’ve ever had: Be bold and brave — and mighty (强大的) forces will come to your aid.
Those words made me see clearly that when I had fallen short in the past, it was seldom because I had tried and failed. It was usually because I had let fear of failure stop me from trying at all. On the other hand, whenever I had plunged into deep water, forced by courage or circumstance, I had always been able to swim until I got my feet on the ground again.
Boldness means a decision to bite off more than you are sure you can eat. And there is nothing mysterious about the mighty forces. They are potential powers we possess: energy, skill, sound judgment, creative ideas — even physical strength greater than most of us realize.
Admittedly, those mighty forces are spiritual ones. But they are more important than physical ones. A college classmate of mine, Tim, was an excellent football player, even though he weighed much less than the average player. “In one game I suddenly found myself confronting a huge player, who had nothing but me between him and our goal line,” said Tim. “I was so frightened that I closed my eyes and desperately threw myself at that guy like a bullet (子弹) — and stopped him cold.”
Boldness — a willingness to extend yourself to the extreme — is not one that can be acquired overnight. But it can be taught to children and developed in adults. Confidence builds up. Surely, there will be setbacks (挫折) and disappointments in life; boldness in itself is no guarantee (保证) of success. But the person who tries to do something and fails is a lot better off than the person who tries to do nothing and succeeds.
So, always try to live a little bit beyond your abilities — and you’ll find your abilities are greater than you ever dreamed.
1. Why was the author sometimes unable to reach his goal in the past?A.He faced huge risks. | B.He lacked mighty forces. |
C.Fear prevented him from trying. | D.Failure blocked his way to success. |
A.Swallow more than you can digest. | B.Act slightly above your abilities. |
C.Develop more mysterious powers. | D.Learn to make creative decisions. |
A.His physical strength. | B.His basic skill. | C.His real fear. | D.His spiritual force. |
A.To encourage people to be courageous. | B.To advise people to build up physical power. |
C.To tell people the ways to guarantee success. | D.To recommend people to develop more abilities. |
8 . My wife and I moved into our home two years ago. We had a yard with a lot of
Last summer, I found a tiny little plant in the yard that I could not immediately identify. I knew I didn’t plant it and Denise said she didn’t either.
We decided to let it
Weeks passed and as I made my way back to the
That’s when I
We need to believe in ourselves knowing we have the
A.flower | B.insects | C.vegetables | D.rocks |
A.water | B.fertilizer | C.color | D.shape |
A.stop | B.continue | C.improve | D.escape |
A.weak | B.strange | C.lonely | D.pretty |
A.collect | B.tend | C.remove | D.watch |
A.unusual | B.wonderful | C.terrible | D.valuable |
A.passed | B.started | C.left | D.died |
A.air | B.top | C.sun | D.house |
A.hoped | B.realized | C.doubted | D.regretted |
A.fill in | B.put in | C.worry about | D.believe in |
A.forget | B.hate | C.aim | D.wait |
A.wish | B.plan | C.ability | D.idea |
A.faith | B.energy | C.virtue | D.courage |
A.aware | B.afraid | C.proud | D.tired |
A.forgive | B.support | C.upset | D.affect |
9 . The email hit me like a punch in the gut. It came from my
But despite my
But then, I surprised myself by quickly
Sometimes life sucks and things happen, and we cannot
A.housekeeper | B.parents | C.editor | D.customers |
A.desperately | B.unfortunately | C.hopefully | D.thankfully |
A.initial | B.endless | C.various | D.regular |
A.moved | B.committed | C.disturbed | D.thrilled |
A.laid off | B.approved of | C.seen through | D.looked into |
A.remarkably | B.ambitiously | C.identically | D.negatively |
A.promotion | B.threat | C.column | D.application |
A.boundary | B.failure | C.tendency | D.distance |
A.switching | B.objecting | C.adding | D.comparing |
A.self-defense | B.self-respect | C.self-doubt | D.self-approval |
A.suggestion | B.perspective | C.assistance | D.breath |
A.commanded | B.allowed | C.warned | D.inspired |
A.discover | B.track | C.forget | D.control |
A.routine | B.dream | C.reflection | D.principle |
A.goner | B.victim | C.delay | D.rank |
10 . When my son Gene was about 12 years old, I started helping him learn to
After several weeks’ successful work, I began to
Then I asked him if he had
I was just astonished at the question in my own
A.work | B.cook | C.count | D.share |
A.play | B.raise | C.train | D.observe |
A.save | B.keep | C.buy | D.borrow |
A.nest | B.feed | C.meat | D.soup |
A.given back | B.brought in | C.picked up | D.left over |
A.satisfied | B.cautious | C.excited | D.worried |
A.fortune | B.choice | C.deal | D.contribution |
A.hear | B.affect | C.predict | D.notice |
A.said | B.reminded | C.thought | D.criticized |
A.private | B.enough | C.pocket | D.much |
A.missed | B.finished | C.enjoyed | D.wasted |
A.appreciating | B.bearing | C.gathering | D.laying |
A.balanced | B.measured | C.reduced | D.increased |
A.delighted | B.shocked | C.confused | D.disappointed |
A.forgive | B.accept | C.research | D.know |
A.silence | B.discussion | C.negotiation | D.absence |
A.fewer | B.less | C.more | D.fresher |
A.life | B.case | C.mind | D.job |
A.explanation | B.example | C.significance | D.trick |
A.actually | B.instead | C.rather | D.finally |