1 . To be really happy and really safe, one ought to have at least two or three hobbies, and they must all be real. It is no use starting late in life to say “I will take an interest in this or that.” Such an attempt only aggravates the strain of mental effort. A man may acquire great knowledge of topics unconnected with his daily work, and yet hardly get any benefit or relief. It is no use doing what you like; you have got to like what you do.
Broadly speaking, human beings may be divided into three classes: those whoare toiledto death, those who are worried to death and those who are bored to death. It is no use offering the manual labourer, tired out with a hard week’s sweat and effort, the chance of playing a game of football or baseball on Saturday afternoon. It is no use inviting the politician or the professional or business man, who has been working or worrying about serious things for six days, to work or worry about trifling things at the weekend. As for the unfortunate people who can command everything they want, who can gratify every caprice and lay their hands on almost every object of desire — for them a new pleasure, a new excitement is only an additional satiation. In vain they rush frantically round from place to place, trying to escape from the avenging boredom by mere clatter and motion. For them discipline in one form or another is the most hopeful path.
It may also be said that rational, industrious, useful human beings are divided into two classes: first, those whose work is work and whose pleasure is pleasure; and secondly, those whose work and pleasure are one. Of these the former are the majority. They have their compensations. The long hours in the office or the factory bring with them as their reward, not only the means of sustenance, but a keen appetite for pleasure even in its simplest and most modest forms. But Fortune’s favoured children belong to the second class. Their life is a natural harmony. For them the working hours are never long enough. Each day is a holiday, and ordinary holidays when they come are grudged as enforced interruptions in an absorbing vacation. Yet to both classes the need of an alternative outlook, of a change of atmosphere, of a diversion of effort, is essential. Indeed, it may well be that those whose work is their pleasure are those who most need the means of banishing it at intervals from their mind.
1. What does “are toiled” in the 2ndparagraph mean?| A．have hobbies | B．feel pleased |
| C．work very hard | D．are busy |
| A．Being late in life to attempt to cultivate hobbies adds to mental stress. |
| B．Great knowledge irrelevant to the daily work can’t guarantee benefit. |
| C．Those tired out for a week’s labour are reluctant to play football on weekends. |
| D．Unfortunate people need discipline to help them build up hope. |
| A．are very willing to work long hours in the office or the factory |
| B．earn a large amount of money due to their hard work for a long time |
| C．are keen to enjoy the pleasure when they are off duty |
| D．usually enjoy themselves in the simplest and most modest forms |
| A．The first class are lazy and the second class are bound to succeed. |
| B．The second class never need holidays because their life is harmonious. |
| C．The minority are more favoured by fortune because they never stop working. |
| D．One really needs alternation for a change in order to work better. |
2 . There is a cry of anger, and a tennis racket crashes to the ground. Jake, age 7, has just lost another match and is now in tears beside the court. His sister Sally, just one year older, looks at her mother and rolls her eyes: it is hard to enjoy winning when this keeps happening. It is not an unusual situation, and it is one reason why many people argue that competition is bad for children. However, the truth is that competitive games are a valuable preparation for adult life.
Games with winners and losers give children the chance to experience life’s ups and downs. Take Jake, for example. Even though he is unhappy now, he will probably be smiling and laughing with his sister in a few minutes, just like the last time this happened. Gradually, he will learn that the world does not end when you lose a game. Eventually, he may even be able to lose with a smile on his face. This is an important lesson. Not everything in life goes the way you would like, and it is important to know how to handle disappointment when it occurs.
Children who participate in competitive games develop qualities that allow them to succeed in the complex world of adult life. For example, one of the missions of the Youth Olympic Games is to inspire young people to adopt the Olympic values, which include striving, determination and optimism. Competition creates a desire to do better. Children have to learn to succeed in a competitive atmosphere in order to take advantage of opportunities in the future. Although it is possible to win by chance occasionally, people who win and keep winning work very hard to achieve their success.
On the negative side, there are those who will say that competition actually encourages some values, which does happen. It is common to see sports competition in which the desire to win has replaced the desire to have fun. You may even see very young children playing violently----like the superstars they see on TV. While the bad behavior of young athletes is troubling, the problem is not the competition itself. In reality, the blame lies with the professional players who are bad role models for these children. In fact, a recent study of young athletes by the school of Physical Health Education at the University of Wyoming showed an improvement in mood after exercise, athletes were less depressed or tense.
Of course, there are parents who argue that children of Jake’s age are too young to handle the pain of losing. But whether we like it or not, adult life is very competitive, and keeping children away from competition does them more harm than good. If children do not learn how to compete, they will be defeated by people who can. It is an unfortunate fact of life: whether ten or a hundred people want the same job, there can be only one winner. Wouldn’t you want your child to be that person?
1. Competitive games prepare children for their adult life by_______| A．enabling them to know to handle life’s ups and downs |
| B．allowing them to succeed in the complex world of adult life |
| C．Ending their feeling about the world when they lose |
| D．Helping them to smile even when they are disappointed |
| A．Competitions develop children’s qualities to succeed in their future life |
| B．the Olympic Values should be promoted among young people |
| C．Taking advantages of future opportunities makes one desire to do better |
| D．Only by working hard to keep winning can one achieve true success |
| A．The desire to win | B．The desire to have fun |
| C．Good role models | D．An improvement in mood |
| A．They should learn how to handle pain of losing |
| B．Children should know earlier the competitive adult life |
| C．They shouldn’t keep children away from competition |
| D．They should encourage their children to get the job |
