1 . What is your calling? What is your purpose in life? What did you come to this world to do? Every day we read about how we should find our purpose and pursue it throughout our lives in order to find meaning and contentment. There are even scientific studies that show people who view their work as a calling rather than just a career or a job have a higher life and work satisfaction. So, what exactly is this calling?
I’ve personally struggled with this concept for many years. I knew that happiness not only came from a present state of joy, but also from the pursuit of an objective that gave me something to pursue. That is, until I found myself feeling empty despite my achievement of those goals.
And as I reflected on these feelings of emptiness and boredom that had arisen despite my successes, I realized something. Meaning and satisfaction come from a personal devotion to what we do and the intrinsic (固有的) fulfillment we get from it. It has nothing to do with financial gain, social advancement or any other type of external reward or motivation. It is about doing something that we love. It is about focusing our efforts and spending our time on passions that light the spark inside of us and allow us to share with the world the unique gifts we possess.
I had never before stopped to think about what I found intrinsically rewarding or fulfilling. Financial gain and external recognition were pretty much the only drivers I knew. More so, I thought this calling meant having one passion we were born with to pursue relentlessly (不懈地).
So, I spent some years trying to find this long-lost purpose of mine. I discovered during that time passions I had no idea I even had. Yet, I wasn’t sure how to make them into my life purpose. I searched for an answer but couldn’t find it. It wasn’t until I came to understand the truths about our purpose in life that I was able to find my place in this world.
Our purpose can consist of various things that make us feel alive. As we grow and evolve throughout the different stages in our lives, we may discover new passions and desires that change our sense of purpose and calling.
We all have a longing for lives that give meaning to our existence. The difference lies in how we go about accomplishing this. We must each find our own “shine” and then shine on.
1. According to the passage, the calling refers to________.A.one’s view about careers |
B.a task one has to carry out |
C.a life-long career one chooses |
D.a strong desire or sense of duty to do a job |
A.Financial gain and external recognition. |
B.Pursuing passions relentlessly. |
C.Discovering new passions. |
D.Finding purpose in life. |
A.Trying to do everything that you can. |
B.Trying to achieve your ambitious goals. |
C.Doing meaningful things with your passion. |
D.Doing something that can be successful easily. |
A.the author spent some years making changes |
B.the author used to think he had no passion at all |
C.the author didn’t know how to search for the life purpose |
D.the author has known his passions since he started to work |
A.It’s wise to give up discovering our one true passion. |
B.It’s useless to pursue financial gain and external recognition. |
C.It’s necessary to find our own calling and pursue it with vigor. |
D.It’s important to share our passion with the world without stopping. |
2 . When I spent the summer with my grandmother, she always set me down to the general store with a list. Behind the counter was a lady like no one I’d ever seen.
“Excuse me,” I said. She looked up and said, “I’m Miss Bee.”
“I need to get these.” I said, holding up my list. “So? Go get them.” Miss Bee pointed to a sign. “There’s no one here except you and me and I’m not your servant, so get yourself a basket from that pile.”
I visited Miss Bee twice a week that summer. Sometimes she shortcharged me. Other times she overcharged. Going to the store was like going into battle. All summer long she found ways to trick me. No sooner had I learned how to pronounce “bicarbonate of soda” and memorized its location on the shelves than she made me hunt for it all over again. But by summer’s end the shopping trip that had once taken me an hour was done in 15 minutes.
“All right, little girl,” she said. “What did you learn this summer?” “That you’re a meanie (小气鬼)!” I replied. Miss Bee just laughed and said, “I know what you think of me. Well, I don’t care! My job is to teach every child I meet life lessons. When you get older you’ll be glad!” Glad I met Miss Bee? Ha! The idea was absurd…
Until one day my daughter came to me with homework troubles. “It’s too hard,” she said. “Could you finish my math problems for me?”
“If I do it for you, how will you ever learn to do it yourself?” I said. Suddenly, I was back at that general store where I had learned the hard way to add up my bill by myself. Had I ever been overcharged since?
1. What did the author’s grandmother always ask her to do during her summer vacation?A.Go to see the lady in a store. | B.Make lists for her shopping. |
C.Buy something in the general store. | D.Send lists to the lady in the general store. |
A.Teaching kids lessons was Miss Bee’s job at that time. |
B.She neither shortcharged the author nor overcharged her. |
C.Her tricks made the author finish shopping in a shorter time. |
D.She used to learn to pronounce the names of some goods in the store. |
A.express her opposition to Miss Bee |
B.tell readers Miss Bee’s influence on her |
C.show her satisfaction with her kid’s homework |
D.inform readers of her irresponsibility for her kid |
A.A Precious Lesson By Meanie | B.Being a Responsible Mother |
C.Making a Meaningful Life List | D.An Unforgettable Summer Travel |
3 . From now on, never spend your precious time thinking of reasons for your failures and shortcomings. Instead, realize that the seeds of success were planted within you when you were born. Only you have the power to make those seeds grow.
The seeds, and the power to grow them, are contained in the most awesome (令人惊叹的) machine ever created: the human mind. Success is a choice and not a chance. You were born a winner. You were born rich. You can be a success if only you make the right choice.
You cannot be successful without first developing your self-esteem (自尊). Your level of self-esteem is always based on the degree of control that you are able to exercise over yourself, and thus over your life. People with low self-esteem are people who do not believe that they have any power, or responsibility for their lives. They are leaves tossed(摇摆)by the winds of chance blown about with any sudden change in the weather.
You can exercise control over your life only to the degree that you believe that you are responsible for everything that happens in your life. Failures think that everything happens by accident and chance. Successful people realize that they are responsible.
Everything happens as a result of something. If we can identify the cause, we can control the effect. We are responsible for what we choose to think and believe. One generally rises to the level that one expects. We are responsible for setting our expectations. Our success is dependent upon our level of confidence.
If you associate with positive-thinking people, you are definitely going to achieve success. On the contrary, the opposite happens. We are responsible for finding, planting, and nurturing (养育) the seeds that contain future victory, born from setbacks (挫折).
In short, in all areas of your life, whether they be financial, physical, emotional, or spiritual, you are responsible. Once you recognize this, accept it, and firmly believe it, you are on the road to success.
1. People with low self-esteem are compared to leaves because they ______.A.are ready to change their minds |
B.don’t have the ability to control themselves |
C.can’t be successful with self-control |
D.are easily affected by windy weather |
A.their failure is accidental |
B.working hard will lead to success |
C.they are responsible for success |
D.they should make efforts to succeed |
A.our success results from our attitudes |
B.one can rise to the level that one expects |
C.we should be responsible for our thoughts and beliefs |
D.setting our expectations is essential before taking action |
A.the proof of the author’s points |
B.an introduction to another topic |
C.the conclusion of the argument |
D.a comparison between two views |
A.The secrets of success. |
B.How to achieve success. |
C.Develop our confidence. |
D.Success depends on you. |
4 . When I was a kid,I was the girl who kept the training wheels on my bike as long as possible.Even my younger sister had got rid of them much earlier than me.But as I began to grow older,this changed.
All this happened on the Bike Safety Day.It is supposed to be a fun day at school when all of us kids bring our bikes to school and the school provides us with the opportunity to ride outside and learn proper bike safety.Sounds like fun,right?No.In fact,it caused me to panic.What was I going to say when my friends asked me about my training wheels?
With the pressure of everyone seeing my training wheels,I determined to let them go.This was the first big change I’d ever made on my own.
I went to my parents and told them all about my dilemma.They were more than happy to help.We went outside and got my bike.Instead of running away and hiding behind,I stood in front of my bike and took great pride in my decision as my dad removed the training wheels.
I got on and steadied myself.My heart raced but my feet and hands were calm.My dad started to push before my feet even moved and suddenly I was off.The fear faded away and a relaxed mind came into its place.It was crazy to think how quickly I learned something that took so long for me to even try!
My confidence soared (高涨).This was going to be the start of a brand new world for me.My accomplishment would carry me forth to new goals and wins.I realized that if I set my mind on doing something,I could achieve it.
1. What does the school expect the students to do on Bike Safety Day?A.Have their bikes checked. |
B.Ride outside for fun. |
C.Acquire bike safety skills. |
D.Remove the training wheels. |
A.The author’s friends. | B.The author’s parents. |
C.The safety problems. | D.The training wheels. |
A.She felt extremely embarrassed. |
B.Everything turned out to be easy. |
C.She ended up falling down. |
D.Her sisters followed her example. |
A.Patience. | B.Determination. |
C.Pressure. | D.Concentration. |
5 . My teacher held up a piece of broken glass and asked, “Who broke this window?”
Thirty boys tried to think about not only what they had done, but also what the teacher might have found out. She seldom became angry, but she was this time.
“Oh,” I thought. I was the one who broke the window. It was caused by a naughty throw of a baseball. If I admitted guilt, I would be in a lot of trouble. How would I be able to pay for a big window like that? I didn’t even get an allowance. “My father is going to have a fit as a result of it,” I thought. I didn’t want to raise my hand, but some force much stronger than I was pulled it skyward (朝向天空). I told the truth, “I did it.” It was hard enough to say what I had done.
My teacher took down a book from one of our library shelves and I had never known my teacher to strike a student, but I feared she was going to start with me.
“I know how much you like birds,” she said as she stood looking down at my guilt-ridden face. “Here is the field guide about birds that you are constantly checking out. It is yours now. It’s time we got a new one for the school anyway. You will not be punished, but remember that I am not rewarding you for your misdeed (恶行), but I am rewarding you for your truthfulness.”
I couldn’t believe it! I wasn’t being punished and I was getting my own bird field guide — the very one that I had been saving up money to buy.
The lesson my teacher taught me stays with me every day, and it will echo forever.
1. From the story, we can learn that the boy .A.didn’t break the window on purpose |
B.lacked the courage to admit his guilt |
C.tried to think about what he had done |
D.didn’t know what the teacher had found out |
A.be punished by the teacher |
B.make his father angry |
C.pay for the broken window |
D.get a bird field guide |
A.Afraid—Surprised—Thankful. |
B.Frightened—Amazed—Proud. |
C.Regretful—Guilty—Excited. |
D.Nervous—Afraid—Satisfied. |
A.Every coin has two sides. |
B.Honesty is always valued. |
C.Bad luck never comes alone. |
D.You can’t be too careful. |
6 . The quality of patience goes a long way toward your goal of creating a more peaceful and loving self. The more patient you are, the more accepting you will be of what life is, rather than insisting that life be exactly as you would like it to be. Without patience, life is extremely frustrating.
Patience is a quality of heart that can be greatly enhanced with deliberate practice.
Being patient will help you to keep your perspective. You will see even a difficult situation, say your present challenge, isn’t “life or death” but simply a minor obstacle that must be dealt with.
A.An effective way that I have found to deepen my own patience is to create actual practise periods. |
B.You are more easily annoyed and bothered. |
C.It is generally believed that the quality of being patient is very difficult to develop. |
D.Becoming more patient involves opening your heart to the present moment, even if you don’t like it. |
E.Without patience, you will see the same scene as an emergency complete with yelling, frustration, hurt feelings and high blood pressure. |
F.If you lack patience, you are destined to fail in what you are pursuing. |
7 . My family moved into our home nine years ago. We spent a lot of time and energy in the yard to get it looking like the way it does today. In front of the house, the rocks appear to be just thrown up onto the dirt as if someone were in a hurry to finish. We called this area our “rock garden”. Denise and I would also plant some flowers between the rocks, just to bring some color to the area.
Last summer I found, in the rock garden, a tiny little plant 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 continue growing until we could figure out what it was.
Weeks passed and as I made my way back to the strange plant, it appeared to be a sunflower. It looked thin and tall with only one head on it. I decided to baby it along and weed(除杂草)around it. As I pulled rocks from the area to get to the weeds, I noticed something unusual. The sunflower had not started where I saw it begin. It actually had begun under a big rock and grown under and around it to reach the sun.
That’s when I realized that if a tiny little sunflower didn’t allow a big rock to stand in its way of developing, we too have the ability to do the same thing. Once we believe in ourselves like that little sunflower, we can attain the same nourishment(养分)for growth as well.
Stand tall like the sunflower and be proud of who and what we are, then the environment will begin to support us. We will find a way to go under or around any “rocks” in order to achieve our goals.
1. What can we know from the first paragraph?A.The author finished building his house hurriedly. |
B.The family has lived in this house for 9 years. |
C.The author’s house is made of rocks. |
D.The family don’t like gardening. |
A.see how long it could live |
B.see how big it could grow |
C.find out what it actually was |
D.know if his wife had planted it |
A.the strange plant turned out to be the sunflower |
B.the sunflower grew under and around a big rock |
C.the sunflower had only one head on it |
D.the sunflower was very thin and tall |
A.Confident. | B.Devoted. | C.Delicate. | D.Modest. |
A.rocks cannot prevent us from success |
B.the sunflowers are able to grow everywhere |
C.we should take good care of the rock gardens |
D.we can get over difficulties if we trust ourselves |
8 . In October, I told the eight-year-olds in the religion class I teach in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey, about my plan. “I’d like all of you to do extra jobs around the house to earn some money,” I said. “Then we’ll buy food for a Thanksgiving dinner for someone who might not have a nice dinner otherwise.” I hoped they could experience a sense of their own power to effect change.
Early in Thanksgiving week, they arrived in class with their hand-earned money. And now they couldn’t wait to go shopping. At last we headed toward the checkout, pushing a cart filled with turkey and all the decorations. Then someone spotted a“necessity” that sent them racing a pot of chrysanthemums(菊花).
It was more reasonable to use any extra money to buy food. After all, I pronounced, “You can’t eat flowers”. But the children insisted and placed the purple plant into the cart.
An agency had given us the name and address of a needy grandmother who had lived alone for years. Soon we were arriving at her house. Between the laughing and those purple flowers, I wasn’t sure that any lesson about giving and receiving was getting through.
We finally pulled up in front of a small house in the woods. A woman with a tired face came to the door to welcome us. As my little group carried the boxes of food in, she oohed and aahed - much to her visitors’ pleasure. When Amy put the plant on the counter, the woman seemed surprised. She was wishing it was a bag of flour, I thought. The woman told the children about the animals that lived close by. “I share my food with the birds, ”she said.
We returned to the car. As we fastened our seat belts, we could see the kitchen window The woman inside waved goodbye, then turned and walked across the room, past the turkey, straight to the chrysanthemums. She put her face in the plant. When she raised her head, there was a smile on her lips.The children were quiet. In that one brief moment, they had seen for themselves the power they possessed to make another’s life better.
1. The author gave the students the task in order to _________.A.help them focus on their family happiness. |
B.let them experience their ability to help others |
C.teach them the necessity of doing housework |
D.get them to know how to be financially independent |
A.Positive | B.Negative | C.Cautious | D.Enthusiastic. |
A.They could help improve others’ life. |
B.They could make a living by working. |
C.It was necessary to do voluntary work. |
D.Plants and birds could help lonely people. |
A.My Teaching Career | B.How to Help Poor People |
C.The Importance of Giving | D.A Happy Shopping Experience |
9 . How often one hears children wishing they were grown up, and old people wishing they were young again. Each age has its pleasures and its pains, and the happiest person is the one who enjoys what each age gives him without wasting his time in useless regrets.
Childhood is a time when there are few responsibilities to make life difficult. If a child has good parents, he is fed, looked after and loved, whatever he may do. It is impossible that he will ever again in his life be given so much without having to do anything in return. In addition, life is always presenting new things to the child — things that have lost their interest for older people because they are too well-known. But a child has his parents, he is not so free to do what he wishes to do; he is continually being told not to do things or being punished for what he has done wrong.
When the young man starts to earn his own living, he can no longer expect others to pay for his food, his clothes, and his room, but has to work if he wants to live comfortably. If he spends most of his time playing about in the way that he used to as a child, he will go hungry. And if he breaks the laws of society as he used to break the laws of his parents, he may go to prison. If, however, he works hard, keeps out of trouble and has good health, he can have the great happiness of building up for himself his own position in society.
1. According to the second paragraph, the writer thinks that _______.A.only children are interested in life |
B.life for a child is comparatively easy |
C.a child is always loved whatever he does |
D.if much is given to a child, he must do something in return |
A.will have little time playing |
B.has to be successful in finding a job |
C.can still ask for help in time of trouble |
D.should be able to take care of himself |
A.People are often satisfied with their life. |
B.Life is less interesting for old people. |
C.Adults are freer to do what they want to do. |
D.Adults should no longer rely on others. |
A.life is not enjoyable since each age has some pains |
B.young men can have the greatest happiness if they work hard |
C.childhood is the more enjoyable time in one’s life |
D.one is the happiest if he can make good use of each age in his life |
A.examples of successful young men |
B.how to build up one’s position in society |
C.pleasures and pains of old people |
D.what to do when one has problems in life |
10 . When she returned home that year, she was given an enthusiastic welcome in the same hall. Many hands stretched out to her, many cameras focused on her. A reporter in glasses kept pestering her with the question: “What do you like best?” She was wondering how to respond when she caught sight of a bunch of flowers. Then she said, “Flowers!” Following her remarks, more flowers were at once presented out to her, too many for her to hold. During the past two years, she had participated in many international competitions and brought back one shining medal after another. What she got in return was all smiles, flowers and camera flashes. Was it because of this that she became preoccupied with winning? The more she won, the more obsessed she was with the fear of losing. So her mind was in fact more burdened with success than with failure. The mind could control physical pains but could not free itself from mental strain easily.
This time when she was a little off balance on the horizontal bar (平衡木), she became so worried that she lost self-control and fell off. This failure was followed by several more in other events. Afterwards in order to avoid people at the airport, she trailed along behind the team. She found that very few people greeted her and reporters seemed to shun her. However hard she tried, she couldn’t turn the tide; she was a complete failure. Indeed, who would side with a failure?
All of a sudden, she saw a pair of shoes in front of her. Who could it be? She raised her bent head slowly and saw a navy blue suit, long legs, and then a clear fair face. Before her stood the stewardess with her hands behind her back, speaking with a smile, “I watched your performance on the television. I knew you would come home today. So I am here especially to welcome you.”
“I did very poorly.” She lowered her head again.
“No. You did your best.”
“But I failed.”
“Nobody can avoid failure. I believe failure is as important to you as success. Failure belongs to the past, and victory is the future.” The stewardess’s voice came gentle but firm.
Hearing these words, the girl raised her head. The stewardess held out her hands from behind her back with a big bouquet of colorful flowers, and presented it to the girl. The strong fragrance seemed to turn into a magic, powerful current that went through her body. She was moved to tears. Flowers are usually given to victorious heroes. Why to the disgraced loser?
1. What does the underlined word “pester” mean in paragraph 1?A.Greet. | B.Annoy. | C.Inquire. | D.Concern. |
A.She had received many smiles, flowers and camera flashes. |
B.She was passionate about walking on the horizontal bar. |
C.Her mind was free from over anxiety about failure. |
D.She was in good physical condition. |
A.Ashamed. | B.Stressed. | C.Miserable. | D.Grief-stricken. |
A.Action is worry’s worst enemy. |
B.The winners laugh and the losers weep. |
C.Excessive pressure will become a burden. |
D.Success is never final and failure is never fatal. |