A person may have an idea about himself that will prevent him from doing good work..
He may have the idea that he is not capable of it. It is easy to get such an idea even though there is no justification for it. A child may think he is stupid because he does not understand how to take the most of his mental faculties, or he may accept another person s mistaken estimate of his ability. Older people may be handicapped by the mistaken belief that they are incapable of learning anything new because of their age.
A person who believes that he is incapable will not make a real effort, because he feels that it would be useless. He won’t go at a job with the confidence necessary for success, and he won’t work hardest, even though he may think he is doing so. He is therefore likely to fail, and the failure will strengthen his belief in his incompetence.
Alfred Adler, a famous psychiatrist（精神病医生）, had an experience which illustrates this. When he was a small boy he got off to a poor start in arithmetic. His teacher got the idea that he had no ability in arithmetic, and told his parents what she thought in order that they would not expect too much of him. In this way, they too developed the idea, "Isn’t it too bad that Alfred can’t do arithmetic?" He accepted their mistaken estimate of his ability, felt that it was useless to try, and was very poor at arithmetic, just as they expected.
One day he became very angry at the teacher and other students because they laughed when he said he saw how to do a problem which none of the other students had been able to solve.
Adler succeeded in solving a problem. This gave him confidence. He rejected the idea that he couldn’t do arithmetic and was determined to show them that he could. His anger and his new found confidence stimulated him to be at arithmetic problems with a new spirit. He now worked with interest, determination, and purpose, and he soon became extraordinarily good at arithmetic. He not only proved that he could do arithmetic, but he learned early in life from his own experience that , if a person goes at a job with determination and purpose, he may astonish himself as well as others by his ability.
This experience made him realize that many people have more ability than they think they have. And that lack of success is as often the result of lack of knowledge of how to apply one’s ability, lack of confidence, and lack of determination as it is the result of lack of ability.The underlined word “justification” most probably means ________.
| A．reason | B．rightness | C．need | D．demand |
What is the main idea of this passage?
| A．The basic principles in doing math problems. |
| B．Our idea about ourselves may have a negative influence on our work. |
| C．Our ideas do not always have and influence on us. |
| D．All actions are caused by impulse. |
What does Alfred Adler’s story tell us?
| A．Many people have more ability than they think they have. |
| B．Anybody can become a mathematician, if he has determination. |
| C．Arithmetic is actually very easy. |
| D．Most teachers are wrong when they evaluator their students. |
Why did he become angry one day?
| A．Because the teacher and other students laughed at him. |
| B．Because they challenged him to do a difficult arithmetic problem. |
| C．Because he couldn’t solve the arithmetic problem. |
| D．Because he was very poor at arithmetic. |
What idea did Alfred’s teacher have?
| A．He was slow in arithmetic. |
| B．He should work harder. |
| C．He should be transferred to a special school. |
| D．He should not tell his parents that he was slow. |
For as long as they can remember Jynne Martin and April Surgent had both dreamed of going to Antarctica．This winter，they each made it to the icy continent as guests of the National Science Foundation(NSF)．Bm they didn’t go as scientists．Martin is a poet and Surgent is an artist．They went to Antarctica as participants．in the NSF’s Artists and Writers program．The NSF is thegovernment agency that funds scientific research in Antarctica．But it also makes it possible for artists，including filmmakers and musicians，to experience Antarctica and contribute their own points of view to our understanding of the continent.
The mixing of science and art in Antarctica isn’t new．Some of the earliest explorersbrought along painters and photographers．Edward Wilson was a British painter，doctor，and bird expert who journeyed with RobertFalcon Soott on two separate Antamtic expeditionsmore than 100 years ago．Herbert Ponting was a photographer who also accompanied Scott on one of those expeditions．In hundreds of photos，Pontingcaptured the beauty of the continentand recorded the daily lives and heroic struggles of the explorers．
Today’s scientists write articles forscientificjournals．Unlike theearly explorers’journals，scientific papers can now be very difficult for non-scientists to understand．Writers in Antarctica workto explain the research to the public．Peter Rejcek is editor，writer，and photographer for the Antarctic Sun，an onlinemagazine devoted to news about the U．S．Antarctic Program．Rejeck began his career in the Antarctic in 2003 by spending a year at the South Pole．He has returned everyyear since，interviewing，scientists about research at Palmer，McMurdo，and South Pole stations．
There are also scientists in Antarctica who work hardto explain their research to the public．Scientist Diane McKnight wrote The Lost Seal，a children’s book that explains the research she and others are doing in an unusual ice-free area in Antarctica called the Dry Valleys．
Antarctica is full of stories and wonders that are scientific，historic．and personal. People such as Martin，Surgent，Rejcek，and McKnight are devoted to bringing those storiesto asmany peopleare they can.“Some people are going to be scientists，some people are goingto be journalists，some people are going to be artists，but we can all work together，’saysSurgent,“tocelebrate，thisextraordinary place．”What do we know about the NSF?
| A．It is a government agency． |
| B．It only funds scientists in Antarctica． |
| C．It encourages the understanding of human nature． |
| D．It enables the mixing of science and art for the first time． |
Why didn’t some earliest explorers bring writers along?
| A．Writers were not funded at that time． |
| B．Writing can’t capture the beauty of the continent． |
| C．Writers were not interested in popularizing science． |
| D．Early explorers’journals can be easily understood by the public． |
By mentioning Diane McKnight，the author may try to suggest that_____．
| A．scientists should explain their research to children |
| B．writers are not necessary since scientists can tell stories as well |
| C．telling stories to children is more important than knowing the truth |
| D．no matter what role we play，we can work together to appreciate Antarctica |
What would be the best title for this article?
| A．Antarctica：A Land for All |
| B．The NSF：A Program for All |
| C．Antarctica：A Land of Beauty and Stories |
| D．The NSF：A Program for Artists and Scientists |
The stories we share with one another are important．They show wisdom，andprovide inspiration. They are important to our development. But sometimes people chose not to tell.
Consider the negative effects ofnot sharing a story in the news：People are wondering if public health officials are holding back too much information about the recent outbreak of Ebola．
There is a danger in holding back stories that ought to be told．Bobette Buster said it like this，“The fact is，history hasshown us that stories not toldan become like a dangerous genie(妖怪)leftina bottle．When they are finally uncorked，their power to destroy is set free。”
There are a number of reasons why we hide parts of our story：they often show our weaknesses or expose our disadvantages；they require courage and strength toshare；and of course，there are somestories that should be kept secret—especially those that embarrass someone else．
Most of us have two selves：the one we display on the outside and the one we actually are on the inside．And the better we get at hiding the stories that show our true selves，themore damage we may be causing to ourselves and to others．
Honesty and openness is important：It proves we are trustworthy. It displays we are human．We are not perfect or better．It highlights the importanceof hard work and personal development．Hard work may not allow us to overcome our disadvantages completely．But with hard wonk：we do not have to be restrictedto our mistakes．
Does this mean we admit every weakness，every disadvantage，and every secret regret to everybody we meet?No，of course not．There is a time and a placeand acertain level of relationship necessary for some stories tobe told in all appropriate manner．What’s the functionofthe example in Paragraph 2?
| A．It reflects that people are concerning about the spread of Ebola． |
| B．It shows the bad effect caused by sharing a story． |
| C．It proves not sharing a story cancause trouble． |
| D．It concludes that one should share a story at a proper time． |
One of the reasons why people are unwilling to share experiences is that______．
| A．story-sharing highlights the importance of hard work |
| B．people are used to exposing their weaknesses |
| C．people sometimes have no courage to share their stories |
| D．some stories make themselves feel sad |
Which is close in meaning to the underlined word“uncorked”in Paragraph 3?
| A．freed | B．broken | C．unfolded | D．untouched |
The writer aims to convince us to_____________．
| A．be open to people close to you by sharing some secrets |
| B．share stories appropriately for the good of others and ourselves |
| C．remove the dangers that can be caused by untold stories |
| D．realize the importance of being honest when making friends |
CANYOUMAGINEHOWHARDITWOULDBETOREADSENTENCESLIKES?
Every one of us gets so used to punctuation marks that not many of us give them a secondthought．Actually，the ancient Greeks wrote this way．The lack of punctuation marks probably didn’t bother good readers，though．As they read，they just put pauses where they fit best. Also at this time，sentences switched directions．A sentence read from leftto right．The next one read right to left，and then left to right again，etc．The ancient Romans sometimes punctuatedlike this：They put somethingthat can separate words in a sentence．The wordpunctuationactually comes from this idea andthe Latin word“punctum”which means a lot.
When the 5th century arrived，there were just twopunctuation marks：spaces and points．The spaces separated words while the points showed pauses in reading．Then in the 13th century，a printer named Aldus Manutius tried to standardize punctuation．He always used a period for a complete stop at the end of a sentence．He used a slash(／)toindicate a short pause．Over time．that slash was shortened and curled，and it became the modern comma(逗号)．
Since that time，other marks have enlarged the punctuation family．The exclamation mark(感叹号)comes from the Latin word“io”．It means “exclamation of joy”.The question mark originally started out as the Latin word“questio”，meaning“question”．Eventually，scholars put it attheend of a sentence to show a question．
Punctuation even keeps changing nowadays．New marks are coming into existence，and old punctuation marks are used in new ways．Take for example the“interrobang”．This 1962 invention combines the question mark and exclamation mark for times when writers want both．For example．“She did what?!”or“How much did you pay for that dress?!”Obviously,the interrobang is not widelyused or recognized yet，but its invention shows that English is not yet finishedwith its punctuation．From the first paragraph，we can know that__________.
| A．good readers had trouble reading without punctuation marks |
| B．a sentence always read from left to right in ancient Greece |
| C．ancient Greeks switched the direction of punctuation marks |
| D．the use of punctuation marks can date back to ancient times |
We can learn from the passage that___________．
| A．ancient Romans didn’t use any punctuation marks |
| B．exclamation and question marks came from Latin |
| C．spaces and slashes were already used before the 5th century |
| D．Aldus Manutiusfast started to use commas |
What can be concluded from the last paragraph?
| A．The combinationoftwo marks will not work. |
| B．It takes time for people to accept new punctuation marks． |
| C．Old punctuation marks need to be standardized． |
| D．Punctuation marks are still changing today． |
Cleverness is a gift while kindness is a choice．Gifts are easy—they’re given after a11．Choicecan be hard．
I got the idea to start Amazon 16 years ago．Icame across the fact that the Internet usage was growing at 2300 percent per year．I’d never seen or heard of anything that grew that fast，andtheidea of building all online bookstore with millions of titles was very exciting to me. I had just turned 30 years old，and I’d been married for a year．I told my wife MacKenzie that I wanted to quit my job and go to do this crazy thing that probably wouldn’t work since most start-ups don’tand I wasn’t sure what to expect．MacKenzie told me I should go for it．As a young boy，I’dbeen a garageinventor．I’d always wanted to be all inventor，and she wanted me to follow my passion．
I was working at a financial firm in New York Citywith a bunch of very smart peopleand Ihad a brilliant boss that I much admired．I went to my boss and toldhim I wanted to start a company selling books on the Internet．He took me on a longwalk in Central Park，listened carefully to me，and finally said，“That sounds like a really good ides，but it would be an even better idea for someone who didn’t already have a good job．”That 1ogic made some sense to me，and he convinced me to think about it for 48 hours before making a final decision．Seenin that light．it really wasa difficult choice，but ultimately，I decided I had to give it a shot．I didn’t think I’d regret trying and failing．And I suspected I would always be haunted by a decision to not try at all.
After much consideration，I took the less safe path to follow my passion，and I’m proud ofthat choice．For all ofus，in the end，we are our choice．What inspired the author with the idea of building an online bookstore?
| A．His dream of being an inventor． |
| B．The support of his wife． |
| C．The greatly increasing usage of the Internet． |
| D．Millions of exciting titles, |
Which of the following is closest in meaningto the underlinedentence?
| A．The idea of not trying would keep coming to his mind and disturb him． |
| B．He would be very excited if he tried it out． |
| C．Be would be always having a doubt if he didn’t try． |
| D．The decision to not try the online bookstore would terrify him． |
We can know from the passage that_______．
| A．the boss thought the idea was suitable for the author |
| B．the author wanted someone else to try the idea |
| C．the author might not regret if he failed the idea |
| D．the author might go back to his boss if he failed |
Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Cleverness and Kindness |
| B．The Starting of Amazon |
| C．Following My Passion |
| D．We Are What We Choose |
In 1990,22-year-old Christopher McCandless gave up his career plans，left behind everyone he knew，donated all his savings to charity，and went off on an adventure，hiking his way through America to Alaska．
Of course,this is an unusual story most college graduates would not do so. However，studies show that in teenage years, people are more likely to try out new experiences.For example，instead of working his way up the same organization like his grandfather did，a 15-year-old may dream about becoming a traveller一only to find in his early 20s that this attraction of new places is fading and change is less attractive．
The reason why people become less keen to change as they get older may be that people
generally have similar life patterns and demands．Most people aim to find a job and a partner. As they get older，they may have young children and elderly family members to look after. These responsibilities cannot be achieved without some degree of steadiness，which means that new experiences and ideas may not have a place in the person’s life．New experiences may bring excitement as well as insecurity,and so most people prefer to stay with the familiar.
However，not every individual is the same. A child may want to play a different game every day and get fed up if nothing changes at the kindergarten．Another may play with the same children and toys on every visit. Young children who avoid new experiences will grow up to be more traditional than others. Psychologist argue that those who have more open personalities as children are more open than others might be when they are older and that young men have a greater interest in novelty than women，although as they age，this desire for new experiences fades more quickly than it does in women． The first paragraph serves as a(n） ．
| A．introduction | B．explanation |
| C．comment | D．background |
What does the author think is the key factor that prevents people trying out new experiences?
| A．Age | B．Partner |
| C．Responsibility | D．Education |
The underlined phrase“interest in novelty”most probably means ．
| A．independence | B．curiosity |
| C．security | D．excitement |
According to the passage, we can infer that_______.
| A．a child who likes different games may not like to change after growing up |
| B．a teenager is not interested in a new start before graduation |
| C．women are more likely to try new things than men of the same age |
| D．as one gets older, he prefers the old patterns of life |