Failure is probably the most fatiguing (令人疲劳的)experience a person ever has. There is nothing more tiring than not succeeding, being blocked, not moving ahead. It is an evil circle. Failure causes fatigue, and fatigue makes it harder to get to work, which adds to the fatigue.
We experience this tiredness in two main ways: start-up fatigue and performance fatigue. In the former case, we keep putting off a task that we are forced to take up. Either because it is too boring or because it is too difficult, we avoid it. And the longer we put it off, the more tired we feel.
Such start-up fatigue is very real, even not actually physical, not something in our muscles and bones. The remedy (治疗法) is obvious, though perhaps not easy to apply: willpower exercise. The moment I find myself turning away from a job, or putting it under a pile of things I have to do, I clear my desk of everything else and attack the difficult item first. To prevent start-up fatigue, always treat the most difficult job first.
Performance fatigue is more difficult to handle. Here we are willing to get started, but we can't seem to do the job right. Its difficulties appear to be insurmountable and however hard we work, we fail again and again. The mounting experience of failure carries with it an ever-increasing burden of mental fatigue. In such a situation, I work as hard as I can, then let the unconsciousness take over.
72.. Which of the following can be called an evil circle？
A. Success-zeal-success-zeal.
B. Failure-tiredness-failure-tiredness.
C. Failure-zeal-failure-tiredness.
D. Success-tiredness-success-tiredness.
73.. According to the passage , when keeping putting off a task, we can experience _______.
A. tiredness B. performance fatigue C. start-up fatigue D. unconsciousness
74.To overcome start-up fatigue, we need ________ .
A. toughness B. prevention C. muscles D. strong willpower
75.. The underlined word "insurmountable" in the last paragraph probably means ________ .
A. that can not be overcome B. that are known
C. that can not be imagined D. that can not be objected
In high school I joined the girl athletic club. At our first track meet, I entered for the long jump, but was made an alternate（替补）for the 50 yard dash. I didn’t like it, since I was better at long distance, but they assured me I would never have to run; they just ran out of alternate.
As I walked up to the start line, I saw my Dad on the sidelines. He was watching. Position, ready, set and off went the starting gun. Believe it or not, I closed my eyes and ran like I’d never run before.
I knew I didn’t have a chance of winning. But I started to hear cheering and thought for a minute, was it possible? I opened my eyes and to my disappointment, everyone else was crossing the finish line, inches away from each other and I was only half the distance.
That moment felt like days. I felt so stupid. I just wanted to melt into the ground and disappeared. Worse than that, my Dad was watching and then I felt ashamed. I kept running hard as I could, crying all the way towards the finish line. It seemed no one noticed me as I crossed the finish line. I saw my Dad standing there looking at me. I was ashamed to look at him. He walked over to me and said, “I’m so proud of you.” I was surprised, “For what? Everyone else finished before I even got halfway. I looked like a fool.” “Because you didn’t give up, not even when you realized what had happened. You gave it your all and finished.” I laughed and cried at the same time.
I find I can face what seems impossible, even alone and afraid, and, that winning does not always come in as you expect. I give my best effort to all I do, win or lose. I don’t give up in the middle of anything.The author meant to compete in .
| A．the 50 yard dash | B．the long jump | C．the long-distance run | D．the high jump |
When the author heard cheering, she thought .
| A．she had the chance to win the game |
| B．she left others inches away halfway |
| C．other competitors were encouraging her |
| D．somebody had won the game |
What happened after the author crossed the finish line?
| A．She cried at the sight of her father. |
| B．Everyone cheered her for her success. |
| C．Her farther came up and comforted her. |
| D．She felt ashamed to meet her classmates. |
What lesson can we learn form the author’s experience?
| A．What seems impossible always becomes possible. |
| B．Don’t lose heart halfway whatever you do. |
| C．Success will come as long as you expect it. |
| D．Try to do everything until you win in the end. |
Jean Driscoll can go faster in her wheelchair than the world’s best marathoners(马拉松运动员) can run!
In April, Jean finished the Boston Marathon in 1 hour 34 minutes 22 seconds. That’s about 33 minutes faster than the winning male runner! She competed on the track, too. She was second in the 800 meter wheelchair race at the 1992 Olympics.
Jean doesn’t like to be told she’s brave. “I’m in sports because I’m a competitive person!” Jean was born with spina befida(脊柱裂), a birth illness that damages the spine（脊椎）. She began to use a wheelchair to get around in high school. Then she tried wheelchair race and was amazed.” Players crashed into each other and fell out of their chairs,” she says, “It was fun.”
Jean tried other wheelchair sports. At the University of Illinois, her wheelchair basketball team won two national titles.
Now Jean coaches and teaches. She tries to get people to set goals. “When I sign my autograph（亲笔签名）,says Jean, “I write, dream big and work hard.”What made Jean take part in sports?
| A．She was brave. |
| B．She was competitive. |
| C．She was strong. |
| D．She was disabled. |
What kind of education did she receive?
| A．High school. |
| B．Junior middle school. |
| C．High education. |
| D．Primary school. |
What is Jean’s advice on how to succeed?
| A．Work hard. | B．Hope for the best. |
| C．Dream a lot. | D．Have great wishes and work hard. |
In 2004，the World Health Organization，WHO，warned of a possible outbreak of another serious disease which may be even more deadly than SARS．The WHO believes that it is likely that bird flu will spread to human beings in the next few years．If it does，up to seven millions people could die from the disease．
Diseases like bird flu are caused by viruses，that is，tiny things which change and become more dangerous over time．When a new type of a common virus changes，it may be able to get past the bod
y’s immune(免疫的)system．If that happens，humans are in great danger until a cure or treatment becomes available．
There have always been viruses and people always get sick，of course，but as we saw with SARS，the situation is more difficult today．People travel more than ever before，which means that disease can spread quickly and across large areas——in fact the whole world．
Scientists are already working on drugs that will prevent or limit the effect of a new virus，but the process takes time．It is just as important to make sure that countries，especially poor countries，are prepared to deal with the disease. New disease usually affect poor areas the most，so we must help develop health care in all countries．The situation is more serious today because．
| A．people travel more | B．people don’t eat healthy food |
| C．there aren’t enough hospitals | D．scientists can’t find a cure |
From this pass
age we know．
| A．bird flu will surely spread to human beings in the next few years． |
| B．a virus changes and become less dangerous over time． |
| C．SARS is 1ikely to come again in some years． |
| D．poor areas usually suffers more from new diseases than rich areas． |
The possible title of this passage is
| A．The Work of WHO |
| B．Scientists Are Working Hard on Drugs for Diseases |
| C．What Is a Virus |
| D．Virus Changes and Causes New Diseases Over Time |
From the earliest times，man has been interested in art．People have often worked together to collect and save the world's art treasures．
Fine art treasures from many countries are kept in an art museum called the Louvre in Paris，France．The works of art have been collected by the people of France over many centuries．
The Louvre has not always been a museum．The first building was a fort（炮台）．In 1190，it was the king's castle with high walls and a round tower．It had a moat to prevent his enemies from walking in ．
Over the years，the number of buildings around the castle grew．By 1350，the castle was no longer needed as a fort．The Louvre became a palace home for French kings and queens．
During times of peace，new treasures were brought in．Du
ring days of war，many treasures were stolen，and the buildings were damaged．
When Francis I became king of France in 1515，he brought in artists from many countries．One of the artists was Leonardo da Vinci from Italy．Da Vinci's"Mona Lisa"is the best known painting in the museum today．
In 1793，the Louvre became a public museum，just as it is now．It is a place where art treasures have been saved for everyone to enjoy．On the whole，this passage is mainly about____.．
| A．an art museum called the Louvre |
B．an Italian artist named Leonardo da Vinci |
C．a king of France named Francis I |
D．the best known painting in Louvre |
Why is it good for great art to be kept in public museums？
| A．It helps people remember who the King of France is． |
B．It keeps people out of the palaces． |
C．It gives everyone a chance to enjoy good art． |
D．It helps people to know who is the greatest artist． |
From the passage we know that _____．
| A．it is not possible for treasures to be stolen |
B．old forts always make the best museums |
C．great art should be shared with all the people |
D．king Francis I of France brought in artists from an old fort |
In the third paragraph the word"moat"probably means_____．
| A．a high tower built in former times where soldiers watched out for enemies |
B．a long and deep ditch（沟） dug round a castle and was usually filled with water |
C．a cart pulled by horses on which soldiers fought |
D．a long and high wall around castle |
阅读下列短文，根据所读内容在表格中的空白处填入恰当的单词。
注意：每个空格只填一个单词。
Some people believe that greed and selfishness has become the basis of modern society, and we should return to the old traditions of family and community then we will have a better life．To what extent do you agree or disagree with the above opinion?
In this fast-paced world, many values are undergoing major ch
anges．While people traditionally prioritize caring, sharing and generosity in life and work, modern people seem to be more self-absorbed and self-concerned．
Modern people act selfishly to survive the harsh competition of life．They say that it is a jungle out there．To survive, you have to fight with whatever means that come handy．Obviously greedy and selfishness go perfectly well with such ideas．In a compan
y, employees do everything they can to get better pay and higher position, even at the cost of colleagues．We are in any way advocating any selfish conduct．It is just that people are pressured to act in a certain way due to outside influences．
In spite of common practice, it is hard to conclude that modern society is built on greed and selfishness, both of which are not newly invented vocabulary．In ancient times people also did greedy and selfish things though such behaviors were more condemned then．But we can not ignore the fact that people in the past lived a relatively more isolated life and faced less pressure compared with their modern counterparts．
Are we happier to share with others and be generous to them? There is no fixed answer either．Some people take great pleasure helping and giving to others while others feel happy doing the opposite．But I personally think that people should not be too selfish．Caring for others can actually encourage the development of a mutually beneficial relationship．
In conclusion, modern people appear to be more self-centered than those in the past due to strong outside pressure．However, we should encourage people to 
know the importance of being caring and generous and to build a mutually beneficial relationship with others．
Are Modern People Becoming More Selfish?
| Main comparisons |
Contexts |
| __ |
In the past people put caring, sharing and generosity in the first ____ |
| Nowadays, people seem to be more ___ |
|
| ___ |
People in the past appeared to be modest and self-effacing（谦让的）． |
| People may strive to achieve their own |
|
| The author’s understanding |
|
| __ |
Fierce |
| The author’s __ |
A relationship which can __ |