A friend of mine, in response to a conversation we were having about the injustices of life ,asked me the question,“Who said life was going to be fair, or that it was even meant to be fair?” Her question was a good one. It reminded me of something I was taught as a youngster :life isn’t fair. It’s a disappointment, but it’s absolutely true .One of the mistakes many of us make is that we feel sorry for ourselves, or for others ,thinking that life should be fair, or that someday it will be .It’s not and it won’t be .
One of the nice things about surrendering (屈从)to the fact that life isn’t fair is that it keeps us from feeling sorry for ourselves by encouraging us to do the very best we can with what we have . We know it’s not “life’s job ”to make everything perfect :it’s our own challenge .Surrendering to this fact also keeps us from feeling sorry for others because we are reminded that everyone is dealt a different hand ; everyone has unique strengths and problems in the process of growing up, facing the reality and making decisions; and everyone has those times that they feel unfairly treated.
The fact that life isn’t fair doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do everything in our power to improve our own lives or the world as a whole. To the contrary , it suggests that we should .When we don’t recognize or admit that life isn’t fair ,we tend to feel pity for others and for ourselves .Pity ,of course ,is a self –defeating emotion that does nothing for anyone ,except to make everyone feel worse than they already do .When we do recognize that life isn’t fair, however ,we feel compassion (热情)for others and for ourselves. And compassion is a heartfelt emotion that delivers loving-kindness to everyone it touches .The next time you find yourself thinking about the injustices of the world, try reminding yourself of this very basic fact .You may be surprised that it can make you out of self-pity and into helpful action.The writer thought of his friend’s question as a good one because .
| A．he also wanted to know who held such an opinion |
| B．it made him recall something during his childhood |
| C．like his friend , he also thought life was unfair |
| D．he learned something from the question as a youngster |
The second paragraph of the passage mainly tells us that .
| A．it’s nice to accept the injustice of life | B．it’s nice to surrender to life |
| C．we should not feel sorry for everything | D．we should not surrender to life |
From the passage, we can learn that the author’s attitude to life is .
| A．negative | B．positive | C．self-pity | D．indifferent |
Which of the following could be the best title of the text ?
| A．A Helpful Action: Try to Feel Compassion | B．A Good Question: Why Life Isn’t Fair |
| C．Do Our Best to Improve Ourselves | D．Surrender to the Fact That Life Isn’t Fair |
It was Molly’s job to hand her father his brown paper lunch bag each morning before he headed off to work．
One morning, in addition to his usual lunch bag, Molly handed him a second paper bag．This one was worn and held together with staples （订书钉） 。
“Why two bags?” her father asked．“The other is something else,” Molly answered．“What’s in it?” “Just some stuff．Take it with you．”
Not wanting to discuss the matter, he put both bags into his briefcase, kissed Molly and rushed off．At midday he opened Molly’s bag and took out the contents: two hair ribbons（丝带）, three small stones, a plastic dinosaur, a tiny sea shell, a small doll, and 13 pennies… The busy father smiled, finished eating, and swept the desk clean into the wastebasket, Molly’s stuff included．
That evening, Molly ran up behind him as he read the paper．“Where’s my bag?” “What bag?” “The one I gave you this morning．” “I left it at the office．Why?” “I forgot to put this note in it,” she said．“And, besides, Daddy, the things in the sack are the things I really like — I thought you might like to play with them．You didn’t lose the bag, did you, Daddy?” “Oh, no,” he said, lying．“I just forgot to bring it home．I’ll bring it tomorrow．” While Molly hugged her father’s neck, he unfolded the note that read: “I love you, Daddy．” Molly had given him her treasures — all that a 7-year-old held dear．
Love in a paper bag, and he missed it — not only missed it, but had thrown it in the wastebasket．So back he went to the office．Just ahead of the night janitor（看门人）, he picked up the wastebasket．He put the treasures inside and carried it home carefully．The bag didn’t look so good, but the stuff was all there and that’s what counted．
After dinner, he asked Molly to tell him about the stuff in the sack．It took a long time to tell．Everything had a story or a memory．
“Sometimes I think of all the great times in this sweet life,” he thought．
We should all remember that it’s not the destination that counts in life, but the journey．That journey with the people we love is all that really matters．It is such a simple truth but it is so easily forgotten．Why did Molly give her father a second bag?
| A．She didn’t want to keep the things in the bag． |
| B．She hoped those things would bring happiness to her father． |
| C．She wanted to remind her father of the stories behind the things． |
| D．She enjoyed playing with her father． |
How did father deal with the bag after he opened it?
| A．He kept it in the drawer． |
| B．He took it back home． |
| C．He threw it into the wastebasket． |
| D．He put it on his table． |
After father heard what his daughter said, he felt_____．
| A．regretful | B．surprised |
| C．sad | D．satisfied |
Which of the following is the most suitable title of the passage?
| A．An important journey | B．Two bags |
| C．Father and daughter | D．Love in a paper bag |
I must have been about fourteen then, and I put away the incident from my mind with the easy carelessness of youth．But the words, which Carl Walter spoke that day, came back to me years later, and ever since have been of great value to me．
Carl Waller was my piano teacher．During one of my lessons he asked how much practice I was doing．I said three or four hours a day．
"Do you often practice so long at a time?" asked my teacher．
"I try to," I answered．
Well, don' t," he said． “When you grow up, time won' t come in long periods．Practice in minutes whenever you can find them, five or ten before school, after lunch, or between household tasks．Spread the practice through the day, and piano-playing will become a part of your life．"
When I was teaching at Columbia, I wanted to write, but class periods, theme-reading and committee meetings filled my days and evenings．For two years I got practically nothing down on paper, and my excuse was that I had no time．Then I remembered what Carl Walter had said．
During the next week I conducted an experiment．Whenever I had five minutes to spare, I would sit down and write a hundred words or so．To my astonishment, at the end of the week I had a rather large manuscript （手稿） ready for revision, later on I wrote novels by the same means．
Though my teaching schedule had become heavier than ever, every day there were free moments which could be caught and put to use．I even took up piano-playing again, finding that the small intervals of the day provided enough time for both writing and piano practice．
There is an important trick in this time-using formula; you must get into your work quickly．If you have only five minutes for writing, you can't afford to waste four minutes chewing your pencil．You must make your mental preparations ahead of time, and focus on your task almost immediately when the time comes．Fortunately, rapid concentration is easier than most of us realize．
I admit I have never learnt how to let go easily at the end of the five or ten minutes．But life can be counted on to supply interruptions （中断时间）．Carl Walter has had a great influence on my life．To him, I owe the discovery that even very short periods of time add up to all useful hours I need, if I begin without delay．Which of the following can be the best title of this passage?
| A．Concentrate on Your Work | B．A Little at a Time |
| C．How I Became a Writer | D．My Teacher' s Advice |
Which of the following statements is true?
| A．The writer owes great thanks to his teacher for teaching him to work in long periods． |
| B．Carl Walter has had a great influence on the writer' s life since he became a student． |
| C．The writer didn't take the teacher' s words to heart at first． |
| D．Rapid concentration is actually more difficult than most people imagine． |
The underlined part "counted on" in the last paragraph can be replaced by "____"．
| A．enriched | B．concentrated |
| C．valued | D．expected |
We can infer from the passage that the author ____．
| A．has new books published each year however busy his teaching is |
| B．is always tired of interruptions in life because his teaching schedule is always heavy |
| C．has got into the bad habit of chewing a pencil while writing his novels |
| D．is devoted to work immediately because he can find enough time for preparations |
For the past two years, 8-year-old Harli Jordean from Stoke Newington, London, has been selling marbles(弹珠). His successful marble company, Marble King, sells all things marble-related － from affordable tubs of the glass playthings to significantly expensive items like Duke of York solitaire tables － sourced, purchased and processed by the mini-CEO himself.
“I like having my own company. I like being the boss,” Harli told the Mirror.
With profits now in the thousands, “the world’s youngest CEO” has had to get his mother and older brothers to help him meet the growing demand.
Harli launched Marble King after swapping marbles at school led to schoolchildren consuming his marble collection. Yes, he literally “lost his marbles.” Harli and his mother, Tina, turned to the Internet to find replacements.
Harli saw an empty space online: the marbles he wanted were hard to find. Within months, Harli had his own marble-selling website － and orders started pouring in.
Tina says her son's attachment to marbles started when he was just 6.
“His attachment became so passionate that we started calling him the Marble King — so when he wanted to set up a website it was the natural name for it,” she told The Sun.
“I never thought it would become so popular － we are struggling to cope with the number of orders at times.”
The 8-year-old boy has his sights set on expanding his business and launching his own brand of marbles.
“Sometimes his ideas are so grand we have to scale them back a bit. But his dream is still to own Britain's biggest marble shop and open stores around the world,” Tina told The Daily Mail.
“At the moment he is annoying me by creating his own Marble King marbles － so that could well be the next step for him.”Harli’s Marble Company became popular as soon as he launched it because ______.
| A．it was run by “the world’s youngest CEO” |
| B．it filled the gap of online marble trade |
| C．Harli was fascinated with marble collection |
| D．Harli met the growing demand of the customers |
How many mass media are mentioned in the passage?
| A．One | B．Two | C．Three | D．Four |
The underlined expression “scale them back” is closest in meaning to ______.
| A．hold them down | B．carry them out |
| C．set them aside | D．clear them away |
What message do the last two paragraphs carry?
| A．Conflicts often occur between Harli Jordean and his family. |
| B．Harli’s mother and brothers are worried about Marble King’s future. |
| C．Marble King marbles will surely attract more fans around the world. |
| D．The “Marble King” has great ambition for his Marble King company. |
Building a foundation for your child of family values may not be as easy as you think. Often we believe that our child will pick up on our values if they live in the same home. While they may pick up many of our values, parents need to remember they are not the only influence in their child’s life. These outside values often compete with family values for your child’s attention. If we do not make a conscious(有意的) effort to instill our values into our children, they may not get instilled at all.
I wish I had learned that lesson a little earlier. I thought if I lived my values for my children they would pick them up and make their own. Sometimes this happened and sometimes it didn’t. I often see twenty-something “kids” who have no faith in many of the values of their family in favor of the values of their friends. Children will often pick up the negative you show quicker than the positive, so the positive things need extra focus to set them.
Some of the influences your children face every day include their church, their school, their friends, any clubs or sporting groups they are part of and more. Kids spend many hours a day at school and with their friends. Sometimes in the business of life, we suppose our children will obtain that foundation we want for them.
Instilling a foundation of family values to sustain(维持) your child requires more than living it in front of them. That is important, but building up your child with this important foundation must become intentional.
That means we plan times to gather as a family. We plan activities together that show the values we want to pass on. We talk about our values; we live our values; we discuss the values of others and how they differ from ours; we constantly look for opportunities and make our own opportunities to share these values in word or deed with our children.
Family values give our children a foundation to build upon. It helps them know they are loved and gives them a sense of belongings. Upon this sure foundation, they can spread their wings and grow to become parents who share these same values with their own children.The underlined word “instill our values into” in the 1st paragraph probably means “______”.
| A．get our ideas out of | B．impress our ideas on |
| C．collect our ideas for | D．force our ideas upon |
We can learn from the passage that children ______.
| A．sustain their family values easily |
| B．will hold their family values with age |
| C．often discuss family values of others |
| D．accept negative values more quickly |
Family values can be passed on if ______.
| A．we live with our children |
| B．parents show positive things |
| C．parents foster them intentionally |
| D．we plan times to gather with other families |
The passage mainly tells us about ______.
| A．the importance and the way to pick up family values |
| B．a lesson the writer learned in educating his(her) kids |
| C．the influences the children face while growing up |
| D．some negative and positive family values |
When the one-year anniversary of my mother’s passing came around, I found myself in the kitchen preparing some of her favorite dishes.
As I poured myself into cooking, some of the deep sadness I was experiencing at this one-year mark moved through me. I loved my mom's turkey soup. I remembered the time she made some especially for me. It was summer then and I had a terrible head cold. She arrived unexpectedly one afternoon at my work place with a huge jar of her turkey noodle soup. At the thought, I began to feel a little more relieved in the pain of losing her.
It was then that I realized I was reconnecting with my mother through food. I laughed a bit at myself when I reflected on all the dishes I had cooked that week. Without knowing it, I had created a beautiful ceremony to honor my mother and to comfort myself at this vulnerable(脆弱的) time. I suddenly felt my mother at hand and was filled with her presence. I was so uplifted and excited that I began talking to her, imagining she was there.
“What else should we make?” I asked of us both, wanting to keep the ceremony from ending.
“Irish Potato Pancakes,” was the reply.
I hesitated. The thought of these brought up another loss. The last time I made potato pancakes was two and a half years ago. I had taken off my engagement (订婚) ring and never found it again. Since then, I resisted using that recipe even though I really liked those pancakes as if it were partly to blame.
My mom should know better than to suggest these, I thought. She knew how upset I was about losing my ring. But despite these hesitations, I found myself caught up in the joy and celebration of the moment, and I reached for the cookbook without another thought of the ring. My mom did love Irish things. I opened the cookbook and turned to the pancake recipe. At once, something at the bottom of the page caught my eye... It was shining! Amazingly, there, pressed into the pages of this book, was my diamond ring!
That day, I made potato pancakes in the shape of hearts.At the one-year anniversary, the writer ______.
| A．cooked some dishes in memory of her mother |
| B．felt more painful at the thought of the turkey noodle soup |
| C．was so excited as to see her mother home |
| D．didn’t give a thought of the lost ring |
The writer hesitated to cook potato pancakes probably because ______.
| A．she felt too sad to make them |
| B．she didn’t like such pancakes |
| C．her mother was to blame for the loss of her ring |
| D．they reminded her of the loss of her ring |
It can be inferred from the passage that her mother ______.
| A．was connected with the writer through food |
| B．taught the writer how to cook pancakes |
| C．actually still lived with the writer |
| D．found the ring for her daughter |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Heart-shaped Pancakes | B．Lost and Found Ring |
| C．Favorite Dishes | D．Sad One-year Anniversary |