Have you ever been sad because of failure? Please remember, for often, achieving what you set out to do is not the most important thing.
A boy decided to dig a deep hole behind his house. As he was working, a couple of older boys stopped by to watch. “What are you doing?” asked one of the visitors. “I want to dig a hole all the way through the earth!” the boy answered excitedly. The older boys began to laugh, telling him that digging a hole all the way through the earth was impossible. After a while, the boy picked up a jar. He showed it to the visitors. It was full of all kinds of stones and insects. Then he said calmly and confidently, “Maybe I can’t finish digging all the way through the earth, but look at what I’ve found during this period!”
The boy’s goal was far too difficult, but it did cause him to go on. And that is what a goal is for — to cause us to move in the direction we have chosen, in other words, to cause us to keep working!
Not every goal will be fully achieved. Not every job will end up with a success. Not every dream will come true. But when you fall short of your aim, maybe you can say, “Yes, but look what I’ve found along the way! There are so many wonderful things having come into my life because I tried to do something!” It is in the digging that life is lived. It is the unexpected joy on the journey that really makes sense.The older boys laughed at the boy because he was thought to be .
| A．brave | B．impolite | C．foolish | D．warm-hearted |
Why did the boy show the jar to the older boys?
| A．To drive them away. |
| B．To show what he had found in digging. |
| C．To show how beautiful the jar was. |
| D．To attract them to join him in the work. |
What can be learnt from the fourth paragraph of the text?
| A．Not dream can come true. | B．All work will end successfully. |
| C．Goals shouldn't be set too high | D．Goals will make us work harder. |
The best title for the text should be .
| A．Joy in the Journey | B．A Boy Dug a Hole |
| C．No Pains, No Gains | D．Failure Is the Mother of Success |
A friend of mine was fond of drawing horse. He drew the horses very well, but he always began the tail. Now it is the Western rule to begin at the head of the horse, that is why I was surprised. It struck me that it could not really make any difference whether the artist begins at the head or the tail or the belly(肚子) or the foot of the horse, if he really knows his business. And most great artists who really know their business do not follow other people's rule. They make their own rules. Every one of them does his work in a way peculiar( 奇特的) to himself; and the peculiarity means only that he finds it more easy to work in that way.
Now the very same thing is true to literature. And the question, "How shall I begin?" only means that you want to begin at the head instead of beginning at the tail or somewhere else. That is, you are not yet experienced enough to trust to your own powers. When you become more experienced you will never ask the question, and I think that you will often begin at the tail -- that is to say, you will write the end of the story before you have even thought of the beginning. A friend of the writer's drew the horses ____.
| A．very well |
| B．in the way of western rule |
| C．in the way of his own rule |
| D．all of the above |
The writer was surprised because ____.
| A．the artist began to draw at the head of the horse |
| B．the artist began to draw at the tail of the horse |
| C．the artist made his own rule |
| D．the artist did not follow other people's rule |
You are not yet experienced because ____.
| A．you don't know where to begin |
| B．you want to begin at the head instead of beginning at the tail |
| C．you always asked question |
| D．you do not trust to your own powers |
when you become more experienced you will ____.
| A．never ask question |
| B．often begin at the tail |
| C．should write the end of the story |
| D．should think of the beginning |
The topic of the passage is
| A．How to draw a horse |
| B．How to write a story |
| C．How to make your own rules |
| D．Trust to your own powers |
Jack went to a barber's shop and had his hair cut, but when he came out, he was not happy with the result(结果). When his friend Bob saw him, he laughed and said, "What has happened to your hair, Jack?"
Jack said, "I tried a new barber's shop today, because I wasn't quite satisfied with my old one, but this one seems even worse."
Bob agreed(同意). "Yes, I think you're right, Jack. Now I'll tell you what to do when you go into a barber's shop next time: look at all the barber's hair, find out whose hair looks worst, and then go straight to him."
"Why shall I go to him?" Jack asked. "But that would be foolish!"
"Oh, no, it wouldn't," answered Bob. "Who cut that man's hair? Just think it. He couldn't cut it himself, could he? Another of the barbers cut it. So you know he can't be the worst barber." When Jack went out of the barber's shop, he was not happy because ____.
| A．nobody had cut his hair |
| B．the barber hadn't cut his hair well |
| C．the barber had cut his hair carefully |
| D．he was not satisfied with his old barber |
"I tried a new barber's shop today." means ____.
| A．this barber's shop was a new one |
| B．this was the only barber's shop in this town |
| C．Jack often went to this barber's shop |
| D．Jack had not been to this barber's shop before |
After Jack had his hair cut, he thought ____.
| A．the new barber's shop was the best one |
| B．the old barber's shop wasn't so good as the new one |
| C．the new barber's shop was worse than the old one |
| D．the old barber's shop was the worst one |
Bob told Jack to find out which barber's hair looked the worst and then go straight to him. Why?
| A．Because he was certainly the best barber. |
| B．Because he was free all the time. |
| C．Because he was the worst barber. |
| D．Because he wasn't the worst barber. |
From the story we know that ____.
| A．it's foolish to have one's hair cut at a barber's shop |
| B．barbers cut each other's hair |
| C．barbers never have their hair cut |
| D．a barber always cuts his hair by himself |
Here's one very simple but lifechanging advice that I first heard from Brian Tracy. Cut down on the TV at night by just one hour. Instead, use that hour to read books that could improve your life.
If you're a salesman, google for the best and most useful books on improving your sales.
This applies (适用) to all fields, not just the work-related (与工作相关的) ones. Maybe you want to improve your health, become a more energetic person. Or maybe you want to improve your study, your relations or perhaps do some personal development.
One hour a day is not much. But if you read for one hour a day on weekdays, that's about 260 hours a year. That's a large number of books and a lot of useful advice.
If you follow the ideas, who knows what great things and feelings could come into your life. Also, all that information and advice will start to open up your mind. You will start to see more chances in your life.
Now, you might think something like this:
1. I really don't have the money...
Answer: Visit your public library or search the database (数据库). Or look for books that are used in places like amazon.com.
2. I really don't have the time...
Answer: Buy audiobooks and listen to them in the car while driving to and from work. Or copy them to your MP3-player and listen while riding your bike /bus to work or school. Recently selling audiobooks through MP3-downloads has become popular...
Shut off the TV a little earlier and start reading.What is Brian Tracy’s lifechanging advice about？
| A．Watching TV. | B．Listening to MP3. |
| C．Surfing the internet. | D．Reading helpful books. |
If you’d like to improve your work, you should_______ according to the writer.
| A．read work-related books | B．become more energetic |
| C．improve your study | D．improve your relations |
Which is NOT true about reading an hour a day？
| A．It will open up your mind. |
| B．You will have about 260 hours a year to read. |
| C．You will read lots of books and get much useful advice. |
| D．It will probably bring great things and feelings into your life. |
What should you do if you really don't have the money to read?
| A．To buy some books from amazon.com. | B．To download MP3 free. |
| C．To visit the public library. | D．To borrow audiobooks and listen to them. |
What is the writer’s idea about audiobooks?
| A．They are more useful. |
| B．Listening to audiobooks is easier than reading books. |
| C．It’s dangerous to listen to audiobooks while driving or riding. |
| D．Audiobooks are a good solution to the problem of having no time to read. |
Starting high school means many changes in your life. Most teenagers look forward to the first day of high school, but still feel a little bit nervous. In order to make your high school life easier, you can follow these tips.
Learn all you can about your first day before the first day. Take part in some activities that are held at the school for new students to know the school better. If parents are invited to these activities, take yours with you. Carefully look over all the materials you receive. Be sure you know where the school’s buildings are.
Get the things you will need for class. Buy the things suggested on your teachers’ supply lists and place your materials for each class separately.
Keep up with your high school workload（工作量）. If you find you’re not doing well in a subject, make use of after-school study groups or ask your teacher to help you with your schoolwork. Consider private tutoring to get you through a difficult time.
There’re more extracurricular（课外的）activities in high school than in middle school, such as clubs, music and theater groups, student government, and sports teams. Make friends and be seen at such school activities. Join a club or other organizations to meet people and develop friendships. Ask someone in school activities if you don’t know how. This is a good time to do what you like doing and an opportunity to try new things. Who said school has to be all work and no play?
Since you’ll attend more activities in high school than in middle school, you’ll have to learn how to manage you time…The writer wrote this passage to ______.
| A．advise us to study hard in high school. |
| B．tell us how to live an easier life in high school. |
| C．show that we may live a hard life in high school. |
| D．explain why there will be many changes in high school. |
In paragraph 2, the writer suggests that we should ______.
| A．ask our parents to walk us to school |
| B．ask other students about our high school |
| C．prepare all the things we need for our classes |
| D．learn about our high school well before attending it |
According to paragraph 4, what should we do if we are not doing well in a subject?
| A．We should get help from others. |
| B．We should stop going to activities. |
| C．We should spend most of our time on it. |
| D．We should give it up if it is not important. |
In paragraph 5, the writer wants to tell us that ______.
| A．every coin has two sides |
| B．the early bird catches the worm |
| C．where there is a will, there is a way |
| D．all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy |
What will the writer most probably talk about next?
| A．How to manage time well in high school. |
| B．Why we need to learn how to manage time. |
| C．How to attend more activities in high school. |
| D．Why middle school is different from high school. |
My 10-year-old Donna said, “Mom, I made a new friend at school today. Can she come over tomorrow?” Donna was a shy girl and I wanted her to make some friends to bring her out of her shell.
“Sure, honey, that sounds great.” I said, thinking back to my own best friend, Lillian. We lived across the street from each other in Washington Heights, New York. We met at the age of 10, too. Like my daughter, I was shy, but Lillian drew me out. She was one of the friendliest people in school, with shiny black hair and a mile-wide smile.
In senior high school, Lillian went on a trip to Florida. This was the first time we had to be away from each other for a few days. “I’ll be back soon.” she told me. But three days later, Lillian’s sister told me that she had fallen into a river and hadn’t come out any more. Soon, my family moved to New Jersey. Whenever I thought of her, tears came into my eyes.
The next day Donna brought her new friend home. “Hi, Mrs. Loggia.” the little girl said. Her hair was so shiny and black and she shot me a big smile. “My name is Laura.”
My daughter’s new friend was so much like Lillian. I was still puzzled (迷惑) when Laura’s mom came to pick her up later that afternoon. I opened the door to let her in. “Judy!” she cried. “It’s me, Lillian’s sister, from Washington Heights.” Yes, my daughter’s friend looked familiar. She was Lillian’s niece.The underlined words in the first paragraph “to bring her out of her shell” mean ___________.
| A．to help her become less shy | B．to help her become smart |
| C．to help her live happily | D．to help her walk out of her house |
Laura looked familiar to the writer because she ____________.
| A．was Lillian’s niece |
| B．was as old as her daughter |
| C．was from Washington Heights |
| D．had shiny black hair and a big smile, too |
Why did the writer lose her best friend? Because ____________________.
| A．she moved to New Jersey |
| B．they were different from each other |
| C．her best friend travelled to Florida |
| D．her best friend lost her life on a trip |
“I knew we would be best friends forever.” is a sentence from the passage and should be put at the end of _______．
| A．Paragraph 2 | B．Paragraph 3 | C．Paragraph 4 | D．Paragraph 5 |
We can infer (推断) from the passage that______.
| A．Laura is outgoing |
| B．Laura helps Donna a lot |
| C．Laura and Donna are of the same age |
| D．Judy moved to New Jersey because of Lillian’s death |