There are two basic ways to see growth: one as a product, the other as a process. People have generally viewed personal growth as a result or product that can easily be identified (识别) and measured. The worker who gets a rise, the student whose grades improve, the foreigner who learns a new language—all these are examples of people who have measurable results to show for their efforts.
By contrast, the process of personal growth is much more difficult to determine, since it is a journey and not the specific signposts or landmarks along the way. The process is not the road itself, but rather the attitudes and feelings people have, their caution or courage, as they meet with new experiences and unexpected obstacles (障碍). In this process, the journey never really ends; there are always new ways to experience the world, new ideas to try, new challenges to accept.
In order to grow, to travel new roads, people need to have a willingness to take risks, to face the unknown, and to accept the possibility that they may “fail” at first. How we see ourselves as we try a new way of being is extremely important to our ability to grow. Do we notice ourselves as quick and curious? If so, then we tend to take more chances and to be more open to unfamiliar experiences. Do we think we’re shy and indecisive? Then our sense of fear can cause us to hesitate, to move slowly, and we think we’re slow to adapt to change or that we’re not smart enough to deal with a new challenge. Then we are likely to take a more passive role or not try at all.
These feelings of insecurity (无把握) and self-doubt are both unavoidable and necessary if we are to change and grow. If we protect ourselves too much, then we stop growing. We become trapped inside a shell of our own making.Which of the following can be viewed as the process of personal growing?
| A．Helen was always willing to accept challenges. |
| B．Jane won the first prize in the speech competition. |
| C．Jerry picked up French during his stay in Paris. |
| D．Father’s salary rose from 5,000 to 7,000. |
For personal growth, the writer is in favor of ________.
| A．being cautious(谨慎的) with changes |
| B．having little interest in new things |
| C．staying away from failures and challenges |
| D．having an open mind to new experiences |
How do you understand the last sentence of this passage?
| A．We are trapped and injured. |
| B．Our body is trapped and stops growing. |
| C．We get stuck in what we are doing and can not achieve real growth. |
| D．We can’t protect ourselves and are trapped by others. |
Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
| A．Facing New Challenges | B．Growth—Product or Process |
| C．Two Basic Ways of Growth | D．Overcoming Fears |
C
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GONE WITH THE WIND Author: Margaret Mitchell ￥25 (in bookstores) ￥18 (online) Gone With the Wind is a best-seller, which tells a story that happened in the American Civil War． Scarlett O’Hara is a woman in the story who is full of energy． She is strong and saves her family but is very selfish at the same time． |
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| A LITTLE PRINCESS Author: Frances Hodgson Burnett ￥18．3 (online) Motherless Sara Crewe was sent home from India to school at Miss Minchin’s ．Her father was very rich and she lived a rich and comfortable life． Then her father died and Sara lost everything． She had to learn to do with her changed life． Her strong character made her able to fight successfully against her poverty (贫穷) and the scorn (嘲笑) of her fellows． It’s an excellent book with 4 tapes for children． |
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PETER PAN Author: J．M Barrie ￥15 (in bookstores) ￥12 (online) It is a children’s story full of imagination and adventures, which is about Wendy, John, and Michael Darling’s adventures in Never—Never Land with Peter Pan, the boy who would not grow up． The children are happy and lovely． (with 2 tapes) |
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| UNCLE TOM’S CABIN Author: Harriet Beecher Stowe ￥20 (in bookstores) The most famous novel in American history, Uncle Tom’s Cabin talked about the struggle (斗争) between free states and slave states during the American Civil War and is as powerful today as when it first came out 150 years ago． |
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THE SECRET GARDEN Author: Frances Hodgson Burnett ￥35 (in bookstores)￥30 (online) Mary Lennox, a sickly orphan (孤儿), finds herself in her uncle’s dark house． Why are so many rooms locked? Why is one of the gardens locked? And what is that crying she hears at night? Through the power of hope, friendship, and the magic (魔法) of nature, the brave girl brings the house and a long-lost garden back to life． |
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All of the following books have children as their main characters (主角) except ______．
| A．PETER PAN | B．GONE WITH THE WIND |
| C．A LITTLE PRINCESS | D．THE SECRET GARDEN |
We can know from the passage that _________．
| A．there are only three books with tapes |
| B．we can buy 5 kinds of the above books in bookstores |
| C．two of the above books are written by Frances Hodgson Burnett |
| D．THE SECRET GARDEN is ￥5 cheaper in bookstores than online |
Mary brings the house and a long-lost garden back to life with the help of _________．
a．the power of hope b．friendship c．her uncle d．nature’s magic
| A．a b c | B．a c d | C．b c d | D．a b d |
Which of the following about the books is mentioned in this passage?
| A．What Sara did to help her fellows． |
| B．Why Peter Pan wouldn’t grow up． |
| C．What kind of woman Scarlett is． |
| D．How Marry Lennox came into her uncle’s house． |
Another thing an astronaut has to learn about is eating in space．Food is weightless, just as men are．
Food for space has to be packed in special ways．Some of it goes into tubes that a man can squeeze into his mouth．Bite-sized cookies are packed in plastic．
There is a good reason for covering each bite．The plastic keeps pieces of food from traveling in the spaceship．On the earth very small pieces of food would simply fall to the floor．But gravity doesn’t pull them to the floor when they are out of the plastic in a spaceship．They move here and there and can get into a man’s eyes or into the spaceship’s instruments． If any of the instruments is blocked, the astronauts may have trouble getting safely home．
As astronauts travel on longer space trips, they must take time to sleep． An astronaut can fit himself to his seat with a kind of seat belt. Or, if he wants to, he can sleep in a sleeping bag which is fixed in place under his seat．But be careful he must put his hands under the belt when he goes to sleep．This is because he is really afraid that he might touch one of controls that isn’t supposed to be touched until later．Why would astronauts cover each bite of food in space？____
| A．Because small pieces of food would fall down to the floor． |
| B．Because weightless pieces of food might make trouble when they travel around． |
| C．Because they haven’t enough food for longer trips． |
| D．Because astronauts don’t want to waste food． |
In a spaceship, astronauts can ____．
| A．walk just as they do on the earth． |
| B．not eat anything because it’s dangerous． |
| C．control the spaceship when they are sleeping． |
| D．not litter small things or it will make trouble． |
Why does an astronaut put his hand under his belt when he sleeps？____
| A．Because he thinks it is comfortable to sleep in that way in space． |
| B．Because he doesn’t want to touch any controls when he sleeps． |
| C．Because the instruments of the spaceship are easily broken． |
| D．Because he is afraid that the seat will move． |
The best title of this article is ____．
| A．Eating and Sleeping in Space |
| B．How Astronauts Eat in Space |
| C．Food for Space |
| D．How Astronauts Sleep in Space |
Have you ever wondered why birds sing? Maybe you thought that they were just happy．After all, you probably sing when you are happy．
Some scientists believe that birds do sing some of the time just because they are happy．However they sing most of the time for a very different reason．Their singing is actually a warning to other birds to stay out of their territory．
Do you know what a “territory” is? A territory is an area that an animal, usually the male, claims (声称) as its own．Only he and his family are welcome there． No other families of the same species are welcome．Your house is your territory where only your family and friends are welcome．If a stranger should enter your territory and threaten you, you might shout．Probably this would be enough to frighten him away．
If so, you have actually frightened the stranger away without having to fight him．A bird does the same thing．But he expects an outsider almost any time, especially at nesting (筑巢) season．So he is screaming all the time, whether he can see an outsider or not．This screaming is what we call a bird’s song, and it is usually enough to keep an outsider away．Some scientists believe that most of the time bird’s singing is actually ______．
| A．an expression of happiness | B．a way of warning |
| C．an expression of anger | D．a way of greeting |
What is a bird’s “territory”?
| A．A place where families of other species are not accepted. |
| B．A place where a bird may shout at the top of its voice． |
| C．An area for which birds fight against each other． |
| D．An area which a bird considers to be its own． |
Why do birds keep on singing at nesting season?
| A．Because they want to invite more friends． |
| B．Because their singing helps frighten outsiders away． |
| C．Because they want to find outsiders around． |
| D．Because their singing helps get rid of their fears． |
How does the writer explain birds’ singing?
| A．By comparing birds with human beings． |
| B．By reporting experiment results． |
| C．By describing birds’ daily life． |
| D．By telling a bird’s story． |
Once upon a time, there was a lovely vegetable field, on which grew a very thick tree. Both the vegetables and the tree gave the place a wonderful appearance, which was the joy of the garden’s owner. What no one knew was that the vegetables in the field and the tree couldn’t stand each other. The vegetables hated the tree’s shadow, because it left them only just enough light to survive. The tree, on the other hand, hated the vegetables because they drank nearly all the water before it could get to him, leaving him with just enough to survive.
The situation became so extreme that the vegetables got totally fed up and decided to use up all the water in the ground so that the tree would dry up. The tree answered back by refusing to give the vegetables shadow from the hot midday sun, so they both began to dry up. Before long, the vegetables were really thin and the tree’s branches were drying up.
Neither of them thought that the gardener, on seeing his vegetable field becoming worse, would stop watering it. When he did that, both the tree and the vegetables really learned what thirst was. There seemed to be no solution, but one of the vegetables, a small courgette（小胡瓜）, understood what was going on, and decided to deal with it. Despite the little water and the unbearable heat, the little courgette did all he could to grow, grow... He managed to grow so big that the gardener started watering the field again. The gardener wanted to enter that beautiful big courgette in some gardening contest.
They should really learn how to live in harmony（和谐）with those around them, doing the best they could. So they decided to work together, and help each other instead of fighting, using both the shadow and the water in the best combination to grow good vegetables. Seeing how well they were doing, the gardener now gave the best of care to his vegetable field, watering it better than any other field for miles around.From the passage, we can learn____.
| A．the gardener was very lazy |
| B．the tree and vegetables grew very well at first |
| C．the tree and vegetables got along well with each other at first |
| D．the gardener was satisfied with his work on the garden |
The vegetables and the tree fought for____.
| A．living space | B．the gardener’s attention |
| C．attending the contest | D．their own good |
What drew the garden’s owner’s attention to the field again?
| A．Some gardening contests. |
| B．The fight between plants. |
| C．The big and beautiful courgette. |
| D．The wonderful appearance in the garden. |
What was out of the expectation of the tree and vegetables?
| A．That the gardener stopped watering them. |
| B．That the courgette understood what was happening. |
| C．That they could live together. |
| D．That they could take part in the contest. |
How can one live in harmony with others according to the passage?
| A．By working together and helping each other. |
| B．By learning to be thankful. |
| C．By respecting others and oneself. |
| D．By learning to stop being angry with others. |
Forgiving someone who has hurt you or let you down is never an easy thing. Several new studies, however, say that it could have a lot of health benefits. When you think of forgiveness, you probably don’t think of it as being a health or medical problem. Studies from Stanford University, on the other hand, show that something like anger can change your well-being.
When cartoon book characters like the Incredible Hulk get angry, they change colours and often gain special power. In the real world, anger is less obvious and may be more dangerous. That’s why Professor Fred Luskin, founder of the Stanford Forgiveness Project and author of Forgive for Good, says holding on to anger and hatred can harm your physical and mental health. Two new studies seem to show the same idea.
The studies find that people who are able to forgive feel less stress, less back pain, and less depression(抑郁). They also have fewer headaches, lower blood pressure, and fewer problems on sleeping.
So it doesn’t matter if your anger is caused by the traffic or other things. Learning to let it go is important. Techniques such as deep breath or thought can help. Or just ask yourself if it’s worth hurting yourself by staying angry with someone else.
Forgiveness does not mean that you simply accept what happened and say it’s OK. Instead, it’s a way of making peace with yourself about what happened in the past. The author of the passage tries to make his viewpoint clear__________.
| A．by raising his own examples |
| B．based on his own experience |
| C．by mentioning some studies |
| D．by mentioning some typical patients |
The example of the cartoon book characters is taken in the passage to__________.
| A．support the viewpoint that anger and hatred harm physical and mental health |
| B．introduce a famous expert |
| C．let the reader know the different colours of cartoon faces |
| D．show how to control one’s temper |
The underlined phrase“holding on to”in this passage possibly means“__________”.
| A．removing | B．keeping up | C．getting rid of | D．learning about |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned in this passage?
| A．People who are able to forgive feel less stress. |
| B．People who are able to forgive feel less depression. |
| C．People who are able to forgive have fewer problems on sleeping. |
| D．People who are able to forgive feel less tired. |
The best title for this passage is probably__________.
| A．Forgiveness | B．Forgiveness Is Good for Health |
| C．A Secret to Keeping Health | D．Anger Is Bad for Health |