Hawking's Five Easy Steps for Making Yourself a Genius
As we all know，Stephen Hawking writes the book A Brief History of Time that explains the origin of the universe. The book spent 147 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller List and has sold 10 million copies. He is，most agree，very smart.
In his recently published autobiography My Brief History，Hawking offers five life lessons on how to become a genius.
1)Don’t miss opportunities by being too cool
“We showed an air of complete boredom and the feeling that nothing was worth making an effort for. One result of my illness has been to change all that. When you are faced with the possibility of an early death, it makes you realize that life is worth living and that there are lots of things you want to do. ”Seize the moment，as Oxford types would say.
2)Keep it simple
When writing A Brief History of Time，he tried to make science understandable for the rest of us. “I was sure that nearly everyone is interested in how the universe operates，but most people cannot follow mathematical equations(数学公式). ”He has trouble with them，too. “This is partly because it is difficult for me to write them down，but mainly because I don't have an inborn feeling for equations. My aim in the book was to describe these mental images in words. It is such an easy book that everybody can understand it.” The moral：You don't have to be a genius to know everything.
3）Have fun
Hawking has a long history of being a joker，and he has placed lots of bets with other scientists on the nature of black holes. One was with Cal-Tech scientist John Preskill. After paying off his bet by giving Preskill a baseball encyclopedia，Hawking wrote，“but maybe I should have just given him the ashes. ”So lighten up! Geniuses like bad jokes too.
4) Always look for a silver lining (even if you are seriously ill)
Hawking's disease has slowly robbed him of the ability to walk，move his arms，even speak. But，Hawking says，“in some ways I guess my disability has been an assist：I haven't had to lecture or teach students, and I haven't had to sit in meetings. So I have been able to devote myself completely to research.”In other words，Hawking was given lemons，and he made Champagne.
5)Don’t work too hard at school
……The passage tells us the facts about A Brief History of Time EXCEPT that ________.
| A．it explained the origin of the universe |
| B．it has sold 10 million copies up to now |
| C．it spent 147 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller List |
| D．it included Hawking's five life lessons on how to become a genius |
According to the passage，which of the following statements is guiding you to be a genius?
| A．Place lots of bets with your friends. |
| B．Seize the moment to learn everything. |
| C．Find something good even in bad situations. |
| D．Get to know everything including math equations. |
Hawking shows his viewpoint by ____________.
| A．making comparisons | B．quoting a famous saying |
| C．listing the numbers and equations | D．talking about his own experience |
Astronomy (天文学) is the oldest science known to man. Thousands of years ago man looked at the stars and wondered about heavens (天堂). But the six planets that he could see with his eyes alone limited man.
The Greeks studied astronomy over 2,000 years ago. They could see the size, color, and brightness of a star. They could see its place in the sky. They watched the stars move as the seasons changed. But the Greeks had no tools to help themselves study the heavens.
Each new tool added to the field of astronomy helped man reach out into space. Until there were telescopes (望远镜), man did not know much about the moon. He did not know that the planet called Saturn (土星) had rings around it. His sight was so limited that he could not see all the planets. In the early 1700s, people thought there were only six planets. Pluto (冥王星), the last of the nine planets to be discovered was seen until 1930.
Before the spectroscopes (分光镜), man didn’t know what kind of gas was in the sun or other stars, without radio telescopes (射电望远镜), we did not know that radio noise came from far in space.
Today, astronomy is a growing science. We have learned more in the past fifty years than in the whole history of astronomy.Thousands of years ago, man watched ____ with his eyes.
| A．the moon | B．the stars | C．the universe | D．all the planets |
When the Greeks watched the stars, they could ____ .
| A．know what the stars were made of | B．not see their places in the sky |
| C．help themselves study the heavens | D．watch the stars move as the seasons changed |
Until there were ____ , man knew very little about the moon.
| A．telescopes | B．spectroscopes | C．radio telescopes | D．spaceships |
People didn’t know about Pluto until ____ .
| A．the 1700s | B．2,000 years ago | C．1930 | D．thousands of years ago |
____ people began to do research on astronomy.
| A．50 years ago | B．90 years ago | C．In the early 1700s | D．Over 2,000 years ago |
Vienna——In spite of Iraq’s decision to stop oil deliveries, the 11- nation Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries（OPEC）will not increase production to make up the shortfall, ministers decided Tuesday in Vienna.
The 11 oil ministers decided to meet again on July 3 to discuss the effects of the Iraq temporary stop. The organization’s president, Charkid Kheria of Algeria, said after the meeting that stocks were high and prices were stable, so quota increases were not necessary.
The E.U. Commission has expressed concern about Iraq’s output stop. A speaker said OPEC had to take all possible measures to keep or lower the oil price.
Saudi Arabia’s Oil Minister Ali Al-Nuaimi had earlier said there would not be any shortfall of oil in the market. The organization had already taken steps to fill the gap, he said. OPEC Secretary General Ali Rodriguez added that the period of Iraq’s output stop was not known, so other exporters were not going to lift quotas yet. If the market was destabilized（使……动摇）, a suitable response could be made.
Iraq on Monday stopped shipments of crude oil to protest against the U.N. Security Council’s decision to extend the oil-for-food programme by only a month, instead of the normal six-month renewal. Just before the Vienna meeting, oil prices had gone up, with a barrel of OPEC crude oil selling for 27.05 dollars, up from 26.81 dollars last Friday. North sea oil was at 29.26 dollars Monday evening.
OPEC wants the oil price to stay within a margin of 22 to 28 dollars and achieved that with cuts in January and March that reduced 2.5 million barrels per day off quotas（配额）.Iraq made the decision to stop oil deliveries because ___________.
| A．oil price is too low in international market. |
| B．The U.N. Secretary Council has decided to shorten the time of extension of the oil-for-food programme |
| C．Many oil wells were destroyed during the war in the late 1980s |
| D．It couldn’t get enough money to develop its economy |
The attitude the E.U. Commission took towards Iraq’s output stop is ________.
| A．active | B．concerned |
| C．cold | D．surprised |
The underlined words“The organization”here refers to ________.
| A．OPEC | B．the E.U. Commission |
| C．Vienna | D．WTO |
The main idea of the passage is ________.
| A．the oil prices in the world were stable though Iraq has stopped oil deliveries |
| B．OPEC has controlled the oil price to stay within a margin of 22 to 28 dollars |
| C．OPEC will not increase oil production to make up the shortfall that caused by Iraq |
| D．Oil is connected with people’s daily life |
The 11 oil ministers decided to meet on July 3 so that _________.
| A．they can persuade Iraq to continue oil production |
| B．they can have a talk with the U.N. Security Council |
| C．they can have a discussion about the effects of Iraq’s temporary output stop |
| D．they can make up their minds to increase oil production |
Most young architects ----particularly those in big cities ----can only dream about working in a building of their own. And marking that dream come true often means finding a building no one else seems to want, which is exactly what happened to David Yocum and his partner, Brain Bell. Their building is a former automobile electrical –parts firm in Atlanta. Form the outside, it looks too old, even something horrible, but open the door and you are in a wide, open courtyard, lined on three sides with rusting(生锈的) walls.
In 2000, Yocum and Bell found this building in the city’s West End. Built in 1947, the structure had been abandoned years earlier and the roof of the main building had fallen down. But the price was right, so Yocum bought it. He spent eight months of his off-hours on demolition(拆除), pulling rubbish out through the roof, because it was too dangerous to go inside the building, The demolition was hard work, but it gave him time to think about what he wanted to do, and “to treasure what was there – the walls, the rust, the light,” Yocum said.” Every season, more paint falls off the walls and more rust develops. It’s like an art installation(装置) in there-a slow-motion show.”
Since the back building had been constructed without windows, an all-glass front was added to the building to give it a view of the courtyard, and skylights were installed in the roof. The back of the building is a working area and a living room for Yocum and his wife. A sort of buffer(缓冲) zone between the front and the back contains a bathroom, a kitchen and a mechanical room, and the walls that separate these zones have openings that allow views through to the front of the studio and the courtyard beyond.
Yocum and Bell, who have just completed an art gallery for the city, feel that the experience from decoration of their building, focusing on the inside rather than the outside, has influenced their work. It has also given these architects a chance to show how they can make more out of less. According to the passage, it isfor most young architects in big cities to work in a building of their own.
| A．easy | B．unnecessary | C．unrealistic | D．common |
Yocum bought the old building because __.
| A．it was a bargain to him | B．it was still in good condition |
| C．it was located in the city center | D．it looked attractive from the outside |
Working on the old building, Yocum and Bell＿.
| A．pulled rubbish out through the roof | B．removed the skylights from the bathroom |
| C．presented a slow–motion show in an art gallery | |
| D．built a kitchen at the back part of the old building |
It can be inferred from the passage that Yocum and Bell __.
| A．benefited a lot from pulling down the roof | B．turned more old buildings into art galleries |
| C．got inspiration from decorating their old building | |
| D．paid more attention to the outside of the gallery |
The main idea of the passage is that __.
| A．people can learn a lot from their failures |
| B．it is worthwhile to spend money on an old building |
| C．people should not judge things by their appearance |
| D．creative people can make the best of what they have |
My destination is the River Walk, one of the most popular places in all of Texas. In the first half of 20th century, to control flooding, the city fathers began redirecting the San Antonio River. They built a network of canals that pass through the downtown area. At nearly every street corner, stairs lead down to walkways on both sides of the canals.
The River Walk is linked with cafes, bars, shops --- and, of course, plenty of bridges. You can easily cross over to the other side without having to return to the street. It’s a constant party along the River Walk, with music and festivals throughout the year. The Mud Festival, for example, takes place each January, when the city empties this section of the river to clean it out. That’s when the Mud King and Mud Queen are crowned.
No visit to Texas would be complete without seeing a rodeo --- another aspect of this part of the country that is completely foreign to someone from New England. The announcer walks on stage and gets the crowd excited with talk about the courageous cowboys who’ll be performing. While he’s talking, a band plays sad songs about love gone wrong.
Suddenly the announcer calls for silence. He takes off his tall hat and asks us to join him in prayer. We pray for the cowboys who are, we are told, risking their lives to entertain us, as well as for the bulls and other animals taking part in the shows. We pray for the tourists who are visiting. The rodeo gets going and the fun begins.
Our prayers for the cowboys and animals are answered, and nobody gets hurt. But as we walk over to the cowboy dance hall after the show to enjoy a Texas-size barbecue, it’s clear that not enough prayers were said for the bulls’ less athletic relatives --- the ones not chosen for rodeo work. They’ll be our meal. It seems that moving too slowly has its disadvantages, too.What do you know about the River Walk from the article?
| A．People hold parties to celebrate festivals here every day. |
| B．It refers to the sidewalks on either side of this section of the San Antonio River. |
| C．There are many bridges that connect the River Walk and the Main Street. |
| D．Stairs link the River Walk to cafes, bars and shops in the street. |
Which of the following statements about Mud festival is NOT true?
| A．Mud Festival dates back to the first half of 20th century. |
| B．Mud Festival is held in January every year. |
| C．Mud King and Mud Queen are chosen in the festival |
| D．Mud Festival is celebrated to clear the mud of the San Antonio River. |
What does the underlined word “rodeo” refer to?
| A．One aspect of the American country life. | B．The concert given by a band. |
| C．The cowboys’ performance. | D．The grand Texas-size barbecue. |
Why do some bulls become the visitors’ meal?
| A．Because they do not run as fast as those taking part in the shows. |
| B．Because the visitors do not pray enough for them before the shows. |
| C．Because they lose the competition to their relatives in the shows. |
| D．Because they are only beef cattle intended as people’s food. |
Which of the following words can NOT be used to describe the writer’s mood?
| A．light-hearted | B．excited | C．anxious | D．humorous |
Ask any person who is successful in whatever he or she is doing what motivates him/her, and very likely the answer will be "goals". Goal Setting is extremely important to motivation and success. So what motivates you? Why are you in college? If you are in college because that's what your parents want, you may find it difficult to motivate yourself. Sure, it's possible to succeed with someone else providing the motivation for you. ("If you graduate from college, I'll give you a car!" or worse "If you don't graduate from college, you won't get a car.") But motivation that comes from within really makes the difference.
Certainly, you need some intelligence, knowledge base, study skills, and time management skills, but if you don't have motivation, you won't get far. Think about this analogy. You have a car with a full tank of gas, a well-tuned engine, good set of tires, quadraphonic CD system, and a sleek, polished exterior(外表). There it sits. This car has incredible potential. However, until a driver sits behind the wheel, puts the key in the ignition(点火装置), and cranks it up, the car doesn't function. You guessed it; the KEY is MOTIVATION.
Interest is an important motivator for a student. So is a desire to learn. When you link these two things together, you create success. Often success in an endeavor(努力) leads to more interest and a greater desire to learn, creating an upward spiral(螺旋形) of motivation toward a goal you have established.
So be honest with yourself. Are you genuinely interested in being in college? Have you set realistic goals for yourself? How can you develop the internal motivation that really counts? When it comes to motivation, KNOWING is not as important as DOING. Why does the writer give the example of a car in the second paragraph?
| A．Because people can never go far without a good car. |
| B．Because a good car motivates some college students to study harder. |
| C．Because a good car is a symbol of being a success. |
| D．Because motivation leads people to success like it starts a car. |
What is the CORRECT comparison between the internal motivation and the external (外部的)motivation?
| A．Only the internal motivation can result in success. |
| B．Internal motivation is more important than external motivation. |
| C．Internal motivation and external motivation has equal importance. |
| D．External motivation is enough for people to achieve success. |
According to the article the following factors can push people towards their goals EXCEPT __________?
| A．interest | B．the desire to learn |
| C．the knowledge of motivation | D．the sense of success |
What’s the main purpose of the article?
| A．To encourage everyone to develop motivation for whatever they are doing.. |
| B．To inspire college students to set goals for their college life. |
| C．To imply that the less motivated college students quit the college. |
| D．To call on parents to give up their over-protection of their children. |
What may be the writer’s advice to the potential readers?
| A．The goals you set for yourself shouldn’t be far beyond your reach. |
| B．You needn’t attend college if you are really not interested in it. |
| C．You should work harder to win praise from others. |
| D．Honesty is the best policy to solve problems in your life. |