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 |
For hundreds of years, artists have used cartoons to criticize bad rulers or landowners. As early as the 19th century, people produced and read books of drawings. In many ways, they were similar to modern comics（漫画）. They contained stories of naughty children and playful animals. The owl and the elephant were usually wise animals, ready to give advice. The lion and tiger were brave. The fox and wolf were cunning, greedy and dangerous.
A century ago, an American newspaper published the first-color comic strip. It was so popular that sales of the newspaper, Morning Journal, increased quickly. Since then, newspapers throughout the world have included comic strips.
In modern time, comics are popular in China, Japan, the USA and almost everywhere. Not even video games or CD-ROMs have reduced their popularity. Names such as Snoopy, Woodstock and Garfield are well known in dozens of countries. The Peanuts comic strip appears in over 2,000 newspapers and in more than 25 languages.
Perhaps one day, you may like to create your own comic strip and become a millionaire. First, you must think of a good plot. It should be funny, exciting or interesting in some way. It should have plenty of action. Moreover, the language must be realistic and simple. The words should suit the characters in your story.
Furthermore, the characters in your story must be clear to readers. They should be obviously good or bad. In many comic strips—especially those showing crime of adventure—there should also be a hero or heroine. This will attract the reader to keep on reading the story.
1. Which of the following is NOT the name of a cartoon character?
A. Snoopy B. Garfield C. Peanuts D. Woodstock
2. We can know from the first paraphaph that rulers ________.
A. asked the artists to draw cartoonsB. probably did not like cartoons about them.
C. often drew cartoons many years ago.D. used cartoons to give people advice.
3. According to the passage, what makes a popular and successful comic strip?
A. Good plotB. suitable language C. clear charactersD. All of above
4. The underlined word “plot” is similar in meaning to ______.
A. placesB. storiesC. events D. characters
One winter evening, a storekeeper was going to close up his shop. Suddenly he saw Seth, a lazy, good-for-nothing fellow grab a pound of fresh butter and concealed it in his hat. No sooner had the storekeeper seen the act than he hit upon exactly the right revenge. He would punish the thief, and satisfy his own appetite for fun.
Seth had his hat on his head, and the butter in his hat. He was anxious to leave. However, the rightful owner of the butter offered him a cup of hot drink, took him by the shoulders and planted him in a seat close to the stove. The grocer stuffed in the stove as many sticks of wood as he could possibly fit inside.
Seth already could feel the butter settling down closer to his hair, so he jumped up, declaring that he must go. “Sit down; don’ t be in such a hurry,” replied the grocer, pushing him back into the chair again.
Streak after streak of the butter came pouring from under the poor man’s hat. The fun-loving grocer kept on stuffing wood into the stove. Then, as if surprised, he remarked, “You seem to be perspiring (排汗) as if you were warm! Let me put your hat away for you.”
“No!” exclaimed poor Seth at last, unable to stand it a moment longer. “No, I must go; let me out.”
A greasy (油腻的) waterfall of butter was now pouring down the poor man’s face and neck, soaking (浸泡) into his clothes, and trickling down his body into his boots. He was bathed in oil from head to toe.
Just as his victim darted out the door, the grocer said, “I reckon (估计) the fun I’ve had out of you is worth the money, so I shan’t charge you for that pound of butter in your hat.”
1．Why did Seth put the butter in his hat?
A. Because he just wanted to play a trick on the grocer.
B. Because he had nowhere to put the butter but in the hat.
C. Because he wanted to revenge himself on the grocer.
D. Because he didn’t want to pay for it.
2．What is not the action that the grocer took as a revenge?
A. The grocer offered Seth a cup of hot drink.
B. The grocer forced Seth to take a seat near the stove.
C. The grocer overcharged Seth for the butter.
D. The grocer offered to take off Seth’s hat.
3．What was the purpose of the grocer’s hospitality?
A. He wanted to make friends with Seth.
B. He wanted to be kind to him.
C. He wanted to take his revenge on Seth by making the butter in his hat melt.
D. He wanted to sell more of his goods.
4．What is the best title of the passage?
A. Great fun B. The right revenge C. A fun-loving grocer D. A foolish customer
I have a friend who lives by a three-word philosophy (人生哲学): Seize the moment. Just possibly, she may be the wisest woman on this planet. Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because they haven’t thought about it, don’t have it on their schedule, don’t know it is coming or are too strict to depart from their routine.
I can’t count the times I called my sister and said, “How about going to lunch in half an hour?” She would gasp and stammer (结结巴巴地说), “I can’t. I have clothes on the line. My hair is dirty. I wish I had known it yesterday, I had a late breakfast, and it looks like rain.” And my personal favorite response: “It’s just Monday.” She died a few years ago. We never did have lunch together. From then on, I’ve tried to be a little more flexible.
Life has a way of going faster as we get older. The days get shorter, and the list of promises made to ourselves gets longer. One morning, we awaken, and all have to show for our lives is repetition of “I’m going to” , “I plan on” and “Someday, when things are settled down a bit.”
When anyone calls my “seize the moment” friend, she is open to adventure and available for trips. She keeps an open mind on new ideas. Her enthusiasm for life is contagious. You talk with her for five minutes, and you’re ready to trade your bad feet for a pair of Rollerblades and skip an elevator for a bungee cord.
My lips have not touched ice cream in 10 years . I love ice cream. The other day, I stopped the car and bought a triple-decker. If my car had hit an iceberg on the way home, I would have died happily.
Now ... go on and have a nice day. Do something you WANT to … not something on your SHOULD DO list.
1．The example of the writer’s sister serves as ________.
A. an argumentB. an introduction C. a support D. a conclusion
2．The writer thinks that the excuse “It’s just Monday.” is acceptable, because ________.
A. it is still likely that they can have lunch together some time later
B. it sounds most reasonable of all the excuses
C. it shows respect for the writer’s suggestion
D. it indicates the time when they can have lunch together
3．The underlined word “contagious” in the fourth paragraph means “________” .
A. appropriate B. influential C. practical D. evident
4．What is the purpose of the writer by writing this passage?
A. To suggest how time flies.
B. To persuade busy people to relax.
C. To advise people to keep their promise.
D. To persuade readers to be flexible on their schedule for practical joy.
A particular quirk(古怪举动)of Canadian education is that there isn’t one system but 13. All 10 provinces and all 3 territories have the right to run their own education systems. It’s established in the Constitution.
This means there is no national standard. Nobody agrees on the grade at which one makes the transition from elementary to secondary school, nor on how many years’ schooling is compulsory, nor how many grades there should be before college or university, nor how schools should be funded. Families relocating often get a surprise when they are informed that the children will have to repeat a grade because the one they have just finished does not cover the required courses to pass into the next grade where they are now.
Older children from isolated areas may be sent away to boarding schools, but this practice is falling out of favor. These days children in a very small community are more likely to attend the same school from kindergarten to grade 12(13 in Ontario, 11 in Quebec). In rural areas, pupils are taken to the nearest school in large yellow buses, some spending over an hour on the bus each way. Some never do a spot of homework at home because they always complete it on the bus. With the arrival of computers, high-quality education has now become possible even in very remote areas. It also enables parents to educate their children at home.
Colleges in Canada are sponsored by the state. Fully 75% of Canadian students go on after high school to some sort of further education. Having a university degree is fast becoming the minimum standard for employment but is far from a guarantee of a good job; those with a PhD in Philosophy, if not holding tenure at a university, are likely to be flipping burgers at a fast-food joint.
75 ______________________
Strange education system |
76 _____________ |
Not one system but 13 |
No national standard |
*No agreement on the grade at which one transfers from elementary to secondary school |
|
| *No agreement on 77_______________ |
||
| *No agreement on78____________ before college or university |
||
| *No consensus about 79________________funding schools |
||
| 80 ____________ |
*Older children from isolated areas studying in boarding schools |
|
| *Children in a very small community 81________ the same school till Grade 12-13 |
||
| *Children in rural areas taken to the nearest school spending over an hour in large school buses 82 _______________ |
||
College education |
* Fully 75% high school students83 ____________ |
|
| * Getting a university degree becoming 84 ______________ for employment |
As the pace of life continues to increase, we are fast losing the art of relaxation. Once you are in the habit of rushing through lift, being on the go from morning till night, it is hard to slow down. But relaxation is essential for a healthy mind and body.
Stress is a natural part of everyday life and there is no way to avoid it. In fact, it is not the bad thing it is often supposed to be. A certain amount of stress is vital to provide motivation and give purpose to life. It is only when the stress gets out of control that it can lead to poor performance and ill health.
The amount of stress a person can withstand depends very much on the individual. Some people are not afraid of stress, and such characters are obviously prime material for managerial responsibilities. Others lose heart at the first signs of unusual difficulties. When exposed to stress, in whatever form, we react both chemically and physically. In fact we make choice between "fight" or "flight" and in more primitive days the choice made the difference between life or death. The crises we meet today are unlikely to be so extreme, but however little the stress is, it involves the same response. It is when such a reaction lasts long, through continued exposure to stress, that health becomes endangered. Such serious conditions as high blood pressure and heart disease have established links with stress. Since we cannot remove stress from our lives (it would be unwise to do so even if we could), we need to find ways to deal with it.
66. People are finding less and less time for relaxing themselves because_____.
A. they do not know how to enjoy themselves
B. they do not believe that relaxation is important for health C. they are travelling fast all the time
D. they are becoming busier with their work
67. According to the writer, the most important character for a good manager is his ________.
A. not fearing stress B. knowing the art of relaxation
C. high sense of responsibility D. having control over performance
68. Which of the following statements is true?
A. We can find some ways to avoid stress.
B. Stress is always harmful to people.
C. It is easy to change the habit of keeping oneself busy with work.
D. Different people can withstand different amounts of stress.
69. In Paragraph 3, "such a reaction" refers back to_______.
A. "making a choice between 'flight' or 'fight'"
B. "reaction to stress both chemically and physically"
C. "responding to crises quickly"
D. "losing heart at the signs difficulties"
70. In the last sentence of the passage, "do so " refers to ______.
A. "expose ourselves to stress"
B. "find ways to deal with stress"
C. "remove stress from our lives"
D. "established links between diseases and stress"