People say, you can not change the environment, but can change their own; you can not change the facts, but can change attitudes; you can not change the past, but can be changed now; you can not control other people, but can be masters of our own; you can not do everything well, but can be conscientious in everything; you can not about the weather, but you can change the mood; you can not choose looks, but it can show a smile.
Indeed, one key to the success lies in his (her) mind. The difference between successful people and the losers are: winners will be setbacks and difficulties due to personal ability, experience, imperfect, to emphasize the inherent, they are willing to continuously improve and develop the right direction; and the losers will blame on the opportunity, and the environment injustice, emphasizing external and uncontrollable factors that created the position of their life, they always complain, wait and give up!
In many cases, is a humble person who is looked down upon his own. Person's appearance, his family, and so a priori condition that can not be changed, but at least inner state, the spirit of the will is entirely their own control. Mentality, the final decision of life high. There is no absolute bad thing, only the mentality of the absolute poor people. If even the state of mind will not adjust, how they deal with things more complicated than the mentality of it!
No matter what the situation, a person's attitude is very important. Passion put to work, and numbness sluggish to work completely different. Emerson said: "A move toward their goals is always people who gave him the whole world to give way." On the contrary, failure is not because we do not have the strength, but because we are susceptible to all around us, used to go along with the lack of assertive, attitude unstable, easily frustrated reason.
As long as we believe that the strength of mind, change their attitude and courage to face a number of disappointments in life, do not despair, brave go on. I believe the power of mind, mind you're in the height of the final decision.The underlined word “humble” in Paragraph 3 probably means _____.
| A．ignoble | B．optimistic |
| C．lucky | D．stubborn |
Where can you probably find the text?
| A．In a popular magazine | B．In a tourist guidebook |
| C．In a physics textbook | D．In an official report |
Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
| A．You can change nothing. |
| B．The Power of Mind. |
| C．The secret of success. |
| D．The difference between successful people and the losers |
Which best describes the writer’s tone in the passage?
| A．Approving. | B．Concerned. | C．Enthusiastic. | D．Encouraged |
Last Christmas was a very difficult time for me. My family and all of my close friends were back home in Florida, and I was all alone in a rather cold California. I was working too many hours and became very sick.
I was working a double shift at the Southwest Airlines ticket counter, it was about 9:00 PM on Christmas Eve, and I was feeling really miserable inside. There were a few of us working and very few customers waiting to be helped. When it was time for me to call the next person to the counter, I looked out to see the sweetest-looking old man standing with a cane. He walked very slowly over to the counter and in the faintest voice told me that he had to go to New Orleans. I tried to explain to him that there were no more flights that night and that he would have to go in the morning. He looked so confused and very worried. I tried to find out more information by asking if he had a reservation or if he remembered when he was supposed to travel, but he seemed to become more confused with each question. He just kept saying, “She said I have to go to New Orleans.”
After much time, I was able to at least find out that this old man had been dropped off at the curb on Christmas Eve by his sister-in-law and told to go to New Orleans, where he had family. She had given him some cash and told him just to go inside and buy a ticket. When I asked if he could come back tomorrow, he said that she was gone and that he had no place to stay. He then said he would wait at the airport until tomorrow. Naturally, I felt a little ashamed. Here I was feeling very sorry for myself about being alone on Christmas, when this angel named Clarence MacDonald was sent to me to remind me of what being alone really meant. It broke my heart.
Immediately, I told him we would get it all straightened out, and our Customer Service agent helped to book him a seat for the earliest flight the next morning. We gave him the senior citizen’s fare, which gave him some extra money for travelling. About this time he started to look very tired, and when I stepped around the counter to ask him if he was all right, I saw that his leg was wrapped in a bandage. He had been standing on it that whole time, holding a plastic bag full of clothes.
I called for a wheelchair. When the wheelchair came, we all stepped around to help him in, and I noticed a small amount of blood on his bandage. I asked how he hurt his leg, and he said that he had just had bypass surgery and an artery was taken from his leg. Can you imagine? This man had had heart surgery, and then shortly afterward, was dropped off at the curb to buy a ticket with no reservation to fly to New Orleans, alone!
I never really had a situation like this, and I wasn’t sure what I could do. I went back to ask my supervisors if we could find a place for him to stay. They both said yes, and they obtained a hotel voucher for Mr. MacDonald for one night and a meal ticket for dinner and breakfast. When I came back out, we got his plastic bag of clothes and cane together and gave the porter a tip to take him downstairs to wait for the airport shuttle. I bent down to explain the hotel, food and itinerary (行程) again to Mr. MacDonald, and then patted him on the arm and told him everything would be just fine.
As he left he said, “Thank you,” bent his head and started to cry. I cried too. When I went back to thank my supervisor, she just smiled and said, “I love stories like that. He is your Christmas Man.”Last Christmas the writer had a miserable time because ______.
| A．there were more customers than usual waiting to be helped |
| B．it was freezing cold in California at Christmas time |
| C．she was working all alone at the ticket counter |
| D．she was far away from her family and friends |
The writer’s first impression of the old man was that he was ______.
| A．gentle-looking and weak | B．tired out and worried |
| C．confused and very sick | D．sad and anxious |
The old man wanted to fly to New Orleans to ______.
| A．see his friends there |
| B．spend the Christmas with his family |
| C．visit his sister-in-law |
| D．undergo heart surgery |
On hearing the old man say that he would wait at the airport the whole night, the writer felt a bit ashamed. This is because ______.
| A．she felt sorry that she couldn’t do the old man a favor |
| B．she realized that someone was even more miserable than she felt |
| C．it took her a long time to find out how helpless the old man was |
| D．the old man was like an angel in the writer’s eyes |
The writer called for a wheelchair for the old man because ______.
| A．the old man had broken his leg when he was dropped off at the curb |
| B．the old man could spend the whole night on it at the airport |
| C．the old man was carrying a whole lot of clothes |
| D．the old man had had surgery just before and was very weak by then |
By calling the old man the writer’s Christmas Man, the writer’s supervisor implied that ______.
| A．the old man had told the writer a love story on Christmas |
| B．the old man had caused a lot of trouble for the writer on Christmas |
| C．the old man was the best gift the writer could have received on Christmas |
| D．the old man was the only customer the writer had served on Christmas |
Last week Adele's second album, 21,sold 257,000 copies in the UK, a sales figure that would look incredible as an opening sales week for any album by any global superstar. The fact that the album was celebrating its 10th week at No.1, and that each of the previous nine weeks it had sold over 100,000 copies, makes what Adele has achieved look miraculous. The last female singer to spend that long at No.1 in the UK was Madonna in 1990 with her greatest hits compilation, The Immaculate Collection.
For Adele, the success of 21 is part of a perfect storm of talent, timing and a connection that went beyond gender, age and credibility. But what does it say about the state of the music industry? Does Adele's success signal a return to the MOR(适合大众口味的音乐) musical depression, when the likes of James Blunt dominated the charts? Her success may well lead to a great many similar acts aiming for an MOR audience, but that's more the fault of an industry desperate to recreate any kind of success by creating poor copies until the world shouts "stop now".
What seems to have set Adele apart is her apparent ordinariness, besides that incredible voice. While Gagaparades around in a dress made of meatand Beyonce orbits a world out of touch to the majority of most human beings, Adele's chain-smoking, girl-you'd-like-to-go-to-the-pub-with persona stands out. Even for a British act, her ordinariness goes against trend, with fellow Jessie J adopting a very American habit of over-emoting, talking about a "journey" and making the idea of being a pop star seem fairly difficult.
It's this universality and broad appeal that's helped her translate talent into sales. While the first single from 21, Rolling in the Deep, appealed to Radio 1 listeners and bloggers, the second single, Someone Like You, is so successful that silenced the grand O2 Arena during this year'sBrit Awards. The press can write pages and pages in that there's enough of a connection of musicians – Rick Rubin worked on the album, there's a cover of the Cure, Mumford & Sons were an influence – while the gossip magazines have been excited by the fact that the album is one long break-up record, eager to find the ex.
In 1990, Madonna was a global superstar with a back catalogue of era-defining hits to her name. She was untouchable and, tellingly, unknowable. She was (and still is) a megastar, but a megastar of a different age. These days, we want to know a bit more about our artists; that they have relationship problems, walk their dog. Her selling point and appeal is precisely the fact that she exists at the point between everyday ordinariness and pop star.
For now, Adele's success should be celebrated, especially for becoming an unlikely global star on her own terms. The danger is that we're headed for a lot of fairly boring pop, a situation that led to the "birth" of Gaga a few years back. Pop goes in cycles and it feels like we're headed back towards the very middle of MOR.Adele’s achievement seems unbelievable for the reason that ____________.
| A．the sales of her second album achieved an incredible success last week in the UK |
| B．her second album ranked first in a row with the incredible average sales per week |
| C．Madonna was the last female singer in the UK to stay at No. 1 as long as she did |
| D．she is such an ordinary singer with so fascinating a voice in the music industry |
According to the author, the success of Adele’s second album __________________.
| A．to a large extent depends on her apparent talent for music |
| B．is because of her extraordinariness and the wonderful voice |
| C．lies in gift, timing and something beyond sex, age and trust |
| D．is largely due to the state of the music industry currently |
Compared with other female pop stars, what does the author think of Adele?
| A．She stands out in a totally different way from Gaga and Beyonce. |
| B．She and Madonna are contemporary megastars in music. |
| C．Only she and Madonna spent that long at No.1 in the UK. |
| D．Jessie J and she both have an American habit of expressing themselves. |
What helped Adele successfully turned her gift of singing into sales?
| A．Her musical talent. |
| B．The joint work of musicians in the album. |
| C．Her incredible voice. |
| D．Her universality and broad appeal. |
The author thinks that the current musical trend in the UK is _______________.
| A．satisfying | B．disappointing | C．dangerous | D．desperate |
Suleman Dawood
S c h o o l o f B u s i n e s s
“Become a part of the community dedicated to excellence and knowledge creation.”
Lahore University of Management Science is a premier institution known for its academic excellence. It offers a diverse range of undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs in the areas of management, computer science, computer engineering, economics, law and social science.
Suleman Dawood School of Business (SDSB) of the University is recognized as one of the most prestigious(有声望的)business schools in the region. SDSB offers programs at the graduate (MBA, EMBA) and the undergraduate (BSc Accounting and Finance) levels and also offers executive education. The school is now ready to launch a world-class PhD programme.
Faculty (全体员工) Positions Subject Areas
Why Join LUMS
Applicants should forward their letter of interest and detailed curriculum vitae（个人简历） with a passport size photograph to the following address:
Convenor, SDSB Faculty Search Committee
Suleman Dawood School of Business
Lahore University of Management Science, Opposite Sector U, D.H.A. Lahore, Pakistan
Email: sdsbfacultyjobs@lums.edu.pk URL:www.lums.edu.pkFrom the text, we can learn that .
| A．SDSB is one of the schools in LUMS |
| B．SDSB is known for its academic excellence |
| C．LUMS is one of the most famous business schools in the region |
| D．SDSB offers a diverse range of programs in the areas of management |
Why does SDSB need faculty members?
| A．The school needs state-of-art teaching and research facilities. |
| B．The faculty is recruited from the finest universities of the world. |
| C．The school is making an expansion thanks to some major sponsorship. |
| D．The school needs permanent and visiting faculty positions. |
If you joined LUMS, you would .
| A．study supply chain management |
| B．have high quality teacher intake |
| C．get a PhD from a well-known university |
| D．have the opportunity for professional growth and development |
Applicants should provide the information except .
| A．a photograph | B．a PhD certificate |
| C．a letter of interest | D．detailed curriculum vitae |
What type of article do you think this text is?
| A．A novel. | B．A poem. | C．An advertisement. | D．A play. |
What Is a Boy?
Between the innocence of babyhood and the seriousness of manhood we find a delightful creature called a “boy”. Boys come in different sizes, weights, and colors, but all boys have the same belief: to enjoy every second of every minute of every hour of every day and to fill the air with noise until the adult males pack them off to bed at night．
Boys are found everywhere—on top of, under, inside of, climbing on, swinging from, running around, or jumping to. Mothers spoil them, little girls hate them, older sisters and brothers love them, and God protects them. A boy is TRUTH with dirt on its face, BEAUTY with a cut on its finger, WISDOM with chocolate in its hair, and the HOPE of the future with a snake in its pocket．
When you are busy, a boy is a trouble-maker and a noise. When you want him to make a good impression, his brain turns to jelly or else he becomes a wild creature bent on destroying the world and himself with it.
A boy is a mixture – he has the stomach of a horse, the digestion of stones and sand, the energy of an atomic bomb, the curiosity of a cat, the imagination of a superman, the shyness of a sweet girl, the brave nature of a bull, the violence of a firecracker, but when you ask him to make something, he has five thumbs on each hand.
He likes ice cream, knives, saws, Christmas, comic books, woods, water (in its natural habitat), large animals, Dad, trains, Saturday mornings, and fire engines． He is not much for Sunday schools, company, schools, books without pictures, music lessons, neckties, barbers, girls, overcoats, adults, or bedtime.
Nobody else is so early to rise, or so late to supper. Nobody else gets so much fun out of trees, dogs, and breezes. Nobody else can put into one pocket a rusty knife, a half eaten apple, a three-feet rope, six cents and some unknown things.
A boy is a magical creature—he is your headache but when you come home at night with only destroyed pieces of your hopes and dreams, he can mend them like new with two magic words, “Hi, Dad!”The whole passage is in a tone of _________．
| A．ambition and expectation | B．respect and harmony |
| C．humor and affection | D．confidence and imagination |
By saying “he has five thumbs on each hand.”, the author means .
| A．he has altogether five fingers | B．he is slow, foolish and clumsy |
| C．he becomes clever and smart | D．he cuts his hand with a knife |
According to the writer, boys appreciate everything in the following except _________．
| A．ice cream | B．comic books |
| C．Saturday mornings | D．Sunday schools |
What does the writer feel about boys?
| A．He feels curious about their noise． |
| B．He is fed up with these creatures． |
| C．He is amazed by their naughtiness． |
| D．He feels unsafe staying with them． |
Early this morning, I got up to make a batch of Rice Krispie Treats for my neighbor across the hall. She barely greets me when we see each other, and her sweet little boy, who's now four, has picked up her mother's manner and will not talk to me, either．
Last Monday, she had called the firefighters when a pan I'd forgotten on the stove caused my flat to fog up while I was out taking a walk. When I came home, the street in front of our apartment house was blocked by a police car, a fire truck and an ambulance! The instant I saw them, I remembered the pan! Luckily, nothing serious had happened, and all my neighbors agreed with the firefighter who said, "It could have happened to anyone．" When I thanked the neighbor who had called the firefighters-let's call her Ivy-and apologized for causing the trouble, she just asked if my cats were all right．When I said they were fine, she said, "Well, that's ok then," and turned into her flat．l felt strangely safe, knowing that even though we don't get along, she'd done the right thing and didn't blame me．So, the Rice Krispie Treats．
Last Christmas, my neighbor carelessly let it out that she was holding a grudge （怨恨） towards me because of an incident we'd had four years ago．I had particularly apologized and asked if there was anything I could do to improve our relationship. She would not accept my apology．
It had taken me a lot of courage to apologize and ask that question instead of insisting that we both shared responsibility for what had happened．Her flat-out refusal to make amends（补偿） really shocked and saddened me．After that, I decided I'd just leave her be-a relationship takes two to work．So, you see, I was really scared she was going to refuse my offer again, leaving me standing on her doorstep, facing the closed door and holding my plate of treats． I know some people have a hard time understanding how the possibility of rejection can make an adult so afraid, but that's just the way I felt．
Then, I reminded myself of how loving and good I had felt yesterday when I'd done some random acts of kindness （thanks to helpothers．org）, after telling myself: Feet the fear, and do it anyway! So I put the squares of Rice Krispie Treats on a beautiful plate, opened my apartment door-and there she was, standing in the hallway．I smiled and said, "Hi," but when she saw me, she turned on her heels and went back inside, even though she seemed to have just stepped out．I went after her, regardless, and quickly said, "I'm sorry, I've got something for you ! I just wanted to tell you how grateful I am that you were paying attention on Monday．" When she heard me speaking, she turned around． As I held the plate towards her, explaining these were very sweet American treats, and that she could just try and see whether she and her family would like them, her eyebrows winged up-and she took the plate．l was so happy and excited．We then talked a bit about how she'd become aware of the smoke in my flat, and parted ways．
Back in my place, I did a "happy dance", because I had dared to be kind even though I hadn't been sure at all my kindness would be welcome．I do hope that our relationship will slowly get better; I know I was and still am biased（存有偏见）towards her at times, but even if we don't make amends, I want to be able to be kind without depending on other people's behaviors and reactions .The neighbor held a grudge towards the writer most probably because_____．
| A．the writer's cats disturb her neighbor frequently |
| B．the writer didn't thank her for calling the firefighters |
| C．the writer never apologized to her for her misbehaviors |
| D．the writer had an unpleasant experience with the neighbor long ago |
From Paragraph 4, we can learn that the author_____.
| A．was afraid of being rejected again by her neighbor |
| B．didn't know how to get along with her neighbor |
| C．didn't admit it was her fault in the last incident |
| D．refused to forgive her neighbor's rude behavior |
After the writer said "Feel the fear, and do it anyway!", she decided to_____.
| A．do an act of kindness |
| B．leave her neighbor be |
| C．apologize to her neighbor once more |
| D．do something to let her neighbor down |
What can we learn about the writer?
| A．She was a professional dancer． |
| B．She often had quarrels with her neighbor． |
| C．She had a bias against her neighbor sometimes． |
| D．She had an unpleasant experience at Christmas this year． |
What does the author try to tell us?
| A．Don't punish yourself because of other's mistakes． |
| B．We should be kind to others, regardless of their behavior． |
| C．We must keep a good relationship with our neighbors． |
| D．When we make a mistake, we should have the courage to admit it． |