No one gets through life without experiencing many disappointments. Strangely, though, most people seem unprepared for disappointment and react to it in negative ways. They feel depressed or try to escape from their troubles instead of using disappointment as an opportunity for growth.
One negative reaction to disappointment is depression. A woman trying to win a promotion, for example, works hard for over a year in her department. Helen is so sure she will get the promotion. However, the boss names one of Helen’s co-workers for the spot. Deeply depressed, Helen loses her enthusiasm for her job and can barely force herself to show up every day. Helen tells herself that she is a failure and that doing a good job just isn’t worth the work.
Another negative reaction to disappointment is the desire to escape. Kevin fails to get into the college his brother is attending, the college that was the focus of all his dreams, and decides to escape his disappointment. Why worry about college at all? Instead, he covers up his real feelings by giving up on his school-work and getting completely involved with friends, parties, and “good times”.
The positive way to react to disappointment is to use it as a chance for growth. This isn’t easy, but it's the only useful way to deal with an inevitable part of life. Helen, the woman who was not promoted, could have handled her disappointment by looking at other options. If her boss did not recognize her talent and hard work, perhaps she could transfer to another department. Or she could ask the boss how to improve her performance so that she could prepare for the next promotion. Kevin, the boy who didn't get into the college of his choice, should look into other schools. Going to another college may encourage him to be his own person, step out of his brother's shadow, and realize that being turned down by one college isn't a final judgment on his abilities or potential.
Disappointments are unwelcome, but regular visitors to everyone’s life. We can feel depressed about them or we can try to escape from them. The best thing, though, is to accept a disappointment and then try to use it somehow: Step over the unwelcome visitor on the doorstep and get on with life.In this passage, the author _____.
A.analyzes the cause of disappointment |
B.describes his personal experience in dealing with disappointment |
C.criticizes Helen and Kevin's negative responses to disappointment |
D.offers specific examples of the ways people deal with disappointment |
From the context, the word “option” (Para.4) means _____.
A.way | B.choice |
C.place | D.job |
In the author's opinion, Helen should ______ instead of feeling depressed.
A.work even harder to get better than her promoted co-worker |
B.stand the pressure and competition |
C.win a good opinion from the boss by seeking his advice |
D.move into another department to have her talent and hard work appreciated |
Which of the following best expresses the main ides of this selection?
A.Disappointment is an inevitable part of life and we have to handle it in a positive way. |
B.Life is made up of a series of disappointments. We have to accept them. |
C.There are two kinds of reactions to disappointment. |
D.Most people react to disappointment in negative ways. |
You might say that one reason why Barack Obama is president of the US is that he knows how to give a good speech.
Since 2004, Obama has written and delivered thousands of speeches. These are usually praised for two reasons: he treats the audiences like intelligent(有智慧的) adults, and he is able to express complicated ideas in an easy, natural way.
Before becoming president, Obama was a lawyer, a college professor, and a successful writer---his two memories have become best-sellers.
What’s more, he has some secret weapons.
Teleprompter: Obama doesn’t go anywhere without his Teleprompter. The textbook-sized panes of glass holding the president’s prepared remarks follow him wherever he goes to speak.
Writing team: Obama has a team of people who write his speeches. The writers chat with Obama for hours about what he wants to say. They listen to recordings of past presidential speeches and seek advice from advisers. Obama usually edits(编辑)and rewrites the drafts(草稿)several times.
Tricks for lighthearted speeches:
Make fun of the guests: Obama starts his speech by gently teasing his guests. His opening lines draw the audience’s attention while giving them an opportunity to relax and laugh at themselves and each other.
Make fun of yourself: A good rule for speechmakers: If you’re going to make a joke about someone else, be sure to make one about yourself, too. Obama mocks(嘲弄) his own poor choices for filling the position of Commerce Secretary, saying, “No president in history has ever named three Commerce Secretaries this quickly.” In fact, his first two nominees(被提名人)for the position withdrew(撤出) their names for different reasons. In a process that had otherwise gone smoothly, the Obama Administration found it hard to deal with the problem of filling the Commerce seat.Obama made the poetic and inspiring speech in 2004 as________.
A.president | B.a nominee for the presidency |
C.a senator | D.a secretary |
What’s the meaning of the underlined word in paragraph 2?
A.Difficult to understand. | B.Easy to understand. |
C.Different from others. | D.Interesting to say. |
From the passage, we know that Obama’s secret weapons are all these EXCEPT ____.
A.a writing team | B.a teleprompter | C.humor | D.motivation |
What’s the best title of the passage?
A.Secrets of Obama’s successful speeches. |
B.Obama’s successful speeches. |
C.Obama’s way of making speeches. |
D.Problems of Obama’s speeches. |
ChinaDaily: As China comes down from a travel rush during the seven-day holiday for National Day, people called for a return of the Labor Day Golden Week holiday as a way to ease(缓解) the travel peak.
By Friday, 79 million passengers were expected to have used the railways up about 8 percent over last year. Waterways had shipped around 2 million, a rise of about 17 percent on last year, www. cntv. cn, the website of China Central Television, said on Saturday.
As large numbers of tourists swarmed scenic spots around China, it caused huge crowds and many complaints.
The Forbidden City in Beijing has long been a big draw for travelers. On Tuesday alone, the museum reported, it received more than 180,000 visitors, about six times higher than a regular day.
According to China Central Television, restless visitors demanded their money back from the tourism committee, and police were sent to help deal with the problem.
The Beijing-HongKong-Macao expressway, the Shanghai-Kunming expressway and the route from Beijing to Kunming saw large increases in traffic on Saturday, according to www. cntv. cn.
“As there are only two long holidays in the country and paid leave is not well carried out by employers(雇主), people have limited chances for travel”, Dai Bin, the director of China Tourism Academy, said in a report by Beijing Times on Saturday.
“The travel rush during the ‘Golden Week’ holidays happens because people do not take long journeys during shorter holidays”, said Liu Simin, a researcher with the China Academy of Social Sciences, in a report by Beijing Times on Saturday.
Liu said that now the most important task is to ease the pressure from the huge numbers of tourists. When the Labor Day Golden Week holiday came to an end in 2007, a chance to travel was reduced.
In 2008, the government shortened the Labor Day Golden Week holiday, usually lasting from May 1 to May 7, to three days and added three other short vacations to the list.The Labor Day Golden Week holiday was shortened to __________________.
A.one day | B.two days | C.three days | D.four days |
The underlined word “swarmed” in the third paragraph probably means “_______”.
A.crowded into | B.left | C.escaped from | D.planned to go to |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A.People called for a return of the Labor Day Golden Week holiday. |
B.The museum reported it received more than 180,000 visitors during the holiday. |
C.Now the most important task is to ease the pressure from the huge numbers of tourists. |
D.There are only two long holidays in the country. |
What is the passage mainly about?
A.Seven-day Golden Week Holiday sees huge crowds on popular tourists spots |
B.The problem during the seven-day Golden Week Holiday. |
C.Travel complaints. |
D.The pressure from the huge numbers of tourists. |
The earthquake that shook Japan with historic strength on March 11th, 2011 created a tsunami wave ten meters high. The water washed away boats, cars and houses in coastal areas north of Tokyo. It also led to tsunami warnings across the Pacific.
Scientists recorded the magnitude(震级) of the earthquake at 8.9.The United States Geological Survey says it was the fifth largest earthquake since nineteen hundred. The largest, with a 9.5 magnitude, shook Chile in nineteen sixty.
The quake struck near the east coast of Honshu, Japan's main island. It was centered under the sea about one hundred thirty kilometers east of Sendai.The tsunami washed away whole neighborhoods in Sendai.
So far (April 4th), the tsunami has taken 12, 0009 people's life away.
Now Japanese are all trying to rebuild their hometown, but there are too many difficulties.
The first, Japan is the world's third largest importer(进口商)of oil. The shortage of oil makes it almost impossible to carry the food, medicine and water to the quake area by cars.
The second, the Fukushima nuclear(核) power station was damaged by the March eleventh earthquake and tsunami. The extent of the problems is still not clear. Japan’s nuclear crisis(危机) may mean greater need of imported food.The underlined word in Paragraph 1 means______ in Chinese.
A.地震 | B.核辐射 | C.海浪 | D.海啸 |
The largest earthquake happened in ______.
A.Tokyo | B.the United States | C.Chile | D.Japan |
Japanese are facing ______ kinds of problems when trying to rebuild their hometown.
A.one | B.two | C.three | D.four |
Why did the food, medicine and water can hardly carry to the earthquake area soon?
A.Because of the shortage of oil. |
B.Because of the damage of the roads. |
C.Because of the nuclear crisis. |
D.Because of the tsunami. |
Most families love home cooking! The food tastes good and warm, and a family meal brings everyone together.In some families, meals are often the only times everyone sees one another the same time.
Another reason people enjoy home cooking is that it is often a way of showing love.A parent who makes some cookies is not just satisfying(满足)a child’s sweet tooth. She or he is sending a message.The message says, “I care about you enough to spend an hour making cooking that you will eat up in 15 minutes if I let you.”
There is also something about the smell of home cooking.The smell of home cooking pleases people of all ages.It makes most of us feel good and loved----- even if we are the ones doing the cooking! Next time you smell a cake making, stop for a moment and pay attention to your mood(心情).Why do fewer people cook now?
A.They have no time. |
B.Many people are too busy. |
C.Many people don’t like cooking |
D.They don’t like family meals. |
The writer thinks the smell of home cooking________.
A.makes us happy |
B.makes us be interested in cooking |
C.makes us pay attention to our mood |
D.makes us love others |
The writer writes this passage to tell us____________.
A.family meals are important. | B.how to make cookies. |
C.people are too busy to cook. | D.homemade cookies taste better. |
Dear Cary,
I’m writing because I’ve understood you’ve struggled with alcoholism(酗酒).I’ve been fighting mine ever since I went through 9-11.After that,I’ve been more or less useless professionally –I’m a lawyer–and have had to resign from my job because I was discovered passed-out drunk in front of my computer. I’ve taken some medicine and it has helped somewhat. I can manage about a month without drinking,but after that I end up having a crazy stage where nothing matters except drinking.After a week or so of heavy drinking,I start having nightmares of people jumping. After that,it’s a week of not being able to get out of bed.
I was supposed to travel to a conference but didn’t make it because I got so drunk at the airport that I fell down on my face and spent the rest of the day in the emergency room. I have been hiding from my family since then.Fortunately they won’t be expecting me to come back for a week or so. Otherwise, they would notice the bump on my forehead and two black eyes.
I don’t really know what I’m asking you.Cary, I need a way out that doesn’t involve causing pain to my family.I’m taking medicine,but I still have these attacks every few months.If there’s alcohol in the house,I can’t stay away from it.It seems that this will never end. I’m afraid of what will happen if something bad happens,like a family member dying, or getting fired again.
Thanks for reading.
Yours TThe underlined sentence shows us all the following EXCEPT____________.
A.that the author is a lawyer by profession |
B.that the author is a lawyer and he seldom gets drunk |
C.the reason why the author had to resign |
D.that the author was once discovered drunk as a fish |
The author writes to Cary in order to____________.
A.offer advice | B.tell a story |
C.avoid nightmares | D.ask for help |
What is the author worried about?
A.Losing his job | B.Missing the conference |
C.Bring pain to his family | D.Giving up drinking |
What do we learn from the passage?
A.T’s family members don’t want to see him because of his alcoholism. |
B.Getting drunk once prevented T from attending a conference. |
C.T will have nightmares when he stops drinking. |
D.T never attempted to give up his alcoholism. |
We know from the passage that Cary____________.
A.likes to talk about the details of his life. |
B.is an expert on treating alcoholism |
C.is probably a recovered alcoholic |
D.never suffered from alcoholism |