Last week I did something that scared me. I stood in front of nearly 200 financial planners and I talked to them about why financial blogs are a good thing.
I’m a confident writer. I’ve been doing this long enough that I know my strength and my limitations. I’m less confident as a speaker. I don’t have time to pause to collect my thoughts. I’m not able to edit. I’m afraid of being trapped in a corner without being able to talk my way out. Basically, I’m scared to speak.
It would be easy to simply refuse the chances that come my way. When somebody asks me to speak in front of a group, I could say “no”. When radio and television stations call for an interview, I could say “no”. But for the past two years, I’ve been following my own policy to say “yes” to new chances.
To say “yes” is to live in fear. My goal is to continually improve myself to become better than I am today. One way to do that is to do the things that scare me, to take them on as challenges, and to learn from them ― even if I fail.
In mid-November, a local station asked me to appear on live television. “I realize it’s short notice,” the producer wrote, “but we’d love to have you on the show if you’re available tonight.” I was frightened. I thought about recent taped television interviews that I had hated. I was afraid of what might happen.
But I also thought about the things that had gone right. I thought of how my speaking skills had improved over the past year. And then I thought of the book I was reading, a book that I had bought for $1.29 at the local store. The Magic of Thinking Big was a huge bestseller during the 1960s. Written by Dr. David Schwartz, a professor at Georgia State University, the book contains dozens of practical tips on how to take risks to achieve big goals. Schwartz argues that nobody will believe in you until you believe in yourself.
So when the television producer asked if I wanted to appear on his show, I thought big. “Sure,” I said. “I’ll do it.” I acted confidently, but on the inside I was frightened. What I needed was techniques to build up my confidence and to overcome my fear.Why is the author afraid of speaking in public?
| A．He is aware of his potential. |
| B．He has few chances to talk. |
| C．He is not able to edit what he says. |
| D．He likes writing better. |
The underlined words “my own policy” in Paragraph 3 probably mean ________.
| A．self-improving through challenges |
| B．hesitating before chances |
| C．turning down the invitations |
| D．saying yes to fear |
The author mentioned the book The Magic of Thinking Big mainly because ______.
| A．it was inspiring |
| B．it was a bestseller |
| C．its author was famous |
| D．its price was attractive |
What is the author’s purpose to write the passage?
| A．To analyze his strength and weaknesses. |
| B．To give practical tips on speaking in public. |
| C．To persuade people to follow his example. |
| D．To share his experiences of overcoming fear. |
Back in the fifteenth century, in a tiny village near Nuremberg, lived a family with eighteen children．In spite of the hopeless condition, two of the children, Albrecht Durer and Albert, had a dream．They both wanted to pursue their talent for art．After many long discussions, the two boys finally worked out an agreement．They would toss a coin．The loser would go down into the nearby mines and, with his earnings, support his brother who attended the academy．Then, when that brother who won the toss completed his studies, in four years, he would support the other brother at the academy．
Tossing a coin, Albrecht Durer won and went off to Nuremberg．Albert went down into the dangerous mines and, for the next four years, supported his brother, whose work at the academy was almost an immediate sensation（轰动）．By the time he graduated, he had earned considerable fees for his outstanding works．
When the young artist returned to his village, the Durer family held a festive dinner to celebrate Albrecht’s triumphant（胜利的）homecoming．Albrecht drank a toast to his beloved brother for the years of sacrifice that had enabled him to complete his dream．“And now, Albert, blessed brother of mine, now it is your turn．Now you can go to Nuremberg to look for your dream, and I will take care of you．”
Tears streaming down his pale face, Albert sobbed, “No．．．no．．．It is too late for me．Look．．．look at what four years in the mines have done to my hands！The bones in every finger have been broken at least once, and lately I have been suffering from arthritis（关节炎）so badly in my right hand that I cannot even hold a glass to return your toast, much less draw delicate lines with a pen or a brush．”
To show thanks to Albert for all that he had sacrificed, Albrecht Durer painstakingly drew his brother’s injured hands with palms together and thin fingers stretched skyward．He called his powerful drawing simply “Hands”, but the entire world almost immediately opened their hearts to his great masterpiece and renamed it “The Praying Hands”．The next time you see a copy of that touching creation, let it be your reminder—no one ever makes any success alone！Why did the two brothers work out the agreement？
| A．They were so curious as to make a joke． |
| B．Their family couldn’t afford the academy． |
| C．One of the brothers was supposed to go into mines． |
| D．They wanted to support the other sisters and brothers． |
The underlined word “whose” in Para．2 refers to _____ ．
| A．the Durer family’s | B．the miners |
| C．Albert’s | D．Albrecht’s |
Which of the following statements is NOT true about Albrecht Durer？
| A．He began to earn his living after graduation． |
| B．He did perfectly well at the academy． |
| C．He wanted his brother to go to the academy． |
| D．He created great masterpieces． |
Which of the following is the correct order of the story？
a．Albrecht went to Nuremberg．
b．Albert supported his brother．
c．The Durer family held a festive dinner．
d．Albrecht drew his brother’s injured hands．
e．The brothers tossed a coin．
| A．b, a, c, d, e | B．a, e, c, d, b |
| C．e, a, c, b, d | D．e, a, b, c, d |
What can we learn from the story？
| A．One can achieve success simply on his own． |
| B．Any success requires the help of others． |
| C．It’s other people who contribute to one’s success． |
| D．Nobody could succeed without good guidance． |
Before I had my son, I spent two years working with children with disabilities. I learned that shouting and threats of punishment would result in a disaster. Coming up against their behaviour could only make the job harder and their behaviour more extreme. I found something that worked, though.
There was a very naughty boy in the nursery and a teacher who was generally very confident with the children was asked to take charge of him. One day the boy joined a session in the room next to mine. His appearance created an atmosphere of tension. He spent the entire session running around, hitting and kicking, and destroying property.
I was in the craft room working with some other children when my co-worker told me that this boy’s teacher was in tears, and could not get control of the situation. As we were talking, the boy ran in. I told my co-worker that I would take care of him.
I closed the door. He was full of energy, throwing things around and making a huge mess. But I could see that he was doing all these to annoy me. He needed connection, and this was the only way he knew how to ask for it. So I sat back down and kept quiet. Then he slowed down and began making a rocket. I talked to him about it. We continued like this for a few minutes before I slipped into the conversation:
“So what happened today?”
It was purely a question, no blame or anger in my tone. I believe that if I had criticized him, the gate that was slowly opening would have shut firmly closed. He told me that the teacher didn’t let him do what he knew well due to safety but asked him to do what he disliked. He also admitted that he had enjoyed making her run around and saw it as a game. I explained that his teacher had not seen it as a game and was very upset. This again was stated simply as a fact. I suggested that next time he had a session, he talk about what he hoped to do at the start, which might be easier for everyone. He agreed and was quiet for a moment. Then he looked at me with tears in his eyes before quietly asking if he could go to find his teacher to apologize. The boy made trouble for his teacher because he ______.
| A．was accused of destroying property |
| B．was told not to yell at other children |
| C．was made to do things against his will |
| D．was blamed for creating an air of tension |
Why didn’t the author do anything about the boy’s bad behavior at first?
| A．She didn’t want to make it worse. |
| B．She didn’t mind the huge mess at all. |
| C．She was tired of shouting and threats. |
| D．She hadn’t thought of a coping strategy. |
The author managed to get the boy to talk to her by ______.
| A．playing games with him |
| B．giving him a good suggestion |
| C．describing his teacher’s feelings |
| D．avoiding making critical remarks |
Why did the boy have tears in his eyes in the end?
| A．He was sorry about his reputation. |
| B．He was regretful about his behavior. |
| C．He was fearful of the author’s warning. |
| D．He was sad for the author’s misunderstanding. |
When computer salesman Li Guang and his girlfriend Huang Minxia saw on TV the destruction caused by the unexpected earthquake,they quickly filled their car with bottled water and instant noodles and drove more than 160 miles to lend a hand.
“It’s a small car,but we just wanted to help,” said Li,from Chongqing,a city next to the hardest-hit Sichuan province.
Donations (捐赠) are flooding in,more money than charities (慈善) in China collected all of last year,and so are volunteers.
In the week since the quake,donations have totaled $1.3 billion—85 percent raised within China.
Many,like Li,are taking advantage of growing private car ownership and a new,expanding highway system to join the line of government and army assistance toward the epicenter.
Across the disaster region,thousands of cars decorated with large handwritten signs—“Hardship comes from one direction,help comes from everywhere” and “For the people,for the Beijing Olympics”—were coming from as far as the capital,Beijing,more than 900 miles away.
Private cars crowded so thickly on roads that the police set up donation drop-off points outside cities and towns to clear the way for army and government assistance.People living in tents along the roads posted handwritten signs asking for urgently needed items—water,rice,vegetables.Cars paused to hand out a box or two and then drove on.
Instead of waiting for government-organized charity drives,people quickly acted on their own.Bank account (银行账户) numbers for making earthquake donations flashed on Web logs and mobile phones.Blood donation centers were overwhelmed (使应接不暇) by offers and began asking citizens to register (登记) in advance.
“People are really united this time,and they’re acting on their own without waiting to be asked.It sounds corny,but we’re taught in schools and from our parents about helping others,” said Ge Jian,the company’s general manager.What did Li Guang and his girlfriend Huang Minxia intend to do soon after the earthquake?( )
| A．They intended to help the victims in the quake-hit areas. |
| B．They were on the way to a pleasant journey in Sichuan. |
| C．They were told to do something for the disaster. |
| D．They wanted to find their friends in the epicenter. |
What does the underlined word “corny” most probably mean?( )
| A．Out of date. | B．Heart-broken. |
| C．Funny. | D．Disappointing. |
According to the passage,all the following statements are true EXCEPT.
| A．The good road system made it possible for more private car owners to rush to help. |
| B．The local people in the quake zone were short of food and drinks. |
| C．More money was collected from overseas than within China for the earthquake. |
| D．People across China were taking active part in the rescue work. |
Why did Blood donation centers advise people to register ahead of time?( )
| A．Because they were expecting more money rather than blood. |
| B．Because they had collected enough blood for the disaster. |
| C．Because they were ready to go to the epicenter and they were much too busy. |
| D．Because too many people were offering to donate blood. |
The state of Colorado has four of the 58 national parks in the United States.These have been judged as the best places of all the national parks.
Black Canyon of Gunnison National Park
This park lies in western Colorado and offers the most impressive views from up in the mountains into the canyons (峡谷)below.While exploring the canyons,you will find that the walls drop nearly straight down into very narrow valleys with snake-like rivers below.Visitors are offered more than 100 camping sites,and a lot of bird species and many animals are native to the area.
Rocky Mountain National Park
It is the only national park in the north central region in the state of Colorado.Elevations (高地)in this park you will find are anywhere from 8,000 feet to 14,259 at the top of Longs Peak.While travelling throughout this park,you will find there are two very different climates because of the fact that the tops of the Rocky Mountains make a difference.With 359 miles of trails for hiking,there are a lot of places for camping,horseback riding and just enjoying the sights of nature.
Mesa Verde National Park
This is probably the most interesting of all the national parks,offering an extremely interesting trip back in time to 600 A.D.up to 1,300 A.D.This park was declared (宣布)a protected national park in 1906 because of the cliff dwellings (住人的崖洞)that were found throughout the park area,which was once home to American Indians.Visitors can actually walk through these dwellings,and they may imagine what each room may have been used for so many years ago.
Great Sand Dunes National Park
The Great Sand Dunes (沙丘)National Park lies in south central Colorado,about 127 miles from Pueblo.This park has the tallest sand dunes in all of North America,with trails for hiking.Natural sandy beaches there are good for people who want to swim around the small rivers and lakes.A person who enjoys mountains and rivers will visit .
| A．Black Canyon of Gunnison National Park |
| B．Rocky Mountain National Park |
| C．Mesa Verde National Park |
| D．Great Sand Dunes National Park |
Which of the following is TRUE about Rocky Mountain National Park?( )
A.It has the tallest mountains in the USA.
B.It has very different weather conditions.
C.It is the most interesting national park.
D.It is about 359 miles from Pueblo.If you are interested in history you will visit .
| A．Rocky Mountain National Park |
| B．Black Canyon of Gunnison National Park |
| C．Great Sand Dunes National Park |
| D．Mesa Verde National Park |
Mesa Verde National Park has been a protected national park for around years.
| A．1,000 | B．1,500 | C．100 | D．200 |
In choosing a friend,one should be very careful.A good friend can help you study.You can have fun together and make each other happy.Sometimes you will meet fair weather friends.They will be with you as long as you have money or luck,but when you are down,they will run away.How do I know when I have found a good friend?I look for certain qualities (品质) of character,especially understanding,honesty and reliability (可靠).
Above all,I look for understanding in a friend.A good friend tries to understand how another person is feeling.He is not quick to judge.Instead,he tries to learn from others.He puts himself in the other person’s place,and he tries to think of ways to be helpful.He is also a good listener.
At the same time,however,a good friend is honest.He does not look for faults (过错) in others.He notices their good points.In short,a friend will try to understand me and accept me.
Another quality of a friend is reliability.I can always depend on (信赖) a good friend.If he tells me he will meet me somewhere at a certain time,I can be sure that he will be there.If I need a favor,he will do his best to help me.If I am in trouble,he will not run away from me.
There is a fourth quality that makes a friend special.A special friend is someone with whom we can have fun.We should enjoy our lives,and we would enjoy our friendship.That is why I especially like friends who are fun to be with.A good friend likes the same things I like.We share experience (经验) and learn from each other.A good friend has a good sense of humor (幽默),too.He likes to laugh with me.That is how we share in the joy of being friends.And I know that he is looking for the same quality in me.
When I meet someone who is reliable,honest,and understanding,I know I’ve found a friend!Which of the following qualities the writer thinks is the most important in choosing a friend?( )
| A．Understanding. | B．Honesty. |
| C．Reliability. | D．A sense of humor. |
If you have fair weather friends,.
| A．they will give you all that they have when you need help |
| B．you will be refused when you get into trouble |
| C．you will become rich |
| D．you can be sure that you get real friends |
Good friends need to .
| A．always point out each other’s mistakes |
| B．be helped with money |
| C．understand each other’s feelings |
| D．have money or luck |
This passage mainly discusses .
| A．the qualities of a friend |
| B．where to choose friends |
| C．how to get along with friends |
| D．the importance of having a friend |