My friend BJ Gallagher once worked as a training manager for a large newspaper, which was more than a hundred years old．The company’s past had blinded the authorities to the need for change, and they new ideas and would say “This is the way we’ve always done it.”．As the years went by, BJ grew more and more with their short-sightedness．Finally, she left the company．But she found that she hadn’t left her behind when she resigned．She carried it with her, like “rocks in the stomach”.
“I finally decided to about my experiences and my feelings．I it would be a good mental health ．I wanted to be rid of that company and those people, once and for all．So I wrote and wrote．It wasn’t just a story that poured out — it was a whole ! My resentment (怨恨) my writing．The whole world would know how they were!”
“What when the book came out?” I asked BJ.
“Not much,” she replied, “The newspaper kept doing what it had done．My feelings didn’t them one bit, but it took me several more years to finally my negative emotions．Finally, the time came when I decided to make amends (修正) for the angry things I had said about the company．I my former boss to dinner and made my ．I told him I was sorry for being so resentful．It was a great healing process for me.”
“What was the outcome?” I asked her.
“Gratitude,” she replied, “Not only wasn’t I resentful any more, but I was grateful to the company．If I hadn’t had those experiences, I never would have written a book．And the book became hugely successful — now in 21 languages．In short, my resentment gave way to gratitude.”
She smiled, “I owe them a debt of thanks for giving me such a great tale to tell.”
Trading resentments for gratitude isn’t always easy．But it’s worth it, gratitude is a far happier feeling than resentment.
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An optimistic attitude is not a luxury; it’s a necessity. The way you look at life will determine how you , how you perform, and how well you will get along with other people. , pessimism creates a sad and hopeless place where no one wants to live. thoughts, attitudes, and expectations feed on themselves.
Years ago, I into a service station to get some gas. It was a day, and I was feeling great. As I walked into the station to pay for the gas, the attendant said to me, “You don’t look well.” This took me completely by . A little less confidently, I told him that I had never felt better. Without hesitation, he continued to tell me how bad I looked and that my skin appeared .
By the time I left the service station, I was feeling a little . About a block away, I pulled over to the side of the road to look at my face in the mirror. How did I feel? Did I look that ? Was everything all right? By the time I got home, I was beginning to feel a little . Had I picked up some rare disease?
The next time I went into that gas station, feeling again, I figured out what had happened. The place had recently been painted a bright but disgusting yellow, and the light reflecting off the walls made everyone inside as though they had hepatitis(肝炎)! I wondered how many other folks had reacted the way I did. I had let one short with a total stranger change my for an entire day. He told me I looked sick, and before long, I was actually feeling sick. That single negative observation had a(n) effect on the way I felt and acted.
A．learn B．exercise C．behave D．feel
A．Certainly B．Additionally C．Contrarily D．Actually
A．Negative B．Impractical C．Sensitive D．Indifferent
A．drove B．walked C．rushed D．ran
A．common B．beautiful C．busy D．dull
A．accident B．mistake C．surprise D．chance
A．rough B．pale C．hurt D．yellow
A．tired B．uneasy C．bored D．angry
A．well B．ugly C．strange D．bad
A．upset B．sad C．sorry D．sick
A．ill B．fine C．regret D．lost
A．behave B．believe C．look D．pretend
A．conversation B．visit C．bargain D．stay
A．work B．confidence C．health D．attitude
A．reasonable B．serious C．temporary D．slight
One morning I wasted nearly an hour watching a tiny ant carry a huge feather. Several times，it ____ several obstacles in its path. And after a momentary pause it would make the necessary detour. At one point, the ant had to cross a crack about 10 mm wide. After some ____ thoughts，the ant laid the feather over the crack，walked across it and picked the feather up on the other side，then continued on its way. I was ____ by the cleverness of this ant. It was only a small insect，lacking ___ yet _______with a brain to reason，explore, discover and overcome. But this ant, like the other twolegged creatures ____ on the earth, also shares human failings.
After some time the ant finally reached its destination—a flower bed and a small hole that was the entrance to its ____ home. It was there that the ant met its __ How could that large feather possibly fit such a small hole? ____, it couldn't. So the ant, after all this ____ and using great brightness, overcoming problems all along the way, just gave up the feather and went home. The ant had not thought the problem through before it began its journey and in the end the feather was nothing more than a____. Isn't our ____ like that?
We worry about our families; we worry about the ____ of money and we worry about all kinds of things. These are all unfavorable heavy weights—the things we pick up along life's path，and drag them around the obstacles and over the cracks that life will bring, only to ____ that at the destination they are ____ and we can't take them with us.
A．brought about B．got over C．came across D．dealt with
A．brave B．tiring C．magic D．short
A．frightened B．attracted C．annoyed D．satisfied
A．size B．height C．depth D．length
A．filled B．provided C．equipped D．given
A．working B．sleeping C．existing D．walking
A．underground B．lonely C．comfortable D．small
A．partner B．match C．parent D．friend
A．Doubtfully B．Definitely C．Suspiciously D．Deliberately
A．decision B．pleasure C．trouble D．matter
A．loan B．gift C．burden D．harvest
A．life B．aim C．dream D．study
A．waste B．lack C．worth D．danger
A．assume B．illustrate C．imagine D．find
A．priceless B．worthless C．practical D．splendid
I drove to a local supermarket the other day. My shopping list was and my wallet was light. Still, I needed to get a week’s worth of groceries for my family. I parked my car, looked down at my list, and hoped I could it all.
As I the door, I saw a man with kind eyes and a gentle . He said he was collecting for a local food bank that helped to the hungry in my area. He handed me a second shopping list of things they could use and asked me to if I could. I smiled back, took the and walked into the store. I really wanted to help, but wasn’t sure if I could this time.
I walked through the store, picking up vegetables, soup, spaghetti, bread, milk, cereal, macaroni, bananas, and a dozen other things. I slowly each item off my list until I was done. When I looked down at my full cart I again if I even had enough to pay for it all. Then, as I put my own list back into my pocket, I saw the food list under it. I smiled and decided to trust my heart.
With the food bank in mind, I went over and two of the biggest boxes of rice the store had and put them in my cart. It took six dollars out of my wallet to pay for them, my heart felt six times larger when I did. And when everything was , I had just enough to pay for it all.
It so little to make our world a better place. A few dollars can help to fill a child’s belly(肚子). A smile and hug can help to a hurting heart. An encouraging word can inspire someone else to live and to love. A random of kindness can change another’s day and life. It is up to us, . If we can a few dollars on rice , then we can share a love that will last forever.
A．heavy B．short C．frequent D．long
A．afford B．offer C．exchange D．accept
A．painted B．approached C．cleaned D．left
A．attitude B．smile C．anger D．manner
A．share B．train C．protect D．feed
A．help B．write C．advertise D．search
A．list B．name C．project D．budget
A．signed B．rid C．marked D．separated
A．wondered B．wandered C．fancied D．amazed
A．store B．cart C．bank D．nutrition
A．picked out B．picked up C．lifted up D．folded up
A．another B．other C．others D．more
A．so B．and C．but D．since
A．ordered B．replaced C．packed D．totaled
A．spends B．takes C．pays D．wastes
A．hungry B．adequate C．anxious D．full
A．treat B．cure C．recover D．heal
A．ability B．act C．appreciation D．allowance
A．still B．yet C．although D．though
A．rescue B．save C．accumulate D．reserve
I worked in a finance that I hated and I lived in a concrete jungle city with little greenery. I occupied my time with relationships. I was searching for happiness and had no where to find it.
Then I fell ill with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (慢性疲劳综合征). I had to my job and was left with no income. I eventually regained my physical health, not long after that I got a(n) from my family at home saying that my father’s cancer had
progressed. I left the city and went home to be with him, yet he died soon afterwards. My oldest sister at that time complained of a bad back. It got so bad that she was to hospital. They discovered that she highly advanced cancer in her bones and that there was nothing could do. One month later she died.
I could never put into words the of my sister in my life. She was my soul-mate and I never thought I would journey this lifetime her. The shock and extreme heart break brought me to my knees and I in hospital.
I remember lying in the hospital bed, looking up at the and seeing my sister’s beautiful face. She with me all night long.
I during that night that I had to make a choice. I made the decision that, I
just live any life. I would live the life that I LOVE and nothing less. Since then I have begun to the most beautiful life for myself. I spend quality time with the rest of my precious family and cherish every moment I have with them. I’m making new friends with beautiful souls around the world.
I love myself more deeply every day.
A．family B．city C．hospital D．job
A．meaningless B．innocent C．unjust D．illegal
A．guidance B．intention C．idea D．doubt
A．reserve B．quit C．switch D．continue
A．Because B．Until C．Unless D．Though
A．reply B．call C．opinion`` D．prayer
A．slightly B．punctually C．fiercely D．regularly
A．awful B．favorite C．stupid D．generous
A．attached B．appointed C．accompanied D．admitted
A．developed B．spread C．grew D．contained
A．they B．I C．she D．we
A．progress B．recovery C．change D．loss
A．with B．beside C．without D．beyond
A．ended up B．caught on C．hung about D．took off
A．floor B．ceiling C．door D．roof
A．lived B．laughed C．stayed D．mourned
A．announced B．realized C．shouted D．concluded
A．wouldn’t B．needn’t C．mightn’t D．daren’t
A．equally B．urgently C．silently D．absolutely
A．respect B．adjust C．shape D．defend
I still remember the first time I was “qualified” to go to a football game with my daddy. My parents had six children; so they had a million for when you could be “qualified” to do things. It was a cold fall day, and I had just turned 8, the magic “qualified” age for . The sky hung low and heavy over our heads as we the steep streets that led to the stadium. Following my dad, I to keep up with him. We bought our treats and climbed up to the top of the . Our seats were in the third row from the top, so they were easy to . It was very important for us to be in our seats before kick-off, which made everything leading up to it a mad against the clock. We had just into our seats when a light rain started to fall. Everyone opened their umbrellas. the rain, Daddy and I had a great time.
Each year, I returned to at least one each season with my daddy. I these moments and looked forward to our time together. My dad and I became best at the football games. I could ask my dad about anything and knew that he would answer me and told me everything he remembered. I intently listened as he his childhood, my grandparents, the love between he and my mother, and politics at work in general.
When I was 19, The University of Utah was playing their opening game at Utah State University. Dad really wanted to go, and I really wanted to get those ; so we drove a long trip to Utah. We ate huge hamburgers we watched the game with the sun setting behind us.
This Sunday I will have the of climbing those steep streets leading to the stadium once more. I walk a pace now, so that my aged daddy can keep up with me.
In all my years of , I haven’t really learned much about football. The details of the actual game have never to me as much as the time I spent with my dad. Truly, the most important thing I have learned from watching football is this: Treasure every moment that I have the privilege of spending with my great teacher and friend—MY DADDY.
A．wishes B．rules C．chances D．tasks
A．basketball B．volleyball C．baseball D．football
A．climbed B．crossed C．blocked D．passed
A．paced B．headed C．raced D．wandered
A．street B．stadium C．seat D．field
A．find B．use C．keep D．take
A．desire B．idea C．plan D．rush
A．put B．broke C．turned D．settled
A．Besides B．Despite C．Below D．Beyond
A．treat B．trip C．game D．chat
A．recalled B．chose C．valued D．provided
A．friends B．fans C．viewers D．judges
A．actually B．luckily C．frequently D．honestly
A．spent B．discussed C．described D．praised
A．hours B．tickets C．teams D．results
A．as B．since C．until D．once
A．activity B．privilege C．objective D．challenge
A．later B．slower C．closer D．lighter
A．working B．training C．travelling D．watching
A．returned B．belonged C．mattered D．referred