The most common problem that worries all of us today is the fear of insecurity. Life has become so competitive that every now and then we are struck (遭遇) by the fear of the unknown. With every new turn of events our self-confidence takes a blow. The biggest challenge before every person today is not to lose confidence in one’s ability.
There are several reasons that affect a person’s self-confidence. The most important reason is lack of success. Not being able to succeed affects one’s self-confidence greatly. This is when one begins to doubt his own ability. In many cases one’s self-confidence is low when he feels rejected by society. For example, a person who loses his job gives a wide berth to other people for fear of being questioned about his work. However, this isn’t right at all. One needs to think along positive lines in spite of failures. After all it is your life and you have every right to live your life as you wish.
The challenge lies in not allowing your self-confidence to decrease. It is very important to believe in yourself. Self belief is the secret to success. When success doesn’t come to you, you should not allow your self-belief to be affected. Always keep in mind that success is sure to come in time. So, there is nothing wrong with your ability. Whenever lack of success causes you to doubt your ability, don’t forget to remind yourself that quick success does not last long. Also remember not to compare yourself to others. These tips will do a world of good to your confidence.
In order to be self-confident, you need to have a lifestyle that is right for you. Create one and live a life as you want to. Leave others to themselves.According to the text, what causes people to fear the unknown?
| A．The low abilities. |
| B．The lack of security. |
| C．The loss of self-confidence. |
| D．The severe competition in life. |
What does the underlined phrase “gives a wide berth to” in Paragraph 2 mean?
| A．Introduces something to. |
| B．Holds a birthday party for. |
| C．Makes friends with. |
| D．Keeps away from. |
What is the function of the first paragraph ?
| A．To explain the meaning of self-confidence. |
| B．To explain why self-confidence is important. |
| C．To show the main topic – to be self-confident. |
| D．To show the reasons that affect one’s self-confidence. |
In the author’s opinion, it’s important that one _____.
| A．should not forget his failures |
| B．should follow others’ advice |
| C．should not lose heart |
| D．should believe life |
Although the United States covers so much land and the land produces far more food than the present population needs，its people are by now almost entirely an urban society Less than a tenth of the people are engaged in agriculture and forestry(林业)，and most of the rest live in or around towns，small and large．Here the traditional picture is changing：every small town may still be very like other small towns，and the typical small town may represent a widely accepted view of the country，but most Americans do not live in small towns any more．Half the population now lives in some thirty metropolitan areas(1arge cities with their suburbs、of more than a million people each—a larger proportion than in Germany or England，let alone France．The statistics(统计)of urban and rural population should be treated with caution because so many people who live in areas classified as rural travel by car to work in a nearby town each day．As the rush to live out of town continues．rural areas within reach of towns are gradually filled with houses，so that it is hard to say at what moment a piece of country becomes a suburb But more and more the typical American lives in a metropolitan rather than a small town environment．If now America has 250 million people．how many of them are engaged in agriculture and forestry?
| A．About 25 million． | B．More than 25 million． |
| C．Less than 25 million． | D．Less than 225 million |
Which of the following four countries has the smallest proportion of people living in metropolitan areas?
| A．United States． | B．Germany. |
| C．France． | D．England． |
What’s the meaning of the word“metropolitan”in the middle of the passage?
| A．Of a large city with its suburbs． |
| B．Of small and large towns． |
| C．Of urban areas． |
| D．Of rural areas． |
According to the passage，what can we learn about small towns in the United States?
A Most small towns become gradually crowded
B．Small towns are still similar to each other．
C．As the traditional picture is changing，towns are different．
D .Small towns are turning into large cities
There are stories about two U．S . presidents，Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren，which attempt to explain the American English term OK．We don’t know if either story is true，but they are both interesting．
The first explanation is based on the fact that President Jackson had very little education．In fact，he had difficulty reading and writing．When important papers came to Jackson，he tried to read them and then had his assistants explain what they said．If he approved of a paper．he would write“all correct”on it．The problem was that he didn’t know how to spell．So what he really wrote was“ol korekt”．After a while，he shortened that term to“OK”．
The second explanation is based on the place where President Van Buren was born，Kinderhook，New York．Van Bnren’s friends organized a club to help him become President They caned the club the Old Kinderhook Club，and anyone who supported Van Buren was called“OK”．The author
| A．believes both of the stories |
| B．doesn’t believe a word of the stories |
| C．is not sure whether the stories are true |
| D．is telling the stories just for fun |
According to the passage，President Jackson
| A．couldn’t draw up any documents at all |
| B．didn’t like to read important papers by himself |
| C．often had his assistants sign documents for him |
| D．wasn’t good at reading，writing or spelling |
According to the first story, the term “OK”
| A．was approved of by President Jackson |
| B．was the title of some Official documents |
| C．was first used by President Jackson |
| D．was an old way to spell“all correct’’ |
According to the second story，the term‘‘OK”
| A．was the short way to say‘‘old Kinderhook Club” |
| B．meant the place where President Van Buren was born |
| C．was the name of Van Buren’s club |
| D．was used to call Van Buren’s supporters in the election |
Now I’d like to talk to you about your final exam. The exam will be held next Thursday, the last day of the exam week. Remember to bring two of three pens in case you run out of ink. And unlike the midterm exam, this test will not include multiple --- choice questions; it will consist entirely of essays(文章). You’ll have to answer three of the five essay questions. The exam will be comprehensive (全面的), which means you’ll be responsible for all of the subject matters we covered in class this term, I would suggest you review your midterm exam as well as textbooks and your class notes. The final exam will count as 50 percent of your grade of the course. The research project (项目) will count as 20 percent and the midterm exam 30 percent. I’ll be in my office almost all day next Tuesday. If you run into any problems, please drop in. Good luck to you and I’ll see you on Tuesday.When will the final exam take place?
| A．On Tuesday | B．On a Wednesday |
| C．On a Thursday | D．On a Friday |
What will be included in the exam?
| A．There will be only multiple-choice questions. |
| B．The exam will contain both multiple-choice and essay questions. |
| C．The exam will have an oral and a written section. |
| D．There will be only essay questions. |
Why does the teacher call the exam comprehensive?
| A．It will be easy to understand. |
| B．Students will be tested on all the material discussed in class. |
| C．It will cover topics from a wide variety of subjects. |
| D．Students must complete all parts of it. |
The underlined phrase run into probably means .
| A．go into |
| B．meet somebody unexpectedly |
| C．come up against something with force |
| D．come across |
It feels like every time my mother and I start to have a conversation, it turns into an argument. We talk about something as simple as dinner plans and suddenly, my mother will push the conversation into World War III. She’ll talk about my lack of a bright future because I don’t plan to be a doctor. And much to her disappointment, I don’t want to do any job related to science, either. In fact, when I was pushed to say that I planned to major(主修) in English and communications, she nearly had a heart attack.
“Why can’t you be like my co-worker’s son?” she bemoans all the time. Her co-worker’s son received a four-year scholarship and is now earning 70,000 dollars a year as an engineer. I don’t know what to answer except that I simply can’t be like Mr. Perfect as I’ve called the unnamed co-worker’s son. I can’t be like him. I’m the type of person who loves to help out in the community, write until the sun goes down, and most of all, wants to achieve a career because I love it, not because of fame (名声) or salary.
I understand why my mother is worried about my future major. I’ve seen my mother struggle to raise me on her small salary and work long hours. She leaves the house around 630 am and usually comes home around 5 pm or even 6 pm. However, I want her to know that by becoming a doctor, it doesn’t mean I’ll be successful. I’d rather follow my dreams and create my own future.Which of the following topics do the writer and his mother often talk about?
| A．The writer’s studies. | B．The writer’s future job |
| C．Dinner plans | D．Wars around the world |
We can infer from Paragraph 1 that the writer’s mother ______.
| A．doesn’t want the writer to major in English |
| B．doesn’t think the writer should be a doctor |
| C．gets along very well with the writer |
| D．doesn’t think working in the science field is a good idea |
The underlined word “bemoans” in Paragraph 2 most probably means _____.
| A．agrees | B．shouts |
| C．Complains | D．smiles |
Which of following statements is probable TRUE about the writer?
| A．He wants to be like his mother’s co-worker’s son. |
| B．He wants to find a job in his community in the future. |
| C．He doesn’t think his mother’s co-worker’s son is perfect. |
| D．He wants to do something he really likes in the future. |
There are stock markets (股票市场) in large cities in many countries. Stock markets in Paris,
London, Tokyo, Shanghai and New York are among the largest and most well-known. The stock, also called stock exchange, is a place where people can buy or sell shares of a factory or company. And each share means certain ownership(所有权) of a factory or company.
Different people go to stock markets. Some are rich, who want to get more money than they
have. Others are not very rich, who buy stocks to try to become rich. Still others buy stocks as
part of their plan to save money.
Of course, investing (投资) money in the stock market is not the safest way to make money.
No one can tell exactly whether the shares will be doing well. The factory or company may
do badly. Then the stocks will go down, and the investors will lose money. The stock may go up or down for a number of untold reasons. Everyone wants the stock to go up, but sometimes even if a factory or company does a good job, the stock may still go down.
Going to the stock market is often like gambling (赌博). All want to make money by
“gambling’ in the stock market. Factories and companies that need money are pleased that so many people are ready to “gamble”. Indeed, the stock market is an attractive(吸引人的) but complex part of the business world.If you are a good investor, ________ in the stock market.
| A．you can always make money |
| B．you can tell exactly when the stock goes up or down |
| C．you may sometimes lose money |
| D．your gambling is always safe |
The passage mainly wants to tell us________.
| A．how to buy or sell shares |
| B．the stock market is like gambling |
| C．a general idea of stock market |
| D．investing money in the stock market is not the safest way |
Factories and companies are pleased that so many people “gamble” because________.
| A．they can make them rich |
| B．they need their money to do business |
| C．they need more people to work for them |
| D．some people win and some lose |
The word “complex” in the last sentence probably means________.
| A．difficult | B．happy |
| C．complete | D．modern |