Failure is probably the most exhausting experience a person ever has. There is nothing more tiring than not succeeding.
We experience this tiredness in two ways: as start-up fatigue(疲惫) and performance fatigue. In the former case, we keep putting off a task because it has either too boring or too difficult. And the longer we delay it, the more tired we feel.
Such start-up fatigue is very real, even if not actually physical, not something in our muscles and bones. The solution is obvious though perhaps not easy to apply: always handle the most difficult job first.
Years ago, I was asked to write 102 essays on the great ideas of some famous authors. Applying my own rule, I determined to write them in alphabetical(按字母顺序), never letting myself leave out a tough idea. And I always started the day's work with the difficult task of essay-writing. Experience proved that the rule works.
Performance fatigue is more difficult to handle. Though willing to get started, we cannot seem to do the job right. Its difficulties appear so great that, however hard we work, we fail again and again. In such a situation, I work as hard as I can-then let the unconscious take over.
When planning E n cyclopaedia Britannica(《大英百科全书》), I had to create a table of contents based on the topics of its articles. Nothing like this had ever been done before, and day after dat I kept coming up with solutions, but none of them worked. My fatigue became almost unbearable.
One day, mentally exhausted, I wrote down all the reasons why this problem could not be solved. I tried to convince myself that the trouble was with the problem itself, not with me. Relived, I sat back in an easy chair and fell asleep.
An hour later, I woke up suddenly with the solution clearly in mind. In the weeks that followed, the solution which had come up in my unconscious mind provided correct at every step. Though I worked as hard as before, I felt no fatigue. Success was now as exciting as failure had been depressing.
Human beings, I believe must try to succeed. Success, then, means never feeling tired.
51. People with start-up fatigue are most likely to .
A. |
delay tasks |
B. |
work hard |
C. |
seek help |
D. |
accept failure |
52. What does the author recommend doing to prevent start-up fatigue?
A. |
Writing essays in strict order. |
B. |
Building up physical strength. |
C. |
Leaving out the toughest ideas. |
D. |
Dealing with the hardest task first. |
53. On what occasion does a person probably suffer from performance fatigue?
A. |
Before starting a difficult task. |
B. |
When all the solutions fail. |
C. |
If the job is rather boring. |
D. |
After finding a way out. |
54. According to the author, the unconscious mind may help us .
A. |
ignore mental problems |
B. |
get some nice sleep |
C. |
gain complete relief |
D. |
find the right solution |
55. What could be the best title for the passage?
A. |
Success Is Built upon Failure |
B. |
How to Handle Performance Fatigue |
C. |
Getting over Fatigue: A Way to Success |
D. |
Fatigue: An Early Sign of Health Problems |
English is the most widely used language in the history of our planet. One in every seven human beings can speak it. More than half of the world’s books and three quarters of international mail are in English. Of all languages, English has the largest vocabulary — perhaps as many as two million words.
However, let’s face it: English is a crazy language. There is no egg in an eggplant, neither pine nor apple in a pineapple and no ham in a hamburger. Sweetmeats are candy, while sweetbreads, which aren’t sweet, are meat.
We take English for granted. But when we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square, public bathrooms have no baths in them.
And why is it that a writer writes, but fingers don’t fing, grocers don’t groce, and hammers don’t ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, shouldn’t the plural of booth be beeth? One goose, two geese — so one moose, two meese?
How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? How can overlook and oversee be opposites, while quite a lot and quite a few are alike? How can the weather be hot as hell one day and cold as hell the next?
English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of human beings. That’s why, when stars are out, they are visible; but when the lights are out, they are invisible. And why, when I wind up my watch, I start it; but when I wind up this essay, I end it.According to the passage __________.
A.pineapples are the apples on the pine tree |
B.there should be an egg in an eggplant |
C.sweetmeats and sweetbreads are different things |
D.boxing rings should be round |
The underlined words “wind up” in the last paragraph maybe means “__________”.
A.blow | B.finish | C.get hurt | D.roll up |
Through the many paradoxes in the English language, the writer wants to show that human beings are ____________.
A.lazy | B.crazy | C.clever | D.dull |
You and your friends are settling into your seats. The new Spider-Man movie is about to start and you’ve got the snacks: soda and popcorn. Food is part of what makes the movies fun.
Just as the lights go out, you catch a slight smell of … tuna fish? You turn your head, searching for the source. Then you spot him: A couple rows back, some guy is enjoying a tuna fish sandwich. How’d he get that in here? You wonder. Then you remember how much you paid for your snacks.
What invites the unwelcome outside food is probably the price. Why pay $ 5 for a bag of M&Ms when you can get them for a dollar at the corner store?
Earlier this year, a Michigan man decided to fight for his right to snack. Joshua Thompson is suing his local theater after it banned outside food. He argues the ban breaks a Michigan law that prevents businesses from charging extremely high prices. However, most legal experts believe Thompson has little chance of winning his case, though he does have a point: 85 cents out of a dollar of treats a movie theater sells is pure profit.
The truth is that movie theaters are more in the snack business than the movie business. A huge part of the ticket income goes to the Hollywood studio. This makes sense, since the studios have to pay the costs of movie production and advertising. But that often doesn’t leave much cash for the theater, which also has its own running costs. If customers stopped buying food, owners would have to raise ticket prices even higher.
Of course, there’s another reason to think twice before bringing food into the movies: It’s against the rules. Breaking those rules can have unpleasant consequences too. Some theaters will kick you out if they catch you. Even without the threat of punishment, we should follow rules all the time------out of respect.
Here’s a good idea: Eat before the movie.What is the topic of the text?
A.Movie Theaters’ Ban on Outside Food. |
B.A Michigan Man’s Fight for His Right. |
C.The Pleasure of Enjoying Snacks. |
D.Bad Manners in Movie Theaters. |
What do we know about Joshua Thompson?
A.He broke a Michigan law. |
B.He was forbidden to have snacks at the theaters. |
C.He thinks cinema tickets are too expensive. |
D.He is likely to lose the case. |
In Paragraph 5, the author mainly explains _________.
A.how movie studios work with movie theaters |
B.why snack sales are important to movie theaters |
C.why Hollywood studios must pay high costs |
D.how movie theaters reduce their operating costs |
How does the author feel about bringing outside food into the cinema?
A.It is great fun. | B.It is convenient. |
C.It is unacceptable. | D.It is lawful. |
Barack Obama was born on August 4, 1961 in Honolulu, Hawaii. His father came to America from Kenya, which is a country in Africa. His parents, Ann and Barack, met when they were students at the University of Hawaii. Since Barack had the same name as his father, young Barack went by the nickname “Barry”.
In 1979, after he finished high school, Barry went to Occidental College in Los Angeles, California. There, he started to learn about his African roots and decided to use his African name, Barack. After two years in L.A., he went to Columbia University in New York City to study politics.
After college, he moved to Chicago, Illinois, where he worked to help poor people in his city. He traveled to Africa to meet his grandmother and cousins for the first time. He went back many times over the years to visit with his family and learn about where he came from. At work, he met a lawyer named Michelle Robinson. They worked together in a big law firm. Then he left Chicago to go to Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He did very well in law school.
After he was done with school, Barack moved back to Chicago and in 1992 he married Michelle. He worked as a lawyer, devoted to helping poor people for free who had been treated unfairly. He worked hard to get the people he helped to vote(投票).
He made many people believe that their votes were important, and helped them feel like they could make a difference.Barack Obama’s father was probably born in _________.
A.Hawaii | B.Illinois |
C.California | D.Kenya |
Which of the following is the right order according to the text?
①Getting married to Michelle.
②Travelling to Africa to meet his grandmother
③Going to Harvard Law School
④Going to Columbia University
⑤Working in a big law firm.
A.④②⑤③① | B.④③②⑤① |
C.③④①⑤② | D.②①⑤④③ |
How did Obama get people to vote?
A.By cheating them to do so. |
B.By making a difference to people. |
C.By showing them the importance of their votes. |
D.By helping poor people who treat others unfairly. |
According to the text, which of the following words can best describe Barack Obama?
A.Humorous | B.Kind-hearted |
C.Polite | D.Brave |
In modern society there is a great deal of argument about competition. Some value it highly,believing that it is responsible for social progress and prosperity.Others say that competition is bad;that it sets one person against another;that it leads to unfriendly relationship between people.
I have taught many children who held the belief that their self worth relied (依赖)on how well they performed at tennis and other skills.For them,playing well and winning are often life and death affairs. In their single minded pursuit(追求)of success, the development, of many other human qualities is sadly forgotten.
However,while some seem to be lost in die desire to succeed,others take an opposite attitude.In a culture which values only die winner and pays no attention to the ordinary players,they strongly blame competition. Among the most vocal are youngsters who have suffered under competitive pressures from their parents or society. Teaching these young people,I often observe in them a desire to fail. They seem to seek failure by not trying to win or achieve success. By not trying,they always have an excuse:“I may have lost,but it doesn’t matter because I really didn’t try.”What is not usually admitted by themselves is the belief that if they had really tried and lost,that would mean a lot. Such a loss would be a measure of their worth. Clearly,this belief is the same as that of the true competitors who try to prove themselves. Both are based on the mistaken belief that one’s self respect relies on how well one performs in comparison with others. Both are afraid of not being valued. Only as this basic and often troublesome fear begins to dissolve(缓解) can we discover a new meaning in competition.What does this passage mainly talk about?
A.Opinions about competition are different among people. |
B.Competition helps to set up self-respect. |
C.Competition is harmful to personal quality development. |
D.Failures are necessary experiences in competition. |
Why do some people favor competition according to the passage?
A.It builds up a sense of duty. |
B.It pushes society forward. |
C.It improves personal abilities. |
D.It encourages individual efforts. |
What is the similar belief of the true competitors and those with a “desire to fail”?
A.One’s success in competition needs great efforts. |
B.One’s worth lies in his performance compared with others. |
C.One’s achievement is determined by his particular skills. |
D.One’s success is based on how hard he has tried. |
Which point of view may the author agree to?
A.Every effort should be paid back. |
B.Competition should be paid back. |
C.Fear of failure should be removed in competition. |
D.Winning should be a life-and-death matter. |
H.T.B. Arts Center
FILM Tickets £2.50 / £ 1.50. Performances at 8 pm unless started otherwise.
WILD AT HEART 127mins.
Wen 6-Fri8 February
Director: David Lynch
Starring: Nicholas Cage, Laura Dern, Willam Dafoe. A first-class film. Cage and his girlfriend Dean are on the run through the dangerous Deep South. They are hiding from gunmen who have
been hired to kill Cage by Dean's mother. Victims, yes—but they also have fun. It's wild at heart, strange on top. Funny, frightening and brilliant.
DICK TRACY 113mins
Mon 11-Sat16 February 6pm
Tickets on sale 5-6 pm
Director: Warren Beatty
Starring: Warren Beatty , Madonna The famous detective tries to stop Big Boy and the Blank from taking over the city. A colorful and exciting film. Some parts are frightening, so think twice about taking children.
BATMAN 126mins
Mon11-Sat16 February 8.30pm
Tickets on sale 7.30-8.30pm
PIZZA PLUS offer 6-7pm
Director: Tim Burton
Starring: Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson. A few essential questions must be asked...Is Batman a mad hero? Why does Bruce Wayne spend millions dressing up as a bat? Has Nicholson's Joker stolen the whole movie? Great action and excellent acting, especially by Nicholson.We know from Wild at Heart that _________.
A.Cage was not accepted by his future mother-in-law. |
B.Wild at Heart is funny rather than frightening |
C.A famous detective happened to help Cage and Dean. |
D.Cage and Dean are playing the hide-and-seek game with Dean’s mother. |
According to the text, we can learn that _________.
A.Batman has the longest running time |
B.One can buy tickets in advance for all the films |
C.While watching Batman one can enjoy pizza at 7:30 pm. |
D.You’d better not take your children with you to see Dick Tracy |
Where can we most probably read this text?
A.In an ad page. |
B.In a movie review. |
C.In a short story. |
D.In an introduction of an art center. |