A little stream ran down from a high mountain far, far away through many villages and forests, until it reached a desert. The stream then thought, “I’ve been through countless difficulties. I should have no problem crossing this desert! But as she started her journey, she found herself slowly disappearing into the sand. After many tries, she still failed and was very unhappy. “Maybe I can’t reach the ocean in the end,” she said sadly to herself.

At this time, a deep voice came, “If a breeze (微风) can cross the desert, so can a river. “It was the voice of the desert. But the little stream replied, “That’s because a breeze can fly, but I cannot.”

“That’s because you can’t give up what you are. If you like to do it, and left yourself evaporate (蒸发) into the breeze, it can take you across, and you can reach the ocean.” said the desert, “Give up what I am now and disappear into the breeze.”No! No! The little stream could not accept this idea. After all, she had never experienced anything like it before. “The breeze can carry the vapor (蒸汽) across the desert and let it leave as rain. The rain will form a river again to continue its course,” explained the desert very patiently. “And whether you’re a river or vapor, your nature never changes,” continued the desert. Hearing this, the little stream rushed into the open arms of the breeze, while carried her to the next stage of her life.

The course of our lives is like the experience of the little stream. If you want to overcome (克服) the difficulties in your life to head for the success, you should also change the way you used to be.

1.The little stream aimed to reach ________.

A.the forest B.the ocean C.the desert D.the river

2.Before the stream reached the desert, she didn’t ________.

A.believe in herself B.meet any difficulties

C.want to cross the dessert D.worry about the journey to the ocean

3.The underlined word “it” in Paragraph 3 refers to (指的是) ________.

A.stream B.breeze C.vapor D.desert

4.The last paragraph mainly tells us ________.

A.our lives are as easy as the little stream’s

B.it is difficult for us to succeed

C.we must keep the way we used to be

D.we should change the way we used to be to succeed sometimes

5.From the passage, we know that the stream in the end ________.

A.crossed the desert B.stopped her journey

C.failed to reach the ocean D.disappeared in the air

You may have heard of the old story about the world's most whole-hearted fisherman. He had out-fished his friend all morning long. They used the same live bait (鱼饵), the same equipment and fished together in the same mountain stream. But he had almost caught a bucket of fish while his friend had yet to catch even one.

"What's your secret?" asked the friend. "I haven't even gotten any one!"

The successful fisherman emptied the bait of his mouth into a cupped hand and replied. "You have to keep your worms (鱼虫) warm."

Whether or not we fish or even eat fish, there is a lesson to be learned here. We are most likely to succeed when we fully put our hearts into a task. Especially if the task before us is difficult or there seems little probability of success. Whether we want to build a new business or write that first novel, we should see how willing we are to do what it takes-even if it means keeping the worms warm.

So I often ask myself. "How much do I want this?" when some people fish, if they don't catch, they don't eat. Some things are too important for me to risk failure. So how much do I want to succeed at this career (事业) or this dream? And how hard am I willing to work? If "success" only comes before "work" in the dictionary, I may have to work harder than I've ever worked before. But if I want it enough, the hard work will be worth it.

"Always bear in mind," said Abraham Lincoln, "that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other one thing."

And that is where it always begins: with a whole-hearted resolution to succeed—in a task, in a career, in a life. How much do you want this? And, how hard are you willing to work? Start there, and great things can happen.

1.Paragraph 1 is mainly about the old story of ________.

A.two friends B.Abraham Lincoln C.some baits D.a fisherman

2.The lesson we learned is to ________ from Paragraphs 2-4.

A.only keep the worms warm B.write the first novel soon

C.put our hearts into any task D.be willing to do nothing

3.Why does the writer often ask himself the two questions?

A.See if he has been whole-hearted. B.Be able to risk failure anytime.

C.Find out if the hard work is worth it. D.Work less harder than before.

4.What does the word "it" in Paragraph 5 refer to?

A.Career. B.Dream. C.Success. D.Work.

5.What does the writer want to tell us according to the last two paragraphs?

A.Own your resolution is the most important.

B.Do as Abraham Lincoln says, you'll succeed.

C.To succeed begins with a whole-hearted resolution.

D.Start anywhere, and great things can always happen.

At the age of forty-five, my usually well-ordered life became full of changes. After twenty-two years of working in a _______, a plan to use less staff led to the unemployment (失业) of over one hundred people, I being one of them.

My once secure (稳妥的) future became _______. However, I was not a single parent, _______ the family did not depend only on my income (收入). My motto has always been “Change is good; change is progress,” but when it influenced my livelihood (生计,生活), I had to change it to, “_______ change and make the most of it.” From the beginning, I _______ to look at this matter not as _______ luck, but as a welcome chance. I refused to become sorry, _______, I actively planned to do something new and different.

Having a positive attitude (积极的态度) made all the difference in the way I formed the future. First, I decided to _______ to college and graduate many years later than I should have. Doing this at my age needed more _______. Not being a graduate had never held me back in my career in the bank, but now it was a personal goal I was eager (渴望) to achieve. With a lot of determination, I went to evening classes and became an adult ________. In the class, I became more and more ________. During this time, I realized that ________ life throws in our way, personal growth never stops.

The second thing I did to improve myself was to reevaluate (再评估) my past life. It used to be filled with endless and sometimes meaningless events. But now, my heart and life are completely around people I ________.

The loss of my job led to some ________ changes in my life. Revisiting (再访,重游) the past made room for the ________. I realize that I have accepted the change, and am making the most of it.

1.A.factory B.bank C.company D.hospital

2.A.uncertain B.bright C.unimportant D.clear

3.A.if B.or C.so D.but

4.A.Refuse B.Accept C.Expect D.Collect

5.A.considered B.chose C.happened D.imagined

6.A.perfect B.rare C.bad D.good

7.A.therefore B.instead C.anyway D.however

8.A.attend B.turn C.join D.return

9.A.time B.money C.courage D.risk

10.A.student B.teacher C.manager D.doctor

11.A.confident B.afraid C.nervous D.generous

12.A.whichever B.whoever C.wherever D.whatever

13.A.care for B.call for C.stand for D.look for

14.A.common B.positive C.confident D.unsure

15.A.change B.experience C.future D.education

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