Life can be so wonderful, full of adventure and joy. It can also be full of challenges, setbacks(挫折)and heartbreaks. Whatever our circumstances, we generally still have dreams, hopes and desires—that little something more we want for ourselves and our loved ones. Yet knowing we can have more can also create a problem, because when we go to change the way we do things, up come the old patterns and pitfalls(陷阱)that stopped us from seeking what we wanted in the first place.

This tension between what we feel we can have and what we are seemingly able to have is niggling(烦人的) suffering, the anxiety we feel. This is where we usually think it is easier to just give up. But we are never meant to let go of the part of us that knows we can have more. The intelligence behind that knowing is us—the real us. It’s the part that believes in life and its possibilities. If you drop that, you begin to feel a little “dead” inside because you are dropping “you”.

So, if we have this capability but somehow life seems to keep us stuck, how do we break these patterns?

Decide on a new course and make one decision at a time. This is good advice for a new adventure or just getting through today’s challenges.

While, deep down, we know we can do it, our mind—or the minds of those close to us—usually say we can’t. That isn’t a reason to stop, it’s just the mind, that little man or woman on your shoulder, trying to talk you out of something again. It has done it many times before. It’s all about starting simple and doing it now.

Decide and act before overthinking. When you do this you may feel a little, or large, release from the jail of your mind and you will be on your way.

1.It can be inferred from the first two paragraphs that we should ________.

A. slow down and live a simple life

B. be careful when we choose to change

C. stick to our dreams under any circumstances

D. be content with what we already have

2.Which of the following best explains the underlined part in the last paragraph?

A. Escape from your punishment.

B. Realization of your dreams.

C. Freedom from your tension.

D. Reduction of your expectations.

3.What does the author intend to tell us?

A. It’s easier than we think to get what we want.

B. It’s important to learn to accept sufferings in life.

C. It’s impractical to change our way of thinking.

D. It’s harder than we expect to follow a new course.

How to Be a Winner

Sir Steven Redgrave

Winner of 5 Olympic Gold Medals

“In 1997 I was found to have developed diabetes (糖尿病). Believing my career was over, I felt extremely low. Then one of the specialists said there was no reason why I should stop training and competing. That was it—the encouragement I needed. I could still be a winner if I believed in myself. I am not saying that it isn’t difficult sometimes. But I wanted to prove to myself that I wasn’t finished yet. Nothing is to stand in my way.”

Karen Pickering

Swimming World Champion

“I swim 4 hours a day, 6 days a week. I manage that sort of workload by putting it on top of my diary. This is the key to success—you can’t follow a career in any field without being well-organized. List what you believe you can achieve. “Trust yourself, write down your goals for the day, however small they are, and you’ll be a step closer to achieving them.”

Kirsten Best

Poet & Writer

“When things are getting hard, a voice inside my head tells me that I can’t achieve something. Then, there are other distractions, such as family or hobbies. The key is to concentrate. When I feel tense, it helps a lot to repeat words such as ‘calm’, ‘peace’ or ‘focus’, either out loud or silently in my mind. It makes me feel more in control and increases my confidence. This is a habit that can become second nature quite easily and is a powerful psychological tool.”

1.What does Sir Steven Redgrave mainly talk about?

A. Difficulties influenced his career.

B. Specialists offered him medical advice.

C. Training helped him defeat his disease.

D. He overcame the shadow of illness to win.

2.What does Karen Pickering put on top of her diary?

A. Her training schedule.

B. Her daily happenings.

C. Her achievements.

D. Her sports career.

3.What does the underlined word “distractions” probably refer to?

A. Ways that help one to focus.

B. Words that help one to feel less tense.

C. Activities that turn one’s attention away.

D. Habits that make it hard for one to relax.

4.According to the passage, what do the three people have in common?

A. Courage. B. Devotion.

C. Hard work. D. Self-confidence.

Outside her cottage, old Mrs. Taylor was hanging out laundry on a wire line, unaware that some children were hiding in a nearby tree watching her every move. They were determined to find out if she really was a witch.

They watched nervously as she took a broomstick to sweep the dirt from her stone steps. But much to their disappointment, she didn’t get on the broomstick and fly off. The old lady only looked up when her hen began to make sounds loudly — signaling that she had laid an egg in the nest on the top of the haystack(干草堆).

The old lady put aside her broomstick and walked to the haystack, followed by Michael, a black cat she had rescued from a fox trap. With only three legs, it was hard for Michael to keep up with his mistress. The cat was proof for the children that only a witch would own a black cat with three legs! Crawling further along the branches, they could clearly see the haystack.

Mrs. Taylor was standing on a wooden box with the new-laid egg in one hand. Placing the egg in her pocket, she readied herself to climb down. Then, without warning, the box broke under her and she crashed to the ground. The children were in horror.

“Should we go and help her?” asked Mia.

“What if it’s a trick?” replied Patrick. “She probably knows we’re here. Witches know things like that!”

After thinking for a while, Julia said “Anyway, we should go and check whether she is all right.”

Approaching prudently, they could see a wound on the old lady’s forehead. She had knocked her head on a stone and was unconscious.

“Go and get Dad,” Mia yelled to her brothers. “Tell him about the accident.”

The boys didn’t need another excuse to leave. They ran as fast as they could for help, hoping that Mrs. Taylor would not regain consciousness and turn the girls into frogs.

Later, in the hospital, the old lady smiled her thanks. “I was so lucky that you lovely children happened to be passing when I fell. I must have yelled quite loudly.”

The children exchanged guilty glances, but were very pleased that she was not a witch after all!

1.Mrs. Taylor stopped sweeping when ________.

A. her doorstep became very clean

B. she heard the hen making sounds loudly

C. she noticed the children in the tree

D. her cat Michael managed to get her attention

2.Why was Patrick not willing to help Mrs. Taylor when she fell?

A. He thought that she could be cheating them.

B. He was afraid of the three-legged black cat.

C. He did not think that she was hurt in the fall.

D. He knew he and the others shouldn’t have been in her tree.

3.Which of the definitions is closest in meaning to the underlined word “prudently”?

A. Slowly.B. Hurriedly.C. Carefully.D. Quietly.

4.Which of these old sayings best summaries the lesson from story?

A. Make hey while the sun shines.

B. Never judge a book by its cover.

C. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

D. People in glasshouses shouldn’t throw stones.

When international aid is given, steps must be taken to ensure (确保)that the aid reaches the people for whom it is intended. The way to achieve this may not be simple. It is very difficult for a nation to give help directly to people in another nation. The United Nations Organiztion(UNO) could undertake to direct the distribution of aid. Here however rises the problem of costs. Also tied with this is time. Perhaps the UNO could set up a body of devoted men and women in every country who can speedily distribute aid to victims of floods and earthquakes.

More than the help that one nation can give to another during a disaster, it would be more effective to give other forms of help during normal times. A common proverb says, “Give me a fish and I eat for day, teach me to fish and I eat for a lifetime.” If we follow this wise saying, it would be right to teach people from less developed nations to take care of themselves. For example, a country could share its technology with another. This could be in simple areas like agriculture or in more complex areas like medical and health care or even in building satellites. Even small country is able to help less developed nations. Sometimes what is take for granted, like the setting up of a water purification plant or the administration of a school, could be useful for countries which are looking about to solve common problems. It does not cost much to share such simple things. Exchange students could be attached for a number of months or years and learn the required craft while on the site. They can then take their knowledge back to their homelands and if necessary come back from time to time to clear doubts or to update themselves. Such aid will be truly helpful and there is no chance of it being temporary or of it falling into the wrong hands.

Many countries run extensive courses in all sorts of skills. It will not cost much to include deserving foreigners in these courses. Besides giving effective help to the countries concerned, there is also the build-up of friendships to consider. Giving direct help by giving materials may be effective in the short run and must continue to be given in the event of emergencies. However, in the long run what is really effective would be the sharing of knowledge.

1.According to the author, how could international aid reach the victims in time?

A. By solving the cost problems.

B. By solving the transportation problems.

C. By setting up a body of devoted people in every country.

D. By relying on the direct distribution of the UNO.

2.What does the author try to express in the underlined sentence?

A. Providing food is vital.

B. Learning to fish is helpful.

C. Teaching skills is essential.

D. Looking after others is important.

3.Which aid is likely to fall into the wrong hands?

A. A medical team.B. An exchange program.

C. A water plant.D. Financial support.

4.What can we infer about international aid from the passage?

A. It is facing difficulties.

B. It is unnecessary during normal times.

C. It should be given in the form of materials.

D. It has gained support developed countries.

I wandered into the small store where I usually buy milk, when the store owner received a call from a customer. The customer and his wife had shopped there several months earlier. He noticed that his wife really liked one thing in the store, so he wanted to buy it as a surprise.

But the customer was in Tennessee, far away from the store which was in Maine. What was more, he had been to the store several months earlier, and it was difficult to believe that the store owner would remember him, or what he was looking for.

The store owner took a few close-up photos with her camera, and e-mailed them to the customer on the computer. The customer looked at the photos, and decided which one he wanted. They talked and discussed a price over the phone. She took care of the credit card transaction (交易) online, and promised the gift would be shipped out that afternoon.

The store owner was really smart. She was willing to push herself to find new ways to make the transaction actually happen. And it did work. However, it was the first time she had ever done it.

I was amazed that the store owner discovered a creative solution that could lead to a new way of doing business. I was impressed by what she did---so easily, but how difficult it is for many of us to make that leap(飞跃). I’m not just talking about technology, but about learning how to adapt to change. Most people hate or fear change unless they get to know exactly what change needs to be made. However, we should realize that challenge and opportunity go hand in hand.

1.According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?

A. The owner often did business by using her camera.

B. The customer had ever been to the store before.

C. The owner and the customer discussed the price on the computer.

D. The gift was sent out by train that afternoon.

2.The author was impressed by the store owner because _________.

A. she was always ready to help others

B. she told the writer how to run a store

C. she was a successful businesswoman

D. she managed to find a new way when facing change

3. What’s the correct order of the store owner’s solution?

a. e-mailing the photos to the customer on the computer

b. taking care of the credit card transaction online

c. taking a few close-up photos with her camera

d. talking about the price of the gift with the customer

A. bcda B. abcd C. cadb D. cabd

4.Which of the following words can best describe the store owner?

A. Creative B. Humorous C. Confident D. Honest

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