题目内容
_________ the car after drinking alcohol, there wouldn’t have been the accident.
A. Had he not driven B. Hadn’t he driven
C. If he didn’t drive D. If he doesn’t
A
When something goes wrong, it can be very satisfying to say, "Well, it's so-and-so's fault. "or "I know I'm late, but it's not my fault; the car broke down. " It is probably not your fault, but once you form the habit of blaming somebody or something else for a bad situation, you are a loser. You have no power and could do nothing that helps change the situation. However, you can have great power over what happens to you if you stop focusing on whom to blame and start focusing on how to remedy the situation. This is the winner's key to success.
Winners are great at overcoming problems. For example, if you were late because your car broke down, maybe you need to have your car examined more regularly. Or, you might start to carry along with you the useful phone numbers, so you could call for help when in need. For another example, if your colleague causes you problems on the job for lack of responsibility or ability, find ways of dealing with his irresponsibility or inability rather than simply blame the person. Ask to work with a different person, or don't rely on this person. You should accept that the person is not reliable and find creative ways to work successfully regardless of how your colleague fails to do his job well.
This is what being a winner is all about-creatively using your skills and talents so that you are successful no matter what happens. Winners don't have fewer problems in their lives; they have just as many difficult situations to face as anybody else. They are just better at seeing those problems as challenges and opportunities to develop their own talents. So, stop focusing on "whose fault it is." Once you are confident about your power over bad situations, problems are just stepping stones for success.
【小题1】According to the passage, winners ______.
| A．meet with fewer difficulties in their lives |
| B．deal with problems rather than blame others |
| C．have responsible and able colleagues |
| D．blame themselves rather than others |
| A．avoid | B．accept | C．improve | D．consider |
| A．find a better way to handle the problem |
| B．blame him for his lack of responsibility |
| C．tell him to find the cause of the problem |
| D．ask a more able colleague for help |
| A．excuses for their failures | B．barriers to greater power |
| C．challenges to their colleagues | D．chances for self-development |
| A．A Winner's Secret. | B．A Winner's Achievement. |
| C．A Winner's Opportunity. | D．A Winner's Problem. |
The global energy crisis is approaching. What can we do? Here are some steps you can take.
Cooling puts the greatest stress on your summer energy bill and the power grid(电网). Just as t tune-up for your car can improve your gas mileage, a yearly tune-up of your heating and cooling system can improve efficiency and comfort. Clean or replaces filters monthly or as needed.
For central air conditioning systems and room air conditioners, look for the ENERGY STAR, the federal government’s symbol for energy efficiency. For central air, purchase the system with the highest possible Seasonal Energy Efficiency Raton. (SEER)
Use energy-efficient ceiling fans either alone or with air conditioning. Ceiling fans do a great job of circulating air. When used with air conditioning, fans allow you to raise the thermostat(恒温器) and cut costs. Ceiling fans cool people, not rooms, so before you leave; turn off the ceiling fan.
Let a programmable thermostat! “remember for you” to automatically adjust the indoor climate with your daily and weekend patterns to reduce cooling bills by up to 10 percent. You can come home to a comfortable house without wasting energy and cresting pollution all day while you are at work.
Try to make your home airtight enough to increase your comfort, make your home quieter and cleaner and reduce your cooling costs up to 20 percent.
Gut your air conditioning load, and reduce pollution by planting planting leafy trees around your home and fixing reflective bricks on your roof.
Close blinds or shades on south-and west-facing windows during the day, or fix shading equipment to avoid heat build-up.
Turn off everything not in use: lights, TVs, computers. And use fluorescent bulbs(荧光灯), which provide bright, warm light while using at least two-thirds less energy, producing 70 percent less heat and lasting up to 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs(白炽灯).
Drive the car that gets better gas mileage whenever possible if you own more than one vehicle. If you drive 12,500 miles a year, switching 10 percent of your trips from a car that gets 20 mils per gallon to one that gets 30 mpg will save you more than ￡65 per year.
Carpool. The average U.S. commuter(乘车上班族) could save about ￡260 a year by sharing cars twice a week with two people in a car that gets 20.1 mpg---assuming the three passengers share the cost of gas.
【小题1】According to the passage, the thermostat is used to ______.
| A．make rooms quieter | B．control room temperature |
| C．turn off the air conditioner | D．reduce room air pollution |
| A．planting leafy trees around your home |
| B．turning off the ceiling fan before you leave your house |
| C．keeping your south-facing windows open during the day |
| D．using fluorescent bulbs instead of incandescent bulbs |
| A．using energy-efficient ceiling fans | B．sharing cars with others on workdays |
| C．turning off everything not in use | D．reducing 10% of your car trips every year |
| A．energy-saving tips | B．fuel-saving tips |
| C．do-it-yourself tips | D．environment-protecting tips |
On numerous drives throughout my childhood, my mother would suddenly pull over the car to examine a flower by the side of the road or rescue a beetle (甲虫) from certain tragedy while I, in my late teens and early twenties, sat impatiently in the car.
Though Mother’s Day follows Earth Day, for me, they have always been related. My mom has been “green” since she became concerned about the environment. Part of this habit was born of thrift (节俭). Like her mother and her grandmother before her, Mom saves glass jars, empty cheese containers and re-uses her plastic bags.
Mom creates a kind of give-and-take relationship with wildlife in her yard. She knows to pick the apples on her trees a little early to fend off the bears and that if she leaves the bird feeders out at night, it’s likely they’ll be knocked down by a family of raccoons (浣熊). Spiders that make their way into the house are captured (捕获) in a juice glass and set loose in the garden.
I try to teach my children that looking out for the environment starts with being aware of the environment. On busy streets, we look for spent (开败的) dandelions (蒲公英) to parachute; we say hello to neighborhood cats and pick up plastic cups and paper bags. This teaching comes easily, I realize, because I was taught so well by example. Mom didn’t need to lecture; she didn’t need to beat a drum to change the world. She simply slowed down enough to enjoy living in it and with that joy came compassion and an instinct (本能) for preservation.
I am slowing down and it isn’t because of the weight of my nearly forty years on the planet, it is out of my concern for the planet itself. I’ve begun to save glass jars and re-use packing envelopes. I pause in my daily tasks to watch the squirrels race each other through the palm (棕榈树) leaves above my porch (门廊).
Last summer, in the company of my son and daughter, I planted tomatoes in my yard. With the heat of August around me, I ate the first while sitting on my low wall with dirt on my hands. Warm from the sun, it burst on my tongue with a sweetness I immediately wanted to share with my mom.
【小题1】Why does the author say Earth Day is connected with Mother’s Day?
| A．Because Mother’s Day falls shortly after Earth Day. |
| B．To stress that all the older women in her family are environmentalists. |
| C．To stress how much her mother cares about the environment. |
| D．Because on Mother’s Day her mother shows her how to be friend to nature. |
| A．When she came across a lost dog, she helped it to find its shelter. |
| B．In spring, she spent some time watching the plants growing in the garden. |
| C．She joined in the campaign to encourage the public to contribute actively towards a better environment. |
| D．She walked to a nearby shop which was within ten minutes’ walk rather than drove there. |
| A．The author’s mother is very patient with her children. |
| B．The author’s mother knows how to live in harmony with nature. |
| C．The author’s mother always took care of the wildlife that came into her yard. |
| D．The author’s mother used to remind her to slow down to protect the environment. |
| A．the author thinks that too many people now label themselves environmentalists |
| B．the author’s mother knows how to get rid of the wildlife in her yard |
| C．the author believes that only by learning to slow down, can we enjoy life |
| D．the author realizes that she should teach her children by example as well |
| A．How the author taught her children to protect the environment. |
| B．How the author’s mother influenced the author. |
| C．What inspired the author to slow down and enjoy life. |
| D．How the author spent her time with her children. |