In a world where comparisons happen non-stop, it is difficult to look outside yourself and to ever be content with who you are. There's always someone who's a bit better. The only solution is to reach inside and measure against what Warren Buffett calls your own inner yardstick. There is no more accurate measure for comparison than who you were yesterday, last week or last decade, when you were at your best.

Nothing useful ever comes from comparison to others. Either you see yourself as better than someone and you get lazy, or you see someone else as better than you and you feel like all your hard work is for nothing. It is a fool's game. None of us are inherently above or below the person next to us. We are who we are. Not one of us is exactly alike. The only direct and honest comparison is within yourself. Everything else is apples to oranges.

My opinion is that you are only allowed to compare yourself to someone else if their life situation is the same as your own. Good luck finding that match. And one thing is for sure. No matter how hard you work and how dedicated you are, there will always be someone who can run a little faster, jump a little higher, score a little better or look a little nicer in a swimsuit. And if there's not, you can bet someone is coming up fast behind you. So how can you always win in life? Become your best competitor.

The following are the reasons why you are your own best competitor.

1. You will always be motivated.

Having an image of your most recent past limits is the perfect thing to push you to the next level. If you ran 7 flights of stairs yesterday, then do 8 today. Who cares if the guy next to you did 15? It doesn't make a bit of difference. You are a more fit person today than you were yesterday. Your own progress is all you need.

2. You will continuously be your personal best.

If you commit to a slightly higher standard of yourself every day, you will always be at the top of your game. And that game will only get better. But if for some reason you fall off your mark, you will always have the past image of your best performance to show you what you're capable of. Once you've done it, you know what's possible and then it's just a matter of doing it again.

Through the passage the writer advises the readers to ________.

A. avoid comparison with others                 B. work much harder

C. pay attention to others’ progress                  D. make full use of motivation

If you want to be content with yourself, according to the author, you should ________.

A. see yourself better than others                B. measure accurately  

C. compare with yourself                           D. be honest with yourself

Which of the following is certain to happen according to the author?

A. Finding someone else who is in the same life situation as you are.

B. Finding someone who runs faster and jumps higher than you.

C. Finding someone who is hiding right behind you.

D. Finding someone who almost always wins in their life.

What can help you up to higher level in your life according to the passage?

A. Comparing yourself with the guy next to you.

B. Thinking about your own progress.

C. Promising to play a game every day.

D. Thinking of your most recent past limits.


第三节完形填空(共20小题,每小题1.5分,满分30分)
阅读下面短文,掌握其大意,然后从21至40各个题所给的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
One day a young man called Jim was told to take the  21  examination the next day. He was   22   so much that he couldn’t get to sleep. He wouldn’t join the army because he was in love with a beautiful girl. “If only I could find a   23   to make the doctor believe there is something    24  with my body,” he thought and thought. Suddenly, a good idea crossed his mind.
The next morning Jim got to the   25   on time and was led into a large room. He hurriedly found a seat to sit down and took out an out-of-date newspaper,   26   to read it. Soon it was his turn to be examined. When he came up to the doctor, the old man took a quick and sharp look at him. Then in a   27   he ordered Jim to take off his clothes, go straight to a corner and sit down on a chair there. No sooner had he seated himself on the chair than he heard the doctor murmuring to his assistant: “Finished! The boy is  28   up to the standard.”
“How can you draw such a   29   like that before you give me a  30  check? Jim shouted at the doctor.
“Don’t be impetuous(冲动), young man! Put on your clothes, and then I’ll  31   it to you,” the doctor said   32  .“You said we didn’t examine you carefully, but I don’t think it
33   for us to do that. When I told you in a low voice to take off your clothes, you did it as I told you. It shows you have good  34  . When you were asked to go and sit on the chair, you did so, too. It shows you can see any subject within a certain distance.   35  , you were found reading the newspaper just now, and we are certain you are a man of intelligence.
36 , you’re perfect in mind and body.” 
Half a year later, Jim was killed on the battlefield. At the news his girlfriend nearly went
37  . She kept weeping. “Don’t be like that, my dear.” It was an old man’s  38   voice. “Your Jim died a real man. He   39  his life to the people all over the world. It is right that we should be proud of him…” Saying this, the old man, her father, was choked(哽咽). His only   40   was that he had never had Jim know who he was. This old man was the medical officer who had given Jim the health check.  

21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
A. blood
A. excited
A. way
A. new
A. hospital
A. beginning
A. hurry
A. hardly
A. information
A. quick
A. give
A. calmly
A. necessary
A. eyes
A. So
A. In short
A. angry
A. kind
A. spent
A. dream
B. intelligent
B. troubled
B. person
B. good
B. camp
B. pretending
B. breath
B. never
B. suggestion
B. slow
B. explain
B. coldly
B. honest
B. ears
B. Therefore
B. In word
B. bad
B. loud
B. saved
B. regret
C. physical
C. frightened
C. problem
C. right
C. office
C. deciding
C. whisper
C. not
C. decision
C. careful
C. say
C. happily
C. good
C. head
C. Besides
C. In the end
C. excited
C. low
C. devoted
C. hope
D. ability
D. delighted
D. question
D. wrong
D. army
D. wanting
D. flash
D. quite  
D. conclusion
D. careless
D. bring
D. quietly
D. right
D. body
D. However
D. In total
D. mad
D. sad
D. killed
D. wish
 


Dublin has the benefit of being a home to unequaled beaches. They can be especially     attractive during the summer season.Experience this scenery for yourself  and see what these    beaches have to offer you.
Finding yourself  at Dollymont makes you a fortunate tourist especially if you find     beaches irresistible.Here you can swim away your worries through the Dollymont Blue Flag Beach,The beach provides a wonderful view which is perfect for some relaxing moments.Its  shoreline is well recommended for a few quiet and unworried walks along the beach.
For some beach adventure,you can drive your way down the M50 and M 1 motorways to Donabate.This village in North County Dublin offers an attractive Blue Flag beach which is perfect for your swimming addictions.Lifeguards are on call during bathing period.The water is as overpowering as the surrounding.
For a double purpose beach,check out Killiney.This beach is a top off destination for a swimming adventure and it is equally grand for relaxing walks.The shoreline is covered with pebbles and rocks.This may seem averred with ordinary stony beach for some but for those who have strong interest in geological(地质的)processes,Killiney is a best spot to discover part of Dublin’s history and Killiney’s formation.
Another accessible Blue Flag Beach lies on Malahide in Fingal. You can enjoy the   distinctive attraction of the water while still getting yourself amazed with the wonderful sights   around;Malahide.Beach is sandy and holds a harbor designed for pleasure boats at the   Northern end.
For a bit of challenge and thrill,consider a swim at Sea point Beach in Dun Laoghaire  Rathdown.You can have the pleasure of an exciting surf adventure here apart from the usual swimming activity.This is often visited by tourists due to its various appeals:swimming on the north part of the beach while surfing,.boating and jet skiing at the south.
Need to:beat the heat off your summer vacation? There is nothing as satisfying as a visit to some of these outstanding beaches.
71.How many beaches are mentioned in this article?
A.Five    B.Four    C.Three D.Two
72.If you are visiting Killiney, which of the following activities can’t.you do?
A.Having a swimming adventure.
B.Having some relaxing walks.
C.Discovering some Dublin’s history.
D.Practising operating boats for pleasure.
73.Some tourists choose a swim at Seapoint Beach probably because they can   . .
A.get themselves interested in the sights around
B.have a wonderful surf on the north of the beach
C.enjoy several unusual and exciting activities‘
D.call the lifeguards during bathing period
74.If you want to。be quiet and have some relaxing walks,you may pay a visit to——.
A.Dollymont and Donabate         B. Donabate and Malahide
C.Dollymont and Killiney              D.Killinev and Malahide
75.The best title of this article should be——.
A.Where to go swimming in summer B.Beating off the heat in Dublin
C.Benifits of staying at beaches    D.Geological researches in vacation

三、阅读理解 (共20小题;每小题2分,满分40分)

阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡

上将该项涂黑。

Let us begin by saying what causes our dreams. Our dreams do not come from another world. They are not messages from some outside source .They are not a look into the future, either.

All our dreams have something to do with our feelings, fears, longings, wishes, needs and memories. If a person is hungry, or tired, or cold , his dreams may include a feeling of this kind. If the covers on your body, such as a quilt or a blanket, have slipped off your bed, you may dream that you are sleeping on ice or in snow. The material for the dream you will have tonight is likely to come from the experience you have today.

So the subject of your dream usually comes from something that has effect on you while you are sleeping(feeling of cold, a noise, a discomfort, etc.)and it may also use your past experiences and the wishes and the interests you have now. This is why children are likely to dream of fairies, older children of school examinations, hungry people of food, home-sick soldiers of their families and prisoners of freedom.

To show you how this is happening while you are asleep and how your needs and wishes can all be joined together in a dream, here is the story of the experiment. A man was asleep and the back of his hand was rubbed with a piece of absorbed cotton. He would dream he was in hospital and his charming girlfriend was visiting him, sitting on the bed and feeling gently his hands!

There are some scientists who have made a special study of why we dream, what we dream and what those dreams mean. Their explanation of dreams, though a bit reasonable, is not accepted by everyone but it offers an interesting approach to the problem. They believe that dreams are mostly expressions of wishes that did not come true. In other words dreaming is a way of having your wishes carried out.

36. From the passage we know that our dreams       .

A. are imagination of our daily life              B. are man’s curious look into the future

C. have nothing to do with our feelings              D. are to some degree connected with our feelings

37. In your dream when you feel like eating something it indicates(暗示)that       .

A. you are in a state of being cold    B. you are in a state of being tired

C. you are in a state of hunger       D. you should have had your dinner that day

38. Older children often dream of examinations probably because        .

A. they are interested in exams       B. they are often worried about their studies

C. they hope for better life          D. they show much interest in their studies

39. Some scientists’ explanation of dreams         .

A. is not widely accepted though a bit reasonable        B. gives an exact description of our life

C. provides us with information of dreams                 D. is of no use for us

 

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