Growing up, I remember my father as a silent, serious man not the sort of person around whom one could laugh. As a teenager arriving in America, knowing nothing, I wanted a father who could explain the human journey. In college, when friends called home for advice, 1 would sink into deep depression for what I did not have.

Today. at twenty-seven, I have come to rediscover them in ways that my teenage mind would not allow — as adults and as friends with their own faults and weaknesses.

One night after my move back home, I overheard my father on the telephone. There was some trouble. Later, Dad shared the problem with me. Apparently my legal training had earned me some privileges in his eyes. I talked through the problem with Dad. analyzing the purposes of the people involved and offering several negotiation strategies. He listened patiently before finally admitting, “I can’t think like that. I am a simple man.”

Dad is a brilliant scientist who can deconstruct (解构) the building blocks of nature. Yet human nature is a mystery to him. That night I realized that he was simply not skilled at dealing with people, much less the trouble of a conflicted teenager. It’s not in his nature to understand human desires.

And so, there it was — it was no one’s fault that my father held no interest in human lives while 1 placed great importance in them. We are at times born more sensitive, wide-eyed, and dreamy than our parents and become more curious and idealistic than them. Dad perhaps never expected me for a child. And I, who knew Dad as an intelligent man, had never understood that his intelligence did not cover all of my feelings.

It has saved me years of questioning and confusion. I now see my parents as people who have other relationships than just Father and Mother. I now overlook their many faults and weaknesses, which once annoyed me.

I now know my parents as friends: people who ask me for advice; people who need my support and understanding. And I’ve come to see my past clearly.

1.What was the author’s impression of her father when she was a teenager?

A. Friendly but irresponsible.

B. Intelligent but severe.

C. Cold and aggressive.

D. Caring and communicative.

2.Why did the author feel depressed when her friends called home?

A. She did not have a phone to a1l home.

B. Her father did not care about her human journey.

C. Her father was too busy to answer her phone.

D. Her father couldn’t give her appropriate advice.

3.After the author overheard her father on the telephone.

A. he blamed her for impoliteness

B. he rediscovered human nature

C. he consulted with her about his problem

D. he changed his attitude towards the author

4.The author realized that ______.

A. her father had too many faults and weaknesses

B. her father was not as intelligent as she had thought

C. her father was not good at interpersonal relationships

D. her father placed too much importance in social activities

5.Which of the following is the best title of this passage?

A. My Parents as Friends

B. My Parents as Advisors

C. My Father — a Serious Man

D. My Father — an Intelligent Scientist

 

Alfred Alder, a famous psychiatrist, had an interesting experience. When he was a small boy he got off to a poor start in arithmetic. His teacher got the idea that he had no ability in arithmetic, and told his parents what she thought in order that they would not expect too much of him. In this way, they too developed the idea, “Isn’t it too bad that Alfred can’t do arithmetic?” He accepted their mistaken estimate of his ability, feeling that it was useless to try, and that he was very poor at arithmetic, just as they expected.

One day he became very angry at the teacher and the other students because they laughed when he said he saw how to do a problem which none of the other students had been able to solve.

Adler succeeded in solving the problem. This gave him confidence. He rejected the idea that he couldn’t do arithmetic and was determined to show them that he could. His anger and his new found confidence stimulated him to go at arithmetic problems with a new spirit. He now worked with interest, determination, and purpose, and he soon became extraordinarily good at arithmetic. He not only proved that he could do arithmetic, but he learned early in life from his own experience that, if a person goes at a job with determination and purpose, he may astonish himself as well as others by his ability.

This experience made him realize that many people have more ability than they think they have, and that lack of success is as often the result of lack of knowledge of how to apply one’s ability, lack of confidence, and lack of determination as it is the result of lack of ability.

1.Alfred gained confidence in learning arithmetic_______.

A.after he managed to find a solution to a difficult problem

B.after his teacher made his parents know his ability in arithmetic

C.after he grew up and became famous

D.after his parents gave him encouragement

2.In Alfred’s opinion, if a person is unsuccessful, he may be_______.

A.slow- thinking.      B.disabled           C.self-centered       D.undetermined

3.The last sentence of paragraph 1 implies________.

A.Alfred thought he couldn’t change others’ mind

B.Alfred agreed with the wrong judgment

C.Alfred believed it was no use learning arithmetic

D.Alfred expected that he could succeed though it was hard

4.What can we conclude from the text?

A.Alfred has a strong determination and a firm belief

B.Others’ opinions are important

C.A person lacking in ability can still succeed

D.Alfred’s teacher and classmates will regret.

 

违法和不良信息举报电话:027-86699610 举报邮箱:58377363@163.com

精英家教网