One man tells of driving on a long and lonely road, the last 65 miles of it unpaved, in order to watch Indian dances in the state of Arizona. After the dances, he returned to his car only to find that it had a flat tire. He put on the spare and drove to the only service station in that town.
“Do you fix flats?” he inquired of the attendant.
“Yes,” came the answer.
“How much do you charge?” he asked.
With a twinkle in his eye, the man replied, “What difference does it make?”
This is what has been called a “Hobson’s choice”. A Hobson’s choice is a situation that forces a person to accept whatever is offered or go without.
According to Barbara Berliner, the phrase was inspired by sixteenth-century entrepreneur (企业家) Thomas Hobson. There was no choice by the customer — it was strictly Hobson’s choice.
But often we really have a choice, and the choice does make a difference. We may not always believe it. We may feel as if we have no choice, but almost always there is a choice in the matter. And when we realize that we do most things by choice, then we are taking control of our own lives.
Someone challenged me to try an experiment that completely changed my perspective. “For the next seven days,” he said, “eliminate the words ‘I have to’ from your vocabulary and say ‘I choose to’. Don’t say, ‘I have to work late tonight’. Instead, say, ‘I choose to work late’. When you choose to do it, you take control of your life. Instead of saying, ‘I have to stay home’, try ‘I choose to stay home’. The way you spend your time is your choice. You are responsible. You have control.”
In just seven days I was no longer saying “I have to” and I felt better about my decisions. I learned that there is very little in my life I actually have to do. You and I decide to do certain things because we believe that it will be for the best. When we eliminate “I have to” from our vocabularies, we take control.
Try it for a week and you see what happens. I think you’ll see it’s a change for the better.
【小题1】 What did the attendant mean by saying “What difference does it make”?

A.The man didn’t need to pay for the work.
B.It was unnecessary for the man to ask about the price.
C.There was no need for the man to have the tire fixed.
D.The man should keep silent.
【小题2】The author learnt from the experiment that he      .
A.could become more challenging
B.could spend more time relaxing himself
C.should take pleasure in helping others
D.actually changed his attitudes towards life
【小题3】What does the underlined word “eliminate” mean?
A.Remember.B.Repeat.C.Remove.D.Recite.
【小题4】What is the situation where we have a “Hobson’s choice”?
A.We have no choice but to follow.
B.We should often change our choice.
C.We should make preparations before a journey.
D.We should think twice before taking action.
【小题5】 The purpose of writing this text is to            .
A.advise us to become active in life
B.explain what Hobson’s choice is
C.tell an interesting story about the author
D.accept others’ advice modestly

.
Why do people work? Of course, you may have asked yourself the same question as why you have to work. “Self-interest” in its broadest sense, including the interests of family and friends, is a basic motivation(动力)for work in all societies. But self-interest includes more than providing for living or getting wealth that people usually think. For example, a sense of duty, a feeling of competing, and a pleasure in working are other reasons for working. Studies show that most of Americans would continue to work even if they have had enough money to live comfortably.
When people work, they gain a contributing place in society. The fact that what they receive pay for their work means that what they do is needed by other people and what they are doing is necessary to society. Work can also place people in the larger class of society and provide all kinds of identities (身份) for them. In the United States, it is a cruel public fact that to do nothing is to be nothing and to do little is to be little. Work is commonly seen as the measure of an individual (个人). 
Some scientists have shown some of the ways that work has effect on our lives. Generally, people who always do their favorite work are more open to new ideas and easier to get along with others, and as parents they pass these characteristics on to their children. Our work then is an important social thing that makes us know who and what we are.
64. Generally, people work for _____.
A. self-interest      B. family       C. earning a living               D. the country
65. In the passage, “what they receive pay for their work” means _____.
A. that the work of the worker is recognized by society
B. what they do is needed by other people
C. that they are a necessary part of the social class
D. That the workers are clever
66. In the last paragraph, we can conclude that the author thinks ____.
A. that work can make the worker rich
B. that work can affect their lives
C. that work can make the worker tired
D. that work can make the worker know the world well
67. The title of the passage is “______”.
A. The Identity and the Work   B. The Work and the Society
C. The Society and Individual   D. The Importance of Work

Have you heard of the saying, “If anything is worth doing, it is worth doing well”? The proverb is a piece of advice to make effects towards perfection in whichever job one does. It could be a small task like folding up your clothes, or a major one like organizing a business meeting in your later life.

Perfection just needs paying attention to details. If it is your job to dust the furniture at home, dust it so that not a single spot of dirt shows from any direction. If your task is to make the beds, make them so that not a single crease(皱纹)shows on the bed-covers.

There are only two ways to do a job: either sloppily, or well. If you choose the latter, you need to realize that any job that qualifies as (取得…的资格)“your” work deserves your best. Perfection is an attitude that can be developed with just a little effect. It is a habit that is helpful to a person in later life. Let us prove with an example: you may be asked to turn in an essay on, for example, wildlife, for a school project. Instead of writing carelessly a few facts that you already know, you could make the project more effective by looking up a reference books, encyclopedias(百科全书)or websites for additional information. You could then go over the finished essay for slips(疏漏)and errors, and provide pictures where necessary. If you make it a habit to put in extra effort in your school homework, will it not help you to handle more difficult projects at the college or university level?

As Michelangelo, the famous 16th century sculptor and painter, once put it: Trifles(琐事)go to make perfection, and perfection is no trifle.

1.According to the passage, to achieve perfection is _______.

A.to realize the quality of the work

B.to pay attention to details of one’s work

C.to do as many jobs as possible

D.to form the habit of doing things ahead of time

2.The underlined word “sloppily” in paragraph 3 may mean _______

A.badly

B.patiently

C.carefully

D.slowly

3.What can be inferred from the third paragraph?

A.It is necessary to provide pictures for your essay.

B.Websites are the sources of information you want.

C.Perfection is a habit that promises a good future.

D.You should make much effort to develop perfection.

4.The purpose of writing this passage is to _______.

A.introduce the famous painter Michelangelo

B.advise us to do the things that are worth doing

C.explain to us the meaning of the perfection

D.expect us to give our best to our work

 

.

Why do people work? Of course, you may have asked yourself the same question as why you have to work. “Self-interest” in its broadest sense, including the interests of family and friends, is a basic motivation(动力)for work in all societies. But self-interest includes more than providing for living or getting wealth that people usually think. For example, a sense of duty, a feeling of competing, and a pleasure in working are other reasons for working. Studies show that most of Americans would continue to work even if they have had enough money to live comfortably.

When people work, they gain a contributing place in society. The fact that what they receive pay for their work means that what they do is needed by other people and what they are doing is necessary to society. Work can also place people in the larger class of society and provide all kinds of identities (身份) for them. In the United States, it is a cruel public fact that to do nothing is to be nothing and to do little is to be little. Work is commonly seen as the measure of an individual (个人). 

Some scientists have shown some of the ways that work has effect on our lives. Generally, people who always do their favorite work are more open to new ideas and easier to get along with others, and as parents they pass these characteristics on to their children. Our work then is an important social thing that makes us know who and what we are.

64. Generally, people work for _____.

A. self-interest      B. family       C. earning a living               D. the country

65. In the passage, “what they receive pay for their work” means _____.

A. that the work of the worker is recognized by society

B. what they do is needed by other people

C. that they are a necessary part of the social class

D. That the workers are clever

66. In the last paragraph, we can conclude that the author thinks ____.

A. that work can make the worker rich

B. that work can affect their lives

C. that work can make the worker tired

D. that work can make the worker know the world well

67. The title of the passage is “______”.

A. The Identity and the Work   B. The Work and the Society

C. The Society and Individual   D. The Importance of Work

 

One man tells of driving on a long and lonely road, the last 65 miles of it unpaved, in order to watch Indian dances in the state of Arizona. After the dances, he returned to his car only to find that it had a flat tire. He put on the spare and drove to the only service station in that town.

“Do you fix flats?” he inquired of the attendant.

“Yes,” came the answer.

“How much do you charge?” he asked.

With a twinkle in his eye, the man replied, “What difference does it make?”

This is what has been called a “Hobson’s choice”. A Hobson’s choice is a situation that forces a person to accept whatever is offered or go without.

According to Barbara Berliner, the phrase was inspired by sixteenth-century entrepreneur (企业家) Thomas Hobson. There was no choice by the customer — it was strictly Hobson’s choice.

But often we really have a choice, and the choice does make a difference. We may not always believe it. We may feel as if we have no choice, but almost always there is a choice in the matter. And when we realize that we do most things by choice, then we are taking control of our own lives.

Someone challenged me to try an experiment that completely changed my perspective. “For the next seven days,” he said, “eliminate the words ‘I have to’ from your vocabulary and say ‘I choose to’. Don’t say, ‘I have to work late tonight’. Instead, say, ‘I choose to work late’. When you choose to do it, you take control of your life. Instead of saying, ‘I have to stay home’, try ‘I choose to stay home’. The way you spend your time is your choice. You are responsible. You have control.”

In just seven days I was no longer saying “I have to” and I felt better about my decisions. I learned that there is very little in my life I actually have to do. You and I decide to do certain things because we believe that it will be for the best. When we eliminate “I have to” from our vocabularies, we take control.

Try it for a week and you see what happens. I think you’ll see it’s a change for the better.

1. What did the attendant mean by saying “What difference does it make”?

A.The man didn’t need to pay for the work.

B.It was unnecessary for the man to ask about the price.

C.There was no need for the man to have the tire fixed.

D.The man should keep silent.

2.The author learnt from the experiment that he      .

A.could become more challenging

B.could spend more time relaxing himself

C.should take pleasure in helping others

D.actually changed his attitudes towards life

3.What does the underlined word “eliminate” mean?

A.Remember.

B.Repeat.

C.Remove.

D.Recite.

4.What is the situation where we have a “Hobson’s choice”?

A.We have no choice but to follow.

B.We should often change our choice.

C.We should make preparations before a journey.

D.We should think twice before taking action.

5. The purpose of writing this text is to            .

A.advise us to become active in life

B.explain what Hobson’s choice is

C.tell an interesting story about the author

D.accept others’ advice modestly

 

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