You may be surprised to see “making sure children never suffer” as a mistake. The following ____ may help you understand how rescuing children from all suffering ____ weakness.

A little boy felt sorry for a butterfly struggling to emerge from its chrysalis(蛹). He decided to ____ the butterfly. So he peeled(剥开) the chrysalis open for the butterfly. The little boy was so ___ to watch the butterfly spread its ____ and fly off into the sky. Then he was horrified ____ he watched the butterfly fall to the ground and die because it did not have the muscle ___ to keep flying. In fact, the butterfly’s struggle to ____ the chrysalis helps the butterfly become stronger.

Like the little boy, ____ too often want to protect their children from struggle in the ____ of love. They don’t realize that their children need to struggle, to experience ____, to deal with disappointment, and to solve their own problems. Only in this way can children ____ their emotional strength, become ____ and develop the skills necessary for the even bigger struggles they will meet throughout their lives. Children experiencing sufferings can ____ the ups and downs of life.

However, it isn’t helpful either in this case when parents ____ blame and shame to what the child is experiencing. Mothers ____ to say, “Stop crying and acting like a spoiled boy. You can’t always get what you want.” These ____ words should be avoided.

Instead, parents can offer loving support. You can say, “Don’t lose ____. Be brave! You will succeed if you try again.” Then comes the tough part — no ____ and no lectures. Simply allow him to discover that he can ___ his disappointment and carry out what he can do to get what he wants in the future.

1.A. saying B. proverb C. story D. experiment

2.A. appears B. creates C. burns D. works

3.A. kill B. feed C. rescue D. help

4.A. excited B. moved C. puzzled D. depressed

5.A. body B. feet C. wings D. feather

6.A. since B. as C. before D. until

7.A. power B. energy C. force D. strength

8.A. come up with B. break away from C. get along with D. do away with

9.A. teachers B. relatives C. parents D. friends

10.A. name B. charge C. case D. course

11.A. hardships B. friendships C. relationships D. scholarships

12.A. require B. lose C. strengthen D. fail

13.A. warm-hearted B. strong-willed C. absent-minded D. cold-blooded

14.A. survive B. predict C. expect D. avoid

15.A. reduce B. adapt C. devote D. add

16.A. pretend B. happen C. seem D. tend

17. A. interesting B. inspiring C. discouraging D. touching

18.A. sight B. face C. heart D. weight

19.A. parking B. rescuing C. drinking D. smoking

20.A. turn over B. get over C. come over D. take over

One of the qualities that most people admire in others is the willingness to admit one's mistakes. It is extremely hard sometimes to say a simple thing like “I was wrong about that,”and it is even harder to say,“I was wrong,and you were right about that.”

I had an experience recently with someone admitting to me that he had made a mistake fifteen years ago. He told me he had been the manager of a certain grocery store in the neighborhood where I grew up,and he asked me if I remembered the egg cartons (箱子).Then he related an incident and I began to remember clearly the incident he was describing.

I was about eight years old at the time,and I had gone into the store with my mother to do the weekly grocery shopping. On that day,I must have found my way to the dairy (乳品的) food department where the incident took place.

There must have been a special sale on eggs that day because there was an impressive display of eggs in dozen and halfdozen cartons. The cartons were stacked(堆放) three or four feet high.I must have stopped in front of a display to admire the stacks. Just then a woman came by pushing her grocery cart and knocked off the stacks of cartons. For some reason,I decided it was up to me to put the display back together,so I went to work.

The manager heard the noise and came rushing over to see what had happened.When he appeared,I was on my knees examining some of the cartons to see if any of the eggs were broken,but to him it looked as though I was the criminal.He severely scolded me and wanted me to pay for any broken eggs.I protested(抗议)my innocence and tried to explain,but it did no good. Even though I quickly forgot all about the incident,obviously the manager did not.

1.The author was ________ when he wrote this article.

A.about 8 B.about 18

C.about 23 D.about 15

2.Who should have been blamed for knocking off the stacks of cartons?

A.The author. B.The manager.

C.The woman. D.The author's mother.

3.When the manager scolded him,the author ________.

A.was frightened and cried

B.felt the manager was right

C.did not say anything

D.tried to explain

4.It can be inferred that the author ________.

A.regrets arguing with the manager for what he didn't do

B.has forgiven the manager for what he did to him fifteen years ago

C.would like to tell people never to be fooled by an egg sale

D.expects the woman to say sorry to him for the mistake she made

Why should mankind explore space? Why should money, time and effort be spent exploring and researching something with so few apparent benefits? Why should resources be spent on space rather than on conditions and people on Earth?These are questions that, understandably, are very often asked.

Perhaps the best answer lies in our genetic makeup as human beings. What drove our ancestors to move from the trees into the plains, and on into all possible areas and environments? The wider the spread of a species, the better its chance of survival. Perhaps the best reason for exploring space is this genetic tendency to expand wherever possible.

Nearly every successful civilization has explored, because by doing so, any dangers in surrounding areas can be identified and prepared for. Without knowledge, we may be completely destroyed by the danger. With knowledge, we can lessen its effects.

Exploration also allows minerals and other potential resources to be found. Even if we have no immediate need of them, they will perhaps be useful later. Resources may be more than physical possessions. Knowledge or techniques have been acquired through exploration. The techniques may have medical applications which can improve the length or quality of our lives. We have already benefited from other spin-offs including improvements in earthquake prediction, in satellites for weather forecasting and in communications systems. Even non-stick pans and mirrored sunglasses are by-products of technological developments in the space, the chance to save ourselves might not exist.

While many resources are spent on what seems a small return, the exploration of space allows creative, brave and intelligent members of our species to focus on what may serve to save us. While space may hold many wonders and explanations of how the universe was formed or how it works, it also holds dangers. The danger exists, but knowledge can help human being to survive. Without the ability to reach out across space, the chance to save ourselves might not exist.

While Earth is the only planet known to support life, surely the adaptive ability of humans would allow us to live on other planets. It is true that the lifestyle would be different, but human life and cultures have adapted in the past and surely could in the future.

1.What is the reason for exploring space based on Paragraph2?

A. Humans are nature-born to do so.

B. Humans have the tendency to fight.

C. Humans may find new sources of food.

D. Humans don’t like to stay in the same place.

2.The underlined word“spin-offs” in Paragraph 4 probably refers to______.

A. survival chances B. potential resources

C. unexpected benefits D. physical possessions

3.What makes it possible for humans to live on other planets?

A. Our genetic makeup.

B. Resources on the earth..

C. The adaptive ability of humans.

D. By-products in space exploration.

4.Which of the statements can best sumun the passage?

A. Space exploration has created many wonders.

B. Space exploration provided the best value for money.

C. Space exploration can benefit science and technology.

D.Space exploration may help us avoid potential problems on Earth.

When we asked Oprah to pick the 10 books she‘s read in the past decade that have mattered to her most, she was momentarily stumped. For someone who describes herself as ―inspired, challenged, and sustained‖ by books, it was almost impossible for Oprah to stay within our limit of 10. Still, she offered up the following, but she emphasized that it was only a sampler of delightful titles that have also managed to teach her --- and all of us --- a few things.

1. Discover the Power Within You

By Eric Butterworth

256 pages; Harper One

Advice from the internationally known spiritual teacher.

2. A New Earth

By Eckhart Tolle

316 pages; Plume

There‘s a reason Oprah picked this for her Book Club in 2008 --- and that she gave audience members Post-it pens along with their copies. So much wisdom, so little time! A real-life guide to living your best life.

3. The Poisonwood Bible

By Barbara Kingsolver

576 pages; Harper Perennial

This novel is about a family involved in the political trouble of postcolonial Africa. It established Kingsolver as one of our wisest observers of history, politics, and human nature.

4. Night

By Elie Wiesel

120 pages; Hill and Wang

A memoir(回忆录) of a childhood suffered in concentration camps during the Holocaust. It‘s horrific but

uplifting. ―I gain courage from his courage,‖ Oprah says.

5. A Fine Balance

By Rohinton Mistry

624 pages; Vintage

A Dickensian novel about India during the Emergency. Like the aftermath of September 11, it teaches us about cultures we haven‘t understood. “It takes us out of our own little shell and exposes us to a whole other world out there.“ Oprah say.

6. East of Eden

By John Steinbeck

608 pages; Penguin

This classic is about good and evil as played out in a late-19th-century California ranch family. If you didn‘t read it in high school, read it now. If you did, reread it!

7. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

By David Wroblewski

576 pages; Harper Collins

A kind of Hamlet on the prairie, this is the wrenching(令人痛苦的) story of a mute boy and his dog. Oprah compares it to East of Eden and To Kill a Mickingbird.

8. The Pillars of the Earth

By Ken Follett

973 pages; Penguin

About the challenges of building cathedrals in 12th-century England. This novel couldn‘t be more different in setting, time, and plot from the author‘s breakthrough success, Eye of the Needle. Oprah declares it simply

“great”.

9. The Bluest Eye

By Toni Morrison

224 pages; Penguin

How to choose among the great Morrison‘s novel? Start with this one about a girl who thinks she has to have blue eyes to be beautiful. Oprah considered it one of the best in a crowded Morrison field.

10. The Known World

By Edward P. Jones

400 pages, Harper Collins

When this book was published in 2003, it shocked everybody with its description of slave-owning blacks before the Civil War. A daring, unusual examination of race.

1.The passage is mainly about _______.

A. ten books that have made greatest difference to Oprah

B. an inspiring , challenging and sustainable woman

C. Oprah‘s picks from what has taught her a few things

D. the unwillingness of Oprah to share books within a limit of 10.

2. Why did Oprah add A Fine Balance to her list?

A. She gained courage from it.

B. It tells about wisdom of human nature.

C. It‘s a guide to living a best life.

D. Culture of a different world is exposed.

3. What makes Oprah declare The Pillars of the Earth great?

A. The advice on discovering the power.

B. The story of a mute boy and his dog.

C. The challenges of building cathedrals.

D. The good and evil in a California family.

4. In which book the story was set before the Civil War?

A. In The Bluest Eye B. In East of Eden

C. In A New Earth D. In The Known World

If you were given a chance to choose your favorite life metaphor(比喻), what would it be? Do you agree with Forrest Gump’s mother that life is “a box of chocolates” because “you never know what you’re going to get”? Or do you prefer the phrase from the 1930’s song that “life is just a bowl of cherries(樱桃)”? Though simply stated, each conveys a very different view. A “box” implies mystery, because we don’t know what is in a closed box. Meanwhile, a “bowl” of cherries is completely in view.

For many centuries, the metaphor of life that probably burst into most people’s mind was the one suggested by Shakespeare: “All of life is a stage…” On that stage, we take seven roles. More recently, psychologist Erik Erikson took up the idea of life as a stage. Erikson regarded development as a “powerful unfolding” in which we are driven from one stage to the next as our bodies, minds, and social roles develop.

Stage metaphors fit with many of our common-sense ideas about change, but the problem with the stage metaphor is that it isn’t particularly accurate. None of the studies that try to clarify the universality of adult life stages actually studied people as they developed over time. All of them were based on performances of their samples(样本) at one point in time. People’s actual lives don’t fit into these stage metaphors. They don’t automatically transform when people reach a certain age. Instead, people’s real lives are messy, unpredictable, and full of surprises.

Today, I’d like to focus on an even longer study, an 80-year study which is the subject of a recent book by Howard Friedman and Leslie Martin. Their final chapter summarizes the “many changes of healthy and unhealthy pathways” that their participants took over the course of their lives. As I too discovered in my research, the pathway provides a perfect metaphor of human development. We don’t all go down the same road marked with the same signposts based on age. People travel through diverse routes as they track the years of adulthood. Friedman and Martin use health and long life as their measure; I’ve used sense of achievement. In both cases, we are in perfect agreement in evaluating development not according to age but “the key features of life”.

The paths that Friedman and Martin describe seize the changes that characterize people as they age. Some examples are “The High Road” (reliable, full of plans); “Not Easy Street” (exposed to high stress throughout life), “Catastrophe Lane” (a downwardly twisty life); “Happy Trails to You” (cheerful, sociable), “The Road to Resilience” (able to handle stress with a strong will). Though I haven’t yet been able to follow my participants for 80 years, I too saw some of these pathways among my samples: “The Minding Way” , “The Downward Slope” , “The Straight and Narrow Path” , and “The Successful Trail”.

The pathway metaphor gives you hope for changing the direction of your life if you are unhappy with it so far. You can’t stop the clock from ticking the minutes between one birthday and the next, but you can adjust the road that you’re on by changing yourself, your situation, or both.

1.The author introduces the topic of the passage in the first paragraph by ______.

A. making comparisons B. giving examples

C. describing scenes D. providing explanations

2.According to the passage, the “stage metaphor” ______.

A. leads to misunderstandings

B. is used in memory of Shakespeare

C. doesn’t exactly reflect one’s real life

D. hasn’t enough stages to clarify life changes

3.The author is convinced of the life metaphor Friedman and Martin suggest because she ______.

A. spent less time on her research B. has found their book a bestseller

C. considers their measure more scientific D. got a similar finding to theirs

4.When a person is facing difficulties bravely, which metaphor can best describe him?

A. “Not Easy Street” B. “Happy Trails to You”

C. “Catastrophe Lane” D. “The Road to Resilience”

5.What does the passage focus on?

A. The pathway as a perfect life metaphor.

B. Various views on life metaphors.

C. The stage as a common life metaphor.

D. Different kinds of life metaphors.

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