Question

As I went through school, I came to understand that life was about competition. The only thing that mattered was doing better than everyone else. I watched this cycle through the lives of my four older brothers. I watched them win awards time and time again and admired by teachers and adults alike. And I wanted all of that. But then I learned that I couldn’t compete with my brothers or with others for that matter. I didn’t enjoy math and science nearly as much as I enjoyed English literature. My stomach would often hurt thinking about the amount of time I’d have to put in studying and working to get ahead of everyone. Around the seventh grade, I decided that I didn’t care about being a top student anymore. I just wanted to do what brought me joy. I wanted to just read and write for days.

Then I watched my older brothers enter the workplace and not enjoy the career path they had chosen. That made my stomach hurt, too. At the same time, they were making a lot of money and were able to afford expensive cars and go on trips that seemed enjoyable, but I decided that I’d not trade the cars and trips for having a job that brought me joy.

So I did just that. I majored in English in college with a concentration on creative fictions. For the past decade, I’ve had a career in a non-profit organization serving children in need. It has brought me great joy. There’s not a daily drive to compete in the market place and be better than another organization so that we increase our profits. The drive is to serve another person with excellence. And the other unexpected aspects are that while I have never made a lot of money, I have a car and have been fortunate to take some pretty amazing trips for work.

1.What did the writer think of life at early school?

A. Competitive. B. Stressful.

C. Enjoyable. D. Difficult.

2.Why did the writer change his attitude towards competition?

A. He failed competition repeatedly.

B. He wanted to follow his heart.

C. He was afraid of competition.

D. He often had stomachaches.

3.What can we learn about the writer?

A. He makes great contributions to society.

B. He is less successful than his brothers.

C. He doesn’t travel anywhere.

D. He finds great pleasure in his work.

4.The writer may agree that .

A. we should not compete with others

B. we should try to do better than others

C. we should do what we really like

D. we should be devoted to helping others

Answer 1