Joy in the journey

If you have ever been discouraged because of failure, please read on. For often, achieving what you set out to do is not the important thing. Let me explain.

    Two brothers decided to dig a deep hole behind their house. As they were working, a couple of older boys stopped by to      . “What are you doing?” asked one of the visitors. “We plan to dig a hole all the way through the      !” one of the brothers volunteered      .

    The older boys began to      , telling the younger ones that digging a hole all the way through the earth was      . After a long silence, one of the         picked up a jar full of spiders, worms and many other kinds of insects. He       the lid and showed the wonderful       to the scoffing(嘲笑的)visitors. Then he said quietly and      , “Even if we don’t dig all the way through the earth, look at what we have found       the way!”

    Their goal was far too ambitious, but it did cause them to dig. And that is       a goal is for — to cause us to move in the       we have chosen, in other words, to keep us      ! But not every goal will be fully      . Not every job will end      . Not every hope will come to pass. Not every love will last. Not every dream will be      . But when you fall       of your aim, perhaps you can say, “Yes, but look at what I found along the way! Look at the wonderful things       my life because I tried to do something!” It is in the digging       life is lived. And I believe it is the joy in the journey, in the end, that truly      .

1.A. rest             B. work        C. watch          D. laugh

2.A. house           B. earth        C. wall          D. road

3.A. calmly          B. patiently      C. excitedly              D. impatiently

4.A. laugh           B. think        C. stare                   D. smile

5.A. important       B. difficult       C. impossible        D. interesting

6.A. passers-by       B. watchers    C. visitors                D. diggers

7.A. moved           B. removed  C. broke          D. pushed

8.A. contents         B. scenes     C. pictures                D. jars

9.A. properly         B. confidently          C. carefully        D. happily

10.A. in               B. along               C. to                 D. out

11.A. what            B. how                    C. where              D. which

12.A. way             B. direction    C. life                D. sight

13.A. thinking         B. moving        C. digging           D. living

14.A. made            B. prepared            C. kicked                D. achieved

15.A. hopelessly        B. pleasantly            C. surprisingly      D. successfully

16.A. come true        B. realized              C. made              D. treasured

17.A. short             B. lost          C. out                D. behind

18.A. breaking into     B. turning to            C. coming into       D. holding to

19.A. when            B. where         C. which                D. that

20.A. matters          B. happens      C. appears           D. exists

 

Dear Kind-Trustee-Who-Sends-Orphans-to-College,

Here I am! I traveled yesterday for four hours in a train.It’s a funny feeling, isn’t it? I never rode in one before.

College is the biggest, most puzzling place—I get lost whenever I leave my room. I will write you a description later when I'm feeling less confused; also I will tell you about my lessons. Classes don't begin until Monday morning, and this is Saturday night. But I wanted to write a letter first just to get acquainted.

It seems strange to be writing letters to somebody you don't know. It seems strange for me to be writing letters at all—I've never written more than three or four in my life, so please overlook it if these are not a model kind.

Before leaving yesterday morning, Mrs. Lippett and I had a very serious talk. She told me how to behave all the rest of my life, and especially how to behave towards the kind gentleman who is doing so much for me. I must take care to be very respectful.

But how can one be very respectful to a person who wishes to be called John Smith? Why couldn't you have picked out a name with a little personality? I might as well write letters to Dear Flagpole or Dear Clothes-line.

I have been thinking about you a great deal this summer; having somebody take an interest in me after all these years makes me feel as though I had found a sort of family. It seems as though I belonged to somebody now, and it's a very comfortable feeling. I must say, however, that when I think about you, my imagination has very little to work upon. There are just three things that I know: I, You are tall. Ⅱ. You are rich. Ⅲ. You hate girls.

I suppose I might call you Dear Mr. Girl-Hater. Only that's rather rude to me. Or Dear Mr. Rich-Man, but that's rude to you, as though money were the only important thing about you. Besides, being rich is such a very external quality. Maybe you won't stay rich all your life; lots of very clever men get broke in Wall Street. But at least you will stay tall all your life! So I've decided to call you Dear Daddy-Long-Legs. I hope you won't mind. It's just a private pet name we won't tell Mrs. Lippett.

The ten o'clock bell is going to ring in two minutes. Our day is divided into sections by bells. We eat and sleep and study by bells. It's very lifeful. There it goes! Lights out. Good night.

Observe how precisely I obey rules--due to my training in the John Grier Home.

Yours most respectfully,

Jerusha Abbott

to Mr. Daddy-Long-Legs Smith

1.Jerusha felt “confused” because ______.

A.she had never written to the trustee before

B.she was not familiar with the college yet

C.she could never find the way to her home

D.she had never traveled on a train berore

2.Jerusha thought that she couldn’t be very respectful to “John Smith” because _______.

A.he was a total stranger to her

B.she was sure it was a false identity

C.the name was too common

D.nobody would like to be called that name

3.The fact that her day is “divided into sections by bells” makes Jerusha feel______.

A.busy             B.restricted by rules   C.pressed for time    D.full of energy

4.Jerusha decided to call the trustee Dear Daddy-Long-legs______.

A.in order to show her respect for him

B.because it was one of his inner quality

C.in older to make them feel closer to each other

D.because she had always wanted a father

 

A woman named Emily renewing her driver’s license at the County Clerk’s office was asked to state her occupation. She hesitated, uncertain how to classify herself.

“What I mean is,” explained the recorder, “do you have a job, or are you just a …”

“Of course I have a job,” said Emily. “I’m a mother.”

“We don’t list ‘mother’ as an occupation… ‘housewife’ covers it,” said the recorder.

One day I found myself in the same situation. The clerk was obviously a career woman, confident and possessed of a high sounding title. “What is your occupation?” she asked.

The words simply popped out. “I’m a Research Associate in the field of Child Development and Human Relations.”

The clerk paused, ballpoint pen frozen in midair.

I repeated the title slowly, then I stared with wonder as my statement was written in bold, black ink on the official questionnaire.

“Might I ask,” said the clerk with new interest, “Just what you do in this field?”

Coolly, without any trace of panic in my voice, I heard myself reply, “I have a continuing program of research (what mother doesn’t), in the lab and in the field (normally I would have said indoors and out). Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the humanities (any mother care to disagree?), and I often work 14 hours a day (24 is more like it). But the job is more challenging than most careers and rewards are more of a satisfaction rather than just money.”

There was an increasing note of respect in the clerk’s voice as she completed the form, stood up, and showed me out.

As I drove into our driveway, buoyed up (受鼓舞) by my glamorous new career, I was greeted by my lab assistants---ages 13, 7, and 3.

Upstairs I could hear our new experimental model (a 6 month old baby), in the child-development program, testing out a new vocal pattern.

I felt proud! I had gone on the official records as someone more distinguished and indispensable (不可缺少的) to mankind than “just another mother.”

Motherhood…What a glorious career! Especially when there’s a title on the door.

 

1.What can we infer from the conversation between the woman and the recorder at the beginning of the passage?

A. The recorder was impatient and rude.

B. The woman felt ashamed to admit what her job was.

C. The author was upset about the situation that mothers faced.

D. Motherhood was not recognized and respected as a job by society.

2.How did the female clerk feel at first when the author told her occupation?

A. curious        B. indifferent                    C. puzzled            D. interested

3.Why did the woman clerk show more respect for the author?

A. Because the author cared little about rewards.

B. Because she thought the author did admirable work.

C. Because she admired the author’s research work in the lab.

D. Because the writer did something she had little knowledge of.

4.What is the author’s purpose of writing the passage?

A. To show how you describe your job affects your feelings toward it.

B. To argue that motherhood is a worthy career and deserves respect.

C. To show that the author had a greater job than Emily.

D. To show that being a mother is hard and boring work. 

 

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