If you are trying to achieve big goals in your life and work, the chances are that, from time to time, you hit rock bottom. Nothing works, nothing goes right, and nothing succeeds. At times like these, you may feel like throwing in the towel. But before you do, read the following story. It might just change your mind.

One day, a small business owner decided he'd had enough. Enough of the endless work, enough of the lack of response, enough of the disturbing loneliness.

He went into the woods to have one last talk to the wise man. "Mr. wise man," he said. "Can you give me one good reason why I shouldn't give up?"

The answer took him by surprise. "Look around you," the wise man said. "Do you see the fern f蕨类植物)and the bamboo?"

“Yes:' the man replied.

“When I planted the fern and the bamboo, I took very good care of them. I gave them both equal amounts of food and water. I gave them sunlight in spring and protected them from the storms in autumn. The fern quickly grew from the earth. Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not give up on the bamboo. In the, second year, the fern grew even better than before but nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not give up on the bamboo. In year three there was still nothing from the bamboo seed. But l would not give up. In year four, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. Still would not give up."

Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout(芽)came out from the earth. Compared to the fern it was seemingly small. But day by day the sprout grew. Within six months, the sprout had risen to a height of 100 feet. It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive." "Did you know, young man, that all this time you have been struggling, you have been growing? Grow the roots that you need to produce your fruit."

"Don't compare yourself to others. All things have different purposes, and different journeys. The bamboo has a different purpose from the fern. Yet they both make the forest beautiful. Your time will come. You will rise high."

The small business owner left the forest. And never went back.

If nothing seems like it is happening in your life, despite all the work you're putting in, remember that you're probably growing roots not fruit. Stick with it. One day not far from now, there'll be a great harvest.

1.The underlined phrase "throwing in the towel" in Paragraph l probably means .

A. crying out B. showing off

C. giving up D. running away

2.After the wise man planted the fern and the bamboo,

A. he cared for the fern only

B. they didn't receive any care from him

C. he gave up the bamboo in the fifth year

D. the bamboo seed never stopped growing

3.From the passage we can conclude that the small business owner will

A. not turn to the wise man for help again

B. not give up in face of difficulties

C. give up his business later

D. grow some bamboo later

4.Which of the following best describes the story in the passage?

A. Never give up hope.

B. Practice makes perfect.

C. Time and tide wait for nobody.

D. One should try and achieve bigger goals in life.

Steve knew he’d been adopted as a baby, and when he turned 18, in 2003, he decided he’d try to track down his birth mother. The agency from which he’d been adopted gave him his mother’s name: Tallady. But online searches didn’t turn up any results about it, and Steve had to let it go.

In 2007, though, he searched for the name again online. This time, the search results included a home address near the Lowe’s store where Steve, then 22, worked as a deliveryman. When he mentioned the coincidence to his boss, his boss said, “You mean Tallady, who works here?”

Steve and Tallady, a cashier, had said hello to each other a few times at the store, but they’d never really talked. He hadn’t even known her name. Steve thought there was no possible way she was his mother though they shared the same name. For a few months, Steve avoided Tallady. “I wasn’t sure how to approach her,” he told a local reporter. Finally, the agency volunteered to arrange their reunion.

When Tallady realized that the nice guy she’d been waving at was his son, she sobbed. She’d always hoped to meet her birth son one day. Later that day, mother and son talked for almost three hours at a nearby bar. She’d given him up for adoption in 1985, when she was 23. “I wasn’t ready to be a mother,” she told him. Married with two other children, Tallady says, “I have a complete family now.”

1.Steve gave up the on-line search for his birth mother in 2003 because _____.

A. the agency didn’t give him any help

B. there was no information about his mother

C. his mother didn’t turn up online

D. he missed the information about his mother

2.What did Steve find about his mother online in 2007?

A. Her home address.

B. Her full name.

C. Her boss’s name.

D. Her new job.

3.Why Steve avoided Tallady for months?

A. Because she didn’t want to talk to him.

B. Because he wasn’t fully prepared for the reunion.

C. Because she was very difficult to approach.

D. Because he didn’t think she was his birth mother.

4.The best title for the text is _____.

A. The Love of Mother

B. An Unexpected Meeting

C. The Power of the Internet

D. An Unusual Reunion

B

Riding a London subway, a person from China will notice one major difference: in London, people do not look at each other. In fact, eye contact is avoided at all times. That’s not rudeness—people are just too busy to bother looking.

Busy doing what, you ask? Well, they’re certainly not using the time for a moment of quiet reflection, nor are they reading a book. New technology has replaced quiet habits. Today the only acceptable form of book on the London underground is an e-book.

Apple must earn a fortune from London commuters(乘车上下班的人). Since the launch of the iPhone in 2007, over 40,000—yes, that’s 40,000—“apps” (programs downloaded for the iPhone) have been designed.

Commuters love them because they are the perfect time-fillers. One “app”, called iShoot, is a game that features tanks. Another one, Tube Exits, tells passengers where to sit on the train to be closest to the exit of their destination. ISteam clouds the iPhone screen when you breathe into the microphone. You can then write in the “ steam” on your phone screen.

For those without an iPhone, another Apple product, the iPod, may be another choice. It’s not just teenagers who “plug in” to their music—iPods are a popular way to pass the time for all ages.

And if games, e-books and music aren’t enough to keep you engaged, then perhaps you would prefer a film. The development of palm DVD technology means many commuters watch their favorite TV show or film on the way to work. With all these entertainments, it’s amazing that people still remember to get off the train.

1.People in London do not make eye contact on the subway because they are busy_____.

A. playing games, reading e-books, listening to music or watching films.

B. going to work

C. reading books

D. thinking about private things

2.Those who like war games can download _____to their iPhones.

A. Tube Exits B. iShoot

C. ISteam D. iPod

3.The underlined word “engaged” in the last paragraph probably means______.

A. delighted B. busy

C. controlled D. amused

4.The article tells us that_____.

A. London commuters are unfriendly to strangers

B. Apple has earned a lot of money from selling 40,000 iPhones

C. with all the new time-fillers, London commuters often forget to get off the train.

D. technology is changing the way London commuters spend their traveling time.

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