Frankly, I very much appreciate myself. Yes, I admit I’m in many respects not as good as other people, but I don’t think I’m always not good. When I find what I’ve done or written is okay, I’ll remain pleased with myself for quite a few days, and in case I receive praise for it, I’ll even become so excited as to add a few words to glorify myself.

True, I’m not modest at all. People may call me conceited (自负的). But I think otherwise.

I also appreciate other people. I appreciate anything good. Isn’t it unfair to forget appreciating myself while appreciating others?

We Chinese generally tend to be modest, and we take pride in being so. For example, a Chinese will call his own wife zhuojing, meaning “my humble wife”, and his own writings zhuozuo, meaning “my poor writings”. But if you should call his wife a “rustic (乡巴佬的) woman” or his writings “trash”, he would, I’m sure, slap the table in a rage and declare he would make a clean break with you. As a matter of fact, there is probably no difference at all between what is said by him and you respectively.

I don’t think it’s wrong for you to freely praise yourself if you’re really worthy of praise. As we know, there is an old Chinese saying disparaging (蔑视的) a melon peddler(商贩), named Lao Wang, who keeps praising his own goods. Well, why can’t he praise his melons if they are really sweet and juicy?

Friends, Lao Wang sells melons for a living. How could he carry on business if he, by imitating the affectations of us intellectuals, were to show false modesty about his melons? He would sure enough die of starvation.

Self-appreciation is therefore key to professional dedication (贡献) and enjoyment of work. One will lose confidence in continuing with writing when he pauses to admire his own essays.

Needless to say, the same is true of those who make a living with their pen.

 

49. The best title for the passage would be __________.

A. On Self-Appreciation                        B. Types of Appreciation

C. Power of Appreciation                     D. Uses of Appreciation

50. The underlined word “zhuojing” in Paragraph 4 means _________.

A. wife high in position                            B. wife low in position

C. wise wife                                           D. foolish wife

51. The writer points out with an example about an old Chinese saying that _________.

A. self-appreciation is also an active way of attitude to life and work

B. a false modesty will lose confidence in continuing with writing

C. one person pauses to admire his own essays without self-appreciation

D. one doesn’t praise his melons if his melons are really sweet and juicy

52. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. If I find what I’ve done or written is wrong, I’ll appreciate myself.

B. I never appreciate other people because I think others are foolish.

C. If you think poorly of your friend’s writings, perhaps he’ll be angry at you.

D. Lao Wang will die of starvation because he never praises his melons.


It was Thanksgiving morning and in the crowded kitchen of my small home I was busy preparing the traditional Thanksgiving turkey when the doorbell rang. I opened the front door and saw two small children in rags(破旧衣服) huddling together inside the storm door on the top step.
"Any old papers, lady? " asked one of them.
I was busy. I wanted to say "no" until I looked down at their feet. They were wearing thin little sandals(凉鞋), wet with heavy snow.
“Come in and I'll make you a cup of hot cocoa.”
They walked over and sat down at the table. Their wet sandals left marks upon the floor. I served them cocoa and bread with jam to fight against the cold outside. Then I went back to the kitchen and started again on my household budget.
The silence in the front room struck me. I looked in. The girl held the empty cup in her hands, looking at it. The boy asked in a flat voice, "Lady, are you rich? "
"Am I rich? no!"
I looked at my shabby slipcovers(旧家具套). The girl put her cup back in its saucer (茶托;浅碟)carefully and said, "Your cups match your saucers." Her voice was hungry with a need that no amount of food could supply. They left after that, holding their bundles of papers against the wind. They hadn't said "Thank you." They didn't need to. They had reminded me that I had so much for which to be grateful.
Plain blue china(瓷的) cups and saucers were only worth five pence. But they matched.
I tasted the potatoes and stirred the meat soup. Potatoes and brown meat soup, a roof over our heads, my man with a good steady job--these matched, too.
I moved the chairs back from the fire and cleaned the living room. The muddy prints of small sandals were still wet upon my floor. Let them be for a while, I thought, just in case I should begin to forget how rich I am.
1. Why did the writer let the children in?
A. She showed great pity on them.
B. She wanted to sell old papers.
C. She knew them and wanted to make them a cup of cocoa.
D. She wanted to invite them to her Thanksgiving party.
2. The girl thought the writer was rich perhaps because_________
A. she saw that the lady's room was comfortable
B. she saw the cups matched the saucers
C. the writer's slipcovers were very new
D. the woman had expensive clothes
3.What was the weather probably like when the story happened?
A. cloudy     B. sunny      C. windy      D. snowy
4. From the passage, we can infer that whether you are rich depends on_______
A. how much money you have had    B. how you feel about your life
C. how you have helped others       D. what job you are doing

完成句子(共10小题;每小题2分,满分20分)

1. When I opened the door, l found him sitting in the sofa, completely _____________________ reading a novel. (absorb)

当我打开门时,我发现他坐在沙发上,完全专心地看小说。

2.So _____________________________ that Maric was able to set up new branches elsewhere. (successful)

她的生意是如此成功,以至于玛里克可以在别的地方建立新的分公司。

3.It seems that we have to accept the result and make a good preparation to have another try.

                       earlier, I could have done something to avoid this accident. (inform)

看来我们必须接受这个结果并做好再次尝试的准备了。要是我早点得知的话,就可以做些什么来避免这场事故了。

4.It is the test system, rather than the teachers,                             for the students’ heavy study burden nowadays. (blame) 

对于学生现在的学业重压,该受责备的是考试体系,而不是老师。

5. Have you ever had a case                       but nobody showed any concern? (fall)

你有没有过这种情况,你病倒了,却没有人关心?

6.With my money                       , I have to draw some from the bank in case I have none in hand. (run)

我的钱快用完了,所以我要从银行取点钱,以防手头太紧。

7.We are told from the director’s office that                           we know the result of the final examination.  (long)

我们从主任办公室获悉,过不了多久,我们就可以知道期终考试的结果。

8.Some experts recommend signs and posters be put up in areas                 . (allow)

一些专家建议应在不允许抽烟的地方贴上标志和海报。

9. No one really knows exactly when the first people arrived in                 now. (call)

没有人知道确切在什么时候第一批移民者到达我们今天称之为美国的地方。

10.A reporter begins by contacting people ______________ and then prepares questions. (interview)

记者要先和被采访人联系,然后准备好要采访的问题。

 

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