题目内容

Success is often measured by the ability to overcome adversity(逆境). But it is often the belief of others that gives us the courage to try.

J. K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter book series, began writing at age 6. In her biography(传记), she remembers with great fondness when her good friend-Sean became the first person to encourage her and help her build the confidence that one day she would be a very good writer.

“He was the first person with whom I really discussed my serious ambition(志向) to be a writer. He was also the only person who thought I was bound to(注定)be a success at it, which meant much more to me than I ever told him at the time.”

Though there were many difficulties, Rowling continued her writing, particularly fantasy stories. But it wasn’t until l990 that she first came up with the idea about Harry Potter. As she recalls(回忆), it was on a long train journey from London to Manchester that “the idea of Harry Potter simply fell into my head. To my great disappointment, I didn’t have a pen with me, and I was too shy to ask anybody if I could borrow one. I think, now, that this was probably a good thing, because I simply sat and thought, for four (delayed train) hours, and all the details came up in my brain, and this thin, black-haired, bespectacled(戴眼镜的)boy who didn't know he was a wizard became more and more real to me.”

That same year, her mother died after a ten-year fight with serious diseases, which deeply affected her writing. She went on to marry and had a daughter, but separated from her husband shortly afterwards.

During this time, Rowling was diagnosed with depression(诊断患有抑郁症). Unemployed, she finished her first novel in area cafes, where she could get her daughter to fall asleep. After being refused by l2 publishing houses, the first Harry Potter novel was sold to a small British publishing house.

Now with seven books that have sold nearly 400 million copies in 64 languages, J. K. Rowling is the highest earning novelist in history. And it all began with her friend’s encouragement as well as her ambition to write.

1. Who believed J. K. Rowling was to be a good writer?

A.Her friend Sean. B.Her mother.

C.Her daughter. D.Her husband.

2.Rowling first came up with the idea about Harry Potter________.

A.at the age of 6 B.on a train journey

C.after her mother’s death D.in her secondary school

3.She felt disappointed on the train because_________.

A.her train was delayed for four hours

B.she didn’t have a pen with her

C.her mind suddenly went blank

D.no one would offer her help

4.It can be concluded from Paragraph 5 and 6 that Rowling is_________.

A.open-minded B.warm-hearted

C.good-natured D.strong-willed

5.The text mainly tells us_________.

A.adversity makes a good novelist

B.the courage to try is a special ability

C.you can have a wonderful idea everywhere

D.encouragement helps one succeed

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Give it five minutes

I used to be a hothead. Whenever anyone said anything, I’d think of a way to disagree. I’d push back hard if something didn’t fit my world-view.

It’s like I had to be first with an opinion?—?as if being first meant something. But what it really meant was that I wasn’t thinking hard enough about the problem. The faster you react, the less you think. Not always, but often.

This came to a head back in 2007. I was speaking at the Business Innovation Factory conference in Providence, RI. So was Richard Saul Wurman. After my talk Richard came up to introduce himself and compliment my talk. That was very generous of him. He certainly didn’t have to do that.

And what did I do? I pushed back at him about the talk he gave. While he was making his points on stage, I was taking an inventory of the things I didn’t agree with. And when presented with an opportunity to speak with him, I quickly pushed back at some of his ideas. I must have seemed like such an asshole.

His response changed my life. It was a simple thing. He said “Man, give it five minutes.” I asked him what he meant by that? He said, it’s fine to disagree, it’s fine to push back, it’s great to have strong opinions and beliefs, but give my ideas some time to set in before you’re sure you want to argue against them. “Five minutes” represented “think”, not react. He was totally right. I came into the discussion looking to prove something, not learn something.

This was a big moment for me.

Richard has spent his career thinking about these problems. He’s given it 30 years. And I gave it just a few minutes. Now, certainly he can be wrong and I could be right, but it’s better to think deeply about something first before being so certain you’re right.

There’s also a difference between asking questions and pushing back. Pushing back means you already think you know. Asking questions means you want to know. Ask more questions.

Learning to think first rather than react quick is a life-long pursuit. It’s tough. I still get hot sometimes when I shouldn’t. But I’m really enjoying all the benefits of getting better.

If you aren’t sure why this is important, think about this quote from Jonathan Ive regarding Steve Jobs’ reverence(respect) for ideas:

And just as Steve loved ideas, and loved making stuff, he treated the process of creativity with a rare and a wonderful reverence. You see, I think he better than anyone understood that while ideas ultimately can be so powerful, they begin as fragile, barely formed thoughts, so easily missed, so easily compromised, so easily just squished.

That’s deep. Ideas are fragile. They often start powerless. They’re barely there, so easy to ignore or skip or miss.

There are two things in this world that take no skill: 1. Spending other people’s money and 2. Dismissing an idea.

Dismissing an idea is so easy because it doesn’t involve any work. You can scoff at it. You can ignore it. You can puff some smoke at it. That’s easy. The hard thing to do is protect it, think about it, let it marinate, explore it, riff on it, and try it. The right idea could start out life as the wrong idea.

So next time you hear something, or someone, talk about an idea, pitch an idea, or suggest an idea, give it five minutes. Think about it a little bit before pushing back, before saying it’s too hard or it’s too much work.

Those things may be true, but there may be another truth in there too: It may be worth it.

1.Which of the following best describes the word hothead from the first paragraph?

A. Supportive B. Fast C. Nervous D. Aggressive

2.What did the author do while Richard was talking in the business conference?

A. He kept notes for things that he did not agree with.

B. He pushed Richard and beat him.

C. He was preparing for his own speech.

D. He was getting ready to compliment him.

3.Which of the following is the reason for quoting Jonathan Ive?

A. The author thinks Steve Job is the best when it comes to creativity.

B. The author is inspired by Steve Job's attitude towards new ideas.

C. The author respects Steve Job because he is creative and he likes ideas.

D. The author thinks Steve Job has ideas that are strong and powerful and are hard to miss.

4.What is the core argument that the author put forward?

A. Dismissing ideas is an effortless thing to do so you should always protect ideas carefully.

B. The right idea always starts from a wrong idea and you need to protect it from being dismissed.

C. One should be careful when it comes to judge a new idea.

D. Every idea, whether powerful or fragile deserves five minutes

根据短文内容,从短文后面的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。其中有两项为多余项。

Money Matters

Parents should help their children understand money. 1.__ so you may start talking about money when your child shows an interest in buying things, candy or toys, for example.

1. The basic function of money

Being explaining the basic function of money by showing how people trade money for goods or services. It’s important to show your child how money is traded for the thing he wants to have. If he wants to have a toy, give him the money and let him hand the money to the cashier.___ 2. when your child grows a bit older and understands the basic function of money, you can start explaining more complex ways of using money.

2. Money lessons

Approach money lessons with openness and honesty. 3. If you must say no to a child’s request to spend money, explain,” You have enough toy trucks for now.” Or, if the request is for many different things, say. “You have to make a choice between this toy and that toy.”

3. 4.

Begin at the grocery store. Pick out similar brands of a product—a name brand butter and a generic(无商标产品),for example. You can show your child how to make choices between different brands of a product so that you can save money. _5. If he chooses the cheaper brand, allow him to make another purchase with the money saved. Later, you may explain how the more expensive choice leaves less money for other purchases.

A. Wise decision.

B. The value of money.

C. Permit the child to choose between them.

D. Tell your child why he can or cannot have certain things

E. Ask yourself what things that cost money are most important to you.

F. Talk about how the money bought the thing after you leave the toy store.

G. The best time to teach a child anything about money is when he shows an interest.

A new study shows students who write notes by hand during lectures perform better on exams than those who use laptops(笔记本电脑).

Students are increasingly using laptops for note-taking because of speed and legibility(清晰度).But the research has found laptop users are less able to remember and apply the concepts they have been taught.

Researchers performed experiments that aimed to find out whether using a laptop increased the tendency to make notes “mindlessly” by taking down word for word what the professors said.

In the first experiment, students were given either a laptop or pen and paper. They listened to the same lectures and were told to use their usual note-taking skills. Thirty minutes after the talk, they were examined on their ability to remember facts and on how well they understood concepts.

The researchers found that laptop users took twice as many notes as those who wrote by hand. However, the typists performed worse at remembering and applying the concepts. Both groups scored similarly when it came to memorizing facts.

The researchers’ report said,“ While more notes are beneficial, if the notes are taken mindlessly, as is more likely the case on a laptop ,the benefit disappears.”

In another experiment aimed at testing long-term memory, students took notes as before but were tested a week after the lecture. This time, the students who wrote notes by hand performed significantly better on the exam.

These two experiments suggest that handwritten notes are not only better for immediate learning and understanding, but that they also lead to superior revision in the future.

1.More and more students favor laptops for note-taking because they can .

A. write more notes B. digest concepts better

C. get higher scores D. understand lectures better

2.While taking notes, laptop users tend to be .

A. skillful B. mindless

C. thoughtful D. tireless

3.The passage is likely to appear in .

A.a newspaper advertisement B. a computer textbook

C.a science magazine D.a finance report

It was one of the hottest days of the dry season. We had not seen rain in almost a month. The crops were dying. Cows had stopped giving milk. The streams were long gone back into the earth. If we didn't see some rain soon we would lose everything.

I was in the kitchen making lunch for my husband and his brothers when I saw my six-year old son, Billy, walking toward the woods. He was obviously walking with a great effort... trying to be as still as possible. Minutes after he disappeared into the woods, he came running out again, toward the house.

Moments later, however, he was once again walking in that slow purposeful long step toward the woods. This activity went on for over an hour: walking cautiously to the woods, then running back to the house. Finally, my curiosity got the best of me. I crept out of the house and followed him on his journey.

He was cupping both hands in front of him as he walked; being very careful not to spill the water he held in them. Branches and thorns slapped his little face but he did not try to avoid them. He had a much greater purpose. As I leaned in to spy on him, I saw the most amazing site.

Several large deer appeared threatening in front of him. But Billy walked right up to them. I almost screamed for him to get away. And I saw a baby deer lying on the ground, obviously suffering from heavy loss of water and heat exhaustion, lift its head with great effort to lap up the water cupped in my beautiful boy's hand.

I stood on the edge of the woods watching the most beautiful heart I have ever known working so hard to save a life. As the tears that rolled down my face began to hit the ground, they were suddenly joined by other drops... and more drops... and more. I looked up at the sky. It was as if God, Himself, was weeping with pride.

1.Why did the author follow her son?

A. Because there might be danger.

B. Because her son was doing a good deed.

C. Because she intended to help.

D. Because she was curious.

2.Which of the following statements is Not True according to the passage?

A. Rain was in great need.

B. Billy carried water with his small hands.

C. There were few trees in the woods.

D. Billy walked into the woods and then returned over and over again.

3.Which is the correct order of the development of the story?

① The author was moved to tears.

② Billy fed the water to the baby deer.

③ Billy walked towards the large deer.

④ It began to rain.

⑤ The author followed Billy into the woods.

A. ③②⑤①④ B. ⑤③②①④

C. ④①③②⑤ D. ⑤②①③④

4.At the end of the story, the author might experience different feelings Except that _____

A. Billy was a pride.

B. God was touched by Billy's activity.

C. the rain should have dropped earlier.

D. it was worthwhile to have given birth to Billy.

Today, several of the world's nearly 7,000 languages face a serious risk of extinction. "For example, Ainu, a language in Japan, is now seriously threatened, with only 10 native speakers left," said lead study author Tatsuya Amano at the University of Cambridge in England.

The scientists found that 25 percent of the world's languages are threatened. After identifying where the endangered languages were, they looked for any environmental and social or economic factors those languages might have in common, such as rugged terrain or rapid population growth. "We found that at the global scale, language speaker declines are strongly linked to economic growth-that is, declines are particularly occurring in economically developed regions," Amano said.

One important implication of this new study "is that languages in the tropics and Himalayan region are likely to be increasingly threatened in the near future, because these regions still have many local indigenous languages (土语) with a small number of speakers, and at the same time are experiencing rapid economic growth," Amano said.

Economic growth may endanger languages for a variety of reasons. For instance, speakers of endangered languages may view another more dominant language as offering economic opportunities, and thus forego their own languages. There are other important factors that might endanger languages, the researchers said. For instance, policies regarding how languages are used and taught in schools can be very different among countries and even within each country, and these factors may explain more detailed patterns in language endangerment.

Amano suggested it could be possible to forecast future threats to linguistic diversity. "There exists detailed information on projected future changes in the environment, economies and climates," Amano said. "Using such information, together with the findings of this study and further analysis, we would like to understand what will happen to the world's languages, where it will happen and which languages will be threatened in particular."

1.The language of Ainu is mentioned in Paragraph l in order to tell us that _______________.

A. Japanese is new seriously threatened

B. few people speak Japanese in the world

C. Japanese is made up of many languages

D. it is most likely to disappear in the future

2.What may endanger the languages most according to Amano?

A. The diversity of society.

B. The decline of the population.

C. The development of economy

D. The improvement of the environment.

3.The writer shows us the reasons that languages are endangered by ___________________.

A. offering some examples

B. performing some experiments .

C. telling some interesting stories

D. making a list of important facts .

4.It can be inferred from the last paragraph that _______________.

A. the study is very important to languages

B. world's languages are developing rapidly

C. it is rather hard for us to protect languages

D. future threats to languages can be predicted

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