We have two daughters: Kristen is seven years old and Kelly is four. Last Sunday evening, we invited some people home for dinner. I dressed them nicely for the party, and told them that their job was to join Mommy in answering the door when the bell rang. Mommy would introduce them to the guests, and then they would take the guests' coats upstairs and put them on the bed in the second bedroom.

    The guests arrived. I introduced my two daughters to each of them. The adults were nice and kind and said how lucky we were to have such good kids.

    Each of the guests made a particular fuss over Kelly, the younger one, admiring her dress, her hair and her smile. They said she was a remarkable girl to be carrying coats upstairs at her age.

    I thought to myself that we adults usually make a big "to do" over the younger one because she's the one who seems more easily hurt. We do it with the best of intentions.

    But we seldom think of how it might affect the other child. I was a little worried that Kristen would feel she was being outshined. I was about to serve dinner when I realized that she had been missing for twenty minutes. I ran upstairs and found her in the bedroom, crying.

    I said, "What are you doing, my dear?"

    She turned to me with a sad expression and said, "Mommy, why don't people like me the way they like my sister? Is it because I 'm not pretty? Is that why they don't say nice things about me as much?"

    I tried to explain to her, kissing and hugging her to make her feel better.

    Now, whenever I visit a friend's home, I make it a point to speak to the elder child first.

56.The underlined expression ' make a big "to do" over' (paragraph 4) means ______.

   A.show much concern about               B.have a special effect on

   C.list jobs to be done for                  D.do good things for

57.The guests praised Kelly for carrying coats upstairs because of her ______.

   A.beautiful hair                          B.pretty clothes

   C.lovely smile                           D.young age

58.Kristen felt sad and cried because ______.

   A.the guest gave her more coats to carry

   B.she didn't look as pretty as Kelly

   C.the guests praised her sister more than her

   D.her mother didn't introduce her to the guests

59.We can conclude from the passage that ______.

   A.parents should pay more attention to the elder children

   B.the younger children are usually more easily hurt

   C.people usually like the younger children more

   D.adults should treat children equally

60.Which of the following saying is right?

   A.Kristen and Kelly are not getting along with each other.

   B.Kristen is older than Kelly.

   C.The mother likes Kristen more than Kelly.

   D.People usually talk more to Kelly than they do to Kristen.

When you need a job very much, you may end up taking one for which you are over qualified. Although you were initially grateful just to have the work, you now feel bored and depressed. Is there any way to change that?
Start by changing your opinion, says Caitlin Kelly, the author of Malled, a book based on her experience as a sales clerk after losing her job in journalism. “Don’t focus on what you’re not getting but what you are getting,” she says. “Be patient and work attentively with a wide range of people. It doesn’t matter what the job is –there are always things you can learn and skills you can develop.”
Hilary Pearl, the founder of a coaching firm, says, “Tell yourself the current situation isn’t the end of your career. Don’t overdramatize(过分夸大)the negative aspects but try to view the situation more philosophically: life has a series of stages, and this is one of them. Don’t forget to study even in the worst stage.”
Consider that because you’re overqualified, you may be able to learn or do things on the job that might not have been possible in a more demanding position, says Sarah Hathorn, the chief executive of Illustra Consulting. “You could spend your extra time in learning different aspects of the business and teaching others in the organization,” she says.
Is it possible to make your work more challenging, even if your job responsibilities aren’t likely to change?
Of course, you may seek tasks and responsibilities that force you to learn something new or to work harder. “You may be operating on autopilot(习惯性地)right now, but chances are that people above you are stressed,” Sarah Hathorn says. “Take things off your boss’s plate and let him know which projects or tasks you want to learn more about.”
Always express your request positively, saying that you love new challenges, rather than complaining that you’re bored and underused, says Ethun, the president of the Park Avenue Group. In your down time, educate yourself about the company and its industry. “Read corporate information, analyst reports and related news articles,” she says. “If your boss accepts your suggestions, it will make you a more valuable employee.”
【小题1】According to Caitlin Kelly, ______.

A.one should be willing to do some small things
B.being a salesman is not as important as being a journalist
C.performing your regular duties well is important
D.doing a simple job well will bring you a sense of success
【小题2】What Hilary Pearl intends to express is that ______.
A.work is just a stage of our whole life
B.the present job doesn’t matter to us in a long run
C.one should be satisfied with his present situation
D.one should look forward instead of complaining about the present situation
【小题3】The underlined words “take things off your boss’s plate” mean______.
A.draw your boss’s attentionB.share your boss’s burdens
C.give your boss useful adviceD.ask your boss for a better position
【小题4】 What is the common view about careers of the people mentioned in this passage?
A.One should start his career from doing a simple job.
B.One should improve himself and help others as well.
C.One should keep learning new things to improve himself.
D.One should pay much attention to the relationship with the boss.

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