题目内容
No pains, no gains! You see, the harder you try, ______.
A. the greater progress you’ll make B. the greater you’ll make progress
C. you’ll make the greater progress D. you’ll make the greater progress
A
An old woman had two large pots, one on each end of a pole. She carried the pole with the pots across her neck.
One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full pot of water. At the end of the long walk from the well to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half-full.
For two years this happened daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water. Of course, the perfect pot was proud. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection.
One day, the cracked pot spoke to the woman by the well: “I am ashamed of myself because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house.”
The old woman smiled: “Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot’s side? That’s because I have always known about your crack, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path. And every day while we walk back, you water them.”
“For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, I would not have this beauty.”
Each of us has our own cracks. But it’s these cracks that make our lives together so interesting and meaningful.
【小题1】What does the underlined word “crack” mean?
A.Very narrow space between two things or two parts of something. |
B.Line of division where something is broken, but not into separate parts. |
C.Fault in an idea, system, or organization. |
D.Sudden sharp noise like the sound of a stick being broken. |
A.Proud. | B.Disappointed. | C.Annoyed. | D.Embarrassed. |
A.On both sides of the path. | B.In the woman’s house. |
C.On the perfect pot’s side of the path. | D.On the cracked pot’s side of the path |
① The woman picked the flowers and decorated the table.
② The woman told the truth to the cracked pot.
③ The cracked pot talked to the woman about its crack.
④ The woman found a crack on one pot.
⑤ The woman planted some flower seeds.
A.④⑤①③② | B.⑤④③②① |
C.④③①②⑤ | D.④⑤③①② |
A.Never laugh at imperfection. | B.No pains, no gains. |
C.Imperfection makes life meaningful. | D.It’s never too late to learn. |
When I was growing up, I had an old neighbor named Dr. Gibbs. He didn’t look like any doctor I’d ever known. He never yelled at us for playing in his yard. I remember him as someone who was a lot nicer than most of the adults in our community.
When Dr. Gibbs wasn’t saving lives, he was planting trees. His house sat on ten acres, and his life’s goal was to make it a forest.
The good doctor had some interesting theories concerning plant care and growth. He never watered his new trees, which flew in the face of conventional wisdom. Once I asked why. He said that watering plants spoiled them so that each successive tree generation would grow weaker and weaker. So you have to make things rough for them and weed out(淘汰) the weaker trees early on.
He talked about how watering trees made for shallow roots, and how trees that weren’t watered had to grow deep roots in search of moisture. I took him to mean that deep roots were to be treasured.
So he never watered his trees. He planted an oak and, instead of watering it every morning, he’d beat it with a rolled-up newspaper. Smack! Slap! Pow! I asked him why he did that, and he said it was to get the tree’s attention.
Dr. Gibbs passed away a couple of years after I left home. Every now and again, I walked by his house and looked at the trees that I’d watched him plant some twenty-five years ago. They’re extremely tall, big and robust since they have deep roots now. However, the trees in my garden trembled in a cold wind although I had watered them for several years.
It seems that adversity(逆境) and suffering benefit these trees in ways comfort and ease never could. I stood there deep in thought.
Every night before I go to bed, I check on my two sons. I stand over them and watch their little bodies, the rising and falling of life within. I often pray for them. Mostly I pray that their lives will be easy. But I think it’s time to change my prayer(祷词) because now I know my children are going to encounter hardship..
【小题1】According to Dr. Gibbs’ theories, trees will become weaker if they______
A.are lack of care | B.are watered | C.are weeded out | D.are beaten |
A.“seeing is believing” | B.“Put everything in proper use” |
C.”Practice makes perfect” | D.“No pains, no gains” |
A.strong | B.strange | C.deep | D.old |
A.I wish them strong wings, with which they can fly higher and touch the sky. |
B.I wish them nice fortune so that they can meet people like Dr. Gibbs in the future. |
C.I wish them deep roots into the earth since the rains fall and the winds blow often. |
D.I wish them great shades under the tree since the sunlight is always sharp and bitter. |
A.A Nice Doctor | B.The Deep Roots |
C.Adversity and Suffering | D.My Childhood Memory |
A jobless man applied for the position of "office boy" at Microsoft.The HR manager interviewed him and then watched him cleaning the floor as a test."You are employed," he said."Give me your e-mail address and I’ll send you the application to fill in, as well as the date when you may start." The man replied, "But I don't have a computer, neither an e-mail." "I'm sorry," said the HR manager."If you don't have an email, that means you do not exist. And who doesn’t exist cannot have the job."
The man left with no hope at all.He didn't know what to do, with only ten dollars in his pocket.He then decided to go to the supermarket and buy 10 kg tomatoes.He then sold the tomatoes from door to door.In less than two hours, he succeeded to double his capital (资金). He repeated the operation three times, and returned home happily with 60 dollars.
The man realized that he could survive in this way, and started to go every day earlier, and return later.Thus, his money doubled or tripled every day.Shortly, he bought a cart, then a truck, and then he had his own fleet (车队) of delivery vehicles.Five years later, the man was one of the biggest food retailers (零售商) in the US.
He started to plan his family's future and decided to have a life insurance.He called an insurance broker and chose a protection plan.When the conversation was concluded, the broker asked him his e-mail.The man replied, "I don't have an e-mail."The broker said curiously, "You don't have an e-mail, and yet have succeeded to build an empire.Can you imagine what you could have been if you had an e-mail?" The man thought for a while and replied, "Yes, I'd be an office boy at Microsoft !"
【小题1】According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
A.The man was one of the biggest food retailers in the world |
B.The man didn't give up though he failed the interview |
C.He started his career by selling tomatoes in the supermarket |
D.Those who have e-mails can work at Microsoft. |
A.became large | B.became 3 times |
C.decreased slightly | D.decreased quickly |
A.helpful and considerate | B.positive and generous |
C.smart and hardworking | D.nervous and unselfish |
A.Misfortune may be an actual blessing. |
B.Where there is a will, there is a way. |
C.Accidents will happen |
D.No pains, no gains |