题目内容
Our attitude toward our teachers should be _____, but not slavish or superstitious.
A. respectable B. respected C. respective D. respectful
D
Autumn means different things to different people. It all depends on your personality, said British naturalist Richard Mabey. "Personality shapes your view of the season," he said. "You may see it as a fading away, a packing up(结束), or as a time of packing in another sense – the excited gathering of resources before a long journey."
If this is true, perhaps it tells us a little about, for instance, Thomas Hood, the 19th Century English poet. About November, he wrote:
No warmth, no cheerfulness, no healthful ease
No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees
November!
On the other hand, another English poet John Keats, already sensing he was seriously ill, was inspired by a late September day to pen one of the most famous poems in the English language, To Autumn. He wrote to a friend afterwards that there was something comforting and healing about it.
According to Richard Mabey, Keats has the biological evidence on his side. Autumn is not a time of slowing down, but a time of new beginnings and great movements of creatures. For example, just at the moment that Keats's "gathering swallows" (in To Autumn) are departing for Africa, millions of creatures are fleeing from the frozen north like Iceland, Greenland and Russia to winter along the east and south coasts of Britain. According to scientists, before falling, the leaves transfer their chlorophyll(叶绿素) and carbohydrates into the woody parts of the tree for safe-keeping over winter. What remains are the natural antioxidants(防老剂) in the leaves: the yellow and orange carotenoids(类胡萝卜素), and another protective chemical specially produced for autumn, the bright-red anthocyanin(花青素). High color is not a signal of deterioration(退化) and decline, but of detox(排毒的) ability and good health.
A century after Keats, the American poet Loren Eiseley wrote in his journal: "Suppose we saw ourselves burning like maples in a golden autumn. [And that we could] disintegrate(瓦解) like autumn leaves…dropping their substance like chlorophyll. Would not our attitude towards death be different?"
【小题1】From Thomas Hood’s poem, we may infer that _______.
A.he suffered a lot from cold November |
B.he missed the shining summer days very much |
C.he had a negative attitude towards autumn |
D.he enjoyed butterflies and bees very much |
A.Optimistic. | B.Fearful. | C.Doubtful. | D.Realistic. |
A.they can’t bear the freezing |
B.they can’t get enough water from the wood part |
C.chlorophyll and carbohydrates have been lost through leaves |
D.chlorophyll and carbohydrates have come back to the wood part |
A.Man can never live long, just as leaves must leave the tree annually. |
B.Man is different from autumn leaves, which will come again the next spring. |
C.Man should treat death calmly, just like autumn leaves fall to the ground. |
D.Man should have a positive attitude towards death, quite different from autumn leaves. |
I told my friend Graham that I often cycle two miles from my house to the town centre but unfortunately there is a big hill on the route. He replied, “You mean fortunately.” He explained that I should be glad of the extra exercise that the hill provided.
My attitude to the hill has now changed. I used to grumble as I approached it but now I tell myself the following. This hill will exercise my heart and lungs. It will help me to lose weight and get fit. It will mean that I live longer. This hill is my friend. Finally I comfort myself with the thought of all those silly people who pay money to go to a gym and sit on stationery exercise bicycles when I can get the same value for free. I have a smile of satisfaction as I reach the top of the hill.
Problems are there to be faced and overcome. We cannot achieve anything with an easy life. Helen Keller was the first deaf and blind person to gain a university degree. Her activism and writing proved inspirational. She wrote, “Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experiences of trial and suffering can vision be cleared, ambition inspired and success achieved.”
One of the key factors of success in life is our attitude towards adversity (逆境). From time to time we all face hardships, problems, accidents, afflictions and difficulties. Some are of our making but many confront us through no fault of our own. While we cannot choose the adversity we can choose our attitude towards it.
Douglas Bader was 21 when in 1931 he had both legs cut off following a flying accident. He was determined to fly again and went on to become one of the leading flying aces in the Battle of Britain with 22 aerial victories over the Germans. He was an inspiration to others during the war. He said, “Don’t listen to anyone who tells you that you can’t do this or that. That’s nonsense. Make up your mind, and you’ll never use crutches (拐杖) or a stick, and then have a go at evening. Go to school, and join in all the games you can. Go anywhere you want to. But never, never let them persuade you that things are too difficult or impossible.”
The biographies of great people are full of examples of how they took steps to overcome the difficulties they faced. The common thread is that they did not become depressed. They chose their attitude. They chose to be positive. They took on the challenge. They won.
Nevertheless, there is still the problem of how you change your attitude towards adversity.
【小题1】The underlined word “grumble” in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to ________.
A.tremble | B.complain | C.speed up | D.slow down |
A.Climbing hills on bicycles is the best way to take exercise. |
B.People are wise to pay to go to the gym. |
C.Those who want to achieve success can’t expect to live an easy life. |
D.People’s attitude towards adversity is the only factor that determines whether they will succeed. |
A.Failure is the mother of success. |
B.A fall into the pit, a gain in your wit. |
C.If you venture nothing, you will have nothing. |
D.Nothing is difficult to the man who will try. |
A.how his friend helped him to change his attitude towards the adversity he faced |
B.what steps to take to change your attitude towards the adversity you face |
C.what great people have in common |
D.why it is important to keep optimistic in face of adversity |
A.Face adversity with a smile |
B.Different attitudes towards adversity |
C.Nothing is impossible |
D.Life is full of adversity |
When you don’t speak, you may be still communicating. It is true that you may not wish to say anything. But your very silence may show your wish to be left alone or to stay uninvolved, which is the message you want to send.
So it has been said that while we speak with our vocal organs, we converse with our whole bodies. All of us communicate with one anther nonverbally (非口头地), as well as with words. Sometimes we know what we are doing with the use of gestures such as the thumbs-up sign to indicate that we approve. But most of the time we are not aware that we are doing it.
Body language serves a variety of purpose. Firstly it can replace verbal communication, as with the use of gesture. Secondly, it can modify (修饰) verbal communication. Loudness and tone of voice is an example here. Thirdly it regulates social interaction: turn taking is largely governed by non-verbal signals. Fourthly it conveys our emotions. Finally it conveys our attitude towards ourselves and towards the people we are communicating with. This is particularly important for successful cross-cultural communications.
Every culture has its own body language. So in order to achieve a more successful cross-cultural communications, we heed not only what to say but also how to say it appropriately. Observation shows that a truly bilingual person switches his body language at the same time he switches language.
【小题1】The underlined word “converse” in the second paragraph can be replaced by ____.
A.continue | B.complain | C.communicate | D.compete |
A.the fact that body language serves a variety of purposes |
B.the fact that body language can modify verbal communication |
C.the fact that body language regulates social interaction |
D.the fact that body language conveys our attitude |
A.from culture to culture | B.from year to year |
C.from time to time | D.from person to person |
A.Verbal Language | B.Communication Skills |
C.Ways to Communication | D.Body Language |