The world is filled with smart, 1 , educated and gifted people．We meet them every day．A few days ago, my car was not running well．I pulled it into a 2 and the young mechanic had it 3 in just a few minutes．He knew what was wrong by simply 4 the engine．I was amazed．
I am 5 shocked at how 6 talented people earn．I heard the other day that less than 5 percent of Americans earn more than ＄100, 000 a year．A business consultant who specializes 7 the medical trade was telling me how many doctors and dentists 8 financially．All this time, I thought that when they graduated, the dollars would 9 ．It was this business consultant 10 gave me the phrase, “They are one skill away from great 11 ．”
What this phrase means is that most people need only to learn and master one more skill and their income would 12 exponentially(成倍的)．I have mentioned before that 13 intelligence is a synergy(增效作用)of accounting, investing, marketing and law． 14 those four technical skills and making money with money is easier．When it 15 to money, the only skill most people know is to work hard．
When I ask the classes I teach, “How many of you can cook a better hamburger than McDonald's? ” almost all the students raise their hands．I then ask, “So if most of you can cook a better hamburger, 16 McDonald's makes more money than you? ” The answer is 17 ：McDonald's is excellent at business systems．The reason so many talented people are poor is because they 18 on building a better hamburger and know little or 19 about business systems．The world is filled with talented poor people．They focus on perfecting their skills at building a better hamburger 20 the skills of selling and delivering the hamburger．
One day a father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the 1 with the purpose of showing his 2 how the poor people live, so he could be 3 for his wealth．They spent a couple of days and nights on the 4 of what would be considered a very poor family．
On their 5 from their trip, the father asked his son, “ 6 was the trip? ”
“It was great, Dad．”
“Did you see how 7 people can be? ” the father asked．
“Oh yeah．” said the son．
“So what did you 8 from the trip? ” asked the father．
The son answered, “ I saw that we have one dog and they had four．We have a 9 that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a river that has no 10 ．We have imported lanterns(进口灯笼)in our garden and they have the 11 at night．We have servants who serve us, but they 12 others．We buy our food, but they grow theirs．We have 13 around our house to protect us, but they have friends to protect them．”
With this, the boy's father was 14 ．Then his son added, “Thanks Dad for showing me how poor 15 are．”
A group of graduates got together to visit their old university professor．
The conversation soon turned into complaints about 1 in work and life．Offering his 2 coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and 3 with a large pot of coffee and a 4 of cups-porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain-looking, some expensive, some beautiful-telling them to 5 themselves to the coffee．
When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said, “if you have 6 , all the nice-looking expensive cups have been 7 , leaving behind the plain and 8 ones．While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the 9 of your problems and stress．”
“Be assured that the cup 10 adds no quality to the coffee． 11 it is just more expensive and in some cases 12 hides what we drink．”
“ 13 all of you really want is coffee, not the cup, 14 you consciously went for the best cups…．And then you began 15 each other's cups．”
Now consider this： 16 is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups． 17 are just tools to hold and contain life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the 18 of life we live．Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we 19 to enjoy the coffee．Value the coffee, not the cups! Don't let the cups 20 you … enjoy the coffee instead．
If you are human, you can't help but experience times when everything seems to be going wrong．You must also 1 as if your life is completely out of control at times．It is during those “down times” that words of encouragement from family, friends, co-workers or 2 strangers can boost(增强)your spirits．It is also during those 3 that negative words can be devastating(毁灭性的)and sink you deeper and deeper into depression．
For example, consider this story about a group of 4 who were traveling through the woods when 5 of them fell into a deep pit(坑)．All of the other frogs gathered around the 6 ．When they saw how 7 the pit was, they told the two 8 frogs they would never get out．
The two frogs didn't obey what other frogs said and tried to 9 out of the pit．The other frogs kept telling them not to jump, 10 it was in vain．Finally, one of the frogs followed what the other frogs were saying and simply 11 ．He fell down and 12 ．The other frog continued to jump as 13 as he could．Once again the crowd of frogs shouted at him to 14 the pain．The more they 15 , the harder he jumped and finally he 16 to safety．
When he 17 , the other frogs asked him why he continued to jump when they were all 18 him to simply quit．The frog 19 to them that he was a little bit deaf．He thought they were 20 him all the time．
(1)
[ ]
A．
think
B．
experience
C．
seem
D．
feel
(2)
[ ]
A．
so
B．
just
C．
even
D．
ever
(3)
[ ]
A．
processes
B．
times
C．
courses
D．
practices
(4)
[ ]
A．
frogs
B．
mice
C．
dogs
D．
cats
(5)
[ ]
A．
two
B．
three
C．
many
D．
few
(6)
[ ]
A．
hole
B．
pit
C．
water
D．
well
(7)
[ ]
A．
muddy
B．
wide
C．
deep
D．
long
(8)
[ ]
A．
uncomfortable
B．
unpleasant
C．
unhappy
D．
unfortunate
(9)
[ ]
A．
run
B．
walk
C．
climb
D．
jump
(10)
[ ]
A．
so
B．
as long as
C．
because
D．
although
(11)
[ ]
A．
gave out
B．
gave up
C．
gave away
D．
gave off
(12)
[ ]
A．
died
B．
wounded
C．
destroyed
D．
damaged
(13)
[ ]
A．
fast
B．
hard
C．
easily
D．
swiftly
(14)
[ ]
A．
help
B．
ban
C．
forbid
D．
stop
(15)
[ ]
A．
cried
B．
spoke
C．
shouted
D．
read
(16)
[ ]
A．
get it
B．
forget it
C．
use it
D．
made it
(17)
[ ]
A．
turned out
B．
kept out
C．
got out
D．
held out
(18)
[ ]
A．
taking to
B．
shouting at
C．
throwing at
D．
speaking to
(19)
[ ]
A．
explained
B．
announced
C．
introduced
D．
told
(20)
[ ]
A．
encouraging
B．
helping
C．
pulling
D．
dragging
完型填空，阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从各题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。
“I am going home to Denmark, Son, and I just want to tell you I love you．”
In my dad's last telephone call to me, he 1 that line several times in half an hour．I wasn't listening at the right level．I heard the words, but not the message, and 2 not their deeper meaning．I believed my dad would live to be 100 years old, 3 my great uncle lived to be 107 years old．I hadn't felt his 4 over Mum's death, understood his loneliness or 5 most of his friends had left the world．He often asked my brother and me to create grandchildren 6 he could be a devoted grandfather．I was too busy with my business to really listen．
“Dad's dead, ” sighed my brother not long after dad went back to Denmark．
I was 7 and just cried for the loss of my dad．This isn't the 8 it's supposed to happen．If I had known these were to be dad's final days, I would have asked to go with him to Denmark．If I had been really listening and thinking, I would have offered comfort during his final hours．After all, a loved one should hold his hand and 9 him as he makes the transition(过渡)from reality to another world．Dad 10 his departure(离开)repeatedly, but I 11 it．I felt sadness, pain and regret．Why had I not been there for him? He'd always been there for me．In the mornings when I was nine years old, he 12 come home from working 18 hours and 13 me up by patting my back lightly with his strong powerful hands and whispering, “Time to get up, Son．” 14 I was dressed and ready to go, he had put my schoolbag in my bicycle basket．Recalling these 15 moments with dad brings tears to my eyes．
Now my heart is still in 16 because dad was there for me and I wasn't there for him．My hearty 17 is：always, always seize the moment to 18 your love with your loved ones, and keep them 19 when they leave the world．Experiencing the 20 of death with one you love will make you understand the meaning of life better．
