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If you took the strengths of others and compared them to your weaknesses, would this make you feel good? The funny thing is that this is what most of us do at one time or another—and some of us do it pretty often. It's a sure-fire recipe for a drop in self-confidence and for unhappiness. So how can we stop comparing ourselves with others? Here are some tips I've found useful.

Awareness.

Most often we do these social comparisons without realizing we're doing it. It's a natural act, I suppose. So the solution is to become aware. If you focus on these thoughts for a few days, it will become much easier with practice, and soon it'll be hard not to notice.

Stop yourself.

Once you realize you're making these comparisons, stop yourself. Don't feel bad—just admit the thought, and gently change the focus.

Count your blessings.

Focus on what you do have, and on what you are already blessed with. Count what you have, not what you don't have. Think about how lucky you are to have what you have, to have the people in your life who care about you. If you always want what others have, you will never have enough. You will always want more. That's an endless cycle, and it will never lead to happiness. Instead, learn to realize that what you have is already enough.

Focus on your strengths.

Instead of looking at your weaknesses, ask yourself what your strengths are. Be proud of them. Work on using them to your best advantage.

No one is perfect—we all know that. But we seem to feel bad when we don't reach perfection. You aren't perfect and you never will be. Keep trying to improve, but don't think you'll ever be the "perfect person". If you realize that imperfection is what makes you who you are, you are already perfect.

We can make mistakes at any age. Some mistakes we make are about money. But most mistakes are about people. “Did Jerry really care when I broke up with Helen?” “When I got that great job, did Jim really feel good about it, as a friend? Or did he envy my luck?” When we look back, doubts like these can make us feel bad. But when we look back, it’s too late.

Why do we go wrong about our friends—or our enemies? Sometimes what people say hides their real meaning. And if we don’t really listen we miss the feeling behind the words. Suppose someone tells you, “You’re a lucky dog.” That’ s being friendly, “lucky dog”? There’s a bit of envy in those words. Maybe he doesn’t see it himself. But bringing in the “dog” bit puts you down a little. What he may be saying is that he doesn’t think you deserve(值得)your luck. 

“Just think of all the things you have to be thankful for” is another noise that says one thing and means another. It could mean that the speaker is trying to get you to see your problem as part of your life as a whole. But is he? Wrapped up in this phrase is the thought that your problem isn’t important. It’s telling you to think of all the starving(挨饿的)people in the world when you haven’t got a date for Saturday night.

How can you tell the real meaning behind someone’s words? One way is to take a good look at the person talking. Do his words fit the way he looks? Does what he says agree with the tone of voice? His posture(姿态)? The look in his eyes? Stop and think. The minute you spend thinking about the real meaning of what people to you may save another mistake.  

63. This passage is mainly about _____.

A. how to interpret what people say

B. what to do when you listen to others talking

C. how to avoid mistakes when you communicate with people

D. Why we go wrong with people sometimes

64. In the sentence “Maybe he doesn’t see it himself.” in Paragraph 2, the pronoun “it” refers to ____ .

A. being friendly       B. lucky dog                  

C. a bit of envy         D. your luck

65. When we listen to a person talking, the most important thing for us to do is to ___________.

A. notice the way the person is talking          

B. take a good look at the person talking

C. understand the real meaning of what he says 

D. mind his tone, his posture and so on

Why does the weight come back so quickly once I stop dieting?

We know the effect calories have on your body. For each pound of weight that your body carries, it takes about 12 calories per pound per day to keep it alive. If you weigh 150 pounds, you therefore need about (150×12) 1,800 calories per day to keep yourself alive and maintain that same weight.

If you were to eat more than 1,800 calories per day, the surplus turns into fat. It takes about 3,600 extra calories to make a pound of fat.

Let’s say that you were to eat, on average, 2,000 calories per day. That extra 200 calories per day is going to turn into fat. However, you will eventually hit a point of equilibrium (平衡) because as you put on weight, you need more calories to maintain that weight. So, a person eating an average of 2,000 calories per day will hit equilibrium at (2,000/12) 166.67 pounds.

The diet really takes the weight off. But the weight comes right back when you return to your “normal” eating pattern. The weight appears to come back so quickly because when you are at your lightest, you tend to gain more weight each day. The lighter you are, the fewer calories you need. If you only need 1,500 calories per day and you’re eating 2,000, you’re going to gain weight faster than if you need 1,800 and you’re eating 2,000.

There are only two ways to keep the weight off.

Change your overall eating pattern so that you take in, on average, fewer calories than before you went on the diet.

Start exercising so that you “burn” the extra calories you take in.

The best course of action is a combination of these two options.

60. What makes one put on weight? ____

A. Fat turning into calories.                     B. Extra fat turning into calories.

C. Dieting without doctor’s advice.               D. Effect of calories.

61. Which of the following is true according to Paragraph 3?  ____

A. If one eats the same amount of calories each day, he / she will continue to gain weight.

B. If one takes in 200 extra calories each day, his / her weight will rise by 0.056 pound per day.

C. The equilibrium will never be hit if one takes in an extra amount of calories each day.

D. 166.67 pounds is the best equilibrium for one.

62. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage? ____

A. Avoiding eating too many calories is of help for losing weight.

B. Taking exercise requires more heat than staying still.

C. One won’t put on weight unless he / she takes in extra calories.

D. The lighter one is, the more possibly he / she will gain weight.

I rushed into an ugly little shop to have my heels (鞋后跟) repaired. “Please hurry.” I begged.

The shoemaker looked at me over his glasses. “Now, lady, it won’t be long. I want to do a good job. You see, I have a tradition to live up to. My father was a shoemaker. He always told me, ‘Son, do the best job on every shoe that comes into the shop, and be proud of your fine work.’”

As he handed me the finished shoes, he said, “These will last a long time.”

I left the shop with a warm and grateful(感激的) feeling. This was the beginning of our friendship. Since then I went into his shop every few days to talk with him.

One day, I went in, disappointed and angry, because of a poor job some painters had done for me.

“They had no pride in their work.” I said. “They didn’t want to work. They just wanted to collect their money for doing nothing. What can be done about it?”

“There is only one way. Every man or woman who hasn’t a prideful tradition must start building one. No matter what kind of work a man does, if he gives it his best each day, he is starting a tradition for his children to live up to. And he is making lots of happiness for himself. ”

I went to Europe for a few months. When I returned, I learned that the old shoemaker suddenly had got sick two weeks before, right there in his shop. He had died a few days later. I went home with a heavy heart. I would miss him. He had left me something—an important piece of wisdom(至理名言).

I shall always remember: “If you have a prideful tradition, you must carry it on; if you have not, then start building one now.”

56. The old shoemaker thought to do his best in his work each day was to       .

A. build a tradition for his children to be proud of

B. start a tradition for himself to live up to

C. make plenty of happiness for himself       

D. make lots of happiness for others

57. According to the old shoemaker's opinion, if one didn't do a good job, he       .

A. just wanted to collect others' money          B. just wanted to do nothing

C. wasn’t proud of his work                            D. didn’t have a prideful tradition

58. The lady made friends with the old shoemaker because     .

A. she had the heels of her shoes repaired by him

B. he did a good job to the heels of her shoes

C. she went into the shop every few days to talk with him

D. he taught her an important piece of wisdom

59. The old shoemaker died       .

A. a few months after the lady went to Europe

B. a few days before the lady returned from Europe

C. two weeks before the lady returned from Europe

D. a few days after the lady returned from Europe

The sound of the rain hitting the windows wakes me up and it sound just exactly as it did 15 years ago, which reminded me of my girlhood.

It was my second day of  36  and it was raining heavily. I could not  37  the habit I had at home , so I fell asleep right at my  38 . I woke up to find myself not in the classroom but carried on Dad’s back. We were  39  home. It was the last time I felt  40  to him.

After that, he never carried me or hugged me as other fathers did to their children. I was not bothered much by this  41 . I was proud of it, for I felt  42  and “grown up.” However, there were times when I felt depressed by not having sought  43  from him.

One day, I was writing Chinese characters as homework. I hated doing this more than anything. Dad came and stood behind me for a moment,  44  me scratching (涂写) the paper. Then he said, “This kind of writing needs  45 .Your writing is not strong enough. Press harder.”

I follow his  46  for the next two words, but  47  I could see little improvement, I followed my own method-the  48  way. His advice did not improve my writing but our  49 . As I grew older, I found out that he had finished his  50  in Grade 6, which was the highest grade in town then, so he was considered to be a  51 . People used to ask him to write something to put on the walls, but he never felt very useful.

He often said to me, “As you can see, this family is going to count on you. We are  52  to improve you anything for your future .Your have to get  53  to change the life for yourself.”

As a result of his  54 , I have  55  it through high school and through college.

36. A. graduation        B. employment            C. college                   D. school

37. A. from                  B. resist                      C. follow               D. break

38. A. dormitory          B. door                        C. desk                       D. bed

39 A. at                       B. already                   C. beyond                   D. halfway

40. A. close                 B. near                        C. happy                     D. relaxed

41. A. gap                   B. thought                   C. action                     D. accident

42. A. lonely                B. depressed                     C. independent           D. comfortable

43. A. comfort             B. help                        C. support                   D. explanation

44. A. helping             B. directing                 C. watching                 D. blaming

45. A. skill                   B. patience                 C. time                        D. practice

46. A. introduction      B. manner                   C. spirit                       D. advice

47. A. even if              B. while                       C. as                           D. though

48. A. difficult              B. slow                        C. efficient                  D. fast

49. A. relationship       B. friendship               C. thought                   D. life

50. A. schooling          B. life                          C. hope                       D. expectation

51. A. writer                B. scholar                   C. scientist                  D. specialist

52. A. tired                  B. glad                        C. useless                   D. ready

53. A. an education    B. a rich boyfriend      C. a well-paid job D. a good writing

54. A. help                  B. expectations           C. examination            D. watch

55. A. succeeded        B. got                          C. made                      D. found

 All the students were _______ when they heard the _______ news.

A. excited; excited       B. excited; exciting     

C. exciting; exciting      D. exciting; excited

---Mary looks down today. What is up?　

---Well, ______ happened between Mary and me is none of your business.

A. wherever　　　　　 B. whoever　　　 C. whatever　　 D. no matter what

 The boy is always busy playing games on the computer, only _______ a bit taller in nearly three years.

A. to get       B. getting      C. got      D. gets

 He was blamed for his absence _______ the meeting _______ he was supposed to have made a speech.

A. at; which      B. of; where     C. from; which      D. from; where

 A monument was built _______ those dead in the Wenchuan Earthquake.

A. in need of       B. in support of      C. in aid of     D. in honour of