In a world where comparisons happen non-stop, it is difficult to look outside yourself and to ever be content with who you are. There's always someone who's a bit better. The only solution is to reach inside and measure against what Warren Buffett calls your own inner yardstick. There is no more accurate measure for comparison than who you were yesterday, last week or last decade, when you were at your best.

Nothing useful ever comes from comparison to others. Either you see yourself as better than someone and you get lazy, or you see someone else as better than you and you feel like all your hard work is for nothing. It is a fool's game. None of us are inherently above or below the person next to us. We are who we are. Not one of us is exactly alike. The only direct and honest comparison is within yourself. Everything else is apples to oranges.

My opinion is that you are only allowed to compare yourself to someone else if their life situation is the same as your own. Good luck finding that match. And one thing is for sure. No matter how hard you work and how dedicated you are, there will always be someone who can run a little faster, jump a little higher, score a little better or look a little nicer in a swimsuit. And if there's not, you can bet someone is coming up fast behind you. So how can you always win in life? Become your best competitor.

The following are the reasons why you are your own best competitor.

1. You will always be motivated.

Having an image of your most recent past limits is the perfect thing to push you to the next level. If you ran 7 flights of stairs yesterday, then do 8 today. Who cares if the guy next to you did 15? It doesn't make a bit of difference. You are a more fit person today than you were yesterday. Your own progress is all you need.

2. You will continuously be your personal best.

If you commit to a slightly higher standard of yourself every day, you will always be at the top of your game. And that game will only get better. But if for some reason you fall off your mark, you will always have the past image of your best performance to show you what you're capable of. Once you've done it, you know what's possible and then it's just a matter of doing it again.

Through the passage the writer advises the readers to ________.

A. avoid comparison with others                 B. work much harder

C. pay attention to others’ progress                  D. make full use of motivation

If you want to be content with yourself, according to the author, you should ________.

A. see yourself better than others                B. measure accurately  

C. compare with yourself                           D. be honest with yourself

Which of the following is certain to happen according to the author?

A. Finding someone else who is in the same life situation as you are.

B. Finding someone who runs faster and jumps higher than you.

C. Finding someone who is hiding right behind you.

D. Finding someone who almost always wins in their life.

What can help you up to higher level in your life according to the passage?

A. Comparing yourself with the guy next to you.

B. Thinking about your own progress.

C. Promising to play a game every day.

D. Thinking of your most recent past limits.

In a world where comparisons happen non-stop, it is difficult to look outside yourself and to ever be content with who you are. There's always someone who's a bit better. The only solution is to reach inside and measure against what Warren Buffett calls your own inner yardstick. There is no more accurate measure for comparison than who you were yesterday, last week or last decade, when you were at your best.

Nothing useful ever comes from comparison to others. Either you see yourself as better than someone and you get lazy, or you see someone else as better than you and you feel like all your hard work is for nothing. It is a fool's game. None of us are inherently above or below the person next to us. We are who we are. Not one of us is exactly alike. The only direct and honest comparison is within yourself. Everything else is apples to oranges.

My opinion is that you are only allowed to compare yourself to someone else if their life situation is the same as your own. Good luck finding that match. And one thing is for sure. No matter how hard you work and how dedicated you are, there will always be someone who can run a little faster, jump a little higher, score a little better or look a little nicer in a swimsuit. And if there's not, you can bet someone is coming up fast behind you. So how can you always win in life? Become your best competitor.

The following are the reasons why you are your own best competitor.

1. You will always be motivated. Having an image of your most recent past limits is the perfect thing to push you to the next level. If you ran 7 flights of stairs yesterday, then do 8 today. Who cares if the guy next to you did 15? It doesn't make a bit of difference. You are a more fit person today than you were yesterday. Your own progress is all you need.

2. You will continuously be your personal best. If you commit to a slightly higher standard of yourself every day, you will always be at the top of your game. And that game will only get better. But if for some reason you fall off your mark, you will always have the past image of your best performance to show you what you're capable of. Once you've done it, you know what's possible and then it's just a matter of doing it again.

47. Through the passage the writer advises the readers to ________.

A. avoid comparison with others                 B. work much harder

C. pay attention to others’ progress                 D. make full use of motivation

48. If you want to be content with yourself, according to the author, you should ________.

A. see yourself better than others                B. measure accurately  

C. compare with yourself                           D. be honest with yourself

49. Which of the following is certain to happen according to the author?

A. Finding someone else who is in the same life situation as you are.

B. Finding someone who runs faster and jumps higher than you.

C. Finding someone who is hiding right behind you.

D. Finding someone who almost always wins in their life.

50. What can help you up to higher level in your life according to the passage?

A. Comparing yourself with the guy next to you.

B. Thinking about your own progress.

C. Promising to play a game every day.

D. Thinking of your most recent past limits.

Terry Thomas has a very boring job ,although it pays very well .What Terry does is sitting in a rowboat all day long .He makes $ 16.37 an hour ,which is certainly an excellent wage for sitting in a little boat and doing nothing.

The boat stays all day under a bridge that is being rebuilt. There is a distance of about 100 feet between the boat and the workers on the bridge overhead. The rest of Terry’s fellow workers are up on the bridge working . Terry’s job is to rescue anyone who falls off the bridge into the water. So far, no one has given him anything to do .Although he’s delighted that none of his companions has fallen into the water, he also admits that the job is very boring because there is nothing to do.

No one on the work crew really wants duty on the boat. But the job is a union requirement ,and it must be filled. To quality for the job, a person must be an excellent swimmer and have training in lifesaving skills. Only a few men on the work crew meet those standards. Before Terry took the boat job, several others had it and gave up because they found it so tedious.

What does Terry do in his little boat all day? He spends a good bit of time making sure that his suntan lotion is adequate for the job of protecting his skin. He reads and listens to the radio .Each day he looks forward to lunch and then to quitting time.

1.What’s the best title for the passage?

A．A Boring Job                     B．The Man in a Rowboat

C．A Job of Great Skill             D．Hard Physical Labor

2.Another word for the underlined word “tedious” is             .

A．difficult      B．boring         C．serious        D．tiring

3.Terry uses the suntan lotion because              .

A．he likes the smell                                 B．he’s out in the sun all day

C．his shirt is torn                                  D．it keeps the fly away

4.The best part of Terry’s job is            .

A．the books they give him          B．getting to work with his friends

C．the chance of promotion          D．the pay, lunch, and quitting time

Terry Thomas has a very boring job, although it pays very well. What Terry does is sitting in a rowboat all day long. He makes $ 16.37 an hour, which is certainly an excellent wage for sitting in a little boat and doing nothing

The boat stays all day under a bridge that is being rebuilt. There is a distance of about 100 feet between the boat and the workers on the bridge overhead. The rest of Terry’s fellow workers are up on the bridge working. Terry’s job is to rescue anyone who falls off the bridge into the water. So far, no one has given him anything to do. Although he’s delighted that none of his companions has fallen into the water, he also admits that the job is very boring because there is nothing to do

No one on the work crew really wants duty on the boat. But the job is a union requirement, and it must be filled. To quality for the job, a person must be an excellent swimmer and have training in lifesaving skills. Only a few men on the work crew meet those standards. Before Terry took the boat job, several others had it and gave up because they found it so tedious.

What does Terry do in his little boat all day? He spends a good bit of time making sure that his suntan lotion is adequate for the job of protecting his skin. He reads and listens to the radio .Each day he looks forward to lunch and then to quitting time

1．What’s the best title for the passage?

A．A Boring Job                      B．The Man in a Rowboat

C．A Job of Great Skill            D．Hard Physical Labor

2．Another word for the underlined word “tedious” is ______

A．difficult           B．boring          C．serious           D．tiring

3．Terry uses the suntan lotion because _______

A．he likes the smell                       B．he’s out in the sun all day

C．his shirt is torn                      D．it keeps the fly away

4．The best part of Terry’s job is _____

A．the books they give him             B．getting to work with his friends

C．the chance of promotion            D．the pay, lunch, and quitting time