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.

1.The underlined word “grumble” in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to ________.

A．tremble           B．complain          C．speed up          D．slow down

2.Which of the following is true according to the author of the passage?

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.

3.By quoting what Douglas Bader said, the author intends to tell us “________”.

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.

4.Following this passage, the author will further talk about ________.

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

5.Which of the following can best function as the title of the passage?

A．Face adversity with a smile

B．Different attitudes towards adversity

C．Nothing is impossible

D．Life is full of adversity

阅读下面的短文，并根据短文后的要求答题(请注意问题后的字数要求)。

[1]Everyone makes mistakes. How do you react when a family member, friend, or a classmate makes a mistake? Some of us may shout out , complain, or punish. Unfortunately, these reactions to mistakes sometimes greatly hurt both sides. In fact, there is a better way to deal with a mistake.

[2]Reframe（重组） "MISTAKE": Change "MISTAKE" into "MIS-TAKE." Doesn't that have a different feeling? Therefore, a mistake is not so bad as expected. We can learn from it and it is likely to lead to success in the end.

[3]Use mistakes as an opportunity for learning. Most of us want to hide our mistakes, but we may be more willing to share our "MIS-TAKES" and let others learn from them. Either an individual or a family can benefit by openly recognizing and correcting mistakes, rather than pretending that they didn't happen. In fact, a mistake, if corrected quickly and in a creative way, can become ___________for learning.

[4]Think of mistakes as opportunities to prove yourself. A mistake becomes an opportunity to create a close friend or customer. For example, in business, studies show that one of the things all customers want is recovery when the organization has made a mistake. They want us to apologize sincerely. With creative thinking, we can make them satisfied with the way we deal with a mistake.

[5] We have learned to allow people around us to make mistakes. Now give them “protection” when they make a mistake. If you give people both permission and protection, you will get along well with them. Show them how they can turn a mistake into learning something about themselves so they don’t make the same mistake again.

1.What is the passage mainly about? (no more than 10 words)

___________________________________________________________               _____                                              

2.What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 2 probably refer to? (no more than 3 words)

___________________________________________________________                  _                                                

3.Fill in the blank in Paragraph 3 with proper words.(no more than 4 words)

__________________________________________________________                                                                      

4.Complete the following statement with proper words.(no more than 3 words)

If we think creatively, we are able to make people feel pleased with the way in which a mistake is_________________.

5.Why should you show people how to turn a mistake into learning something about themselves ? (no more than 12 words)

____________________________________________________________________            

根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

Many people find it hard to make friends.  61  All it takes is for you to get out of your shell and remember that if you love yourself, others will too. Especially being a teen, making friends can be hard or easy depending on several factors．

Relax. It’s all about confidence---if you are nervous or try too hard to look cool you’ll just act strange. So you won’t make many friends. You will stand out as overdoing(做得过分) something．

You have to act as you have had plenty of friends in the past, so even the “cool” ones will want to speak to you. 62  Be relaxed．People will like you for passing a peaceful energy．

Make the first move. Don’t be shy because it won’t help you in anything. Look around for people that seem interesting, and go up to talk to them. A good subject to talk about to anyone is music because almost everybody likes music. 63 Try not to get deep when you are first meeting somebody.

64  Everyone likes to be heard. So give attention to what others say, look straight in their eyes and show you’re paying attention. If this person feels that you’re listening to him, your new friend will enjoy your company more．

Develop friendships. You may talk to someone now but soon they’ll forget you if you stop． 65  Say their name as often as you can. When you greet them, say things like, “Hey Alex!”，“What’s going on, Sarah?’’ If you do that every day, they’ll be happy that you care about them and remember them, so they won’t forget you and you will be good friends．

E. Invite your new friends to go out together with you．

F. Think of good reasons why someone would like to meet you．

G. You’d better take a time to say hi to them every day and ask how they are doing．

It’s easy to see how to help others, but what about those whose needs aren’t so obvious? This story may have happened a while back, but it was a lesson which has stayed with me and helped me ever since.

It was Thanksgiving and I was volunteering with my parents at a shelter for the poor. We stood behind the counter dishing out hot food to whoever came in. Most of our dinners looked like they had been having hard times, their clothes old, worn and dry. In short, they looked poor!

Then, a man came in, who looked anything but poor. He was well dressed, wearing an expensive suit. I wondered what he was doing there and my jaw dropped in amazement when he joined the line for food. The closer he came to my service station, the more I muttered(咕哝着). What was this man doing? I wanted to know. Surely he wasn’t going to take food.

Then my mother quietly took me to one side. She said, “You have assumed that the needs of the people who come here must be purely physical: hunger, no enough shelter and needs are excitable? What if he needs comfort, friends, or just to be among other human beings?” Her words hit me like a ton of bricks! I felt like I should apologize to the man, but I didn’t.

About a week later the shelter received a large donation from an anonymous(匿名的) source. I can’t help but wonder if it came from that man.

Now, whether I meet others, I remember my mother’s words and try to send kindness and blessings to them, regardless of how they look.

Needs aren’t always visible. But kindness always makes a difference.

1.The task of the author at the shelter was to_______.

A．decide whether dinners looked poor

B．learn life experience there

C．serve hot food to the poor

D．help parents order dishes

2.When the man waited in line, how did the author feel?

A．Surprised         B．Pitiful             C．Excited           D．Angry

3.What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．We should show others kindness whatever their needs are

B．Some needs can’t be known clearly at times

C．Needs can always be met by kindness

D．We should find out others’ needs

A. Set a Good Example for Your Kids

B. Build Your Kids’ Work Skills

C. Place Time Limits on Leisure Activities

D. Talk about the Future on a Regular Basis

E. Help Kids Develop Strategies of dealing with different things

F. Help Your Kids Figure Out Who They Are

G. Build Your Kids’ Sense of Responsibility

How Can a Parent Help?

Mothers and fathers can do a lot to ensure a safe landing in early adulthood for their kids. Even if a job’s starting salary seems too small to satisfy an emerging adult’s need for rapid content, the transition from school to work can be less of a setback if the start-up adult is ready for the move. Here are a few measures, drawn from my book Ready or Not, Here Life Comes, which parents can take to prevent what I call “work-life unreadiness.”

1._________You can start this process when they are 11 or 12. Regularly review their emerging strengths and weaknesses with them and work together on any shortcomings, like difficulty in communicating well or cooperating. Also, identify the kinds of interests they keep coming back to, as these offer clues to the careers that will fit them best.

2.________Kids need a range of real role models. Have regular dinner-table discussions about people the family knows and how they got where they are. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of your own career and encourage your kids to form some ideas about their own future. When asked what they want to do, they should be discouraged from saying “I have no idea.” They can change their minds 200 times, but having only a foggy view of the future is of little good.

3._______Teachers are responsible for teaching kids how to learn; parents should be responsible for teaching them how to work. Assign responsibilities around the house and make sure homework deadlines are met. Encourage teenagers to take a part-time job. Kids need plenty of practice developing effective organizational skills, such as managing time and setting priorities(优先).

4._________Playing video games encourages immediate content（满足）. And hours of watching TV shows with canned laughter only teaches kids to process information in a passive way. At the same time, listening through earphones to the songs for a long time encourages kids to stay inside instead of participating in other outdoor activities. All these activities can prevent the growth of children’s communication and thinking skills and make it difficult for kids to develop the kind of sustained (持续的) concentration they will need for most jobs.

5._________They should know how to deal with setbacks, stresses and feelings of inadequacy. They should also learn how to solve problems and resolve conflicts, ways to brainstorm and think critically. Discussions at home can help kids practice doing these things and help them apply these skills to everyday life situations.

What about the son or daughter who is grown but seems to be struggling and wandering aimlessly through early adulthood? Parents still have a major role to play, but now it is more delicate. Most of all, these new adults must feel that they are respected and supported by a family that appreciates them.