He told us _____ she had done. 

A. that where    B. when all    C. all what    D. all which

I was working with a client who was completely burned out on her career and life and then ready for a career change. As we were talking, she said, “I just wish I had meaningful work. I don’t feel like I am making a difference. I am just wasting my life.” This is the theme I hear most often from clients who have been in the workforce awhile. All of us want to feel like we are making a difference. We want to believe our work means something. The problem comes in defining “meaningful work.” What is it? That answer is different for everyone. For some meaningful work might be helping others organize their office. For others it may mean making a million dollars.

What really matters is how you see it. What is meaningful work to you? Take out a piece of paper and answer these questions. How do you define meaningful work? When do you feel like you are really making a difference? What work have you done so far that feels the most meaningful? Write down whatever comes to mind.

It is very easy to start judging yourself as being selfish. Stop! Allow yourself to be honest. The fact is when Picasso painted, he was doing it because he liked to paint. He was not thinking. “Oh I hope this brings joy to others’ lives.” He painted because he wanted to. When Beethoven composed, he did it because he loved music. Even scientists searching for a cure for cancer are immersed in their work because it fascinates them.

It is easy to downplay the importance of work that feels meaningful. I remember Tony Robbins told a story of talking with the owner of a major company. The man said to Tony, “I wish I could do what you do because it makes such a difference in people’s lives.” Tony said, “You’ve got to be kidding! Look at what a difference you make. You provide work, health insurance and security for thousands of people! ” Don’t underestimate the value you provide.

Take a look at what you have written about meaningful work. Do you see any themes? How do you wish to contribute to this world? Whatever you choose, remember that the greatest gift you can give is to find work that makes you feel fulfilled and joyful. Honor your preferences because giving your gifts to the world, whatever they look like, is the most meaningful action you can ever take.

1．Which should come first to see whether you are doing something meaningful?

       A．What is meaningful work to you?

       B．Where can you find meaningful work?

       C．How do you wish to contribute to the world?

       D．How can you make a difference in your work?

2．What does the writer mean by mentioning the famous people?

       A．Famous people are selfish to start work for themselves.

       B．Doing meaningful work requires our interest in it.

       C．Interest is the best teacher in learning.

       D．Honesty makes for the greatest people.

3．When you downplay the value of your work, you tend to think it is          .

       A．quite different                                      B．very successful

       C．not meaningful                                    D．less important

4．According to the passage, what meaningful job does the writer advise us to take?

       A．The one which is popular in society.      B．The one which brings you profits.

       C．The one which wins you fame.             D．The one which interests you.

5．The article is intended to             .

       A．explain the most important aspect in changing one’s career

       B．advise taking a preferable action to find meaningful work

       C．suggest we should show confidence and talent in work

       D．show as how to give our greatest gift to society

Peggy Hilt wanted to be a good mother. But day after day, she got out of bed feeling like a failure. No matter what she tried, she couldn’t connect with Nina, the 2-year -old girl she’d adopted from Russia as an infant （幼儿). The preschooler （学龄前儿童）pulled away whenever Hilt tried to hug or kiss her. Nina was physically aggressive with her 4-year-old sister, who had been adopted from Ukraine, and had violent tantrums（发脾气). Whenever Hilt wasn’t watching, she destroyed the family’s furniture and possessions. “Every day with Nina had become a struggle,” she recalls now.

    As the girl grew older, things got worse. Hilt fell into a deep depression. She started drinking heavily, something she’d never done before. Ashamed, she hid her problem from everyone, including her husband.

    On the morning of July 1, 2005, Hilt was packing for a family vocation, all the while swallowing one beer after another and growing increasingly angry and impatient with Nina’s deeds. “Everything she did just got to me,” Hilt said. When Hilt caught her reaching into her diaper（尿布）and smearing feces（粪便）on the walls and furniture, “a year and a half of frustration came to a head,” Hilt says. “I snapped（崩溃). I felt this uncontrollable rage.”

    Then Hilt did something unthinkable. She grabbed Nina around the neck, shook her and then dropped her to the floor, where she kicked her repeatedly before dragging her up to her room, punching her as they went. “I had never hit a child before,” she says. “I felt horrible and promised myself that this would never happen again.” But it was too late for that. Nina woke up with a fever, and then started throwing up. The next day she stopped breathing. By the time the ambulance got the child to the hospital, she was dead.

Hilt is now serving a 19-year sentence for second-degree murder in a Virginia prison. She and her husband divorced, and he is raising their other daughter. She realizes the horror of her crime and says she isn’t looking for sympathy. “There is no punishment severe enough for what I did,” she told NEWSWEEK in an interview at the prison.

This story mainly tells us __________.

A. a cruel mother who killed her daughter

B. a social problem of adoption

C. a family problem in Western countries

D. an unlucky child’s fortune

How did Hilt let out her depression at the beginning?

A. By hitting her adopted girl.

B. By showing her more love.

C. By drinking heavily.

D. By hugging and kissing her.

What does the underlined sentence in Para.4 mean?

A. It was too late to hit the girl in order to make her good.

B. It was too late to save the girl’s life.

C. It was too late to regret hitting the girl.

D. It was too late to regret adopting the girl.

“NEWSWEEK” in the last sentence of this text refers to a __________.

A. magazine         B. journalist       C. book        D. policeman

Why do some adoptions go so wrong？

   A. It’s the kid’s fault.              B. It’s the mother’s fault.

   C. It’s the fault of the society.           D. The writer doesn’t mention the reason.

Peggy Hilt wanted to be a good mother. But day after day, she got out of bed feeling like a failure. No matter what she tried, she couldn’t connect with Nina, the 2-year -old girl she’d adopted from Russia as an infant （幼儿). The preschooler （学龄前儿童）pulled away whenever Hilt tried to hug or kiss her. Nina was physically aggressive with her 4-year-old sister, who had been adopted from Ukraine, and had violent tantrums（发脾气). Whenever Hilt wasn’t watching, she destroyed the family’s furniture and possessions. “Every day with Nina had become a struggle,” she recalls now.
As the girl grew older, things got worse. Hilt fell into a deep depression. She started drinking heavily, something she’d never done before. Ashamed, she hid her problem from everyone, including her husband.
On the morning of July 1, 2005, Hilt was packing for a family vocation, all the while swallowing one beer after another and growing increasingly angry and impatient with Nina’s deeds. “Everything she did just got to me,” Hilt said. When Hilt caught her reaching into her diaper（尿布）and smearing feces（粪便）on the walls and furniture, “a year and a half of frustration came to a head,” Hilt says. “I snapped（崩溃). I felt this uncontrollable rage.”
Then Hilt did something unthinkable. She grabbed Nina around the neck, shook her and then dropped her to the floor, where she kicked her repeatedly before dragging her up to her room, punching her as they went. “I had never hit a child before,” she says. “I felt horrible and promised myself that this would never happen again.” But it was too late for that. Nina woke up with a fever, and then started throwing up. The next day she stopped breathing. By the time the ambulance got the child to the hospital, she was dead.
Hilt is now serving a 19-year sentence for second-degree murder in a Virginia prison. She and her husband divorced, and he is raising their other daughter. She realizes the horror of her crime and says she isn’t looking for sympathy. “There is no punishment severe enough for what I did,” she told NEWSWEEK in an interview at the prison.
【小题1】 This story mainly tells us __________.

Peggy Hilt wanted to be a good mother. But day after day, she got out of bed feeling like a failure. No matter what she tried, she couldn’t connect with Nina, the 2-year -old girl she’d adopted from Russia as an infant （幼儿). The preschooler （学龄前儿童）pulled away whenever Hilt tried to hug or kiss her. Nina was physically aggressive with her 4-year-old sister, who had been adopted from Ukraine, and had violent tantrums（发脾气). Whenever Hilt wasn’t watching, she destroyed the family’s furniture and possessions. “Every day with Nina had become a struggle,” she recalls now.
As the girl grew older, things got worse. Hilt fell into a deep depression. She started drinking heavily, something she’d never done before. Ashamed, she hid her problem from everyone, including her husband.
On the morning of July 1, 2005, Hilt was packing for a family vocation, all the while swallowing one beer after another and growing increasingly angry and impatient with Nina’s deeds. “Everything she did just got to me,” Hilt said. When Hilt caught her reaching into her diaper（尿布）and smearing feces（粪便）on the walls and furniture, “a year and a half of frustration came to a head,” Hilt says. “I snapped（崩溃). I felt this uncontrollable rage.”
Then Hilt did something unthinkable. She grabbed Nina around the neck, shook her and then dropped her to the floor, where she kicked her repeatedly before dragging her up to her room, punching her as they went. “I had never hit a child before,” she says. “I felt horrible and promised myself that this would never happen again.” But it was too late for that. Nina woke up with a fever, and then started throwing up. The next day she stopped breathing. By the time the ambulance got the child to the hospital, she was dead.
Hilt is now serving a 19-year sentence for second-degree murder in a Virginia prison. She and her husband divorced, and he is raising their other daughter. She realizes the horror of her crime and says she isn’t looking for sympathy. “There is no punishment severe enough for what I did,” she told NEWSWEEK in an interview at the prison.

1. 1.

   This story mainly tells us __________.

   1. A.
      a cruel mother who killed her daughter
   2. B.
      a social problem of adoption
   3. C.
      a family problem in Western countries
   4. D.
      an unlucky child’s fortune
2. 2.

   How did Hilt let out her depression at the beginning?

   1. A.
      By hitting her adopted girl.
   2. B.
      By showing her more love.
   3. C.
      By drinking heavily.
   4. D.
      By hugging and kissing her.
3. 3.

   What does the underlined sentence in Para.4 mean?

   1. A.
      It was too late to hit the girl in order to make her good.
   2. B.
      It was too late to save the girl’s life.
   3. C.
      It was too late to regret hitting the girl.
   4. D.
      It was too late to regret adopting the girl.
4. 4.

   “NEWSWEEK” in the last sentence of this text refers to a __________.

   1. A.
      magazine
   2. B.
      journalist
   3. C.
      book
   4. D.
      policeman
5. 5.

   Why do some adoptions go so wrong？

   1. A.
      It’s the kid’s fault.
   2. B.
      It’s the mother’s fault.
   3. C.
      It’s the fault of the society.
   4. D.
      The writer doesn’t mention the reason.