Born to Win

Each human being is born as something unique, something that never existed before. Each person is born with what he needs to win at life. A normal person can see, hear, touch, taste, and think for himself. Each has his own unique potentials---his capabilities and limitations. Each can be an important, thinking, aware, and creatively productive person in his own right---a winner.

The words "winner" and "loser" have many meanings. When we refer to a person as a winner, we do not mean one who defeats the other person by dominating and making him lose. Instead a winner is one who responds honestly by being trustworthy and responsive, both as an individual and as a member of a society. A loser is one who fails to respond honestly.

A winner is not afraid to do his own thinking and to use his own knowledge. He can separate facts from opinion and doesn’t pretend to have all the answers. He listens to others, evaluates what they say, but comes to his own conclusions.

A winner is flexible. He does not have to respond in known, rigid ways. He can change his plans when the situation calls for it. A winner has a love for life. He enjoys work, play, food, other people, and the world of nature. Without guilt he enjoys his own accomplishments. Without envy he enjoys the accomplishments of others.

A winner cares about the world and its people. He is not separated from the general problems of society. He tries to improve the quality of life. Even in the face of national and international difficulty, he does not see himself as helpless. He does what he can to make the world a better place.

Although people are born to win, they are also born totally dependent on their environment. Winners successfully make the change from dependence to independence, losers do not. Somewhere along the line losers begin to avoid becoming independent. This usually begins in childhood. Poor nutrition, cruelty, unhappy relationships, disease, continuing disappointments, and inadequate physical care are among the many experiences that contribute to making people losers.

A loser is held back by his low capacity to appropriately express himself through a full range of possible behavior. He may be unaware of other choices for his life if the path he chooses goes nowhere. He is afraid to try new things. He repeats not only his own mistakes and often repeats those of his family and culture.

A loser has difficulty giving and receiving love. He does not enter into close, honest, direct relationships with others. Instead, he tries to manipulate them into living up to his expectations and channels his energies into living up to their expectations.

Today, traditional opinions about men still exist. A man has to be strong, brave, sports loving and manly. Anything less would not be considered manly. Sports such as football, basketball and boxing all tend (往往是) to be men’s sports. However, the dance of ballet is considered feminine because it requires nice movements. This tradition is shown in the movie, Billy Elliot.
Billy Elliot is a movie that protests against this traditional view of men. Billy Elliot is an eleven-year-old boy that has a natural talent for ballet dancing, but his father will not allow it. Billy’s father wants him to take up boxing and become stronger, but Billy goes against his father’s wishes and takes up ballet dancing. This difference of opinion makes Billy sad. What’s more, his friends also laugh at him.
After saving enough money, his father sends Billy to a weekly boxing course; however, Billy doesn’t enjoy boxing because he always loses in matches and is often hurt. His ballet teacher, Mrs. Wilkinson thinks that men or women should not be judged by the activities they like to do, so she tells Billy’s father that although he wants his son to make a good living, he should let his son do what he loves to do because he has a talent for it. When his father finally realizes the truth, Billy is surprised. In the end, with the help of his father, brother and all the people around him, Billy goes to the Royal Ballet Academy in London and becomes a very successful ballet dancer.

1. 1.

   The underlined word “feminine” in the first paragraph most probably means ______

   1. A.
      of men
   2. B.
      of children
   3. C.
      of women
   4. D.
      of students
2. 2.

   Why is Billy laughed at by other children?

   1. A.
      He always loses in boxing matches.
   2. B.
      He isn’t strong.
   3. C.
      He looks like a girl.
   4. D.
      He loves ballet.
3. 3.

   What do we know about Billy?

   1. A.
      His teacher encourages him to take up ballet dancing.
   2. B.
      He does well in ballet dancing and boxing.
   3. C.
      He does what his father wants him to do.
   4. D.
      He has never taken up any men’s sports.
4. 4.

   From Billy’s story, we can see that _______.

   1. A.
      children should accept their parents’ opinions
   2. B.
      we should try to fight against traditional opinions
   3. C.
      men and women play different sports
   4. D.
      parents should let their children do what they are interested in

Today, traditional opinions about men still exist. A man has to be strong, brave, sports loving and manly. Anything less would not be considered manly. Sports such as football, basketball and boxing all tend (往往是) to be men’s sports. However, the dance of ballet is considered feminine because it requires nice movements. This tradition is shown in the movie, Billy Elliot.
Billy Elliot is a movie that protests against this traditional view of men. Billy Elliot is an eleven-year-old boy that has a natural talent for ballet dancing, but his father will not allow it. Billy’s father wants him to take up boxing and become stronger, but Billy goes against his father’s wishes and takes up ballet dancing. This difference of opinion makes Billy sad. What’s more, his friends also laugh at him.
After saving enough money, his father sends Billy to a weekly boxing course; however, Billy doesn’t enjoy boxing because he always loses in matches and is often hurt. His ballet teacher, Mrs. Wilkinson thinks that men or women should not be judged by the activities they like to do, so she tells Billy’s father that although he wants his son to make a good living, he should let his son do what he loves to do because he has a talent for it. When his father finally realizes the truth, Billy is surprised. In the end, with the help of his father, brother and all the people around him, Billy goes to the Royal Ballet Academy in London and becomes a very successful ballet dancer.
【小题1】The underlined word “feminine” in the first paragraph most probably means ______

Today, traditional opinions about men still exist. A man has to be strong, brave, sports loving and manly. Anything less would not be considered manly. Sports such as football, basketball and boxing all tend (往往是) to be men’s sports. However, the dance of ballet is considered feminine because it requires nice movements. This tradition is shown in the movie, Billy Elliot.

Billy Elliot is a movie that protests against this traditional view of men. Billy Elliot is an eleven-year-old boy that has a natural talent for ballet dancing, but his father will not allow it. Billy’s father wants him to take up boxing and become stronger, but Billy goes against his father’s wishes and takes up ballet dancing. This difference of opinion makes Billy sad. What’s more, his friends also laugh at him.

After saving enough money, his father sends Billy to a weekly boxing course; however, Billy doesn’t enjoy boxing because he always loses in matches and is often hurt. His ballet teacher, Mrs. Wilkinson thinks that men or women should not be judged by the activities they like to do, so she tells Billy’s father that although he wants his son to make a good living, he should let his son do what he loves to do because he has a talent for it. When his father finally realizes the truth, Billy is surprised. In the end, with the help of his father, brother and all the people around him, Billy goes to the Royal Ballet Academy in London and becomes a very successful ballet dancer.

1.The underlined word “feminine” in the first paragraph most probably means ______

2.Why is Billy laughed at by other children?

3.What do we know about Billy?

4.From Billy’s story, we can see that _______.

First-time dog owners may encounter （遇到） many problems getting to know and train their pets. Sometimes a puppy, or even an older dog, will chew their fingers or bite them. Even in play, this can really hurt. Unfortunately, many pet owners tolerate（容忍） this in a young dog. However, when the dog gets larger, it is not fun to be bitten by it. Training a dog never to place his teeth on human skin or clothing is an important lesson. From now on, if you feel your dog’s teeth while you are playing with him, say “Ouch” in a loud voice and move away from him. He will soon learn that when he bites, you will not play with him any more.

Another bad habit that many people tolerate in their pets is allowing them to bite and hold on to clothing. Don’t let your dog do this to you. When he does something you want him to do, praise him and tell him he’s a good dog. You can also give him a treat at the same time he performs the good behavior. Eventually he will learn which kind of behavior is acceptable and which is not. Remember that a reward is more effective than punishment. If you reward your dog when he does what you want to, he will become very well behaved. Also remember that puppies need to chew on something. So give him a sock with a knot （结） tied in it or an old shoe. If he chews the wrong thing, take it away while saying “No” and give him something he can chew. If dogs are trained well, they will truly be your friends for a lifetime.

73. Why do you say “Ouch” in a loud voice and move away from the dog when you feel your dog’s teeth? （回答词数不超过8个）

74. What way does the author think of to train a good dog? （回答词数不超过10个）

75. What does the author want to tell us in the passage? （回答词数不超过5个）