The Great Fire was not seen as a total tragedy, however. The miserable conditions of the city had been attacked by physicians  (医师) and humanitarians (人道主义者) for years before the fire; thus, with the opportunity clearly presented to create  a shining new city, artists and craftsmen from all over England hurried to submit their designs for the rebuilding of London.

Among those who submitted plans was Sir Christopher Wren, one of England's leading architects and the Surveyor General of London. The task of rebuilding the city was given to him. Wren realized that the Great Fire would not have been so damaging if the city had been better laid out: broader streets were needed to replace the crooked, narrow lanes overhung with old wooden houses and shops. He also felt that redesigning the main streets of London would result in increased and more effective transportation within the city.

Shortly after Wren began working on his first drafts for the rebuilding, King Charles I made an announcement prohibiting the construction of any house or shop within the city limits until after the plans were completed. When the plans were revealed to the citizens of London, however, they were overwhelmingly (不可抵抗的) rejected. The most active leaders of the opposition were the landlords, who feared that such a complete widening of the streets would reduce the amount of land available for development.

Winter was approaching; consequently, it was necessary for the rebuilding to proceed at once. Permission was, therefore, granted for the town people and landlords to commence (着手) reconstruction of their houses and shops at the sites where they had been before the fire. Had the need for immediate action not been so pressing, some kind of compromise (折衷) could likely have been reached. This was not to be, however, and the ideas that could have made London one of the world's most beautiful cities never came to pass.

　　  1. Who was the head of the British government at the time of the Great Fire of London?

　　　　   A. Elizabeth the First.　　  B. General Surveyor.

　　  C. Sir Christopher Wren.　　 D. Charles the First.

　　  2. What became of the plans for the rebuilding of London?

　　　　   A. Nothing—they were never finished.

　　　　   B. They were adopted in modified form.

　　　　   C. They were followed and London was rebuilt at once.

　　　　   D. Nothing—London was rebuilt as it had been before the fire.

　　  3. Which of the following describes the author's probable attitude toward Sir Christopher Wren's plans?

　　　　   A. He feels it would have been a mistake to rebuild London according to Wren’s designs.

　　　　   B. He feels it was a mistake for London not to have been rebuilt according to Wren's designs.

　　　　   C. He feels that someone other than Wren should have been chosen to plan the rebuilding.

　　　　   D. He feels that Wren's ideas had much more influence than is commonly acknowledged.

　　  4. Which of the following would be an appropriate title for the passage?

　　　　   A. The Life and Times of Sir Christopher Wren.

　　    B. The Rebuilding of London.

　　　　   C. The Destruction of Fish Street Hill.

　　　　   D. The London That Might Have Been.

A type of reading which necessitates (成为必要) careful attention to detail is proofreading (校正), in which the reader, in order to detect misprints in a sample print, has to notice not so much the meaning of what he reads as the exact shape and order of letters and words in the text. This is extremely difficult for most people, since they are accustomed (习惯的) to overlook such details. In fact, considerable practice is required to practice this task efficiently and it can be done only by reading very slowly, and by paying comparatively little attention to the general meaning of the text.

　　 1. The author claims that there is a difference in reading speed——.

　　　　   A. between the poorly educated and the highly educated

    B. among all readers

　　　　   C. among different poorly educated adults only

　　　　   D. among different highly educated adults only

　　 2. A good reader is a reader who——.

　　　　   A. concentrates on the key words only

　　　　   B. changes his speed according to the kind of text

　　　　   C. always reads slowly but carefully

　　　　   D. changes his speed according to his liking for the book

　　 3. The last two sentences of the first paragraph mean that——.

　　　　   A. a reading speed too fast for difficult material is just right for a non-serious book

　　　　   B. a reading speed too slow for a non-serious book is also too slow for a difficult one

　　　　   C. a reading speed too slow for a non-serious book may be too fast for a difficult one

　　　　   D. a reading speed too slow for a difficult book is just right for a non-serious one

　　 4. Proofreading is of no use unless one is prepared to——.

　　　　   A. read very quickly　　　　  B. pay attention to the meaning of the text

　　　　   C. read very slowly　　　　   D. make changes here and there

On the night of September 2, 1600, a fire broke out in a baker's shop near Fish Street Hill in London. Before the flames were finally put out, nearly the entire city had been reduced to ashes. Over thirteen thousand homes, fifty churches, and numerous public buildings and hospitals were lost in the blaze. For all practical purposes, London was destroyed.

The Great Fire was not seen as a total tragedy, however. The miserable conditions of the city had been attacked by physicians  (医师) and humanitarians (人道主义者) for years before the fire; thus, with the opportunity clearly presented to create  a shining new city, artists and craftsmen from all over England hurried to submit their designs for the rebuilding of London.

Among those who submitted plans was Sir Christopher Wren, one of England's leading architects and the Surveyor General of London. The task of rebuilding the city was given to him. Wren realized that the Great Fire would not have been so damaging if the city had been better laid out: broader streets were needed to replace the crooked, narrow lanes overhung with old wooden houses and shops. He also felt that redesigning the main streets of London would result in increased and more effective transportation within the city.

Shortly after Wren began working on his first drafts for the rebuilding, King Charles I made an announcement prohibiting the construction of any house or shop within the city limits until after the plans were completed. When the plans were revealed to the citizens of London, however, they were overwhelmingly (不可抵抗的) rejected. The most active leaders of the opposition were the landlords, who feared that such a complete widening of the streets would reduce the amount of land available for development.

Winter was approaching; consequently, it was necessary for the rebuilding to proceed at once. Permission was, therefore, granted for the town people and landlords to commence (着手) reconstruction of their houses and shops at the sites where they had been before the fire. Had the need for immediate action not been so pressing, some kind of compromise (折衷) could likely have been reached. This was not to be, however, and the ideas that could have made London one of the world's most beautiful cities never came to pass.

　　  1. Who was the head of the British government at the time of the Great Fire of London?

　　　　   A. Elizabeth the First.　　  B. General Surveyor.

　　  C. Sir Christopher Wren.　　 D. Charles the First.

　　  2. What became of the plans for the rebuilding of London?

　　　　   A. Nothing—they were never finished.

　　　　   B. They were adopted in modified form.

　　　　   C. They were followed and London was rebuilt at once.

　　　　   D. Nothing—London was rebuilt as it had been before the fire.

　　  3. Which of the following describes the author's probable attitude toward Sir Christopher Wren's plans?

　　　　   A. He feels it would have been a mistake to rebuild London according to Wren’s designs.

　　　　   B. He feels it was a mistake for London not to have been rebuilt according to Wren's designs.

　　　　   C. He feels that someone other than Wren should have been chosen to plan the rebuilding.

　　　　   D. He feels that Wren's ideas had much more influence than is commonly acknowledged.

　　  4. Which of the following would be an appropriate title for the passage?

　　　　   A. The Life and Times of Sir Christopher Wren.

　　    B. The Rebuilding of London.

　　　　   C. The Destruction of Fish Street Hill.

　　　　   D. The London That Might Have Been.

A．Make a list of obstacles and benefits of achieving your goal

　　　 B．Enlist the help of others

　　　 C．Learn what you need to learn

　　　 D．Visualize yourself having achieved each of your goals

　　　 E．Get organized and reward yourself each step of the way

　　　 F．Put your goals in writing

The goals that guide us

　　　 “Not all who wander are lost,” they say, but for the great majority of us, having a road map for the future is a key element to well-being and success, however we choose to define it．This means setting goals for ourselves, and finding ways to achieve them．If you’re a wanderer, it might be time to realize the great significance of setting goals．

　　　 It’s simply a fact: when people have goals to guide them, they are happier and achieve more than they would without having them．It’s a brain thing．Achieving a goal you’ve set produces a neurotransmitter （神经传递素） responsible for feelings of pleasure, which will then activate neural circuitry that makes you eager to pursue new challenges．

　　　 Of course, a thousand mile journey starts with the first small step．And whether we’re starting on the long journey of a mid-life career switch or the walk to the bedroom to finally organize that closet, it can be hard to gather up the motivation to make that initial step．While setting goals is in itself motivating, sometimes it’s just not enough．Here are some tried-and-true ways you can begin to move toward achieving your goals．

61．　　　　

　　　 The act of writing down what you are going to do is a strong motivator．Writing down goals prevents you from leaving your goals vague．Be specific．Use action verbs．Let your goals have measurable outcomes．Specify completion dates．Also record what your reward will be for achieving the goal．Make a contract with yourself, then read it each morning and night．This will help you to be more committed to your goal as each day passes．And while you’ve got the pen in your hand．．．

62．　　　　

　　　 Think of everything that might stand in your way．Then decide what you can do about each obstacle．Design a plan to reduce the influence of each obstacle and increase the chances that you will be successful in reaching your goal．Knowing exactly what you will gain from reaching your goal is a strong motivator．Keeping my checkbook balanced will give me more spending money on the weekends．Walking a mile every morning will help me stay focused at work．

63．　　　　

　　　 If information or skill is keeping you from achieving your goals, determine ways to fill in the gaps, and build this into your action plan．Be willing to study and work hard to reach your goals． Think about how much time and effort will be required, and ask yourself whether you are really willing and able to do what is necessary．It is better to adjust your goals or your timetable than to proceed with a plan that is unrealistic．

64．　　　　

　　　 Find someone, a coworker or friend, with whom you share a common goal．Get someone to go to the gym with you, or to quit smoking with you, or to share healthy meals with you．A partner can help you stay committed and motivated．Look for role models, people who have already achieved the goals you seek to reach．Ask them for advice and suggestions．Find how they got where they are, and incorporate what you learn into your plan．

65．　　　　

　　　 The more real you can make your visualization, the better．Find a quiet place, visualize, and write down your experiences afterward．Go through magazines and cut out pictures that represent your goal, then put them around the house．Provide constant reminders to yourself about what you’re working towards．Describe your ideal life in the future．Write a few paragraphs describing what you have accomplished, and how your life is better as a result．Use the present tense as if it is happening right here, right now．This is another way of making your vision real．

There is no doubt that adults, and even highly educated adults, vary greatly in the speed and efficiency of their reading. Some proceed (开展) very slowly throughout; others dash along (滔滔不绝) too quickly and then have to regress. Poor readers in particular may lack the ability to vary their manner of reading according to the type of reading matter and to their intentions in reading it. A good reader can move at great speed through the text of a novel or similar light reading matter. He may be able to skim a page, picking up a word or two here and there, and gain a general idea of what the text is about without really reading it. In reading more difficult material, with the intention of taking in the whole of it, he will proceed more slowly, but even then he will vary his pace, concentrating on the key words and passages, perhaps rereading them several times and pass more quickly over the remainder. A less efficient reader tends to maintain the same speed whatever the material he reads. Consequently even light reading matter gives him little pleasure because he reads so slowly. But this pace may be too fast for really difficult material which requires special concentration at difficult points.

A type of reading which necessitates (成为必要) careful attention to detail is proofreading (校正), in which the reader, in order to detect misprints in a sample print, has to notice not so much the meaning of what he reads as the exact shape and order of letters and words in the text. This is extremely difficult for most people, since they are accustomed (习惯的) to overlook such details. In fact, considerable practice is required to practice this task efficiently and it can be done only by reading very slowly, and by paying comparatively little attention to the general meaning of the text.

　　 1. The author claims that there is a difference in reading speed——.

　　　　   A. between the poorly educated and the highly educated

    B. among all readers

　　　　   C. among different poorly educated adults only

　　　　   D. among different highly educated adults only

　　 2. A good reader is a reader who——.

　　　　   A. concentrates on the key words only

　　　　   B. changes his speed according to the kind of text

　　　　   C. always reads slowly but carefully

　　　　   D. changes his speed according to his liking for the book

　　 3. The last two sentences of the first paragraph mean that——.

　　　　   A. a reading speed too fast for difficult material is just right for a non-serious book

　　　　   B. a reading speed too slow for a non-serious book is also too slow for a difficult one

　　　　   C. a reading speed too slow for a non-serious book may be too fast for a difficult one

　　　　   D. a reading speed too slow for a difficult book is just right for a non-serious one

　　 4. Proofreading is of no use unless one is prepared to——.

　　　　   A. read very quickly　　　　  B. pay attention to the meaning of the text

　　　　   C. read very slowly　　　　   D. make changes here and there