This is a story of a man who works in a big factory. He was a little bit strange, I think. A little bit short. A little bit dirty. He always wore an old red hat and he always carried a rubbish bag. He usually spent his break time and his lunchtime by walking around in that old big factory to collect the unused tins scattered around the place.

I have been following him for years and years, does not matter it is hot or cold. I followed him whenever he walks to his old pick-up car in a very cold weather when the snow fell down onto the earth.

I saw him there, with a lot of rubbish bags, which were full of tins. He threw them into the back of his car then he got into the car. After that, I got into my car as well and we were raced until we reached the exit door of this wide, empty parking area.

Today, I was fixing one of the broken machines in the factory when this “tin man” came with his bag. As usual, he picked up the tins. My manager was standing there to watch me. He was worried about the delay caused by the machine that could affect the production in the factory.

When I finished my job, I heard my manager asked the “tin man” about what he was going to do with those tins that he had collected. I never even thought about this kind of question, because I always had an assumption that this “tin man” would destroy those tins in the recycled place.

Unexpectedly, this “tin man” answered, “I will give these tins to my neighbor; he had epilepsy（癫痫）and he can not work. ”

I was so shocked to hear that, so I asked him, “You mean you collect all those tins just to help your neighbor?”

“I know this does not help much”, he said. “But I give everything to him, because he can not work. He has a lot of weaknesses. ”

Right in that factory, I found myself slapped in front of Jesus. This “tin man” who only wore a T-shirt and an old red hat and carried a rubbish bag, which were full of tins, has made an evident (显然) of Christ.

It was the most beautiful moment in my life, which had made me humble (谦恭的) every day in my lifetime.

“Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

1. The author never asked the “tin man” what he would do with the tins because _________.

A. the tin man was a little bit strange, short and dirty

B. the author knew what he would do with the tins

C. the author had been following him for years and years

D. the author considered him an ordinary tin collector

2. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A. The author raced his car with the tin man for the parking place.

B. The tin man collected abandoned tins to help his sick neighbor.

C. The tin man’s neighbor depended completely on him for life.

D. The manager was worried that the tin man would delay the production.

3. What does the underlined sentence in the passage mean?

A. The author was slapped in front of Jesus so he felt humble every day in his lifetime.

B. The author felt humble because he had never found a man who made an evident of Christ.

C. It was a moment when the author felt regretful because he had rejected the tin man.

D. It was a beautiful moment when the author realized he should be humble to others in his lifetime.

4. Which of the following sayings best suits the lesson of the story?

A. Never judge a book by its cover. 　

B. A candle lights others and consumes itself.

C. A fall into a pit, a gain in your wit.

D. Every man is the architect of his own fortune.

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.