阅读理解

　　Catherine Destivelle is a rock star．She loves rock, but she can’t sing or play the guitar! She is a rock climber and a big star in France and Italy．She is the most famous woman climber in the world because she often climbs without ropes．She climbs in many countries but most often in the French Alps near Chamonix, where she lives．She started climbing near her home in Paris when she was five．Then, at fourteen, she joined the French Alpine Club to learn more, but immediately she climbed better and more quickly than the older members of the club．She won her first competition in Italy in 1995．

　　Three years ago she found a new route up the Dru Mountain near Chamonix．The climb took eleven days and for four days the snow was so heavy that she could not move．Last year other climbers tried to follow the new Destivelle Route, but they failed．They are going to try again this year．

　　People always ask her about her climbing．She says, “I climb because I’m in love with mountains．I like touching the rock and reading the face of the rock．I like it a lot．I felt at home on the side of a mountain．I prepare well before I go, so I’m never worried．”

　　Catherine chooses new mountains from books－like buying from a shopping catalogue(目录)! “I see a nice mountain and I go to climb it!” Her next mountain is in Pakistan．She is going there next month．“It’s much bigger than the Dru, so it’s going to take longer to climb．An American climber, Jeff Lowe, is coming with me to help．”

阅读理解

　　We live in an age of unprecedented(空前的)opportunity：If you’ve got ambition, drive, and smarts, you can rise to the top of your chosen profession－regardless of where you started out from．But nowadays companies aren’t managing their knowledge workers’ careers．Rather, we must each be our own chief executive officer．Only when you operate from a combination of your strengths and self-knowledge can you achieve true and lasting excellence．

　　To build a life of excellence, begin by asking yourself these questions：

　　“What Are My Strengths?”

　　To accurately identify your strengths, use feedback analysis．Every time you make a key decision, write down the outcome you expect．Several months later, compare the actual results with your expected results．Look for patterns in what you are seeing：What results are you skilled at generating? What unproductive habits are preventing you from creating the outcomes you desire? In identifying opportunities for improvement, don’t waste time developing skill areas where you have little competence．Instead, concentrate on and build on your strengths．

　　“How Do I Work?”

　　In what ways do you work best? Do you process information most effectively by reading it, or by hearing others discuss it? Do you accomplish the most by working with other people, or by working alone? Do you perform best while making decisions, or while advising others on key matters? Are you in top form when things get stressful, or do you function well in a highly predictable environment?

　　“What Are My Values?”

　　What are your ethics(道德标准)? What do you see as your most important responsibilities for living a worthy, ethical life? Do your organization’s ethics resonate(共鸣)with your own values? If not, your career will be likely to be marked by frustration and poor performance．

　　“Where Do I Belong?”

　　Consider your strengths, preferred work style, and values．Based on these qualities, what kind of work environment would you fit it best? Find the perfect fit, and you’ll transform yourself from a merely acceptable employee into a star performer．

　　“What Can I Contribute?”

　　In earlier eras, companies told businesspeople what their contribution should be．Today, you have choices．To decide how you can best improve your organization’s performance, first ask what the situation requires．Based on your strengths, work style, and values, how might you make the greatest contribution to your organization’s efforts?