Those who would attain the heights reached and kept by great men must- keep their ability polished by constant use, so that they may unlock the doors of knowledge, the gate that guard the entrances to the professions, to science, art, literature, agriculture—every department of human endeavor.
Industry keeps the key bright that opens the treasury of achievement.If Hugh Miller, after toiling all day in a quarry, had devoted his evenings to rest and recreation, he would never have become a famous geologist.The celebrated mathematician, Edmund Stone, would never have published a mathematical dictionary, never have found the key to science of mathematics, if he had given his spare moments to idleness, had the little Scotch lad, Ferguson, allowed the busy brain to go to sleep while he tended sheep on the hillside instead of calculating the position of the stars by a string of beads, he would never have become a famous astronomer.
Labor defeats all—not inconstant, or ill-directed labor; but faithful, persistent, daily effort toward a well-directed purpose.So industry is the price of noble and enduring success.

1. 1.

   What may be the meaning of the underlined word "rust" in the 1st paragraph?

   1. A.
      生锈
   2. B.
      成长
   3. C.
      进步
   4. D.
      快乐
2. 2.

   Why does a hardworking person even use the motto? Because ______.

   1. A.
      he wants to remind himself that he is a hardworking man.
   2. B.
      he wants to remind himself to rest from time to time
   3. C.
      he is afraid that he may idle
   4. D.
      he feels he can do the work required of them.
3. 3.

   By saying "Those who would attain the heights reached and kept by great men must keep their ability polished by constant use", the author means_______.

   1. A.
      great men keep their ability polished
   2. B.
      those who use their ability constantly would attain the great height
   3. C.
      those who want to get great achievements must practice their ability constantly
   4. D.
      great men polish their ability to reach their height
4. 4.

   The main point of the 3rd paragraph is that ______

   1. A.
      industry is more important than agriculture.
   2. B.
      giving some examples of how industry works in achieving great success.
   3. C.
      what industry really means here
   4. D.
      industry can keep the keys bright

Super- short tales of the unexpected, plus read- along tapes!

Twenty soft- cover 16-page mini books help students attain reading success through a high interest approach (方法). Audio cassettes, perfect for the ESL (English as a second Language) students, build listening skills by teaching pronunciation, giving oral directions, and presenting vocabulary words in context.

Each story is followed by four pages of short, simple comprehension and vocabulary exercises.

Price: $6.00 for each pack of books

(including five books).

$7.00 for each cassettes

(all together four cassettes).

Publisher: Shanghai Educational Publish House, Simon & Schuster.

5. The exercises following each story are bout ________.

A. vocabulary and comprehension       B. listening and speaking

C. comprehension and writing          D. listening and vocabulary

6. There are ________ packs of the books in this set.

A. 4            B. 5               C. 9                   D. 20

7. If you want to buy all the books plus read- along tapes, how much do you have to pay?

A. $ 24           B. 28              C. 58                  D. 52

       Ask most people how they define the American Dream and chances are they’ll say, “Success.” The dream of individual opportunity has been present in America since Europeans discovered “The New World” in the Western Hemisphere. Early immigrants like Hector St. Jean de Crevecoeur highly praised the freedom and opportunity to be found in this new land. His enthusiastic descriptions of a classless society where anyone could attain success through honesty and hard work fired the imaginations of many European readers. In Letters from an American Farmer (1782) he wrote, “We are all excited at the spirit of an industry which is unfettered （无拘无束的） and unrestrained, because each person works for himself … We have no princes, for whom we toil （干苦力活）, starve, and bleed. We are the most perfect society now existing in the world.” The promise of a land where “the rewards of a man’s industry follow with equal steps the progress of his labor” drew poor immigrants from Europe and fueled national expansion into the western lands.

      Our national historical story is full of illustration of the American success story. For instance, Benjamin Franklin was the very model of the self-educated, self-made man, who rose from modest origins to become a well-known scientist, philosopher, and statesman. In the nineteenth century, Horatio Alger, a writer of fiction for young boys, became American’s best-selling author with his rags-to-riches tales. The idea of success impressed us: we spend millions every year reading about the rich and famous, learning how to “make a fortune in real estate（房地产） with no money down,” and “dressing for success.” The story of success has even affected our personal relationships: today it’s as important to be “successful” in marriage or parenthoods as it is to come out on top in business.

      But dreams easily turn into nightmares. Every American who hopes to “make it” also knows the fear of failure, because the story of success implies comparison between the haves and the have-nots, the stars and the unknown crowd. Under pressure of the story, we become lost in status symbols: we try to live in the “right” neighborhoods, wear the “right” clothes, and eat the “right” foods. These symbols of distinction assure us and others that we believe strongly in the fundamental equality of all, yet try as hard as we can to separate ourselves from our fellow citizens.

1. What is the nature of the American Dream according to Crevecoeur?

   A. People are free to develop their power of imagination.

   B. People who are honest and work hard can succeed.

   C. People are free from being used and treated badly.

   D. People can fully enjoy individual freedom.

2. By saying “the rewards of a man’s industry follow with equal steps the progress of his   

   labor”, the author means __________ .

   A. the more hard-working one is, the bigger his returns are

   B. hard work ensures the growth of an industry

   C. a man’s business should be developed step by step

   D. a company’s success depends on its employees’ hard work

3. It can be inferred from the last sentence of Paragraph 2 that _________.

   A. business success often contributes to a successful marriage

   B. Americans wish to succeed in every aspect of life

   C. good personal relationships lead to business success

   D. successful business people provide good care for their children

4. What is the paradox（矛盾）of American culture according to the author of the passage?

   A. The American road to success is full of nightmares.

   B. Status symbols are not a real symbol of a person’s wealth.

   C. The American Dream is nothing but an empty dream.

   D. What Americans fight for often disagrees with their beliefs.

When in doubt, cut that out! Yeah, yeah, doubting Thomas may have had a point in his day, and life may not be what you want it to be, but if you constantly doubt yourself, how can you accomplish anything?

Where is your confidence? What possible good can come from taking the negative aspect of any situation and growing it into acceptance?

The purpose of achievement is to attain a goal. So, if you set your goals and strive to get there, it should be assumed that you are moving toward your goals no matter what you are doing, right?

When watching a football game, one of those great high school starter games, set to determine who starts when the real game begin. I noticed the coach called “defense” only when the team was “protecting” their goal. As long as the team was fighting for more ground they played “offense”. Along the same lines, I've heard the phrase, “A strong defense requires a good offense.” Simply put, if you concentrate more on gaining ground than on protecting your goal, your accomplishments will be greater. Time spent protecting your goal is wasted time, when you could be working toward attaining your goal rather than preventing others from reaching their goal.

In business, if you waste your time focusing on what the competition is doing rather than working toward meeting your goals, you don't get very far.

Focus your attention on where you're going. Don't waste time worrying about where the competition is. You will gain ground while they are watching you. Smile as you reach your destination.

6. The writer of the passage intends to tell us________.

A. a common rule in a football game

B. how to beat your competitors

C. to overcome our doubt and achieve our goals

D. how to deal with our doubt in life

7. The author's purpose of mentioning Thomas in the first paragraph is to________.

A. show that famous people can change our life

B. tell us that successful people never doubt themselves

C. ask us to learn from successful people

D. tell us it's quite natural for people to doubt themselves

8. The author suggests that in business we should________.

A. avoid too much competition

B. seek as much cooperation as possible

C. focus on our own goals

D. know our competitors as well as ourselves

9. What did the author learn from watching a football game?

A. Slow and steady win the race.

B. A good offense is the best defense.

C. Teamwork leads to success.

D. A miss is as good as a mile.

10. The passage is intended for________.

A. football players         B. coaches

C. businessmen           D. common readers

"If I rest, I rust"——would be an excellent motto for those who are troubled by the slightest bit of idleness．Even the most hard-working person might adopt it with advantage to serve as a reminder that, if one allows his abilities to rest, like the iron in the unused key, they will soon show signs of rust and, eventually, cannot do the work required of them．
Those who would attain the heights reached and kept by great men must- keep their ability polished by constant use, so that they may unlock the doors of knowledge, the gate that guard the entrances to the professions, to science, art, literature, agriculture—every department of human endeavor．
Industry keeps the key bright that opens the treasury of achievement．If Hugh Miller, after toiling all day in a quarry, had devoted his evenings to rest and recreation, he would never have become a famous geologist．The celebrated mathematician, Edmund Stone, would never have published a mathematical dictionary, never have found the key to science of mathematics, if he had given his spare moments to idleness, had the little Scotch lad, Ferguson, allowed the busy brain to go to sleep while he tended sheep on the hillside instead of calculating the position of the stars by a string of beads, he would never have become a famous astronomer．
Labor defeats all—not inconstant, or ill-directed labor; but faithful, persistent, daily effort toward a well-directed purpose．So industry is the price of noble and enduring success．
【小题1】What may be the meaning of the underlined word "rust" in the 1st paragraph?