When it comes to success in business and success in life, there are few qualities as important as confidence.

People naturally have different levels of confidence. Some have a higher level of confidence than others do, but even those whose confidence is lacking can learn to build their level of confidence and reach their most important goals. Increasing self confidence is one of the most common reasons people give for seeking the help of psychologists and other professionals.

One of the many places where a greater level of confidence is useful is in the workplace. We all know how difficult it can be, for instance, to ask the boss for a raise. This process can be extremely difficult for those who lack confidence in their own abilities．After all, if you are unsure about your own abilities, how will you ever convince your boss that you deserve more money for the work you do?

Even if you are not asking for that big raise, having plenty of confidence in your abilities is important to success. If you are certain of your abilities, chances are that those around you, whether they are your coworkers, your colleagues or your superiors, will see that confidence, and that will help to assure them that you are the best at what you do.

Being thought of as the person to go to, and being seen as an expert in your chosen field, is naturally very important to success on the job. If you can make yourself the person people go to for guidance and advice, you will help to protect yourself from the ever present danger of downsizing(裁员).After all, if you are a recognized expert at the office, you will be regarded as an indispensable member of the team.

Having a high level of confidence, after all, does not mean overlooking the places where you could improve. Knowing what you do well and where you need help will help you enjoy increased success and confidence.

63. What is the passage mainly about?

　　 A. The influence of confidence on one's life.

　　 B. The importance of confidence to success

　　 C. The difference of people's confidence.

　　 D. The judgment on one's confidence.

64. Psychologists and other professionals can offer help to those ______.

　　 A. who think their goals are hard to reach

　　 B. who expect to give guidance to others

　　 C. who want to ask the boss for a raise

　　 D. who dream to be recognized experts

65. What does the underlined word "indispensable" in Paragraph 5 probably mean?

　　 A. important　 　　　　　　　　　　B. attractive

C. outgoing　　　 　　　　　　　　　D. energetic

66. What message does the author want to convey in the last paragraph?

　　 A. To overlook one's disadvantages.

　　 B. To make full use of one's advantages.

　　 C. To have great confidence in one's abilities．

　　 D. To make objective evaluations of one's abilities.

When it comes to success in business and success in life, there are few qualities as important as confidence．
People naturally have different levels of confidence．Some have a higher level of confidence than others do, but even those whose confidence is lacking can learn to build their level of confidence and reach their most important goals．Increasing self confidence is one of the most common reasons people give for seeking the help of psychologists and other professionals．
One of the many places where a greater level of confidence is useful is in the workplace．We all know how difficult it can be, for instance, to ask the boss for a raise．This process can be extremely difficult for those who lack confidence in their own abilities．After all, if you are unsure about your own abilities, how will you ever convince your boss that you deserve more money for the work you do?
Even if you are not asking for that big raise, having plenty of confidence in your abilities is important to success．If you are certain of your abilities, chances are that those around you, whether they are your coworkers, your colleagues or your superiors, will see that confidence, and that will help to assure them that you are the best at what you do．
Being thought of as the person to go to, and being seen as an expert in your chosen field, is naturally very important to success on the job．If you can make yourself the person people go to for guidance and advice, you will help to protect yourself from the ever present danger of downsizing（裁员）．After all, if you are a recognized expert at the office, you will be regarded as an indispensable member of the team．
Having a high level of confidence, after all, does not mean overlooking the places where you could improve．Knowing what you do well and where you need help will help you enjoy increased success and confidence．
【小题1】What is the passage mainly about?

Going to school from 8 am until 5 pm may sound terrible，but Sydney Shaw，a seventh grader at the Alain Locke Charter Academy on Chicago's West Side，has come to like it—as well as the extra 20 or so days that she's in class every year．“I'm sure every kid at this school says bad things about the schedule sometimes，”says Sydney, who was at school on Columbus Day, when most Chicago schools had a holiday．“But we all know it's for our benefit.”

Finding ways to give kids more classroom time，through longer hours，a longer school year，or both，is getting more attention．“If you want to look at schools where the achievement gap is narrowing, they're saying they couldn't do it without the added time，”says Jennifer Davis．“Even when you get good teachers into schools，you also need more time．”

According to studies, low-income students fall back more than two months in their reading skills over summer vacations．“It's over the summer months that poor kids fall behind，”says Karl Alexander，a sociologist．“If you have parents who themselves didn't succeed at school and aren't highly educated，kids aren't going to get those skills at home．”

Schools are asked to take a full year to plan how to best use the extra time—a process involving teachers，principals，students and parents．They are given outside support to help them base their plans on the best available analyses of student needs．It's still early，but officials are already seeing stronger test scores and a narrowing achievement gap．

But some critics are worried．“We risk producing something that's very expensive and time-consuming, and that will give educators a lot of trouble，”says Frederick Hess．“Before we spend all that extra money，I'd much rather see if we can figure out how to get 50 percent more instructional time out of the current school day．”

51．From the first paragraph，we learn that       ．

A．the longer schedule is harmful to kid's health

B．all Chicago students had a holiday on Columbus Day

C．Sydney Shaw supports the added time

D．few kids are bored with the lack of holidays

52．Low-income students fall behind in summer because       ．

A．no good teachers are willing to teach them

B．they can't get help from their parents

C．their parents are unwilling to hire private teachers

D．they themselves have no desire to learn

53．Some people are worried about adding school hours mainly because       ．

A．it will have a bad effect on the kids’ futures

B．the current school day has been too busy

C．no one supports the idea

D．it will be costly and time-consuming

54．The text is mainly about       ．

A．whether a longer school day will help narrow the achievement gap

B．how students have benefited from additional school hours

C．why the achievement gap among students needs to be narrowed

D．what causes the achievement gap among students

Going to school from 8 am until 5 pm may sound terrible，but Sydney Shaw，a seventh grader at the Alain Locke Charter Academy on Chicago's West Side，has come to like it—as well as the extra 20 or so days that she's in class every year．“I'm sure every kid at this school says bad things about the schedule sometimes，”says Sydney, who was at school on Columbus Day, when most Chicago schools had a holiday．“But we all know it's for our benefit.”

Finding ways to give kids more classroom time，through longer hours，a longer school year，or both，is getting more attention．“If you want to look at schools where the achievement gap is narrowing, they're saying they couldn't do it without the added time，”says Jennifer Davis．“Even when you get good teachers into schools，you also need more time．”

According to studies, low-income students fall back more than two months in their reading skills over summer vacations．“It's over the summer months that poor kids fall behind，”says Karl Alexander，a sociologist．“If you have parents who themselves didn't succeed at school and aren't highly educated，kids aren't going to get those skills at home．”

Schools are asked to take a full year to plan how to best use the extra time—a process involving teachers，principals，students and parents．They are given outside support to help them base their plans on the best available analyses of student needs．It's still early，but officials are already seeing stronger test scores and a narrowing achievement gap．

But some critics are worried．“We risk producing something that's very expensive and time-consuming, and that will give educators a lot of trouble，”says Frederick Hess．“Before we spend all that extra money，I'd much rather see if we can figure out how to get 50 percent more instructional time out of the current school day．”

51．From the first paragraph，we learn that       ．

A．the longer schedule is harmful to kid's health

B．all Chicago students had a holiday on Columbus Day

C．Sydney Shaw supports the added time

D．few kids are bored with the lack of holidays

52．Low-income students fall behind in summer because       ．

A．no good teachers are willing to teach them

B．they can't get help from their parents

C．their parents are unwilling to hire private teachers

D．they themselves have no desire to learn

53．Some people are worried about adding school hours mainly because       ．

A．it will have a bad effect on the kids’ futures

B．the current school day has been too busy

C．no one supports the idea

D．it will be costly and time-consuming

54．The text is mainly about       ．

A．whether a longer school day will help narrow the achievement gap

B．how students have benefited from additional school hours

C．why the achievement gap among students needs to be narrowed

D．what causes the achievement gap among students

Let’s do some sleep math．You lost two hours of sleep every night last week because of a big project due on Friday．On Saturday and Sunday，you slept in，getting four extra hours．On Monday morning，you were feeling so bright—eyed that you only had one cup of coffee，instead of your usual two．But don’t be cheated by your energy．You’re still carrying around a heavy load of sleepiness，or what experts call “sleep debt”一in this case something like six hours，almost a full night’s sleep．
Sleep debt is the difference between the amount of sleep you should be getting and the amount you actually get．It’s a shortage that grows every time we skim some extra minutes off our nightly sleep．“People get more sleep debt gradually without being noticed，”says William C．Dement，founder of the Stanford University Sleep Clinic．Studies show that such short term sleep lack leads to a foggy brain，worsened vision，and trouble remembering．Long-term effects include obesity(肥胖)，insulin(胰岛素)resistance，and heart disease．A survey by the National Sleep Foundation reports that we’re losing one hour of sleep each night——more than two full weeks of sleep every year．
The good news is that，like all debt，with some work，sleep debt can be repaid．Adding all extra hour or two of sleep a night is the way to catch up．For the long-term lack of sleep，take it easy for a few months to get back into a natural sleep pattern．
Go to bed when you are tired，and allow your body to wake you in the morning(no alarm clock allowed)．You may find yourself catatonic(有紧张症的)in the beginning of the recovery cycle：expect to have ten hours shut—eye per night；As the days pass，however，the amount of sleeping time will gradually decrease．
So earn back that lost sleep and follow the rules of your innate(固有的)sleep needs. You’ll feel better．“When you put away sleep debt,you become a superman,”says Stanford's Dement，talking about the improved mental and physical capabilities that come with being well rested．
53．If rou have short-term sleep lack，you may         ．   
A．put on weight    B．get heart disease
C．hate eating food D．have a poor sight
54．The example of sleep math is used to show         ．
A．in what case you build up a sleep debt
B．in what way you can make up for lack of sleep
C．why you are energetic even without enough sleep
D．why you need six hours’sleep every night
55．By saying the underlined sentence，Dement means that         ．
A．you need a lot of sleep to be a superman
B．you will be in a good state with enough sleep
C．you need to be a superman to repay sleep debt   
D．you will become a superman with more sleep debt
56．What might be the most suitable title for the passage?   
A．How can you keep energetic?    B．What is sleep debt?
C．Can you catch up on lost sleep?D．Can coffee refresh you?