Born into a poor family，two of the Durers' children still had a dream for art，but they knew their father could not afford to send either of them to the academy(院校)．
After discussions，the two boys finally agreed to toss a coin．The loser would go to the nearby mines and support his brother while he attended the academy．Then，when the winner completed his studies，he would support the other brother，either with sales of his art work or，if necessary，by working in the mines．So they tossed a coin．Albrecht Durer won the toss and went to Nuremberg．Albert went to the dangerous mines and financed his brother，whose work at the academy was almost an immediate success，and by graduation，he was beginning to earn considerable fees for his works．
When the Durer family held a dinner to celebrate Albrecht's homecoming， Albrecht drank a toast to his brother，“Now，Albert，it is your turn to go to Nuremberg and follow your dream，and I will take care of you．”
Albert wiped the tears from his cheeks，glanced at the faces he loved，and said softly，“No，brother．It is too late for me．Look….look what four years in the mines have done to my hands! The bones in every finger have been broken at least once，and lately I have been suffering from arthritis(关节炎)so badly in my right hand that I cannot even hold a glass to return your toast，much 1ess make lines on canvas(画布)with a pen or a brush．No，brother …for me it is too 1ate．”
Therefore，Albrecht took pains to draw his brother’s injured hands with palms together and thin fingers stretched skyward．The entire world almost immediately opened their hearts to his great masterpiece and named it “The Praying Hands”．
【小题1】The passage is mainly about

A man once said how useless it was to put advertisements in the newspapers．“last week, ” said he, “my umbrella was stolen from a London church．As it was a present, I spent twice its worth in advertising, but didn't get it back．”

“How did you write your advertisement?”asked one of the listeners, a merchant．

“Here it is, said the man, taking out of his pocket a slip cut from a newspaper．The other man took it and read, “Lost from the City Church last Sunday evening, a black silk umbrella．The gentleman who finds it will receive ten shillings on leaving it at No．10 Broad Street．”

“Now, ”Said the merchant, “I often advertise, and find that it pays me well．But the way in which an advertisement is expressed is of extreme importance．Let us try for your umbrella again, and if it </PGN0332.TXT/PGN>fails, I'll buy you a new one．”

The merchant then took a slip of paper out of his pocket and wrote：“If the man who was seen to take an umbrella from the City Church last Sunday evening doesn't wish to get into trouble, he will return the umbrella to No．10 Broad Street．He is well known．”

This appeared in the paper, and on the following morning, the man was astonished when he opened the front door．In the doorway lay at least twelve umbrellas of all sizes and colours that had been thrown, and his own was among them．Many of them had notes fastened to them saying that they had been taken by mistake, and begging the loser not to say anything about the matter．

1.The result of the first advertisement was that ______________.

2.The merchant suggested that the man should _______________.

3.“If it fails, I’ll buy you a new one,” suggested that the merchant

_______________.

4.The story is mainly about _________________.

A man once said how useless it was to put advertisements in the newspaper. “Last week,” he said, “my umbrella was stolen from a London church. As it was a present, I spent twice its worth in advertising, but didn’t get it back.”

“How did you write your advertisement?” asked one of the listeners, a merchant. “Here it is,” said the man, taking out of his pocket a slip cut from a newspaper. The other man took it and read, “Lost from the City Church last Sunday evening, a black silk umbrella. The gentleman who finds it will receive ten shillings on leaving it at No. 10 Broad Street.”

“Now,” said the merchant, “I often advertise, and find that it pays me well. But the way in which an advertisement is expressed is of extreme importance. Let us try for your umbrella again, and if it fails, I'll buy you a new one.”

The merchant then took a slip of paper out of his pocket and wrote: “If the man who was seen to take an umbrella from the City Church last Sunday evening doesn’t wish to get into trouble, he will return the umbrella to No.10 Broad Street. He is well known.”

This appeared in the newspaper, and on the following morning, the man was astonished when he opened the front door. In the doorway lay at least twelve umbrellas of all sizes and colors, and his own was among them. Many of them had notes fastened to them saying that they had been taken by mistake, and begging the loser not to say anything about matter.

1.The result of the first advertisement was that ______________.

A. the man got his umbrella back

B. the man wasted some money advertising

C. nobody found the missing umbrella

D. the umbrella was found somewhere near the church

2.The merchant suggested that the man should _______________.

A. buy a new umbrella                                  

B. go on looking for his umbrella

C. write another and better advertisement       

D. report the police

3.“If it fails, I’ll buy you a new one,” suggested that the merchant

_______________.

A. was quite sure of success                        

B. wanted to buy him a new umbrella

C. didn’t know what to do                            

D. was rich enough to buy one

4.The story is mainly about _________________.

A. a useless advertisement        

B. how to make an effective advertisement

C. how the man lost and found his umbrella

D. what the merchant did for the umbrella owner

Back in the fifteenth century, in a village near Nuremberg, lived a family with eighteen children. Despite the hopeless condition, two of the children, Albrecht Durer and his elder brother Albert Durer, had a dream. They both wanted to become artists. After many long discussions, the two boys finally worked out an agreement. They would toss (投掷) a coin. The loser would go down to the nearby mines and, with his earnings, support his brother while he attended the academy (大学). Then, when that brother completed his studies, in four years, he would support the other at the academy.

Tossing a coin, Albrecht won and went off to Nuremberg. Albert went down to the dangerous mines and, for the next four years, supported his brother, whose work at the academy was excellent. By the time Albrecht graduated, he had earned a lot of money for his works of art.

When the young artist returned to his village, Albrecht thanked his brother for the years of support that enabled him to realize his dream. “ And now, Albert, it is your turn. Now you can go to Nuremberg to go for your dream, and I will take care of you.”

Tears running down his face, Albert said,” No, brother. I cannot go to Nuernberg. It is too late for me. Look…what four years in the mines has done to my hands! I have been suffering from arthritis (关节炎) so badly that I cannot even hold a wine glass. No, brother ... for me it is too late !”

Later, Albrecht Durer drew his brother’s hands. He called his drawing simply Hands, and later it was renamed The Praying Hands.

More than 500 years have passed. Among the works of Albrecht Durer, The Praying Hands, is probably the most familiar to people. Reproductions of it hang in people’s homes or offices.

Next time you see a copy of that touching painting, take a second look. Let it be your reminder — if you still need one — no one ever makes it alone!

Why did the two brothers work out the agreement?

   A. They were curious about the result.

   B. Their family couldn’t afford their attending the academy.

   C. They had to support the other sisters and brothers in the family.

   D. Neither of them wanted to study in the academy.

Why couldn’t Albert go to the academy after four years?

   A. Albrecht changed his mind and refused to support Albert.

   B. Albrecht was not able to earn enough money to support Albert.

   C. Albert didn’t have a great love for painting any more.

   D. Albert couldn’t hold a pen or brush to paint.

Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. It proved that Albrecht was not good at painting.

B. Albrecht couldn’t earn any money while he was studying at the academy.

   C. Years of hard work in the mines brought great suffering to Albert.

   D. In the painting “The Praying Hands”, the hands were Albrecht’s.

What does the underlined sentence imply (暗示)?

   A. You can achieve success all on your own.

   B. Cooperation is important if you want to succeed.

   C. There is other people’s sacrifice (牺牲) behind your success.

   D. No one will succeed without working hard.

When something goes wrong，it can be very satisfying to say，”Well, it’s so-and-so’s fault.” or “I know I’m late，but it’s not my fault；the car broke down.” It is probably not your fault，but once you form the habit of blaming somebody or something else for a bad situation，you are a loser. You have no power and could do nothing that helps change the situation. However, you can have great power over what happens to you if you stop focusing on whom to blame and start focusing on how to remedy the situation. This is the winner’s key to success.

Winners are great at overcoming problems. For example, if you were late because your car broke down, maybe you need to have your car examined more regularly. Or, you might start to carry along with you the useful phone numbers, so you could call for help when in need. For another example, if your colleague causes you problems on the job for lack of responsibility or ability, find ways of dealing with his irresponsibility or inability rather than simply blame the person. Ask to work with a different person, or don’t rely on the person. You should accept that the person is not reliable and find creative ways to work successfully regardless of how your colleague fails to do his job well.

This is what being a winner is all about—creatively using your skills and talents so that you are successful no matter what happens. Winners don’t have fewer problems in their lives; they have just as many difficult situations to face as anybody else. They are just better at seeing those problems as challenges and opportunities to develop their own talents. So, stop focusing on “whose fault it is.” Once you are confident about your power over bad situations, problems are just stepping stones for success.

According to the passage, winners        .

A. deal with problems rather than blame others  B. meet with fewer difficulties in their lives

C. have responsible and able colleagues        D. blame themselves rather that others

The underlined word remedy in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to        .

A. avoid                B. accept               C. improve                 D. consider

When your colleague brings about a problem, you should         .

A. blame him for his lack of responsibility     B. find a better way to handle the problem

C. tell him to find the cause of the problem     D. ask a more able colleague for help

When problems occur, winners take them as         

A. excuses for their failures                 B. barriers to greater power

C. challenges to their colleagues             D. chances for self-development

Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

A. A Winner’s Problem.                 B. A Winner’s Secret.

C. A Winner’s Opportunity.                        D. A Winner’s Achievement.