Years ago, when I started looking for my first job, wise advisers advised, “Barbara, be enthusiastic! Enthusiasm will take you further than any amount of experience.” How right they were!

       “Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” wrote Ralph Waldo Emerson. It is the paste that helps you hang on there when the going gets tough. It is the inner voice that whispers, “I can do it!” When others shout, “No, you can’t!” It took years for the early work of Barbara Mclintock, a geneticist who won the Nobel Prize in medicine, to be generally accepted. Yet she didn’t stop working on her experiments. Work was such a deep pleasure for her that she never thought of stopping.

      We are all born with wide-eyed, enthusiastic wonder and it is this childlike wonder that gives enthusiastic people such youthful air, whatever their age. At 90, pianist Pablo Casals would start his day by playing Bach. As the music flowed through his fingers, joy would reappear in his eyes. As author and poet Samuel Ulman once wrote, “Years wrinkle(使皱) the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul.”

     Enthusiastic people also love what they do, without being affected by money or title or power. Patricia Mellratl, retired director of the Missouri Repertory Theater in Kansas City, was once asked where she got her enthusiasm. She replied, “My father, long ago, told me, ‘I never made a penny until I stopped working for money.’”

      If we cannot do what we love as a full-time career, we can as a hobby. Elizabeth Layton was 68 before she began to draw. This activity ended periods of depression that troubled her for at least 30 years and the quality of her work led one critic to say, “I am tempted into a genius.”

   We can’t afford to waste tears on “might-have-been”. We need to turn the tears into sweat as we go after “what-can-be”．We need to live each moment whole-heartedly, with all our senses—finding pleasure in the sweet smell of a back-yard garden, the simple picture of a six-year-old, and the beauty of a rainbow.

The author mainly wants to say that _________

A. enthusiastic people will never get old

    B. enthusiasm can make you succeed and enjoy life

    C. enthusiasm is more important than experience

    D. enthusiasm can give people more success and fame

Which of the following can best explain the underlined sentence in the second paragraph?

    A. Enthusiasm can give you courage and strength in difficult times.

    B. If you don’t have enthusiasm, you can achieve nothing.

    C. Enthusiastic people never consider money and fame.

    D. Enthusiastic people can gain great fame and honor.

The author mentions cellist Pablo Casals in the third paragraph to show that____

    A. music can arouse people’s enthusiasm

    B. enthusiasm can give people inspiration needed to succeed

    C. enthusiasm can make people feel young

    D. enthusiasm can keep people healthy

How many examples are given in the passage to show the importance of enthusiasm?

    A. Three    B. Two    C. Four   D.  Five

D
THE situation seemed hopeless．
From the day he started at my junior-high，Willard P.Franklin lived in his own world，shutting out his classmates and me, his teacher．My attempts at establishing a friendly relationship with him were met with complete indifference(冷淡)．Even a “Good Morning Willard” received only a very low grunt(咕哝)．I could see that his classmates got on no better Willard was completely a loner who seemed to have no desire or need to break his barrier(障碍)of silence．
Shortly after the Thanksgiving holiday，we received word of the annual Christmas collection of money for the less fortunate people in our school district．
“Christmas is a season of giving,” I told my students．“There are a few students in the school who might not have a happy holiday season．By contributing to our Christmas collection，you will help buy food，clothing and toys for these needy people．We start the collection tomorrow．”
When I called for the contributions the next day，I discovered that almost everyone had forgotten，except for Willard P. Franklin．The boy dug deep into his pants pockets as he walked up to my desk．Carefully, he dropped two quarters into the small container.
“I don’t need any milk for lunch,” he said very quietly. For a moment，just a moment, he smiled．Then he turned and walked back to his desk．
That night，after school．I took our meager contributions to the school principal(校长)．I couldn’t help sharing the incident that had taken place．
“I may be wrong，but I believe Willard might be getting ready to become a part of the world around him，”I told the principal．
“Yes, I believe it sounds hopeful．”he nodded．“And I think we might do well to have him share a bit of his world with us．I just received a list of the poor families in our school who most need help through the Christmas collection．Here, take a look at it．”
As I gazed down to read．I discovered Willard P. Franklin and his family were the top names on the list．
72. From the second paragraph, we can see that the teacher___________
A. established a friendly relationship with Willard
B. tried hard to pull Willard out of his own world
C. found Willard got on better with his classmates
D. was positive that Willard would gradually open his heart
73. What do we learn about the collection of money at Christmas?
A. It is intended for the poor families in their school district.
B. Everyone except Willard was willing to contribute to the Christmas collection.
C. Students were encouraged to buy food, clothing and toys for needy people.
D. It is collected every year to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday.
74. What does the underlined word 'meager' in Paragraph 7 mean?
A. Great.     B. Generous.      C. Huge.      D. Small
75. Which of the following can best describe Willard?
A. Poor but proud.        B. Lonely but loving.
C. Indifferent and sad.     D. Bright and hopeful.

I told my friend Graham that I often cycle two miles from my house to the town centre but unfortunately there is a big hill on the route．He replied, “You mean fortunately．”He explained that I should be glad of the extra exercise that the hill provided．

    My attitude to the hill has now changed．I used to grumble as I approached it but now I tell myself the following．This hill will exercise my heart and lungs．It will help me to lose weight and get fit．It will mean that I live longer．This hill is my friend．Finally I comfort myself with the thought of all those silly people who pay money to go to a gym and sit on stationery exercise bicycles when I can get the same value for free．I have a smile of satisfaction as I reach the top of the hill．

Problems are there to be faced and overcome．We cannot achieve anything with an easy life．Helen Keller was the first deaf and blind person to gain a university degree．Her activism and writing proved inspirational．She wrote，“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet．Only through experiences of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened，vision cleared，ambition inspired and success achieved.”   

   One of the main determinants of success in life is our attitude towards adversity(逆境)．From time to time we all face hardships，problems．accidents、afflictions and difficulties．Some are of our making but many confront us through no fault of our own．While we cannot choose the adversity we can choose our attitude towards it．

Douglas Bader was 21 when in 193l he had both legs cut off following a flying accident．He was determined to fly again and went on to become one of the leading flying aces in the Battle of Britain with 22 aerial victories over the Germans．He was an inspiration to others during the war．He said, “Don't listen to any-one who tells you that you can’t do this or that．That's nonsense．Make up your mind，you'll never use crutches(拐杖)or a stick，then have a go at everything．Go to school，join in all the games you can．Go anywhere you want to．But never，never let them persuade you that things are too difficult or impossible.”

    The biographies（传记）of great people are full of examples of how they took steps to overcome the difficulties they faced．The common thread is that they did not become depressed．They chose their attitude．They chose to be positive．They took on the challenge．They won．

Nevertheless．there is still the problem of how you change your attitude towards adversity．

Which of the following is true according to the author of the passage?

A．Climbing hills on bicycles is the best way to take exercise．

B．People are silly to pay to go to the gym．

C．Those who want to achieve success can't expect to live all easy life．

D．People's attitude towards adversity is the only factor that determines whether they will succeed．

By quoting what Douglas Bader said，the author intends to tell us“             ．”

A．Failure is the mother of Success．   

B．A fall into the pit，a gain in your wit．

C．If you venture nothing，you will have nothing． 

D．Nothing is difficult to the man who will try．

Following this passage，the author will further talk about         ．

A．how his friend helped him to change his attitude towards the adversity he faced

B．what steps to take to change your attitude towards the adversity you face

C．what great people have in common

D．why it is important to keep optimistic in face of adversity

Which of the following can best function as the title of the passage?

A．Face adversity with a smile           B．Different attitudes towards adversity

C．Nothing is impossible               D．Life is full of adversity

I told my friend Graham that I often cycle two miles from my house to the town centre but unfortunately there is a big hill on the route. He replied, “You mean fortunately.” He explained that I should be glad of the extra exercise that the hill provided.
My attitude to the hill has now changed. I used to grumble as I approached it but now I tell myself the following. This hill will exercise my heart and lungs. It will help me to lose weight and get fit. It will mean that I live longer. This hill is my friend. Finally I comfort myself with the thought of all those silly people who pay money to go to a gym and sit on stationery exercise bicycles when I can get the same value for free. I have a smile of satisfaction as I reach the top of the hill.
Problems are there to be faced and overcome. We cannot achieve anything with an easy life. Helen Keller was the first deaf and blind person to gain a university degree. Her activism and writing proved inspirational. She wrote, “Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experiences of trial and suffering can vision be cleared, ambition inspired and success achieved.”
One of the key factors of success in life is our attitude towards adversity (逆境). From time to time we all face hardships, problems, accidents, afflictions and difficulties. Some are of our making but many confront us through no fault of our own. While we cannot choose the adversity we can choose our attitude towards it.
Douglas Bader was 21 when in 1931 he had both legs cut off following a flying accident. He was determined to fly again and went on to become one of the leading flying aces in the Battle of Britain with 22 aerial victories over the Germans. He was an inspiration to others during the war. He said, “Don’t listen to anyone who tells you that you can’t do this or that. That’s nonsense. Make up your mind, and you’ll never use crutches (拐杖) or a stick, and then have a go at evening. Go to school, and join in all the games you can. Go anywhere you want to. But never, never let them persuade you that things are too difficult or impossible.”
The biographies of great people are full of examples of how they took steps to overcome the difficulties they faced. The common thread is that they did not become depressed. They chose their attitude. They chose to be positive. They took on the challenge. They won.
Nevertheless, there is still the problem of how you change your attitude towards adversity.
【小题1】The underlined word “grumble” in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to ________.

I told my friend Graham that I often cycle two miles from my house to the town centre but unfortunately there is a big hill on the route. He replied, “You mean fortunately.” He explained that I should be glad of the extra exercise that the hill provided.

My attitude to the hill has now changed. I used to grumble as I approached it but now I tell myself the following. This hill will exercise my heart and lungs. It will help me to lose weight and get fit. It will mean that I live longer. This hill is my friend. Finally I comfort myself with the thought of all those silly people who pay money to go to a gym and sit on stationery exercise bicycles when I can get the same value for free. I have a smile of satisfaction as I reach the top of the hill.

Problems are there to be faced and overcome. We cannot achieve anything with an easy life. Helen Keller was the first deaf and blind person to gain a university degree. Her activism and writing proved inspirational. She wrote, “Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experiences of trial and suffering can vision be cleared, ambition inspired and success achieved.”

One of the key factors of success in life is our attitude towards adversity (逆境). From time to time we all face hardships, problems, accidents, afflictions and difficulties. Some are of our making but many confront us through no fault of our own. While we cannot choose the adversity we can choose our attitude towards it.

Douglas Bader was 21 when in 1931 he had both legs cut off following a flying accident. He was determined to fly again and went on to become one of the leading flying aces in the Battle of Britain with 22 aerial victories over the Germans. He was an inspiration to others during the war. He said, “Don’t listen to anyone who tells you that you can’t do this or that. That’s nonsense. Make up your mind, and you’ll never use crutches (拐杖) or a stick, and then have a go at evening. Go to school, and join in all the games you can. Go anywhere you want to. But never, never let them persuade you that things are too difficult or impossible.”

The biographies of great people are full of examples of how they took steps to overcome the difficulties they faced. The common thread is that they did not become depressed. They chose their attitude. They chose to be positive. They took on the challenge. They won.

Nevertheless, there is still the problem of how you change your attitude towards adversity.

1.The underlined word “grumble” in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to ________.

A．tremble           B．complain          C．speed up          D．slow down

2.Which of the following is true according to the author of the passage?

A．Climbing hills on bicycles is the best way to take exercise.

B．People are wise to pay to go to the gym.

C．Those who want to achieve success can’t expect to live an easy life.

D．People’s attitude towards adversity is the only factor that determines whether they will succeed.

3.By quoting what Douglas Bader said, the author intends to tell us “________”.

A．Failure is the mother of success.

B．A fall into the pit, a gain in your wit.

C．If you venture nothing, you will have nothing.

D．Nothing is difficult to the man who will try.

4.Following this passage, the author will further talk about ________.

A．how his friend helped him to change his attitude towards the adversity he faced

B．what steps to take to change your attitude towards the adversity you face

C．what great people have in common

D．why it is important to keep optimistic in face of adversity

5.Which of the following can best function as the title of the passage?

A．Face adversity with a smile

B．Different attitudes towards adversity

C．Nothing is impossible

D．Life is full of adversity