C

By far the most common difficulty in studying is simple failure to get down to regular concentrated work. This difficulty is much greater for those who do not work to a plan and have no regular routine of study. Many students muddle (胡乱对付) along, doing a bit of this subject or that, as the mood takes them, or letting their set work pile up until the last possible moment.

    Few students work to a set timetable. They say that if they did work out a timetable for themselves they would not keep to it, or would have to change it frequently, since they can never predict from one day to the next what their activities will be.

No doubt some students are more willing to accept a regular routine than others. There are many who shy away from a self-controlled weekly timetable, and dislike being tied down to a fixed program of work. Many able students state that they work in cycles. When they become interested in a topic, they work on it attentively for three or four days at a time. On other days they avoid work completely. It has to be admitted that we do not fully understand the motivation (动机)to work.. Most people over 25 years of age have become used to routine, and the majority of real productive workers set aside regular hours for the more important areas of their work. The “tough-minded” school doesn’t fully accept the idea that good work can only be done naturally, under the influence of inspiration.

Those who believe that they need only work and study as the fit takes them have a mistaken belief either in their own talent or in the value of “freedom”. In fact, freedom from control and discipline（纪律）leads to unhappiness rather than to “self-expression” or “personality development”. Our society insists on regular habits, timekeeping and punctuality (准时), and whether we like it or not, if we mean to make our way in society, we have to meet its demands.

The most widespread problem in applying oneself to study is ______.

    A．changing from one subject to another

    B．the failure to keep to a set timetable of work

    C．the unwillingness to follow a systematic plan

    D．working on a subject only when one feels like it

Which of the following is true?

    A．Many students are not interested in using self-controlled timetable.

    B．Many students don’t like being told to study to a fixed timetable.

    C．Most people of over 25 years of age don’t work to a set timetable.

    D．Tough-minded people agree that good job is done naturally

The underlined part “as the fit takes them” in paragraph 4 probably means ______.

    A．when they have the energy   

    B．when they are in the mood

    C．when they feel fit      

    D．when they find conditions are suitable

A suitable title for the passage might be ______.

    A．Attitudes to Study   B．A study Plan

    C．The Difficulties in Studying D．Study and Self-discipline

A new enemy is threatening Japanese traditions: leisure（闲暇）. As part of its attempt to increase imports, the government is trying to get people to work less and spend more. The workers are disgusted.

The figures support the western prejudice（偏见） that the Japanese are all work and no play. Trying to force workers away from their desks and machines, the government said last April that the country should cut down from its 2,100 hours average work year to 1,899 hours and a five-day week by 1992. Beginning in February, banks and stock markets will be closed on Saturdays, staff of civil service will be forced out of their offices two Saturdays a month. The government hopes that others will follow that practice.

But some persuasion will be needed. Small companies are very angry about it and they fear competitors may not cut hours. The unions are no happier: they have even advertised in newspapers arguing their case against the foreign pressure that is forcing leisure upon them. They say that shorter hours are a disguised（隐性的） pay cut. The industrialists, who have no objection to the government’s plans, admit that shorter hours will help them cut costs. Younger Japanese who are supposed to be acting against their hard-working parents, show no sign of wanting time off, either. But unlike older workers, they do spend money in their spare time. Not content with watching television, they dance, dress up, sit in cafes, go to pop concerts and generally drive the leisure-industry boom. Now that they know how to consume, maybe the West can teach them to relax and enjoy themselves, too.

The purpose of getting the Japanese to have more spare time is that           .

    A．the government wants to show more concern for the health of the people

    B．the government needs to get more goods from abroad

    C．the Japanese have been working too hard

    D．the Japanese hope to change the western prejudice

The group of people who welcome the shorter-hour system in Japan is           .

    A．the small companies          B．the industrialists

    C．the unions                   D．the younger generation

The unions think that           .

    A．the shorter hours they work, the higher pay the can get

    B．the more they work, the less leisure they can enjoy

    C．the shorter hours they work, the less pay they can have

    D．the greater pressure the government is forcing on them, the less happy they can be

The best title for this passage can be           .

    A．Oh no! Not Saturday Again!   B．Leisure: the Greatest Threat!

    C．Enjoy While You are Young!   D．Less Work and More Play!

A few weeks ago, our dog, which we had kept for more than ten years, had to be put down. First, a tumor on her stomach got worse, and she was very   36 . Then, the pain in her back got so bad that sometimes she   37  lie down in the middle of a walk and couldn't take another   38 .
When I first found out, l was very sad and cried a lot. She was more like a sister to me than a   39 .But I was also angry at my stepfather,Steve,who told us the  40  a week after it happened. He   41  because he didn' t want to worry us, and he didn't want me to get depressed(抑郁的) and fail my exams. I just thought she was   42  at the animals' hospital.
I think you know all the   43  that went through my head: She was my dog！Why didn't he tell us earlier? I didn't even get to say goodbye.
People in my family have a   44  of keeping things from me to protect me, such as only telling me that my aunt had cancer   45  she had already improved health. All I could think was: Not again !
I   46  to my mum, and she said， “I know. I'm   47  , too.” I opened my mouth to shout. And then she added, “I'm so angry with Steve that he had to   48  through all this on his own.”Hearing my mum's words, I shut up my mouth. I had been so   49  on myself. I hadn't thought about   50  Steve was going through. That dog was his baby. He'd had her for longer than he'd had us—and he had to make the decision to   51  her life, and then kept in silence for an entire   52 . All my anger melted away, and all I felt was   53 .
It makes me realize that we focus so much on ourselves that we   54  the pain of others. At that moment, my mum's words were an incredible   55  that I'll never forget.

A Leap（跳跃）to Honor
Leaping on a narrow balance beam（平衡木） is not easy. But Lola Walter, a 13-year-old gymnast, is an expert at it.
To perfect her skills, Lola   36   for four hours a day, five days a week. At the state championships in March, she finished seventh out of 16 girls.
That’s especially impressive,          37    she is legally blind, born with a rare condition that causes her eyes to shift constantly. She often sees double and can’t _38   how far away things are.
When she was little, her mom   39  that even though she couldn’t see         40   , she was fearless. So her mom signed her up for gymnastics when she was three. She loved the    41    right away and gymnastics became her favorite.
Though learning gymnastics has been more    42   for her than for some of her tournaments, she has never quit. She doesn’t let her _43  stop her from doing anything that she wants to.
She likes the determination it takes to do the sport. Her biggest          44_ is the balance beam. Because she has double vision, she often sees two beams. She must use her sense of touch to help her during her routine. Sometimes she even closes her eyes. “You have to          45_ your mind that it’ll take you where you want to go,” says Lola.
To be a top-level gymnast, one must be brave. The beam is probably the most   46  for anyone because it’s four inches wide. At the state competition, Lola didn’t fall      47  the beam. In fact, she got an 8.1 out of 10---- her highest score yet.
Lola doesn’t want to be          48    differently from the other girls on her team. At the competitions, the judges don’t know about her vision _49 _. She doesn’t tell them, because she doesn’t think they need to know. Her mom is amazed by her _50          attitude.
Lola never thinks about   51__. She is presently at level 7 while the highest is level 10 in gymnastics. Her   52         is to reach level 9. She says she wants to be a gymnastics coach to pass down what she’s learned to other kids    53  she grew up.
Lola is   54  of all her hard work and success. She says it’s helped her overcome problems in her life outside gymnastics, too. Her   55        for others is “just believe yourself”.

D  
Every August on the island of Heimaey, young people often take a walk along the street throughout the night. Why their parents allow them to stay out ? The children of Heimaey are going to save young puffins ---- small black-and-white seabirds.
The cliffs（悬崖）above the town are home to a large group of puffins . The birds dig holes all around the cliffs . These holes are their homes. The young stay in the holes for about seven weeks. Then they begin to leave . Some move slowly on their undeveloped wings and feet down to the sea around Heimaey. There they swim, which they can do naturally , and learn to dive for fish . Others, however, may lose their way at night and find themselves in the town instead. On the ground, the young birds are in trouble. Because their wings are fully developed, they cannot take off quickly to sea and safety. The birds then become a good meal for cats and other animals .
For many years, islanders have help the young puffins. At night in late August, children carrying thick paper boxes and lights hurry out to catch puffins . They spend most of the night running after the birds. They put the birds they've caught into boxes and take good care of them .
The next morning the children take the puffins to the sea and set them free. The bird will live at sea until they are at least two years old. Then they will return to the cliffs to build homes of their own.
The children of Heimaey look forward to August !
16．Every August the children of Heimaey are allowed to stay out all night.    
A．to catch puffins and take them home  B．to save puffins from danger
C．to drive puffins away  D．to run after puffins for pleasure
17．The young puffins that lose their way are in the danger of ______.
A．being killed by hunters  B．knowing nothing about the sea
C．being eaten by animals  D．having no fish to eat
18．The children put the seabirds into boxes and ______.     
A．look after them carefully for several days, then set them free
B．set them free when they grow bigger and can take off to sea and safety
C．carry them to the sea right away to set them free
D．they don' t set them free until the next morning
19．The children look forward to August because ______.     
A．they enjoy playing the game of running after seabirds
B．it' s time for them to go out at night to save puffins
C．it' s time for them to catch seabirds
D．they like to stay out at night to catch puffins
20．According to the passage, which of the following is NOT TRUE?   
A．Once a year the children are allowed to stay out at night to have a good time .
B．The earlier home for the young puffins is in the cliffs, not in the sand of shores .
C．Young puffins make their way down to the sea when they are about seven weeks old.
D．The young birds that get to the sea will stay there for at least two years before they return to the cliffs .