Pressure too much?
In our daily life we are used to hearing these words, “I can't wait for my holiday,” “I wish I could stay home today” And “I'm very tired.” These words come from pressure at work. Now the “iron rice bowl”(铁饭碗) is being broken into pieces. Workers may be fired if they don’t perform their duties well. They have to do their jobs better.
People feel pressure not only because they might find themselves out of work but also because they get no real pleasure from their work. For most of the workers, work is just a way of earning money. It appears to be meaningless and worthless.
But pressure is a natural part of work. There is no way to keep away from it. We should face up to it.
Work should be a cause of happiness and pride rather than a punishment or a burden .In fact, a certain amount of pressure can provide challenge and chance for learning. To a modern man who is worried and low in spirit, developing a hobby and finding a new interest is of first importance. I like listening to pop music, which makes me calm and gives me pleasure.
If pressure becomes difficult to deal with, we should turn to our friends or families. We can have a drink with our friends and talk about the problem. We should always discuss our problems with our families. Good advice, warmth and happiness that families bring to us can reduce our pressure and encourage us to smooth away all difficulties.
【小题1】Peopel feel pressure at work mainly because ______.

A．we should drink coffee with our friends

B．we can get help and comfort from our friends or families.

C．we can go home because it is warm

D．to talk out the problem to our friends and families is the best way.

Down-to-earth means being honest, open, and easy to deal with. It is a pleasure to find someone who is down-to-earth. A person who is down-to-earth is easy to talk to. He or she accepts others as equals. A down-to-earth person may be an important member of society, of course, but they do not let their importance go to their heads, and they do not consider themselves to be better than others who are less important. Someone who is filled with self-importance and pride, often without cause, is said to have his nose in the air. There is no way a person with his nose in the air can be down-to-earth.

Americans use another expression that is similar in some way to down-to-earth. The expression is both feet on the ground. Someone with both feet on the ground is a person with a good understanding of reality. He has what is called common sense. He may have dreams but he does not allow them to block his knowledge of what is real. The opposite kind of person is one who has his head in the clouds. A man with his head in the clouds is a dreamer whose mind is not in the world. Sometimes such a dreamer can be brought back to reality; sharp words from the teacher, for example, can usually get a daydreaming student to put both feet back on the ground.

The person who is down-to-earth usually has both feet on the ground. But the opposite is not always true. Someone with both feet on the ground may not be as open and easy to deal with as someone who is down-to-earth. When we have both our feet firmly on the ground, we are realistic and we act honestly and openly toward others, and our lives are like the ground below us, solid and strong.

1.If a person has his nose in the air, he ____.

A．is down to the earth                     B．is easy to deal with

C．always thinks he is more important than others D．is confident

2.From the second paragraph, we know that sharp words from a teacher can usually ________.

A．help a student get down to the earth

B．wake a student up

C．help a daydreaming student come down to the ground

D．help a daydreaming student to become more realistic

3.The underlined sentence “But the opposite is not always true.” most probably means that ______.

A．the person who has his nose in the air is not true

B．a man with his head in the clouds is often not intelligent

C．the opposite direction is always wrong

D．a person who has both feet on the ground may not be down-to-earth

4.From the passage, we can infer the person who is _______ is the most popular kind of person.

A．down-to-earth                         B．standing on the ground

C．with his nose in the air                   D．with his head in the clouds

When my parents were alive，they were not very rich．Yet they helped their two older     time after time．When Daddy passed away，his notebook showed debts      from several of his children．I was not among them．I      borrowed money and when I did，I set a repayment plan and     to it．It was a matter of       with me．I couldn’t stand owing my parents-or anyone else-mmoney because I watched them     to help out my older sisters when they were in financial difficulties themselves．

These days，after the death of my parents，I am one of those people who can be      to for help when they need it．Just as I can’t stand     other people money，I can’t stand saying no to whoever needs help．I don’t     helping others，but I would be more than glad if they would make a(n)     to handle things themselves，perhaps by doing some     planning-like planning not to speend money they don’t have!

Being ready to help others is a     ，but sometimes the result will be     to what you expect．I     remember as a child what my father always said， “If at first you don’t succeed，try，try again!” Helping my children too often has     them from learning to keep trying．Use your    ：who among my children will     to walk if I supply the money to buy a car? Helped often，my children lost gradually the ability to     problems themselves．

    In most       ，when people find you can      help，they will ask you more and more．That's human，you know．

1.A．sons       B．daughters      C．brothers      D．sisters

2.A．absent     B．apart       C．due     D．different

3.A．always     B．seldom     C．often    D．never

4.A．stuck      B．attached    C．agreed   D．belonged

5.A．pleasure    B．courage    C．pride    D．sorrow

6.A．struggle    B．happen     C．intend   D．move

7.A．referred    B．turned      C．seen    D．attended

8.A．cheating    B．donating    C．1ending D．owing

9.A．enjoy      B．mind       C．1ike    D．miss

10.A．comment   B．mess       C．excuse   D．effort

11.A．financial   B．flexible     C．typical   D．particular

12.A．deed      B．deal        C．virtue    D．task

13.A．contrary   B．essential    C．potential  D．necessary

14.A．can       B．may       C．shall      D．must

15.A．banned    B．protected   C．prevented  D．freed

16.A．aHn      B．leg        C．body      D．head

17.A．wait      B．urge       C．threat     D．choose

18.A．solve     B．assess     C．seek       D．analyse

19.A．affairs    B．choices    C．cases      D．events

20.A．obtain    B．attain     C．provide     D．prefer

Down-to-earth means being honest, open, and easy to deal with. It is a pleasure to find someone who is down-to-earth. A person who is down-to-earth is easy to talk to. He or she accepts others as equals. A down-to-earth person may be an important member of society, of course, but they do not let their importance go to their heads, and they do not consider themselves to be better than others who are less important. Someone who is filled with self-importance and pride, often without cause, is said to have his nose in the air. There is no way a person with his nose in the air can be down-to-earth.

Americans use another expression that is similar in some way to down-to-earth. The expression is both feet on the ground. Someone with both feet on the ground is a person with a good understanding of reality. He has what is called common sense. He may have dreams but he does not allow them to block his knowledge of what is real. The opposite kind of person is one who has his head in the clouds. A man with his head in the clouds is a dreamer whose mind is not in the world. Sometimes such a dreamer can be brought back to reality; sharp words from the teacher, for example, can usually get a daydreaming student to put both feet back on the ground.

The person who is down-to-earth usually has both feet on the ground. But the opposite is not always true. Someone with both feet on the ground may not be as open and easy to deal with as someone who is down-to-earth. When we have both our feet firmly on the ground, we are realistic and we act honestly and openly toward others, and our lives are like the ground below us, solid and strong.

1.If a person has his nose in the air, he ____. 

2.If a person has both feet on the ground, he ____. 

3.From the second paragraph, we know that sharp words from a teacher can usually ________.

4.The underlined sentence “But the opposite is not always true.” most probably means that ______.

5.From the passage, we can infer the person who is _______ is the most popular kind of person.