Make Up Your Mind to Succeed

Kind-hearted parents have unknowingly left their children defenseless against failure．The generation (age) born between 1980 and 2001 grew up playing sports where scores (marks) and performance (show) were played down because “everyone's winner.” And their report cards sounded more positive than ever before．As a result, Stanford University professor Carol Dweck, PhD, calls them “the overpraised generation.”

Dweck has been studying how people deal with failure for 40 years．Her research has led her to find out two clearly different mind-sets that have a great effect on how we react to it．Here's how they work:

　　A fixed mind-set is grounded in the belief that talent is genetic – you're a born artist, point guard, or numbers person．The fixed mind-set believes it's sure to succeed without much effort and regards failure as personal shame．When things get difficult, it's quick to blame (liability), lie, and even stay away from future difficulties.

　 On the other hand, a growth mind-set believes that no talent is entirely heaven-sent and that effort and learning make everything possible．Because the ego (自尊) isn't on the line as much, the growth mind-set sees failure as a chance rather than shame．When faced with a difficulty, it's quick to rethink, change and try again．In fact, it enjoys this experience.

　　We are all born with growth mind-sets．(Otherwise, we wouldn't be able to live in the world.) But parents, teachers, and instructors often push us into fixed mind-sets by encouraging certain actions and misdirecting praise．Dweck's book, Mind-set: The New Psychology of Success, and online instructional program explain this in depth．But she says there are many little things you can start doing today to make sure that your children, grandchildren and even you are never defeated by failure.

1.What does the author think about the present generation?

A．They don't do well at school.

B．They are often misunderstood.

C．They are eager to win in sports

D．They are given too much praise.

2.A fixed mind-set person is probably one who ___ .

A．doesn't want to work hard

B．cares a lot about personal safety

C．cannot share his ideas with others

D．can succeed with the help of teachers

3.What does the growth mind-set believe?

A．Admitting failure is shameful.

B．Talent comes with one's birth.

C. Getting over difficulties is enjoyable.

D．Scores should be highly valued.??

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.

1.Peopel feel pressure at work mainly because ______.

  A. they will lose their jobs

  B. most of them find less interest in their work

  C. they can make more money after work.

  D. they want to stay at home.

2.Which of the following is WRONG in the writer’s opinion?

  A. Where there is work there is pressure.

  B. Work shouldn’t be regarded as punishment or burden.

  C. All modern men are worried and low in spirit.

  D. A certain amount of pressure is necessary.

3.From the text we can know that when pressure is too big, ________.

  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.

In 1970, at the age of 35, my father was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. There was not much      done at that time and my father had to rely on the medication and treatment that were      at that time. But one thing was      , my father was not a quitter. He was a teacher who       children with special educational needs in Chicago Public High School. Every day we would hear      about “his kids”. These “kids” did not usually      my sister and I.

One day, my father arrived at his school and walked up the     for his first period. He was having a very       day because the disease was really taking everything out of him. He       once and bruised (擦伤) his knee but he still kept going.       did he know that someone was watching.

As the day      his steps began to get a little lighter. At the end of the day, he was about to leave      a young girl entered his office. He had met her in the hallway but she was not one of his      . He asked what he could do for her and she said, “I just wanted to thank you for     my life.”

He looked at her and couldn’t       what he had done. She then went on      . “When I got up this morning, I felt as if I was at the end of my      and ready to kill myself. But when I saw you trying to go up the stairs and then you fell, I felt    and the feeling of sadness just kept getting     . And now you are walking as      as ever. It’s really true that everything will get better as the days go on.”

1.A. information                      B. research                            C. knowledge             D. experience

2.A. favorable                     B. believable                        C. reasonable            D. available

3.A. obvious                       B. special                         C. natural              D. strange

4.A. abandoned              B. followed                           C. taught              D. attended

5.A. stories                              B. jokes                 C. songs                       D. humors

6.A. connect                      B. change                     C. mean                       D. defeat

7.A. mountains                B. stairs                                 C. ladders        D. streets

8.A. normal                   B. pleasant                           C. simple              D. difficult

9.A. fell                            B. stood               C. happened         D. appeared

10.A. Few                          B. Little              C. Seldom             D. Never

11.A. arrived                          B. progressed         C. broke               D. stopped

12.A. until                                 B. before                C. when                      D. while

13.A. students                             B. friends             C. teachers               D. workers

14.A. losing                     B. giving               C. passing     D. saving

15.A. write down                 B. figure out                         C. cut off               D. put up

16.A. responding             B. admitting                          C. explaining           D. complaining

17.A. rope                B. wall               C. road                 D. work

18.A. sorry                B. bad               C. lucky                 D. proud

19.A. lower                  B. weaker           C. higher             D. stronger

20.A. carefully             B. quickly           C. lightly              D. slowly

No one can believe that the over 6,300-kilometer Great Wall might disappear some day. Believe it or not, the Great Wall is being destroyed by people. Less than 20 percent of the Great Wall built in the Ming Dynasty ,is still perfect, but about 80 percent is in danger. The Great Wall can be called “ great “ mostly because of its amazing length. But we should realize that the length was made up of one brick at a time. If we do nothing to save the Great Wall,it will become a series of separate wasteland rather than a historic site.
The Great Wall is actually a series of walls built and rebuilt by different dynasties over the past 2,000 years. It began in the rule of China’s first emperor, Qin Shihuang of the Qin Dynasty (221BC----206BC), and lasted into the Ming Dynasty. The parts built before the Ming Dynasty have nearly disappeared. People are familiar with sections such as Badaling in Beijing and Jiayuguan Pass in Gansu, because they have been open to tourists for many years. But those sections far away from the public eyes have been almost forgotten.
Few local people knew the 3—meter—high walls made of earth and stones beside them are parts of the Great Wall. The lack of knowledge is considered as one of the main reasons behind human.
The bricks on the Great Wall are carried off by countryside people to build their houses,sheep corrals and pigsties. Some were taken away to build roads. Bricks carved with people’s names are put away as remembrances. The rubbish is spread over the battlements. The brick can be sold 15 yuan per tractor load. Those who destroyed and are destroying the Wall know its name, but are not clear about its cultural meaning. It will take a long time to let them know this. The local farmers not only carried off the body of the Wall but also dug out the entire base.
It is necessary to protect the Great Wall. First of all, the officials should be aware of the importance of the Great Wall. Young Chinese should know more about the nation’s great civilization and learn to love it.
【小题1】Why does the writer say the Great Wall might disappear?

This year some twenty-three hundred teenagers(young people aged from13~19)from all over the world will spend about ten months in U.S. homes. They will attend U.S. schools, meet U.S. teenagers, and form impressions of the real America. At the same time, about thirteen hundred American teenagers will go to other countries to learn new languages and gain a new understanding of the rest of the world.

   Here is a two-way student exchange in action. Fred, nineteen, spent last year in Germany with George’s family. In turn, George’s son Mike spent a year in Fred’s home in America.

   Fred, a lively young man, knew little German when he arrived, but after two months’ study the language began to come to him. School was completely different from what he had expected—much harder. Students rose respectfully when the teacher entered the room. They took fourteen subjects instead of the six that are usual in the United States. There were almost no outside activities.

   Family life, too, was different. The father’s word was law, and all activities were around the family rather than the individual(个人). Fred found the food too simple at first. Also, he missed having a car.

   “Back home, you pick up some friends in a car and go out and have a good time. In Germany, you walk, but you soon learn to like it.”

   At the same time, in America, Mike, a friendly German boy, was also forming his idea. “I suppose I should criticize(批评)American schools,” he said. “It is far too easy by our level. But I have to say that I like it very much. In    Germany we do nothing but study. Here we take part in many outside activities. I think that maybe your schools are better in training for citizens. There ought to be some middle ground between the two.”

1.This year ________teenagers will take part in the exchange programme between America and other countries.

A. twenty-three hundred

B. thirteen hundred

C. over three thousand

D. less than two thousand

2.The whole exchange programme is mainly to__________.

A. help teenagers in other countries know the real America

B. send students in America to travel in Germany

C. let students learn something about other countries

D. have teenagers learn new languages

3. Fred and Mike agree that__________.

A. America food tasted better than German food

B. German schools were harder than American schools

C. Americans and Germans were both friendly

D. There were more cars on the streets in America

4.What is particular in American schools is that________.

A. there is some middle ground between the two teaching buildings

B. there are a lot of after-school activities

C. students usually take fourteen subjects in all

D. students go out side to enjoy themselves in a car

5.Which of the following is not true according to this passage?

A. There were few outside activities in Germany.

B. Fred had his own car when he was in America.

C. Subjects seemed easy for Mike in the USA.

D. All family activities were around the individual in Germany.