The Touchstone

  When the great library of Alexandria burned, the story goes, one book was saved. But it was not a valuable book; and so a poor man, who could read a little, bought it for very little money.

The book wasn’t very interesting, but between its pages there was something very interesting indeed. It was a thin strip of vellum on which was written the secret of the “Touchstone”! The touchstone was a small pebble that could turn any common metal into pure gold.

The writing explained that it was lying among thousands and thousands of other pebbles that looked exactly like it. But the secret was this: The real stone would feel warm, while ordinary pebbles are cold.

So the man sold his few belongings, bought some simple supplies, camped on the seashore, and began testing pebbles. He knew that if he picked up ordinary pebbles and threw them down again because they were cold, he might pick up the same pebble hundreds of times. So, when he felt one that was cold, he threw it into the sea. He spent a whole day doing this but none of them was the touchstone. Yet he went on and on this way. Pick up a pebble. Cold - throw it into the sea. Pick up another. Throw it into the sea. Pick up another. Throw it into the sea.

The days stretched into weeks and the weeks into months. One day, however, about mid-afternoon, he picked up a pebble and it was warm. He threw it into the sea before he realized what he had done. He had formed such a strong habit of throwing each pebble into the sea that when the one he wanted came along he still threw it away.

So it is with opportunity. Unless we are careful, it’s easy to fail to recognize an opportunity when it is in hand, and it’s just as easy to throw it away.

The man bought the book because _____________.

  A. he wanted to read it            B. it was very interesting

C. there was a secret in the book     D. he wanted to find the touchstone

We can learn from the passage that the touchstone is _________.

A. pure    B. cold      C. magic      D. big

Why did the man throw the pebbles into the sea?

A. Because he didn’t want to get the same pebbles.

B. Because he didn’t want others to pick them up.

C. Because he didn’t like their ordinary looks.

D. Because he didn’t like the cold feelings.

What does the author want to tell us in the passage?

A. We should offer opportunities in our life.

B. We should seek for opportunities in the world.

C. We may seize opportunities when we are watchful.

D. We may discover opportunities when forming habits.

The story of the touchstone(探金石) tells of a man who was told that if he could find the touchstone, its magical powers could give him anything he wanted. It could be found, he was 31 , among the pebbles (卵石) of a beach. All he need to do is  32  a stone.If it feels warm, the magical touchstone is 33 .
The man rushed to the beach without delay. When he  34 a pebble that felt cold, he threw it into the sea. He  35 this practice for weeks. Each pebble felt cold, and each pebble was  36 thrown into the sea..
But one morning, he  37 to take hold of a pebble that felt  38 , unlike the other stones. The man, who had  39 noticed the difference, threw it into the sea. He hadn’t  40 to, but he had formed a habit that can be  41 to break.
Any behavior one   42 is strengthened. Repeated often enough, it becomes a(n)  43 . A Spanish proverb says, “Habits are first cobwebs (蜘蛛网), then cables (钢索).” It works well for  44 habits that first trap us like a cobweb. And if we continue the behavior, the  45 grows stronger and can be as difficult to break as a steel cable.  46 some habits can work in our  47 , such as patterns of our lives, positive attitudes and healthy ways of thinking. We form our habits, then our habits form us  48  .
When it  49 habits, practice may not make perfect. But practice will certainly make permanent. So form the habits you want and let them 50  you into the person you want to be.

【小题1】
A.trickedB.informedC.introducedD.traced
【小题2】
A.look onB.cut intoC.knock downD.pick up
【小题3】A made            B. found           C. controlled          D. offered
【小题4】
A.knewB.showedC.graspedD.grabbed
【小题5】
A.decidedB.stoppedC.requiredD.continued
【小题6】
A.immediatelyB.frequentlyC.greatlyD.happily
【小题7】
A.triedB.decidedC.hopedD.happened
【小题8】
A.smoothB.roughC.warmD.cold
【小题9】
A.commonlyB.necessarilyC.hardlyD.quickly
【小题10】
A.designedB.determinedC.failedD.meant
【小题11】
A.hardB.easyC.likelyD.sure
【小题12】
A.forgetsB.showsC.adjustsD.repeats
【小题13】
A.addictionB.instructionC.habitD.regret
【小题14】
A.annoyingB.oldC.influentialD.bad
【小题15】
A.lineB.webC.spiritD.feeling
【小题16】
A.ThenB.ThusC.ButD.Because
【小题17】
A.favorB.memoryC.honorD.wish
【小题18】
A.in forceB.in additionC.in returnD.in vain
【小题19】
A.leads toB.comes toC.belongs toD.points to
【小题20】
A.adjustB.formC.transferD.shape

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