Two of the saddest words in the English language are “if only”. I live my life with the goal of never having to say those words, because they convey regret, lost opportunities, mistakes, and disappointment.

My father is famous in our family for saying, “Take the extra minute to do it right.” I always try to live by the “extra minute” rule. When my children were young and likely to cause accidents, I always thought about what I could do to avoid an “if only” moment, whether it was something minor like moving a cup full of hot coffee away from the edge of a computer, or something that required a little more work such as taping padding (衬垫) onto the sharp corners of a glass coffee table.

I don’t only avoid those “if only” moments when it comes to safety. It’s equally important to avoid “if only” in our personal relationships . We all know people who lost a loved one and regretted that they had foregone an opportunity to say “I love you” or “I forgive you”. When my father announced he was going to the eye doctor across from my office on Good Friday, I told him that it was a holiday for my company and I wouldn’t be there. But then I thought about the fact that he’s 84 years old and I realized that I shouldn’t give up an opportunity to see him. I called him and told him I had decided to go to work on my day off after all.

I know there will still be occasions when I have to say “if only” about something, but my life is definitely better because of my policy of doing everything possible to avoid that eventuality(可能发生的事). And even though it takes an extra minute to do something right, or it occasionally takes an hour or two in my busy schedule to make a personal connection, I know that I’m doing the right thing. I’m buying myself peace of mind and that’s the best kind of insurance for my emotional well-being.

1.Which of the following is an example of the “extra minute” rule?

A. Start the car the moment everyone is seated.

B. Leave the room for a minute with the iron working .

C. Wait for an extra minute so that the steak tastes better.

D. Move an object out of the way before it trips someone.

2.The author decided to go to her office on Good Friday to ________.

A. keep her appointment with the eye doctor

B. meet her father who was already an old man

C. join in the holiday celebration of the company

D. finish her work before the deadline approaching

3.The underlined word “foregone” in Paragraph 3 is closed in meaning to “________”.

A. abandonedB. lackedC. avoidedD. wasted

4.What is the best title for the passage ?

A. The Emotional Well-beingB. The Two Saddest Words

C. The Most Useful RuleD. The Peace of Mind

On October 31st, 2009, Chinese famous scientist Qian Xuesen, died in Beijing when he was 98 years old. He is famous as “the country’s father of space technology and king of rocketry”.

Qian was born in 1911 in Hangzhou. He left for the United States after winning a scholarship to graduate school in 1936. He studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and later at the California Institute of Technology.

Qian began his career in the US and was regarded as one of the brightest minds in the new field of aeronautics(航空学) before returning to China in 1955.

After he returned, Qian set up the first missile(导弹)and rocket research institute(学院) of China. The institute later helped start Chinese space program. He led the development of China's first nuclear-armed ballistic missile (弹道导弹) and worked on its first satellite.

He retired in the year before Chinese manned space program was launched in 1992. But his research formed the basis(形成基础)for the Long March CZ -2F rocket that carried astronaut Yang Liwei into orbit in 2003.

In August, 2009, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao visited Qian and praised him for devoting his life to Chinese defense technologies. Qian told him, “I'm trying to live to be 100 years old”.

1.Qian was regarded as ________ before returning to China.

A. a father of space technology

B. king of rocketry

C. one of the brightest minds in the new field of aeronautics

D. one of the best-known scientists

2.When did Qian Xuesen retire?

A. In 1970.B. In 1991.C. In 1992.D. In 2009.

3.What does the underlined word mean in Chinese?

A. 发奖品B. 批评C. 赞扬D. 鼓励

4.List the following things in correct orders. Which is the correct?

①left for the United States

②won a scholarship to graduate school

③returned to China from the United States

④set up the first missile and rocket research institute of China

⑤studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

A. ②①③④⑤B. ②①⑤③④

C. ⑤③④②①D. ⑤②①③④

5.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. Qian was born in 1936 in Hangzhou.

B. Qian began his career in China.

C. The long March CZ-2Frocket carried YangLiwei into orbit in 2009.

D. Wen Jiabao visited QianXuesen in August 2009.

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