When someone gives you advice, listen without judgment, try to find value in what you're hearing, and
say:"Thank you". This wise advice is easy to understand yet hard to practice. I'll give you an example from
my life when I totally blew it in terms of practicing what I teach.
      In my work I travel constantly. I always put off going to the airport until the last second. My wife, Lyda,
was sitting next to me in the front seat. I was racing along and not paying much attention. Lyda cried out!
"Look out! There is a red light up ahead." 
      Being a trained behavioral science professional-who teaches others the value of encouraging advice-I
screamed at her:"I know there is a red light up ahead! Don't you think I can see?" When we arrived at the
airport, Lyda didn't speak to me. I wondered why she seemed mad at me.
      During the flight to New York, I did a cost-benefit analysis. I asked myself:"What was the cost of just
listening when Lyda called out the warning? Zero." I then reasoned:"What was the potential benefit? What
could have been saved?" Several potential benefits came to mind, including her life, my life, and the lives
of other people.
      I landed in New York feeling ashamed of myself. I immediately called Lyda and told her my cost-benefit
story. I convinced her:"The next time you help me with my driving, I am just going to say, 'Thank you.'"
      A few months passed, and I had long forgotten the incident. Again, I was racing off to the airport, when
Lyda cried out:"Look out for the red light!" I was embarrassed, and then shouted:"Thank you!" 
      I'm a long way from perfect, but I'm getting better. My suggestion is that you get in the habit of asking
the important people in your life how you can do things better. And be ready for an answer. Some people may
tell you things like "Look out for the red light." When this happens, remember that there is possibly some
potential benefit. Then just say:"Thank you."

1. What do we know about the author?

A. He is expert at behavioral science.
B. He is gifted in cost-benefit analysis.
C. He seldom takes his wife's advice.
D. He often runs the red traffic light.

2. The underlined part "blew it" in Paragraph 1 probably means "______".

A. became annoyed with the adviser
B. forgot the practical method
C. failed to say "Thank you"
D. lost personal judgment

A. tend to be defensive when given advice
B. intend to follow others' suggestions
C. had better study behavioral science
D. should give their opinions patiently

4. The purpose of the passage is to advise people to ______.

A. do a cost-benefit analysis in daily life
B. treasure others' suggestions
C. learn from the author's experiences
D. discover potential benefits

      My mother moved a lot when she was growing up on account of Grandpa being in the army. She hated
having to adjust to new schools and make new friends. That's why I thought she was joking when she put
forward the idea of moving. But she was completely serious. "For just the two of us," my mother said, "an
apartment in the city will suit our needs much better." Personally, I think she lost her mind. I guess I can
understand why she would want to move, but what about me and what this house means to me?
      I suppose if you looked at my house, you might think it was just another country house. But to me it is
anything but standard. I moved into this house with my parents ten years ago. I can still remember that first
day like it was yesterday. The first thing I noticed was the big front yard. To me it seemed like an ocean of
grass-couldn't wait to dive in. The backyard was full of gnarled (扭曲的, 粗糙的) and scary trees that talked
on windy nights. But I grew to like them and the shadows they cast in my room. My father and I even built
a small tree house, where I often go to remember all the wonderful time we had before Father's death.
     This house is special-maybe only to me-but special nevertheless. It's the little seemingly insignificant things
that make this house so special to me; the ice-cold tile floors that make me tremble on midnight snake runs;
the smell of my fathers pipe that still exists; the towering bookcases of my mother; the view outside my
bedroom window.
      This house bears too many memories, memories which would be lost if we gave it up.

1. Why did the author's mother decide to move?

A. Because she hated the countryside.
B. Because Grandpa was on constant move.
C. Because Dad's death made her lose her mind.
D. Because she thought a city flat more fit for them.

2. What impressed the author when she first moved into the house?

A. The tree house
B. The big trees
C. The cold floors
D. The green grass

3. How did the author let us feel that the house was special to her?

A. By arguing whether the house was standard.
B. By explaining why the house suited their needs.
C. By describing the small things related to her house.
D. By comparing the differences between country and city life.  

4. The author describes the house with _____.

A. love
B. responsibility
C. promise
D. enthusiasm

      Mark, a young person, tells me he wants to be a writer. I always encourage such people, but I also explain
that there's a big difference between "being a writer" and writing. In most cases these people are dreaming of
wealth and fame, not the long hours alone at a typewriter. "You've got to want to write," I say to them, "not
want to be a writer."
      The truth is that writing is a lonely, private and poor-paying affair. For every writer kissed by good luck
there are thousands more whose longing is never rewarded (报答). When I left a 20-year job in the U. S.
Coast Guard to become a writer, I had no hopes at all. What I did have was a friend who found me my room
in a New York apartment building. It didn't even matter that it was cold and had no bathroom. I immediately
bought a used typewriter and felt like a real writer. 
      After a year or so, however, I still hadn't got a break and began to doubt myself. It was so hard to sell a
story that hardly made enough to eat. But I knew I wanted to write. I had dreamed about it for years. I wasn't
going to be one of those people who die wondering "what if". I would keep putting my dream to the test-even
though it meant living with uncertainty and fear of failure. This is the shadow land of hope, and anyone with a
dream must learn to live there.

1. The passage is meant to _____.

A. warn young people of the hardship that a successful writer has to experience
B. advise young people to give up their idea of becoming a professional writer
C. show young people it's unrealistic (不现实的) for writers to seek wealth and fame
D. encourage young people to hunt for good jobs

2. What can be concluded from the passage?

A. Real writers often find their work interesting and rewarding.
B. A writer's success depends on luck rather than on effort.
C. Famous writers usually live in poverty.
D. The chances for a writer to become successful are small

3. Why did the author begin to doubt himself after the first year of his writing work?

A. Real writers often find their work interesting and rewarding.
B. A writer's success depends on luck rather than on effort.
C. Famous writers usually live in poverty.
D. The chances for a writer to become successful are small