Why are so many people so afraid of failure? Simply because no one tells us how to fail so that failure becomes an experience that will lead to growth. We forget that failure is part of the human condition and that every person has the right to fail.

Most parents work hard at either preventing failure or protecting their children from the knowledge that they have failed. One way is to lower standards. A mother describes her child’s poorly made table as “Perfect!” even though it doesn’t stand still. Another way is to shift (转移) blame. If John fails science, his teacher is unfair or stupid.

The trouble with failure-prevention ways is that they leave a child unequipped for life in the real world. The young need to learn that no one can be best at everything, no one can win all the time and that it’s possible to enjoy a game even when you don’t win. A child who’s not invited to a birthday party, who doesn’t make the honor list on the baseball team, feels terrible, of course. But parents should not offer a quick comfort, prize or say, “It doesn’t matter” because it does. The young should be allowed to experience disappointment — and be helped to master it.

Failure is never pleasurable. It hurts grown-ups and children alike. But it can make a positive contribution to your life once you learn to use it. Step one is to ask “Why did I fail?” Don’t blame someone else. Ask yourself what you did wrong and how you can improve. If someone else can help, don’t be shy about inquiring.

Success, which encourages repetition of old behavior, is not nearly as good a teacher as failure. You can learn from a bad party how to give a good one, from an ill-chosen first house what to look for in a second. Even a failure that seems definitive can create fresh thinking, a change of direction. After 12 years of studying ballet a friend of mine took an interview for a professional company. She was turned down. “Would further training help?” she asked. The ballet master shook his head. “You will never be a dancer,” he said, “You haven’t the body for it.”

In such cases, the way to use failure is to take assessment bravely and ask, “What have I left? What else can I do?” My friend put away her shoes and moved into dance treatment center, a field where she’s both able and useful. Failure frees one to take risks because there’s less to lose. Often there is recovery of energy— a way to find new possibilities.

1. The first paragraph tells us ______.

       A. the reason why so many people are afraid of failure

       B. the reason why we don’t know how to fail

       C. failure is very natural for every person

       D. one should be ready to face failure at any time

2. The second paragraph tells us ______.

       A. how a mother praised her children

       B. two ways of failure prevention most parents used when their children fail

       C. how to shift blame

       D. parents should blame their children at the proper time

3. According to the author, what should a child know in the real world?

       A. Ways to avoid failure.

       B. No one can be best all the time at everything.

       C. No parents should offer quick comforts.

D. He can get pleasure as well as success.

With both hands resting on top of the steering wheel, Oshima looks over at me: “That’s where you will be living now, Kafka. In the room where Miss Saeki used to spend time with her boyfriend. As I said, there is some change to the library, but it’s the very same room.”  Silence on my part.

“Miss Saeki’s life stopped at age 20, when her lover died. No, maybe not age 20, maybe much earlier…I don’t know the details, but you need to know of this. The hands of the clock inside her soul stopped then. Time outside, of course, flows on as always, but she isn’t affected by it. For her, what we consider normal time is meaningless.”

“Meaningless?” Oshima nods. “Like it doesn’t  exist.”

“What you’re saying is Miss Saeki still lives in that frozen time?”

“Exactly. When you get to know her better you’ll understand.”

Oshima reaches out and lays a hand on my knee on a totally natural gesture. “Kafka, in everybody’s life there’s a point of no return. And in a very few cases, a point where you can’t go forward anymore. And when you reach that point, all we can do is quietly accept the fact. That’s how we survive. ”

We’re about to get onto the main highway. “There’s one other thing I’d like you to know of,” he goes on. “Miss Saeki has a wounded heart. To some degree that’s true of all of us. But Miss Saeki has a special wound that goes beyond the usual meaning of the term. Her soul moves in mysterious ways. I’m not saying she’s dangerous—don’t get me wrong. On a day-to-day level she’s certainly got her act together, probably more than anyone else I know. She’s attractive, deep, smart. But just don’t let it worry you if you notice something strange about her sometimes.”

“Strange?” I can’t help asking.

Oshima shakes his head. “I really like Miss Saeki, and respect her. I’m sure you’ll come to feel the same way.”

This doesn’t really answer my question, but Oshima doesn’t say anything.

1．The underlined part “Miss Saeki is still living in that frozen time” means that      .

A．although Miss Saeki is dead, she’s still alive in people’s memory

       B．the time Miss Saeki spent with her boyfriend was very cold

       C．the time Miss Saeki spent with her boyfriend was very unhappy

       D．Miss Saeki cannot get out of the sadness brought about by her boyfriend’s death

2．The conversation takes place               .

       A．in a library                                         

B．in a moving car

       C．where Miss Saeki used to spend time with her boyfriend

D．where Kafka lives

3．Which of the following statements is right?

       A．Oshima knows every detail about Saeki.

       B．Oshima knows Saeki well enough to understand her.

       C．Oshima knows Saeki better than anyone else.

       D．Oshima knows very little about Saeki, but respects her.

4．We can infer from the passage that           .

       A．there is something wrong with Saeki’s clock.

       B．Saeki refuses to accept the fact

       C．Saeki is attractive, smart but dangerous

       D．Saeki can’t remember what happened to her

5．The writer wants to give us a feeling of           by giving readers the description of Saeki.

A．mystery    B．horror     C．amazement    D．danger

认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。

Some people believe that greed and selfishness has become the basis of modern society, and we should return to the old traditions of family and community then we will have a better life. To what extent do you agree with the above?

    In this fast-paced world, many values are undergoing major changes. While people traditionally prioritize (把…区分优先次序) caring, sharing and generosity in life and work, modern people seem to be more self-absorbed and self-concerned.

    Modern people act selfishly to survive the hard competition of life. They say that it is a jungle out there. To survive, you have to fight with whatever means that come handy. Obviously greed and selfishness go perfectly well with such ideas. In a company, employees do everything they can to get better pay and higher position, even at the cost of colleagues. We are in any way advocating (倡导) any selfish conduct. It is just that people are pressured to act in a certain way due to outside influences.

    In spite of common practice, it is hard to conclude that modern society is built on greed and selfishness, both of which are not newly invented vocabulary. In ancient times people also did greedy and selfish things though such behaviors were more condemned then. But we can not ignore the fact that people in the past lived a relatively more isolated life and faced less pressure compared with their modern counterparts(极相似的人或物).

Are we happier to share with others and be generous to them? There is no fixed answer either. Some people take great pleasure helping and giving to others while others feel happy doing the opposite. But I personally think that people should not be too selfish. Caring for others can actually encourage the development of a mutually（互相地） beneficial relationship.

In conclusion, modern people appear to be more self-centered than those in the past due to strong outside pressure. However, we should encourage people to know the importance of being caring and generous and to build a mutually beneficial relationship with others.

Are Modern People Becoming More Selfish?

《扬子晚报》2008年6月18日刊登了题为“‘天堂短信’传递人间至爱”的报道：某江苏籍专家在汶川地震中不幸遇难，其妻为了不影响即将高考的女儿，独自承担丧夫巨痛，用丈夫的手机一个月内每天给女儿发2条“爸爸的短信”。

   假如你是被感动的读者李华，给某英文报纸写一篇150字左右、题为“Maternal love(母爱) ”的感文。文章的要点如下：

注：1. 文章的开头已给出，不计入总数。

    2.参考词汇：高考 the College Entrance Examination

                        Maternal love

    Some days ago, a news article in Yangtze Evening moved thousands of its readers to tears. I was one of them.  …

—Fang Yonggang was given ___ honor of being one of the 10 yearly figures in China, 2007.

—That's really ________ great encouragement to those serving in the army.

A. the; 不填                 B. a; a                   C. the; a                D. 不填; the

—Do you know the 3G mobile phone will come onto the market soon?

—Really? It is said to be superior ________ any other model. I can't wait to buy_____.

A. to; one                      B. than; one         C. to; it           D. than; it

I hope my teacher will take my recent illness into ________ when judging my examination.

A. regard              B. counting        C. consideration    D. observation

What the expert has said and done will be ____________ to the department mangers.

A. value               B. benefit              C. of valuable      D. of benefit

If I were you , I wouldn’t ________ their problems.

A. be involved                 B. get involved      C. be involved at    D. get involved in

The view ___________ many scientists hold is _________ too much emission of carbon dioxide is destructive.

A. which; which         B. that; that          C. that; which      D. what; that