A morning rarely began so perfect. I took in the fresh air and felt my heart run into an enthusiastic rhythm. Though cool, the sun warmed my back as it rose over the horse from not far from my house. The slightest wind danced on my skin. Just enough to keep a runner form overheating. My ever-faithful jogging partner, a black dog named Nika pulled my leg with her mouth, mirroring my eagerness to start our run.
We raced forward with determination, ready to leap tall buildings and race against speeding trains. We pushed harder and ran faster, demonstration our skill and impressing passing motorists and neighbors.
We kept on running until we hit the Beast, a name for a very difficult, nearly two-mile long steep climb.
Only a few paces into the Beast, I gasped for air. Far short of superhero status, my enthusiasm and active steps were lost somewhere at the base of the hill. A vision of the newspaper and a cup of coffee waiting in my kitchen appeared, attracting me to turn back toward home.
With a glance I noticed Nika wasn’t doing any better. She continued to faithfully follow me, putting one paw in front of the other, but without her former eagerness. Her tiredness touched me. And in that moment, I felt a sudden spark of renewed determination to press on. I couldn’t allow this mountain to get the better of us. To improve both our spirits, I managed to shout, “Good girl, Nika! Keep going…you can do it!”
“I’m encouraging a dog, for heaven’s sake!’’ I needed to pull myself together. With a few simple words, I changed our course. One moment we were on the edge of quitting. The next, our feet picked up the pace and we continued. Though tired and discouraged myself, with a few kind words I impacted a dog’s ability to go further. I’m sure I could have completed the opposite with ill-chosen comments and an unpleasant tone. Instead, the Beast was defeated and we flew like heroes the rest of the way home.
Life is full of beasts to conquer. For some, it is the seemingly impossible climb of cancer. For others, their beast takes the shape of parenting a child or a teenager. Uphill climbs come in all shapes and sizes, common only in their ability to defeat, discourage and tempt tired travelers to quit. Sometimes all that’s needed is a few spoken, well-timed words of encouragement from a fellow runner – someone who sees the struggle, dares to jogs alongside, and cares enough to say, “Keep going! You can do it! You’re not alone. I believe in you!”
【小题1】 The writer starts the text by describing________.

As late as 1800, women’s only place was in the home. The idea of woman in the business world was unthinkable. Men were certain that no woman could do a good job outside her home. This was such a widely accepted idea that when the well-known Bronte sisters began writing books in 1864, they had to sign their books with men’s names instead.
Teaching was the first profession open to women soon after 1800. But even that was not an easy profession for women to enter because most schools and colleges were open only to men. Oberlin College in Ohio was the first college in America to accept women.
Hospital nursing became respectable work for women only after Nightingale became famous. Seeing that she was not only a nurse but also a rich and well-educated woman, people began to believe it was possible for women to nurse the sick and still be “ladies”. Miss Nightingale opened England’s first training school for nurse in 1860.
The invention of the typewriter in 1867 helped to bring women out of the home and into the business world. By 1900, thousands of women were working at real jobs in schools, hospitals and offices in both England and America. Some women even managed to become doctors or lawyers. The idea that women could work in the business world had been accepted.
【小题1】 Why couldn’t women become teachers easily? Because___________

A. hands     B. qualities      C. worked     D. curiosity    E. pretty

F. looks      G. ashamed     H. applied     I. taste        J. information

When I succeeded in becoming a part-time employee of Nokia China last summer, many friends asked me how I survived the interview.

I once asked myself the same questions. Many of my peers also __1._ for the job, including some very competitive and intelligent students from famous universities.

But why did the interviewer pick me instead of them?

Finally, _2.__ pushed me to ask the interviewers after we became colleagues. The answer was that I appeared confident but humble, responsible and communicative. They evaluated people not just on their academic certificates, but on the base of their __3.__ and abilities. I happened to be the right person.

To be frank, I once felt __4.__ of being a student from an unknown college, and I think this may apply to some of you. I thought my future was ruined. It was only at the time of my successful interview that I finally understood the famous saying --- “You decide where you go.”

A wide range of skills is important these days. I used to work for Master Kong. My job was to cook instant noodles for customers. I had regarded it as a piece of cake, but I failed constantly. I had to cook the noodles for the right amount of time to make them __5.__ good. Moreover, the noodles could only remain in a plastic cup of five minutes, or the taste would be ruined.

This experience taught me never to look down on anything, and always remain humble.

I also __6.__ as a volunteer for a beach volleyball event. My job was to help foreign visitors experience the beach. I thought it would be very easy because my oral English was __7.__ good. But when I went to talk with a group of foreign guests, I suddenly realized that I did not know a single beach volleyball term. I was embarrassed.

After this, I read brochures in both Chinese and English every day to learn the terms for facilities and related words. This allowed me to deliver accurate __8.__ to foreigners, and I was happy to work responsibly.

After these experience, I’m more confident and I strongly believe that my fate is in my  __9.__. It has certainly helped me make a giant step closer to my dream of graduating with prospects for the future. I hope my advice will benefit you as well.

As late as 1800, women’s only place was in the home. The idea of woman in the business world was unthinkable. Men were certain that no woman could do a good job outside her home. This was such a widely accepted idea that when the well-known Bronte sisters began writing books in 1864, they had to sign their books with men’s names instead.

Teaching was the first profession open to women soon after 1800. But even that was not an easy profession for women to enter because most schools and colleges were open only to men. Oberlin College in Ohio was the first college in America to accept women.

Hospital nursing became respectable work for women only after Nightingale became famous. Seeing that she was not only a nurse but also a rich and well-educated woman, people began to believe it was possible for women to nurse the sick and still be “ladies”. Miss Nightingale opened England’s first training school for nurse in 1860.

The invention of the typewriter in 1867 helped to bring women out of the home and into the business world. By 1900, thousands of women were working at real jobs in schools, hospitals and offices in both England and America. Some women even managed to become doctors or lawyers. The idea that women could work in the business world had been accepted.

1. Why couldn’t women become teachers easily? Because___________

A. the first profession open to them was writing.

B.  most schools and colleges were open only to men.

C.  they wanted to be nurses instead.

D.  they had to work in the business world.

2. The article is mainly about __________.

A.  women are in the business world

B.  the famous Bronte sisters

C.  schools and colleges in America

D.  rights for American women

3. Which fact does the article lead you to believe?

A. The Bronte sisters thought that they were men.

B.  England’s first training school for nurses was in Ohio.

C.  There are more men than women in professional jobs.

D.  Women find it necessary to work harder than before.

As late as 1800, women’s only place was in the home. The idea of woman in the business world was unthinkable. Men were certain that no woman could do a good job outside her home. This was such a widely accepted idea that when the well-known Bronte sisters began writing books in 1864, they had to sign their books with men’s names instead.

Teaching was the first profession open to women soon after 1800. But even that was not an easy profession for women to enter because most schools and colleges were open only to men. Oberlin College in Ohio was the first college in America to accept women.

Hospital nursing became respectable work for women only after Nightingale became famous. Seeing that she was not only a nurse but also a rich and well-educated woman, people began to believe it was possible for women to nurse the sick and still be “ladies”. Miss Nightingale opened England’s first training school for nurse in 1860.

The invention of the typewriter in 1867 helped to bring women out of the home and into the business world. By 1900, thousands of women were working at real jobs in schools, hospitals and offices in both England and America. Some women even managed to become doctors or lawyers. The idea that women could work in the business world had been accepted.

1.Why couldn’t women become teachers easily? Because___________

A. the first profession open to them was writing.

B.  most schools and colleges were open only to men.

C.  they wanted to be nurses instead.

D.  they had to work in the business world.

2. The article is mainly about __________.

A.  women are in the business world

B.  the famous Bronte sisters

C.  schools and colleges in America

D.  rights for American women

3. Which fact does the article lead you to believe?

A. The Bronte sisters thought that they were men.

B.  England’s first training school for nurses was in Ohio.

C.  There are more men than women in professional jobs.

D.  Women find it necessary to work harder than before.