Enjoy your own life without comparing it with that of another.
-Marquis de Condorcet
If you took the strengths of others, and compared them to your weaknesses, do you think this would make
you feel good? The funny thing is, this is 1 most of us do at one time or another-and some of us do pretty
2 .
It"s surely a practice for a 3 in self-confidence and for unhappiness. Let"s say I take a look at someone
who creates 4 artwork on their website and I look at my art, and realize I don"t come 5 to being matched
with him. In fact, I look pretty pitiful. But it"s not a fair 6 . If I looked at my strengths-writing useful and
honest posts-I can see that I have a lot to offer, a lot to be happy about.
That"s so important-being able to look at your own strengths, and see your true 7 . It"s actually one of the
8 to success and happiness.
I want to talk about this issue 9 an email from a reader recently: I have some teammates from very rich
families. I can"t stop myself comparing my lifestyle with 10 . I must say that my 11 planning is sound enough
to take care of my existing family; and I can take care of new family member also, at least for 12 even if I
lose my current job. But 13 I see or hear them spending so much money after possessions, I start comparing
14 . How can I stop this habit, without changing jobs?
This is an excellent but tough 15 . I think it"s 16 to compare ourselves to others, but it often makes us
unhappy even if we have enough and 17 be happy with what we have. My quick advice: try to be aware of
when you start comparing yourself to others ...once you"ve developed this 18 , stop yourself and tell yourself,
"Stop that!” And then 19 thinking about all the things you do have, the things you love, the people you have
and the blessings that 20 has given you. Make this a regular practice, and you"ll start to be happier with your
life.
( )1. A. why ( )2. A. often ( )3. A. rise ( )4. A. astonished ( )5. A. up ( )6. A. comparison ( )7. A. strengths ( )8. A. reasons ( )9. A. because of ( )10. A. them ( )11. A. financial ( )12. A. sometime ( )13. A. however ( )14. A. then ( )15. A. question ( )16. A. strange ( )17. A. must ( )18. A. awareness ( )19. A. stop ( )20. A. happiness | B. what B. seldom B. increase B. disappointing B. close B. communication B. shortcomings B. keys B. regardless of B. their B. annual B. some time B. Whatever B. later B. person B. natural B. can B. hobby B. help B. life | C. that | D. how D. always D. f ailure D. amazing D. closely D. connection D. weaknesses D. means D. in case of D. theirs D. beneficial D. sometimes D. whenever D. thus D. reader D. important D. should D. custom D. start D. confidence |
1-5: BACDB 6-10: ACBAD 11-15: ABDCA 16-20: BDABD | |||
阅读理解。 | |||
Stephen Hawking"s book A Brief History of Time was a huge commercial success. Its achievements in bringing difficult scientific ideas to a wide audience are not so clear. Now the distinguished physicist has teamed up with his daughter Lucy to produce a children"s book designed to communicate contemporary physics. Will it capture the attention of young minds and teach them some real science?Will it be boring and over the heads of the prospective readers? George"s Secret Key to the Universe is an adventure story complete with villains (反面人物) and hero and is illustrated with enjoyable line-drawings. It involves a lost pig,a humorously portrayed (描写) intelligent computer,school bulies and a trip through the Solar System. Didactic discussions on aspects of modern physics,such as supernova explosions and black-hole physics are hung on this set-up.There are also fact boxes on physics and astronomy,and some photographs of astronomical phenomena:planets,comets,galaxies (星系) and so on. Overall, the book is a serious effort to convey facts and ideas in present day astronomy and astrophysics,within a science-fiction adventure story. The mixture is great. Children love facts and adventure stories. The combination will catch their interest and keep them occupied for hours. After ten minutes of leafing through the book,my granddaughter Ruby was deeply absorbed and I had to promise to bring it back for her to read after I had completed my review. Like any educational tool,it will succeed for some and not for others. I suppose there should be more of the former. | |||
1. Where do you think this passage is taken? | |||
A. From a news story. B. From a textbook. C. From a book review. D. From an advertisement. | |||
2. Which of the following books is mainly reviewed in this passage? | |||
A. George"s Secret Key to the Universe. B. A Brief History of Time. C. The Nature of Space and Time. D. Hawking"s fact and fiction. | |||
3. What is the author"s attitude towards the book being reviewed? | |||
A. It will be less successful. B. It will be more successful. C. It will be a complete failure. D. It all depends on Ruby. | |||
4. The underlined word "leafing" (in the last paragraph) probably means _______. | |||
A. adding leaves to a book B. throwing away a book C. tearing up a book D. turning pages of a book | |||
阅读理解。 | |||
Like most big projects, learning to manage your mother well is what you should do. Here are what I believe the best steps towards a better relationship with her. They are not necessarily surprising or revolutionary, but they have worked for many people. Try them. Remember your mother"s age. As children, we often do not think of our mother as having an age. Even when we become conscious of her as an individual,age does not change our view; she is still our mother. Knowing our mother"s age, not just in numbers of years but in terms of her psychological and physical state, often helps us to understand her better. Listen to your mother. I have found that sometimes the things my mother told me long ago are remarkably useful. If your mother knows that you respect her point of view, even if you do not share it, it will help her feel close to you. Remember that your mother has a past. A key step in managing our relationship with our mother is to find out about her early life. Niclle"s mother suffered much during the Second World War. "My parents are both Jewish-Turkish. They met in France and married young for love. They were in their twenties when war broke out and because they were Jews,they had to go into hiding. She does speak to me about the war, and I think it is important to know what she went through. It is a part of her life that must have affected her deeply." Sometimes, in learning about our mother"s past, we know that it can encourage us to think about her whole life. Ask your mother about your childhood history. My grandparents died when I was young. If you are fortunate enough to have living family, think of your life as a jigsaw (拼图) puzzle and ask as many questions as you can to put the picture together. Understanding your roots and your childhood can help you know more clearly who you are, as part of a family which you share with your mother. Keep a sense of humor about your mother. I have often listened to stories of difficult mothers and I have also listened to the following piece of advice which I have found most helpful:Don"t have a sense of humor failure about your mother. Remember that managing your mother is really about managing yourself. No matter how difficult we find her, it is important to remember that it is not her behavior itself that is causing us discomfort, but the way we feel about her behavior. We should follow the way of her life. Only then are you able to accept your mother-with all her failings. | |||
1. The followings are the steps you can take to get on with your mother EXCEPT ______. | |||
A. remembering your mother"s age B. sharing your roots and your childhood with your mother C. having a sense of humor failure about your mother D. managing yourself while managing your mother | |||
2. What does the underlined word "them" refer to in the first paragraph? | |||
A. projects. B. mothers. C. steps. D. people. | |||
3. Which of the following is implied but not stated in the passage? | |||
A. It will help you have a better relationship with your mother if you respect her opinion. B. You should follow a most useful piece of advice-a sense of humor. C. The key measure of managing our mother is how we manage ourselves. D. It is unreasonable to expect our mother to change totally from the way she was brought up. | |||
4. The main purpose of writing the text is ______. | |||
A. to give information about how you think of your mother B. to improve the relationship with your mother C. to keep a sense of humor about your mother all day long D. to accept your mother-with all her failings | |||
阅读理解。 | |||
Everyone can hardly manage to live without friendship. As we all know, in our life, all of us are sure to meet with all kinds of hardships, such as illness, accidents and other disasters. If we have no friends to help us out of these difficulties, we can hardly get to a new start. Everyone needs support in feelings, yet your family members can"t always give you so much support because of all kinds of reasons. At this time a true friend is very important. When you have made great progress in your work and made your mark, you need a friend to share your pleasure. On the other hand, when you suffer a terrible loss in life, you need a friend to listen to you and open your heart to him. Of course, everyone has to die, and when you are dying, how you wish your friend to understand you and help your folks! Since friendship is so important, we should try to make some true friends. How to find friends?A friend should first be true, ure, kind, friendly, enthusiastic and of course stress feelings and like to help others. If you can find a person with the same belief and interest, it is surely much better. Remember when you have found an ideal person to be your friend, it doesn"t mean he or she will be your friend. You should open your heart, feeling and wish to him or her to gain his or her heart and feeling. When you have got a good friend, please remember that friends should try to help and support each other. When your friend has done something which doesn"t satisfy you so much, you should try to understand him. When your friend has done something wrong, you should try to forgive him. If so, your friend will be deeply thankful to you for your forgiveness. Your life will prove your most valuable possession is your friend. | |||
1. You need a friend when you face _____. | |||
A. joys B. sorrows C. either joys or sorrows D. both joys and sorrows | |||
2. What kind of friends is the best friend? | |||
A. The friend with the same work as you. B. The friend with the same amount of money as you. C. The friend with the same belief and interest as you. D. The friend with the same social position as you. | |||
3. When you find an ideal friend, you should open your _____ to him or her to gain his or hers. | |||
A. money B. heart, feeling and wish C. knowledge D. wish | |||
4. When your friend has done something which is not so suitable, you should try to ______ him. | |||
A. understand and forgive B. discuss with C. accept D. argue with | |||
阅读理解。 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最恰当的单词。注意:每空 格1个单词。 | |||
White-collar workers going to great lengths for stress relief A soldier of the South Korean special attack corps paints his eyes during a friendly Taekwondo match at a South Korean Army Base in Pochon, north of Seoul. Stressed out white-collar workers are scaling (攀登) skyscrapers, camping out on rooftops, smashing up restaurants, pretending to be children and even visiting cemeteries in a bid to relieve the pressure of modern life. As the country"s economy continues to steam ahead, once popular forms of entertainment, such as karaoke, card games and even boxing bars, appear to be losing their appeal. Consider the members of Shanghai"s Cat Rain club. By day, this group of young women works executive jobs, but by night they climb buildings so they can spend the night on the roof. "It"s a good way to release our pressure. You feel relaxed when you"re sitting on the roof, looking up to the sky and chatting with intimate (亲密的) friends," said Gong Ying, 25. The stress of work is not just limited to people in Shanghai. A recently opened restaurant in Beijing encourages customers to smash plates-as long as they are willing to pay to replace them. Though there has been some debate about the extravagance (奢侈) of such services, some psychologists say the activity reflects the desire of some white-collar workers to vent their angst. Some workers even appear eager to return to their childhoods. This May, hundreds of people took part in a festival in which adults pretended to be children. It was an adults-only event, and participants could read comics and eat sweets all day. Scenic places such as parks and rivers can also help people relax and put things in perspective. But a cemetery? Cemetery companies in Shanghai organized visits to local graveyards for stressed-out workers in March. The participants were taken to quiet spots in the cemetery where they could contemplate (考虑、打算) life and their futures. Roof-camper Chen Bin, an IT marketing professional, said she had camped out on a rooftop about 30 times. When she"s not sleeping out under the stars, she also has several other adrenalin-fueled interests, such as downhill racing and paragliding. "Pressure may bring us distress, but it doesn"t mean we can"t find ways out," Chen says."Life should be imaginative." | |||
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阅读理解。 请认真阅读下列短文,并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入最恰当的单词。注意:每空 格1个单词。 | |||
Host family accommodation, or living with host families, remains popular among language travel students for its advantages. These days, host families are trying to offer more in terms of quality, for they still have something to worry about. Host family accommodation is often seen as the number-one choice for its advantages in language study, cultural communication and cost of living. Staying alongside host families enables students to get enough practice for the short time of their studying so that their language acquisition is likely to become faster. Living in host families also has the advantage for students of being able to spend a lot of time communicating with their "host parents", and get to know the local way of life, people and culture. Another advantage is that host family accommodation can sometimes be the least expensive. It attracts students for it ensures them a family type of living at a low cost. The advantages, however, have not prevented host families form worrying. On one hand, some host families are losing their unique selling point. The problem is that the majority of hosts in big cites, now generally single and young, have less times available for students but the selling point for host family accommodation is communication practice. One the other hand, students" expectations have risen. They are becoming more demanding and asking for more than ever from their accommodation, as they come mainly from high socio-economic groups in their own countries. To get out of the difficult situation, host families are now making efforts to improve the quality of service. They are trying to making living conditions better, including broadband Internet service, private bathroom, and access to plenty of hot water for long showers. They are also providing students with structured family activities. It is believed that host family accommodation will keep the popularity vote with language travel students. | |||
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