People often complain they face too many problems. Every day and everywhere there are problems. Many times we find it hard to stay happy. When one problem is solved, another one comes up.
People have money problems, work problems, family problems, health problems..... the list goes on. And we usually think that people who are happy and successful are having fewer problems than us. Look at the successful people we often mention. They have money they need, they have jobs they love, they have good friends, they have obedient(孝顺的) kids, they have the successful business, they have loving families etc. Everything goes well with them. That is why they are happy and successful. But in fact, the more successful you are, the more problems you have to face. More success means more challenges they have to face, and more success means more risks they have to take.
Young and old, rich and poor, successful and unsuccessful, educated and uneducated, all have problems. The difference is that their problems are different from each other. Rich and successful have big problems. Poor and unsuccessful have small problems. Still they all have problems which they can face. Successful people are successful just because they are ready to face challenges larger than ordinary people.
Winning the US elections(选举) makes Obama very happy. As a new US president, he has to face bigger challenges. He has to be more careful about his work he does, or he will lose his position(位置). Looking at him, we may say he is lucky, happy and successful. But, I think, as the US president, he has more pressure than an ordinary person.
1.You will be a/an ______ person if you are afraid to face more challenges.
A．ordinary B．successful C．famous D．educated
2.From this article we know that President Obama ______.
A．has fewer problems B．was born in a rich family
C．takes more risks D．is a successful businessman
3.The main idea of this article is _______.
A．why poor people are always poor
B．how many problems people usually have to face
C．how lucky and happy President Obama is
D．how to deal with problems in life
Americans use many expressions with the word dog. People in the United States love their dogs and treat them well.
Some people say we live in a dog-eat-dog world. That means many people are competing for the same things, like good jobs. They say if a person wants to be successful he has to work like a dog. This means they have to work very, very hard. Such hard work can make people dog-tired. And, the situation would be even worse if they became sick as a dog.
Still, people say every dog has its day. This means that every person enjoys a successful period during his or her life. To be successful, people often have to learn new skills. Yet, some people say that you can never teach an old dog new tricks(手艺). They believe that older people do not like to learn new things and will not change the way they do things.
Dog expressions are also used to describe the weather. The dog days of summer are the hottest days of the year. A rain in summer may cool the weather. But we do not want it to rain too hard. We do not want it to rain cats and dogs.
1.If a person without lots of money wants to buy a car, he or she has to ______.
A．treat the dog well B．live with lots of dogs
C．work like a dog D．become sick as a dog
2.The saying you can never teach an old dog new tricks tells us older people ______.
A．have more ways to do things B．do things more slowly
C．dislike to learn new things D．know wonderful tricks
3.Which of the following is NOT true according to this passage?
A．Many dogs are loved and treated well by people in America.
B．“Every dog has its day” means dogs are the most successful animal.
C．“It rains cats and dogs” has the same meaning as “It rains heavily”.
D．There are many expressions with the word dog in English.
The first way to make friends is to smile. When you smile, people think you are __1___ and easy to talk to. It may not be easy at first to smile. But, you can practice in the mirror(镜子). When you look at yourself, think if you’d like to __2___ to your smiling face or your usual face. Of course the smiling face. Most people stay away from an __3___ face.
One easy way to start a conversation with someone is to say __4___ nice about them. For example, you could talk about an interesting __5___ to a teacher’s question, good match at the ball field, pretty shirt, etc…. Think about how great you feel when someone says something nice to you. Doesn’t it make you want to __6___ talking to that person?
Ask your new friends questions about themselves. Such as: “Who’s their favorite singer?” “Where do they live, who’s their teacher?” “What do they do after school?” … etc. They are all good questions to start a __7___.
When someone asks you a question, do have an answer for them. If you don’t __8___ who your favorite singer is, or what your hobbies are, think about it. There’s nothing that will __9___ a conversation quicker than a shrug(耸肩) for an answer.
Shy kids often have some trouble with complements. When someone says something nice, shy kids often say nothing. This leaves the other person __10___ if they said something wrong. The best and easiest reply to a complement is a simple “thank you”.
1. A．funny B．strang C．crazy D．friendly
2. A．talk B．say C．see D．look
3. A．honest B．old C．angry D．exciting
4. A．anything B．something C．everything D．nothing
5. A．answer B．book C．decision D．invention
6. A．have B．prefer C．finish D．keep
7. A．discussion B．conversation C．meeting D．game
8. A．meet B．believe C．know D．guess
9. A．try B．stop C．find D．make
10. A．wondering B．forgetting C．hearing D．knowing
--- Could you please help me with my English?
---________.
A．You’re welcome B．It’s a pleasure
C．It’s very kind of you D．That’s a good idea
--- Are we going to visit the flower show tomorrow?
--- No. The monitor said it _______ till the next week.
A．was put off B．has been put off C．would put off D．was putting off
--- How cool you look in this shirt! How much did you ______ on it?
---Not very expensive. It’s just one hundred yuan.
A．buy B．pay C．cost D．spend
