Have successful people ever felt sad? Do they have any “secrets” to success? The answers to these questions can be found in US president Barack Obama’s “back to school” speech. Here is an excerpt(摘录) from his speech.
I know that sometimes, you get the sense that you can be rich and successful without any hard work—that your ticket to success is through pop music or basketball or being a TV star, when chances are, you’re not going to be any of those things.
But the truth is, being successful is hard. You won’t love every subject you study. Not all the homework will seem rather important to your life right this minute. And you may not succeed at everything the first time you try.
That’s OK. Some of the most successful people in the
world are the ones who’ve had the most failures (the opposite of success). JK
Rowling’s first Harry Potter book was turned down 12 times before it fin
ally
came out. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team, and he
lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots (投篮) during his career. But he once said, “I have failed
over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”
These people succeeded because they understand that you can’t let your failures beat you—you have to let them teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently next time.
No one’s born being good at things. You become good at things through hard work.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness; it’s a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to tell when you don’t know something, and to learn something new.
And even when you’re struggling(奋斗), even when you’re discouraged (泄气), and you feel other people have given up on you—don’t ever give up on yourself. Because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.
1.Why does Barack Obama mention (提到) JK Rowling and Michael Jordan in the third paragraph?
A. To compare these two famous persons.
B. To explain that the more failures he has, the more successful he is.
C. If you want to be successful, you should fail first.
D. To show that failure is the mother of success.
2. Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A. No one can be successful without working hard.
B. Failure can be good if you treat it in a right way.
C. Those who believe in themselves shouldn’t ask others for help.
D. One should try his best to make his dream come true.
3.Which of the following has the closest meaning to the underlined sentence?
A. One shouldn’t ask questions because it is a sign of strength.
B. One should believe in himself though he will face much difficulty.
C. One doesn’t have to work hard when he has failed several times.
D. One doesn’t have to ask for help because it is a sign of weakness.
No one wants to look silly or do the wrong thing at a new job. It is important to make the right impression(印象) from the first day. You’ll face new people. You will be in a new place.
It may be difficult to know what to do. Here are five tips to help you make it through the first days at a new job:
1. First impressions can last forever. Make sure you make a good one. Before your first day, find out if your new job has a dress code (rules about what you can wear to work). If so, be sure to follow it. No matter what, always be neat and clean.
2. Get to work on time. Give yourself an extra 15 minutes to make sure you arrive on time.
3. Pay attention to introductions. One of the first things that your supervisor may do is to introduce you to co-workers. These co-workers will be important to you. They are the ones who will answer your questions when the boss is not around.
4. Ask plenty of questions. Make sure that your supervisor has told you what is expected of you. If he or she has not told you your duties, ask for a list. Set daily and weekly goals for yourself.
5. Never be the first one to leave. Watch what your co-workers do around quitting time (下班时间). It does not look good for you to be eager(急切) to leave.
1. Before you arrive at work, you should __________.
A. dress in a right way B. introduce yourself
C. know your duties D. know your co-workers well
2. According to the passage, which of the following statements is True?
A. You should be the first one to arrive at work.
B. You should ask your co-workers for your duties.
C. You should not be eager to go back home.
D. You are required to arrive 15 minutes earlier.
3.According to the passage, your supervisor is most likely your __________.
A. visitor B. teacher C. workmate D. leader
Frank Smithson woke up and got up to turn off the alarm clock(闹钟). “Oh no!” he thought to himself. “Another day at that office; a boss (老板) who shouts at me all the time.”
As Frank went downstairs, his eyes fell on a large brown envelope (信封) by the door. He was very happy when he opened it and read the letter inside. “Bigwoods Football Pools (足球赌博公司) would like to congratulate you. You have won half a million pounds（英镑）.”
Frank suddenly came to life. The cigarette fell from
his lips (唇) as he let ou
t
a shout that could be heard halfway down the street.
At 11:30 Frank arrived at work. “Please explain why
you're so lat
e,”
his boss said. “Go and jump in the lake,” said Frank. “I've just come into a
little money so this is good-bye. Find yourself someone else t
o
shout at.”
That evening Frank was smoking a very expensive Havana
cigar (雪茄) when a knock was heard on the door. He rushed
to the door. Outside were two men, neatly dressed in grey suits. “Mr.
Smithson,” one of them said, “we're from Bigwoods Pools. I'm afraid there's
been a terrible mistake…”
1.What do we know about Frank from the passage?
A. He was a lazy man. B. He was a lucky person.
C. He had made a lot of
money. D. He got on we
ll
with his boss.
2.When he heard the knock at the door, Frank probably thought _________.
A. someone had come to say sorry to him
B. someone had come to give him the money
C. his friends had come to ask about the football pools
D. his friends had come to congratulate him on his luck
3.On hearing “…there's been a terrible mistake…”, Frank was most likely to be_____.
A. disappointed (失望的) B. worried C. grateful D. curious
At the beginning of this century, medical scientists made an interesting discovery（发现）: we are built not just of flesh (肌肉) and blood but also of time. They were able to show that we all have a ‘body clock’ us, which controls the and fall of our body energies. It can us different from one day to the next.
The idea of a ‘body clock’ should not be too because the lives of most living things are controlled by the 24-hour night-and-day cycle (循环). We feel and fall asleep at night. We become and energetic during the day. Most people will have a bad feeling if the 24-hour cycle is . For example, people who are not used to working at night can find that lack (缺少) of sleep causes them to badly at work.
the daily cycle of sleeping and waking, we also have other cycle which lasts longer than one day. Most of us would that we feel good on some days and not so good on others; sometimes our ideas seem to be so active and at other times, they are not.
1.A. beside B. inside C. outside D. under
2.A. life B. offer C. use D. rise
3.A. show B. treat C. make D. change
4.A. difficult B. natural C. surprising D. frightening
5.A. quiet B. tired C. comfortable D. cheerful
6.A. regular B. serious C. lively D. clear
7.A. disturbed B. pushed C. restarted D. troubled
8.A. perform B. suffer C. count D. control
9.A. With B. As well as C. Except D. Rather than
10.A. afford B. admire C. advise D. agree
---Are you going to take part in the speech competition?
--- _____. It’s too good a chance to miss.
A. No problem. B. Thanks a lot. C. Never mind. D. That’s for sure.
Money is important in my life, but it isn’t_______ to me.
A. everything B. something C. nothing D. anything
