Sir Steven Redgrave—Winner of 5 Olympic Gold Medals
“In 1997 I was found to have developed diabetes (糖尿病), believing the profession(职业) trained for the whole of my life ended, I felt very sorry. Then one of my friends said there was no reason why I should stop training. That was it—the encouragement I needed. I could still be a winner if I believed in myself. I am not saying that it isn’t difficult sometimes. But I wanted to prove to myself that I wasn’t finished yet. Nothing is to stand in my way.”
Karen Pickering—Swimming World Champion (冠军)
“I swim 4 hours a day, 6 days a week. I manage that amount（总数） of work by putting it on top of my diary. This is the key to success—you can’t follow a profession in any field without being well-organized. Make a list of what you believe you can achieve. Trust yourself, write down your goals for the day, however small they are, and you’ll be a step closer to achieving them.”
Kristen Stewart—Actress
“When things are getting hard, a voice inside my head tells me that I can’t achieve anything. Then, there are other distractions, such as family or hobbies. The key is to give most of your attention to one thing. When I feel nervous, it helps a lot to repeat words such as ‘calm’, ‘peace’, either out loud or silently in my mind. It makes me feel more in control and improves my confidence. This is a habit and is a powerful psychological(心理学的) tool.”
1.The underlined word “ distractions” probably means ________.
A. good habits B. things that make one tired
C. words to enjoy D. things that turn one’s attention away
2.The same character of the three people is________.
A. humour B. happiness
C. self-confidence D. wisdom
3. The best title for the passage is ________.
A. Health and Food B. How to Be a Winner
C. Difficulties and Habits D. Be a Sportsman
Three rich ladies met every day by the river. They sat there and talked the whole day. Once the three ladies quarreled(争吵). One of them said. “Look, how white and beautiful my hands are!” Another one said, “My hands are more beautiful.” The third one said, “Mine are the most beautiful ones.” An old beggar（乞丐） woman came up to them. “Beautiful ladies,” she said, “I’m hungry. Please give me something to eat.”
But the three ladies gave her nothing. They only asked, “Tell me, old woman, which one of us has the most beautiful hands?”
A peasant（农民）woman was also sitting by the river. She was poor and her hands were rough（粗糙的） because of hard work. The old woman came up to her and said, “I’m hungry. Please give me something to eat.” The peasant woman took out her only cake she had and gave her a half.
The old woman ate it and drank some water. Then she took the peasant woman by the hand, brought her before the rich ladies and said, “Now, I shall tell you whose hands are the most beautiful. The hands of the poor peasant woman are rough because of work, but they give us food; they are far more beautiful than your hands which have never done anything.”
1. The three ladies ___________.
A. had a quarrel every day
B. were rich but unkind
C. had a talk about their hands every day
D. lived by the side of the river
2.The old woman asked for something to eat, ___________.
A. but none of the three rich ladies gave anything to her
B. but only one of the three ladies gave her half a cake
C. because she wanted to know whose hands were beautiful
D. because she wanted to know which lady was the richest
3. The peasant woman’s hands were not so white as the three ladies’ ___________.
A. because of the hard work she had done
B. but she was stronger than any of them
C. so she didn’t quarrel with the three ladies
D. but she was more beautiful than the beggar
We wish that we could be better at sports or more attractive. We wish we had nicer clothes or more money. Everyone likes to feel that he or she is special. , many of us grow up believing that we’re not special at all. We believe we are not good enough just as we are.
Most parents want us to be the best we can be. Very often, they compare (比较)us to . By doing this, they try to encourage us to do better. They well, but the message we often get is that we’re not good enough. We begin to believe that the only way we can be special is being better than someone else, but we are often disappointed(失望). There will always be someone out there who is better than we are at . Plenty of people around may not be as smart as we are, but they are better at sports. Or they may not be as good-looking, but they have more money. It is for us to be better than everyone else all the time.
We all want the things that we believe will make us better people. But very often we don’t realize that we already have us the very things that we want. These things make us others. When we are growing up, sometimes forget to tell us that we are special, that we are good enough. Maybe no one told them when they were growing up. , it’s up to us to remind them from time to time that each of us, in our own way, is special. What we are is enough.
1.A. Again B. Next C. Otherwise D. However
2.A. other B. others C. another D. the others
3.A. believe B. work C. mean D. show
4.A. to B. on C. by D. in
5.A. something B. anything C. everything D. nothing
6.A. helpful B. impossible C. necessary D. important
7.A. inside B. among C. around D. for
8.A. worse than B. better than C. different from D. the same as
9.A. friends B. scientists C. parents D. doctors
10.A. Also B. Anyway C. Although D. After all
--- We failed in the singing competition.
--- _________. Better times are waiting for you.
A. No way B. Best wishes
C. Cheer up D. Good job
There are no guests in the hotel. It _________ offer the friendliest service.
A. needn’t B. must C. may D. can’t
--- _________do you write a letter to your father?
--- I seldom or never do that now. Instead, I call or e-mail him almost every day.
A. How soon B. How long
C. How much D. How often
