The key to happiness is how quickly you can get back your focus on what’s important.
-----Anonymous
Sixteen years ago I learned this lesson in the back of a New York City taxi cab. Here's what happened. I hopped in a taxi, and we took off for Grand Central Station. We were driving in the right lane when, all of a sudden, a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car’s back end by just inches!
The driver of the other car, who almost caused a big accident, started yelling bad words at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was friendly. So, I said, "Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!" And this is when my taxi driver told me what I now call "The Law of the Garbage Truck."
Many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it. And if you let them, they'll dump it on you. When someone wants to dump on you, don't take it personally. You just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. You'll be happy you did.
I started thinking, how often do I let Garbage Trucks run right over me? And how often do I take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets? It was that day I said, "I'm not going to do any more."
Good leaders know they have to be ready for their next meeting. Good parents know that they have to welcome their children home from school with hugs and kisses. Leaders and parents know that they have to be fully present, and at their best for the people they care about. The bottom line is that successful people do not let Garbage Trucks take over their day. What about you? What would happen in your life, starting today, if you let more garbage trucks pass you by? Here's my bet. You'll be happier. Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets. So, Love the people who treat you right. Forget about the ones who don't.
1.What happened one day when the author was taking a taxi?
A. The taxi almost hit another car.
B. The taxi driver was injured.
C. The author scolded the driver of the other car.
D. The author learned a lesson from the driver of the garbage truck.
2.How did the taxi driver respond to the behaviour of the driver of the black car?
A. He yelled back at the driver.
B. He sent the driver to the hospital.
C. He was friendly towards the driver.
D. He dumped some garbage in front of his car.
3.What does the taxi driver think of people according to Paragraph 3?
A. Many people like to drive garbage trucks.
B. Many people dump garbage wherever they like.
C. Many people are warm-hearted to make others happy.
D. Many people tend to be very much depressed.
4.What can we infer from Paragraph 4?
A. The author used to have a lot of garbage trucks.
B. The author used to complain a lot.
C. The author used to have a lot of money.
D. The author used to be a good manager.
5.According to the passage, what should you do if people “dump garbage” on you?
A. Ignore them and go on with our own work.
B. Try our best to persuade them not to do that again.
C. Tell them to dump the garbage in the right place.
D. Take over their work and carry the garbage to somewhere else.
Working hard for fun
No more pencils! No more books
No more teacher’s serious looks!
After a long period of study and work, the young Americans burst through the school doors singing.
But unfortunately, American students do very poorly and are among the worst students in the world. In the entire field of subjects---from geography and maths to science and general knowledge. American students are the poorest performers. Why? What’s the reason behind the scene? One problem lies in the fact that so little is expected from them. The standards of success are too low. Teachers are not willing to give out low grades and fail students. Besides, the existing negative results are few and mean little to students if their performance in study is poor . Of course some students realize that a high school diploma is a measure of success and will be important to get a job or get admitted into college. But they only have to go through the motions without really trying. They learn to get by with a minimum of effort.
In America, it is simply too easy for high school students to enter college. This forms a sharp contrast with the students in China and other Asian countries who have to suffer heavy pressure from parents, teachers and cruel social facts. Chinese students have to study hard for long years to pass the national college entrance examination which few Americans will take such trouble to enter to university. The majority American students know that they will be able to get into some college, so they do not really worry about it.
It turns out that American high school students are just too busy to find time to study. They spend almost no time on study while students from other countries spend four or five hours per day on homework. American students on the average give less than five hours per week to their studies. Learning and reading for future are not important to them. Many American never read. It is little wonder why Americans knows less than students from other countries.
1.Why are American students the poorest performers in the entire field of subjects?
A. Because they are too busy to find time to study.
B. Because they are too stupid and too lazy.
C. Because they care little about their study.
D. Because so little is required from them
2.Which of the following is Not true ?
A. Most of American students spend less than five hours on their study every week.
B. Few American students have trouble to enter college.
C. American students can be admitted into college even without a high school diploma.
D. It is hard for the students in China to enter college.
3.What seems to be the writer’s attitude towards American students?
A. He probably thinks much should be expected from them.
B. He is in favour of American students’ learning methods.
C. He shows no interest in American students’ study.
D. He thinks American students study hard.
It is well known that the Japanese people’s love of fish is almost as a bee’s interest in honey. As fish populations were decreasing, fishing companies were forced to fish further and further away from the shore. Then they had a big challenge－how to keep the fish fresh for longer. So they decided to keep the fish stored in freezers on the boats. But the public did not like frozen fish. So again the fishing companies had a new bigger challenge. What they decided to do was to have fish tanks on their boats. After catching fishes, they would put them in the tanks and keep them living there until they got back to shore. But in this protected environment, lacking predators (掠食者)，the fish stopped moving around. The Japanese public felt these dull fish did not taste fresh, which had an unpleasant effect upon sales. Once again the fishing companies had an even bigger challenge ...
Stop for a minute! Before we go any further, I would like to ask “What are your challenges? How do you handle an unexpected challenge?” May I think it this way that you should try to attack your challenges? Conquer them with a Swiss Army knife. Take the most proper and simple tool that you can adopt to deal with your situation.
Now back to our story. How did the Japanese finally figure out the fresh fish problem？Sharks! You might think the same. Sharks were caught and put into the tanks with other fishes. Don’t sharks eat fish? Well, they do eat a few fish, but they did also keep more fish active and alert (警觉的) The fish stay fresh because they are challenged.
Now, try to keep yourself fresh by finding your own shark to offer yourself a challenge in your own business and career.
1.The main reason for the fishing company to fish in the far sea is that .
A. the fish resource near the shore was decreasing
B. the fishes farther away from the sea tasted fresher
C. people would prefer eating fresh fishes to less fresh ones
D. it was getting harder and harder to keep fishes fresh
2.The relationship between fishes and sharks is similar to that between in nature.
A. dogs and cats B. monkeys and mosquitoes
C. wolves and antelopes D. children and lions
3.The underlined part of the last paragraph means “ .”
A. If you went fishing, you might do as the fishing companies did
B. Try to find a big shark, and you will meet your challenge
C. To succeed in life, you should always be ready to meet challenges
D. Sharks are usually compared to the challenges in people’s life
4.The purpose for the author to write the passage is to .
A. tell the readers “no pains, no gains”
B. tell the readers how the Japanese keep the fish fresh
C. suggest readers looking for challenges to make progress
D. advise readers to find something difficult to do
Being the head of a high school for many years, I grew tired of budget meeting, funding cuts, and many other administrative chores (杂务). I started to dream of retirement. Sitting in traffic on a weekday morning, I would find my mind wandering, I would imagine spending time with my grandchildren, quiet evenings with my wife, traveling, or rediscovering some great books. I told myself that I wouldn’t sign myself up for any committees, any classes, or anything requiring a schedule.
My first day of retirement came at last! I cooked a great breakfast for my wife and me, leisurely read the paper, cleaned a bit of the house, and wrote a few letters to friends. On the second day, I cooked breakfast, read the paper … On the third day, … This is retirement? I tried to tell myself that it was just the transition（过渡）, that those golden moments were right round the corner, and that I would enjoy them soon enough, But something was missing.
A former colleague asked a favor. A group of students was going to Jamaica to work with children in the poorest neighborhoods. Would I interrupt my new found “happiness” and return to the students, just this once? One trip. That’s all, My bags were packed and by the door.
The trip was very inspiring. I was moved not only by the poverty I saw but also by the sense of responsibility of the young people on the trip. When I returned home, I offered to work one day a week with a local youth organization. The experience was so positive that I was soon volunteering nearly full-time, working with students across North America to assist them in their voluntary work.
Now, it seems, the tables have turned. Some days I am the teacher, other days I am the student. These young people have reawakened my commitment (责任感) to social justice issues by challenging me to learn more about the situation in the world today, where people are still poor and suffer because of greed, corruption and war, Most important, they have given me the opportunity to continue to participate in helping to find solutions. In return, I help them do their charitable projects overseas. I’ve gone from running one school to helping oversee the construction of schools in twenty-one countries!
1.What did the writer expect to do after he retired?
A. To stay away from busy schedules. B. To write some great books.
C. To do some voluntary work D. To plan for his future.
2.Why did the writer decide to go to Jamaica?
A. He missed his students in that country.
B. He couldn’t refuse his colleague’s favor.
C. He was concerned about the people there.
D. He was not satisfied with his retired life.
3.The underlined part “the tables have turned”(Paragraph 5) means that the writer .
A. improved the situation in his school
B. felt happy to work with students again
C. became a learner rather than a teacher
D. changed his attitude toward his retired life
4.What does the writer think of his retired life now?
A. Disappointing B. Troublesome C. Promising D. Meaningful
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
It was Thanksgiving morning. In the crowded kitchen of my small home I was busy preparing the traditional Thanksgiving turkey 1the doorbell rang. I opened the front door and saw two small children in rags huddling together inside the storm door on the top step.
“Any old 2, lady?” asked one of them
I was 3. I wanted to say “no” until I looked down at their feet. They were wearing thin scandals(便鞋), wet with heavy snow.
“Come in and I’ll 4you a cup of hot cocoa.”
There was no conversation. Their wet scandals 5marks upon the floor. I 6them cocoa and bread with jam to fight against the cold outside. Then I went back to the 7and started again on my household budget.
The silence in the front room struck through to me. I 8in. The girl held the empty cup in her hands, looking at it. The boy asked 9a flat voice, “Lady, are you rich?”
“Am I rich? Mercy, no!”
I looked at my shabby(寒酸的) slipcovers. The girl put her 10back in its saucer(茶碟) carefully and said.
“Your cups match your saucers.”
Her 11was hungry with a need that no amount of food could supply. They left then, holding their bundles of papers against the wind. They hadn’t said “Thank you”. They didn’t 12to. They had done 13that. Plain blue pottery cups and saucers were only worth five pence. 14they matched.
I 15the potatoes and stirred the meat soup. Potatoes and brown meat soup, a roof over our heads, my man with a good steady job—these things 16, too.
I moved the chairs back from the fire and cleaned the living room. The muddy prints of small scandals were still 17upon my floor. Let 18be for a while. I want them there 19I forget again how 20I am.
1.A. while B. as C. when D. until
2.A. clothes B. books C. shoes D. papers
3.A. busy B. confused C. impatient D. free
4.A. cook B. make C. do D. give
5.A. left B. kept C. held D. wiped
6.A. sent B. took C. served D. showed
7.A. study B. bedroom C. living room D. kitchen
8.A. turned B. gave C. looked D. checked
9.A. at B. in C. with D. to
10.A. food B. spoon C. toast D. cup
11.A. voice B. coat C. story D. memory
12.A. expect B. know C. need D. mean
13.A. less than B. more than C. rather than D. other than
14.A. And B. So C. Then D. But
15.A. tasted B. peel C. washed D. cut
16.A. separated B. matched C. were the same D. were different
17.A. strange B. new C. deep D. wet
18.A. it B. them C. that D. one
19.A. in case B. as if C. although D. in order that
20.A. happy B. lucky C. rich D. moved
His appearance has changed so much that you _____ not recognize him.
A. must B. need C. may D. ought
