Michael is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, “If I were any better, I’d be twins!” He was a natural motivator.
One day I went up to Michael and asked him, “I don’t get it. You can’t be positive all the time. How do you do it?”
Michael replied, “Each morning I wake up and say to myself ‘Mike, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or a bad mood.’ I choose the first. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life.” Michael continued, “Life is all about choices. The bottom line is: It’s your choice how you live life.”
Several years later, Michael was involved in a serious accident, falling off 60 feet from a communications tower. I saw him about six months after the accident. I asked him what had gone through his mind as the accident took place.
He said, “I first thought of my soon-to-born daughter and then remembered I had two choices: I could choose to live or I could choose to die. I chose to live. I knew I needed to take action. So when a nurse kept shouting questions at me asking if I was allergic to anything, I took a deep breath and yelled, ‘Gravity’. Over their laughter, I told them, ‘I’m choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead’.”
Michael lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude.
1.Which of the following statements is true?
A. Michael is a person whom people don’t like very much.
B. Michael knows how to learn from bad things in life.
C. Doctors thought Michael was dead.
D. The author didn’t think Michael was a happy person.
2.According to Michael, when someone complains to you, you should ____________.
A. share your own experiences with him
B. just listen to what the person says and feel sorry for him
C. tell the person to look at the happy side of life instead of just listening
D. discuss with the person and tell him to reflect on the complaints
3.The author quotes Michael’s words “If I were any better, I’d be twins!” to tell us ____________.
A. Michael wants to have a twin brother
B. Michael is not satisfied with his present life
C. Michael is always optimistic
D. Michael likes to change his mood
4.Which of the following best summarizes the main idea?
A. Accidents will happen.
B. When God shuts a door, he opens another.
C. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
D. Attitude is everything.
Knowing how much her own children loved presents at Christmas, Ann Sutton, a social worker, always tried to seek help for one or two poor families. This year, Kinzie, Ann’s seven-year-old daughter, was 31 that Santa Claus would make a special visit to a young mother named Ashley who worked in a factory and was 32 her 12-month-old son, Evan, and her 12-year-old brother, Kenny, by herself.
At a 33 dinner, the phone rang. A representative from a local charity was calling to say that the 34 Ann had requested for Ashley had been cancelled. No Santa Claus, no presents, nothing. Ann saw the cheer fade away from her children's faces at the news. Without a word, she 35 down from her chair and ran from the room. Now, it didn't feel much 36 Christmas anymore. Kinzie returned, her face set with determination. She had opened up her piggy 37 , and now she counted out the coins and broken dollar 38 , one by one, onto the dining table: $3.30. Everything she had.
“Mom,” she told Ann, “I know it's not much. 39 maybe this will buy a present for the baby.”
Then 40 everyone was reaching into pockets and purses. Adding to Kinzie's gift became a game, with everyone 41 for loose change. By the time the search ended, there was a small mountain of bills and a neat pile of coins. The 42 : $130, plenty for a Christmas for three. “God multiplied your gift,” Ann said to Kinzie.
That evening, Kinzie went with her mother and sister to 43 the money.
On Christmas Eve, Ann 44 through the pouring rain to the small cottage where the family lived. When Ashley opened the door, Ann stood under her umbrella and 45 the astonished woman a merry Christmas. Then she began to 46 the gifts from the car, handing them to Ashley one by one. Ashley laughed in disbelief, and still the presents came. Ann abandoned the umbrella, and the young woman joined her in the rain, passing gifts 47 to Kenny. “Please, can I open up just one tonight?” he begged. Soon both women were 48 to the skin, and surprise had turned to something 49 , the kind of joy that brought them close to tears.
Reflecting on a little girl's generosity, Ashley says she hopes she'll one day be able to do something similar for someone else in 50 . “Kinzie could have used that money for herself, but she gave it away,” Ashley says. “She's the type of kid I'd like my son to grow up to be.”
1.A. disappointed B. pleased C. surprised D. puzzled
2.A. raising B. teaching C. helping D. protecting
3.A. sorrowful B. joyful C. pitiful D. grateful
4.A. reward B. job C. aid D. prize
5.A. knelt B. fell C. rolled D. slipped
6.A. like B. at C. over D. for
7.A. pocket B. case C. basket D. bank
8.A. checks B. bills C. receipts D. signs
9.A. So B. And C. But D. or
10.A. hopefully B. luckily C. obviously D. suddenly
11.A. hunting B. struggling C. rushing D. trading
12.A. goal B. budget C. total D. maximum
13.A. spend B. save C. distribute D. collect
14.A. looked B. drove C. wandered D. walked
15.A. owed B. offered C. brought D. wished
16.A. unload B. separate C. divide D. choose
17.A. out B. inside C. down D. up
18.A. wet B. excited C. close D. familiar
19.A. sadder B. heavier C. wilder D. deeper
20.A. vain B. store C. need D. touch
If the students who killed themselves had only been more confident, their deaths ________.
A. need have been avoided B. must have been avoided
C. might have been avoided D. will have been avoided
It doesn’t matter what you wear—just ________ you come.
A. as long as B. as far as C. as early as D. as soon as
In front of our house ________ we used to swim.
A. a river lies that B. does a river lie where
C. lies a river which D. lies a river where
—Mama, why can’t I work the maths problem out?
—Oh, let me see. Well, you ________ a figure here. Got it?
A. squeezed out B. picked out C. left out D. wore out
