One day not too long ago the employees of a large company in St .Louis, Missouri returned from their lunch break and were greeted with a sign on the front door. The sign said: “Yesterday the person who has been hindering(阻碍) your growth in this company passed away. We invite you to attend the funeral in the room that has been prepared in the gym.”
At first everyone was sorry to hear that one of their colleagues had died, but after a while they started getting curious about who this person might be. The excitement grew as the employees arrived at the gym to pay their last respects. Everyone wondered: “Who is this person that was hindering my progress? Well, at least he’s no longer here! ”One by one the employees got closer to the coffin (棺材) and when they looked inside it they suddenly became speechless. They stood over the coffin, shocked and in silence, as if someone had touched the deepest part of their soul. There was a mirror inside the coffin: everyone who looked inside it could see himself. There was also a sign next to the mirror that said: “There is only one person who is capable to set limits to your growth: it is you.”
You are the only person who can revolutionize your life. You are the only person who can influence your happiness, your realization and your success. You are the only person who can help yourself. Your life does not change when your boss changes, when your friends change, when your parents change, when your partner changes, when your company changes. Your life changes when you change, when you go beyond your limiting beliefs, when you realize that you are the only one responsible for your life.
1.The underlined word “funeral” in the first paragraph means ________.
A. an occasion when one admires himself in a mirror
B. a chimney from where smelly smoke comes out
C. a ceremony for burying or burning a dead person
D. an exhibition displaying varieties of treasures
2.Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
A. Last Respects B. A Strange Person
C. A Strange Company D. A Road to Success
3.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A. The employees were shocked when they saw the dead person.
B. It is you yourself that can actually change your life.
C. In the mirror you can find how small you are in the world.
D. You can achieve your goal if you set limits to your growth.
4.It seems that the company is ________.
A. encouraging the employees to show respects to the dead
B. providing good working conditions for its employees
C. suffering a heavy loss due to its staff member’s death
D. trying to make its employees aware of their own potential
It was a village in India. The people were poor. However, they were not unhappy. After all, their forefathers had lived in the same way for centuries.
Then one day. Some visitors from the city arrived. They told the villagers there were some people elsewhere who liked to eat frog’s legs. However, they did not have enough frogs of their own, and so they wanted to buy frogs from other places.
This seemed like money for nothing. There were millions of frogs in the fields around, and they were no use to the villagers. All they had to do was catch them. Agreement was reached, and the children were sent into the fields to catch frogs. Every week a truck arrived to collect the catch and hand over the money. For the first time, the people were able to dream of a better future. But the dream didn’t last long.
The change was hardly noticed at first, but it seemed as if the crops were not doing so well. More worrying was that the children fell ill more often, and, there seemed to be more insects around lately.
The villagers decided that they couldn’t just wait to see the crops failing and the children getting weak. They would have to use the money earned to buy pesticides(杀虫剂) and medicines. Soon there was no money left.
Then the people realized what was happening. It was the frog. They hadn’t been useless. They had been doing an important job---eating insects. Now with so many frogs killed, the insects were increasing more rapidly. They were damaging the crops and spreading diseases.
Now, the people are still poor. But in the evenings they sit in the village square and listen to the sounds of insects and frogs. These sounds of the night now have a much deeper meaning.
1.From paragraph I we learn that the villagers __________.
A. worked very hard for centuries
B. dreamed of having a better life
C. were poor but somewhat content
D. lived a different life from their forefathers
2.Why did the villagers agree to sell frogs?
A. the frogs were easy money
B. They needs money to buy medicine
C. they wanted to please the visitors
D. the frogs made too much noise
3. What might be the cause of the children’s sickness?
A. the crops didn’t do well
B. there were too many insects
C. the visits brought in diseases
D. the pesticides were overused
4.What can we infer from the last sentence of the text?
A. Happiness comes from peaceful life in the country
B. Health is more important than money
C. The harmony between man and nature is important
D. good old day will never be forgotten
I grew up poor – living with six brothers, my father and a wonderful mother. We had 36 money and few worldly goods, but plenty of love and attention. I was 37 and energetic. I understood that no matter how poor a person was, they could 38 afford a dream.
My dream was to be a 39 .When I was sixteen, I could crush a baseball, throw a ninety-mile-per-hour fastball. I was also 40 : my high-school coach was Ollie Jarvis, who 41 me the difference between having a dream and showing strong belief. One particular 42 with him changed my life forever.
It was a summer and a friend recommended me for a summer 43 . This meant a chance for my first income—cash for a new bike and new clothes, and the 44 of savings for a house for my mother. The opportunity was attracting, and I wanted to 45 at it.
Then I realized I would have to 46 summer baseball to handle the work schedule, and that meant I would have to tell Coach Jarvis I wouldn’t be playing. I was 47 about this.
When I told Coach Jarvis, he was as 48 as I expected him to be. “You have your whole life to work,” he said. “Your 49 days are limited. You can’t afford to waste them.”
I stood before him with my head 50 , trying to think of how to explain to him why my dream of buying my mom a house and having money in my pocket was worth 51 his disappointment in me.
“How much are you going to make at this job?” he demanded.
“$ 3．25 an hour,” I replied.
“Well, is $ 3.25 an hour the price of a 52 ?” he asked.
That 53 laid bare for me the difference between wanting something right now and having a goal. I devoted myself to 54 that summer, and within the year I was offered a $ 20,000 contract. I signed with the Denver Broncos in 1984 for $ 1.7 million, and bought my mother the 55 of my dreams.
1.A. some B. little C. no D. much
2.A. happy B. lovely C. angry D. noisy
3.A. only B. ever C. still D. almost
4.A. teacher B. coach C. doctor D. sportsman
5.A. lucky B. satisfied C. hopeful D. surprised
6.A. taught B. asked C. told D. trained
7.A. match B. story C. moment D. incident
8.A. job B. camp C. holiday D. course
9.A. cause B. start C. need D. amount
10.A. stand B. call C. look D. jump
11.A. take out B. cut off C. put on D. give up
12.A. excited B. curious C. anxious D. disappointed
13.A. mad B. puzzled C. regretful D. discouraged
14.A. working B. playing C. learning D. shining
15.A. shaking B. hanging C. holding D. nodding
16.A. feeling B. suffering C. facing D. expressing
17.A. dream B. game C. chance D. life
18.A. offer B. price C. question D. order
19.A. study B. sports C. homework D. business
20.A. clothes B. bike C. house D. goods
— I’m more than happy to go out this weekend.
— ____ . We’ve got so much work to do at that time.
A. Don’t worry B. Don’t mention it C. Don’t say so D. Forget it
— Do you enjoy your present job?
— ____. I just do it for a living.
A. Of course B. Not really C. Not likely D. Not a little
It ____ we had stayed together for a couple of weeks ____ I found we had a lot in common.
A. was until; when B. was not until; that
C. was not until; when D. was until; that
