The other day I heard a few local musicians talking:
“I hate all the terrible pianos in this town. I hate that rubbish they play on the radio. They can’t even understand a bit of music.”
“I’m never playing in that club again. Too many drunks and nobody listens to us.”
But, one younger musician said, “There are a few clubs that book my band a few nights a month, and I’m trying to find other places to play. I’m also looking to book a few summer festivals this year.”
I’ve heard that you are the average of the five people whom you spend the most time with, or to put it another way, you are who your friends are.
Attitudes are important. Whether they’re positive or negative, they’re rubbing off on you. If you’re around people who complain about lack of work and about other musicians, or blame (责怪) others, and you play the role of victim (受害者), chances are you will start to as well. So it’s time to take a look at the people you call “friends”.
This is an easy exercise: Make a list of the people who you hang out with, and simply stop spending time with the negative people on your list. Set a new standard (标准) for yourself and don’t become friends with people who fall below that standard.
Keep successful people around you and your own chances for success will be much better. Ask them how they do it. Ask if they will help you get the work you’re looking for, or maybe give you some advice to help you on your career path.
1.Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?
A.A friend in need is a friend indeed
B.How to make friendship last for ever
C.You are who your friends are
D.Friends are the most important in one’s success
2.The underlined sentence “they’re rubbing off on you” in Paragraph 6 means ______.
A.they’ll push you ahead B.they’ll influence you
C.they’ll cover your shortcomings D.they’ll help you achieve your goal
3.The musicians’ words at the beginning are written mainly to show ______.
A.the musicians’ living conditions are quite poor
B.people have poor taste in music
C.people have different attitudes towards the same thing
D.young people have greater chances of succeeding
4.By taking the exercise mentioned in Paragraph 7, you can ______.
A.improve a lot in making more friends
B.come to the right way of making friends
C.develop a better relationship with your friends
D.arrange the time with your friends properly
When a rather dirty, poorly dressed person kneels at your feet and puts out his hands to beg _36____a few coins, do you hurry on, not ___37___ what to do, or do you feel sad and hurriedly ___38___ some money? What should our attitude__39__ beggars be? There can be no question that the world is full of terribly sad stories. It ___40___ be terrible to have no idea where our next meal is going to come from. It seems ___41___ not to give some money to beggars.
__42____, most of the world’s great religions order us to be open-hearted and ___43__what we have with those less lucky than ourselves. But has the world changed? Maybe what was morally right in the old days, ___44___ one knew exactly who in the village had suffered misfortune and needed help, is no longer the best idea. Quite a few people will not give to beggars. Let us look at their ___45__.
First, some believe that many city beggars dress up ___46___ to look pitiable and actually make a good ___47___ from begging. Giving to beggars only encourages this sort of evil(恶行). __48___, there is the worry that the money you give will be spent on beer, wine or drugs. Thirdly, there is the opinion__49____there is no real excuse for begging. One might be poor, but that is no reason for losing one’s sense of ___50___ and self-dependence.
Related to this is the opinion that the problem should be handled by the government __51____ordinary people. Some people think beggars should go to the local government department and __52____ help.
It is hard to come to any final conclusion: there are various __53___and we must __54___ them differently. A few coins can save a life in some situations, and even if the money is wasted, that does not take away the moral goodness of the__55____.
1. A.to B.with C.at D.for
2. A.knowing B.expecting C.demanding D.settling
3. A.put away B.hand over C.take in D.get out
4. A.at B.in C.over D.towards
5. A.must B.can C.need D.might
6. A.warm-hearted B.generous C.cruel D.considerate
7. A.Strangely B.Honestly C.Certainly D.Surprisingly
8. A.give B.donate C.share D.contribute
9. A.why B.when C.what D.how
10. A.arguments B.quarrels C.sayings D.talks
11. A.on show B.on purpose C.for fun D.by accident
12. A.money B.comfort C.living D.decision
13. A.Secondly B.Surely C.Possibly D.Then
14. A.what B.whether C.that D.which
15. A.goodness B.pride C.security D.responsibility
16. A.rather than B.or rather C.other than D.but also
17. A.produce B.receive C.earn D.offer
18. A.cases B.events C.conditions D.states
19. A.go with B.communicate with C.deal with D.meet with
20. A.giver B.receiver C.villager D.government
Willpower is a kind of quality, ______ is ______ it takes to do anything well.
A.what; which B.what; what C.which; which D.which; what
The big fire in Shanghai, believed to ______ due to the burning of construction materials, caused 58 deaths and destroyed all the belongings of the people there.
A.have occurred B.occur
C.have been occurring D.be occurring
Your meaning didn’t really ______, John. I didn’t ______.
A.get through; make it B.get in; catch it
C.get away; help it D.get across; get it
— Hello, Sally. How’s everything going?
— ______.
A.The same to you B.I can’t agree more C.That’s right D.Surviving