He’s an old cobbler(修鞋匠) with a shop in the Marais, a historic area in Paris. When I took him my shoes, he at first told me: “I haven’t time. Take them to the other fellow on the main street; he’ll fix them for you right away.”
But I’d had my eye on his shop for a long time. Just looking at his bench loaded with tools and pieces of leather, I knew he was a skilled craftsman(手艺人). “No,” I replied, “the other fellow can't do it well.”
“The other fellow” was one of those shopkeepers who fix shoes and make keys “while-U-wait” — without knowing much about mending shoes or making keys. They work carelessly, and when they have finished sewing back a sandal strap(鞋带), you might as well just throw away the pair.
My man saw I wouldn’t give in, and he smiled. He looked at my shoes, had me write my name on one shoe with a piece of chalk and said, “Come back in a week.”
I was about to leave when he took a pair of soft leather boots off a shelf.
“See what I can do?” he said with pride. “Only three of us in Paris can do this kind of work.”
When I got back out into the street, the world seemed brand-new to me. He was something out of an ancient legend, this old craftsman with his way of speaking familiarly, his very strange, dusty felt hat, his funny accent from who-knows-where and, above all, his pride in his craft.
These are times when nothing is important but the bottom line, when you can do things any old way as long as it “pays”, when, in short, people look on work as a path to ever-increasing consumption(消费) rather than a way to realize their own abilities. In such a period it is a rare comfort to find a cobbler who gets his greatest satisfaction from pride in a job well done.
1.Which of the following is true about the old cobbler?
A. He was equipped with the best repairing tools.
B. He was proud of his skills.
C. He was the only cobbler in the Marais.
D. He was a native Parisian.
2.The underlined sentence “He was something out of an ancient legend.” shows that ______.
A. it was difficult to communicate with this man
B. the man was very strange
C. nowadays you can hardly find anyone like him
D. the man was too old
3.According to the author, many people work just to ______.
A. make money B. realize their abilities
C. gain happiness D. gain respect
4.This story wants to tell us that ______.
A. craftsmen make a lot of money
B. craftsmen need self-respect
C. whatever you do, do it well
D. people are born equal
Life-long learning is the concept that “It’s never too soon or too late for learning.” — a philosophy that has taken root in a larger number of different organizations. Life-long learning is an attitude — learners believe that one can and should be open to new ideas, decisions, skills or behaviors. Life-long learning throws the well-known rule “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks” out of the door. Life-long learning provides the general public with learning opportunities at all ages and in different ways: at work, at home and through leisure activities, not just through formal channels such as school and higher education.
Life-long education is often achieved through distance learning or e-learning, continuing education, home schooling, etc. It also includes training programs for those who want to improve their qualifications, bring their skills up to date or retrain for a new line of work. In later life, especially in retirement, continued learning takes various forms, crossing traditional academic limits.
One of the reasons why life-long education has become so important is the rapid progress of modern science and technology. Although the period of primary, secondary and university education is increased, the knowledge and skills gained there are usually not sufficient for a professional career spanning(跨越) three or four decades.
1.The philosophy of life-long learning goes against the concept that “ ______”.
A. It’s never too late to learn.
B. Whoever cares to learn will always find a teacher.
C. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.
D. You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
2.What is the main idea behind life-long education?
A. To force people to keep in learning new skills throughout their working life.
B. To provide teachers with extra income.
C. To allow people to have chances to receive education throughout their life.
D. To prevent students from learning at school.
3.The underlined word “sufficient” in the last paragraph can be replaced by “______”.
A. popular B. well-educated
C. well-informed D. enough
4.It can be inferred that ______.
A. life-long education is the requirement of fast development of education
B. the increased period of school education is a supplement（补充） to life-long learning
C. the education system is failing to keep pace with rapid technology development
D. life-long education is intended for retired workers at home
“I would almost rather see you dead,” Robert S. Cassatt, a leading banker of Philadelphia, shouted when his twenty-year-old eldest daughter announced that she wanted to become an artist. In the 19th century, playing at drawing or painting on dishes was all right for a young lady, but serious work in art was not. And when the young lady’s family ranked(位列) among the best of Philadelphia’s social families, such an idea could not even be considered.
That was how Mary Cassatt, born in 1844, began her struggle as an artist. She did not tremble before her father’s anger. Instead, she opposed(抗拒)him with courage and at last made him change his mind. Mary Cassatt gave up her social position and all thought of a husband and a family, which in those times was unthinkable for a young lady. In the end, after long years of hard work and perseverance(坚持), she became America’s most important woman artist and the internationally recognized leading woman painter of the time.
1.How did Mr Cassatt react when his daughter made her announcement?
A. He feared for her life. B. He warned her.
C. He nearly killed her. D. He was very angry.
2.What in fact was Mr Cassatt’s main reason in opposing his daughter’s wish?
A. Drawing and painting was simply unthinkable among ladies in those days.
B. He did not believe his daughter wanted to work seriously in art.
C. Ladies of good families simply did not become artists in those times.
D. He believed an artist’s life would be too hard for his daughter.
3.What made Mary Cassatt’s “struggle” to become a recognized artist especially hard?
A. Her father opposed her.
B. She was a woman.
C. She had no social position.
D. She did not come from an artist’s family.
4.What do we know about Mary Cassatt’s marriage?
A. She never married because she did not want to be just a wife and mother.
B. Her marriage failed because she never gave a thought to her husband and family.
C. After marriage she decided to give up her husband rather than her career.
D. She didn’t marry because for a lady of her social position to marry below her was unthinkable.
Sir Steven Redgrave
Winner of 5 Olympic Gold Medals
“In 1997 I was found to have developed diabetes(糖尿病). Believing my career was over, I felt extremely low. Then one of the specialists said there was no reason why I should stop training and competing. 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
“I swim 4 hours a day, 6 days a week. I manage that sort of workload by putting it on top of my diary. This is the key to success — you can’t follow a career in any field without being well-organized. List 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.”
Kirsten Best
Poet & Writer
“When things are getting hard, a voice inside my head tells me that I can’t achieve something. Then, there are other distractions, such as family or hobbies. The key is to concentrate. When I feel tense, it helps a lot to repeat words such as ‘calm’, ‘peace’ or ‘focus’, either out loud or silently in my mind. It makes me feel more in control and increases my confidence. This is a habit that can become second nature quite easily and is a powerful psychological(心理的) tool”
1.What does Sir Steven Redgrave mainly talk about?
A. He overcame the bad influence of illness to win.
B. Specialists offered him medical advice.
C. Training helped him defeat his disease.
D. Difficulties influenced his career.
2.What does Karen Pickering put on top of her diary?
A. Her daily happenings. B. Her training schedule.
C. Her achievements. D. Her sports career.
3.What does the underlined word “distractions” probably refer to？
A. Activities that turn one’s attention away.
B. Ways that help one to focus.
C. Words that help one to feel less tense.
D. Habits that make it hard for one to relax.
4.According to the passage, what do the three people have in common?
A. Courage. B. Self-confidence.
C. Devotion. D. Hard work.
When I worked in a large city, passing by someone homeless wasn’t an uncommon sight.
It seemed to me that I had to do something. As a single mom and newcomer to my field, I decided to up with a plan that fitted my limited . I began to set five to ten dollar bills each payday, and during the week, I pass them out to those I met on the street.
a dollar felt like a small amount, I realized how powerful it was. Those I were people just like me. Sometimes we would joke a bit and smile together. On some occasions, I was able to more. I mean, more than money. I’ll never know how and if the dollars , but I know that the connections we made did.
One day after I had started this weekday practice, I enough money to buy myself a new winter coat. With my new coat bought, I realized that my old coat could be put to use by someone who had little or nothing to them from the cold. Meanwhile, a brilliant idea came into my mind. Why not pass on this opportunity for to others? So I turned to the salesman who had helped me, and asked if he would feel taking my old coat, walking to the corner and offering it to someone in . Slightly surprised by what I requested of him, he smiled, “I will as soon as I get a .”
I cannot help feel that my experiences with kindness have many people and a growing number of people have followed my example to care for those who need help. In this way, I feel I’ve helped just those I passed by on the street. Kindness touches many hearts, and I am for the way it has touched mine.
1.A. come B. keep C. catch D. put
2.A. knowledge B. expenses C. budget D. experience
3.A. up B. down C. off D. aside
4.A. must B. would C. could D. should
5.A. Because B. Although C. Unless D. If
6.A. passed by B. worked with C. turned to D. stared at
7.A. receive B. accept C. give D. refuse
8.A. used B. wasted C. spent D. helped
9.A. saved up B. took up C. picked up D. kept up
10.A. also B. hardly C. seldom D. still
11.A. prevent B. keep C. protect D. dress
12.A. connection B. kindness C. communication D. relationship
13.A. comfortable B. convenient C. necessary D. disappointed
14.A. anger B. need C. danger D. doubt
15.A. coat B. request C. bonus D. break
16.A. and B. but C. or D. so
17.A. moved B. thanked C. bothered D. considered
18.A. in exchange B. in case C. in turn D. in charge
19.A. other than B. more than C. better than D. rather than
20.A. gifted B. responsible C. independent D. Grateful
I can’t believe that they ______ in the mountains for three days now! They must be so frightened.
A. have been missing B. have got lost
C. have lost D. have missed
