Born in America, I spoke English, not Chinese, the language of my ancestors. When I was three, my parents flashed cards with Chinese at my face, but I pushed them . My mom believed I would learn I was ready. But the never came.
On a Chinese New Year’s Eve, my uncle spoke to me in Chinese, but all I could do was at him, confused, scratching my head. “Still can’t speak Chinese?” He me, “You can’t even buy a fish in Chinatown.”
“Hey, this is America, not China. I’ll get some with or without Chinese.” I replied and turned to my mom for . “Remember to ask for fresh fish, Xin Xian Yu,” she said, handing over a $20 bill. I the words, running downstairs into the streets of Chinatown.
I found the fish surrounded in a sea of customers. “I’d like to buy some fresh fish,” I shouted to the fishman. But he my English words and turned to serve the next customer. The laugh of the people behind increased their impatience. With every , the breath of the dragons（龙）on my back grew stronger---my blood boiling--- me to cry out, “Xian Sheng Yu，please.” “Very Xian Sheng,” I repeated. The crowd erupted into laughter. My face turned and I ran back home , except for the $20 bill I held tightly in my pocket.
Should I laugh or cry? They’re Chinese. I’m Chinese. I should feel right at . Instead, I was the joke, a disgrace（丢脸）to the language.
Sometimes, I laugh at my fish , but, in the end, the joke is on . Every laugh is a culture ; every laugh is my heritage（传统）fading away.
1.A. custom B. games C .characters D. language
2.A. ahead B. around C. along D. aside
3.A. when B. before C. unless D. until
4.A. success B. study C. time D. attempt
5.A. aim B. joke C. nod D. stare
6.A. cared about B. laughed at C. argued with D. asked after
7.A. right now B. from now C. at times D. in time
8.A. decision B. permission C. information D. preparation
9.A. repeated B. reviewed C. spelled D. kept
10.A. farm B. stand C. pond D. market
11.A. guessed B. forgot C. doubted D. ignored
12.A. by B. as C. with D. from
13.A. second B. effort C. desire D. movement
14.A. forcing B. allowing C. persuading D. leading
15.A. bright B. blank C. pale D. red
16.A. open-mouthed B. tongue-tied C. empty-handed D. broken-hearted
17.A. service B. home C. risk D. root
18.A. trade B. deed C. challenge D. incident
19.A. it B. us C. me D. them
20.A. thrown B. lost C. divided D. Reflected
Why have you been so successful in reaching some of your goals, but not others? If you aren't sure, you are far from alone in your confusion. It turns out that even brilliant, highly accomplished people are pretty lousy when it comes to understanding why they succeed or fail. The intuitive answer — that you are born predisposed to certain talents and lacking in others — is really just one small piece of the puzzle. In fact, decades of research on achievement suggests that successful people reach their goals not simply because of who they are, but more often because of what they do. 1.
1. Get specific. When you set yourself a goal, try to be as specific as possible. "Lose 5 pounds" is a better goal than "lose some weight," because it gives you a clear idea of what success looks like2. Also, think about the specific actions that need to be taken to reach your goal.
2. 3.
Given how busy most of us are, and how many goals we are juggling at once, it's not surprising that we routinely miss opportunities to act on a goal because we simply fail to notice them. Did you really have no time to work out today? No chance at any point to return that phone call? Achieving your goal means grabbing hold of these opportunities before they slip through your fingers.
3. Know exactly how far you have left to go.
Achieving any goal also requires honest and regular monitoring of your progress — if not by others, then by you yourself. If you don't know how well you are doing, you can't adjust your behavior or your strategies accordingly. 4.
It is my hope that, after reading about the nine things successful people do differently, you have gained some insight into all the things you have been doing right all along. Remember5. It's never what you are, but what you do.
A. Wait for opportunities to appear
B. Seize the moment to act on your goals
C. Here are things successful people do differently
D. Next I’ll talk about my own experience on how to achieve success
E. You don’t need to become a different person to become a more successful one
F. Check your progress frequently-weekly, or even daily, depending on the goal
G. Knowing exactly what you want to achieve keeps you motivated until you get there
Seventy years ago I was quite a small little girl, the baby of the family, with an older brother and sister. My father was very ill at the time, and my mother took in sewing of any kind so we could live. She would sew far into the night with nothing but dim gas mantles and an old treadle sewing machine. She never complained even when the fire would be low and the food very scarce. She would sew until the early hours of morning.
Things were very bad that particular winter. Then a letter came from where her sewing machine was purchased, stating that they would have to pick up her machine the next day unless payments were brought up to date. I remember when she read the letter I became frightened; I could picture us starving to death and all sorts of things that could come to a child‘s mind. My mother did not appear to be worried, however, and seemed to be quite calm about the matter. I, on the other hand, cried myself to sleep, wondering what would become of our family. Mother said God would not fail her, that he never had. I couldn‘t see how God was going to help us keep this old sewing machine.
The day the men were to come for our only means of support, there was a knock at the kitchen door. I was frightened as a child would be, for I was sure it was those dreaded men. Instead, a nicely dressed man stood at our door with a darling baby in his arms.
He asked my mother if she was Mrs. Hill. When she said she was, he said, "I‘m in trouble this morning and you have been recommended by the druggist and grocer down the street as an honest and wonderful woman. My wife was rushed to the hospital this morning, and since we have no relatives here, and I must open my dentist office, I have nowhere to leave my baby. Could you possibly take care of her for a few days?" He continued, "I will pay you in advance." With this he took out ten dollars and gave it to my mother.
Mother said, "Yes, yes, I will be glad to do so," and took the baby from his arms. When the man left, Mother turned to me with tears streaming down a face that looked as though a light was shining on it. She said, "I knew God would never let them take away my machine."
1.The turning point in the story may refer to ______.
A. a letter to the family
B. the time when mother comforted me
C. the man’s coming for help
D. the nicely dressed man’s trouble
2.According to the text all the following are true to the man EXCEPT _____.
A. his wife stayed in hospital
B. he was confused when in trouble
C. he had few men to turn to for help
D. he was a dentist
3.What does mother mean by saying “I knew God would never let them take away my machine.?”
A. God can do everything
B. The sewing machine is my only support
C. Everybody should believe in God
D. Never give up when in trouble
It was Molly’s job to hand her father his brown paper lunch bag each morning before he headed off to work．
One morning, in addition to his usual lunch bag, Molly handed him a second paper bag．This one was worn and held together with staples （订书钉） 。
“Why two bags?” her father asked．“The other is something else,” Molly answered．“What’s in it?” “Just some stuff．Take it with you．”
Not wanting to discuss the matter, he put both bags into his briefcase, kissed Molly and rushed off．At midday he opened Molly’s bag and took out the contents: two hair ribbons（丝带）, three small stones, a plastic dinosaur, a tiny sea shell, a small doll, and 13 pennies… The busy father smiled, finished eating, and swept the desk clean into the wastebasket, Molly’s stuff included．
That evening, Molly ran up behind him as he read the paper．“Where’s my bag?” “What bag?” “The one I gave you this morning．” “I left it at the office．Why?” “I forgot to put this note in it,” she said．“And, besides, Daddy, the things in the sack are the things I really like — I thought you might like to play with them．You didn’t lose the bag, did you, Daddy?” “Oh, no,” he said, lying．“I just forgot to bring it home．I’ll bring it tomorrow．” While Molly hugged her father’s neck, he unfolded the note that read: “I love you, Daddy．” Molly had given him her treasures — all that a 7-year-old held dear．
Love in a paper bag, and he missed it — not only missed it, but had thrown it in the wastebasket．So back he went to the office．Just ahead of the night janitor（看门人）, he picked up the wastebasket．He put the treasures inside and carried it home carefully．The bag didn’t look so good, but the stuff was all there and that’s what counted．
After dinner, he asked Molly to tell him about the stuff in the sack．It took a long time to tell．Everything had a story or a memory．
“Sometimes I think of all the great times in this sweet life,” he thought．
We should all remember that it’s not the destination that counts in life, but the journey．That journey with the people we love is all that really matters．It is such a simple truth but it is so easily forgotten．
1.Why did Molly give her father a second bag?
A．She didn’t want to keep the things in the bag．
B．She hoped those things would bring happiness to her father．
C．She wanted to remind her father of the stories behind the things．
D．She enjoyed playing with her father．
2.How did father deal with the bag after he opened it?
A．He kept it in the drawer．
B．He took it back home．
C．He threw it into the wastebasket．
D．He put it on his table．
3.After father heard what his daughter said, he felt_____．
A．regretful B．surprised
C.sad D．satisfied
4.Which of the following is the most suitable title of the passage?
A．An important journey B．Two bags
C．Father and daughter D．Love in a paper bag
I must have been about fourteen then, and I put away the incident from my mind with the easy carelessness of youth．But the words, which Carl Walter spoke that day, came back to me years later, and ever since have been of great value to me．
Carl Waller was my piano teacher．During one of my lessons he asked how much practice I was doing．I said three or four hours a day．
"Do you often practice so long at a time?" asked my teacher．
"I try to," I answered．
Well, don' t," he said． “When you grow up, time won' t come in long periods．Practice in minutes whenever you can find them, five or ten before school, after lunch, or between household tasks．Spread the practice through the day, and piano-playing will become a part of your life．"
When I was teaching at Columbia, I wanted to write, but class periods, theme-reading and committee meetings filled my days and evenings．For two years I got practically nothing down on paper, and my excuse was that I had no time．Then I remembered what Carl Walter had said．
During the next week I conducted an experiment．Whenever I had five minutes to spare, I would sit down and write a hundred words or so．To my astonishment, at the end of the week I had a rather large manuscript （手稿） ready for revision, later on I wrote novels by the same means．
Though my teaching schedule had become heavier than ever, every day there were free moments which could be caught and put to use．I even took up piano-playing again, finding that the small intervals of the day provided enough time for both writing and piano practice．
There is an important trick in this time-using formula; you must get into your work quickly．If you have only five minutes for writing, you can't afford to waste four minutes chewing your pencil．You must make your mental preparations ahead of time, and focus on your task almost immediately when the time comes．Fortunately, rapid concentration is easier than most of us realize．
I admit I have never learnt how to let go easily at the end of the five or ten minutes．But life can be counted on to supply interruptions （中断时间）．Carl Walter has had a great influence on my life．To him, I owe the discovery that even very short periods of time add up to all useful hours I need, if I begin without delay．
1.Which of the following can be the best title of this passage?
A．Concentrate on Your Work B．A Little at a Time
C．How I Became a Writer D．My Teacher' s Advice
2.Which of the following statements is true?
A．The writer owes great thanks to his teacher for teaching him to work in long periods．
B．Carl Walter has had a great influence on the writer' s life since he became a student．
C．The writer didn't take the teacher' s words to heart at first．
D．Rapid concentration is actually more difficult than most people imagine．
3.The underlined part "counted on" in the last paragraph can be replaced by "____"．
A．enriched B．concentrated
C.valued D．expected
4.We can infer from the passage that the author ____．
A．has new books published each year however busy his teaching is
B．is always tired of interruptions in life because his teaching schedule is always heavy
C．has got into the bad habit of chewing a pencil while writing his novels
D．is devoted to work immediately because he can find enough time for preparations
For the past two years, 8-year-old Harli Jordean from Stoke Newington, London, has been selling marbles(弹珠). His successful marble company, Marble King, sells all things marble-related － from affordable tubs of the glass playthings to significantly expensive items like Duke of York solitaire tables － sourced, purchased and processed by the mini-CEO himself.
“I like having my own company. I like being the boss,” Harli told the Mirror.
With profits now in the thousands, “the world’s youngest CEO” has had to get his mother and older brothers to help him meet the growing demand.
Harli launched Marble King after swapping marbles at school led to schoolchildren consuming his marble collection. Yes, he literally “lost his marbles.” Harli and his mother, Tina, turned to the Internet to find replacements.
Harli saw an empty space online: the marbles he wanted were hard to find. Within months, Harli had his own marble-selling website － and orders started pouring in.
Tina says her son's attachment to marbles started when he was just 6.
“His attachment became so passionate that we started calling him the Marble King — so when he wanted to set up a website it was the natural name for it,” she told The Sun.
“I never thought it would become so popular － we are struggling to cope with the number of orders at times.”
The 8-year-old boy has his sights set on expanding his business and launching his own brand of marbles.
“Sometimes his ideas are so grand we have to scale them back a bit. But his dream is still to own Britain's biggest marble shop and open stores around the world,” Tina told The Daily Mail.
“At the moment he is annoying me by creating his own Marble King marbles － so that could well be the next step for him.”
1.Harli’s Marble Company became popular as soon as he launched it because ______.
A. it was run by “the world’s youngest CEO”
B. it filled the gap of online marble trade
C. Harli was fascinated with marble collection
D. Harli met the growing demand of the customers
2.How many mass media are mentioned in the passage?
A. One B. Two C. Three D. Four
3.The underlined expression “scale them back” is closest in meaning to ______.
A. hold them down B. carry them out
C. set them aside D. clear them away
4. What message do the last two paragraphs carry?
A. Conflicts often occur between Harli Jordean and his family.
B. Harli’s mother and brothers are worried about Marble King’s future.
C. Marble King marbles will surely attract more fans around the world.
D. The “Marble King” has great ambition for his Marble King company.
