Another person’s enthusiasm was what set me moving toward the success I have achieved.That person was my stepmother.
I was nine years old when she entered our home in rural Virginia. My father _____ me to her with these words:“I would like you to meet the fellow who is____ for being the worst boy in this county and will probably start throwing rocks at you no ______than tomorrow morning.”
My stepmother walked over to me, _____ my head slightly upward,and looked me right in the eye.Then she looked at my father and replied,“You are ____ .This is not the worst boy at all, ______the smartest one who hasn’t yet found an outlet(释放的途径)for his enthusiasm.”
That statement began a(n) ____ between us.No one had ever called me smart,My family and neighbors had built me up in my ______ as a bad boy . My stepmother changed all that.
She changed many things.She ____ my father to go to a dental school,from which he graduated with honors.She moved our family into the county seat,where my father’s career could be more ____ and my brother and I could be better ____ .
When I turned fourteen,she bought me a secondhand ____ and told me that she believed that I could become a writer.I knew her enthusiasm, I ____ it, and I saw how it had already improved our lives.I accepted her ____ and began to write for local newspapers.I was doing the same kind of ______that great day I went to interview Andrew Carnegie and received the task which became my life’s work later.I wasn’t the ____beneficiary (受益者).My father became the _____man in town.My brother and stepbrothers became a physician,a dentist,a lawyer,and a college president.
What power ____ has!When that power is released to support the certainty of one’s purpose and is ______strengthened by faith,it becomes an irresistible（不可抗拒的）force which poverty and temporary defeat can never ____.
You can communicate that power to anyone who needs it.This is probably the greatest work you can do with your enthusiasm.
1.A. rushed B. introduced C. carried D. sent
2.A. distinguished B. favored C. mistaken D. rewarded
3.A. sooner B. earlier C. longer D. later
4.A. dragged B. shook C. raised D. bent
5.A. perfect B. right C. wrong D. impolite
6.A. but B. so C. and D. or
7.A. agreement B. friendship C. gap D. relationship
8.A. opinion B. image C. expectation D. mind
9.A. begged B. persuaded C. ordered D. invited
10.A. successful B. meaningful C. helpful D. useful
11.A. treated B. entertained C. educated D. respected
12.A. camera B. radio C. bicycle D. typewriter
13.A. considered B. suspected C. ignored D. appreciated
14.A. belief B. request C. criticism D. description
15.A. teaching B. studying C. writing D. reading
16.A. next B. same C. only D. real
17.A. cleverest B. strongest C. wealthiest D. healthiest
18.A. enthusiasm B. sympathy C. fortune D. confidence
19.A. deliberately B. happily C. traditionally D. constantly
20.A. match B. win C. reach D. doubt
Sometimes you'll hear people say that you can't love others until you love yourself. Sometimes you'll hear people say that you can't expect someone else to love you until you love yourself. Either way, you've got to love yourself first and this can be tricky.
Sure we all know that we're the apple of our parents' eyes, and that our Grandmas think we're great talents and our Uncle Roberts thinks we will go to the Olympics, but sometimes it's a lot harder to think such nice thoughts about ourselves. If you find that believing in yourself is a challenge, it is time you build a positive self-image and learn to love yourself.
Self-image is your own mind's picture of yourself. This image includes the way you look, the way you act, the way you talk and the way you think. Interestingly, our self-images are often quite different from the images others hold about us. Unfortunately, most of these images are more negative than they should be. Thus changing the way you think about yourself is the key to changing your self-image and your whole world.
The best way to defeat a passive self-image is to step back and decide to stress your successes. That is, make a list if you need to, but write down all of the great things you do every day. Don't allow doubts to occur in it. It very well might be that you are experiencing a negative self-image because you can't move past one flaw or weakness that you see about yourself. Well, roll up your sleeves and make a change of it as your primary task. If you think you're silly because you aren't good at math, find a tutor. If you think you're weak because you can't run a mile, get to the track and practice. If you think you're dull because you don't wear the latest trends, buy a few new clothes. But remember, just because you think it doesn't mean it's true.
The best way to get rid of a negative self-image is to realize that your image is far from objective, and to actively convince yourself of your positive qualities. Changing the way you think and working on those you need to improve will go a long way towards promoting a positive self-image. When you can pat yourself on the back, you'll know you're well on your way. Good luck!
1.You need to build a positive self-image when you ______.
A. have a high opinion of yourself
B. are unconfident about yourself
C. feel it hard to change yourself
D. dare to challenge yourself
2.According to the passage, our self-images ______.
A. are probably untrue B. have positive effects
C. are often changeable D. have different functions
3.How should you change your self-image according to the passage?
A. To keep a different image of others.
B. To make your life successful.
C. To change the way you think.
D. To understand your own world.
4.What is the passage mainly about?
A. How to prepare for your success
B. How to face challenges in your life
C. How to develop your good qualities
D. How to build a positive self-image
Samuel Osmond is a 19-year-old law student from Cornwall，England.He never studied the piano.However，he can play very difficult musical pieces by musicians such as Chopin and Beethoven just a few minutes after he hears them.He learns a piece of music by listening to it in parts.Then he thinks about the notes in his head.Two years ago，he played his first piece Moonlight Sonata(奏鸣曲)by Beethoven.He surprised everyone around him.
Amazed that he remembered this long and difficult piece of music and played it perfectly，his teachers say Samuel is unbelievable.They say his ability is very rare，but Samuel doesn't even realize that what he can do is special.Samuel wanted to become a lawyer as it was the wish of his parents，but music teachers told him he should study music instead.Now，he studies law and music.
Samuel can't understand why everyone is so surprised.“I grew up with music.My mother played the piano and my father played the guitar.About two years ago，I suddenly decided to start playing the piano，without being able to read music and without having any lessons.It comes easily to me—I hear the notes and can bear them in mind—each and every note，”says Samuel.
Recently，Samuel performed a piece during a special event at his college.The piece had more than a thousand notes.The audience was impressed by his amazing performance.He is now learning a piece that is so difficult that many professional pianists can't play it.Samuel says confidently，“It's all about super memory—I guess I have that gift.”
However，Samuel's ability to remember things doesn't stop with music.His family says that even when he was a young boy，Samuel heard someone read a story，and then he could retell the story word for word.
Samuel is still only a teenager.He doesn't know what he wants to do in the future.For now，he is just happy to play beautiful music and continue his studies.
1.What is special about Samuel Osmond?
A. He has a gift for writing music.
B. He can write down the note he hears.
C. He is a top student at the law school.
D. He can play the musical piece he hears.
2.What can we learn from the passage?
A. Samuel chose law against the wish of his parents.
B. Samuel planned to be a lawyer rather than a musician.
C. Samuel thinks of himself as a man of great musical ability.
D. Samuel studies law and music on the advice of his teachers.
3.Everyone around Samuel was surprised because he ________.
A. received a good early education in music
B. played the guitar and the piano perfectly
C. could play the piano without reading music
D. could play the guitar better than his father
4.What can we infer about Samuel in Paragraph 4?
A. He became famous during a special event at his college.
B. He is proud of his ability to remember things accurately.
C. He plays the piano better than many professional pianists.
D. He impressed the audience by playing all the musical pieces.
When I told my father that I was moving to Des Moines, Iowa, he told me about the only time he had been there. It was in the 1930s, when he was an editor of the literary magazine of Southern Methodist University（SMU）in Dallas, Texas. He also worked as a professor at SMU, and there was a girl student in his class who suffered from a serious back disease. She couldn’t afford the operation because her family was poor.
Her mother ran a boardinghouse in Galveston, a seaside town near Houston, Texas. She was cleaning out the attic（阁楼）one day when she came across an old dusty manuscript（手稿）. On its top page were the words, “By O. Henry”. It was a nice story, and she sent it to her daughter at SMU, who showed it to my father. My father had never read the story before, but it sounded like O. Henry, and he knew that O. Henry had once lived in Houston. So it was possible that the famous author had gone to the beach and stayed in the Galveston boardinghouse, and had written the story there and left the manuscript behind by accident. My father visited an O. Henry expert at Columbia University in New York, whoauthenticatedthe story as O. Henry’s.
My father then set out to sell it. Eventfully, he found himself in Des Moines, meeting with Gardner Cowles, a top editor at the Des Moines Register. Cowles loves the story and bought it on the spot. My father took the money to the girl. It was just enough for her to have the operation she so desperately needed.
My father never told me what the O. Henry story was about. But I doubt that it could have been better than his own story.
1.Who found the O. Henry’s manuscript?
A. The girl’s mother. B. The author’s father.
C. The girl. D. The author.
2.Which of the following might explain the fact that the manuscript was found in the attic?
A. O. Henry once worked in Houston.
B. O. Henry once stayed in Galveston.
C. O. Henry once moved to Des Moines.
D. O. Henry once taught at SMU.
3.The underlined word “authenticated” in Paragraph 2 probably means ______.
A. named B. treated
C. proved D. described
4.According to the text, why did the author’s father go to Des Moines?
A. To sell the O. Henry story.
B. To meet the author himself.
C. To talk with the O. Henry expert.
D. To give money to the girl.
Low-cost Gifts for Mother’s Day
Gift No. 1
Offer to be your mother’s health friend. Promise to be there for all doctor’s visits whether she has a disease or needs a regular medical check-up. Most mothers always say there is no need, but another set if eyes and ears is always a good idea at a doctor’s visit. The best part? This one is free.
Gift No. 2
Help your mother organize all of her medical records, which include the test results and medical information. Put them all in one place. Be sure to make a list of all of her medicines and what time she takes them. “Having all this information in one place could end up saving your mother’s life,” Dr. Marie Savard said.
Gift No. 3
Enough sleep is connected with general health conditions. “Buy your mother cotton sheets and comfortable pillows to encourage better sleep,” Savard said. “We know that good sleep is very important to our health.”
Gift No. 4
Some gift companies such as Presents for Purpose allow you to pay it forward this Mother’s Day by picking gifts, 10 percent of whose price you pay goes to a charity (慈善机构). Gift givers can choose from a wide variety of useful but inexpensive things — many of which are “green” — and then choose a meaningful charity from a list. When your mother gets the gift she will be told that she has helped the chosen charity.
1.What are you advised to do for your mother at doctor’s visits?
A. To take notes. B. To be with her.
C. To buy medicines. D. To give her gifts.
2.Where can you find an idea for gifts to improve your mother’s sleep?
A. In Gift No. 1. B. In Gift No. 2.
C. In Gift No. 3. D. In Gift No. 4.
3.Buying gifts from Presents for Purpose allows mothers to ______.
A. enjoy good sleep B. be well-organized
C. get extra support D. give other help
假定你是李华。你的英国笔友David获悉你校正在进行主题为“Beat Plastic Pollution”的系列活动，来信向你咨询有关情况。请根据如下内容要点予以回复：
1.活动目的;
2.具体做法。
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