Question

Four years ago your friends congratulated you and your father talked big continuously. Four years ago you walked among the gothic towers and weathered traditions that sew our community together. But what’s next, will I make friends, or I will measure up? And maybe you quietly wondered why a place like Yale, a place that sparked the drive of presidents, a place that raised the world-famous scholars, a place that trained Pulitzer Prize winners, would ever want you? I hope you had these questions because otherwise I might have embarrassed myself. I admit I asked all of these and more.

I took an unconventional path to Yale. Five years ago I was working the evening shift at a clothing store in the suburbs of Virginia. My family had moved every year for the past five years and our finances were so consumed that retirement was not a possibility. Worse yet, my son was a junior at an Ivy League college in New Jersey and hearing about his privileged friends often reminded me of all the things I wanted to give him but couldn’t.

When I told him this he relied，“If you really want to spoil me, spoil yourself. ”Then he took my hands and told me I had a brilliant mind and deserved better than everything I had ever known.

That summer I started community college while working full-time. Education was my second chance. I awoke my curiosity, vitality( 活力) and dignity that I never knew I could feel. When I read Eliot, Miller and Morrison, it was as if I were the first person to have ever read them, as if they were secret insights into the human soul and situations and I knew I couldn’t stop.

Walking among these gothic towers, among these traditions, and among this brilliant, vibrant and unapologetically eclectic Class of 2014 has been inspiring. Whether debating issues in class, or chatting over coffee, I have enjoyed, learned and loved every moment I have shared with you. You have made me a better person and I only hoped I have helped in some way to do the same for you.

And yet even now this is dreamlike. Four years ago I was convinced no one would want me, I wouldn’t measure up and as far as knowing what was next, I supposed I had resigned myself to more of the same. But I’ve come to learn that nothing great can really be accomplished without a healthy dose of terror. No one ever wrote epic(史诗般的) poems, built monuments or told bedtime stories about people who played it safe.

I was terrified when I came to Yale. A big part of me thought I wasn’t good enough. But a big part of life is ignoring the naysayers(反对者) especially the one inside you. Most people are stopped from doing great things by no one but themselves. I learned to tell myself to shut up. Sometimes in the mirror in the morning and others times in the dark before I went to bed. I came to realize once I could overcome my own fear I could overcome just about anything. If you haven’t felt this yet I recommended it: it’s the greatest joy you’ll ever know.

You’ve likely all met your own fear and misgivings(担忧、害怕). I charge you to tell that voice to shut up when necessary because in the end your greatness will not be about IQ but about the sincerity of your ambitions, the toughness of your character and your unwillingness to compromise in the face of difficulty, fear and uncertainty.

And should someone tell you that it can’t be done, or you’re not good enough or it’s not worth the trouble? Should others ask you to take the safe route, or stick to the path of least resistance? Should people say it’s too late or your dreams are impractical? Look them in the eye, laugh a little and let them know “Nothing is impossible”.

1.By saying “spoil yourself” in Paragraph 3, the author’s son meant that       .

A. the author sacrificed a lot for the family

B. the author loved her son and spoiled him

C. the author didn’t deserve any help

D. the author had an excellent mind

2.What did the author realize after entering the college?

A. She was familiar with Eliot and Miller.

B. Social practice was better than knowledge .

C. She had few moments to share with others.

D. Certain terror helped with achievements.

3.What does the phrase “the greatest joy” in Paragraph 7 refer to?

A. The joy of realizing your own aims

B. The joy of knowing your own IQ.

C. The joy of overcoming your own fear.

D. The joy of finding your own advantages.

4.After reading the passage, you are most probably       .

A. worried    B. encouraged

C. relaxed    D. astonished

Answer

1. A

2. D

3. C

4. B

【解析】

这是一篇应用文。这篇演讲稿以作者的自身经历告诉读者人们要克服恐惧和疑虑，人的伟大不在于智商高低，而在于你雄心壮志的诚恳、性格的坚韧以及面对困难、恐惧和不确定时不愿意妥协的精神。如果有人告诉你这件事做不到，或者你不够好，或者不值得麻烦？其他人应该要求你走安全路线，还是坚持阻力最小的路线？人们应该说太迟了还是你的梦想不切实际？看着他们的眼睛，笑一笑，让他们知道“没有什么是不可能的”。

1.推理判断题。由第二段“ Five years ago I was working the evening shift at a clothing store in the suburbs of Virginia. My family had moved every year for the past five years and our finances were so consumed that retirement was not a possibility. ”可知，五年前，我在弗吉尼亚郊区的一家服装店上夜班。在过去的五年里，我的家人每年都搬来搬去，我们的财政消耗得很严重，退休是不可能的。所以，作者为了这个家牺牲了很多。所以判断出作者第三段中的“spoil yourself”意思是作者为整个家庭牺牲了很多，付出了很多。故A选项正确。

2.细节理解题。由倒数第三段“I was terrified when I came to Yale. Most people are stopped from doing great things by no one but themselves. I learned to tell myself to shut up. Sometimes in the mirror in the morning and others times in the dark before I went to bed. I came to realize once I could overcome my own fear I could overcome just about anything”可知，我来到耶鲁时很害怕。。大多数人只有自己才能阻止自己做大事。我学会了告诉自己闭嘴。有时候早上在镜子里，有时候在黑暗中睡觉前。我开始意识到一旦我能克服我自己的恐惧，我就可以克服几乎所有的事情。所以作者觉得通过克服自己的恐惧，会变得自信，可以克服任何事情。所以当作者上大学时，意识到了某种恐惧有助于取得成就。故D选项正确

3.词义猜测题。由第七段“If you haven’t felt this yet I recommended it: it’s the greatest joy you’ll ever know.”可知，如果你已经感觉不到这一点了，我建议你：这是你所知道的最大的快乐。所以判断出，第7段中的“the greatest jo”是指的The joy of overcoming your own fear.“克服恐惧的快乐”。故C选项正确。

4.推理判断题。由倒数第二段“ because in the end your greatness will not be about IQ but about the sincerity of your ambitions, the toughness of your character and your unwillingness to compromise in the face of difficulty, fear and uncertainty.以及最后段“Look them in the eye, laugh a little and let them know “Nothing is impossible”可知，人的伟大不在于智商高低，而在于你雄心壮志的诚恳、性格的坚韧以及面对困难、恐惧和不确定时不愿意妥协的精神。看着他们的眼睛，笑一笑，让他们知道“没有什么是不可能的”。所以判断出读完这篇文章，你很可能倍受鼓舞。故B选项正确。