Question

    I always wanted to be extraordinary at something. Not just as in,”Great job, Jimbo!” No, I wanted to be best-in-class, awe-inspiring, tiptop; a world-famous genius,like Michael Phelps or Mark Zuckerberg.

Unfortunately, my version of reality did not quite line up with this delusional vision. I was a good swimmer, but I peaked at the collegiate State Championships level. My academic record was pretty solid, but I never would have made it into one of those ivy-league schools.

Though I rose to above-average status in a couple of areas, the disappointing truth was that I would never amount to anything more than a mid-sized fish in a small pond. God apparently had other plans.

What drove me crazy, though, was the superstar talent thrown in my face at every turn. Some folks just seemed to get an unfair intensive dose(剂量)of it. Why couldn’t I be like Bernie William, the famed New Yorkees player who also happens to be a world-class jazz guitar virtuoso(艺术大师)?

Some say greatness is simply a function of putting in the practice time. Around ten thousand hours, to be precise, according to author Malcolm Gladwell. I don’t question the theory of devoting extraordinary efforts to developing one’s expertise, but it seems that raw talent is equally important. You either have it or you don’t.

I’ve heard that as people approach middle age, their life satisfaction increases because they begin to accept the gap between the expectations for themselves and the reality. After a few decades of frustration without the desired results, we eventually come to terms with how our lives turned out, even if it falls far short of our idealized youthful expectation.

Hope bends, it seems.

1.What does the word “delusional” in Para2 most probably mean?

A.Imaginary B.Realistic C.Abstract D.Practical

2.In the passage, the writer thinks of himself as  .

A.a world-famous genius B.a mid-sized fish in a small pond

C.a world-class virtuoso D.a student in an ivy-league school

3.According to the writer, what makes “greatness”?

A.Extraordinary efforts B.Ten thousand hours of practice C.Raw talent D.Talent and time

4.Which of the following might be the best title ?

A.Hope Bends B.Frustrating Decades

C.Practice Works D.Youthful Expectation

Answer

1.A

2.B

3.D

4.A

【解析】

本文是一篇夹叙夹议文。作者通过自身经验出发，自己年少时想成为最优秀的人，但是实际与期望有偏差，成功需要有天赋以及付出时间。到最后在经历了几十年的挫折却没有得到想要的结果之后，我们最终会接受我们的生活是怎样的，即使它远远达不到我们理想的年轻的期望。

1.词义猜测题。根据上文Unfortunately, my version of reality did not quite line up with this可知不幸的是，作者对现实的看法与这种妄想不太一致。此处的妄想是指第一段中作者希望自己是个十分优秀的人，故此处delusional与reality意思相反，可知划线单词意思为“想象的”。故选A。

2.细节理解题。根据第三段中Though I rose to above-average status in a couple of areas, the disappointing truth was that I would never amount to anything more than a mid-sized fish in a small pond. 可知虽然我在几个方面都达到了中等以上的水平，但令人失望的事实是，我只不过是小池塘里的一条中等大小的鱼。由此可知，在这篇文章中，作者认为自己是小池塘里的中等大小的鱼。故选B。

3.细节理解题。根据第五段中Some say greatness is simply a function of putting in the practice time.(有人说，伟大仅仅是投入练习时间的结果)以及后文I don’t question the theory of devoting extraordinary efforts to developing one’s expertise, but it seems that raw talent is equally important.(我并不怀疑为发展自己的专业技能而付出非凡努力的理论，但似乎天赋也同样重要)由此可知，作者认为，是天赋和时间造就了“伟大”。故选D。

4.主旨大意题。根据最后一段Hope bends, it seems.可知看上去希望屈服了。再结合本文作者通过自身经验出发，自己年少时想成为最优秀的人，但是实际与期望有偏差，成功需要有天赋以及付出时间。到最后在经历了几十年的挫折却没有得到想要的结果之后，我们最终会接受我们的生活是怎样的，即使它远远达不到我们理想的年轻的期望。故A选项“希望屈服了”符合文章标题。故选A。