A star athlete at the college where I work recently stopped by my office. After committing a few unforced errors during a weekend match, she suffered severely by self-criticism.
This student, like many I teach, strongly believes she should be able to control the outcomes of her life by virtue of her hard work. In her mind, “Nothing can stop me but myself”. So when these students fall short of what they imagine they should accomplish, they are filled with self-blame, reasoning, “If my accomplishments are mine to control, my failures must be entirely my faults, too”, which makes it extremely difficult for them to move on.
We often owe young adults struggling with failure to their parents’ overprotection of them from discomfort. But there is another factor at play: a message transmitted by indulging (纵容的) parents who have falsely promised them that they can achieve anything if they are willing to work for it. However, the cruel reality of life is that you can do everything in your power — and still fail. Then what should be done to help?
Psychologists Luthar and Kumar urge parents and teachers to spend time helping students find purpose, or goals they genuinely love to pursue and that make an impact on the world, which may help them gain greater life satisfaction and become more psychologically mature. Besides, instead of allowing our kids to beat themselves up when things don’t go their way, we might all question a culture where one is considered lazy without full devotion. The point is to remind them that life has a way of sucker-punching (出其不意) us when we least expect it. It’s often the people who learn to say “stuff happens” who get up the fastest.
1.What does the underlined phrase “by virtue of” in paragraph 2 mean?
A.in addition to B.in spite of C.by means of D.for fear of
2.The author believes that young adults find it hard to struggle with failure because __________.
A.they are not taught how to deal with difficulties
B.they are short of the ability to handle failure
C.they are under the protection of their parents
D.they are misled by their parents’ false message
3.What did psychologists Luthar and Kumar urge parents and teachers to do?
A.To teach students how to avoid faults.
B.To lead students to set their truly loved goals.
C.To help students to discover a path to success.
D.To allow kids to blame themselves.
4.What can be inferred from the passage?
A.Students don’t care about failure at all.
B.Students are sure to succeed if they try their best.
C.Students should bear all the failures on their own.
D.Students with positive attitudes can move on more easily.
Following Christmas dinner, my family was relaxing around the table. We had all enjoyed traditional turkey and sweet potatoes lightly shining with brown sugar. The good cooking smells still filled the air; and the oven remained warm. My sister, our chef, was enjoying the admiration.
My nephew, never one to sit still for long, began dribbling (运球) his basketball around the table. Upon nearing Dad, he stopped — almost uncertainly. With shaking wrinkled hands, Dad had reached out for the ball. The boy, confused, looked up and over at us.
I watched my father closely to see what he would do. The twinkle in his eyes shone brighter than any Christmas lights. Holding the ball and reaching forward with a playful smile, Dad bounced it and then caught it.
This action was repeated. Gently throwing the ball away, Dad began a game of catch. The ball continued to be passed through eager pairs of outstretched hands. Cries of “Over here!” rang through the warm kitchen. Dad’s active participation was remarkable to me, for he had advanced Alzheimer’s disease, which had robbed him of many memories and the recognition ability. Despite this, Dad clearly recognized the ball and what you could do with it.
In my younger years, playing with Dad was rare. To his credit, Dad worked hard and provided for us. He was very private and never showed nor shared much emotion; his game of choice was chess, which he did eventually teach me how to play. As an adult, I had become a caregiver as Dad declined. Connecting moments between father and son had been few and far between before he took the basketball.
I’m not sure how long we played catch. What I do know is that our game ended all too soon, and it was time to face the reality of dirty dishes piled high on countertops. The moment, though, will certainly last forever.
1.What can we know about the family’s Christmas dinner?
A.Dishes were cleaned up. B.All food was sugar-free.
C.It was a sweet moment. D.It was disturbed by the game.
2.Why was Dad’s active participation in the game remarkable to me?
A.He rarely played basketball. B.He had severe Alzheimer’s disease.
C.He had astonishing skills. D.He played with family members.
3.How was Dad getting along with kids in earlier years?
A.He often accompanied kids. B.He was willing to share feelings.
C.He forced kids to learn chess. D.He seldom interacted with kids.
4.What can be the best title for the passage?
A.A game of catch B.A devoted father
C.A dinner of reunion D.A bond between father and son
“Museum of the World” Travel Plan
Here’s the travel plan for some of the more unusual museums on our “Museum of the World” tour. I’ll send you the full itinerary (行程) next week. The Museum of Bad Art (MOBA) (Boston, USA) shows what it describes as “art too bad to be ignored”. The museum hopes to bring the worst of art to the widest possible audience. As part of the visit, we’ll be shown some truly awful portraits, landscapes and sculptures.
The Devil’s Rope Museum (in Mclean, Texas) and The Kansas Barbed Wire Museum (in Lacrosse, Kansas) both claim to have the best barbed (有刺的) wire collections, telling the story of the wire’s role in the development of America. We’ll be visiting both of these.
The Washington Banana Museum (Auburn, Washington, USA) contains 4,000 objects related to the history of what the museum describes as “the world’s most perfect fruit.” During a guided tour around the museum, we’ll learn all sorts of interesting things, such as the fact that bananas were introduced to the USA in 1878 in the same exhibition as Alexander Graham Bell’s telephone, and that banana is now the US’s number-one selling fruit.
The Hair Museum (Avanos, Turkey) is located in a cave in Cappadocia, in Central Anatolia. It contains 16,000 samples of people’s hair. You’ll be offered a chance to add your own hair to the collection. Later in the year, the museum manager selects 10 donors to attend a pottery workshop.
The Hair Museum(Avanos, Turkey)is located in a cave in Cappadocia, in Central Anatolia. It contains 16,000 samples of people’s hair. You’ll be offered a chance to add your own hair to the collection. Later in the year, the museum curator selects 10 donors to attend a pottery workshop. If you’re one of them, you’ll be invited to stay in his guest house.
1.What do these four Museums have in common?
A.They are all located in the USA. B.They accept exhibits donated by visitors.
C.They exhibit the things with a long history. D.They show some odd things around the world.
2.What does The Museum of Bad Art (MOBA) show?
A.Complete collections of barbed wire.
B.A large number of samples of people’s hair.
C.Some really terrible but noticeable art works.
D.Some beautiful portraits drawn by famous people.
3.Why was Alexander Graham Bell’s telephone mentioned in paragraph 4?
A.To explain the origin of bananas.
B.To arouse visitors’ interest in the museum.
C.To emphasize the importance of the exhibition.
D.To compare the value of bananas and telephones.
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.How did the servants deal with their earnings in Victorian times?
A.They paid for the housing.
B.They bought food and clothes.
C.They sent them to their families.
2.What was a nurse’s main duty?
A.Cooking meals. B.Looking after children. C.Educating children.
3.How did the Victorian upper class parents treat their children actually?
A.Cruelly. B.Kindly. C.Strictly.
4.What will the speaker talk about next?
A.Lower class families.
B.Upper class children’s situation.
C.Comparisons between upper and lower classes.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What are the speakers mainly talking about?
A.What job to do in the future.
B.Which professor to follow.
C.What abilities to possess.
2.What subject does the man probably prefer?
A.History. B.Politics. C.Art.
3.What do the woman’s parents expect her to be?
A.A restaurant manager. B.A politician. C.A teacher.
4.What is the woman good at doing?
A.Dealing with people. B.Working with kids. C.Painting pictures.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.Why does the man’s brother go to the man’s place?
A.To study. B.To work. C.To travel.
2.Where does the man work in the morning?
A.At a university. B.At a restaurant. C.At a bookstore.
3.What language is the woman starting?
A.French. B.Spanish. C.Japanese.
