In 1982 Steven Callahan was crossing the Atlantic alone in his sailboat when it struck something and sank. He was out of the shipping lanes and floating in a life raft, _______ . His supplies were few. His _______ were small. Yet when three fishermen found him seventy-six days later, he was alive—much skinnier than he was when he _______ , but alive.
The thing that _______ my eye was how he managed to keep himself going when all hope seemed lost, when there seemed no _______ in continuing the struggle, when he was suffering greatly, when his life boat was broken with a hole and after more than a week struggling with his weak body to _______ it, it was still leaking air and wearing him out to keep pumping it up. He was_______. He was thoroughly _______ . Giving up would have seemed the only wise choice.
When people survive these kinds of circumstances, they do something with their _______ that gives them the courage to keep going. Many people in ________ desperate circumstances give in or go mad. Something the survivors do with their thoughts helps them find the ________ to carry on.
“I tell myself I can ________ it,” wrote Callahan in his account. “Compared to what others have been ________ , I’m fortunate. I tell myself these things over and over, ________ my determination to keep going.”
I wrote that down after I read it. It ________ me as something important. And I’ve told myself the same thing when my own goals seemed ________ off. And every time I’ve said it. I have always come back to my ________ .
So here, coming to us from the extreme edge of ________ , are words that can give us strength. ________ you’re going through, tell yourself you can handle it. Tell this to yourself over and over, and it will help you get through the ________ spots with a little more determination.
1.A.aloud B.alone C.aside D.aboard
2.A.fish B.holes C.crew D.chances
3.A.started B.arrived C.rose D.disappeared
4.A.covered B.hurt C.caught D.entered
5.A.point B.companion C.sailor D.opportunity
6.A.board B.abandon C.save D.fix
7.A.starved B.attacked C.disturbed D.sunburnt
8.A.excited B.exhausted C.amazed D.shocked
9.A.tools B.dreams C.minds D.hands
10.A.similarly B.physically C.mentally D.differently
11.A.luck B.direction C.courage D.compass
12.A.handle B.delay C.realize D.overlook
13.A.into B.for C.against D.through
14.A.bringing out B.building up C.putting forward D.taking away
15.A.frightened B.struck C.disappointed D.surprised
16.A.far B.low C.heavy D.bright
17.A.status B.crossroads C.tracks D.senses
18.A.survival B.voyages C.oceans D.experiment
19.A.However B.Whoever C.Whatever D.Whichever
20.A.smooth B.rough C.easy D.comfortable
Ways to Stop Doubting Yourself
What if I don't pass this test? Are my friends just hanging out with me because they feel bad for me? 1. Stop! The self-doubt stops right here. Here are some ways to beat the negative self-talk and start believing in yourself.
●Be Aware.
The first step towards overcoming anything is to become aware of it. By becoming aware that we are doubting ourselves, we can sooner confirm it and put a stop to it. As we realize our self-doubt, we will get quicker at confirming and stopping it. See? 2.
●Take a Break.
Sometimes it is our mind that goes against us. Whenever you find yourself having doubts, take a break.
3. Ask yourself what made you get into this goal. It will get you to realize why you started it in the first place.
●4.
Too often we determine how we feel about ourselves according to what other people feel about us. Our self-worth is just dependent upon what we think of ourselves .So we must break free of the chains that tell us our self-worth is recognized by other people.
●Find Support.
5. Find support through friends and read other inspirational websites. Sometimes we all need to hear something that will get us moving again. We just need to reach out to others who understand us.
A.Take It Slow.
B.Free Yourself.
C.Give yourself time to think.
D.It’s not always easy doing things alone.
E.This is already a step in the right direction.
F.What if I never figure out my life’s purpose?
G.Because once you give up, no one can help you.
There are hundreds of grape varieties in Japan, but only one can sell for several hundred dollars per grape. The Ruby Roman was cultivated in Japan’ s Ishikawa Prefecture and is considered one of the world’ s most expensive fruits.
The story of Ruby Roman began in 1995, when Ishikawa grape farmers appealed to the government to create a large red grape variety. 400 experimental vines（葡萄树）were planted into a test field. Two years later; they started bearing fruit. However, out of the 400 vines, only 4 turned out to be red grapes, and only one of them was considered large enough to meet the farmers’ expectations. Over the next 14 years, researchers constantly improved its size, taste, color and ease of planting, and today Ruby Roman is considered a “treasure of Ishikawa”.
In 2008, soon after making its commercial debut（首秀）, the Ruby Roman grape variety made international headlines after a 700-gram bunch sold for 10,000 yen（$910）, or $26 per grape. Eight years later, a 26-grape bunch sold for 1.1 million yen（$11,000）, or roughly $370 per grape.
While the Ruby Roman name is used to describe a type of grapes, every bunch must meet very strict standards. For example, every grape in the bunch must weigh at least 20 grams and have a sugar content of at least 18 percent. There is also a Premium class of Ruby Roman grapes—each grape must weigh over 30 grams, and the whole bunch must be at least 700 grams heavy.
Most bunches of Ruby Roman grapes are sold through auctions（拍卖）, but Premium Ruby Rose are extremely difficult to find. For example, in 2010, only six bunches of grapes were certified Premium, and in 2011 no bunches qualified for it.
And if you’ re wondering how the Ruby Roman name came to be, it was apparently voted by local residents（居民）out of 639 different names.
1.The underlined word“cultivated”in the first paragraph can be best replaced by”_________”.
A.discovered B.preserved
C.developed D.promoted
2.According to the second paragraph, Ruby Roman _________.
A.is widely planted in Japan B.does not come easily
C.used to be a treasure of Ishikawa D.is more productive than expected
3.What’s the author’s purpose in listing a number of figures in paragraph 3 ?
A.To explain how large Ruby Roman grapes are.
B.To tell how profitable planting Ruby Roman is.
C.To prove how popular Ruby Roman is globally.
D.To show how expensive Ruby Roman grapes are.
4.What does the text say about the Ruby Roman grape?
A.It’s named after its birthplace.
B.It isn’t available in abundance.
C.It doesn’t refer to only one grape variety.
D.Its price has nothing to do with its color.
Most female fashion models start their careers（事业）in their late teens and retire in their early 30s, but 96-year-old Alice Pang isn’t an ordinary fashion model. She started modelling at 93.
Alice always liked dressing well and looking elegant, but never actually considered a career in modelling. But her granddaughter always thought she had it in her, so when she saw an online ad for senior models of 65, she sent in Alice’ s pictures and she was chosen for a photo shoot. Never one to back away from a challenge, Pang decided to give it a shot and even though she knew nothing about modelling, she had all the natural qualities to succeed in it. Today, she is recognized as one of the best senior models in Asia, as well as the oldest.
Born in 1923, Alice never dreamed she’ d one day be modelling for high-end fashion brands like Gucci, Ellery or Valentino, let alone at age 96. But her wonderful skin color and excellent posture（姿势）—uncommon qualities for people of her age—make her one of the most sought-after senior models in the business.
Surprisingly, Alice doesn’t credit exercise or a strict diet for her enviable figure and posture. Even though she agrees that exercise helps some people stay in good shape, she doesn’t even have a morning exercise routine, crediting her good genes（基因）instead. She says her skin is white because she’ s seldom exposed to the sun and she has a straight back.
While most people praise her for her active lifestyle and the courage to start a whole new career in her nineties, some say she should dress and act according to her age. She chooses to ignore them, though, saying that her personal happiness is all that counts.
1.What makes Alice Pang a special fashion model?
A.Her unusually long modelling career.
B.Her being famous worldwide at an old age.
C.Her not retiring from modelling in her early 30s.
D.Her starting the career decades later than normal.
2.According to the text, Alice is a person who ________.
A.doesn’t give up easily
B.is quite fond of competing with others
C.doesn’t do anything she is unfamiliar with
D.often dreams of being a professional model
3.In Alice’ s opinion, her good shape is ________.
A.completely natural B.quite unexpected
C.due to her strict diet D.the result of regular exercise
4.What can be inferred about Alice from the last paragraph?
A.Active as she is, she is rather stubborn.
B.She always turns a deaf ear to others’ opinions.
C.There are different voices on her present lifestyle.
D.She thinks personal happiness comes before modelling.
Last week I did something that scared me. I stood in front of nearly 200 financial planners and I talked to them about why financial blogs are a good thing. I'm a confident writer. I've been doing this long enough that I know my strength and my limitations. I'm less confident as a speaker. I don't have time to pause to collect my thoughts. I'm not able to edit. I'm afraid of being trapped in a corner without being able to talk my way out. Basically, I'm scared to speak.
It would be easy to simply refuse the chances that come my way. When somebody asks me to speak in front of a group, I could say "no". When radio and television stations call for an interview, I could say "no". But for the past two years, I've been following my own policy to say "yes" to new chances.
To say "yes" is to live in fear. My goal is to continually improve myself to become better than I am today. One way to do that is to do the things that scare me, to take them on as challenges, and to learn from them—even if I fail.
In mid-November, a local station asked me to appear on live television. "I realize it's short notice," the producer wrote, "but we'd love to have you on the show if you're available tonight." I was frightened. I thought about recent taped television interviews that I had hated. I was afraid of what might happen.
But I also thought about the things that had gone right. I thought of how my speaking skills had improved over the past year. And then I thought of the book I was reading, a book that I had bought for $1.29 at the local store. The Magic of Thinking Big was a huge bestseller during the 1960s. Written by Dr. David Schwartz, a professor at Georgia State University, the book contains dozens of practical tips on how to take risks to achieve big goals. Schwartz argues that nobody will believe in you until you believe in yourself.
So when the television producer asked if I wanted to appear on his show, I thought big. "Sure," I said. "I'll do it." I acted confidently, but on the inside I was frightened. What I needed was techniques to build up my confidence and to overcome my fear.
1.Why is the author afraid of speaking in public?
A.He is aware of his potential. B.He has few chances to talk.
C.He is not able to edit what he says. D.He likes writing better.
2.The underlined words "my own policy" in Paragraph 2 probably mean ________.
A.self-improving through challenges
B.hesitating before chances
C.turning down the invitations
D.saying yes to fear
3.The author mentioned the book The Magic of Thinking Big mainly because ________.
A.it was inspiring B.it was a bestseller
C.its author was famous D.its price was attractive
4.What is the author's purpose to write the passage?
A.To analyze his strength and weaknesses.
B.To give practical tips on speaking in public.
C.To persuade people to follow his example.
D.To share his experiences of overcoming fear.
China is a big country, and there is no simple answer to the question “When is the best time to visit China? ” There are two best times to visit China, depending on your preference.
October
Things to do: hike on the Great Wall, photography tour
Places to visit: Beijing, Xi’an, Shanghai, Guilin,Jiuzhaigou, Chengdu
The best time to go to China is early autumn (October).
Most of China has warm temperatures, and the summer rains have stopped (apart from around HongKong and Sanya) so it’s pretty dry. The autumnn colours are also amazing. It is quiet at tourist attractions for most of the month, as the summer holiday travel crowds have gone. But try to avoid October 1 st -7 th, which is the Chinese National Day holiday, as attractions, transport and hotels are packed with Chinese tourists and prices go up a lot.
Late Spring (April to May)
Things to do: appreciate flowers, Li River cruise, ethnic festivals
Places to visit: Beijing, Xi’an, Guilin, Huangshan, GuiZhou, Zhangjiajie
The second-best time to travel to China is probably in April and May, when the flowers are in bloom and the temperatures are warming up. In late spring, temperatures across China are getting into the 20s (℃), except the extreme northwest and northeast. While the North of China is still dry, the summer rains have already begun in the South. This could actually improve the view in the form of mountain fog in mountainous areas like the Li River and the Yellow Mountains.
Ethnic festivals in GuiZhou are concentrated in April and May, such as the Sisters’ Meal Festival. If you are interested in Miao and Dong ethnic cultures, this is a good time to visit.
Travel prices are average: cheaper than June to October, but more expensive than the lower season from November to March.
1.Which time is best if you want to attend the ethnic festivals in GuiZhou?
A.April 25 th. B.June 17 th. C.October 1 st. D.November 9 th.
2.Which are the best places to visit in both October and late spring?
A.Beijing and Zhangjiajie. B.Shanghai and GuiZhou.
C.Xi’an and Guilin. D.Huangshan and Jiuzhaigou.
3.Why is late spring the best time to visit Huangshan?
A.Because the summer rains haven’t come yet.
B.Because the wet weather adds to its beauty.
C.Because there are several special festivals there.
D.Because the prices are the lowest of the year.
