On a cold evening I was waiting for a taxi in New York. About 5 minutes later, I was picked up by a driver, and he said how horrible some people were. I knew there was a part of me that wanted to be silent, but I had to listen out of kindness.
The man told me that he had just come from JFK Airport without a customer. Over the course of that taxi ride, what started as anger changed slowly and he mentioned that he had read an article which said that the happiest people are the ones that give, so he hoped he’d have more chance to give in his life. I was really starting to enjoy being with this man.
As we arrived at the place where I wanted to go, I paid my money by credit card. I pulled out an extra $20 and said, “Sir, since we’ve been talking about giving this whole time, I want to share that feeling with you. I’ve already paid my money, but here’s an extra little bit. You can tell the next passenger in this taxi that their ride is a gift from another.”
I thought I was pretty cool at this point. But he turned toward me, tears in his eyes, and he said, “Sir, I have a better idea. You give that $20 to a homeless person around here and I will give the next passenger a free ride myself.”
It was a great honor meeting that man and learning the lesson of how everyone gives and adds joy to another with their generosity.According to the text, when the author got in the taxi, the taxi driver was________.
| A．angry | B．nervous | C．worried | D．regretful |
The author gave the driver an extra $20 in order to_________.
| A．help him to get out of trouble | B．know what he was really like |
| C．experience the joy of giving | D．learn how to get along with others |
What can be inferred from the taxi driver’s words in Paragraph 4?
| A．A driver should be willing to help. |
| B．People should understand each other. |
| C．The driver was deeply moved. |
| D．One needs to keep an optimistic attitude (乐观态度). |
What would be the best title for the text?
| A．A cold evening in New York | B．Learning from a taxi driver |
| C．A gift to a generous stranger | D．Always being a happy person |
Research shows that much of our predisposition （倾向） towards determination, sociability and self - control and sense of purpose is in our genes．In fact, our DNA plays a bigger role in influencing these traits （ characteristics）than our upbringing （儿童期的教养）and the company we keep．Taken together, these aspects of personality can make the difference between success and failure, say the Edinburgh University researchers．
They questioned more than 800 pairs of twins about their attitudes to life to tease apart the influences of nature and nurture．Comparing identical twins, who share all their DNA and their up bringing, with non-identical twins, who have a shared background but are no more genetically alike than other brothers and sisters, is a technique often used by researchers to quantify the influence of genetics．
The results, published in the Journal of Personality, showed that genes play a much bigger role than lifestyle, with self-control particularly etched （铭刻） into our DNA．
Our genes a222so largely determine how determined and persistent we are．This is important in terms of success, as someone who refuses to give up is more likely to achieve their dreams than someone who throws in the towel at the first hiccough．
Researcher Professor Timothy Bates said, "Ever since the ancient Greeks, people Lave de hated the nature of a good life and the nature of a virtuous life．Why do some people seem to manage their lives, have good relationships and cooperate to achieve their goals while others do not? Previously, the role of family and the environment around the home often controlled people' s ideas about what affected psychological well-being．However, this work emphasizes a much more powerful influence from genetics．"
However, those who haven' t been dealt a helpful hand of genes shouldn' t he too depressed．The professor says a sense of purpose is the key and advises those who are eager for success to focus their thoughts on making a difference．What does the result of the research indicate?
| A．Our DNA is the only factor to decide our traits． |
| B．Our DNA plays a decisive role, in achieving success． |
| C．Education plays little part in the formation of our character． |
| D．Society has Little effect on us in our personality． |
The underlined part in Paragraph 4 refers to someone who ．
| A．is born successful | B．determines to make a difference |
| C．makes great effort | D．admits defeat easily |
Timothy Bates mentions the ancient Creeks in order to indicate that ．
| A．some people can live a good life because they can manage their lives |
| B．people haven't made it clear yet what is the key personality trait（持点,特征） to be a success |
| C．in ancient Greece the role of family and the environment was ignored |
| D．the relationship between personality and success has always been people's concern |
According to the passage, the key personality trait is ．
| A．determination | B．kindness | C．politeness | D．sociability |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．How do people work hard? | B．Why can some people succeed? |
| C．DNA determines success or failure | D．Several factors determine personality |
As you probably know, J．Paul Getty was one of the richest and moat successful American industrialists in history．Quite ambitious from an early age, Getty made his first million at age 23 in 1916．He later went on to found the Getty oil company, In 1957, Fortune magazine named him the richest living American and in 1966, the Guinness Book of Records named him as the world's richest private citizen．
Although he is highly regarded by vast numbers of people for his financial success, as a younger man, his drive to acquire power and money had a detrimental impact on other aspects of his life, particularly in his relationships with women．He was, at one point quoted assaying "A lasting relationship with a woman is only possible if you are a business failure．” He married five times, having children with four of these wives．He couldn’t seem to keep a marriage going for very long．His obsession with having a fortune and power alienated （疏远） each of his wives, eventually driving them away． His marriage with his first wife Jeanette lasted for only three years, with Allene for two years, Adolphine, four years, Ann, four years, and finally Louise, nineteen years．
Perhaps as a young man, Getty was willing to pay whatever price for financial success．Yet Paul came to feel some regret in regard to his life priorities as he approached his later years when he Wrote: "I hate and regret the failure of my marriages．I would gladly give all of my millions for just one lasting marriage success．"
At the end of Getty's life, all of the wealth that he had got meant very little to him．It was only then that he became wise enough to understand what really mattered most．Despite all of his accomplishments, he died with great regret．
It' s a sad story and a cautionary tale for those of us who may have chosen to make career building our highest priority（优先权）, thereby ignoring our relationships．Like any other living organism, relationships require care and attention in order to grow．Even the strongest relationships will he damaged, if there is not enough care．What is Paragraph l mainly about?
| A．People' s admiration for J．Paul Getty． |
| B．How J．Paul Getty led his life． |
| C．J． Paul Getty's achievements． |
| D．How J．Paul Getty became rich． |
The underlined word "detrimental" in Paragraph 2 is the closest in meaning to "_ "．
| A．harmful | B．interesting | C．positive | D．demanding |
J．Paul Getty's marriage that lasted for the longest time was with _ ．
| A．Ann | B．Adolphine | C．Allene | D．Louise |
At the end of his life, what J．Paul Getty cares about most is the success in ．
| A．business | B．politics | C．marriage | D．education |
What is the author's conclusion from the passage?
| A．Young people should focus an career - building． |
| B．The strongest relationships between people won't be damaged． |
| C．We should attend to the needs in relationships． |
| D．Successful people don't care about relationships with others． |
Many times when people hear the words social networking, their brains automatically go to sites such as Twitter or Facebook．However, there are sites for those into social networking and into reading． Sound crazy? It's really not．
If you' ve ever wanted a site where you can receive book recommendations, follow your favorite authors, and keep up with what your friends are reading．then look no further than Goodreads, com．
Goodreads provides useful services for those in the reading world, It is a site where you can win books by going to giveaways and simply entering your information．Some giveaways are even signed by the author．And the books aren't boring, old or torn copies - many of them are ARC’s （Advanced Readers Copies）, for which you can write a short review on the site．Anyone can post reviews of their favorite books or series so that others may feel inclined to read them as well．
Another function of the site is offering book clubs and interest groups．You can have interactive discussions with groups of people reading the same things, sort of like a blog．You can also make friends with people and post statuses similar to Facebook．Your friends can send you hook recommendations and you can add them to your shelf if you choose．
Shelves are by far one of the best features on the site．You can categorize your entire library and put hooks you want to read on your "to - read" shelf．These virtual （虚拟的）shelves allow you to see what you' ve read and also let you keep track of the number of books you' ve read in a year．
You can even read original writing for free because many people post their own writing on the site to gain feedback and advice on how to improve．Anyone can join this site for free and fall in love with not just a hook, but a book site as well．People who go to the site Twitter mostly want to ．
| A．get more books to read | B．buy goods for their daily life |
| C．Set to know more people | D．post their book recommendations |
According to the author, if you want to interact with others about reading, ．
| A．you have a lot of websites to log on |
| B．you'd better go to Goodreads．com |
| C．you should go to bookstores or libraries |
| D．you can go to Twitter or Facebook |
The underlined part "feel inclined" in．Paragraph 3 is the closest in meaning to “____” ．
A． have a tendency C． have no difficulty
C． have a possibility D． have no doubtYou can do all of the following things on Goodreads．com EXCEPT ．
| A．receiving books signed by the authors |
| B．publishing your comments on books |
| C．exchanging your ideas with other people |
| D．buying all kinds of books that you like |
What do we know about the shelves on Coodreads．com?
| A．They are filled with all kinds of books from some libraries． |
| B．They are real bookshelves presented to readers by the site． |
| C．That is where people put books they have read or want to read． |
| D．New books will continuously be added to readers shelves by the site． |
Ray Travers sat back at the large desk, and looked around his plush（豪华的）office．He was tired．
Ray's eyes stopped at a painting on the wall．It was a gift given by an old friend, Bull, as a farewell gift when he left his hometown．He recalled the life spent in that small town; pleasant times．The many hours he spent talking lo his good friend, and the tales he was told about hunting in the Africa of old．
Memories flowed back more than ten years; he remembered how he enjoyed hearing about the wonderful hunting, and how he wished he could have shared those times．
Ray opened his desk drawer and brought out a wooden box．He opened the lid and exposed a work of art, a hand-made hunting knife．This was a gift from Bull, given to Ray more than 20 years ago．It was one of the first knives Bull had made, and Ray had called it "Zambezi”, the river where Bull had been so many times．
He closed the box and sat upright at his desk; he was driving himself hard, and deserved a break．Things were going well with the business, everything running smoothly．He could afford a week off!
He went back home．A week in the hometown would be like going back in history．"Man, it's going to be good," Ray said aloud, as he turned onto the highway and watched the city lights fast disappearing, as he looked in the rearview mirror．
It was well into the night when Ray pulled into an all-night gas station He walked around the gas station and the memories started … He was finally back on the road, the powerful car going its way through the night, headlights piercing （穿透） the darkness．Memories danced through the man' s mind．Memories of good times , when he knew what it was to relax , to talk, and to really visit．
Slowly entering town he looked around．Ray sat in his car, looking at the old building, smiling． Inside it was almost as though it was the same people as 15 years ago．We learn from the passage that Bull is ．
| A．Ray's colleague | B．a man in Ray' s hometown |
| C．Ray's relative in Africa | D．an African woodcarving artist |
What does the author mainly want to tell us in Paragraphs 2 －5?
| A．Bull loved Africa and knew much about it． |
| B．Bull was good at making works of art． |
| C．Ray missed his hometown and relatives． |
| D．Ray missed the time he spent with Bull in his hometown． |
What do we know from the passage?
| A．Ray visited Africa together with Bull many times． |
| B．Ray and Bull often went hunting together． |
| C．Zambezi is the name of a river in Hay a hometown． |
| D．Ray planned to stay in his hometown for about a week． |
What does the under lined part in Paragraph 7 mean?
| A．Ray knew how to relax after keeping busy for along time． |
| B．Ray didn't want to leave his hometown because of so many memories． |
| C．Ray's hometown changed a lot and was worth a visit． |
| D．The visit to his hometown reminded Ray of the days together with Bull． |
What may the author talk about in the paragraph that follows the passage?
| A．The hard time Ray experienced in his career． |
| B．Why Ray left his hometown alone． |
| C．The situation in Ray's hometown． |
| D．How Ray became a successful businessman． |
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 think that 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!You need to build a positive self-image when you___________.
| A．dare to challenge yourself | B．feel it hard to change yourself |
| C．are unconfident about yourself | D．have a high opinion of yourself |
According to the passage，our self-images___________.
| A．have positive effects | B．are hot true |
| C．are often changeable | D．have different functions |
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 understand your own world. | D．To change the way you think. |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．How to prepare for your success. | B．How to face challenges in your life. |
| C．How to build a. positive self-image. | D．How to develop your good qualities. |
. Who are the intended readers of the passage?
| A．Parents. | B．Adolescents. | C．Educators. | D．People in general. |
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