I had an experience some years ago, which taught me something about the ways in which people make a bad situation worse by blaming themselves. One January, I had to hold two funerals on successive days for two elderly women in my community. Both had died “full of years”, as the Bible would say. Their homes happened to be near each other, so I paid condolence (吊唁) calls on the two families on the same afternoon.
At the first home, the son of the deceased (已故的) woman said to me, “If only I had sent my mother to Florida and gotten her out of this cold and snow , she would be alive today. It’s my fault that she died.” At the second home, the son of the other deceased woman said, “If only I hadn’t insisted on my mother’s going to Florida, she would be alive today. That long airplane ride, the sudden change of climate, was more than she could take. It’s my fault that she’s dead.”
You see that any time there is a death, the survivors will feel guilty. Because the course of action they took turned out badly, they believe that the opposite course — keeping Mother at home, putting off the operation — would have turned out better. After all, how could it have turned out any worse?
There seem to be two elements involved in our willingness to feel guilty. The first is our pressing need to believe that the world makes sense, that there is a cause for every effect and a reason for everything that happens. That leads us to find patterns and connections both where they really exist and where they exist only in our minds.
The second element is the view that we are the cause of what happens, especially the bad things that happen. It seems to be a short step from believing that every event has a cause to believing that every disaster is our fault. The roots of this feeling may lie in our childhood.
A baby comes to think that the world exists to meet his needs, and that he makes everything happen in it. He wakes up in the morning and summons the rest of the world to its tasks. He cries, and someone comes to attend to him. When he is hungry, people feed him, and when he is wet, people change him. Very often, we do not completely outgrow that childish view that our wishes cause things to happen.The author had to hold the two women’s funerals probably because .
| A．he wanted to comfort the two families | B．he was an official from the community |
| C．he had great pity for the deceased | D．he was priest of the local church |
People feel guilty for the deaths of their loved ones because .
| A．they couldn’t find a better way to express their sorrow |
| B．they believe that they were responsible |
| C．they had neglected the natural course of events |
| D．they didn’t know things often turn out in the opposite direction |
According to the passage, the underlined part in paragraph 4 probably means that .
| A．everything in the world is predetermined |
| B．the world can be interpreted in different ways |
| C．there’s an explanation for everything in the world |
| D．we have to be sensible in order to understand the world |
What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．Life and death is an unsolved mystery. |
| B．Every story should have a happy ending. |
| C．Never feel guilty all the time because not every disaster is our fault. |
| D．In general, the survivors will feel guilty about the people who passed away . |
Invention is a creative process. An open and curious mind enables one to see beyond what is known. Seeing a new possibility, a new connection or relationship can spark(引发) an invention. Inventive thinking frequently involves combining concepts or elements from different fields that would not normally be put together. Sometimes inventors skip over the boundaries between separate fields. Ways of thinking, materials, processes or tools from one field are used as no one else has imagined in a different field.
Play can lead to invention. Childhood curiosity like playing in a sand box, imagination can develop one’s play nature—an inner need according to Carl Jung. Inventors feel the need to play with things that interest them, and to explore, and this internal drive brings about interesting creations.
Inventing can also be an obsession(痴迷). Inventors often imagine a new idea, seeing it in their mind’s eye. New ideas can arise when the conscious mind turns away from the subject or problem; or when the focus is on something else; or even while relaxing or sleeping. An unusual idea may come all of a sudden! For example, after years of working to figure out the general theory of relativity, the solution came to Einstein suddenly in a dream “like a giant die making an unforgettable impress, a huge map of the universe summarized itself in one clear vision”.
Invention can also be accidental. Insight(洞察力) is also an important element of invention. It may begin with questions or doubt. It may begin by recognizing something unusual. It may be useful and it could open a new way for exploration. For example, the odd metallic color of plastic made by accidentally adding too much catalyst(催化剂) led scientists to explore its metal-like properties(性能). They then invented electrically conductive plastic and light emitting(散发) plastic—an invention that won the Nobel Prize in 2000 and has led to new kind of lighting, display screens, wallpaper and much more.
Title: 1
| A(n) 3 process |
◆Look 2 than we know now. ◆Give combining concepts or 4 elements from different fields. ◆No one can 5 this before. |
| An obsession |
◆ 6 often imagine a new idea. ◆An unusual idea may come 7 . |
| A(n) 8 |
◆A vital element of invention is 9 . ◆It may open a new way for exploration. ◆Accidental actions can 10 to innovation. |
注意：每个空格只填1个单词。请将答案写在答题纸（卡）上相应题号的横线上。
When young children are learning to ride a bicycle, they require that their parents hold on to the back of the bike so that they gain confidence and won’t fall off.
However, when children leave to go to college, or get married, parents must accept that their children are riding off into their own future. At this time, parents shouldn’t stand back and with the children gone, they are left with an empty nest. How can parents get through this period of life?
The first thing you should do is nothing at all. You should actually take some time to rest since your child was born. Just relax and reward yourself for the work you put into your child.
Taking some time for yourself will allow you to adjust to the change and figure out how you really feel about your child’s departure (离开). You shouldn’t compare how you feel with how other people feel, as everyone’s experience of an empty nest is different.
Exercise is a great mood lifter. A physical fitness program may have been one of the first sacrifices (牺牲) you made when your child came along; now, with fewer duties, you’ll have time to hit the gym regularly. If you have a friend who also has become an empty nester recently, you may have found a new companion. Not only will you get the chance to share dealing with tips, you’ll also create social opportunities for yourself, which will get you out of that empty house if you need to.
We all have those things that we say we’ll do or learn “someday”. If you’re an empty nester, the “someday” might just be now.
If you’re not sure exactly what to do in all your spare time, take your time and think about it. It will, however, probably be easier to figure out your dream when you’re out. Try exploring a nearby museum or attraction you’ve never visited.
Many parents may fear an empty nest because they worry that their little birds have flown away forever. Try setting up a regular phone date with your child. A once-a-week call may make you feel satisfied while giving your child a reasonable degree of freedom.
| Phenomenon |
★Young children need the help of parents to make them feel confident. ★Children will leave home after growing up and parents will feel |
|
adjust to an empty nest |
★Do nothing but rest. ★Take time to adjust to the change and to figure out your |
|
| Take |
★You can have ★You can develop new |
|
| Follow your dream |
★You get a ★It will be easier to figure out your dream when you are out of the house. |
|
| Set a time for communication |
★ ★Give your child enough |
One of the most well-known directors of our time is Stephen Spielberg. He was born in Cincinnati on 18 December 1946. His father was an electric engineer and his mother was a performing pianist. His sister, Anne Spielberg, became a screenwriter who wrote the stories for many famous films.
Stephen had always wanted to be a director ever since he was a young boy. When he was just 13 years old, he made a 40-minute film. It won a local competition. Three years later, he produced a film called Firelight, which made one hundred dollars’ profit at the cinema in his hometown. Many of the ideas from this film were later used for one of his most famous films called Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
When he was 18 years old, he wanted to go to film school so that he could improve his skills and become an even better director. Unluckily, he was unsuccessful in getting a place at this school so he went to a university in California to study English. Even though he had failed to get into the school he wanted to go to, he didn’t let this stop him following his dream to become a great director.
Stephen Spielberg has directed many films since his first major film in 1976. He now owns many different businesses, most of which are involved in the film industry.
| Year |
What happened |
| 1946 |
Stephen Spielberg 1 2 in Cincinnati. |
| 1959 |
Stephen Spielberg made a 3 film and it 4 a local competition. |
| 1962 |
Stephen Spielberg produced a film called 5 , from which many 6 were later used for Close Encounters of the Third Kind. |
| _7 |
Though he 8 to get into the film school he wanted to go to, Stephen Spielberg didn’t give up his dream to become a great director. |
| 1976 |
Stephen Spielberg 9_ his 10 major film. |
请仔细阅读下列文章，并根据所读内容在文章后的表格中的空格内填入一个最恰当的单词。
注意：请将答案写在答题卡上相应题号的横线上，每空只填一个单词。
When difficult people expresses themselves orally, they generally want at least two things: they’ve been heard and they’ve been understood. As a good communicator should be a good listener, five steps are advocated toward good listening.
The first step is cooperating. How does a difficult person know that you’re listening and understanding? In fact, it’s through the way you look and sound while he is talking. You may help him to fully express his thoughts and feelings. You do this by nodding your head in agreement, making certain sounds of understanding.
When the person begins to repeat what’s been said, it’s a signal of step two: turning back. It means that you repeat back some words he is using, sending a clear signal that you’ve listening carefully and that you think what he is saying is important.
Having heard what he has to say, the next step is clarifying. At this point, you start to gather information about what is being communicated. Ask same open-ended questions, which will allow you to figure out what intention he is hoping to satisfy.
The fourth step is to summarize what you’ve heard. This allows you to make sure that both you and the difficult person the same page. When you do this, two things happen. First, if you’ve missed something, he can fill in the details. Second you’ve shown that you’re making an effort to understand completely. This increases possibility of gaining cooperation from him.
Having listened carefully, you’ve now arrived at the point of confirming with the person that he feels satisfied that his thoughts have been fully voiced. Ask if he feels understood.
Then enough sincere listening, questioning, and remembering are brought together, understanding is usually achieved and a difficult person becomes less difficult and more cooperative.
| Listen to understand |
|
| Reason |
Difficult people hope they have been heard and |
| ◆ ◆Repeat some ◆Collect information about the person’s expressions and find his ◆Give a ◆Confirm that the person gains |
|
| Result |
A difficult person will be |
| You may unlock the doors to difficult people’s minds after you listen and understand. |
请认真阅读下文并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。注意：每空只填一词。
When you are in a place where you are hunting for a new job or career, you will find that there are several things that you should pay attention to. Jobs and careers are fewer than you expect, especially when satisfying employment is something you need to seriously think about. How are you going to find the job that you want and what should you avoid(避免) on your way? When you want to make use of your job search, take a moment and think about the things that you must avoid at all costs.
One of the most important rules is never to compromise(妥协) on the things you ask for or desire or it will badly affect your life and peace of mind. Keep in mind your basic expectations of a dream job. They might be something about monetary compensation or you might find they have something to do with time off. Whatever they are, make sure that you do not accept a job without them. Your requirements might not be easy to meet, but you have the right to try and achieve them.
What’s more, don’t shy away from odd (临时的)jobs that might actually take you to the place that you want to be in. Sometimes, finding the right job is a matter of luck and chance after you have been searching and putting in a lot of effort. And if something unexpected happens, remember that taking the chance is of great importance and is something you might want to seriously consider. As long as you keep your goals in mind , you are going to be doing much better than other people during the job search.
If you are looking for the right job, another thing that you can do to make sure that you get the right kind of employment is to market yourself. When you do nothing to push yourself forward, you will be the one suffering for it. If required, give enough encouragement to yourself and try to confidently look at all that you have. Make sure that you can show your skills and abilities. If the jobs that you have set your sights on are challenging , set goals for yourself and work hard at them. The more efforts you put in marketing yourself, the more your chances of obtaining the job you like will be.
Remember that when you are working on a job search, you should not short-change yourself. This is because you will only harm yourself by setting low goals.
| Title |
What to avoid during your job search |
| Brief introduction |
Satisfying jobs are fewer than_____ When hunting for a job, there are some related things that need your __ |
| Important ___ |
Remembering your expectations Don’t compromise on your requirements or it will have a(n) _ Although your requirements are __ |
| Taking the chance Take some odd jobs and this might help you ____ When something unexpected happens, taking the chance is a very |
|
| Marketing yourself Positively look at all that you have and __ Show your skills and abilities If the job that you want is a(n) ___ |
|
| Conclusion |
Don’t short-change yourself because __ |
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