We often talk about ourselves as if we have permanent genetic defects （缺陷） that can never be changed. “I’m impatient.” “I’m always behind.” “I always put things 36 !” You’ve surely heard them. Maybe you’ve used them to describe 37 .
These comments may come from stories about us that have been 38 for years—often from 39 childhood. These stories may have no 40 in fact. But they can set low expectations for us. As a child, my mother said to me, “Marshall, you have no mechanical （操作机械的） skills, and you will never have any mechanical ski
lls for the rest of your life.” How did these expectations 41 my development? I was never 42 to work on cars or be around 43 . When I was 18, I took the US Army’s Mechanical Aptitude Test. My scores were in the bottom for the entire nation!
Six years later, 44 , I was at California University, working on my doctor’s degree. One of my professors, Dr. Bob Tannbaum, asked me to write down things I did well and things I couldn’t do. On the positive side, I 45 down, “research, writing, analysis, and speaking.” On the 46 side, I wrote, “I have no mechanical skills.”
Bob asked me how I knew I had no mechanical skills. I explained my life 47 and told him about my 48 performance on the Army test. Bob then asked, “ 49 is it that you can solve 50 mathematical problems, but you can’t solve simple mechanical problems?”
Suddenly I realized that I didn’t 51 from some sort of genetic defect. I was just living out expectations that I had chosen to 52 . At that point, it wasn’t just my family and friends who had been 53 my belief that I was mechanically hopeless. And it wasn’t just the Army test, either. I was the one who kept telling myself, “You can’t do this!” I realized that as long as I kept saying that, it was going to remain true. 54 , if we don’t treat ourselves as if we have incurable genetic defects, we can do well in almost 55 we choose.
A．away B．down C．up D．off
A．yourself B．myself C．them D．others
A．said B．repeated C．spread D．spoken
A．as long as B．as much as C．as well as D．as far back as
A．cause B．plot C．basis D．meaning
A．affect B．improve C．lead D．change
A．means B．hammers C．facilities D．tools
A．therefore B．however C．instead D．somehow
A．took B．turned C．settled D．got
A．negative B．active D．subjective
A．roads B．trips D．paths
A．unexpected B．average C．excellent D．poor
A．When B．Why C．How D．What
A．common B．advanced C．complex D．primary
A．suffer B．separate C．arise D．come
A．adopt B．suspect C．believe D．receive
A．weakening B．accepting C．abandoning D．strengthening
A．As a result B．On the contrary C．In addition D．At the same time
A．nothing B．something C．anything D．all
Things of Value
Our area was just a few miles from the largest wildfire in Colorado’s history. We were on “evacuation alert (疏散警报)”. If we got the 1 to evacuate, we would have to leave immediately.
We 2 suitcases with some clothes and set them by the door. We didn’t 3 these things were valuable, but time was. We moved the computers, with which I wrote for newspapers and made a 4 . We took family pictures off the 5 and packed them in boxes. These were truly valuable and could not be replaced.
Then we took a hard look at all that 6 . There was a lamp that belonged to my great grandmother. It was a 7 to my family. And there was the piano my wife 8 to play when she was a little girl. Not of great 9 in itself, but another family connection. It was impractical to move everything from our home and store them for an indefinite (无限的) time. Some important items would have to stay behind.
The thought of 10 something passed down from our families saddened me deeply, 11 I’d never been much attached to things. It’s about what they 12 —family and love. They each had a(n) 13 to tell, and some of them spoke in the 14 of our parents and grandparents.
The fire 15 reached our home. We were lucky. And though I felt grateful that all was 16 , I also realized just how fortunate I had been 17 . I saw just how rich my life had been.
Someone 18 said, “There are people so poor that the only thing they have is money.” And now I 19 I was indeed rich. I was rich in family, rich in memories, rich in everything that really 20 to me. I am wealthier than I ever believed possible.
It took a fire to teach me, I wonder if there is any other kind of wealth worth seeking.
A．answer B．task C．chance D．call
A．packed B．bought C．searched D．sold
A．worry B．think C．care D．doubt
A．mark B．sign C．living D．plan
A．albums B．ceilings C．windows D．walls
A．left B．remained C．burnt D．unmoved
A．connection B．present C．symbol D．treasure
A．forgot B．agreed C．learned D．refused
A．quality B．taste C．sense D．value
A．knocking out B．leaving behind C．giving away D．picking out
A．even though B．unless C．but D．or
A．contained B．included C．represented D．gathered
A．idea B．lie C．right D．story
A．sounds B．speeds C．voices D．feelings
A．once B．never C．seldom D．finally
A．spared B．returned C．stopped D．found
A．at last B．in return C．in another way D．at most
A．curiously B．accidentally C．coldly D．wisely
A．knew B．promised C．announced D．thanked
A．affects B．matters C．helps D．desires
Dad was not only my best friend, but my compass (指南针). While he was alive, he 36 me with his actions and advice. He taught me one important 37 : “Believe in yourself.”
If there was one phrase my dad 38 liked to hear, it was “I can’t.” He never got to finish high school and 39 two jobs to support his large family, 40 he never complained. Through education and years of hard work, my dad became an excellent journalist.
When I was in high school, I had a 41 time with math. He tried to help me, but I 42 struggled. So my math teacher suggested I meet with him at 7:00 each morning before school for 43 help. I told Dad, “That’s 44 ! I’m tired! I can’t do that!” He replied, “You’re doing it. I’ll send you to school.” Every morning at 6:45, we’d leave the 45 . Despite (尽管) working 12 hours every day, Dad never once 46 driving me to school.
After months of 47 , I was facing the final exam. I was so 48 . On the day of the final, my dad hugged me and said, “Luke, 49 yourself. You can do it.” His words made me realize I needed to trust in my 50 and in the hours of work I’d 51 . When I got my 52 proudly, the first person I called was my father. He cried, “Yes! You deserved it!”
Even now, whenever I 53 that a task is too much for me, I think back to that exam. No matter how 54 something is, if you’re willing to work, you can succeed. I’m forever 55 to Dad for that lesson.
A．understood B．forgave C．guided D．impressed
A．history B．lesson C．skill D．language
A．always B．almost C．ever D．never
A．took B．lost C．left D．finished
A．so B．or C．but D．and
A．good B．free C．terrible D．short
A．still B．nearly C．hardly D．probably
A．real B．practical C．immediate D．extra
A．wonderful B．crazy C．expensive D．necessary
A．house B．school C．office D．farm
A．suggested B．risked C．enjoyed D．missed
A．meeting B．testing C．learning D．interviewing
A．excited B．nervous C．happy D．shocked
A．stand for B．hold back C．believe in D．look after
A．teacher B．luck C．time D．ability
A．wasted B．ignored C．picked up D．put in
A．answer B．grade C．pay D．gift
A．hope B．forget C．worry D．promise
A．different B．important C．hard D．interesting
A．grateful B．sorry C．polite D．useful
This is no joke. Kelly Katrina Hildebrandt, 20, and Kelly Carl Hildebrandt, 24, are expecting just over 100 guests at a(an) 21 at a church, where they will become husband and wife.
Their modern romance was a 22 made in cyberspace（网络空间）. She was 23 and bored one night last year, so she typed her name into the 24 social networking Website Facebook just to see if anyone 25 it: Hildebrandt, 24, in South Florida. At the time, Kelly Hildebrandt, of Lubbock, Texas, was the only one matched. So she sent him a 26 . She said, “Hi. We had the same name. Thought it was cool.” Kelly Carl Hildebrandt said, “I thought she was pretty 27 .”
For the next three months the two 28 e-mails. 29 he knew it, occasional phone calls turned into daily chats, sometimes 30 hours. He 31 her in Florida after a few months and fell head over heels.
“I thought it was fun,” he said of that first online meet. “I had no 32 that it would lead to this.”
Months after Kelly Hildebrandt sent her first e-mail, she found a diamond engagement 33 hidden in treasure box on a beach in December. “I totally think that it’s all God’s 34 ,” Kelly Katrina Hildebrandt said. “He planned it out just 35 .”
She's a student at a local community college. He works in financial 36 . They plan to make their home in South Florida.
There was also some uncertainty 37 how to phrase their wedding invitations, so they decided to include their 38 names. But 39 confusion likely won't carry on past the husband and wife, as Kelly Katrina Hildebrandt said there are no plans to pass along the name to their future 40 . “No,” she said. “We're definitely not going to name our kids Kelly.”
A．situation B．occasion C．ceremony D．meeting
A．game B．match C．contest D．competition
A．curious B．serious C．anxious D．generous
A．ordinary B．common C．fashionable D．popular
A．understood B．made C．shared D．recognized
A．word B．message C．letter D．reminder
A．clever B．simple C．attractive D．easy
A．exchanged B．changed C．expected D．received
A．After B．As C．While D．Before
A．wasting B．spending C．lasting D．taking
A．dropped B．visited C．forgot D．called
A．idea B．decision C．chance D．hope
A．call B．lace C．phone D．ring
A．preparation B．reason C．arrangement D．appointment
A．great B．perfect C．excellent D．smart
A．crisis B．conveniences C．customs D．services
A．about B．on C．in D．at
A．first B．last C．middle D．family
A．some B．no C．any D．little
A．wife B．husband C．parents D．children
One day, an expert in time management was speaking to a group of business students. To make the point 1, he used an illustration.
As he stood in front of the group, he said, “Okay, time for a quiz.” He then pulled out a wide-mouth jar and set it on the table. Then he 2 placed about a dozen fist-sized rocks, one by one, into the jar.
When the jar was filled to the 3 and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, “Is this jar 4?” Everyone in the class said, “Yes.”
“Really?” Then he 5 under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel(石子), dumped some in and 6 the jar, causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces 7 the big rocks. Then he asked the group the same question. “Probably not,” one of them answered. “Good!” He replied.
He reached under the table and 8 a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in the jar and it went into all the 9 left between the rocks and the gravel. 10 he asked the question. “No!” the class shouted. “Good!” Then he grabbed a can of water and began to pour it in 11 the jar was filled to the brim.
Then the expert in time management looked at the class and asked, “What is the 12 of this illustration?” It is such a seemingly easy question that one 13 student raised his hand and said, “It is, however full your schedule is, if you try really hard you can always 14 some more things in it.
“No,” the speaker replied. “The truth it teaches us is that you will 15 get them in at all if you don't put the big rocks in first. 16 the big rocks in your life are, do things that you love and 17 for yourself. In your schedule if you value the little stuff then you’ll fill your life with 18 things and you will never have the real quality time you need to spend on the big, important stuff. So, tonight, or in the morning, when you are 19 on this short story, ask yourself what the ‘big rocks’ in your life are. Then put those in your 20 first. ”
A．harder B．rougher C．clearer D．wiser
A．carefully B．firmly C．actively D．unwillingly
A．full B．pure C．enough D．smooth
A．sent B．reached C．managed D．felt
A．delivered B．shook C．dropped D．held
A．beneath B．across C．beyond D．between
A．threw out B．came out C．brought out D．set out
A．spaces B．caves C．blanks D．holes
A．At last B．shortly after C．Later on D．Once more
A．unless B．until C．before D．while
A．result B．opinion C．point D．comment
A．calm B．awkward C．nervous D．eager
A．add B．fit C．include D．collect
A．never B．even C．still D．ever
A．Whether B．However C．Whatever D．Which
A．conclude B．encourage C．achieve D．value
A．more B．little C．much D．less
A．reflecting B．counting C．deciding D．insisting
A．packet B．can C．jar D．luggage
When I was a teenager, I volunteered to give out water at a marathon. Watching the different runners who passed by and grabbed a cup was 36 . The next year I signed up for the race. I did little preparation and my only goal was to finish. On the day of the race, it was 37 hot. I remember struggling at about the 5th mile, thinking, “I am never doing this again!”
Have you ever felt that way about something? You eagerly choose a goal 38 soon realize it is 39 to achieve than you imagined it would be. That first 10 km race was quite an experience. I jogged, I walked, I jogged and I walked. Then 40 a decisive moment. Near the end, a 70-year-old man ran past me. I felt 41 that I was younger than him but I couldn’t keep up with him. I felt defeated for a second but then I realized 42 . He was running his race and I was running mine. He had different experience, training and goals and I had mine. 43 in life do we 44 ourselves with others and feel disappointed in ourselves when we really shouldn’t? I decided, then, that one day I would be one of those 70-year-olds who were still running. 45 I crossed the finish line, I was proud of my achievement. Since then I have run several races and run purely for fun.
In life we all 46 compare ourselves with others, which is only natural. But don’t let them weaken you. 47 , you should use them to inspire you and show you what is possible. Then you are a true winner.
A．pleasing B．interesting C．inspiring D．amazing
A．extremely B．strangely C．sadly D．certainly
A．and B．but C．while D．or
A．easier B．harder C．better D．worse
A．went B．flew C．happened D．came
A．exhausted B．disappointed C．embarrassed D．annoyed
A．something B．anything C．everything D．nothing
A．How many B．How much C．How often D．How old
A．cooperate B．compare C．combine D．compromise
A．When B．Because C．Since D．Until
A．hardly B．sometimes C．always D．never
A．Furthermore B．Therefore C．Meanwhile D．Instead
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