The Japanese have always loved fresh fish. But the waters close to Japan have not held many fish for decades. So fishing boats went farther than ever.but If the return trip took more than a few days, the fish were not fresh. The Japanese did not like the taste.
Then fishing companies equipped their boats with freezers. They would freeze them at sea. Freezers allowed the boats to go farther and stay longer. However, the Japanese could taste the difference between fresh and frozen and they did not like frozen fish.
So fishing boats were equipped with fish tanks. They would stuff fish in the tanks（水槽）,fin（ 鱼翅）to fin .After a little thrashing(颠簸) around, the fish stopped moving. They were tired and dull, but alive. Unfortunately, the Japanese could still taste the difference. The Japanese preferred the lively taste of fresh fish, not sluggish fish.
To keep the fish tasting fresh, the Japanese fishing companies still put the fish in the tanks. But now they add a small shark to each tank. The shark eats a few fish, but most of the fish arrive in a very lively state. The fish are challenged.
Have you realized that some of us are also living in a tank but most of the time tired & dull, so we need a Shark in our life to keep us awake and moving. If your challenges are the correct size, and if you are regularly defeating those challenges, you are Conqueror. You think of your challenges and get energized. You are excited to try new solutions. You are alive! Here is some advice for you :
1. Instead of avoiding challenges, jump into them and enjoy the game. If your challenges are too large or too numerous, do not give up. Instead, reorganize. Find more determination, more knowledge, more help.
2. God didn't promise days without pain, laughter(笑) without sorrow, sun without rain, but he did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears and light for the way.
3. Disappointments are like road blocks, they slow you down a bit but you enjoy the smooth road afterwards. Don't stay on the bumps too long. Move on! Why did fishing companies equip their boats with freezers?
| A．to keep the fish taste fresh | B．to increase the price of the fish |
| C．to avoid challenges in the market | D．to keep the fish alive |
Which of the following is right?
| A．The Japanese don’t like sluggish fish, so the Japanese fishing companies won’t put the fish in the tanks |
| B．Since the waters close to Japan have not held many fish for decades, they have to go farther to catch fish. |
| C．Road blocks slow you down and stop you going on . |
| D．If your challenges are too large or too numerous, give it up first. |
The topic of the passage may be ___
| A．avoid challenges | B．keep your life active |
| C．ways to keep fish fresh | D．some advice for you |
“we need a Shark in our life to keep us awake and moving”means ____
| A．we need challenges of too large or too numerous to make us energized. |
| B．we have to accept being beaten by those challenges in life. |
| C．You are excited to try new solutions. |
| D．The society we live in is like the fish tank,we need some challenges to keep us energized. |
Who’s in control of your life? Who is pulling your string? For the majority of us, it’s other people－society, colleagues, friends, family or our religious community. We learned this way of operating when we were very young, of course. We were brainwashed. We discovered that feeling important and feeling accepted was a nice experience and so we learned to do everything we could to make other people like us. As Oscar Wilde puts it, “Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else’s opinions, their lives a mimicry(模仿), their passions a quotation.”
So when people tell us how wonderful we are, it makes us feel good. We long for this good feeling like a drug — we are addicted to it and seek it out wherever we can. Therefore, we are so eager for the approval of others that we live unhappy and limited lives, failing to do the things we really want to. Just as drug addicts and alcoholics live worsened lives to keep getting their fix(一剂毒品), we worsen our own existence to get our own constant fix of approval.
But, just as with any drug, there is a price to pay. The price of the approval drug is freedom — the freedom to be ourselves. The truth is that we cannot control what other people think. People have their own agenda, and they come with their own baggage and, in the end, they’re more interested in themselves than in you. Furthermore, if we try to live by the opinions of others, we will build our lives on sinking sand. Everyone has a different way of thinking, and people change their opinions all the time. The person who tries to please everyone will only end up getting exhausted and probably pleasing no one in the process.
So how can we take back control? I think there’s only one way — make a conscious decision to stop caring what other people think. We should guide ourselves by means of a set of values — not values gained from the outside by others, but values which come from within. If we are driven by these values and not by the changing opinions and value systems of others, we will live a more effective, purposeful and happy life.What Oscar Wilde says implies that .
| A．most people have a variety of thoughts |
| B．we have thoughts similar to those of others |
| C．other people’s thoughts are more important |
| D．most people’s thoughts are controlled by others |
What does the author try to argue in the third paragraph?
| A．We may lose ourselves to please others. |
| B．The price of taking the drug is freedom. |
| C．We need to pay for what we want to get. |
| D．Changing opinions may cost us our freedom. |
It can be concluded from the passage that .
| A．it’s better to do what we like | B．we shouldn’t care what others think |
| C．we shouldn’t change our own opinions | D．it’s important to accept others’ opinions |
The author tries to persuade the readers to accept his arguments mainly by .
| A．discussing questions | B．making suggestions |
| C．analyzing causes and effects | D．providing examples and facts |
Australians have been warned they face a life or death decision over their water — drink recycled sewage (污水) or die.
With the drought (干旱) continuing, the country is set to be forced to use purified (净化的) waste water for drinking, even though there is great opposition to the measure.
Queensland has become the first state to introduce the policy after a warning from its premier.
“I think in the end, because of the drought, all of Australia is going to end up drinking recycled purified water,” said Peter Beattie.
“These are difficult decisions, but you either drink water or you die. There’s no choice. It’s liquid gold; it’s a matter of life and death.”
Beattie said Australia’s second largest state would become the first to use recycled water for drinking.
Water is recycled in Britain and parts of northern Europe along with the US and Israel.
But Australians have never liked the idea.
To try to change the way Australians think, Prime Minister John Howard and Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull have adhered to Queensland’s move.
“I am very strongly for recycling and Mr. Beattie is right and I agree with him completely,” Howard said.
“Australian cities, all now facing water shortages because of the worst drought on record, must start to use recycled water.” added Turnbull, “All of our big cities have to widen the range of water sources to include sources which are not dependent on rainfall.”What is the text mainly about?
| A．Australians face the choice of life and death. |
| B．Premier Beattie is worried about his people’s health. |
| C．We should avoid drinking recycled water to keep healthy. |
| D．Continuing drought forces Australians to drink recycled sewage. |
What can we learn from the last paragraph?
| A．Australians have never like drinking purified waste water. |
| B．Australians should develop more water sources to live through the hard time. |
| C．Australians can’t depend upon rainwater, which is not suitable for drinking. |
| D．Australian government has no ability to solve the problem of water shortage. |
The underlined phrase “adhered to” in Paragraph 9 probably means ______.
| A．disliked | B．gone against | C．supported | D．doubted |
It can be inferred from what Premier Peter Beattie said that ______.
| A．he gives orders to drink purified waste water |
| B．It is painful for him to see people drink recycled sewage |
| C．If the decision is made, people won’t survive the drought |
| D．It’s totally up to you to either make a life or death decision |
When something goes wrong，it can be very satisfying to say，“Well, it’s so-and-so’s fault.” or “I know I’m late，but it’s not my fault；the car broke down.” It is probably not your fault，but once you form the habit of blaming somebody or something else for a bad situation，you are a loser. You have no power and could do nothing that helps change the situation. However, you can have great power over what happens to you if you stop focusing on whom to blame and start focusing on how to remedy the situation. This is the winner’s key to success.
Winners are great at overcoming problems. For example, if you were late because your car broke down, maybe you need to have your car examined more regularly. Or, you might start to carry along with you the useful phone numbers, so you could call for help when in need. For another example, if your colleague causes you problems on the job for lack of responsibility or ability, find ways of dealing with his irresponsibility or inability rather than simply blame the person. Ask to work with a different person, or don’t rely on this person. You should accept that the person is not reliable and find creative ways to work successfully regardless of how your colleague fails to do his job well.
This is what being a winner is all about—creatively using your skills and talents so that you are successful no matter what happens. Winners don’t have fewer problems in their lives; they have just as many difficult situations to face as anybody else. They are just better at seeing those problems as challenges and opportunities to develop their own talents. So, stop focusing on “whose fault it is.” Once you are confident about your power over bad situations, problems are just stepping stop on for success.According to the passage, winners .
| A．deal with problems rather than blame others |
| B．meet with fewer difficulties in their lives |
| C．have responsible and able colleagues |
| D．blame themselves rather that others |
When your colleague brings about a problem, you should .
| A．ask a more able colleague for help |
| B．blame him for his lack of responsibility |
| C．tell him to find the cause of the problem |
| D．find a better way to handle the problem |
When problems occur, winners take them as
| A．excuses for their failures |
| B．barriers to greater power |
| C．challenges to their colleagues |
| D．chances for self-development |
Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
| A．A Winner’s Problem. | B．A Winner’s Secret. |
| C．A Winner’s Opportunity. | D．A Winner’s Achievement. |
One of the greatest warriors(勇士) of history, Genghis Kahn, came from the Mongolian people. He controlled many countries in Asia and Europe because of his bravery and leadership in battle. This time period was known as the Yuan Dynasty in the 13th and 14th centuries.
Genghis decided to go hunting one day and many of his warriors went with him. Genghis had his favorite hawk on his wrist. The hawk was trained to fly high in the air to look for game like deer, rabbits or wild birds. When his bird flew to the ground, Genghis would follow it and shoot the wild game with his arrows. It was his favorite hobby.
This particular day, game was hard to find. Toward evening, Genghis sent all the men home and decided to go another way by himself. He even let his hawk go, thinking it would fly home as well. He became thirsty so he stopped by some rocks where he noticed water was dripping. He took a cup from his pack and filled it slowly. When he put it to his mouth, he was surprised for his hawk came and spilled (使溅出) all the water in his cup.
He thought this was very unusual so he filled the cup again. The hawk rushed down and knocked the cup free from his hand. Genghis was now thirsty and angry. As he filled the cup a fourth time, he drew his sword to stop the bird interrupting him. As the bird flew down, Genghis killed it but his cup fell deep into the rocks in the scuffle (扭打).
He decided to crawl up the rock of the mountain to find the source of the water. He found a pool and noticed a huge poisonous snake was dead in the water. He realized the hawk had saved his life. His anger had caused him to kill his favorite bird. In his despair (绝望), he promised to make sure of everything before he would become angry again.This passage may most probably be found in _____.
| A．a story book | B．a newspaper | C．a magazine | D．a guide book |
When the hawk tried to stop Genghis, he thought his hawk was trying to ____.
| A．save him | B．bother him | C．help him | D．comfort him |
Which of the following is not TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Genghis Kahn took up many countries because he was a brave and great leader. |
| B．The hawk devoted its life in order to save Genghis Kahn from being poisoned. |
| C．The snake was dead because it drank the water of the pool in the mountain. |
| D．Genghis Kahn was so thirsty that he decided to look for the source of the water. |
What conclusion can we draw from the passage?
| A．One should never act while thinking. | B．One had better not act before thinking. |
| C．One must act when thinking. | D．One would act without thinking. |
Why play games? Because they are fun, and a lot more besides. Following the rules, planning your next move and acting as a team member are all “game” ideas that you will come across throughout your life.
Think about some of the games you played as a young child, such as rope-jumping and hide-and-seek. Such games are entertaining and fun. But perhaps more importantly, they translate life into exciting dramas that teach children some of the basic rules they will be expected to follow the rest of their lives, such as taking turns and cooperating (合作) .
Many children’s games have a practical side Children around the world play games that prepare them for work they will do as grown-ups. For instance, some Saudi Arabian children play a game called bones, which sharpens the hand-eye coordination（协调）needed in hunting.
Many sports encourage national or local pride. The most famous games of all, the Olympic Games, bring athletes from around the world together to take part in friendly competition. People who watch the event wave flags, knowing that a gold medal is a win for an entire country, not just the athlete who earned it. For countries experiencing natural disasters or war, an Olympic win can mean so much.
Sports are also an event that unites people. Soccer is the most popular sport in the world. People on all continents play it—some for fun and some for a living. Nicolette Iribarne, a Californian soccer player, has discovered a way to spread hope through soccer. He created a foundation to provide poor children with not only soccer balls but also a promising future.
Next time you play your favorite game or sport, think about why you enjoy it, what skills are needed, and whether these skills will help you in other aspects of your life. Through playing hide-and-seek, children are expected to learn to ________.
| A．be a team leader | B．obey the basic rules |
| C．act as a grown-up | D．predict possible danger |
The underlined part in Paragraph 2 most probably means that games can________.
| A．describe life in an exciting way |
| B．turn real-life experiences into a play |
| C．make learning life skills more interesting |
| D．change people’s views of sporting events |
According to the passage, why is winning Olympic medals so encouraging?
| A．It inspires people’s deep love for the country. |
| B．It proves the exceptional skills of the winners. |
| C．It helps the country out of natural disasters. |
| D．It earns the winners fame and fortune. |
Iribarne’s goal of forming the foundation is to _______.
| A．bring fun to poor kids |
| B．provide soccer balls for children |
| C．give poor kids a chance for a better life |
| D．appeal to soccer players to help poor kids |
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