Make Up Your Mind to Succeed
Kind-hearted parents have unknowingly left their children defenseless against failure. The generation born between 1980 and 2001 grew up playing sports where scores and performance were played down because “everyone’s winner.” And their report cards sounded more positive (正面的) than ever before. As a result, Stanford University professor Carol Dweck, PhD, calls them “the overpraised generation.”
Dweck has been studying how people deal with failure for 40 years. Her research has led her to find out two clearly different mind-sets that have a great effect on how we react to it. Here’s how they work:
A fixed mind-set is grounded in the belief that talent (才能) is genetic – you’re a born artist, point guard, or numbers person. The fixed mind-set believes he’s sure to succeed without much effort and regards failure as personal shame. When things get difficult, he’s quick to blame, lie, and even stay away from future difficulties.
On the other hand, a growth mind-set believes that no talent is entirely heaven-sent and that effort and learning make everything possible. Because the ego (自尊) isn’t on the line as much, the growth mind-set sees failure as a chance rather than shame. When faced with a difficulty, he’s quick to rethink, change and try again. In fact, he enjoys this experience.
We are all born with growth mind-sets. (Otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to live in the world.) But parents, teachers, and instructors often push us into fixed mind-sets by encouraging certain actions and misdirecting praise. Dweck’s book, Mind-set: The New Psychology of Success, and online instructional program explain this in depth. But she says there are many little things you can start doing today to make sure that your children, grandchildren and even you are never defeated by failure. What does the author think about the present generation?
| A．They don’t do well at school. | B．They are often misunderstood. |
| C．They are eager to win in sports. | D．They are given too much praise. |
A fixed mind-set person is probably one who ___ .
| A．doesn’t want to work hard |
| B．cares a lot about personal safety |
| C．cannot share his ideas with others |
| D．can succeed with the help of teachers |
What does the growth mind-set believe?
| A．Admitting failure is shameful. |
| B．Talent comes with one’s birth. |
| C．Scores should be highly valued. |
| D．Getting over difficulties is enjoyable. |
What should parents do for their children based on Dweck’s study?
| A．Encourage them to learn from failures. |
| B．Prevent them from making mistakes. |
| C．Guide them in doing little things. |
| D．Help them grow with praise. |
Computer programmer David Jones earned ￡35,000 a year designing new computer games, yet he cannot find a bank prepared to let him have a check card, he has been told to wait another two years until he is 18.
He works for a small firm in Liverpool, where most young people of his age are finding jobs. David’s biggest headache is what to do with his money. Though he has high payment, he cannot drive a car, or get credit card(信用卡).
David got his job four months ago, a year after leaving school with six O-levels（普通成绩）and working for a time in a computer shop. “I got the job because the people who run the firm knew I had already written some programs,” he said.
“I suppose ￡35,000 sounds a lot but I hope it will come to more than that this year.” He spends some of his money on records and clothes, and gives his mother ￡20 a week as he lives with his parents. But most of his spare time is spent working.
“Unfortunately, computing was not part of our studies at school, ” he said. “But I had been studying it in books and magazines for four years in my spare time. I knew what I wanted to do and never considered staying on at school. Most people in this business are fairly young, anyway. I would like to earn a million and I suppose early retirement(退休) is a possibility. You never know when the market might disappear.”Why is David so different from other young people of his age?
| A．He earns an extremely high payment |
| B．He has got a job. |
| C．He lives at home with his parents. |
| D．He does not go out much. |
David’s greatest problem is that______.
| A．he can’t be treated as an adult by the bank. |
| B．he doesn’t make as many games as he wishes. |
| C．he doesn’t know what to buy with the money. |
| D．he is too young to drive a car. |
He was employed by the company because ____.
| A．he had worked in a computer shop. |
| B．he had written some computer programs. |
| C．he is clever and works hard at his lessons. |
| D．he had learnt to use computers at school. |
He left school after taking six O-levels because____.
| A．he was afraid of getting too old to start computing. |
| B．he did not enjoy school. |
| C．he wanted to work with computers. |
| D．he wanted to earn a lot of money. |
Why does David think he might retire early?
| A．He thinks computer games might not always sell so well. |
| B．He wants to stop working when he is a millionaire. |
| C．One has to be young to write computer programs. |
| D．He thinks his firm might close down. |
We all know that theme parks are places to have fun and amuse ourselves, but among so many exciting rides there are also some dangers, Make sure you know what the safety standards are for all the attractions at the park. If you do that , you will be safe and have fun.
Drink water. Believe it or not , dehydration-- when your body doesn’t have enough water--is the commonest cause of injuries at theme parks. Drinking water while you are at the park is not enough.You must make sure that you drink enough water before your visit.
Use your “common sense”. There are lots of people around , so make sure where your friends or family are .Also ,if you are walking and want to stop , make sure nobody is walking behind you. First step aside,then look behind and if you aren’t in anybody’s way,then stop.It might sound exaggerated(夸张的),but crashes between people can cause accidents.
Follow the instructions. The majority of theme parks have instructions for each ride. Some rides only allow people of a certain height. So make sure you are not too tall or too short before boarding any ride. Also, people with certain diseases or conditions are advised not to go on some rides. Do remember : If you are told not to go on a ride, then DON’T.
Do not ride with a bad atomach or if you’ve just eaten. Rides can make you ill because of their violent changes of direction and your lunch may end up on someone else’s head: surely not a very pleasant experience.
Have fun, relax, and be a little brave!
Some rides might look scary but theme parks are very safe places.What is the leading reason for injuries at theme parks?
| A．Snow | B．Dehydration | C．Fire | D．Crashes |
According to the author,____.
| A．it doesn’t pay to go to theme parks |
| B．people can have lots of fun in theme parks |
| C．men are more interested in theme parks than women |
| D．shy people should not go to theme parks |
Which of the following will the author accept?
| A．Children should notplay in theme parks. |
| B．One shouldn’t eat anything before riding. |
| C．One must always stay with his friends or family in theme parks. |
| D．One must read the instructions before playing in theme parks. |
Everyone may all have the experience of feeling anxious and stressed when having a rough day or having some troubles. Different people may choose different ways to deal with it, and for most people a break for a 10-minute walk may be quite useful.
Anyway, here is another way around: to get a piece of chewing gum, and chew it. According to a Swinburne University of Technology study, gum-chewing has been found to “relieve anxiety, improve alertness(机敏性) and reduce stress among individuals in a laboratory setting.”
Some may argue that a laboratory is not the same as an office. But check out the conditions of the study: individuals were monitored while performing “a group of ‘multi-tasking’ activities.” Doesn’t it sound like the situation in the office?
Here’s a summary of some of the study’s findings:
Gum chewers showed a reduction in anxiety as compared to non-gum chewers by nearly 17 percent during mild stress and nearly 10 percent in appropriate stress.
Gum chewers showed improvement in alertness over non-gum chewers by nearly 19 percent during mild stress and 8 percent in moderate stress.
Improved Performance: Chewing gum resulted in a big improvement in overall performance on multi-tasking activities.
Although these aren’t major improvements, every little bit works and chewing a piece of gum is a lot quicker and easier than slipping outside for a 10-minute walk. So, how does gum work this magic? In part it does so by lowering the level of cortisol(皮质醇)—a steroid(类固醇) hormone that is released in response to stress in your system.
A few words of advice before you reach for the gum: don’t crack your gum, and be sure to chew it with your mouth closed. In fact, I’d say keep the gum out of meetings, because it really looks impolite to others around you.From the study in the text we know that_________________.
| A．gum chewers may lack alertness |
| B．gum chewers tend to be less stressed |
| C．gum chewers can finish many jobs perfectly |
| D．gum chewers can reduce their anxiety and anger easily |
How does gum work to reduce stress according to the text?
| A．It works by improving alertness. |
| B．It works by allowing a 10-minute walk. |
| C．It works by reducing one’s level of cortisol. |
| D．It works by being chewed in a laboratory setting. |
Which one may the author probably agree with?
| A．People should chew gum with their mouths closed in a meeting. |
| B．It is impolite to chew gum in a meeting with people around you. |
| C．People can crack gum freely when meeting friends. |
| D．People should be careful when chewing gum at home. |
What does the text mainly talk about?
| A．How to chew gum. | B．How to relieve stress. |
| C．Why people love chewing gum. | D．Chewing gum can relieve stress. |
Instead of a normal court hearing, the trial on Wednesday appeared more like a prepared drama. Hundreds of reporters waited outside the court, in the hope of learning “shocking” information about the case, which includes well-known military singer Li Shuangjiang’s son, who gang-raped a woman with another four men on February.
The case was not a public hearing because it includes teenagers, whose privacy must be protected under law, but many details had been exposed by the lawyers before the trial.
Lawyers of all five suspects and the woman’s lawyer made a lot of debate on the Internet before the trial, making the case more confused.
Wu Ming’an, a law professor from the China University of Political Science and Law, said it was a pity to see such a “performance” by the lawyers.
“It can be understood that the two parties freely spoke their opinions, but it’s not professional or wise to see lawyers do the same,” Wu said. “Instead, the lawyers should guide and persuade their clients(当事人) to calm down, especially for such a non-public and sensitive case.”
China has no clear rule to manage lawyers’ behavior before trials, “but it should be general knowledge that the lawyers of the two sides cannot leak too many details, particularly in a case that includes teenagers”, Wu added.
Yi Shenghua, a lawyer who has been following the case, said it does more harm than good to both parties for such detailed information to be exposed before the trial.
“It’s OK for lawyers to speak, but what is said must be reasonable and legal. Although judgments should not be affected by public opinion, it’s hard for them not to be,” he said, suggesting judicial authorities should speak out if the case goes wrongly.
Trials must be conducted based on evidence, while lawyers should protect their clients’ rights instead of adding fuel to the flames, Yi said.
In my eyes, the most important aspect of the case, lies in how to make lawyers do their work more professionally and reasonably. Why was the case not a public hearing?
| A．Because it included the well-known military singer Li Shuangjiang’s son. |
| B．Because the victim was a woman. |
| C．Because teenagers’ privacy must be protected under law. |
| D．Because many details had already been exposed before the trial. |
What is Wu ming’an’s attitude towards the lawyers’ behavior of making a lot of debate on the internet before the trial?
| A．approval | B．critical | C．neutral | D．indifferent |
The underlined part “leak” in para. 6 refers to_________.
| A．give away | B．squeeze out | C．break down | D．sweep up |
From Yi Shenghua, we know that _______________.
| A．The lawyers’ behavior before trials hasn’t been ruled. |
| B．It doesn’t matter whether the detailed information is exposed before the trial. |
| C．What lawyers say must be reasonable and legal. |
| D．It is hard for judgments to be affected by public opinion. |
When was the last time you were late and expected someone to understand? How about the time you left your dishes on the table for someone else to clean up? Or perhaps you left the lid on the peanut butter jar loose, and the person after you opened the jar to find it dry and not fresh.
Often, we are eager to ignore our own faults. But we have higher standards when it comes to our expectations of someone else who has the same expectations. We need to as equally understand the weaknesses of others and excuse them just as we excuse ourselves.
Two of my strengths are punctuality(准时) and organization. I like to meet deadlines when they are due and keep the space around my computer neat and orderly. But sometimes things happen, and I slip from being perfect. When this happens, I show myself mercy and lower the standard for myself. However, if someone else makes a mess around my computer, I might not show them as much mercy as I show myself. If it can happen to me, then I should be willing to realize that it can happen to someone else as well.
I am not suggesting that we should not work on improving our faults, or that it should be right to be late or leave a mess behind us. Although we should always be working towards self-improvement, we shouldn’t have a double standard that says we are excused from our own mistakes but we cannot excuse someone else. If we are not 100-percent perfect, we shouldn’t expect others to be.
Mercy shows an understanding heart. If we are blind to our own faults, we will not be very merciful towards others. Showing a little mercy goes a long way when life’s little mistakes take place. When the tables are turned, showing mercy towards someone’s shortcomings could cause us to receive some in return.From the first paragraph we can learn that________________.
| A．we all make a mess sometimes |
| B．we all need private space |
| C．we should accept others’ help with gratitude |
| D．we should not open the lid on the peanut butter jar |
How does the author develop the third paragraph?
| A．By raising questions. | B．By giving examples. |
| C．By analyzing opinions. | D．By showing research findings |
The underlined part, “When the tables are turned” in the last paragraph, can be best replaced by____________.
| A．“When good luck comes” | B．“When benefits increase” |
| C．“When our mistakes happen” | D．“When the situation is changed” |
What would be the best title for this passage?
| A．Changing Bad Daily Habits | B．Excusing Our Own Faults |
| C．Being Merciful Toward Others | D．Working Toward Self-improvement |
粤公网安备 44130202000953号