From my second grade on, there was one event I feared every year: the piano recital(独奏演唱会). A recital _____I had to practice a boring piece of music and perform before strangers. Each year I _____ask my father if I could skip the recital “just this once”. And each year he would shake his head, muttering(嘀咕) _________about build self-confidence and working toward a ________.
So it was with really great______that I stood in church one recent Sunday, video camera in hand, and ______my 68-year-old father sweating in his shirt ______rising to play the piano in his very first recital.
My father had longed to play music since childhood, but his family was poor and couldn’t ________lessons. He could have gone on regretting it, _______too many of us do. But though he was rooted in his past, he wasn’t ________there. When he retired three years ago, he _____ his church music director to take him as a student.
For a moment after my father sat down at the keyboard, he ______stared down at his fingers. Has he forgotten the ______? I worried, remembering those split seconds______ago when my mind would go blank and my fingers would _______. But then came the beautiful melody(旋律)，from the _____fingers that once baited(装饵于) my fishing lines. And I______he had been doing what music teachers always stress:_____the music and pretend the others aren’t there.
“I’m ________of him for starting something new at his age,” I said to my son Jeff.
“Yeah, and doing it so______,” Jeff added.
With his first recital, my father taught me more about courage and determination than all the words he used those 30-plus years ago.
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Did you see American figure skater, Jeremy Abbott, crash to the ice during the short program at the Sochi Olympics, rolling into the wall, clutching his side in pain. Ten seconds later, he got up and continued his skate—despite the pain, embarrassment and fear. All I could think was: this kid’s got courage. In business we have a word for it—resilience, the ability to gain strengths and confidence from overcoming unpleasant events. 
However, opposite examples appeared in Sochi Olympics as well. For them, failure is someone else’s fault, because they do not accept personal responsibility. Therefore, they have to pay a high price for this attitude. After years of studying failure, I have learned one thing: modesty and open-mindedness in the face of mistakes is the single best thing you can do to improve results. Everyone fails, but not everyone recovers from failure. The key is to learn from it rather than get beaten by it.
The good news is that each of us has the potential to live a resilient life on and off the job. It may be difficult, but that just makes it all the more powerful and important. If you believe the above paragraph to be true, then you’re probably more resilient than you think you are. It takes confidence to be resilient but that too much confidence is a killer is so true of leadership. For example, Ron Johnson, the ill-fated CEO of JC Penney, was so stubborn that he completely missed all sorts of signals from employees and customers and instead listened to all those who agreed with him, which failed his strategy. Bouncing back from failure requires that you recognize something has gone wrong, and you were the one who made it happen.
The challenge of resilience is not just about our work. When parents help their kids deal with every challenging situation, they are doing an unhelpful action to their children. Parents want to protect their kids from failure, but doing so takes away the opportunity from them to practice not just a life skill but an essential work skill. When self-esteem becomes more important than results, we are accidently training young people to become less adaptable, not more.
Resilience is not just about getting up off the floor, but also being ready for whatever comes next, even when you don’t know what it is. Failures and setbacks are no longer unusual events, but regular features of a dynamic, competitive and highly demanding work environment. Getting up to finish your skate is no longer optional.
The example of Jeremy Abbott shows that one should ______.
A．recover from failure B．stick to his own viewpoint C．take others’ opinions to heart D．challenge difficulties bravely
A．Being positive and powerful. B．Being competitive and helpful. C．Being modest and open-minded. D．Being confident and responsible.
A．A teacher offers students timely help and care. B．A determined athlete practices skating hard every day. C．A confident leader persuades his staff to follow his plan. D．A student has got a low grade but continues to work hard.
A．An Example of Resilience: Ron Johnson B．Resilience: A Lesson from Sochi C．Optional Challenges of Resilience D．Resilience in Family Education
Sally jumped up the moment she saw the surgeon come out of the operating room. She asked, “How is my little boy?”
The surgeon said, “I’m ____. We did all we could, but your boy didn’t ____ it.”
Sally ____into the chair. The surgeon asked, “Would you like some time with your son before he was transported to the ____?” Sally nodded. While saying goodbye, she ran her fingers ____ through his thick curly hair. “Would you like a lock of his hair?” the surgeon asked. Sally nodded yes. The surgeon cut a few hairs, and handed them to Sally. The mother said, “It was Jimmy’s idea to ____ his body to the university for study. He said it might ____ somebody else. “I said no at first, ____ Jimmy said, ‘Mom, I won’t be using it after I die. Maybe it will help some other little boy spend one more day with his Mom.’”
“My Jimmy had a heart of ____, always thinking of someone else, always wanting to help others if he could.” she went on.
Sally walked out of the hospital. She put the bag with Jimmy’s ____ on the seat beside her in the car. The drive home was ____. It was even harder to enter the ____ house. She carried Jimmy’s belongings, and the lock of his hair to her son’s room. She started placing the model cars and other personal things back in his room ____ where he had always kept them. She lay down across his bed and, hugging his pillow, ____ herself to sleep.
It was around midnight when Sally ____. Lying beside her on the bed was a letter. The letter said,
“Dear Mom,
I know you’re going to ____ me, and me too. I will always love you, Mom, even more ____ each passing day. Someday we will see each other again. Until then, if you want to ____a little boy so you won’t be so lonely, that’s OK with me. He can have my room and old toys to play with.
Don’t be sad thinking about me. I don’t hurt any more. The cancer is all ____. I don’t have to stand that ____any more. The angels in Heaven are so tender. They say I’m a Special Angel! I love you, Mom.”
A．worried B．sorry C．happy D．grateful
A．make B．pass C．win D．like
A．knocked B．looked C．sank D．got
A．house B．church C．hospital D．university
A．anxiously B．lovingly C．patiently D．angrily
A．donate B．move C．show D．lend
A．affect B．help C．protect D．impress
A．for B．and C．so D．but
A．gold B．stone C．wisdom D．bravery
A．toys B．clothes C．belongings D．letters
A．long B．smooth C．difficult D．dangerous
A．empty B．familiar C．big D．old
A．roughly B．exactly C．especially D．possibly
A．put B．sent C．cried D．buried
A．wrote B．spoke C．slept D．awoke
A．understand B．forgive C．leave D．miss
A．with B．around C．on D．in
A．save B．host C．visit D．adopt
A．lost B．gone C．cured D．spotted
A．depression B．sadness C．pain D．stress
阅读下面短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
My husband Jeff and I moved into our new home in Scottsbluff last year just before Christmas. I did not have the or energy to carry out my traditional Christmas decorating and baking activities. What was the point, anyway? It was going to be a Christmas after all.
, the neighborly nature of west Nebraska residents started to trickle (陆续来临) in.
There was a on the door one evening. It was Jeff’s new colleague, John Smith, and his wife, Phyllis. The Smiths had stopped by to us to town with a loaf of homemade bread. They pointed out a on the porch (门廊). Apparently the doorbell wasn’t working in the cold snowy weather and we had a visit from the Browns, our across-the-street neighbors, who brought us a Christmas card and more Christmas cookies.
The feelings brought by these thoughtful gestures lasted longer than the food.
As Jeff and I were clearing pre-Christmas from our driveway, Ernie Guzman came over from next door to us to dig out.
Then, we received an invitation to a Christmas Eve meal with our neighbors, Ernie and Nancy Sommer, and their —a 90-year-old lady, who also had no family in the immediate area with whom to spend the holiday.
Our Christmas Eve was quite merry, thanks to our . Our Christmas morning was special, thanks to the Smiths’ gift of bread. I was so for these gestures of welcome, especially during the holidays.
This year, we were again unable to be with our families for Christmas. The and work schedules just made things too difficult. that sense of Christmas isolation (孤立) all too well, we decided to try to round up some other folks who were in the holidays.
Lonely people are all around us, but most of us notice them. Just take a look around you. Sometimes, the smallest gesture can make a world of difference.
A．chance B．anxiety C．time D．ability
A．lonely B．free C．merry D．usual
A．Therefore B．However C．Somehow D．Meanwhile
A．sign B．knock C．card D．note
A．invite B．welcome C．drive D．send
A．tree B．flower C．mail D．package
A．forgot B．missed C．arranged D．received
A．warm B．deep C．true D．mixed
A．rubbish B．snow C．dust D．leaves
A．teach B．urge C．help D．forbid
A．prepare B．share C．taste D．exchange
A．guest B．aunt C．maid D．partner
A．folks B．relatives C．neighbors D．colleagues
A．call B．greeting C．meeting D．breakfast
A．sorry B．eager C．grateful D．ready
A．season B．expense C．distance D．situation
A．Knowing B．Showing C．Studying D．Discovering
A．happy B．busy C．alone D．active
A．always B．usually C．finally D．seldom
A．careful B．kind C．pretty D．patient
Years ago, if a teenager had some problems in her life, she might go home and write in her diary. Now, a teenager with problems might go onto the Internet and write about his problems in a blog. In many ways a diary and a blog are very . So, what makes blogging different from writing in diary?
The biggest difference is that blogging is much more than a diary. Usually, a teenager treats his diary like a book full of that she does not want to .
It’s interesting that someone who writes in a blog a diary will probably write nearly the same information.
I have a little sister, and sometimes I go online to read her . She writes about things like waking up early for swimming practice and not studying enough for her chemistry test. I was her age, I wrote about the same things, but in my diary. Then, after I had finished writing, I would hide my diary in a secret place because I was that my sister might read it!
The biggest with blogging is that anyone can read what you write. If I was angry with a friend during high school and wrote something about her in my diary, she would never know! , if my sister ever wrote something bad about a friend, that friend read her blog and get a “cry”.
There are also to blogging, of course. If I felt sad one day and wrote in my diary, “Nobody cares about me,” would know about it. However, if my sister wrote the same sentence in her blog, her best friends would respond and tell her how much they her. Blogs help people in touch with their friends and know what the people around them are doing.
A．the same B．troublesome C．difficult D．daily
A．familiar B．special C．similar D．different
A．a personal B．an ordinary C．a common D．a traditional
A．attractive B．public C．convenient D．quick
A．thoughts B．puzzles C．mysteries D．secrets
A．tell B．share C．publish D．solve
A．instead of B．as well as C．in favor of D．in spite of
A．blog B．diary C．report D．web
A．Although B．Since C．When D．Because
A．only B．already C．still D．never
A．angry B．concerned C．glad D．worried
A．problem B．doubt C．trouble D．mistake
A．pleasant B．wrong C．mean D．funny
A．Besides B．However C．Therefore D．Then
A．should B．will C．must D．might
A．reasons B．disadvantages C．shortcomings D．advantages
A．everyone B．no one C．anyone D．someone
A．happily B．especially C．quickly D．immediately
A．like B．miss C．need D．help
A．lose B．stay C．get D．find
When Joe was about to start school, all signs pointed to success. Yet things turned out to be quite . The fourth grade even found him at the of the class. Joe struggled day and night, but it did not until one stormy afternoon.
On that afternoon, the math teacher started to introduce difficult concepts, dark clouds covered the sky, and the storm set in. Hard though she tried to make the kid , the thunder won the battle for their attention. No one the concepts, except for Joe. He understood them and answered all the questions correctly. The teacher patted him on the back, and told him to go around to the others and explain how he had managed it. by his newfound success, Joe moved quickly throughout the room. Soon math time was followed by the time for . All children naturally drew pictures on such a day. Except for Joe.
Since then, Joe started . Though he never made it to the top, his math teacher was always and curious about the change: Why had that stormy day changed Joe? On the day Joe graduated, he presented the teacher with his most possession—the picture of a bright yellow sun. On the picture Joe had written: This is the day I my brightness.
It is easy to overlook the role that your body plays in influencing your mood(情绪). When you are , you may find yourself blaming work pressures or an unknown future. However, it could just be that you've been sitting behind your desk too long.
One way to improve your mood is . Psychologically, it provides you with a break from the stresses in your life. Also, in the process, you may aim for goals, like a new personal running record or a better body shape. The achievement of a particular goal makes you feel good and contributes to your . That is why exercise has been shown to your self-respect.
You do not have to train yourself to feel the psychological benefits of exercise. What really matters is , not intensity(强度) of your exercise. You can try walking for 30 minutes five times per week or simply gardening on weekends.
A．unfair B．boring C．disappointing D．dangerous
A．center B．top C．beginning D．bottom
A．happen B．work C．finish D．last
A．until B．since C．because D．as
A．concentrate B．change C．hide D．sit
A．challenged B．grasped C．doubted D．admitted
A．Relieved B．Surprised C．Encouraged D．Puzzled
A．class B．sports C．art D．tea
A．great B．dark C．different D．strange
A．improving B．painting C．recovering D．studying
A．worried B．amazed C．friendly D．cautious
A．familiar B．expensive C．admirable D．precious
A．woke up to B．put up with C．got on with D．looked down upon
A．ill B．poor C．unhappy D．unsuccessful
A．play B．communication C．sleep D．exercise
A．clear B．present C．common D．early
A．ability B．relationship C．confidence D．business
A．tear down B．build up C．set aside D．give out
A．hard B．everywhere C．carefully D．late
A．time B．length C．form D．frequency
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