The Secret Behind a Great Person
A long time ago I watched a video of Josh Groban singing Vincent. It was a beautiful song and I loved it. I got interested in what the song is about.
The song is about a 19thcentury Dutch painter, Vincent van Gogh. Unfortunately, he didn’t enjoy all the fame and wealth that his paintings should have brought him. He died when he was only 37 years old.
At that time only a few people knew his work and even fewer appreciated it. For years he had mental illness. He only sold one painting in his lifetime and badly needed financial support.
Even so, he still managed to create lots of great paintings. What was it that made it possible? The answer is that he had a strong supporter, his younger brother Theo. Theo supported Vincent financially, but more importantly, he continued to believe in his brother no matter what happened. I think it’s safe to say that Vincent was able to become a great artist because of this unfailing support from his brother.
There is an important lesson here: never underestimate (低估) the value of a supporter. Having someone who believes in you through the difficulties makes a big difference. You might not realize it, but much of what you have achieved is most likely because of your supporters.
| A．If you have such a supporter, express thanks to him. |
| B．Moreover, he went through many difficulties in his life. |
| C．His letters to Vincent were full of praise and encouragement. |
| D．His paintings are among the most famous and expensive in the world. |
下面文章中有5个段落需要添加首句，请从以下选项（A、B、C、D、E和F）中选出适合各段落的首句，选项中有一项是多余选项。
A. Be a good listener. B. Care about the details.
C. Strike up a conversation. D. Make time for friendships.
E. Reach out to the newcomers. F. Avoid causing inconveniences
Develop Better Relationships with Neighbors
Good neighbors are a lot like electricity or running water：we don’t know how much we depend on them until we don’t have them. They make our lives more pleasant and give us a sense of who we are, both as an individual and as a member of the community. Here’s how to develop your relationships with these very important people in your life. _________ Often neighbors don’t even know each other’s names. But it’s okay to be the one to break the ice , even if you’ve lived next door for years. Most neighbors enjoy making small talk with the folks on the other side of the fence. So as you see them at work in their yards, smile, wave, and say hello. Ask how their kids are (whether they’re babies or in college), whether they could use an extra cucumber from your garden, or what they think of the price at the local supermarket.
_________ These days, the old Welcome Wagon is a thing of the past. But your new neighbors may be feeling lonely and unsure, especially if they’re far from home, and might appreciate a friendly face bearing fresh-baked chocolate cakes. If they have kids, tell them where the children in the neighborhood live. Recommend the best places to eat and sleep. Invite them over for coffee or tea when they get settled, give them your number, and point to your house as you say good-bye.
__________ Return anything that you borrow from a neighbor, such as tools, in good repair and as soon as you’ve finished with them. Replace anything that belongs to your neighbor that you, your children, or your pets break or soil. Make sure that your car is not blocking their doorway. Such random acts of consideration will have your neighbors talking — and the talk will be good.
__________ If you value a friendship with your neighbors, spend time with them. What better way to meet your neighbors than to invite them to an informal barbecue, pool party, or holiday open house? Better yet, you might even consider throwing a get-together in their honor. Deliver the invitations in person to everyone who lives on your street and chat with each for five minutes before moving on to the next house. This way, you will get an idea of what your neighbors are like so that you can plan for appropriate food and music.
___________ In a good relationship, it’s really the little things that count. Help to bring in the mail for the elderly neighbor when there is a heavy rain. When your neighbor forgets to take in his rubbish cans, roll them back into his yard. If you’re truly concerned, you’ll know when your neighbor needs some cheering up — a bunch of flowers or a helping hand when it’s needed. All it takes to develop your relationship with neighbors is the respect for their feelings.
Don’t get mad--- get promoted
When it comes to succeeding at work, conventional wisdom says you should check your emotions at the door. But Anne Kreamer, the author of the new book It’s Always Personal, disagrees. “It reduces people’s ability to bring their best selves to their work,” she says. ___1___ Here’s how to turn your emotions into opportunities.
__2___
How to get promoted: Engage in joint（联合的）problem solving.
Losing your temper at work is “universally uncool,” say Kreamer. But opening your emotional floodgates strategically can lead to solutions if both sides are willing to work together. ___3___ “The specific time and private space establishes boundaries so you have a greater chance of achieving a constructive outcome and maintaining the relationship,” Kreamer adds.
I feel: Afraid and anxious.
How to get promoted: Improve planning skills.
___4___ Identify what’s behind your fear and take specific action --- ask your manager for details and take on some responsibilities. You’ll calm down and do a better job. “No boss minds helping an eager employee learn something new, but every boss hates having to deal with a bungled（搞糟了的） project,” says Kreamer.
I feel: Happy.
How to get promoted: Increase creativity and productivity.
When you’re in a positive mood, your brain activity actually shifts, says Kreamer. “Your focus deepens, and your dopamine（多巴胺） levels increase. ___5___”
| A．I feel: Angry. |
| B．I feel: like crying. |
| C．This helps you see things from a different perspective. |
| D．It’s a signal that there’s a problem that needs to be solved. |
E. Are you clear about an assignment or underprepared for a meeting?
F. Instead, Kreamer suggests acting on your feelings can help you do a good job.
G. Rather than face the offender in the heat of the moment, schedule a one-on-one meeting.
To send and to read email has quickly become one of the most common daily activities around the world, either for business or pleasure.
Several reasons why email has become a great tool is that it is fast, convenient, and affordable. In the past, teachers often organized pen friends project where their students would exchange letters with another group of students in another country
And by that time, students might lose interest in the project or the class might and before a serious of meaningful exchanges can take place.
With email, however, messages can be sent at a click of a button at school, home, or an Internet café, and if you are using a free email account, the cost is free(not taking into account any Internet Service Provider fees that you have to pay).
Email has a lot to offer, for language learners and teachers in the classroom.
| A．In addition, students have to pay imitational postage to send the letters. |
| B．However, the turn-arcund time for sending and receiving traditional letters can take up months. |
| C．Now, more students are using this form of communication to improve their language skills. |
| D．Students can develop friendships with people from around the globe. |
E．While chatting online, never give out personal information including your age.
F．One particular activity that takes advantage of these points is a key pal exchange.
G．Instead of waiting days or weeks for a response, students can receive a reply quickly.
根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有一项为多余选项。
A. Goods for auction (拍卖) sales
B. Definition of bidding
C. Way to sell more goods by auction
D. Auction sales in history
E. Brief introduction to auctions
F. Making a larger profit as an auctioneer______
Auctions are public sales of goods, conducted by an officially approved auctioneer. He asks the crowd assembled in the auction-room to make offers, or “bids”, for the various items on sale. He encourages buyers to bid higher figures, and finally names the highest bidder as the buyer of the goods. This is called “knocking down” the goods, for the bidding ends when the auctioneer strikes a small hammer on a table at which he stands. ______
The ancient Roman probably invented sales by auction, and the English word comes from the Latin auction, meaning “increasing”. The Romans usually sold in this way the goods taken in war. In England in the eighteenth centuries, goods were often sold “by the candle”: a short candle was lit by the auctioneer, and bids could be made while it stayed alight. ______
Practically all goods whose qualities vary are sold by auction. Among these are coffee, skins, wool, tea, furs, silk and wines. Auction sales are also usual for land and property, furniture, pictures, rare books, old china and similar works of art. ______
An auction is usually advertised beforehand with full particulars of the articles to be sold and where and when they can be viewed by potential buyers. If the advertisement cannot give full details, catalogues are printed, and each group of goods to be sold together, called a “lot”, is usually given a number. The auctioneer need not begin with Lot 1 and continue in the order of numbers: he may wait until he notices the fact that certain buyers are in the room and then produce the lots they are likely to be interested in. ______
The auctioneer’s services are paid for in the form of a percentage of the price the goods are sold for. The auctioneer therefore has a direct interest in pushing up the bidding as high as possible. He will not waste time by starting the bidding too low. He will also play on the opponents among his buyers and succeed in getting a high price by encouraging two business competitors to bid against each other.
Faced with declining enrollments and declining revenues, many public schools in the US are _____________________ get students from abroad, particularly from China.
Going to study in the US high school will _____________________ some Chinese students because it can increase their chances of entering an American university.
During a typical Romanian wedding ceremony, the newly-weds _____________________ usually _____________________ love and care from their relatives and neighbors.
Fifty years ago on April 12, the Russian astronaut Yuri Gagarin _____________________ worldwide as he became the first man in space, propelled into orbit on a Russian made rocket.
The US is a country which _____________________ people of different colors, races and religions, but sometimes the diversity can lead to problems.
Some people have to take special precautions when they go out in spring _____________________ suffering from seasonal allergy such as sneezing, watery eyes and runny noses.
Baseball _____________________ in the US because it’s not simply a game, but has become woven into the fabric of American culture.
The 32-year-old Taiwanese star Show Luo is at the peak of his singing career now, but his career hit a low _____________________ when he lost all his hosting jobs and got cold looks from people.
The latest Apple iPad 2 was _____________________ by the Apple Company at the end of March in 25 countries and it caused massive line-ups at stores across the U.S.
Several Libyan diplomats resigned their posts and _____________________ Gaddafi, describing him as a “dictator” and calling on him to step aside to avoid further bloodshed.
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