A
When you think of success, you think of relative achievements in your own world. Each element of your world is important to you, and there is no need to compare with others. You cannot affect the success of others; you can affect your own success.
Success is very much achievable to everybody. Believe that and you have taken the first step. If you do not believe in yourself, then building self-esteem is your first task. However, believing in your ability to achieve whatever you want to succeed in is very important if you are not to be held back by self-doubt throughout your journey to success.
There are many things that will affect your ability to succeed, and it is best to focus on those under your immediate control. Once you do that, then the characteristics you develop can be applied to becoming successful in a range of activities.
What is important to you is that, as you start to reach milestones in your ambitions, you should appreciate your own achievements. Appreciating yourself will strengthen your self-confidence and your determination to succeed.
Some of the key characteristics you will find in those who are successful are perseverance, prepared to research, plan, work hard and practice a lot even when things do not seem to be going well, and an ability to recover and learn from setbacks. At the beginning of whatever you are trying to succeed in, a strong vision of your future, planning, and setting yourself achievable tar gets can all play an important role.
All these qualities, skills and characteristics can be learned and developed. But it is up to you to get things started. Those who do not start travel nowhere. For others, life can be a continuous journey of fulfillment.
【小题1】56. According to the passage, if you want to achieve success, what should you do first?

A．Don’t compare with others.	B．Bring everything under control.
C．Find out what you have in mind.	D．Feel confident about your ability.

【小题2】57. Why should you appreciate your own achievements according to the passage?

A．It will allow you to recover from past failures.

B．It will remind you of the vision of your future.

C．It will motivate you to continue pursuing success.

D．It will help you develop your characteristics in everything.

【小题3】58. The underlined word“setbacks”（in paragraph 5）probably means ________.

A．failures

B．troubles

C．hesitation

D．depression

【小题4】59. What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A．If you are stuck where you are, you cannot travel far.

B．If you don’t start trying, you’ll never embrace success.

C．If you are brave enough, you can get whatever you want.

D．If you don’t study, you can never reach the destination.

                            C
Have you ever been afraid to talk back when you were treated unfairly? Have you ever bought something just because the salesman talked you into it?  Many people are afraid to support themselves. Dr. Robert Albert， author of Stand Up， Speak Out， and Talk Back，thinks it’s because their self-respect is low. “There s always a ‘superior’ (长辈) around ˉa parent， a teacher， a boss—— who knows better.” But Albert and other scientists are doing something to help people help themselves. They offer “assertiveness(维护) training” courses——A.T. for short. In the A. T. Course people learn that they have a right to be themselves. They learn to speak out and feel good about doing so. They learn to be aggressive (进攻的) without hurting other people. In one way， learning to speak out is to get rid of fear. A group taking an A. T. Course will help the timid (懦弱的) person to lose his fear. But A. T. uses an even stronger motive (动机)——the need to share. The timid person speaks out in the group because he wants to tell how he feels. Whether or not you speak up for yourself depends on your self-respect. If someone you face is more “important” than you， you may feel less of a person. You start to doubt your answers to problems. You can get to feel good about yourself. And once you do you can learn to speak out.
【小题1】 The problem the writer talks about is that…    

A．some people buy things they don t want

B．some people are afraid to speak out for their rights

C．there are too many superiors

D．some people don t think enough of themselves

【小题2】The cause of the problem talked about in this passage is that .

A．some people have a low self-respect

B．there is always someone around who “knows better”

C．salesmen talk people into buying things they don’t want

D．people don t share enough

【小题3】 The A.T. Course often                     
A. make people distrust their own answers        
B. make things more favorable for “superiors”     
C. help people know as much as their “superiors”         
D. help people become more important          
【小题4】One thing the A . T. Course don t do is to .        
A. share the need of people                      
B. show they have a right to be themselves         
C. help people overcome fear                      
D. help people to help themselves even if others suffer            
【小题5】A good title for this passage could be .         　

A．The Need to Share

B．Talk Back When Necessary

C．One Way to Build Self-Respect

D．One Way to Train Speaking Ability

The other day I heard a few local musicians talking, "I hate all the pianos in this town and I hate that rubbish they play on the radio. They cannot even understand rhythm (韵律).""Nobody wants to pay musicians anything. I’m sick of all the people who want you to play without paying you.” One younger musician said, "There are a couple of clubs who want me to play for a few nights a month, and I’m trying to find other places to play. I’m also planning to join in several summer festivals this year." I really liked what the younger musician said so I made friends with him.
Attitudes are important. Whether they’re positive or negative (消极的), they’re all rubbing off on you. If you’re around people who are always complaining(抱怨) or blaming (责备) others, it is possible that you will start doing the same as well. If you spend lots of time with people who don’t support your dreams, it is time to take a look at the people you call "friends".
There is an easy exercise you can try. Make a list of the people who you often stay with, and simply stop spending time with the negative people on your list. Set a new standard for yourself and don’t become friends with people who fall below that standard. The choice is always yours to make. Of course, this exercise is entirely different from making friends only for the good of oneself. We really should try to help and spend time with those who are working towards a goal or dream.
【小题1】The musicians’ conversation at the beginning is to show that ______.

A．musicians’ living conditions are not good

B．people in that town have poor taste in music

C．different people have different attitudes

D．young people are more likely to succeed

【小题2】 The underlined part "they’re rubbing off on you" in Paragraph 2 means ______.

A．they’ll push you ahead	B．they’ll have an influence on you
C．they’ll keep you from moving on	D．they’ll help you realize your dreams

【小题3】Why did the author want to make friends with the younger musician?

A．He is more active than the others.

B．He can earn more than the others.

C．He has more things to do than the others.

D．His attitude is more positive than the others.

【小题4】By doing the exercise mentioned in Paragraph 3, you can ______.

A．make the right kind of friends

B．improve your ability to make friends

C．develop a better relationship with your friends

D．make some new friends with the same interests as you

【小题5】We can get the following information from the passage EXCEPT ______.

A．the younger musician is a positive person and would be a good friend

B．one will start complaining if one spends too much time with negative people

C．the exercise can help you keep close to really helpful friends

D．one should avoid making friends with people who have lots of difficulties

She was dancing. My lame grandmother was dancing. I stood in the living room doorway, looking at her beautiful movements, absolutely shocked. She was the pet of the dancing world. And then she’d had her accident and it was all over. I had read that in an old newspaper article.
‘‘So… Your leg? I mean, how did your leg heal (恢复健全)?”
“To tell you the truth — my legs have been well all my life,” she sighed.
“But I don’t understand!” I said, “Your dancing career (事业)… You pretended all these years?”
‘‘Very much so, and for a very good reason.”
She thought for a while and then continued. “We were talking about engagement (订婚) when your grandfather had to go to war. I was so afraid of losing him that the only way I could stay normal was to dance. I put all my energy and time into practicing and I became very good. Critics praised me, the public loved me, but all I could feel was the ache in my heart, not knowing whether the love of my life would ever return. Then one day a letter came. There were only three sentences: ‘I have lost my leg. I am no longer a whole man and now give you back your freedom. It is best you forget about me.’’’
“I made my decision there and then. I traveled away from the city. When I returned I had bought myself a stick. I told everyone I had been in a car crash and that my leg would never completely heal again. My dancing days were over. No one doubted the story — I had learned to limp (一瘸一拐地走) convincingly before I returned home. And I made sure the first person to hear of my accident was a reporter I knew well. Then I traveled to the hospital. They had pushed your grandfather outside in his wheelchair. I took a deep breath, leaned on my stick and limped to him.”
“I showed him newspaper articles of my accident. ‘There is a whole life waiting for us out there! But I am not going to carry you. You are going to walk yourself.’”
“I limped a few steps toward him and showed him what I’d taken out of my pocket. ‘Now show me you are still a man.’ I said. He bent to take his stick from the ground and struggled out of that wheelchair. He managed it on his own and walked to me and never sat in a wheelchair again in his life.”
“What did you show him?” I had to know. Grandma looked at me and smiled. “Two engagement rings, of course. I had bought them the day after he left for the war and I was not going to waste them on any other man.”
【小题1】What does the underlined word “it” in the first paragraph refer to?

A．Her accident.

B．Her pet.

C．Her leg.

D．Her dancing career.

【小题2】Which is the correct order of the following events according to the passage?
a. Grandfather lost his leg in the war.
b. Grandmother bought two engagement rings.
c. Grandfather was inspired to stand up on his own.
d. Grandmother pretended she was lame.
e. Grandmother became an excellent dancer.
f. Grandfather had to go to war.

A．e-f-b-a-d-c	B．f-e-a-c-b-d
C．f-b-e-a-d-c	D．e-b-f-a-c-d

【小题3】Which of the following words can best describe grandmother?

A．Thoughtful and determined.	B．Unselfish but stubborn.
C．Courageous but unreliable.	D．Sensitive and dishonest.

【小题4】What’s the main idea of the passage?

A．The love of a disabled couple.	B．The grandmother’s unconditional love.
C．The meaning of an engagement.	D．The grandfather’s brave story.

I’d just got in a taxi at the railway station when suddenly I found one of my suitcases missing. Just then, I saw a young fellow about 30 walking away with it, opening it and drawing out the valuables. “Stop thief! Stop thief!” I shouted and threw open the car door and rushed out to him, followed by the driver and half a dozen passers-by. Very soon the thief was cornered at the turn of the road. My driver caught the thief by the neck and put his hand into his trouser pocket, drawing out money, credit card, telephone book and so on and put them back into my suitcase.
Half an hour later, the car was running at full speed on the express highway. I sat back and breathed a long sigh of relief (松口气). But as I pulled out those stolen things from the suitcase and started to check them, I became dumbfounded (惊呆了). Before my eyes were 200 yuan instead of 100. And a blood test report of a 58-year-old woman appeared. I suddenly realized that the taxi driver must have mistaken the thief’s belongs and put his into my suitcase. The pitiful and begging look of the poor young man flashed across my mind again. My heart began to sink.
Two years has passed since then. But this event keeps coming back to me. Was the young man a habitual robber or a dutiful son who had been driven to desperation (铤而走险) to find money to save his mother’s life? My heart aches for him. How I wish I had gone back that summer afternoon to return the 200 yuan and say sorry to him. For the first time in my life, I realized that hate and love are very close.
【小题1】Why was the writer dumbfounded when he opened his suitcase?

A．Because he was now searching a different suitcase.

B．His own blood test report has changed into an old woman’s.

C．An old woman had put her savings into his suitcase.

D．He was facing things that did not belong to himself.

【小题2】Who helped the writer catch the thief?  

A．No one. He caught the thief all by himself.

B．The driver with several other people.

C．Some policemen.

D．The thief came back and gave back the suitcase to him.

【小题3】What was one of the reasons for the young man to steal in the writer’s opinion?

A．The young man was a born thief.

B．The young man couldn’t afford to pay for his old mother’s medical treatment.

C．The young man’s mother asked him to do so.

D．Young people are likely to steal when they are poor.

【小题4】The major purpose for the writer to write this passage is ______.

A．to describe what hate and love are like

B．to entertain the readers with an interesting story

C．to impress the readers with an interesting story

D．to encourage the readers to help him find the thief

There was a time in my life when beauty meant something special to me. I guess that would have been when I was about six or seven years old, just several weeks or maybe a month before the orphanage（孤儿院）turned me into an old man．
I would get up every morning at the orphanage, make my bed just like the little soldier that I had become and then I would get into one of the two straight lines and march to breakfast with the other twenty or thirty boys who also lived in my dormitory.
After breakfast one Saturday morning I returned to the dormitory and saw the house parent chasing the beautiful monarch butterflies who lived by the hundreds in the bushes scattered around the orphanage.
I carefully watched as he caught these beautiful creatures, one after another, and then took them from the net and then stuck straight pins through their head and wings，pinning them onto a heavy cardboard sheet．
How cruel it was to kill something of such beauty. I had walked many times out into the bushes，all by myself, just so the butterflies could land on my head，face and hands so I could look at them up close.
When the telephone rang the house parent laid the large cardboard paper down on the back cement（水泥）step and went inside to answer the phone. I walked up to the cardboard and looked at the one butterfly who he had just pinned to the large paper. It was still moving about so I reached down and touched it on the wing causing one of the pins to fall out．It started flying around and around trying to get away but it was still pinned by the one wing with the other straight pin．Finally its wing broke off and the butterfly fell to the ground and just trembled.
I picked up the torn wing and the butterfly and I spat on its wing and tried to get it to stick back on so it could fly away and be free before the house parent came back．But it would not stay on him.
【小题1】The author set the living butterfly free because_______.

A．he liked it very much

B．he had sympathy for the beautiful butterfly

C．he couldn’t bear a butterfly dying in his favorite bushes

D．its wing broke off

【小题2】According to the passage，the author’s life in the orphanage was_____.

A．dull and full of strict rules

B．simple and easy

C．happy and full of hope

D．hard and busy

【小题3】What is the author’s attitude towards the house parent’s pinning some butterflies on the cardboard?

A．tolerant

B．unconcerned

C．disgusted

D．discouraged

【小题4】We know from the passage that_________.
A. the author lived alone in the dormitory
B. there were one hundred butterflies living in the bushes
C the cardboard paper was left on the step so as to be watched
D. the author failed to stick the worn wing onto the butterfly with his spit
【小题5】Which of the following is right according to the passage?

A．I found beauty meant nothing special to me.

B．The house parent helped the children handle the quilt.

C．The house parent chased the butterfly in order to show it to the children.

D．I thought it cruel to catch the butterfly.

How hard we have all prayed(祈祷) to grow up quickly, and looked forward to the happy days of being a grown-up and enjoying the many interests that a youth should have.
At last, you have grown up. At least you are no longer a child. They call you “young lady”. You then enjoy the pleasure of being a young lady. You are proud of being a grown-up teenager. People welcome you-this young lady-heartily. You are glad that your prayer has been answered.
But there is always something that troubles you a lot. You say; “Papa and Mama, give me some money please. My pocket money is all gone already.”
“No”, they say, “your age is a dangerous age. If you have too much money to spend, it won’t do you any good.” Then you have to stay at home because you dare not go out with an empty pocket.
Another time you tell your grandma, “Grandma, see, I am a grown-up now.
“Good, now, you can sit here and knit (编织) this for me while I go and have a rest.” To show that you are no more a child, you have to sit there the whole afternoon doing the work, which only a grown-up can do. After an hour, you find it hard to do, and give the knitting basket back to your grandma. Your grandma criticizes your work. You hear what she says, “Such a big girl can’t do such easy work.” You wish then you were a child again.
But the fact is, you are growing up, and you can’t help it. That’s the way it goes!
【小题1】The passage is told about _______ problems.

A．a growing-up boy’s	B．a teenage girl’s
C．an old woman’s	D．a grown-up’s

【小题2】It is clear that the writer, as a teenager, ________.

A．is pleased with the present life

B．is unhappy about growing up

C．doesn’t think her present life happy enough

D．knows happy life will come to her soon

【小题3】How does she know her prayer has been answered?

A．People treat her as a young lady.

B．She is no longer a kid.

C．People begin to call her teenager.

D．She can join women in all kinds of activities.

【小题4】From what her parents say, we know _________.

A．they don’t believe she is already a teenager

B．it’s dangerous for a girl to spend money

C．they love her more than before

D．they still regard her as a child

【小题5】Having heard her grandma’s criticism, _________.

A．she has to lie in bed, doing nothing

B．she knows she has already worked the whole afternoon

C．she wishes she were not growing up

D．she finds it isn’t her turn to do knitting

As the price of a college degree continues to rise, there's growing evidence that the monetary（货币的） payoff isn't quite as big as often advertised. The best estimate now is that a college degree is worth about $300,000 in today's dollars--nowhere near the million figure that is often quoted.
"That million number has driven me crazy!" says Sandy Baum, a Skidmore economist who studied the value of a college degree for the College Board last year.
Baum's research showed that college graduates earn, on average, about $20,000 a year more than those who finished their educations at high school. Add that up over a 40-year working life and the total differential is about $800,000, she figures. But since much of that bonus is earned many years from now, taking away the impact of inflation means that$800,000 in future dollars is worth only about $450,000 in today's dollars.
Then, if you remove the cost of a college degree--about ,$30,000 in tuition and books for students who get no aid and attend public in-state universities--and the money a student could have earned at a job instead of attending school, the real net value in today's dollars is somewhere in the $300,000 range, a number confirmed by other studies.
But, especially these days, that still makes a college degree one of the most lucrative investments a person can make, Baum notes.
　Better yet, college graduates can go on to earn advanced degrees, which return even bigger payoffs. The average holder of a bachelor's degree earns about$51,000 a year, Baum calculates. But those who've gone on to earn MBAs, law degrees, or other professional degrees earn about $100,000 a year.
　In addition, Baum found that there are plenty of other rewards for a degree. The quality of the jobs college graduates get is far better, for example. College graduates are more likely to get jobs with health insurance. And it is easier for them to find and hold jobs. The unemployment rate for college graduates was just 2.2 percent last year, half the unemployment level of those with only high school diplomas.
There are lots of other nonmonetary benefits as well. College graduates are healthier, contribute more to their communities, and raise kids who are better prepared academically, studies show.
Other researchers have found that the payoff of a degree is especially lucrative for students from low-income families, since the education and degrees give them a chance to break out of low-paying careers.
【小题1】What can be inferred from Para 1 ?

A．The payoff of a college degree is still big enough to match the advertised.

B．It’s more and more difficult to get a college degree.

C．The return of a college degree is less than often quoted.

D．A college degree is worth about one million dollars.

【小题2】Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined word “lucrative” in Para.5?

A．attractive

B．worthless

C．approachable

D．balanced

【小题3】How can a college graduate increase his or her yearly income according to the passage?

A．By getting jobs with health insurance immediately.

B．By going on for higher degrees.

C．By breaking out of low-paying jobs.

D．By contributing more to his or her community.

【小题4】Which of the following statements can be learned from the text ?

A． According to Baum's research, high school graduates earn more than those who have college degrees.

B． College education is enough to ensure you a good life.

C． Nonmonetary benefits from the degree attract students more than monetary ones.

D．Students from low-income families still think degrees are profitable to change their life.

A woman named Emily renewing her driver’s license at the County Clerk’s office was asked to state her occupation. She hesitated, uncertain how to classify herself.
“What I mean is,” explained the recorder, “do you have a job, or are you just a …”
“Of course I have a job,” said Emily. “I’m a mother.”
“We don’t list ‘mother’ as an occupation… ‘housewife’ covers it,” said the recorder.
One day I found myself in the same situation. The clerk was obviously a career woman, confident and possessed of a high sounding title. “What is your occupation?” she asked.
The words simply popped out. “I’m a Research Associate in the field of Child Development and Human Relations.”
The clerk paused, ballpoint pen frozen in midair.
I repeated the title slowly, then I stared with wonder as my statement was written in bold, black ink on the official questionnaire.
“Might I ask,” said the clerk with new interest, “Just what you do in this field?”
Coolly, without any trace of panic in my voice, I heard myself reply, “I have a continuing program of research (what mother doesn’t), in the lab and in the field (normally I would have said indoors and out). Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the humanities (any mother care to disagree?), and I often work 14 hours a day (24 is more like it). But the job is more challenging than most careers and rewards are more of a satisfaction rather than just money.”
There was an increasing note of respect in the clerk’s voice as she completed the form, stood up, and showed me out.
As I drove into our driveway, buoyed up (受鼓舞) by my glamorous new career, I was greeted by my lab assistants---ages 13, 7, and 3.
Upstairs I could hear our new experimental model (a 6 month old baby), in the child-development program, testing out a new vocal pattern.
I felt proud! I had gone on the official records as someone more distinguished and indispensable (不可缺少的) to mankind than “just another mother.”
Motherhood…What a glorious career! Especially when there’s a title on the door.
【小题1】What can we infer from the conversation between the woman and the recorder at the beginning of the passage?

A．The recorder was impatient and rude.

B．The woman felt ashamed to admit what her job was.

C．The author was upset about the situation that mothers faced.

D．Motherhood was not recognized and respected as a job by society.

【小题2】How did the female clerk feel at first when the author told her occupation?

A．curious

B．indifferent

C．puzzled

D．interested

【小题3】Why did the woman clerk show more respect for the author?

A．Because the author cared little about rewards.

B．Because she thought the author did admirable work.

C．Because she admired the author’s research work in the lab.

D．Because the writer did something she had little knowledge of.

【小题4】What is the author’s purpose of writing the passage?

A．To show how you describe your job affects your feelings toward it.

B．To argue that motherhood is a worthy career and deserves respect.

C．To show that the author had a greater job than Emily.

D．To show that being a mother is hard and boring work.

“Image is everything．” An entire industry has been built upon the assumption that image is everything, but when it comes down to it, an appealing image is not enough．If there is no substance（事实） behind the image, the product, service or person will fail eventually．
First of all, one should consider how important image is in the selling of products and services．Advertising agencies have raised the art of creating an image to a state of near perfection．Public concept of that product or service is certainly managed by the images created by the advertising agencies．But if the product or service does not live up to the image that was created, the customer will be very dissatisfied and possibly ask for their money back．For example, the Arthur Andersen accounting firm had spent decades building up an image of trustworthiness．But the recent scandal （丑闻） showed that behind that image, it cheated in business practices．Despite the previous positive image, the firm is being accused of criminal actions and it will probably not survive as a business unit．Although the image had been nearly perfect, the reality behind the image has led to the downfall of the world famous accounting firm．
Similarly, personal advisers can build up a public image for politicians and movie stars．Putting out positive news releases, making sure that only the best photographs are published, and ensuring that the person is seen in all the right places can build up a very positive image in the view of the general commons．But once again, history is filled with examples of both politicians and movie stars that fell from grace like the story of the Hollywood actor giving in to the pressures of fame and fortune．With people, just as with products and services, image is certainly important, but without positive substance behind the image, failure is close．
To summarize, it is clear that an appealing image is extremely important to success, whether that image is related to selling a product or service or to the “selling” of a person．But image is only half of the equation．What lies behind that image is every bit as important as the image itself —— the person or product must deliver on that image or there is little chance for long-term success．
【小题1】The downfall of the Arthur Andersen accounting firm is due to ________．

A．its dishonesty in business	B．its previous images
C．its bad management	D．its poor service

【小题2】Why did some famous people fall from grace?

A．Their images were not well built up

B．They failed to live up to their images．

C．They felt much pressure from the public

D．They paid little attention to fame and fortune．

【小题3】The structure of the passage is ________．
A: Argument              P: Point               C: Conclusion

【小题4】The author tries to argue that _________．

A．image creates everything	B．image is the key to success
C．truth is unlikely ever to be equaled	D．truth and image are equally important