Research shows that much of our predisposition （倾向） towards determination, sociability and self - control and sense of purpose is in our genes．In fact, our DNA plays a bigger role in influencing these traits （ characteristics）than our upbringing （儿童期的教养）and the company we keep．Taken together, these aspects of personality can make the difference between success and failure, say the Edinburgh University researchers．        
They questioned more than 800 pairs of twins about their attitudes to life to tease apart the influences of nature and nurture．Comparing identical twins, who share all their DNA and their up bringing, with non-identical twins, who have a shared background but are no more genetically alike than other brothers and sisters, is a technique often used by researchers to quantify the influence of genetics．
The results, published in the Journal of Personality, showed that genes play a much bigger role than lifestyle, with self-control particularly etched （铭刻） into our DNA．                   
Our genes a222so largely determine how determined and persistent we are．This is important in terms of success, as someone who refuses to give up is more likely to achieve their dreams than someone who throws in the towel at the first hiccough．
Researcher Professor Timothy Bates said, "Ever since the ancient Greeks, people Lave de hated the nature of a good life and the nature of a virtuous life．Why do some people seem to manage their lives, have good relationships and cooperate to achieve their goals while others do not? Previously,  the role of family and the environment around the home often controlled people' s ideas about what affected psychological well-being．However, this work emphasizes a much more powerful influence from genetics．"
However, those who haven' t been dealt a helpful hand of genes shouldn' t he too depressed．The professor says a sense of purpose is the key and advises those who are eager for success to focus their thoughts on making a difference．
【小题1】What does the result of the research indicate?

A．Our DNA is the only factor to decide our traits．

B．Our DNA plays a decisive role, in achieving success．

C．Education plays little part in the formation of our character．

D．Society has Little effect on us in our personality．

【小题2】The underlined part in Paragraph 4 refers to someone who                ．

A．is born successful	B．determines to make a difference
C．makes great effort	D．admits defeat easily

【小题3】Timothy Bates mentions the ancient Creeks in order to indicate that          ．

A．some people can live a good life because they can manage their lives

B．people haven't made it clear yet what is the key personality trait（持点,特征） to be a success

C．in ancient Greece the role of family and the environment was ignored

D．the relationship between personality and success has always been people's concern

【小题4】According to the passage, the key personality trait is            ．

A．determination

B．kindness

C．politeness

D．sociability

【小题5】What is the best title for the passage?

A．How do people work hard?	B．Why can some people succeed?
C．DNA determines success or failure	D．Several factors determine personality

Research shows that much of our predisposition （倾向） towards determination, sociability and self - control and sense of purpose is in our genes．In fact, our DNA plays a bigger role in influencing these traits （ characteristics）than our upbringing （儿童期的教养）and the company we keep．Taken together, these aspects of personality can make the difference between success and failure, say the Edinburgh University researchers．        

They questioned more than 800 pairs of twins about their attitudes to life to tease apart the influences of nature and nurture．Comparing identical twins, who share all their DNA and their up bringing, with non-identical twins, who have a shared background but are no more genetically alike than other brothers and sisters, is a technique often used by researchers to quantify the influence of genetics．

The results, published in the Journal of Personality, showed that genes play a much bigger role than lifestyle, with self-control particularly etched （铭刻） into our DNA．                   

Our genes a222so largely determine how determined and persistent we are．This is important in terms of success, as someone who refuses to give up is more likely to achieve their dreams than someone who throws in the towel at the first hiccough．

Researcher Professor Timothy Bates said, "Ever since the ancient Greeks, people Lave de hated the nature of a good life and the nature of a virtuous life．Why do some people seem to manage their lives, have good relationships and cooperate to achieve their goals while others do not? Previously,  the role of family and the environment around the home often controlled people' s ideas about what affected psychological well-being．However, this work emphasizes a much more powerful influence from genetics．"

However, those who haven' t been dealt a helpful hand of genes shouldn' t he too depressed．The professor says a sense of purpose is the key and advises those who are eager for success to focus their thoughts on making a difference．

1.What does the result of the research indicate?

A．Our DNA is the only factor to decide our traits．

B．Our DNA plays a decisive role, in achieving success．

C．Education plays little part in the formation of our character．

D．Society has Little effect on us in our personality．

2.The underlined part in Paragraph 4 refers to someone who                ．

A．is born successful	B．determines to make a difference
C．makes great effort	D．admits defeat easily

3.Timothy Bates mentions the ancient Creeks in order to indicate that          ．

A．some people can live a good life because they can manage their lives

B．people haven't made it clear yet what is the key personality trait（持点,特征） to be a success

C．in ancient Greece the role of family and the environment was ignored

D．the relationship between personality and success has always been people's concern

4.According to the passage, the key personality trait is            ．

A．determination

B．kindness

C．politeness

D．sociability

5.What is the best title for the passage?

A．How do people work hard?	B．Why can some people succeed?
C．DNA determines success or failure	D．Several factors determine personality

 

Maricel Apatan，22，stands in the kitchen of the Edsa Shangri—La Hotel in Manila，preparing to decorate a cheesecake. It would seem to be  a（n）__ __ task for a pastry(糕点) chef，but Maricel is no __ __ chef－she has no hands．

“When I first saw Maricel, I was worried she might __ __ herself when using a chef’s knife __ __ that has never been a problem, ” says Maricel’s manager. “She doesn’t get __ __ treatment and works just as hard as the rest of the chefs.”

Despite financial __ __ from Archbishop Ledesma, a distant relative, Maricel __ __ to deal with her disability. “I was __ __ dependent on my mother and couldn’t do anything,” she recalls.

In 2004, Archbishop Ledesma __ __ for Maricel to live in the House with No Steps, a training centre for people with disabilities. She __ __ how to write and do regular tasks and, more importantly, __ __ her disability. She became more determined to __ __ hard to live a normal life.

Maricel __ __ graduated from high school and enrolled(注册) in a two-year Hotel and Restaurant Management course in Cagayan de Oro City. I have really enjoyed __ __ since I was seven years old,” she says.

After Maricel moved back to Manila to continue her studies, the media started reporting __ __ this determined young woman. She didn't shy away from the __ __.“I wanted others living with disabilities to believe it's __ __ to live a normal life,” Maricel says.

Later, Maricel's three younger brothers and sisters moved to Manila．She __ __ the rent of their small apartment, __ __ their parents look after the family farm in Mindanao．“It is difficult to make ends meet but I don't lose __ __. I believe anything is possible if you dream, and work hard．”

1.A.  impossible         B.      simple       C.      practical   D.      important

2.A.  ordinary   B.      admirable C.      talented    D.      gentle

3.A.  absorb      B.      express     C.      hurt  D.      forgive

4.A.  for    B.      or     C.      but   D.      and

5.A.  special      B.      equal         C.      official       D.      effective

6.A.  advice       B.      control      C.      information       D.      help

7.A.  hesitated  B.      disagreed C.      struggled  D.      pretended

8.A.  gradually  B.      hardly       C.      increasingly       D.      totally

9.A.  searched  B.      arranged  C.      applied     D.      begged

10.A.explained B.      realized    C.      wondered         D.     learned

11.A.accepted  B.      blessed     C.      cured        D.      forgot

12.A.think          B.      try    C.      listen         D.      relax

13.A.partly        B.      firstly         C.      eventually         D.      immediately

14.A.reading     B.      cooking     C.      writing      D.      drawing

15.A.beyond     B.      by     C.      against      D.      on

16.A.attention  B.      description        C.      decoration        D.      connection

17.A.successful          B.      difficult     C.      possible    D.      certain

18.A.raises        B.      pays C.      collects     D.      receives

19.A.unless       B.      once          C.      though      D.      while

20.A.memory    B.      weight       C.      hope         D.      patience

 

A good teacher is many things to many people. In my own experience, the people I respect the most and think about the most are the teachers who demanded （要求） the most discipline （纪律） from their students.

I miss one teacher in particular that I had in high school. I think she was a good teacher because she was a very strict person. I remember very vividly （清晰地） a sign over her classroom door. It was a simple sign that said, “Laborato­ry—in this room the first five letters of the word was emphasized （强调）, not the last seven.” In other words, I guess, labor（劳动） for her was more important than oratory, which means making speeches.

She prepared her work very care­fully and demanded us to do the same. We got lots of homework from her. Once she had broken her arm, and everybody in the class thought that maybe the home­work load would be reduced, but it con­tinued just the same. She checked our work by stamping her name at the bot­tom of the papers to show that she had read them.

I think sometimes teachers who de­mand the most are liked the least. But as time goes by, this discipline really seems to benefit （有益于） the students.

1. Which of the following is considered a good teacher by the writer?

A．A patient teacher.                                B．An honest teacher.

C．A strict teacher.                                  D．A hard-working teacher.

2. The teacher put up the sign over her classroom door ___.

       A．to remind the students that this room was a laboratory

       B．to advise the students to follow the disciplines

       C．to warn the students not to be careless

       D．to tell the students to work hard in the classroom

3. When the teacher’s arm was broken, she ___.

A．gave her students the usual am­ount of homework

B．gave her students less homework

C．asked her students to check the homework themselves

D．gave her students more homework

4. What’s the writer’s opinion of dis­cipline?

A．It makes the students dislike their teachers.

B．It does good to the students in the long run.

C．It’s too much for young children.

D．It does more harm than good to the students.

       Ask most people how they define the American Dream and chances are they’ll say, “Success.” The dream of individual opportunity has been present in America since Europeans discovered “The New World” in the Western Hemisphere. Early immigrants like Hector St. Jean de Crevecoeur highly praised the freedom and opportunity to be found in this new land. His enthusiastic descriptions of a classless society where anyone could attain success through honesty and hard work fired the imaginations of many European readers. In Letters from an American Farmer (1782) he wrote, “We are all excited at the spirit of an industry which is unfettered （无拘无束的） and unrestrained, because each person works for himself … We have no princes, for whom we toil （干苦力活）, starve, and bleed. We are the most perfect society now existing in the world.” The promise of a land where “the rewards of a man’s industry follow with equal steps the progress of his labor” drew poor immigrants from Europe and fueled national expansion into the western lands.

      Our national historical story is full of illustration of the American success story. For instance, Benjamin Franklin was the very model of the self-educated, self-made man, who rose from modest origins to become a well-known scientist, philosopher, and statesman. In the nineteenth century, Horatio Alger, a writer of fiction for young boys, became American’s best-selling author with his rags-to-riches tales. The idea of success impressed us: we spend millions every year reading about the rich and famous, learning how to “make a fortune in real estate（房地产） with no money down,” and “dressing for success.” The story of success has even affected our personal relationships: today it’s as important to be “successful” in marriage or parenthoods as it is to come out on top in business.

      But dreams easily turn into nightmares. Every American who hopes to “make it” also knows the fear of failure, because the story of success implies comparison between the haves and the have-nots, the stars and the unknown crowd. Under pressure of the story, we become lost in status symbols: we try to live in the “right” neighborhoods, wear the “right” clothes, and eat the “right” foods. These symbols of distinction assure us and others that we believe strongly in the fundamental equality of all, yet try as hard as we can to separate ourselves from our fellow citizens.

1. What is the nature of the American Dream according to Crevecoeur?

   A. People are free to develop their power of imagination.

   B. People who are honest and work hard can succeed.

   C. People are free from being used and treated badly.

   D. People can fully enjoy individual freedom.

2. By saying “the rewards of a man’s industry follow with equal steps the progress of his   

   labor”, the author means __________ .

   A. the more hard-working one is, the bigger his returns are

   B. hard work ensures the growth of an industry

   C. a man’s business should be developed step by step

   D. a company’s success depends on its employees’ hard work

3. It can be inferred from the last sentence of Paragraph 2 that _________.

   A. business success often contributes to a successful marriage

   B. Americans wish to succeed in every aspect of life

   C. good personal relationships lead to business success

   D. successful business people provide good care for their children

4. What is the paradox（矛盾）of American culture according to the author of the passage?

   A. The American road to success is full of nightmares.

   B. Status symbols are not a real symbol of a person’s wealth.

   C. The American Dream is nothing but an empty dream.

   D. What Americans fight for often disagrees with their beliefs.