“Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity,” said the American talk show host Oprah Winfrey. I’ve never watched her show, but when a self-made billionaire gives life advice it’s probably worth listening to.
Her point is that blind luck is very rare. You may have to be lucky to find a good job these days but that does not mean you should sit at home waiting for the opportunity to come to you. If you’re a Chinese, you may already be familiar with the tale of a farmer waiting by a tree stump(树桩) for a rabbit to run out and break its neck.
A book by the UK psychologist Richard Wiseman, called The Luck Factor, argues we can all make ourselves luckier. It’s not about going to a temple to burn some incense(香) hopes that the gods will give you good fortune; it’s practical advice you can follow each day.
Wiseman conducted an experiment as part of his studies. First he divided volunteers into two groups; those who said they were lucky in life and those who said they were not. He gave everyone a newspaper and asked them to look through it to count how many photographs it had inside. On average, the unlucky people took about two minutes to count the photographs while the lucky people took just seconds. Why? On the second page of the newspaper, a command, “Stop counting. There are 43 photographs in this newspaper,” was written in big letters. The unlucky people mostly did not spot the message.
It’s easy to compare this situation to a young person looking for jobs in a local paper. They might search so hard for one type of position that they miss an even better opportunity. People who are “lucky”, in fact, keep an open mind and don’t go through the same routine every day.
I first came to China in 2002 when it was considered a rather strange thing to do. Like many foreigners, my plan was to teach English for one year. Seven years later, and still here, I’ve had many great opportunities such as writing for newspapers and magazines. I did not dream these would have been possible. I’ve also never been sick, had an accident, got into a fight or had problems with the police. Coincidence? After reading about Professor Wiseman’s studies I think not.
As Wiseman advises, I usually trust my own judgment. Your friends and parents may give you advice based on rational thinking, but it’s important to consider how you feel about each choice you make. Your feeling acts as a warning for a potential problem.
Finally, try to turn bad luck into good. Even if you do fall down and break a leg, the time spent at home can be used wisely to study English.
【小题1】Which of the following proverbs most agrees with the writer’s point?

While paying for the gas,Mary’s mother told the seller about the nice night       she had spent at the Welcome Inn.

A.in which　　　　　B.when　　　　　C.on which　　　　　D.that

“Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity,” said the American talk show host Oprah Winfrey. I’ve never watched her show, but when a self-made billionaire gives life advice it’s probably worth listening to.
Her point is that blind luck is very rare. You may have to be lucky to find a good job these days but that does not mean you should sit at home waiting for the opportunity to come to you. If you’re a Chinese, you may already be familiar with the tale of a farmer waiting by a tree stump(树桩) for a rabbit to run out and break its neck.
A book by the UK psychologist Richard Wiseman, called The Luck Factor, argues we can all make ourselves luckier. It’s not about going to a temple to burn some incense(香) hopes that the gods will give you good fortune; it’s practical advice you can follow each day.
Wiseman conducted an experiment as part of his studies. First he divided volunteers into two groups; those who said they were lucky in life and those who said they were not. He gave everyone a newspaper and asked them to look through it to count how many photographs it had inside. On average, the unlucky people took about two minutes to count the photographs while the lucky people took just seconds. Why? On the second page of the newspaper, a command, “Stop counting. There are 43 photographs in this newspaper,” was written in big letters. The unlucky people mostly did not spot the message.
It’s easy to compare this situation to a young person looking for jobs in a local paper. They might search so hard for one type of position that they miss an even better opportunity. People who are “lucky”, in fact, keep an open mind and don’t go through the same routine every day.
I first came to China in 2002 when it was considered a rather strange thing to do. Like many foreigners, my plan was to teach English for one year. Seven years later, and still here, I’ve had many great opportunities such as writing for newspapers and magazines. I did not dream these would have been possible. I’ve also never been sick, had an accident, got into a fight or had problems with the police. Coincidence? After reading about Professor Wiseman’s studies I think not.
As Wiseman advises, I usually trust my own judgment. Your friends and parents may give you advice based on rational thinking, but it’s important to consider how you feel about each choice you make. Your feeling acts as a warning for a potential problem.
Finally, try to turn bad luck into good. Even if you do fall down and break a leg, the time spent at home can be used wisely to study English.
【小题1】Which of the following proverbs most agrees with the writer’s point?

短文改错（共1题；每空1分，满分10分）
此题要求改正所给短文中的错误。对标有题号的每一行做出判断：
无错误，在该行右边横线上画一个勾（√）；
如有错误（每行只有一个错误），则按下列情况改正：
此行多一个词：把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉，在该行右边横线上写出该词，并也用斜线划掉。
此行缺一个词：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），在该行右边横线上写出该加的词。
此行错一个词：在错的词下划一横线(__)，在该行右边横线上写出改正后的词。
注意：原行没有错的不要改！
Are the years you spent at school best years of your life?
1.________
Personally, I found most lesson rather uninteresting. We had to                                                             2. __________
sit at our desks in silence and paid attention to what the teachers                                                           3. __________
were saying. They were used to write on the blackboard and ask                                                               4. __________
us difficult questions. We also had to do plenty of homework, and                                                             5. __________
hand it at time. We had to wear school uniforms and obey lots of                                                              6. __________
rules. I left school as soon as I can and started work. I read books                                                          7. __________
at the public library, and late I decided to attend college. Now                                                               8. __________
I really enjoy study because I’m growing old and know what I                                                                  9. __________
want it. When I was at school, I was just the wrong age!                                                                         10. _________

第二节：短文改错(共10 小题，每题1分，满分10 分)
此题要求改正所给短文中的错误。对标有题号的每一行做出判断：如无错误，
在该行右边横线上画一个勾（√）；如有错误（每行只有一个错误），则按下列情况改正：
该行多一个词：把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉；在该行右边横线上写出该词，
并也用斜线划掉；该行缺一个词：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧）；在该行右边横线上写出该加的词；该行错一个词，在错的词下划一个横线；在该行右边横线上写出改正后的词。注意：原行没有错的不要改。
Are the years you spent at school best years of you life?                        1.
Personally, I found most lesson rather uninteresting. We had to                  2.
sit at our desks in silence and paid attention to what the teachers                      3.
were saying. They used to writing on the blackboard and ask                         4.
us difficult questions. We also had to do a plenty of homework, and               5.
hand it on time. We had to wear school uniforms and obey lots of                  6.
rules. I left school as soon as I can and started work. I read books                   7.
at the public library, and late I decided to attend college. Now                  8.
I really enjoy studying because I’m growing old and know what I        9.
want it. When I was at school, I was just the wrong age!                            10.