Some people are lucky enough to be born with a good sense of direction and even if they have only visited a place once, they will be able to find it again years later.

I am one of those unfortunate people who have poor sense of direction and I may have visited a place time after time but I still get lost on my way there. When I was young I was so shy that I never dared ask complete strangers the way and so I used to wander round in circles and hope that by some chance I would get to the spot I was heading for.

I am no longer too shy to ask people for direction, but I often receive replies that puzzle me. Often people do not like to admit that they didn’t know their hometown and will insist on telling you the way, even if they do not know it; others, who are anxious to prove that they know their hometown very well, will give you a long list of directions which you can not possibly hope to remember, and still others do not seem to be able to tell between their left and their right and you find in the end that you are going in the opposite direction to that in which you should be going.

If anyone ever asks me the way to somewhere, I always tell them I am a stranger to the town in order to avoid giving them wrong direction but even this can have embarrassing results.

Once I was on my way to work when I was stopped by a man who asked me if I would direct him the way to the Sunlight Building. I gave my usual reply, but I had not walked on a few steps when I realized that he had asked for directions to my office building. However, at this point, I decide it was too late to turn back and search for him out of the crowd behind me as I was going to meet with someone at the office and I did not want to keep him waiting.

Imagine my embarrassment when my secretary showed in the very man who had asked for directions of my office and his astonishment when he recognized me as the person he had asked.

1.What is the writer going to do when someone asks him for direction?

2. Why did the writer consider himself to be an unlucky dog?

3.How did the visitor feel when he was showed into the very room?

4. Who showed the right way to the interviewee according to the passage?

How to Be a Winner

　　Sir Steven Redgrave

　　Winner of 5 Olympic Gold Medals

　　“In 1997 I was found to have developed diabetes(糖尿病). Believing my career（职业生涯） was over, I felt extremely low. Then one of the specialists said there was no reason why I should stop training and competing. That was it the encouragement I needed. I could still be a winner if I believed in myself. I am not saying that it isn’t difficult sometimes. But I wanted to prove to myself that I wasn't finished yet. Nothing is to stand in my way.”

　　Karen Pickering

　　Swimming World Champion

 “I swim 4 hours a day, 6 days a week. I manage that sort of workload by putting it on top of my diary. This is the key to success-you can’t follow a career in any field without being well—organized. List what you believe you can achieve. Trust yourself, write down your goals for the day, however small they are, and you’ll be a step closer to achieving them.”

　　Kirsten Best

　　Poet & Writer

“When things are getting hard, a voice inside my head tells me that I can’t achieve something. Then there are other distractions, such as family or hobbies. The key is to concentrate. When I feel tense, it helps a lot to repeat words such as ‘calm’, ‘peace’ or ‘focus’, either out loud or silently in my mind. It makes me feel more in control and increases my confidence. This is a habit that can become second nature quite easily and is a powerful psychological（心理的） tool”

What does Sir Steven Redgrave mainly talk about?

A. Difficulties influenced his career.       B. Specialists offered him medical advice.

C. Training helped him defeat his disease.   D. He overcame the shadow of illness to win.

What does Karen Pickering put on top of her diary?

A. Her training schedule.                B. Her daily happenings.

C. Her achievements.                   D. Her sports career.

What does the underlined word “distractions” probably refer to？

A. Ways that help one to focus.           B. Words that help one to feel less tense.

C. Activities that turn one's attention away.  D. Habits that make it hard for one to relax.

According to the passage ,what do the three people have in common?

A. Courage.   B. Devotion.    C. Hard work    .D. Self-confidence.

One day a rabbit ran into an elephant. "Hello," said the rabbit. "Fine day, isn’t it?" The elephant stopped to look down at the tiny(小的) creature and shouted. "Leave me alone. I don’t have the time to waste on someone so small." The rabbit was shocked by the elephant’s words. Then he decided to ask the whale(鲸鱼) what she thought about the elephant’s rudeness. But the whale laughed at this tiny animal. The rabbit said, "You think that I am weak, but in fact, I am strong! I can beat you at Tug-of-War (拔河比赛)."The whale looked at him for a moment before bursting into laughter. "Very well, little one. Go and get a rope," she said.The rabbit ran off to find a strong and thick rope. Then he went to the elephant, "Elephant, I will beat you at a game of Tug-of-War." The elephant laughed loudly, but agreed to challenge the tiny animal. He tied the rope around his huge waist. The rabbit took the other end and ran away. He called back to the elephant, "When I say 'pull’, you start pulling. "The rabbit took the other end of the rope to the whale, "Tie this to your tail and when I say 'pull’，you swim." The whale tied the rope to her tail after laughing at the rabbit’s foolishness. Then the rabbit called out "PULL!" The elephant and the whale began pulling. After a while, they were too tired to continue. The elephant and the whale never knew how such a tiny creature could beat them. But from that day on, they said "hello" to the little rabbit with great respect whenever they met.
【小题1】Why did the rabbit want a game of Tug-of-War?