How to improve my life? Many people think that they have to accept whatever life throws at them. They'll say, "This is my fate, my destiny. I cannot change it."

　　 Of course not! You don't have to suffer needlessly. Your destiny depends on you, not on any other external factors.

　　 I know someone who says she just accepts what life gives her because she has done everything she can to improve it. Guess what her lifestyle is? She wakes up in the morning, goes to work, comes back home, relaxes, chats with people, watches TV, then goes to sleep. Next day, the same routine cycle follows.

　　 Huh! Is this what she calls "doing her best"? She believes she has tried her best and just accepts it in her heart that this is the life that God has intended for her to live; that her luck can only change if God wills it. Of course God wants us to be happy and live our life to the fullest, but we have to do our share of exerting(运用) the effort to live the life of our dreams.

　　 Remember that you reap what you sow. You just don't sit around and wait for a million dollars to fall from the sky. You have to get off the couch, get your eyes off the TV screen, get your hands off the phone. Don’t expect your luck to change unless you do something about it. If something goes wrong, don't just regard it as a temporary setback; but use it as feedback. Learn your lesson, make the most of the situation, and do something to solve the problem. It's not enough to think positively; you also have to act positively.

If someone's life is in the trouble, do you just hope and pray that things will turn out fine? Of course not! You get to do anything you can to save the person. So it is with your own life. It is not enough to hope for the best, but you have to do your best. In other words, don't just stand (or sit ) there, do something to improve your life.

41. According to the woman mentioned in Para.3, her life ____________.

A. doesn't need improving　　　　　　　 B. couldn't be improved　

C. will be better some day　　　　　　　 D. will be worse in the future

42. What does the author think of the woman's life?

A. positive　　　　 B. satisfying　　　 C. colorful　　　　 D. passive

43. Which of the following statements is the author's opinion?

A. Your temporary problem is not discouraging.　　

B. Your luck can be changed by your efforts

C. You can only achieve success when God wills it.　

D. You should treat yourself in the way you treat friends.

44. In Para.5, the author emphasized the importance of _____________.

A. positive action B. positive thinking　

C. hope for the best D. intention to succeed

45. The text is mainly written to advise you to ____________.

A. understand yourself B. improve your life 　

C. believe in yourself D. change your normal way

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

When Liz Elting, 44, one of the owners of TransPerfect, a translation company, started her business 18 years ago with Phil Shawe, both were attending New York University’s Stern School of business. They never realized just how many situations would require their services, “We have translated black box data after planes crashed,” says Elting. “Translating Hooked on Phonics into eight languages was especially challenging because we were doing sounds, not words!”

Elting had once worked for a translation company and she knew how important it was to get things right—like the instructions for medical devices. Ad companies, too, needed accurate translations that took cultural differences into account. She and Shawe were certain that if they delivered a quick, reliable service, they could build an international business that would stand out.

　 They started their business in Shawe’s dormitory room. While Shawe finished his MBA, Elting employed some linguists(语言学家) and made hundreds of cold calls seeking clients（客户）. One of their first jobs was to translate an 800-page study research of a Russian gold mine in 30 days. Once the partners were out of survival mode, they hired people to help grow the company and told them to run their area as if it were their own business. “If they did well,” says Elting, “they owned that success.”

　 Elting and Shawe paid themselves $9,000 a year each. Their ambition, however, at times threatened the company’s growth. In 2008, a client promised $15 million in business— more than double their earnings. They opened an office in Miami, but when the Internet suffered its burst, says Shawe, “the client pulled out. Today we get money up front; we share risk. Commonsense things.”

　 TransPerfect’s 4,000 linguists cover more than 100 languages. Last year, the company had earnings of $225 million; the average annual growth rate is 30 percent. Elting and Shawe still work together. “Phil is good at developing systems and creative sales ideas,” says Elting. “I focus on operations and making sure that our clients are happy.”

　 With more than 1,100 employees, and offices in 57 cities in 18 countries on four continents, they still focus on the details. They keep an exact list of client preferences: soda or soft drink, sofa or couch. Even now, at the top of the world’s largest privately held language company, Elting refuses to be complacent and would prefer a slightly different translation: “We want to be the world’s premier language company.”

59. From the first two paragraphs, we can infer that TransPerfect _______.

　 A. prefers accuracy to speed　　　　　　　　 　

B. has a broader range of clients

　 C. specializes in translating difficult documents

　 D. thinks highly of clients’ special requirements

60. The underlined part in Paragraph 3 probably means Elting and Shawe ______.

　 A. couldn’t solve the survival problem of their company

　 B. needn’t worry about the survival of their company

　 C. went out to seek new clients for their company’s survival

　 D. didn’t know which survival mode was fit for their company

61. According to the passage, Elting and Shawe get along well in their business because they _______.

　 A. trust each other in business 　　　　　　

B. share the same ambition and goal

　 C. complement(补充) each other in business　

D. are both responsible for their common business

62. The underlined word “complacent” in the last paragraph means _______.

　 A. proud 　　　　　　　 B. stubborn　　　　 　 C. self-critical　　　　　　　　 D. self-satisfied