Have you ever been sad because of failure? Please remember, for often, achieving what you set out to do is not the most important thing.
A boy decided to dig a deep hole behind his house. As he was working, a couple of older boys stopped by to watch. “What are you doing?” asked one of the visitors. “I want to dig a hole all the way through the earth!” the boy answered excitedly. The older boys began to laugh, telling him that digging a hole all the way through the earth was impossible. After a while, the boy picked up a jar. He showed it to the visitors. It was full of all kinds of stones and insects. Then he said calmly and confidently, “Maybe I can’t finish digging all the way through the earth, but look at what I’ve found during this period!”
The boy’s goal was far too difficult, but it did cause him to go on. And that is what a goal is for — to cause us to move in the direction we have chosen, in other words, to cause us to keep working!
Not every goal will be fully achieved. Not every job will end up with a success. Not every dream will come true. But when you fall short of your aim, maybe you can say, “Yes, but look what I’ve found along the way! There are so many wonderful things having come into my life because I tried to do something!” It is in the digging that life is lived. It is the unexpected joy on the journey that really makes sense.

1. 1.

   The older boys laughed at the boy because he was thought to be         .

   1. A.
      brave
   2. B.
      impolite
   3. C.
      foolish
   4. D.
      warm-hearted
2. 2.

   Why did the boy show the jar to the older boys?

   1. A.
      To drive them away.
   2. B.
      To show what he had found in digging.
   3. C.
      To show how beautiful the jar was.
   4. D.
      To attract them to join him in the work.
3. 3.

   What can be learnt from the fourth paragraph of the text?

   1. A.
      Not dream can come true.
   2. B.
      All work will end successfully.
   3. C.
      Goals shouldn't be set too high
   4. D.
      Goals will make us work harder.
4. 4.

   The best title for the text should be         .

   1. A.
      Joy in the Journey
   2. B.
      A Boy Dug a Hole
   3. C.
      No Pains, No Gains
   4. D.
      Failure Is the Mother of Success

Have you ever noticed what happens to an idea once you express it? Just talking about it or writing it down causes you to make it clear in your own mind. How can you use this to increase your brain power? Start writing.

By putting thoughts into words, you are telling yourself the logic (逻辑) behind what you think, feel, or only partly understand. Often, explaining a thought is the process of understanding. In other words, you increase your brain power by exercising your “explain power.”

Try this experiment. Explain how you’ll increase your brain power, even if you have no idea right now. Just start with anything, and create an explanation. For example, start with “I’ll learn chess,” or “I’ll read an article on the mind every week.” Explain how that will help. You’ll be surprised how often this becomes a workable plan, and if you actually do this, you’ll have a better understanding of your brain from now.

Another benefit of writing is that it helps you remember. Many, if not most, highly productive people are always taking notes. You can try keeping it all in your head, but if you keep a journal of your ideas the next time you’re working on a big project, you’ll probably have more success.

Want to understand a topic? Write a book about it. That’s an extreme example, but if you are learning something new, write a letter to a friend about it, and you will understand it better. Want to invent something? Write an explanation of the problem, why you want to solve it, and why it is worth solving, and you’re half-way there.

Writers don’t always write because they clearly understand something beforehand. Often, they write about something because they want to understand it. You can do the same. Writing will help bring you to an understanding. Give it a try.

What would be the best title for the text?

A. A Way on How to Write.

B. Increase Your Brain Power through Writing.

C. Brain Power Helps Improve Your Writing.

D. How to Start Your Writing.

According to the text, writing can help you a lot in the following ways EXCEPT ______.

A. the increase of your brain power

B. the ability to remember

C. the development of your interest in study

D. the better understanding of a topic

If a writer writes something, it means that he or she ______.

A. has understood it very well

B. needs to understand it better

C. wants to remember it in his or her mind

D. is exercising his or her “explain power”

The underlined sentence “you’re half-way there” in the fifth paragraph implies

that ______.

A. you are already successful

B. you still need to work hard

C. writing can help you walk half way

D. writing is important to solve problems

What’s the main purpose of the writer writing the text?

A. To advise readers to start their writing.

B. To explain the importance of writing.

C. To persuade readers to become writers.

D. To increase readers’ brain power.

With the start of the new semester students around the country exchange their fun and fashionable clothes for boring school uniforms.

"The uniform makes us look like a bunch of clones, especially when we are doing morning exercises in the playground, "said Qing, a Senior 2 from a high school in Shanghai. "But we are not exactly the same from the top to the bottom. The boys wear different sport shoes and girls have different decorations ( 装饰品 )in their hair. These are the areas where you can express yourself" said Qing.

Although it might be strange for boys to talk about fashion, they do care about what they wear in school, especially shoes, according to Qing.

"Nike and Adidas basketball shoes, although they are still the must for many of my friends ,are becoming out-of-date,” added. He explained, "Since Liu Xiang ran so fast in Athens, running shoes are becoming popular in this autumn."

"Still in fashion are the various baseball caps and American-style T-shirts with random English words printed on them, "said Qing. "The accuracy ( 准确性 )of the written message isn't important. Often, the words are misspelt . Sometimes they do not even make sense “ Qing said with a smile.

Besides sports shoes and T-shirts, styles and colours of school bags are another opportunity for students to express their taste in fashion. Some bags are made more eye-catching by decorating them with small hanging dolls. Other fashionable items are the colourful drink contains which are now popular among girls this semester.

As in China, the new semester in the US also brings new fashion trends: shirts printed with Chinese words, necklaces with Hebrew ( 希伯莱 )or Hindi ( 印度的 )characters, and Brazilian jewelry, are all common in schools in Florida, according to Carmen Domingues, a high school student.

What does "a bunch of  clones”( Paragraph 2)mean?

       A．All of the clothes are the same.          B．All of the exercises are the same.

       C．All of the clothes are different.          D．All of the exercises are different.

How do the students express themselves in school?

       A．The girls wear different sport shoes.     

       B．All the students wear school uniforms.

      C．The girls have different decorations in their hair.

       D．The boys drink water from colourful drinks containers.

Why are Nike and Adidas basketball shoes becoming out-of-date?

              A．Because the shoes are not eye-catching.

       B．Because running shoes become more popular.

       C．Because the shoes have been popular for a long time.

       D．Because they have changed their opinions for Liu Xiang.

Which of the following is NOT the new fashion trends in the US?

       A．Necklace with Hebrew or Hindi characters.

       B．Baseball caps and American-style T-shirts.

       C．Shirts printed with Chinese words.

       D．Brazilian jewelry.

Have you ever noticed what happens to an idea once you express it? Just talking about it or writing it down causes you to make it clear in your own mind．How can you use this to increase your brain power? Start writing．

    By putting thoughts into words, you are telling yourself the logic （逻辑） behind what you think, feel, or only partly understand．Often, explaining a thought is the process of understanding．In other words, you increase your brain power by exercising your “explain power.”

    Try this experiment．Explain how you’ll increase your brain power, even if you have no idea how right now．Just start with anything, and create an explanation．For example, start with “I’ll learn chess,” or “I’ll read an article on the mind every week.” Explain how that will help．You’ll be surprised how often this becomes a workable plan, and if you actually do this, you’ll have a better understanding of your brain twenty minutes from now．

    Another benefit of writing is that it helps you remember．Many, if not most, highly productive people are always taking notes．You can try keeping it all in your head, but if you keep a journal of your ideas the next time you’re working on a big project, you’ll probably have more success．

   Want to understand a topic? Write a book about it．That’s an extreme example, but if you are learning something new, write a letter to a friend about it, and you will understand it better．Want to invent something? Write an explanation of the problem, why you want to solve it, and why it is worth solving, and you’re half-way there．

    Writers don’t always write because they clearly understand something beforehand．Often, they write about something because they want to understand it．You can do the same．Writing will help bring you to an understanding．Give it a try.

What would be the best title for the text?

    A．A Way on How to Write               

       B．Increase Your Brain Power through Writing

    C．Brain Power Helps Improve Your Writing   

       D．How to Start Your Writing

According to the text, writing can help you a lot in the following ways EXCEPT ______.

    A．the increase of your brain power          

       B．the ability to remember

    C．the development of your interest in study  

       D．the better understanding of a topic

If a writer writes something, it means that he or she _______.

    A．has understood it very well           

       B．needs to understand it better

    C．wants to remember it in his or her mind  

       D．is exercising his or her “explain power”

The underlined sentence “you’re half-way there” in the fifth paragraph implies that ______.

     A．you are already successful            

       B．you still need to work hard

    C．writing can help you walk half way     

       D．writing is important to solve problems

What’s the main purpose of the writer writing the text?

    A．To advise readers to start their writing ．     

       B．To explain the importance of writing.

    C．To persuade readers to become writers．      

       D．To increase readers’ brain power.

Have you ever heard the old saying, “Never judge a book by its cover.”? This is a good rule to follow when trying to judge the intelligence of others. Some people have minds that shine only in certain situations. A young man with an unusual gift in writing may find himself speechless before a pretty girl when he speaks. He may not be able to find the right words. But don’t make the mistake of thinking him stupid. With a pen and paper, he can express himself better than anybody else.

    Other people may fool you into overestimating(过高估计) their intelligence by putting up a good front. A student who listens attentively and takes notes in class is bound to (一定会) make a favourable impression on his teachers. But when it comes to exams, he may score near the bottom of the class.

     In a word, you can’t judge someone by appearance. The only way to determine a person’s intelligence is to get to know him. Then you can see how he reacts to different situations. The more situations you see, the better your judgment is likely to be. So take your time. Don’t judge a book by its cover.

The passage suggests that ______.

     A. a good writer may not be a good speaker   

     B. a good writer is always a good speaker

     C. a speechless person always writes well   

     D. a good writer will find himself speechless

According to this passage, a student who listens attentively and takes notes

in class ______.

     A. is an intelligent student

     B. may not be an intelligent student

     C. will score better in exams

     D. will not be a good student

The passage suggests that we should judge a per-son’s intelligence through

______.

     A. his teachers

     B. his deeds in the classroom

     C. his appearance

     D. his reactions to different situations

The writer of this passage wants to tell us not to______.

     A. judge a book by its cover

     B. make the mistake of thinking a young man stupid

     C. overestimate a student’s intelligence

     D. judge a person’s intelligence by his appearance