18．For personal growth, the author is in favor of all the following EXCEPT _______．

A．being curious about more changes　　　　　　

B．being quick in self-adaptation

C．having an open mind to new experiences　　　　

D．staying away from failures and challenges

17．Which of the following can be viewed as the process of personal growing?

A．Our manager was always willing to accept new challenges．

B．Jane won the first prize in the speech competition．

C．Jerry picked up French during his stay in Paris．

D．Father’s salary rose from 5, 000 to 7,000．

16．In the author’s eye, one who views personal growth as a process would ______．　

A．succeed in climbing up the social ladder

B．grow up from his own achievements

C．face difficulties and take up challenges

D．aim high and reach his goal each time

15．What can be the best title for the passage?

A．How to Get Electricity by Waves．　

B．A Huge Resource of Energy．

C．Can Waves Make Electricity?　　　　　　　　　　　

D．The Disadvantages of Wave Energy．

E

There are two basic ways to see growth: one as a product, the other as a process. People have generally viewed personal growth as an external (外在的) result or a product that can easily be identified and measured．The worker who gets a rise, the student whose grades improve, the foreigner who learns a new language-all these examples of people who have measurable results to show for their efforts．

By contrast (对照) , the process of personal growth is much more difficult to determine, since it is a journey and not the specific signposts or landmarks along the way．The process is not the road itself, but the attitudes, feelings people have , and their caution or courage, as they meet with new experiences and unexpected difficulties．In this process, the journey never really ends；there are always new ways to experience the world, new ideas to try, new challenges to accept．

In order to grow, to travel new roads, people need to have a willingness to take risks, to face the unknown, and to accept the possibility that they may “fail” at first．How we see ourselves as we try a new way of being is necessary for our ability to grow．Do we see ourselves as quick and curious? If so, we tend to take more chances and be more open to unfamiliar experiences．Do we think we’re shy and indecisive? Then our sense of fear can cause us to hesitate, to move slowly, and we think we are slow to adapt (适应) change or that we’re not smart enough to deal with a new challenge．Then we are likely to take a more passive role or not try at all．

These feelings of insecurity (不安全) and self-doubt are both unavoidable and necessary if we are to change and grow．If we protect ourselves too much, then we stop growing．We become trapped inside a shell of our own making．

14．The underlined word “drawbacks” probably means ______．　

A．regrets　　　　　　　　 B．adventures　　　　　　　　　 C．disadvantages　　　　　　 D．difficulties

13．We can infer from the passage that ______．

A．finding new energy sources like wave energy is important

B．wave energy is a resource that will never run out and is used all over the world

C．wave power is perfect for creating energy around the world

D．wave power doesn’t create any pollution

12．Which of the following is NOT true?　

A．Wave power costs too much money．

B．Wave energy creates the same amount of pollution as other energy sources．

C．Wave power affects fishing and boat traffic．

D．Wave power may affect marine animals．

11．According to this passage, we can know that the shepherd was ______．

A．patient and brave　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B．foolish and impolite

C．humorous and intelligent　　　　　　　　　　 D．knowledgeable and talkative

D

In summer, millions of people will head for the beach．And while the ocean can be a great place to swim and play, it may also be useful in another way．Some scientists think that waves could help make electricity．

“Have you ever been on a surfboard or boat and felt yourself being lifted up by a wave? Or have you jumped in the water and felt the energy as waves crashed over you?” asked Jamie Taylor of the Wave Energy Group at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland．“There is certainly a lot of energy in waves．”

Scientists are working on using that energy to make electricity．

Most waves are created when winds blow across the ocean．“The winds start out by making little ripples (波纹) in the water, but if they keep on blowing , those ripples get bigger and bigger and turn into waves, ”Taylor said．“Waves are one of nature’s ways of picking up energy and then sending it off on a journey．”

When waves come towards the shore, people can set up dams or other barricades to block the water and send it through a large wheel called a turbine (涡轮) ．The turbine can then power an electrical generator (发电机) ．

The United States and a few other countries have started doing research on wave energy , and it is already being used in Scotland．

The resource is huge．We will never run out of wave power, besides, wave energy does not create the same pollution as other energy sources, such as oil and coal．

Oceans cover three quarters of the earth’s surface．That would make wave power seem perfect for creating energy around the world．There are some drawbacks, however．

Jamie Taylor said that wave power still cost too much money．He said that its effects on animals in the sea were still unknown．Plus, wave power would get in the way of fishing and boat traffic．

With more research, however, “many of these problems might be overcome,” Taylor said．“Demand for energy to power our TVs and computers, drive our cars, and heat and cool our homes is growing quickly throughout the world．Finding more energy sources is very important, for traditional sources of energy like oil and gas may run out some day．”

In the future, when you turn on a light switch, an ocean wave could be providing the electricity!

10．The son did not translate the words his father said because ______．

A．he had trouble in understanding his father

B．the words his father used were too difficult to be translated

C．his father was sending a warning against the NASA people

D．he believed that the NASA workers could understand their language

9．When the older Navajo heard that the men in front of him were going to the moon, he ______．

　　 A．felt frightened and ran away quickly　　　　　

B．chatted excitedly with the NASA workers

C．got on the modern trucks and large vehicles for fun

D．tried to say something to the moon creatures