I was reading these interesting stories behind a group of great logos in the world. Personally Nike is my favorite one it’s so simple. And I liked the stories behind them，which made me forget all other things. McDonald’s，Apple and Mercedes Benz own great logos as well，and they are among my very favorites.
Nike
In the Greek myth，Nike is the goddess of victory and the source of inspiration for soldiers. This logo represents the wing in the famous statue of the Greek goddess. Nike’s logo was designed by Carolyn Davidson in 1971 for＄35，and was registered as a trademark in 1995.
McDonald’S
The logo was designed in 1962 by Jim Schindler like the arch-shaped signs on the side of the company’s then a walk-up hamburger stand. Later on，the two golden arches were combined together to form the M. The McDonald’s name was added to the logo in 1968.
Apple
There are different stories behind Apple’s logo. The first logo was a reference to the religious story of Adam and Eve，in which the apple represented the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. One year later，the second logo was designed in 1977 by Steve Jobs and Ronald Wayne，and it described Sir Isaac Newton sitting under an apple tree. This logo didn’t stay long. One year later it was replaced almost immediately by Rob Janoff’s“rainbow apple”，a rain bow-colored silhouette（轮廓）of an apple with a bite taken out of it. And then the rainbow-colored apple was replaced by the one-colored logo in 1998．It has not been changed so far.
Mercedes Benz
The Mercedes Benz logo，which was originally created by Gottlieb Daimlar in 1909，consists of a simple description of a three-pointed star that represents its rule of the land，the sea and the air. The company was founded by Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach. Mercedes is the name of Maybach’s elder daughter，while Benz came as a result of a combination with Benz&Cie. and DMG.
1. What does the author think of the stories of the great logos？
A. They are boring.                B. They are out of date.
C. They are attractive.             D. They are practical.
2．What does Nike’s logo stand for?
A. The goddess of victory.           B. The source of inspiration for soldiers.
C. The statue of the Greek goddess.     D. The wing of the Greek goddess.
3．We can learn that Apple’s present logo is ______.
A. the religious story of Adam and Eve       B. a bitten apple with only one color
C. Newton’s sitting under an apple tree D. the rainbow-colored bitten apple
4．Which of the following time orders describes the births of the great logos？
A. Mercedes Benz—McDonald’s—Nike—Apple
B. Nike一McDonald’s—Apple—Mercedes Benz
C. McDonald’s—Apple—Nike—Mercedes Benz
D. Nike—Mercedes Benz—McDonald’s—Apple

Negative （消极的）self talk and negative energy can affect you m many ways and cause you additional stress. Because of this，developing more Positive self talk’s an important way to reduce stress in your life. You can help yourself maintain a positive frame of mind 一which will help with positive self talk一by surrounding yourself with positive energy in your life. You can get that by adding some elements to your life.

Listening to music that not only has a soothing melody，but an uplifting message，can be great for developing positive self talk. Have you ever had a song “stuck in your head” for a few hours or days，the lyrics repeating themselves in your mind?’’ If those lyrics were positive and inspirational，that would be a good thing. It’s a much better mental soundtrack to have than a running stream of complaints，criticisms of self-limiting thoughts，or even songs that had more depressing or sad lyrics.

Books on strength, personal power, enlightenment, or self help can be good resources to help you change your outlook and the things you say to yourself. Rather than bringing habitual self-defeating thoughts，you can find yourself thinking of new can-do concepts when times get tough.

One of the most important ways you can get and keep positive energy in your life is with the company you keep. Do your friends uplift you，or bring you down? Are they critical，or complementary? Ideal friendships provide support when you’re down, fun when you’re up，wisdom when you’re lost，and positive regard. Good friends can inspire you to reach greater heights，and see your strengths even when you don’t always. Pay attention to how your friends make you feel，and if they’re less than supportive，start putting your energy and time toward people who are better suited to be your friend.

In addition，positive affirmations （肯定） can certainly change your self talk from negative to positive. Now，why not begin working positive affirmations into your life in some creative ways?

1.

 What does the passage mainly talk about?

A. Reducing stress by surrounding yourself with positive energy.

B. Adding some elements to your life.

C. Getting positive energy from the company you keep.

D. Changing your self talk with positive affirmation.

2.

How many ways does the author suggest to maintain a positive frame of mind?

A. 3.          B. 4.         C. 5.          D. 6.

3.

If you have something “stuck in your head”。 you probably ________.

A. keep singing the same song for a long time

B. keep thinking of this thing all the time

C. regard the lyrics of a song as positive  

 D. are developing positive self-talk

4.

According to the passage，your best company should be those who __________.

A. uplift you or bring you down                    B. provide fun when you’re down

C. encourage you to do things even better      D. are less than supportive

5.

What will probably be talked about in the following paragraph?

A. How negative self talk influences a person.

B. How positive self talk reduces stress in one’s life.

C. Some great ways of making great friends.

D. Some creative ways of practicing affirmation.

She was dancing. My lame grandmother was dancing. I stood in the living room doorway, looking at her beautiful movements, absolutely shocked. She was the pet of the dancing world. And then she’d had her accident and it was all over. I had read that in an old newspaper article.

‘‘So… Your leg? I mean, how did your leg heal (恢复健全)?”

“To tell you the truth — my legs have been well all my life,” she sighed.

“But I don’t understand!” I said, “Your dancing career (事业)… You pretended all these years?”

‘‘Very much so, and for a very good reason.”

She thought for a while and then continued. “We were talking about engagement (订婚) when your grandfather had to go to war. I was so afraid of losing him that the only way I could stay normal was to dance. I put all my energy and time into practicing and I became very good. Critics praised me, the public loved me, but all I could feel was the ache in my heart, not knowing whether the love of my life would ever return. Then one day a letter came. There were only three sentences: ‘I have lost my leg. I am no longer a whole man and now give you back your freedom. It is best you forget about me.’’’

“I made my decision there and then. I traveled away from the city. When I returned I had bought myself a stick. I told everyone I had been in a car crash and that my leg would never completely heal again. My dancing days were over. No one doubted the story — I had learned to limp (一瘸一拐地走) convincingly before I returned home. And I made sure the first person to hear of my accident was a reporter I knew well. Then I traveled to the hospital. They had pushed your grandfather outside in his wheelchair. I took a deep breath, leaned on my stick and limped to him.”

“I showed him newspaper articles of my accident. ‘There is a whole life waiting for us out there! But I am not going to carry you. You are going to walk yourself.’”

“I limped a few steps toward him and showed him what I’d taken out of my pocket. ‘Now show me you are still a man.’ I said. He bent to take his stick from the ground and struggled out of that wheelchair. He managed it on his own and walked to me and never sat in a wheelchair again in his life.”

“What did you show him?” I had to know. Grandma looked at me and smiled. “Two engagement rings, of course. I had bought them the day after he left for the war and I was not going to waste them on any other man.”

1.What does the underlined word “it” in the first paragraph refer to?

2.Which is the correct order of the following events according to the passage?

a. Grandfather lost his leg in the war.

b. Grandmother bought two engagement rings.

c. Grandfather was inspired to stand up on his own.

d. Grandmother pretended she was lame.

e. Grandmother became an excellent dancer.

f. Grandfather had to go to war.

3.Which of the following words can best describe grandmother?

4.What’s the main idea of the passage?

Negative （消极的）self talk and negative energy can affect you in many ways and cause you additional stress. Because of this，developing more Positive self talk is an important way to reduce stress in your life. You can help yourself keep a positive frame of mind 一which will help with positive self talk一by surrounding yourself with positive energy in your life. You can get that by adding some elements to your life.

Listening to music that not only has a soothing melody，but an uplifting(令人振奋的) message，can be great for developing positive self talk. Have you ever had a song “stuck in your head” for a few hours or days，the lyrics(歌词) repeating themselves in your mind?’’ If those lyrics were positive and inspirational，that would be a good thing. It’s a much better mental soundtrack to have than a running stream of complaints，criticisms of self-limiting thoughts，or even songs that had more depressing or sad lyrics.

Books on strength, personal power, enlightenment, or self help can be good resources to help you change your outlook and the things you say to yourself. Rather than bringing habitual self-defeating thoughts，you can find yourself thinking of new can-do concepts when times get tough.

One of the most important ways you can get and keep positive energy in your life is with the company you keep. Do your friends uplift you，or bring you down? Are they critical，or complementary? Ideal friendships provide support when you’re down, fun when you’re up，wisdom when you’re lost，and positive regard. Good friends can inspire you to reach greater heights，and see your strengths even when you don’t always. Pay attention to how your friends make you feel，and if they’re less than supportive，start putting your energy and time toward people who are better suited to be your friend.

In addition，positive affirmations （肯定） can certainly change your self talk from negative to positive. Now，why not begin working positive affirmations into your life in some creative ways?

1. What does the passage mainly talk about?

A. Reducing stress by surrounding yourself with positive energy.

B. Adding some elements to your life.

C. Getting positive energy from the company you keep.

D. Changing your self talk with positive affirmation.

2.How many ways does the author suggest to keep a positive frame of mind?

A. 3.          B. 4.         C. 5.          D. 6.

3.According to the passage，your best company should be those who __________.

A. uplift you or bring you down                     B. provide fun when you’re down

C. encourage you to do things even better      D. are less than supportive

4. What will probably be talked about in the following paragraph?

A. How negative self talk influences a person.

B. How positive self talk reduces stress in one’s life.

C. Some great ways of making great friends.

D. Some creative ways of practicing affirmation.