Eat healthier. Exercise twice a week. Read more books. Lose weight. We make the same resolutions every year. But most of us fail, and quit after only a few days or weeks．Even the most successful among us, those who have climbed to the top of their fields, crash and burn when it comes to personal change. For example, President Barack Obama has struggled with his smoking habit．        

       So why is change so challenging? Are we wired in a way that keeps us from making changes? And do we need the support of others to reach our goals, or can we go it alone?

       Professionals who help people make-changes in their lives suggest that the change is determined not by one’s surroundings, but one's mind．Beginning with small goals or steps usually leads to a bigger pay-off later, they say．And trying to make a change is easier with support from a cheery group of friends, family, or co-workers with shared goals．But they caution that the experience is different for everyone．

       "People are more likely to make positive changes in their lives not only when their friends do, but when their friends of friends do, and when their friends of friends of friends do," said Nicholas Christakis, a professor of medical sociology at Harvard University．"Social networks have this interesting property of magnifying (放大) everything, and so taking advantage of your social network ties can result in a magnification of your own efforts.

       Johnny Augustin understands that well．His goal was to reduce 30 pounds from his 237-pound frame．But the change didn’t come easily．He said "I'm a huge procrastinator．There is a desire but I just kept putting it off．I didn't get to do it until the summer．"However, Augustin got inspired when he saw his older brother working out．Today, Augustin weighs 190 pounds．        

       Having a positive attitude is one of the keys to making a successful change, according to Judy Zerafa, author of several books based on how people can improve their lives．She emphasized the importance of believing in yourself—and having positive habits, creative imagination, and persistence—to make change happen．"Success in overcoming any self-defeating behavior particularly those related to health, finances, relationships and weight loss is almost guaranteed if you learn to reprogram the subconscious images in that part of the mind,” Zerafa said in an article.

59. According to the passage, Nicholas Chirstakis means that _______.

       A．friendship plays an important role in our daily lives

       B．people are better able to make changes when they make changes with others

       C．friends can easily change our minds about something．

       D．friends' support plays a bigger role in one's success than one’s mind

60．The word "procrastinator" in Paragraph 5 refers to those who_____．

       A．have great determination to make a change 

       B．have no desire to do something great                                      

       C．put off work especially out of laziness    

       D．have habitual carelessness and laziness  

61．The passage is mainly about              .

       A．the reason why change is so hard       

       B．the difficulty we have in making a change

       C．the ways of making a change in your life

       D．the attitudes towards making a change 

62．What information will probably be provided following the last paragraph?

       A．Useful methods used to avoid negative thoughts．

       B．The side effects of self-defeating behavior．

       C．The ways Judy Zerafa advised to make a change．

       D．Examples about the importance of a positive attitude．

Uncle Tom gave little Vicki Black a birthday gift one week before her birthday. He told her not to open it until her birthday. She knew her mother wouldn’t tolerate any disrespect to the kind man who helped them out after Vicki’s father passed away. Besides, Vicki didn’t want Uncle Tom to get angry. But little Vicky didn’t want to just hold it and guess what was in it. After all, she looked forward to his coming to show her interesting things, like how to turn an old sock into a doll.
All the day, Vicki couldn’t stop thinking about the gift. While her teacher was giving a lecture¸ Vicki sat still in her seat, drawing paper dolls inside the box. When school was done, she raced home. Walking into the room, again, she shook the present, but she heard nothing. Holding her breath, she opened the box and looked inside. Seconds later, she cried. When Mrs. Black saw the box, she said angrily, “Didn’t I tell you to leave it alone?” Vicki sobbed and said, “Mommy, you don’t understand.”
“Don’t cry to me. You have missed everything now, just because you couldn’t wait,” Mrs. Black accused. “What will Uncle Tom think now?”
“Uncle Tom gave me nothing,” Vicki cried and handed the empty box to her mother. “He played a trick on me.”
Mrs. Black said doubtfully, “Uncle Tom is not like that. You must have dropped it.”
Vicki kept crying. Only a rapid knock on the door made the house quiet. It was Uncle Tom. He looked at the empty box. “You have already done it? I told you to wait for your birthday.”
“You didn’t give me a gift.” Fresh tears filled her eyes.
“I try to give you something. I know your birthday is a special day. I tell myself to give you something valuable to last your whole life. I think hard and get the idea to give you an important lesson. If you open it on birthday, I see you learn. Then I will make a big party to celebrate. Maybe next year you listen and then you will understand the gift better.
Vicki’s cheeks flushed.
【小题1】We can learn from the text that Vicki_______.

A．often received gifts from her father

B．expected Uncle Tom to give her a doll

C．was sad because of her father’s death

D．liked and respected Uncle Tom

【小题2】What do the underlined words “done it” refer to?

A．Guessed the result

B．Opened the box

C．Realized Uncle Tom’s purpose

D．Known what her birthday gift was

【小题3】What kind of person is Uncle Tom?

A．Thoughtful

B．Humorous

C．Mysterious

D．Funny

【小题4】What did Uncle Tom want to teach Vicki?

A．How to respect others	B．The meaning of gifts
C．How to deal with gifts	D．The value of a promise

Uncle Tom gave little Vicki Black a birthday gift one week before her birthday. He told her not to open it until her birthday. She knew her mother wouldn’t tolerate any disrespect to the kind man who helped them out after Vicki’s father passed away; besides, Vicki didn’t want Uncle Tom to get angry. But little Vicky didn’t want to just hold it and guess what was in it. After all, she looked forward to his coming to show her interesting things, like how to turn an old sock into a doll.
All the day, Vicki couldn’t stop thinking about the gift while her teacher was giving a lecture. Vicki sat still in her seat, drawing paper dolls inside the box. When school was done, she raced home. Walking into the room, again, she shook the present, but she heard nothing. Holding her breath, she opened the box and looked inside. Seconds later, she cried. When Mrs. Black saw the box, she said angrily, “Didn’t I tell you to leave it alone?” Vicki sobbed and said, “Mommy, you don’t understand.”
“Don’t cry to me. You have missed everything now, just because you couldn’t wait,” Mrs. Black accused. “What will Uncle Tom think now?”
“Uncle Tom gave me nothing,” Vicki cried and handed the empty box to her mother. “He played a trick on me.”
Mrs. Black said doubtfully, “Uncle Tom is not like that. You must have dropped it.”
Vicki kept crying. Only a rapid knock on the door made the house quiet. It was Uncle Tom. He looked at the empty box. “You have already done it? I told you to wait for your birthday.”
“You didn’t give me a gift.” Fresh tears filled her eyes.
“I try to give you something. I know your birthday is a special day. I tell myself to give you something valuable to last your whole life. I think hard and get the idea to give you an important lesson. If you open it on birthday, I see you learn. Then I will make a big party to celebrate. Maybe next year you listen and then you will understand the gift better.
Vicki’s cheeks flushed（脸红）.
【小题1】 We can learn from the text that Vicki___________.

A．often received gifts from her father	B．expected Uncle Tom to give her a doll
C．was sad because of her father’s death	D．liked and respected Uncle Tom

【小题2】 Vicki’s mother became angry because ___________.

A．Uncle Tom helped them out after Vicki’s father died

B．Vicki opened the box before her birthday

C．there was nothing in the gift box

D．Vicki dropped the gift because of her carelessness

【小题3】 What kind of person is Uncle Tom?

A．Thoughtful

B．Humorous

C．Mysterious

D．Funny

【小题4】What did Uncle Tom want to teach Vicki?

A．How to respect others	B．The meaning of gifts
C．How to deal with gifts	D．The value of a promise

Uncle Tom gave little Vicki Black a birthday gift one week before her birthday. He told her not to open it until her birthday. She knew her mother wouldn’t tolerate any disrespect to the kind man who helped them out after Vicki’s father passed away; besides, Vicki didn’t want Uncle Tom to get angry. But little Vicky didn’t want to just hold it and guess what was in it. After all, she looked forward to his coming to show her interesting things, like how to turn an old sock into a doll.

All the day, Vicki couldn’t stop thinking about the gift while her teacher was giving a lecture. Vicki sat still in her seat, drawing paper dolls inside the box. When school was done, she raced home. Walking into the room, again, she shook the present, but she heard nothing. Holding her breath, she opened the box and looked inside. Seconds later, she cried. When Mrs. Black saw the box, she said angrily, “Didn’t I tell you to leave it alone?” Vicki sobbed and said, “Mommy, you don’t understand.”

“Don’t cry to me. You have missed everything now, just because you couldn’t wait,” Mrs. Black accused. “What will Uncle Tom think now?”

“Uncle Tom gave me nothing,” Vicki cried and handed the empty box to her mother. “He played a trick on me.”

Mrs. Black said doubtfully, “Uncle Tom is not like that. You must have dropped it.”

Vicki kept crying. Only a rapid knock on the door made the house quiet. It was Uncle Tom. He looked at the empty box. “You have already done it? I told you to wait for your birthday.”

“You didn’t give me a gift.” Fresh tears filled her eyes.

“I try to give you something. I know your birthday is a special day. I tell myself to give you something valuable to last your whole life. I think hard and get the idea to give you an important lesson. If you open it on birthday, I see you learn. Then I will make a big party to celebrate. Maybe next year you listen and then you will understand the gift better.

Vicki’s cheeks flushed（脸红）.

1. We can learn from the text that Vicki___________.

A．often received gifts from her father	B．expected Uncle Tom to give her a doll
C．was sad because of her father’s death	D．liked and respected Uncle Tom

2. Vicki’s mother became angry because ___________.

A．Uncle Tom helped them out after Vicki’s father died

B．Vicki opened the box before her birthday

C．there was nothing in the gift box

D．Vicki dropped the gift because of her carelessness

3. What kind of person is Uncle Tom?

A．Thoughtful

B．Humorous

C．Mysterious

D．Funny

4.What did Uncle Tom want to teach Vicki?

A．How to respect others	B．The meaning of gifts
C．How to deal with gifts	D．The value of a promise

 

Uncle Tom gave little Vicki Black a birthday gift one week before her birthday. He told her not to open it until her birthday. She knew her mother wouldn’t tolerate any disrespect to the kind man who helped them out after Vicki’s father passed away. Besides, Vicki didn’t want Uncle Tom to get angry. But little Vicky didn’t want to just hold it and guess what was in it. After all, she looked forward to his coming to show her interesting things, like how to turn an old sock into a doll.

All the day, Vicki couldn’t stop thinking about the gift. While her teacher was giving a lecture¸ Vicki sat still in her seat, drawing paper dolls inside the box. When school was done, she raced home. Walking into the room, again, she shook the present, but she heard nothing. Holding her breath, she opened the box and looked inside. Seconds later, she cried. When Mrs. Black saw the box, she said angrily, “Didn’t I tell you to leave it alone?” Vicki sobbed and said, “Mommy, you don’t understand.”

“Don’t cry to me. You have missed everything now, just because you couldn’t wait,” Mrs. Black accused. “What will Uncle Tom think now?”

“Uncle Tom gave me nothing,” Vicki cried and handed the empty box to her mother. “He played a trick on me.”

Mrs. Black said doubtfully, “Uncle Tom is not like that. You must have dropped it.”

Vicki kept crying. Only a rapid knock on the door made the house quiet. It was Uncle Tom. He looked at the empty box. “You have already done it? I told you to wait for your birthday.”

“You didn’t give me a gift.” Fresh tears filled her eyes.

“I try to give you something. I know your birthday is a special day. I tell myself to give you something valuable to last your whole life. I think hard and get the idea to give you an important lesson. If you open it on birthday, I see you learn. Then I will make a big party to celebrate. Maybe next year you listen and then you will understand the gift better.

Vicki’s cheeks flushed.

1.We can learn from the text that Vicki_______.

A．often received gifts from her father

B．expected Uncle Tom to give her a doll

C．was sad because of her father’s death

D．liked and respected Uncle Tom

2.What do the underlined words “done it” refer to?

A．Guessed the result

B．Opened the box

C．Realized Uncle Tom’s purpose

D．Known what her birthday gift was

3.What kind of person is Uncle Tom?

A．Thoughtful

B．Humorous

C．Mysterious

D．Funny

4.What did Uncle Tom want to teach Vicki?

A．How to respect others	B．The meaning of gifts
C．How to deal with gifts	D．The value of a promise