A is for always getting to work on time.

B is for being extremely busy.

C is for the conscientious(勤勤恳恳的) way you do your job.

You may be all these things at the office, and more. But when it comes to getting ahead, experts say, the ABCs of business should include a P, for politics, as in office politics.

Dale Carnegie suggested as much more than 50 years ago: Hard work alone doesn’t ensure career advancement. You have to be able to sell yourself and your ideas, both publicly and behind the scenes. Yet, despite the obvious rewards of engaging in office politics—a better job, a raise, praise—many people are still unable or unwilling—to “play the game”.

“People assume that office politics involves some manipulative(工于心计的) behavior,” says Deborah Comer, an assistant professor of management at Hofstra University. “But politics derives from the word ‘polite’. It can mean lobbying(游说) and forming associations. It can mean being kind and helpful, or even trying, to please your superior, and then expecting something in return.”

In fact, today, experts define office politics as proper behavior used to pursue one’s own self-interest in the workplace. In many cases, this involves some form of socializing within the office environment—not just in large companies, but in small workplaces as well.

“The first thing people are usually judged on is their ability to perform well on a consistent basis,” says Neil P. Lewis, a management psychologist. “But if two or three candidates are up for a promotion, each of whom has reasonably similar ability, a manager is going to promote the person he or she likes best. It’s simple human nature.”

Yet, psychologists say, many employees and employers have trouble with the concept of politics in the office. Some people, they say, have an idealistic vision of work and what it takes to succeed. Still others associate politics with flattery(奉承), fearful that, if they speak up for themselves, they may appear to be flattering their boss for favors.

Experts suggest altering this negative picture by recognizing the need for some self-promotion.

“Office politics” is used in the passage to refer to________.

A. the political views and beliefs of office workers

B. the interpersonal relationships within a company

C. the various qualities required for a successful career

D.  the code of behavior for company staff

To get promoted, one must not only be competent but________.

A. avoid being too outstanding

B. get along well with his colleagues

C. honest and loyal to his company

D. give his boss a good impression

The author considers office politics to be________.

A. unwelcome at the workplace

B. bad for interpersonal relationships

C. an important factor for personal advancement

D. indispensable to the development of company culture

It is the author’s view that________.

A. self-promotion does not necessarily mean flattery

B. hard work contributes very little to one’s promotion

C. many employees fail to recognize the need of flattery

D. speaking up for oneself is part of human nature

A Full-Time School Called Life

       You are enrolled in a full-time school called “life”. Each day in this school you will have the opportunity to learn lessons. You may like the lessons or hate them, but you have designed them as part of your curriculum.

       Why are you here? What is your purpose? Humans have sought to discover the meaning of life for a very ling time. What we and our ancestors have overlooked, however, is there is no one answer. The meaning of life is different for every individual. 全品高考网

Each person has his or her own purpose and distinct path, unique and separate from anyone else's. As you travel your life path, you will be presented with numerous lessons that you will need to learn in order to fulfill that purpose. The lessons you are presented with are specific to you; learning these lessons is the key to discovering and fulfilling the meaning and connection of your own life.

       As you travel through your lifetime, you may encounter challenging lessons that others don't have to face, while other spend years struggling with challenges that you don't need to deal with. You may never know why you are blessed with a wonderful marriage, while your friends suffer through bitter arguments and painful divorces, just as you cannot be sure why you struggle financially while your peers enjoy abundance. The only thing you can count on for certain is that you will be presented with all the lessons that you specifically need to learn; whether you choose to learn them or not is entirely up to you.

The challenge here, therefore, is to align（与…保持一致）yourself with your own unique path by learning individual lessons. This is one of the most difficult challenges you will be faced with in your lifetime, as sometimes your path will be completely different from others. But, remember, don't compare your path to the people around you and focus on the difference between their lessons and yours. You need to remember that you will only be faced with lessons that you are capable of learning and are specific to your own growth. 全品高考网

       Our sense of fairness is the expectation of equity—the assumption that all things are equal and that justice will always prevail. Life is not, in fact, fair, and you may indeed have a more difficult lift path than others around you, deserved or not. Everyone’s circumstances are unique, and everyone needs to handle his or her own circumstances differently. If you want to move toward calm, you will be required to move out of the comparing phase of “it’s not fair”. Focusing on the unfairness of circumstances keeps you comparing yourself with others rather than appreciating your own special uniqueness. You miss out on learning your individual lessons by distracting yourself with feelings of bitterness and anger.

11．According to the passage, how can the meaning of your life be realized?

       A．Having the same opinions as others.

       B．Taking the distinct path from others.

       C．Learning the lessons presented to you.

       D．Doing the different things from others.

12．From the passage we can conclude            .

       A．everyone has his own track to follow

       B．the same things usually happen to the peers

       C．a painful divorce must lie in financial problems

       D．a wealthy man must have a wonderful marriage

13．In your lifetime, the lessons you are faced with           .

       A．are beyond your power   B．keep you from growth

       C．limit your development   D．help you with your success

14．Which of the following is TRUE?

       A．All things are equal and justice will always prevail.

       B．You should learn to appreciate your specific uniqueness.

       C．One has to fix his mind on unfairness of circumstances.

       D．You have to complain “it’s not fair” whenever possible.

15．Life is called a full – time school, because           .

       A．it is full of all lessons to learn

       B．you have plenty of time to learn lessons

       C．you meet with specific lessons every day

       D．there are so many subjects for you to choose

A young executive was traveling down a neighborhood street．He was watching for kids rushing out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something．As his car passed，no children appeared．Instead，a brick smashed into his door! He slammed on the brakes(make his car stop)．The angry driver then jumped out of the car, caught the nearest kid and pushed him up against a parked car，shouting，“What was that all about and who are you?”

The young boy was apologetic．“Please，Mister．．．Please，I’m sorry…I didn’t know what else to do．I threw the brick because no one else would stop…”

With tears dripping down his face，the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car．“It’s my brother，”he said．“He fell out of his wheelchair and I can’t lift him up．”

    Now sobbing(crying silently)，the boy asked the executive，“Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He’s hurt and he’s too heavy for me．’’

   Moved beyond words，the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat．He hurriedly lifted the boy back into the wheelchair，then took out his fancy handkerchief and dabbed(a light touch) at the fresh scrapes and cuts．A quick look told him everything was going to be okay．“Thank you and may God bless you．”the grateful child told the stranger．

Shaken up for words，the man simply watched the little boy push his wheelchair—bound brother down the sidewalk toward their home．

   God whispers in our souls and speaks to our hearts．Sometimes when we don’t have time to listen，he has to throw a brick at us．Don’t go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention!

The executive slowed down because______.        .

A．he saw a boy throw a brick to his car         B．he saw a boy rush out from between cars

C．he was afraid some boys suddenly rushed out  D．a brick smashed into his door

The boy threw the brick to the car in order to_________.

A. disturb the driver on purpose    B．destroy the car of the stranger

C．ask someone to drive him home D．stop someone to help him

Knowing the reason why the boy threw the brick at his car the executive must feel       .

A．sympathized and excited   B．regretful and sympathized

C．ashamed and regretful     D．angry and regretful

After the boy’s brother feIl off his wheelchair,        .

A．the boy threw bricks at several cars  B．the boy tried to stop several cars

C．the boy’s brother was hurt seriously  D．the boy’s brother wanted to stop a car

From the last paragraph we can learn that         .

A．you shouldn’t drive so fast that someone throws at you

B．it is common to throw a brick at a car running too fast

C．you can’t go through your life without a brick throwing at you

D．you should pay more attention to others and help them

A metaphor is a poetic device that deals with comparison. It compares similar qualities of two dissimilar objects. With a simple metaphor, one object becomes the other: Love is a rose. Although this does not sound like a particularly rich image, a metaphor can communicate so much about a particular image that poets use them more than any other type of figurative language(修辞). The reason for this is that poets compose their poetry to express what they are experiencing emotionally at that moment. Consequently, what the poet imagines love to be may or may not be love we see it. Therefore, the poet’s job is to enable us to experience it, to feel it the same way as the poet does.

Let’s analyze this remarkably unsophisticated metaphor concerning love and the rose to see what it offers. Because the poet uses a comparison with a rose, first we must examine the characteristics of that flower. A rose is spectacular in its beauty; its petals(花瓣) are nicely soft, and its smell is pleasing. It’s possible to say that a rose is actually a feast to the senses of sight, touch, and smell. The rose’s appearance seems to border on(近似于)perfection, each petal seemingly symmetrical(对称的) in form. Isn’t this the way one’s love should be? A loved one should be a delight to one’s senses and seem perfect. However, there is another dimension added to the comparison by using a rose. Roses have thorns(刺). The poet wants to convey the idea that roses can be tricky(机警的). So can love, the metaphor tells us. When one reaches out with absolute trust to touch the object of his or her affection, ouch, a thorn can cause great harm! “Be careful,” the metaphor warns: Love is a feast to the senses, but it can overwhelm us, and it can also hurt us and cause acute suffering. This is the poet’s perception of love--a warning. What is the point? Just this: It took almost 14 sentences to clarify what a simple metaphor communicates in only four words! That is the artistry and the joy of the simple metaphor.

According to the passage, what is a metaphor?

A. A comparison between two different objects with similar features.

B. A contrast between two different things to create a vivid image.

C. A description of two similar objects in a poetic way.

D. A literary device specially employed in poetry writing.

The main idea of this passage is that         .

A. rose is a good image in poetry    B. love is sweet and pleasing

C. metaphor is ambiguous          D. metaphor is great poetic device

It can be inferred from the passage that a metaphor is        .

A. difficult to understand        B. rich in meaning    C. not precise enough      D. like a flower

As is meant by the author, thorns of a rose_________.

A. protect the rose from harm              B. symbolize reduced love

C. add a new element to the image of love    D. represent objects of one’s affection

The meaning of the love-is–a-rose metaphor is that____________-

A. love is a true joy              B. true love comes once in a lifetime

C. love does not last long          D. love is both good and bad experiences

A metaphor is a poetic device that deals with comparison. It compares similar qualities of two dissimilar objects. With a simple metaphor, one object becomes the other: Love is a rose. Although this does not sound like a particularly rich image, a metaphor can communicate so much about a particular image that poets use them more than any other type of figurative language(修辞). The reason for this is that poets compose their poetry to express what they are experiencing emotionally at that moment. Consequently, what the poet imagines love to be may or may not be love we see it. Therefore, the poet’s job is to enable us to experience it, to feel it the same way as the poet does.
Let’s analyze this remarkably unsophisticated metaphor concerning love and the rose to see what it offers. Because the poet uses a comparison with a rose, first we must examine the characteristics of that flower. A rose is spectacular in its beauty; its petals(花瓣) are nicely soft, and its smell is pleasing. It’s possible to say that a rose is actually a feast to the senses of sight, touch, and smell. The rose’s appearance seems to border on(近似于)perfection, each petal seemingly symmetrical(对称的) in form. Isn’t this the way one’s love should be? A loved one should be a delight to one’s senses and seem perfect. However, there is another dimension added to the comparison by using a rose. Roses have thorns(刺). The poet wants to convey the idea that roses can be tricky(机警的). So can love, the metaphor tells us. When one reaches out with absolute trust to touch the object of his or her affection, ouch, a thorn can cause great harm! “Be careful,” the metaphor warns: Love is a feast to the senses, but it can overwhelm us, and it can also hurt us and cause acute suffering. This is the poet’s perception of love--a warning. What is the point? Just this: It took almost 14 sentences to clarify what a simple metaphor communicates in only four words! That is the artistry and the joy of the simple metaphor.
【小题1】According to the passage, what is a metaphor?

A．A comparison between two different objects with similar features.

B．A contrast between two different things to create a vivid image.

C．A description of two similar objects in a poetic way.

D．A literary device specially employed in poetry writing.

【小题2】 The main idea of this passage is that         .

A．rose is a good image in poetry	B．love is sweet and pleasing
C．metaphor is ambiguous	D．metaphor is great poetic device

【小题3】 It can be inferred from the passage that a metaphor is        .

A．difficult to understand

B．rich in meaning

C．not precise enough

D．like a flower

【小题4】 As is meant by the author, thorns of a rose_________.

A．protect the rose from harm	B．symbolize reduced love
C．add a new element to the image of love	D．represent objects of one’s affection

【小题5】 The meaning of the love-is–a-rose metaphor is that____________-

A．love is a true joy	B．true love comes once in a lifetime
C．love does not last long	D．love is both good and bad experiences