Life at thirteen was tough for me. On the one hand, I had to adapt to my changing body; on the other hand, I was forced to deal with the upsetting move from my country home to a crowded suburb. I had to stop travelling around quiet country with my cute buddies, riding on the back of my handsome companion, a small brown pony. When we moved, I was forced to sell him. The moment he was taken away, I was grasped by a strange thought. I was abandoned. Feeling helpless and alone, I couldn’t eat or sleep, and I cried all of the time. I missed my friends, my country home and my pony. Finally, my parents, realizing how much I missed my pony, purchased an old red horse— Orion for me at a local market.
Orion was without doubt the ugliest horse in the world. He was pigeon-toed and knock-kneed. But I didn’t care about his weaknesses. I loved him beyond all reason. I joined a riding club and endured rude comments and mean snickers (窃笑) about Orion’s looks. I never let on about how I felt, but deep down inside, my heart was breaking. The other members rode beautiful registered horses. When Orion and I entered the events where the horse is judged on appearance, we were quickly “shown the gate”. No amount of brushing, vitamins or unconditional love would turn Orion into a beauty. I finally realized that my only chance to compete would be in the timed-speed events.
I chose “barrel racing” (绕桶赛) . There were so many experienced competitors with their lovely partners. It looked like they have got it in the bag, laughing, greeting and chatting with each other. One girl named Ann rode a big brown thorough bred (受过严格训练的) horse in the race events. She always won the blue ribbons. Needless to say, she didn’t feel threatened when I competed against her at the next show. She didn’t need to. I came in next to last. The stinging memory of Ann’s laughs made me determined to beat her.
For the whole next month I woke up early every day.
The big day finally arrived.
The Voice of Rigo
Rigo had a loud voice.People were always telling Rigo to be quiet.His mother would tell him to use his quiet voice inside the house because the baby was asleep.His father would ask him to speak quietly in the car so that he could concentrate on his driving.His teacher would tell him to talk quietly so he would not bother others who were studying.
Not only did he have a loud voice, but Rigo liked to talk a lot.Whenever he had time, he would talk with his classmates, sharing everything he considered fun.He liked to yell and shout.Sometimes he just yelled, “Hey！” for no reason.He liked the sound of his very loud voice for he thought it had more penetrating (穿透的) power than that of an actor.But not everyone felt the same way.
When Rigo shouted goodbye as he left for school, his mother shook her head, “Rigo! Be quiet！” When his father drove him to school, Rigo said, “Hey! There's Chris！” He pointed at his friend, who was walking to school.His father shook his head.“Rigo, use a quiet voice in the car.” At school, his teacher talked to him three times about using his quiet voice.His classmates shook their heads, throwing an upset look at him when he talked aloud.
Later, Rigo had to sit by himself for a while.His teacher wanted him to practice being quiet.Rigo had to sit quietly for five minutes.It felt like five hours or five days.When the five minutes was up, Rigo went to his desk and sat quietly.It was not easy.
After school, Rigo was waiting for his father when he saw Chris again “Hey！” he yelled.“Chris! Hey！” The headmaster was walking by.Rigo was sure he was going to get in trouble for his loud voice.He looked quickly at the ground.Maybe the headmaster would keep walking.
The headmaster stopped and looked at Rigo.
He said goodbye to the headmaster and ran to get in his father's car cheerfully.
Leadership today is not about forcing others to do things. If this is even possible, it is short-term, and tends to backfire. If you order someone to do something against their will, they may do it because they feel they must, but the anger they feel will do more harm in the long-term. They will also experience fear.
Fear causes the thinking brain to shut down, making the person unable to function at his or her best. If they associate you with this emotion of fear, they will become less functional around you, and you will have succeeded in not only shooting yourself in the foot, but possibly making a very good employee or partner unable to perform effectively. Fear has no place in leadership.
The way we influence people in a lasting way is by our own character, and our understanding and use of emotion. We can order someone to do something, which may be part of the work day; or we can employ them at the emotional level, so they became fully devoted to the projects and provide some of their own motivation (积极性). Today’s work place is all about relationships. Anyone works harder in a positive environment in which they’re recognized and valued as a human being as well as a worker. Everyone produces just a bit more for someone they like. Leaders understand the way things work. They know the pay check is not the single most motivating factor (因素) in the work life of most people.
The true strength of leadership is an inner strength that comes from the confidence of emotional intelligence---knowing your own emotions, and how to handle them, and those of others. Developing your emotional intelligence is the single best thing you can do if you want to develop your relationships with people around you, which is the key to the leadership skills.
1．The underlined phrase “shooting oneself in the foot” means _____ in this passage.| A．throw or walk in a specific direction or towards a specific objective |
| B．to grow forth (向前) from the ground |
| C．to move or pass suddenly or swiftly |
| D．to injure or harm one's own interests |
| A．he cannot work at his best | B．he is forced to do things |
| C．he feels his brain shut down | D．he thinks of his work as too heavy |
| A．People tend to associate leadership with fear. |
| B．Working conditions affect people’s physical health. |
| C．Smart people are more functional in the work place. |
| D．Good relationship is the key to business success. |
| A．develop his own personality | B．provide better suggestions |
| C．give his employees a pay raise | D．hide his own emotion of fear |
| A．provide a variety of project for employees |
| B．help raise employees’ living standards |
| C．deal wisely with employees’ emotions |
| D．give employees’ specific instructions（指导） |
The thought of low material need and being unwilling to work, marry and have children, is described as a “lying down” lifestyle recently. It creates an emotional reaction among many young Chinese who are eager to take pause to breathe in this fast-paced and highly competitive society.
Many young people complained to the Global Times that duties, including work stress, family argument and financial pressure, have pushed them “against the wall”. They said they hate the “involution (内卷)”, joking that they would rather give up some of what they have than get stuck in an endless competition against peers(同龄人).
“Instead of always following the ‘good quality’ of struggle and sacrifice to bear the stresses, they prefer a temporary(暂时的) lying down as release and adjustment,” said an expert. “It is no wonder that some young people, under the growing pressures from child-raising to paying the mortgage (按揭) today, would try to live in a simple way and leave the worries behind.”
Interestingly, the majority of young people, who claim to be big fans of the lying down philosophy, admit that they only accept a temporary lying down as a short rest. It is true that with the great improvement of living conditions, some Chinese youth have partially lost the spirit of hardship and are not willing to bear too much hard work. But in fact, lying down is not entirely comfortable. Young people who lie down always feel ashamed about their constant loss of morale (士气).
“Young people have both ambition and confusion about their future, but most of us have refused to waste opportunities and challenges,” a postgraduate student told the Global Times. “It’s no use running away. I have to ‘stand up’ and face the reality sooner or later.”
1．Which of the following is NOT a “lying down” lifestyle according to the passage?| A．Being uninterested in material enjoyment and refusing to shoulder duties. |
| B．Being involved in various social activities. |
| C．Stopping to breathe in a stressful life. |
| D．Giving up struggle and sacrifice. |
| A．Poor health from working so hard. | B．Increasing material wealth from families. |
| C．Growing pressure from family and social life. | D．Temporary adjustment to failure in competitions. |
| A．Understanding. | B．opposed | C．Supportive. | D．Unclear. |
| A．They would rather escape than take challenges. | B．They really enjoy the “lying down” lifestyle. |
| C．They find their dreams far beyond their reach. | D．They never really drop their responsibilities. |
In today’s motivational literature, failure is often viewed as something to be celebrated. Inspirational speakers are fond of quoting the words of the novelist Samuel Beckett-“Fail again. Fail better.” It seems that disappointments are an essential stepping stone to success, a turning point in our life story that will ultimately end in victory.
However, psychological researches find most of us struggle to handle failure constructively. In other words, we fail to “fail forward”. We find ways to devalue the task at which we failed, and become less motivated to persevere and reach our goals. This phenomenon is known as the “sour-grape effect”, which was discovered by Professor Hallgeir Sjastad.
Sjastad explains that “sour-grape effect” is a self-protective mechanism. “Most of us picture ourselves as competent people, so when external feedback suggests otherwise, it poses a serious threat to that self-image,” he says. “The easiest way out is to deny or explain away the external signal, so we can reduce the inconsistency and preserve a positive sense of self. We do this even without noticing.”
If you have one bad interview for your dream job, you might convince yourself that you don’t really want it at all, and stop applying for similar positions. The same goes if you fail to impress at a sports trial, or if a publisher rejects the first submission of your manuscript. “We tend to explain away our shortcomings and convince ourselves our ‘Plan C’ is actually our ‘Plan A’,” Sjastad says.
It doesn’t mean we should persevere in goals all the time. It can be healthy to change ambitions if the process is no longer making us happy. But the “sour-grape effect may lead us to come to this decision prematurely, rather than hanging on a little and seeing whether we might learn and improve.
Failures are unavoidable. By learning to face the disappointment instead of devaluing its importance and pretending nothing happened, you may find it easier to achieve your goals.
1．Why does the author mention the speech of inspirational speakers in paragraph 1?| A．To offer an example to handle failure. |
| B．To describe a shallow understanding of failure. |
| C．To introduce a common attitude towards failure. |
| D．To emphasize the importance of experiencing failure. |
| A．It protects us from false feedback. | B．It pictures us as competitive people. |
| C．It poses a severe threat to self-image. | D．It denies negative feedback to ourselves. |
| A．Short-sighted. | B．Wait-and-see. | C．Objective. | D．Skeptical. |
| A．Unhappily. | B．Mistakenly. | C．Hurriedly. | D．Carelessly. |
| A．Don’t escape when our self-image is broken. |
| B．Don’t quit when goals no longer make you happy. |
| C．Never hesitate to replace “Plan A” with “Plan C”. |
| D．Never forget to maintain a positive sense of self. |
It will come as no comfort to a child shivering (打哆嗦) on a playing field on a cold winter’s day. But regular organized school sport helps children in their academic studies in years to come. The researchers said other “structured” activities such as music or religious activities were not as beneficial for attention as taking part in a games lesson. The difference in academic ability was noticeable even at age ten, with those who had taken in sports since the start of junior school performing better than those who hadn’t.
The Canadian study looked at children aged six and then ten. Professor Linda Pagani said:“We worked with information provided by parents and teachers to compare kindergarteners’ activities with their classroom activities as they grew up. By the time they reached the fourth grade, kids who played structured sports were clearly better at following instructions and remaining focused in the classroom. There is something special to the sporting environment — perhaps the sense of belonging to a team to a special group with a common goal — that appears to help kids understand the importance of respecting the rules and honoring responsibilities.”
Researchers began studying 2,694 Canadian children around the age of six, with teachers filled in questionnaires about their behavior in school. Meanwhile, the children’s parents were interviewed by phone or in person about their home life. The exercise was the repeated four years later to test what effect the behavior had.
Professor Pagani said: “We found children who had better behavior in the kindergarten class were more likely to be involved in sport by age ten. Nevertheless, we found those children who were specifically involved in team sports at kindergarten scored higher by the time they reached the fourth grade.” The researchers believe sporting activities and attention skills go hand in hand. Professor Pagani added: “The results should be encouraging for schools looking to cut childhood obesity rates and low attainment in schools.”
1．What kinds of children may do better in their academic study according to paragraph one?| A．Those who join in structured activities. |
| B．Those who don’t shiver on a cold winter’s day. |
| C．Those who don’t like school sports. |
| D．Those who take part in game lessons. |
| A．The classroom activities. | B．The results of the exams. |
| C．The performance at kindergarten. | D．The time spent in classrooms. |
| A．understand each other better | B．follow the rules |
| C．respect the teachers | D．give up |
| A．How scientists carried out the research. |
| B．Why parents were interviewed by phone. |
| C．How kids behaved at home or at school. |
| D．How many sports kids did at school. |
| A．The research will be of great benefit. |
| B．It’s necessary for children go to kindergartens. |
| C．Childhood obesity rates can lead to low attainment. |
| D．Team sports will be reduced at kindergartens. |
One of my leachers once asked my class what our favorite memory was. My leacher asked for the moment in which “you fell the best; you fell that you had the world in the palms of your hand.” Some described amazing awards; other described winning a tournament. My answer, however, invited giggles and hesitant smiles. Why? Because I felt the best when I first learned how to ride my bike at thirteen. I didn’t mind my classmates’ stares and mockery, because I knew there was more to the story.
My elder sister and I shared a typical sisterly relationship: we couldn’t stand each other. I was an annoyance to her. Any sort of conversation we had usually ended up fighting. Gradually, I started to learn to be totally indifferent; perhaps the silent treatment would get more approval. I was wrong. We soon fell into a sad pattern. I avoided her, and she ignored me. Deep inside, it hurt. So that was how it was between us. She was only a sister in name. I truly believed that we would forever be apart, two housemates without conversation, two strangers without warmth.
I still remember the day I learned to ride a bike. I had received the bike that Christmas, which was great, until I realized that I had no idea how to ride it. My mom had long abandoned any attempt to teach me. I had proven to be a frustrating student. I took it upon myself to learn, a little bit each day. It was no different. I was coming to the end of my daily one-hour torture(折磨). I was so frustrated that I threw my bike aside and began to cry.
I guess that was what caused my sister to come outside.
“I made it,” I shouted with excitement.
A wireless charging room has been developed by scientists. It can deliver power through the air to any laptop, tablet or phone without the need for plugs or cables.
The new technology involves generating magnetic fields (磁场) over longer distances without also producing electrical fields that would prove harmful to any people or animals within the room, according to the team from the University of Tokyo.
The system, which has been tested in a single room but is still in its initial stage, can deliver up to 50 watts of power without exceeding (超过) current guidelines for human exposure to magnetic fields, the study authors explained. It could be used to charge any device with a wire coil fitted inside, similar to the system used with wireless charging pads currently in use—but without the pad. As well as removing charging cables from desks, it could allow for more devices to be fully robotized without the need for ports, plugs or cables.
To demonstrate the new system, they installed the unique Wireless charging equipment in a purpose-built aluminum “test room”. They then used it to power lamps, fans and mobile phones that drew current from anywhere in the room, regardless of where furniture or people had been placed.
Researchers didn’t say what the technology might cost because it is still very early in development and “years away” from being made available to the public. “This really ups the power of computing world—you could put a computer anywhere without ever having to worry about charging or plugging in,” said study coauthor Alanson Sample from the University of Michigan.
There are also medical applications, according to Sample, who said heart implants (植入) currently require a wire from the pump to run through the body and into a socket. “This could remove that,” the author said, adding it would act to reduce the risk of infection and improve patients’ quality of life by removing the wire completely.
1．What’s the advantage of the new technology according to the text?| A．It has been widely used in many fields. |
| B．It’s environmentally friendly. |
| C．The cable is essential in the new technology. |
| D．It can only be used to charge some devices. |
| A．awkward. | B．flexible. | C．controllable. | D．automatic. |
| A．The technology takes a lot of investment. |
| B．People can benefit a lot from this technology. |
| C．Heart implants can be conducted with the new technology. |
| D．The technology ups the power of the computing world. |
| A．Wireless Technology: Benefit Humans for its Convenience |
| B．Wireless Charging: Deliver Electricity through the Air |
| C．A New System: Promote the Powerful Computing World |
| D．Ground-breaking Advance: Charge Devices in a Minute |
I took up flying more or less on a whim (突发奇想). I had a really difficult time at that time. My mother left me and my favorite cat was lost two weeks later. My life was filled with uncertainties and sadness and I was left feeling terribly down. So when I passed our local airfield and saw an advertisement for trial flying lessons, I decided to book one. It was something I’d always imagined trying, and I hoped it would cheer me up.
I enjoyed my trial lessons and decided to book some more. I found that flying an airplane was attractive, and it took my mind off my personal difficulties. By the end of that summer, I had my private pilot’s license, and I started to do some local flights for fun.
Then I decided to have a go at flying helicopters, and I found that I liked that even more. Despite having promised myself and all my friends that I wasn’t going to take it up, I got my private pilot’s license for helicopters, too. Soon, I was hiring small helicopters and taking friends flying. But helicopter flying is very expensive, and I knew I couldn’t keep doing it as a hobby forever. I knew a lot of people at our local airfield, and many were taking commercial (商业的) flying exams — some with a goal of working as commercial pilots, others wanting to be instructors. I had an idea — I could become a helicopter instructor. That way, I could fly for free, and even get paid for it.
Then I told my friends my thought, but I didn’t expect some of the reactions I got. My friends couldn’t believe that I really meant to do that. “Oh, don’t be silly, Helen. You can’t possibly be a helicopter instructor,” one of my friends said. After all, I was well over forty, which is not the usual time to begin a new career. But I chose to stick to my idea.
Quickly, I went ahead with my plan.
Soon I found a job at an airfield, not too far from my home.
Delia Henderson had always had a dream. She dreamed of taking part in the “Dance World Cup”. It was a famous dance talent show which attracted the best dancers around the world. She was promised by her father that someday she would be taken for an audition (试演) .
The night of her 14th birthday, her city was hit by an earthquake, which, unfortunately, hurt one of her legs terribly. She survived, but the doctor told her that she had to learn to walk with a wooden leg for the rest of her life.
Two years later, Delia saw a notice one day, saying that auditions of the “Dance World Cup” would be held in her city. Painful memories flashed through her mind. It hurt her that she couldn’t live her dream because of her injured leg. However, her mother said, “You learned to walk with your injured leg, so why not learn to dance with it?”
Delia knew it was true but walking was hard, and dancing would be harder. On top of that, she didn’t want to be seen as a joke on the stage. So she told her mother and herself that it was time to say goodbye to her dream.
Her father, however, never forgot his promise to Delia. He signed her up for the show and since he wasn’t sure whether his daughter could get an audition, he did not say a single word to her about the whole thing. Until one day, he got the reply. It was a “Yes”. Excitedly, he took the news to Delia, but she was determined not to go.
Aware of Delia’s worry, her father slowly walked up to her.
Delia was shaking with nervousness as she made her way to the stage.
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