Jack London had endured more hardships by the age of twenty-one than most people experience in a lifetime. His struggles developed in him sympathy for the working class and a lasting dislike of hard work and provided inspiration for his career as a writer.
London grew up in San Francisco in extreme poverty. At an early age, he left school and supported himself through a succession of un skilled jobs ----working as a paper boy, in bowling alleys, on ice wagons, and in canneries（罐头食品厂） and mills. Despite working long hours at these jobs, London was able to read constantly, borrowing travel and adventure books from the library.
The books London read inspired him to travel, and his job experiences led him to become active in fighting for the fights of workers. He sailed to Japan on a journey aiming at catching seals and joined a cross-country protest march with a group of unemployed workers. After being arrested for vagrancy near Buffalo, New York, London decided to educate himself and reshape his life. He quickly completed high school and entered the University of California.
After only one term, however, the appeal of fortune and adventure proved uncontrollable. London gave up his studies and traveled to the Alaskan Yukon in 1897 in search of gold. Jack London was among the first of these miners. He may have searched for more than gold, however. London once commented, “ True, the new region was mostly poor; but its several hundred thousand square miles of coldness at least gave breathing space to those who else would have choked at home.” Although he was unsuccessful as a miner, London’s experiences in Alaska taught him about the human desire for wealth and power and about humankind’s inability to control the forces of nature. While in Alaska, London also absorbed memories and stories that would make him known one hundred years later.
Once back in California, London became determined to earn a living as a writer. He rented a typewriter and worked up to fifteen hours a day, spinning his Alaskan adventures into short stories and novels.
According to legend, London’s piles of rejection slips from publishers grew to five feet in height!
Even so, London preserved. In 1903, he earned national fame when he published the popular novel The Call of the Wild. He soon became the highest paid and most industrious writer in the country. During his career, he produced more than fifty books and earned more than a million dollars. Several of his novels, including The Call of the Wild(1903),the Sea-Wolf(1904),the White Fang(1906),have become American classics. In fact, he was a creative writer whose fiction explored several regions and their cultures: the Yukon, California, Hawaii, and the Solomon Islands. He experimented with many literary forms, from traditional love stories and dystopias（反面乌托邦小说）to science fantasy. His noted journalism included war communication, boxing stories, and the life of Molokai lepers（麻风病患者）. He was among the most influential figures of his day, who understood how to create a public persona and use the media to market his self-created image of poor-boy-turned-success. London's great passion was agriculture, and he was well on the way of creating a new model for spreading through his Beauty Ranch when he died of kidney disease at age 40. He left over fifty books of novels, stories, journalism, and essays, many of which have been translated and continue to be read around the world. His best works describe a person’s struggle for survival against the powerful forces of nature. “To Build a Fire”, for example, tells the story of a man’s fight to survive the harsh cold of the Alaskan winter.
1._________made Jack London reconsider his life in the future.
A. His job experience B. The books he read
C. Being arrested D. Long-hour work
2.What is TRUE about Jack London?
A. Jack London was poor all his life.
B. Jack London got enough money while in the search of gold.
C. The books Jack London read inspired him to travel and become active.
D. The experience of gold searching made Jack London determined to write novels about Alaska adventures.
3.After the experience in Alaska, Jack London ________________.
A. realized the nature of human beings.
B. knew people could control the nature finally.
C. regretted being there.
D.thought highly of himself.
4.In paragraph 4, the sentence “True, the new region was mostly poor; but its several hundred thousand square miles of coldness at least gave breathing space to those who else would have choked at home.” implies_______________________________.
A. Jack London regarded Alaska a poor place as he never got any gold there.
B. people would have been ill at home if they had never been Alaska.
C. People searching for gold there still have chance to win.
D. Alaska was a poor but large region.
5.Which one of following works doesn’t belong to Jack London according to the passage?
A. love stories B. poetry C. journalism D. essays
6.What can we learn from Jack London’s final success?
A. Failure is the mother of success.
B. Practice makes perfect.
C. Knowledge is powerful.
D. All of above.
Have you ever picked a job based on the fact that you were good at it but later found it made you feel very uncomfortable over time? When you select your career, there's a whole lot more to it than assessing your skills and matching them with a particular position. If you ignore your personality, it will hurt you long-term regardless of your skills or the job's pay. There are several areas of your personality that you need to consider to help you find a good job. Here are a few of those main areas;
1) Do you prefer working alone or with other people?
There are isolating（使孤立）jobs that will drive an outgoing person crazy and also interactive jobs that will make a shy person uneasy. Most people are not extremes in either direction but do have a tendency that they prefer. There are also positions that are sometimes a combination of the two, which may be best for someone in the middle who adapts easily to either situation.
2) How do you handle change?
Most jobs these days have some elements of change to them, but some are more than others. If you need stability in your life, you may need a job where the changes don't happen so often. Other people would be bored of the same daily routine.
3) Do you enjoy working with computers？
I do see this as a kind of personality characteristic. There are people who are happy to spend more than 40 hours a week on a computer, while there are others who need a lot of human interaction throughout the day. Again, these are extremes and you'll likely find a lot of positions somewhere in the middle as well.
4) What type of work environment do you enjoy？
This can range from being in a large building with a lot of people you won't know immediately to a smaller setting where you'll get to know almost all the people there fairly quickly.
5) How do you like to get paid?
Some people are motivated by the pay they get, while others feel too stressed to be like that. The variety of payment designs in the sales industry is a typical example for this.
Anyway, these are a great starting point for you. I've seen it over and over again with people that they make more money over time when they do something they love. It may take you a little longer, but making a move to do what you have a passion for can change the course of your life for the better.
1.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Isolating jobs usually drive people mad.
B. Interactive jobs make people shy easily.
C. Extreme people tend to work with others.
D. Almost everyone has a tendency in jobs.
2.What does the underlined sentence in paragraph one mean?
A. Before you select your job, you should assess your skills and match them with your position
B. There are more important things than assessing skills and match them with the position when you select job.
C. Nothing is important than assessing skills and match them with the position when you select job.
D. You should ignore your skills when you select job.
3.What is the missing word about a job search in the following chart?
A. Design. B. Changes. C. Cooperation. D. Hobbies.
4.What is the best title for this passage?
A. Lifestyles and Job Pay B. Jobs and Environment
C. Job Skills and Abilities D. Personalities and Jobs
From good reading we can derive pleasure, companionship, experience, and instruction. A good book may absorb our attention so completely that for the time being we forget our surroundings and even our identity. Reading good books is one of the greatest pleasures in life. It increases our contentment when we are cheerful, and lessens our troubles when we are sad. Whatever may be our main purpose in reading, our contact with good books should never fail to give us enjoyment and satisfaction.
With a good book in our hands we need never be lonely. Whether the characters portrayed are taken from real life or are purely imaginary, they may become our companions and friends. In the pages of books we can walk with the wise and the good of all lands and all times. The people we meet in books may delight us either because they resemble human friends whom we hold dear or because they present unfamiliar types whom we are glad to welcome as new acquaintances. Our human friends sometimes may bore us, but the friends we make in books need never weary us with their company. By turning the page we can dismiss them without any fear of hurting their feelings. When human friends desert us, good books are always ready to give us friendship, sympathy, and encouragement. One of the most valuable gifts bestowed by books is experience. Few of us can travel far from home or have a wide range of experiences, but all of us can lead varied lives through the pages of books. Whether we wish to escape from the seemingly dull realities of everyday life or whether we long to visit some far-off place, a book will help us when nothing else can. To travel by book we need no bank account to pay our way; no airship or ocean liner or stream-lined train to transport us; no passport to enter the land of our heart's desire. Through books we may get the thrill of hazardous adventure without danger. We can climb lofty mountains, brave the perils of an Antarctic winter, or cross the scorching sands of the desert, all without hardship. In books we may visit the studios of Hollywood; we may mingle with the gay throngs of the Paris boulevards; we may join the picturesque peasants in an Alpine village or the kindly natives on a South Sea island. Indeed, through books the whole world is ours for the asking. The possibilities of our literary experiences are almost unlimited. The beauties of nature, the enjoyment of music, the treasures of art, the triumphs of architecture, the marvels of engineering, are all open to the wonder and enjoyment of those who read.
1.Why is it that we sometimes forget our surroundings and even our identity while reading?
A. No one has come to disturb you.
B. Everything is so quiet and calm around you.
C. The book you are reading is so interesting and attractive.
D. Your book is overdue; you are finishing it at a very fast speed.
2.How would you account for the fact that people like their acquaintances in books even more?
A. They resemble human friends exactly.
B. They are unfamiliar types we like.
C. They never desert us.
D. They never hurt our feelings.
3.Which of the following is true?
A. Your wish to visit some far-off place can be realized through the pages of the books.
B. To escape from the dull realities of everyday life you should take up reading.
C. Books can always help you to live a colorful life.
D. You may obtain valuable experience from reading good books.
4. The word “weary” means ______.
A. “to attract someone’s attention”
B. “to distract someone’s attention”
C. “to make someone very tired”
D. “to make someone interested”
5.“... the whole world is ours for the asking” implies that ____________.
A. in books the world is more accessible to us
B. we can ask to go anywhere in the world
C. we can make a claim to everything in this world
D. we can make a round-the-world trip free of charge
Some years ago when I was in my first year in college, I heard Salome Bey sing for the first time. The moment was exciting. Salome’s 21 filled the room and brought the theater to life. I was so 22 that I decided to write an article about her.
I 23 Salome Bey, telling her I was from Essence magazine, and that I wanted to meet her to talk about her career. She 24 and told me to come to her studio next Tuesday. When I hung up, I was scared out of my mind. I 25 I was lying. I was not a writer at all and hadn’t even written a grocery list.
I interviewed Salome Bey the next Tuesday. I sat there 26 , taking notes and asking questions that all began with, “Can you tell me…” I soon realized that 27 Salome Bey was one thing, but writing a story for a national magazine was just impossible. The 28 was almost unbearable. I struggled for days 29 draft after draft. Finally I put my manuscript (手稿) into a large envelope and dropped it into a mailbox.
It didn’t take long. My manuscript 30 . How stupid of me! I thought. How could I 31 in a world of professional writers? Knowing I couldn’t 32 the rejection letter, I threw the unopened envelope into a drawer.
Five years later, I was moving to California. While 33 my apartment, I came across the unopened envelope. This time I opened it and read the editor’s letter in 34 :
Ms Profit,
Your story on Salome Bey is fantastic. Yet we need some 35 materials. Please add those and return the article immediately. We would like to 36 your story soon.
Shocked, it took me a long time to 37 . Fear of rejection cost me ly. I lost at least five hundred dollars and having my article appear in a major magazine. More importantly, I lost years of 38 writing. Today, I have become a full – time writer. Looking back on this 39 , I learned a very important lesson: You can’t 40 to doubt yourself.
1.A．joy B．voice C．speech D．smile
2.A．proud B．active C．satisfied D．moved
3.A．visited B．emailed C．phoned D．interviewed
4.A．agreed B．refused C．hesitated D．paused
5.A．replied B．discovered C．explained D．knew
6.A．seriously B．patiently C．nervously D．quietly
7.A．blaming B．fooling C．inviting D．urging
8.A．hardship B．failure C．comment D．pressure
9.A．with B．by C．on D．in
10.A．disappeared B．returned C．spread D．improved
11.A．compare B．struggle C．survive D．compete
12.A．ignore B．deliver C．face D．receive
13.A．decorating B．repairing C．cleaning D．leaving
14.A．disbelief B．anxiety C．horror D．trouble
15.A．subjective B．relevant C．private D．reliable
16.A．broadcast B．create C．publish D．assess
17.A．recover B．prepare C．escape D．concentrate
18.A．energetic B．endless C．typical D．enjoyable
19.A．experience B．success C．benefit D．accident
20.A．attempt B．afford C．expect D．pretend
_____what they say about me, I’m going to continue my work.
A. In terms of B. Regardless of C. Instead of D. In favor of
As a typist, the most important aspect of the job is to be able to type quickly and _____.
A. faithfully B. actually C. roughly D. accurately
