During the school year many parents take...

There are two kinds of people in the world. Those of the first kind are born idlers (游手好闲者), taking interest in nothing. It seems what they live for is to pass time idly. They simply don’t know why they have to do so, nor will they bother to ask. The other kind are those who take things seriously and never wish to idle away their life. But only a part of the second group are eager enough to make success. All the others fail to make enough effort to make their dreams come true. 

Why do things so happen to them? What are the reasons?

I later find out that some people are determined. They are “igniters” that catch fire of their own, giving light and heat. But that’s not the case with others. They may be fuels but not igniters. As pieces of wood or coal, they need a match or a lighter to make them burn so that their energy can be released to give off light and heat.

The majority of people need some igniter to light them. Thus igniter becomes a must for those people to succeed. Unless a suitable igniter comes their way, they will always remain idle like cold unused firewood or coal.

Fortunately, such an igniter is not difficult to meet. One may find it in an instructive book, a film story, a few words of a close friend, some advice of a good teacher, a pleasant journey, or an unexpected love.

Any of these, coming at the right time, can serve as an igniter to start one’s enthusiasm for learning or for a better career, to turn him from a passive state of waiting to an active state of pursuing, to lend him strength to go ahead bravely. In that case, what he has prepared for years will be quickly turned into fruitful reality.

Such an igniter may turn up of itself, but most likely we have to find it ourselves. Never let a chance slide away, for it is the key to your success.

1. According to the text, “________” are the persons that can light many people so that their energy can be released to give off light and heat.

2. According to the writer, what do most people definitely need to succeed? 

3. The writer writes the article to _________.

For many years, I was convinced that my suffering was due to my size. I believed that when the weight disappeared, it would take old wounds, hurts and rejections with it.

Many weight-conscious people also mistakenly believe that changing our bodies will fix everything. Perhaps our worst mistake is believing that being thin equals being loved, being special, and being cherished. We fantasize about what it will be like when we reach the long-awaited goal. We work very hard to realize this dream. Then, at last, we find ourselves there.

But we often gain back what we have lost. Even so, we continue to believe that next time it will be different. Next time, we will keep it off. Next time, being thin will finally fulfill its promise of everlasting happiness, self-worth, and, of course, love.

It took me a long while to realize that there was something more for me to learn about beauty. Beauty standards vary with culture. In Samoa a woman is not considered attractive unless she weighs more than 200 pounds. More importantly, if it’s happiness that we want, why not put our energy there rather than on the size of our body? Why not look inside? Many of us strive hard to change our body, but in vain. We have to find a way to live comfortably inside our body and make friends with and cherish ourselves. When we change our attitudes toward ourselves, the whole world changes.

1.What does the underlined word “everything” in Paragraph 2 mean?

2.What can be inferred about the author?

3.According to the text, those who have lost weight first and gained it back later feel _______.

4.The text tries to stress the importance of ____________.

If you are human, you can’t help but experience times when everything seems to be going wrong. You must also _36__as if your life is completely out of control at times. It is during those “down times” that words of encouragement from family, friends, co-workers or __37_strangers can boost(增强)your spirits. It is also during those __38_that negative words can be devastating (毁灭性的) and sink you deeper and deeper into depression.

For example, consider this story about a group of _39__who were traveling through the woods when __40__of them fell into a deep pit(坑). All of the other frogs gathered around the __41__.When they saw how _42__the pit was, they told the two _43__frogs they would never get out.

The two frogs didn’t obey what other frogs said and tried to __44__ out of the pit. The other frogs kept telling them not to jump, _45__it was in vain. Finally, one of the frogs followed what the other frogs were saying and simply _46. He fell down and _47_. The other frog continued to jump as __48_as he could. Once again the crowd of frogs shouted at him to _49__ the pain. The more they _50__, the harder he jumped and finally he __51__to safety.

When he __52_, the other frogs asked him why he continued to jump when they were all __53__him to simply quit. The frog __54_to them that he was a little bit deaf. He thought they were _55__him all the time.

5. A. two            B. three        c.many        D. few 

20. A. encouraging  B. helping      C. pulling      D dragging

______, she isn’t ready to buy it.

That Japan made an attempt to ______ the Diaoyu Islands has aroused the anger of all Chinese people because they have been China’s since ancient times.