Question

One of the many great lines in the movie Apollo 13 came from Ed Harris, who played NASA Director of Operations, Gene Kranz. The famous line was, “Gentleman, failure is not an option.” He said the words because he had a clear purpose that the three astronauts trapped in space must be sent home safely. The driving force behind their seeking of a solution was motivated by a true purpose.

Here is the simple principle. If you have a big enough ‘why’ in life, you will always figure out the ‘how.’ A person without a purpose in life is like a boat without a rudder, floating aimlessly without a direction and going nowhere. In all walks of life, when referring to someone’s success, we often hear the words “focus and determination”. But Merriam Webster defines the word “purpose” as the reason why something is done, a feeling of being determined to achieve an outcome. There are many talented and intelligent people in the world that are unsuccessful because they lack direction. I believe that our life depends on our purpose. Whether you’re single or in a team, having a purpose allows you to start, evaluate, and improve your talents or abilities helps you find your path in  life and achieve your success finally.

A friend of mine once told me that the most motivating speech he had ever heard was just three short words. It came from his wife when she said, “Honey I’m pregnant.” He said those few words instantly motivated him because he now had a big “why” in his life, a purpose to work hard to support his family. In fact, when your “why” gets bigger, you get better because you stop holding back and you’ll go all out. It’s why you often hear about some great people perform superhuman actions when failure is not an option!

1.What does the underlined word “rudder” in paragraph 2 refer to?

A. Something that gets the boat started

B. Something that makes the boat float

C. The reason for which the boat is built

D. Something that directs the boat to a certain place.

2.What is the most important thing for success according to Merriam Webster?

A. Talent    B. Purpose

C. Determination    D. Intelligence

3.The author gives his friend’s example to show________.

A. why words can motivate people easily

B. that family love is very important in our daily life

C. that a purpose can make people try their best

D. how people can get success more easily

4.What does the author mainly tell us in this passage?

A. To be successful person    B. To have a big “Why” in life

C. To make a right choice    D. To get rid of failure

Answer

1.D

2.B

3.C

4.B

【解析】作者认为生活中要有目的去做任何事，这样就会提高能力，有助于成功。

1.词义猜测题。首先找到词所在的这句话A person without a purpose in life is like a boat without a rudder, floating aimlessly without a direction and going nowhere.一个人的生活没有目的就像是一艘船没有（），没有方向地漫无目的地漂浮，不知去哪。所以划线的词的含义应该是能够帮助船朝某个方向或目的地行驶的东西，也就是船舵，故选D。

2.细节理解题。根据第二段But Merriam Webster defines the word “purpose” as the reason why something is done, a feeling of being determined to achieve an outcome.可知Merriam Webster认为成功最重要的东西就是要有目的，故答案为B。

3.推理判断题。根据最后一段he now had a big “why” in his life, a purpose to work hard to support his family.他的朋友现在生活有了目的，努力工作来养家。所以这个事例也是告诉我们有了目的才会有动力，才会开发出人最大的潜力和能力去尽最大努力做事，故选C。

4.推理判断题。文中从第一段以电影中的台词作为话题的引入—purpose（目的）。后文中用从理论和事例的角度讲述了生活中要有目的去做任何事，这样才会开发出巨大的潜力和能力去实现目标，获得成功。