Parents’ blessing will play a great part in the growth of their children. My father wrote me a valuable letter before his death, one part of which always  36  . “I know you will do  37  great that will set you among the very best one day in the future.”

Since I first read his  38  at 12, they have lived in my heart.  39  ,I knew that my dad’s believing in me gave me permission to believe in  40  . “You will do something great.” He didn’t know  41  that would mean, but whenever I felt 42  of myself, I remember my father’s words, and  43   he were here, so I could ask, “Is this what you were  44  about, Dad?”

Many years have passed, and I believe that my father  45  have been proud when I  46  from basic training and became a rescue swimmer. Lately, I’ve come to realize he’d want me to move 47  to what comes next: to be proud of, and believe in someone else.

Yes, it’s time to all of us to  48  writing our own letters to our children. They look to us with the same  49  . “Is this it, Daddy? Am I doing fine?” It’s why every child growing up says, “Watch me!” Our children don’t  50   because they are not afraid to fail. They are only afraid of failing  51___.

Remember to give your children  52   to succeed. If you don’t have children, then write a letter to someone who  53  you. They are waiting for you to believe in them. Trust me, love will be 54  real and their belief in themselves will be greater if you write the words on their hearts: “  55  ! You will do something great.” Not having that blessing from someone they love may be the only thing holding them back.

1.A. picks out  B. shows out    C. stands out       D. turns out

2.A. everything B. nothing      C. anything         D. something

3.A. sentences  B. letter       C. words            D. message

4.A. Growing up B. Turning up C. Bringing up        D. Taking up

5.A. himself        B. myself       C. itself           D. themselves

6.A. who            B. how          C. which            D. what

7.A. disappointed B. active C. proud                D. upset

8.A. hoped      B. wished       C. expected         D. thought

9.A. talking    B. doubting     C. dreaming         D. discussing

10.A. might B. would            C. will             D. must

11.A. graduated B. recovered    C. appeared         D. survived

12.A. up            B. on           C. away             D. in

13.A. stop      B. keep         C. start            D. continue

14.A. demand        B. response     C. desire           D. question

15.A. hold on       B. keep on      C. hold back        D. take back

16.A. us            B. him          C. you              D. tm

17.A. impression    B. direction    C. explanation      D. permission

18.A. looks through B. looks down on C. looks up to D. looks forward to

19.A. more      B. less         C. much         D. little

20.A. Watch out  B. Never fear    C. Take it easy   D. Never mind.

 

I was in a strange city and I didn't know the city at all and what is more，I could not speak a word of the language. After having spent my first day in the town-centre，I decided to lose my way on my second day, since I believed that this was the simplest way of getting to know the strange city.

I got on the first bus that passed, rode on it for several stops then got it off and walked on. The first two hours passed pleasantly enough. Then I decided to turn back to my hotel for lunch. After walking about for some time, I decided I had better ask the way. The trouble was that the only word I knew of the language was the name of the street in which I lived and even then I pronounced it badly.

I stopped to ask a friendly-looking newspaper-seller. He smiled and handed me a paper. I shook my head and repeated the name of the street and he put the paper into my hands. I had to give him some money and went on my way. The next person I asked was a policeman. The policeman listened to me carefully, smiled and gently took me by the arm. There was a strange look in his eyes as he pointed left and right and left again. I thanked him politely and began walking in the direction he pointed.

About an hour passed and I noticed that the houses were getting fewer and fewer and green fields were appearing on either side of me. I had come all the way into the countryside.

The only thing left for me to do was to find the nearest railway station,

1.The writer believed that if you wanted to get to know a strange city         .

A．you should go everywhere on foot

B．you should have a map

C．you should ask people the way

D．you should get lost

2.The newspaper-seller ________

A．could understand what he said

B．didn't know what he said

C．laughed at him

D．didn't want to take the money

3.The writer's real trouble was that            .

A．he couldn't speak the language

B．he followed the policeman's direction

C．he took the wrong bus

D．he left the town-centre

4.The policeman        .

A．didn't help him

B．pointed at him

C．didn't understand what he really meant

D．didn’t know the way

 

      With the Indian economy predicted to grow by 7．5 percent this year, experts say it could be time for Western CEOs to learn some lessons from Indian CEOs．The key differences between Indian and Western bosses are:

       Social purpose

       One of the most important things is that Indian leaders lead with a sense of social purpose．Every leader in India gave a specific social purpose as being the goal of their business．Those purposes ranged from improving healthcare to getting cell phones to people who didn't have access to communication tools．Having a social purpose motivates workers．

       Invest in employees

      Indian firms invest an enormous amount in their employees' training and development．IT firms typically offer 60 days of formal training for newly hired workers and they even spend months training experienced workers．A study said that Western firms have largely abandoned investing in employees, seeing it as a waste if they quit．But Indian bosses believe that investing in employees ensures the quality of those who stay at the company．

       Take the long view

       Indian bosses stress far less on shareholders than it is typical at Western business．As a result they're more able to take a long-term view．Western companies can't just ignore their shareholders, but their CEOs can do more to protect their -employees from short-term financial pressures, letting them get on with their jobs．

       Work from their strengths

       Western companies often think about strategy in terms of chasing customers or pursuing market opportunities, but Indian firms will more often start by identifying their strengths and customers’ needs, and then try to meet those needs．

       Act as a role model

       Being a personal role model for their employees is an amazing thing for a CEO．If Western bosses could think of themselves as role models, it would have a real impact on their workers．

Indian CEOs use their sense of social purpose to _________．

       A．improve the workers' healthcare system

       B．provide cell phones to people in need

       C．motivate and encourage their employees

       D．promote the development of communication systems

Western firms have largely abandoned investing in employees’ training and development because _______．

       A．it takes too long to complete the formal training of newly hired workers

       B．they often hire experienced workers who don't need much training

       C．they are afraid of the losses brought about by the resignation of employees

       D．they don't care about the quality of the employees in their firms

Which of the following is TRUE about Western bosses?

       A．They stress on workers more than shareholders．

       B．They always act as role models for employees．

       C．They are good at identifying their own strengths．

       D．They pay closer attention to market opportunities．

Passage Nineteen (TV’s Harmfulness)

Yes, but what did we use to do before there was television? How often we hear statements like this! Television hasn’t been with us all that long, but we are already beginning to forget what the world was like without it. Before we admitted the one-eyed monster into our homes, we never fond it difficult to occupy our spare time. We used to enjoy civilized pleasures. For instance, we used to have hobbies, we used to entertain our friends and be entertained by them, we used to go outside for our amusements to theatres, cinemas, restaurants and sporting events. We even used to read books and listen to music and broadcast talks occasionally. All that belongs to the past. Now all our free time is regulated by the goggle box. We rush home or gulp down our meals to be in time for this or that programme. We have even given up sitting at table and having a leisurely evening meal, exchanging the news of the day. A sandwich and a glass of beer will do – anything, providing it doesn’t interfere with the programme. The monster demands and obtains absolute silence and attention. If any member of the family dares to open his mouth during a programme, he is quickly silenced.

Whole generations are growing up addicted to the telly. Food is left uneaten, homework undone and sleep is lost. The telly is a universal pacifier. It is now standard practice for mother to keep the children quiet by putting them in the living-room and turning on the set. It doesn’t matter that the children will watch rubbishy commercials or spectacles of sadism and violence – so long as they are quiet.

There is a limit to the amount of creative talent available in the world. Every day, television consumes vast quantities of creative work. That is why most of the programmes are so bad: it is impossible to keep pace with the demand and maintain high standards as well. When millions watch the same programmes, the whole world becomes a village, and society is reduced to the conditions which obtain in preliterate communities. We become utterly dependent on the two most primitive media of communication: pictures and the spoken word.

Television encourages passive enjoyment. We become content with second-hand experiences. It is so easy to sit in our armchairs watching others working. Little by little, television cuts us off from the real world. We get so lazy, we choose to spend a fine day in semi-darkness, glued to our sets, rather than go out into the world itself. Television may be s splendid medium of communication, but it prevents us from communicating with each other. We only become aware how totally irrelevant television is to real living when we spend a holiday by the sea or in the mountains, far away from civilization. In quiet, natural surroundings, we quickly discover how little we miss the hypnotic tyranny of King Telly.

1.What is the biggest harm of TV?

A.It deprives people of communication with the real world.

B.People become lazy.

C.People become dependent on second-hand experience.

D.TV consumes a large part of one’s life.

2.In what way can people forget TV?

A.Far away from civilization.

B.To a mountain.

C.By the sea.

D.In quiet natural surroundings.

3.What does a mother usually do to keep her children quiet?

A.Let them watch the set.

B.Put them in the living room.

C.Let them watch the rubbish.

D.Let them alone.

4.What does the first sentence in the first paragraph mean?

A.We found it difficult to occupy our spare time.

B.We become addicted to TV.

C.What we used to do is different from now.

D.We used to enjoy civilized pleasures.

In choosing a friend, one should be very careful. A good friend can help you study. You can have fun together and make each other happy. Sometimes you will meet fair-weather friends, who will be with you as long as you have money or luck, but when you are down, they will run away. How do I know when I have found a good friend? I look for certain qualities (品质) of character, especially understanding, honesty and reliability (可靠).

Above all else, I look for understanding in a friend. A good friend tries to understand how another person is feeling. He is not quick to judge. Instead, he tries to learn from others. He puts himself in the other person’s place, and he tries to think of ways to be helpful. He is also a good listener.

At the same time, however, a good friend is honest. He does not look for faults (过错) in others. He notices their good points. In short, a friend will try to understand me and accept me.

Another quality of a friend is reliability. I can always depend on a good friend. If he tells me he will meet me somewhere at a certain time, I can be sure that he will be there. If I need a favor, he will do his best to help me. If I am in trouble, he will not run away from me.

There is a fourth quality that makes a friend special. A special friend is someone with whom we can have fun. We should enjoy our lives, and we would enjoy our friendship. That is why I especially like friends who are fun to be with. A good friend likes the same things I like. We share experience (经验) and learn from each other. A good friend has a good sense of humor, too. He likes to laugh with me. That is how we share in the joy of being friends. And I know that he is looking for the same quality in me.

When I meet someone who is reliable, honest, and understanding, I know I’ve found a friend!

1. If you have fair-weather friends, _____.

A．they will give you all that they have when you need help

B．you will be refused when you get into trouble

C．you will become rich

D．you can be sure that you get real friends

2.Good friends need to ______.

A．always point out each other’s mistakes

B．be helped with money

C．understand each other’s feelings

D．have money or luck.

3. This passage mainly discusses ________.

A．the qualities of a friend

B．where to choose friends

C．how to get along with friends

D．the importance of having a friend