Once upon a time, there lived a man who wanted to achieve everything he was capable of achieving．He was obsessed with this desire --- he ate, slept, and walked with one and only dream: to die, having accomplished every single thing he was able to accomplish．

There were so many things he could do．He felt like the whole world could be his, 36   he set his mind to it．

He knew that his  37  had no limits．He knew that he could accumulate  38  that would dwarf （使相形见绌） that of ancient kings; he knew that he could  39  books that would shake the minds of generations; he knew that he could  40  things that would forever change the lives of millions of people．He lived, constantly feeling the power within --- and that power knew no bounds．

There was only one problem: having such a potential, but only one  41 , he had to make a choice．He had to decide where to  42  all of his ability．Making that decision was extremely hard, for any  43  meant cutting off some future achievements．In the meantime, he went to school, graduated, found a job, married, and  44  children．And he spent every minute of his spare time trying to decide  45  he should bring his potential into full play．

Time went by, and he grew  46 ．Some roads he used to dream about became closed to him．But there was still so much he could accomplish．

One day, a sudden chest pain made him come home early．He dragged his feet to the bathroom．There, feeling  47  , he looked in the mirror．A worn-out, gray-haired man stared back at him．He looked  48  into these eyes and, all of a sudden, 49  one simple truth．The next moment, the pain came again, and his heart stopped  50  forever．

The truth that came upon him was rather simple: People only flatter themselves （自以为是，自鸣得意） by thinking that they could have  51  this or that if not for such-and-such circumstances．Yet this is nothing but  52 ．You simply lack something that is  53 for achieving that goal you’ve never reached — a talent, a skill, willpower,  54  something else．In fact,  55  you don’t achieve is something you’re not capable of achieving．

36.    A．before            B．since              C．if                      D．though

37     A．wisdom          B．freedom          C．world                D．potential

38     A．courage          B．interest           C．knowledge         D．power

39     A．write              B．read                C．buy                   D．edit

40     A．adopt             B．acquire           C．invent                D．destroy

41     A．step               B．life                 C．chance              D．condition

42     A．promote         B．accumulate      C．increase             D．apply

43     A．choice            B．mistake           C．failure                D．effort

44     A．assisted          B．raised             C．loved                 D．punished

45     A．why               B．where             C．when                 D．whether

46     A．older              B．wiser              C．greedier             D．cruder

47     A．sleepy            B．weak              C．satisfied             D．comfortable

48     A．carelessly       B．secretly           C．angrily               D．closely

49     A．reminded        B．remembered    C．realized              D．created

50     A．fueling            B．starting           C．moving              D．beating

51     A．learned           B．achieved         C．undertaken         D．doubted

52     A．reality             B．history            C．imagination        D．record

53     A．unimportant    B．necessary        C．unbelievable       D．ordinary

54     A．and                B．or                   C．even                  D．as

55     A．what              B．which             C．that                   D．how

No matter how long your life, you will, at best, be able to read only a few books of all that have been written, and the few you do read should include the best. You can rejoice in the fact that the number of such is relatively small.

    ________________ Yet there is a surprising uniformity in the lists which represent the best choices of any period. In every age, the list makers include both ancient and modern books in their selections, and they always wonder whether the moderns are up to the great books of the past.

    What are the signs by which we may recognize a great book? The four I will mention may not be all they are, but they are the ones I’ve found most useful in explaining my choices over the years.

    Great books are probably the most widely read. They are not best sellers for a year or two. They are enduring best sellers. GONE WITH THE WIND has had relatively few readers compared to the plays of Shakespeare or DON QUIXOTE. It would be reasonable to estimate that Homer’s Iliad（伊丽亚特）has been read by at least 25,000,000 people in the last 3000 years.

    Great books are popular, not pedantic. They are not written by specialists about specialties for specialists. Whether they are philosophy or science, or history or poetry, they treat of human, not academic problems. They are written for men, not professors. To read a textbook for advanced students, you have to read an elementary textbook first. But the great books can be considered elementary in the sense that they treat the elements of any subject matter. They are not related to one another as a series of textbooks, graded in difficulty or in the technicality of the problems with which they deal.

    Great books are always contemporary, the most readable and instructive.

    Great books deal with the persistently unsolved problems of human life. There are genuine mysteries in the world that mark the limits of human knowing and thinking. Inquiry not only begins with wonder, but usually ends with it also. Great minds acknowledge mysteries honestly. Wisdom is fortified, not destroyed, by understanding its limitations.

1.Which of the following can be put in the blank in the second paragraph?

  A.Great books deal with the persistently unsolved problems of human life.

   B.It is to be expected that the selections will change with the times.

   C.The listing of the best books is as old as reading and writing.

   D.The fundamental human problems remain the same in all ages.

2.According to the author, Gone With The Wind is ________.

    A.a best seller                                                     B.disgusted by readers who like Shakespeare

    C.read more often than Don Quixote                   

    D.a great book

3.In the passage “pedantic” means ________.

    A.showing the feelings, esp, those of kindness, which people are supposed to have

    B.serving as practical examples

    C.being elementary

    D.paying too much attention to details in books

4.The best title for this passage is ________.

    A.Great Books in Your Life          B.Great Books in Your Speciality

    C.How to Find a Great Book?         D.What Is a Great Book?

No matter how long your life, you will, at best, be able to read only a few books of all that have been written, and the few you do read should include the best. You can rejoice in the fact that the number of such is relatively small.

       ________________ Yet there is a surprising uniformity in the lists which represent the best choices of any period. In every age, the list makers include both ancient and modern books in their selections, and they always wonder whether the moderns are up to the great books of the past.

       What are the signs by which we may recognize a great book? The four I will mention may not be all they are, but they are the ones I’ve found most useful in explaining my choices over the years.

       Great books are probably the most widely read. They are not best sellers for a year or two. They are enduring best sellers. GONE WITH THE WIND has had relatively few readers compared to the plays of Shakespeare or DON QUIXOTE. It would be reasonable to estimate that Homer’s Iliad（伊丽亚特）has been read by at least 25,000,000 people in the last 3000 years.

       Great books are popular, not pedantic. They are not written by specialists about specialties for specialists. Whether they are philosophy or science, or history or poetry, they treat of human, not academic problems. They are written for men, not professors. To read a textbook for advanced students, you have to read an elementary textbook first. But the great books can be considered elementary in the sense that they treat the elements of any subject matter. They are not related to one another as a series of textbooks, graded in difficulty or in the technicality of the problems with which they deal.

       Great books are always contemporary, the most readable and instructive.

       Great books deal with the persistently unsolved problems of human life. There are genuine mysteries in the world that mark the limits of human knowing and thinking. Inquiry not only begins with wonder, but usually ends with it also. Great minds acknowledge mysteries honestly. Wisdom is fortified, not destroyed, by understanding its limitations.

54.Which of the following can be put in the blank in the second paragraph?

       A.Great books deal with the persistently unsolved problems of human life.

       B.It is to be expected that the selections will change with the times.

       C.The listing of the best books is as old as reading and writing.

       D.The fundamental human problems remain the same in all ages.

55.According to the author, Gone With The Wind is ________.

       A.a best seller                                           B.disgusted by readers who like Shakespeare

       C.read more often than Don Quixote          

       D.a great book

56.In the passage “pedantic” means ________.

       A.showing the feelings, esp, those of kindness, which people are supposed to have

       B.serving as practical examples

       C.being elementary

       D.paying too much attention to details in books

57.The best title for this passage is ________.

       A.Great Books in Your Life   B.Great Books in Your Speciality

       C.How to Find a Great Book?       D.What Is a Great Book?

No matter how long your life is, you will, at best, be able to read only a few books of all that have been written, and the few you do read should include the best. You can be pleased with the fact that the number of such is relatively small.
It is to be expected that the selections will change over time. Yet there is a surprising uniformity (一致性) in the lists which represent the best choices of any period. In every age, the list makers include both ancient and modern books in their selections, and they always wonder whether the moderns are up to the great books of the past.
What are the signs by which we may recognize a great book? The four I will mention may not be all there are, but they are the ones I’ve found most useful in explaining my choices over the years.
Great books are probably the most widely read. They are enduring best sellers. Gone with the Wind has had relatively few readers compared to the plays of Shakespeare or Don Quixote. It would be reasonable to estimate that Homer Iliad has been read by at least 25,000,000 people in the last 3000 years.
Great books are popular, not pedantic. They are not written by specialists about specialties for specialists. Whether they are philosophy or science, or history or poetry, they treat of human, not academic problems. They are written for men, not professors. To read a textbook for advanced students, you have to read an elementary textbook first. But the great books can be considered elementary in the sense that they treat the elements of any subject matter. They are not related to one another as a series of textbooks, graded in difficulty or in the technicality of the problems with which they deal.
Great books are always contemporary, the most readable and instructive.
Great books deal with the continuously unsolved problems of human life. There are mysteries in the world that mark the limits of human knowing and thinking. Inquiry not begins with wonder, but usually ends with it also. Great minds acknowledge mysteries only honestly. Wisdom is encouraged, not destroyed, by understanding its limitations.
【小题1】Which is not the criterion in the following when considering a great book?

No matter how long your life is, you will, at best, be able to read only a few books of all that have been written, and the few you do read should include the best. You can be pleased with the fact that the number of such is relatively small.
It is to be expected that the selections will change over time. Yet there is a surprising uniformity (一致性) in the lists which represent the best choices of any period. In every age, the list makers include both ancient and modern books in their selections, and they always wonder whether the moderns are up to the great books of the past.
What are the signs by which we may recognize a great book? The four I will mention may not be all there are, but they are the ones I’ve found most useful in explaining my choices over the years.
Great books are probably the most widely read. They are enduring best sellers. Gone with the Wind has had relatively few readers compared to the plays of Shakespeare or Don Quixote. It would be reasonable to estimate that Homer Iliad has been read by at least 25,000,000 people in the last 3000 years.
Great books are popular, not pedantic. They are not written by specialists about specialties for specialists. Whether they are philosophy or science, or history or poetry, they treat of human, not academic problems. They are written for men, not professors. To read a textbook for advanced students, you have to read an elementary textbook first. But the great books can be considered elementary in the sense that they treat the elements of any subject matter. They are not related to one another as a series of textbooks, graded in difficulty or in the technicality of the problems with which they deal.
Great books are always contemporary, the most readable and instructive.
Great books deal with the continuously unsolved problems of human life. There are mysteries in the world that mark the limits of human knowing and thinking. Inquiry not begins with wonder, but usually ends with it also. Great minds acknowledge mysteries only honestly. Wisdom is encouraged, not destroyed, by understanding its limitations.

1. 1.

   Which is not the criterion in the following when considering a great book?

   1. A.
      Although not a best seller, it must be the most widely read.
   2. B.
      A great book can be read without any effort.
   3. C.
      Great books are never out of date.
   4. D.
      Great books will not disappoint you if you try to read them well.
2. 2.

   According to the author, Gone with the Wind is     .

   1. A.
      a best seller
   2. B.
      disliked by readers who like Shakespeare
   3. C.
      read more often than Don Quixote
   4. D.
      a great book
3. 3.

   In the passage the underlined word “pedantic” means        .

   1. A.
      showing the feelings, esp., those of kindness, which people are supposed to have
   2. B.
      serving as practical examples
   3. C.
      being elementary
   4. D.
      paying too much attention to details in books
4. 4.

   The best title for this passage is        .

   1. A.
      Great Books in Your Life
   2. B.
      Great Books in Your Specialty
   3. C.
      How to Find a Great Book?
   4. D.
      What Is a Great Book?