“When are you going on holiday? And where? ”are usual questions in the office before the summer holiday, and the answer often is: “In one week, to the beach. ”“Aha! You have a beautiful tan（＝brown by sunshine）! How was your holiday? ”These continue for days after you return.　　  Many Europeans have not only weekends and bank holidays but also five to seven weeks paid leave. おUsually parents in the summer plan to spend three or four weeks with the family. Because of my earlier years in China, I found it difficult to understand the European attitude （态度）toward holidays.

During my childhood in the 1960s, my parents were always busy with work and meetings. They left early in the morning and came back late in the evening. My sisters, my brother and I were left alone with Grandma. We saw our parents only on Sundays and during the few holidays. The only long period （一段）of time during which the whole family could be together once a year was the Spring Festival. We missed our parents badly, but didn’t say so because we had been told that hard work was everyone’s duty and that we could not have our own small family without a big family.　　  Later I was a hard working student and, during summer or winter holidays, often stayed alone at university to have more time to study. I was always encouraged by my parents, for whom the holiday was less important than “work” and “study”. Holidays were a waste of time and I felt as if I had done something wrong if I took a holiday or did nothing during a holiday.

I spent the most difficult period of my life abroad. But when I joined this company, my boss didn’t seem to think it right for me to work like that. When I called him at home after office hours for business purposes （目的）, he politely told me that he preferred talking about work with me in the office.

When the holiday season came near, he asked me to plan my leave beforehand （提前）. He talked with me about his holiday and also asked about mine. For him, leave was a right.　　  Giving up a holiday for the company is encouraged in China, but is foolish here. I began to think about holidays.

Today my parents are retired （退休）and stay home with a lot of time for their children. But we are all grown- up and live far away. We miss each other, but we cannot afford to see each other very much and they often feel sorry for the fact that they were too busy to be able to take care of us when we were young.

Nowadays, Chinese take long weekends and have paid holidays. But do they use their holidays to enjoy family life? I hope so because my experience in China and Europe has helped me understand that work is not my whole life and that a family is also very important. I do not want to feel sorry in the future as my parents do and I certainly spend as much time with my son as possible. There is nothing wrong with either working hard or taking holidays, but we shouldn’t have one instead of the other. It is important to keep a balance （平衡）between work and play.   

1. What do the underlined words “paid leave” mean?

A. You have to pay when you take a holiday.　　 

B. Someone will pay for your holiday.　　 

C. You are still paid when you have your holiday.　　

D. You can’t leave until you pay for the holiday.   

2. What is the main idea of this passage?

A. Working is the only part of the life.      

B. Traveling is the best way to spend your holiday.　　 

C. Enjoying holidays is as important as working　　 

D. Sharing happiness with your family is more important   

3. The writer talks about her own experience because she hopes that the Chinese will _______.　　  A. plan their holiday beforehand　　  B. get used to long holidays and enjoy themselves　　  C. give up a holiday for their work　　   D. bring business home after work hours

 

Some people bring out the best in you in a way that you might never have fully realized on your own. My mom was one of those people.
My father died when I was nine months old, making my mom a single mother at the age of eighteen. While I was growing up, we lived a very   36  life. We had little money, but my mom gave me a lot of love. Each night, she sat me on her lap and spoke the words that would   37  my life, “Kemmons, you are certain to be a great man and you can do anything in life if you work hard enough to get it.”
At fourteen, I was hit by a car and the doctors said I would never   38  again. Every day, my mother spoke to me in her gentle, loving voice, telling me that no matter what those doctors said, I could walk again if I didn’t want to be bad enough. She   39  that message so deep into my heart that I finally believed her. A year later, I returned to school-walking on my own!
When the Great Depression（大萧条）  40 , my mom lost her job. Then I left school to support（支撑） both of us. At that moment, I decided never to be   41  again.
Over the years, I experienced various levels of business success. But the real   42  point happened on a vacation I took with my wife and five kids in 1916. I was dissatisfied with the second-class hotels for families and was angry that they charged（收费）an extra $2 for each child. That was too   43  for most American families. I told my wife that I was going to open a hotel for families that would never charge extra for   44 . There were plenty of doubters at that time.
Not   45 , mom was one of my strongest supporters. She worked behind the desk and even designed the room style. As in any business, we experienced a lot of hard time. But with my mother’s words deeply rooted in my heart, I   46  doubted we would succeed. Fifteen years later, we had the largest hotel system in the world­ - Holiday Inn. In 1979 my company had 1,759 inns in more than fifty countries with an income of $1 billion a year.
You may not have started out life in the best situations. But if you can find a   47  in life worth working for and believe in yourself, nothing can stop you.

【小题1】

A．quiet B．boring C．hard D．strange

【小题2】

A．accept B．change C．disturb D．check

【小题3】

A．study B．speak C．listen D．walk

【小题4】

A．drove B．expected C．explained D．covered

【小题5】

A．did B．hit C．cut D．fit

【小题6】

A．excited B．brave C．patient D．poor

【小题7】

A．leading B．breaking C．turning D．celebrating

【小题8】

A．expensive B．fantastic C．different D．special

【小题9】

A．husband B．parents C．children D．wife

【小题10】

A．successfully B．surprisingly C．interestingly D．importantly

【小题11】

A．always B．sometimes C．almost D．never

【小题12】

A．task B．hotel C．company D．wor

Some people bring out the best in you in a way that you might never have fully realized on your own. My mom was one of those people.

My father died when I was nine months old, making my mom a single mother at the age of eighteen. While I was growing up, we lived a very   36   life. We had little money, but my mom gave me a lot of love. Each night, she sat me on her lap and spoke the words that would   37   my life, “Kemmons, you are certain to be a great man and you can do anything in life if you work hard enough to get it.”

At fourteen, I was hit by a car and the doctors said I would never   38   again. Every day, my mother spoke to me in her gentle, loving voice, telling me that no matter what those doctors said, I could walk again if I didn’t want to be bad enough. She   39   that message so deep into my heart that I finally believed her. A year later, I returned to school-walking on my own!

When the Great Depression（大萧条）  40  , my mom lost her job. Then I left school to support（支撑） both of us. At that moment, I decided never to be   41   again.

Over the years, I experienced various levels of business success. But the real   42   point happened on a vacation I took with my wife and five kids in 1916. I was dissatisfied with the second-class hotels for families and was angry that they charged（收费）an extra $2 for each child. That was too   43   for most American families. I told my wife that I was going to open a hotel for families that would never charge extra for   44  . There were plenty of doubters at that time.

Not   45  , mom was one of my strongest supporters. She worked behind the desk and even designed the room style. As in any business, we experienced a lot of hard time. But with my mother’s words deeply rooted in my heart, I   46   doubted we would succeed. Fifteen years later, we had the largest hotel system in the world­ - Holiday Inn. In 1979 my company had 1,759 inns in more than fifty countries with an income of $1 billion a year.

You may not have started out life in the best situations. But if you can find a   47   in life worth working for and believe in yourself, nothing can stop you.

1.A. quiet          B. boring               C. hard          D. strange

2.A. accept         B. change               C. disturb           D. check

3. A. study         B. speak                C. listen            D. walk

4.A. drove              B. expected        C. explained        D. covered

5.A. did            B. hit             C. cut           D. fit

6.A. excited       B. brave                C. patient           D. poor

7.A. leading            B. breaking         C. turning      D. celebrating

8. A. expensive     B. fantastic            C. different        D. special

9.A. husband        B. parents          C. children          D. wife

10.A. successfully     B. surprisingly          C. interestingly     D. importantly  

11.A. always           B. sometimes            C. almost       D. never

12.A. task              B. hotel               C. company      D. wor