6、“The first and best of victories is for a man to conquer（征服）himself; to be conquered by himself is, of all things, the most shameful,” says Plato. Self-control is at the root of all the advantages. Let a man give in to his impulses （冲动）and feelings, and from that moment he gives up his moral freedom.

       A single angry word has lost many friends. When Socrates found himself in any temper or anger, he would check it by speaking low in order to control himself. If you are conscious of being angry, keep your mouth shut so that you can hold back rising anger. Many people have dropped dead in great anger. Fits of anger bring fits of disease “Whom the gods would destroy they first make mad.” “Keep cool,” says George Herbert, “for fierceness（激烈） makes error a fault.”

       To be angry with a weak man is to prove that you are not strong yourself. “Anger,” says Pythagoras, “bring with folly （蠢事）and ends with regret.” You must measure the strength of a man by the power of the feelings he conquers, not by the power of those which conquer him.

       Self-control is man’s last greatest victory.

       If a man lacks self-control he seems to lack everything. Without it he can have no patience, no power to govern himself; he can have no self-confidence, for he will always be controlled by his strongest feeling. If he lacks self-control, the very backbone（骨气） and nerve of character are also lacking.

1．What does the reader learn from the first paragraph?

       A．The greatest victory for a man is to conquer everything except himself.

       B．One’s moral freedom is based on the control of himself.

       C．To control oneself is the most difficult in one’s life.

       D．If a person is too stubborn （固执的）, he will feel most shameful.

2．What is the correct meaning of “Whom the gods would destroy they first make mad”?

       A．If the gods want to kill you, they will make you crazy first.

       B．If you always lose your temper, you will soon be finished.

       C．If you cannot control yourself, you will become crazy.

       D．If you are mad, you will be punished by the gods.

3．If a man lacks self-control, he lacks all of the following EXCEPT _________.

       A．the very backbone and nerve of character

       B．the patience and power to control himself

       C．strong feelings

       D．self-confidence

4．The author’s main purpose in writing this article is to ___________.

       A．explain that self-control is the key to success

       B．teach people how to control everything in order to make a great success

      C．suggest ways for keeping self-control

       D．advise people not to lose temper so as to make and keep more friends