How can we improve our life? Many people think that they have to accept whatever life throws at them. They’ll say, “this is my destiny (命运). I cannot change it.”
Certainly not! You don’t have to suffer too much. Your destiny depends on yourself, not on any other factors.
I know someone who says she just accepts what life gives her because she has done everything she can to improve it. Guess what her lifestyle is? She wakes up in the morning, goes to work, comes back home, relaxes, chats with people, watches TV, then goes to sleep. Next day, the same routine cycle follows. Huh! Is this what she calls “doing her best”? She believes she has tried her best. But in fact she hasn’t.
Remember that you get what you pay. You just don’t sit around and wait for a million dollars to fall from the sky. You have to get off the couch, get your eyes off the TV screen, get your hands off the phone. Don’t expect your luck to change unless you do something about it. If something goes wrong, don’t just regard it as a little failure, but use it as feedback (反馈). Learn your lesson, make the most of the situation, and do something to solve the problem. It’s not enough to think positively (积极地), you also have to act positively.
If someone’s life is in the trouble, do you just hope that things will turn out fine? Of course not! You get to do anything you can to save the person. So it is with your own life. It is not enough to hope for the best, but you have to do your best. In other words, don’t just stand (or sit) there, do something to improve your life.
【小题1】The writer’s attitude towards destiny is that ________.

What does an athlete need to get to the top of sport? Talent is one thing of course, but perhaps there’s 　36 more important than that—hard work. Top sportsmen and sportswomen take their sports very seriously and want to be the best.

Tara Lipinski is a pretty American teenager. She 　37 the world ice-skating championship when she was only fourteen years old. From the age of three, when she 　38 a pair of ice skates for the first time, she loved the sport more than anything else in the world. She trains for many hours every day, and 39 outside with her friends to parties is nearly impossible.

Boris Becher has been famous 　40 he won the Wimbledon Men’s Singles Tennis Championship in 1985.He was only seventeen years old then, and he had beaten many of the best players in the world at that time .He always 　41 hard every day. He never had the same kind of lifestyle as most other teenage boys. He couldn’t spend his weekends 　42 the TV, at parties or in restaurants. He 　43 even eat chocolate whenever he wanted, everything he did was for tennis and his daily training was very strict.

To succeed like Tara and Boris, you 　44 a lot of help and support from everyone around you, especially your 　45 .You must give up a lot of freedom, but if you ask these champions what they think, they will tell you it’s all worth（值得）it.

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

37. A. hit　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. won　　　　　　　　　　 C. did　　　　　　　　　　　 D. kept

38. A. put on 　　　　　　　　 B. made up　　　　　　　　 C. took off　　　　　　　　 D. turned down

39. A. go　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. going　　　　　　　　　　 C. to play　　　　　　　　　 D. skating

40. A. when　　　　　　　　　　 B. while　　　　　　　　　　 C. since　　　　　　　　　　 D. after

41. A. studied　　　　　　　　　 B. did　　　　　　　　　　　 C. practiced　　　　　　　 D. thought

42. A. next to 　　　　　　　　 B. instead of　　　　　　　 C. across from　　　　　 D. in front of

43. A. mustn’t　　　　　　　　 B. didn’t　　　　　　　　　 C. couldn’t　　　　　　　　 D. shouldn’t

44. A. asks　　　　　　　　　　　 B. need　　　　　　　　　　 C. want　　　　　　　　　　 D. hope

45. A. father　　　　　　　　　　 B. mother　　　　　　　　　 C. grandparents　　　　 D. family