【题文】Mozart was a genius, but he struggled like an average person during early twenties. He had to work to make ends meet. Underpaid and unsatisfied by his average performances, he felt a burning desire to devote more time and energy to his art. So after a period of doubt and thinking, that's exactly what he did. He quit his job and began what turned out to be the most creative period of his life.

Even if you never hope to reach Mozart’s level of mastery, you may relate to his need to break free from convention (传统). Maybe you’ve done everything right — stood out at school, and got a high-paying job — but you’re tired of being just like everyone else. Maybe you long to achieve something that is unmistakably you.

What, then, is holding you back? Rich Karlgaard, the publisher of Forbes magazine and author of Late Bloomers, argues that our culture’s obsession (痴迷) with early achievement discourages us from going after what we love. Instead of having varied interests, studying widely, and taking our time — essentials (要素) for self-discovery — we’re encouraged to pass tests, become specialists right away, and pursue safe and secure careers. As a result, most of us end up choosing professional excellence over personal achievement, and often we lose ourselves in the process.

As you move forward, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, it’s never too late to “become” yourself. Aristotle, for example, didn’t fully devote himself to writing and philosophy until he was nearly 50. There are also benefits to taking a long, winding path to achievement. Remember that age usually brings wisdom, self-knowledge, and creativity. This is one reason the average age of founders of high-growth start-ups is 45.

If you ever get stuck, think of Joanne, a talented and creative woman who bounced from job to job throughout her twenties. She felt like a total failure. But she took that feeling of hopelessness and chose to do what she’d always wanted to do: write fantasy novels for children. As she would later recount, “I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was.”

You’ve probably heard of her. Her pen name is J.K. Rowling.

Now get to work.

【小题1】What does the example of Mozart (in the first paragraph) show?

A．Genius is nothing but labor.

B．Suffering makes a man wise.

C．You should stick to what inspires you.

D．You need to be different from others.

【小题2】In Rich Karlgaard's opinion, what prevents people from going after what they love?

A．Desire for early achievement.

B．Too wide a range of interests.

C．A waste of time on self-discovery.

D．A wrong choice in professions.

【小题3】What does the underlined sentence in the fourth paragraph imply?

A．Age can be an advantage in one's life.

B．Failure is of great value to success.

C．45 is the right age for one to start business.

D．The path to achievement is full of difficulties.

【小题4】What's die main purpose of the passage?

A．To share success stories of some famous people.

B．To stress the importance of professional excellence.

C．To analyze the reasons for failure to make early achievements.

D．To encourage people to become themselves whatever the age.

Unit 10 Connections单元综合巩固练习题 -2022-2023学年高中英语北师大版选择性必修第四册