When she returned home that year, she was given an enthusiastic welcome in the same hall. Many hands stretched out to her, many cameras focused on her. A reporter in glasses kept pestering her with the question: “What do you like best?” She was wondering how to respond when she caught sight of a bunch of flowers. Then she said, “Flowers!” Following her remarks, more flowers were at once presented out to her, too many for her to hold. During the past two years, she had participated in many international competitions and brought back one shining medal after another. What she got in return was all smiles, flowers and camera flashes. Was it because of this that she became preoccupied with winning? The more she won, the more obsessed she was with the fear of losing. So her mind was in fact more burdened with success than with failure. The mind could control physical pains but could not free itself from mental strain easily.
This time when she was a little off balance on the horizontal bar (平衡木), she became so worried that she lost self-control and fell off. This failure was followed by several more in other events. Afterwards in order to avoid people at the airport, she trailed along behind the team. She found that very few people greeted her and reporters seemed to shun her. However hard she tried, she couldn’t turn the tide; she was a complete failure. Indeed, who would side with a failure?
All of a sudden, she saw a pair of shoes in front of her. Who could it be? She raised her bent head slowly and saw a navy blue suit, long legs, and then a clear fair face. Before her stood the stewardess with her hands behind her back, speaking with a smile, “I watched your performance on the television. I knew you would come home today. So I am here especially to welcome you.”
“I did very poorly.” She lowered her head again.
“No. You did your best.”
“But I failed.”
“Nobody can avoid failure. I believe failure is as important to you as success. Failure belongs to the past, and victory is the future.” The stewardess’s voice came gentle but firm.
Hearing these words, the girl raised her head. The stewardess held out her hands from behind her back with a big bouquet of colorful flowers, and presented it to the girl. The strong fragrance seemed to turn into a magic, powerful current that went through her body. She was moved to tears. Flowers are usually given to victorious heroes. Why to the disgraced loser?
【小题1】What does the underlined word “pester” mean in paragraph 1?| A．Greet. | B．Annoy. | C．Inquire. | D．Concern. |
| A．She had received many smiles, flowers and camera flashes. |
| B．She was passionate about walking on the horizontal bar. |
| C．Her mind was free from over anxiety about failure. |
| D．She was in good physical condition. |
| A．Ashamed. | B．Stressed. | C．Miserable. | D．Grief-stricken. |
| A．Action is worry’s worst enemy. |
| B．The winners laugh and the losers weep. |
| C．Excessive pressure will become a burden. |
| D．Success is never final and failure is never fatal. |
My Ph. D. adviser called me into his office, saying I needn't bring my notebook. After 15 minutes of listing my positive things, he looked me in the eye and said,“You are fired from the lab.”
I had moved to Israel from my native India the year before, excited to experience a new culture and study for a Ph. D. At first things went well in my new lab. Then, 3 months before I was fired, I ran into some problems. I made a few mistakes in the lab that slowed my research, but I wasn't aware that my adviser noticed them, and he never spoke to me about any concerns. I’m still not sure why he fired me, but I guess it was because of those mistakes. He wasn't confident that I could complete my research in time as we'd planned.
The first few days after I was fired were especially difficult. I spent hours staring at my computer screen, unable to get anything done. One day all I could do was sit on a beach, crying. I tried to change his mind with promising results, but he stuck to his decision. I could not break the news to my family in India, as the fear of disappointing them overwhelmed （压垮）me. I soon got into a state of sadness and anxiety. Meanwhile, the date for me to leave the country was drawing near, as my visa required me to be registered as a student. I was lonely and without hope.
Around that time, I watched Dasvidaniya, a Bollywood movie that's about a man who has 3 months to live. One line from the movie stuck out to me :“When life gives you lemons, make lemonade（柠檬水）” .What kind of lemonade could I make out of my present situation? My desire to complete a Ph. D. was never in doubt. After much reflection, I told myself that one failed attempt was not the end of the world, and that I needed to give it another try. With renewed confidence, I emailed expected advisers and applied to other programs. Within 2 months, I landed an offer from a Ph. D. program in Italy. I accepted it and relocated to Europe, happy that my goal of completing a Ph. D. was alive once again.
I’m thankful that I didn't give up on my dream and that I found another professor willing to take me on.
【小题1】What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?| A．The personality of the adviser. |
| B．The author's problems in study. |
| C．The possible reason for the author's being fired. |
| D．The author's difficulty in adapting to a new culture. |
| A．He applied for a new visa. |
| B．He got addicted to computer games. |
| C．He tried to change the adviser's mind. |
| D．He shared the news with his family in India. |
| A．Persuading the adviser to let him stay. |
| B．Being responsible for different programs. |
| C．Holding the belief to get a doctor's degree. |
| D．Getting accepted by another Ph. D. program. |
| A．Direction is more important than effort, |
| B．Turn to movies for comfort when in trouble. |
| C．A doctor’s degree is important for the future. |
| D．Difficulties in life can be turned into something positive. |
The Psychology of Spending
Have you ever stayed up “chopping your hands” during the Double Eleventh Shopping Festival? Does possessing the latest iPhone 12, designer purse or limited sneakers really brighten your day?
Dr. Thomas Gilovich, psychology professor at Cornell University, has studied the topic for over 20 years. According to Dr. Gilovich, “We buy things to make us happy, and we succeed, but only for a while. New things are exciting to us initially, but then we adapt to them.”
Dr. Gilovich has found that our satisfaction with possessions fades over time. Yet our happiness over things we’ve experienced increases.
Why experiences are the better investment?
1.
A trip, an adventure or a hobby etc. tend to bring the participants together and unite them over a shared interest. According to Gilovich, “We consume experiences directly with other people.” As a result, these experiences typically create a positive link and good feelings toward the other person or people.
2. Your experiences become a part of your identity.
You might be someone who loves taking cooking classes.
3. Experiences provide lasting memories.
Planned experiences are frequently something we expect. Then when the moment arrives, if we enjoy the time involved in the activity, we’re left with fond memories. These memories will often last a lifetime. Even our worst trips, on many occasions, are later committed to memory with laughter.
Materialism VS Meaningful Experiences
| A．More than likely, you’ll strike your friends and family as a great cook. |
| B．Most of us possess limited resources. |
| C．The research showed that people who spent money on experiences instead of possessions were happier. |
| D．Activities can bond individuals. |
| E．He has concluded that we are spending our money on the wrong things. |
| F．Old questions as they seem, one psychologist thinks that he might have the answer. |
| G．In other words, once the novelty (新鲜感) of our newest purchase wears off, we begin looking for something else to buy to make us happy. |
Are you happy? Most of the time, we make it hard to enjoy our lives by pursuing something that seems impossible. Happiness is possible for us all. First, we have to define what happiness is, and then reframe it if necessary.
For many, they have never-ending restrictions. I know this because I did so. I would think if only this would happen then I will finally be happy. When the great event happened, however, I didn't take the time to enjoy the moment. I just added another restriction and continued to dream of something I would never attain.
In my view, happiness is not an event nor a person. It is not a material thing, success, nor money. For me, it is gratitude. When I find the feeling of gratitude, then I find the joy. I don't make it complicated, nor take it out of my own control. I don’t put my ability to be joyful in someone else's hands.
Every day I look for things to be thankful for. I take a moment to enjoy the sunrise and sunset and give as many smiles and hugs as I can in one day. If I can’t be happy with what already have, then I wouldn’t be happy with more. I love finding the joy in simple things. When we remove the unnecessary limitations and expectations from our lives, then we open our hearts to receive more.
Recording my blessings in a gratitude journal helps me to see my life with new understanding. When I take time to thank God for all the blessing I have, I realize that I have everything that I need. I don’t spend much of my life complaining and crying about what I don’t have. Instead, I am grateful for what I have. When I change my thought process and feel gratitude. The greatest gifts in life can't be bought, or even be seen — they must be felt in our hearts.
【小题1】Why are we unhappy?| A．We don’t have aims in life. |
| B．We cannot get what we want. |
| C．We don’t know what happiness is. |
| D．We always want to achieve better results. |
| A．thankful | B．imaginative |
| C．wealthy | D．simple-minded |
| A．How the author found pleasure in small things. |
| B．How the author spent his spare time. |
| C．What the author cared more about. |
| D．What the author did to be happy. |
| A．A thankful heart is a happy heart. |
| B．Greed is so destructive. It destroys everything. |
| C．Sometimes it is difficult to realize that life is so simple. |
| D．You'll never find peace of mind until you listen to your heart. |
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