Life comes in a package, which includes happiness and sorrow, failure and success, hope and despair. Life is a learning process.
Happiness achieved by bringing a smile on another face gives a certain level of fulfillment.
Hope is what keeps life going.
A.Life teaches us not to despair even in the darkest hour, because after every night, there is a day. |
B.With each passing day we learn to deal with various situations. |
C.Different people have different attitudes towards success and failure. |
D.Hope makes us dream. |
E.Failure is the path to success. |
F.Never stop doing whatever you are fond of. |
G.Only when we are in sorrow can we realize the true worth of happiness. |
I watch documentaries, not movies. I read history books, not fiction. I use every free moment to accomplish one of the tasks on my never-ending checklist, and I am completely filled with thoughts of productivity. An hour sleeping is an hour wasted. And like the rest of 21st century America, I like it. But this fixation on productivity is increasingly destroying character and transforming men into robots.
New York Times columnist David Brooks warned American University students of this cultural decline in a speech. “We cut off all things spiritual and emotional in a competitive urge to stand out”, he said, “The pressure to succeed professionally, to acquire skills, to do the things you need to do to succeed in an information age economy really became the overwhelming(难以应付的)pressures, and it sort of weakens the thinking about character and morality.”
Many students happily go to college, viewing it as a next step on their rise to professional achievement. Forcing as many success-building activities into their schedules as they can, they enjoy keeping busy with little sleep. “Today’s outstanding kids are likely to spend their afternoons and weekends shuttling from one skill-improving activity to the next,” Brooks wrote in an article, “We fear failure more than we desire success.”
A century ago, college was about character building. Today, our characters are in decline. We are experts on economics, material things and professional skills. We fail to discuss and understand relationships, emotions and all things spiritual.
Philosopher Karl Popper divided the world into two categories: Clocks and Clouds. Clock problems are those that can be taken apart, examined and solved through deductive reasoning(演绎推理). Clouds cannot be taken apart. Cloud problems represent whole systems that need to be understood in a different way.
“When we have a Cloud problem, we try to turn it into a Clock problem,” Brooks said. And in a reason-centered culture, adding titles to one’s resume becomes a trend. At American University, 85 percent of seniors (and 89 percent of business majors) graduate with at least one practical experience which is often helpful to a student’s future career, but can sometimes draw focus away from academics.
To prevent the death of man’s character, Brooks urges rediscovering our human natures through falling in love. And by love he means love for a task, job, or another person. “Synchronicity is key to happiness,” he said. Rather than crazily increasing our long lists of accomplishments, we need to lose ourselves in what we do, and success will come on its own.
【小题1】From Paragraph 1, we can learn that people ________.A.are controlled by time | B.are eager to achieve |
C.are changing their characters | D.are keen on reading books more |
A.Tolerant. | B.Uncertain. | C.Approving. | D.Curious. |
A.success comes from devotion to work |
B.the focus on human natures counts |
C.more work contributes to happiness |
D.love is more important than focus |
A.criticize students’ desire for achievements |
B.stress the importance of productivity |
C.warn about the pressure to seek success |
D.bring awareness to character building |
I still remember that busy autumn evening as I hurried with my eldest daughter, Athena, to get to her classroom on time for the parent-teacher night. We walked in and all eyes were on me. A few adults quickly quieted their kids’ whispers. A classmate yelled to my daughter, “What’s wrong with your mom’s face?” Shocked, I started to explain my condition, but my six-year-old daughter looked at him and said, “It’s my mom’s birthmark! Don’t be rude!” I was extremely proud of how she handled that situation.
I was quite young when I realized I looked different because of my large facial birthmark. I always thought I would be alone because of it. Being compared to Batman’s evil Two-Face made me believe I could never find love. But I was lucky enough to meet my husband, who saw me for who I am inside. When I had my first daughter, I was overjoyed, but I began to worry if the world would judge my children. I always worried I might pass my condition onto my children; I didn’t want them to grow up feeling judged. Unfortunately, my facial difference has impacted my children. My daughters get disinvited from birthday parties or sleepovers, or I learn certain kids are no longer friends with mine after their parents saw me at school.
When my kids were young, I explained how my special purple skin was rare and we talked about acceptance and never judging others on how they look. When my girls kiss my purple-skinned cheek, I feel “normal” around them and their unconditional love. With time going by, both my daughters have become my strongest supporters. Thanks to them, I’ve begun to feel more self-confident as I try to be a good role model.
Their worldviews are similar to mine. We see the world a little differently and with a kinder, more accepting heart. As the saying goes, your daughters will grow up to be your best friends. I know that will be the case for me!
【小题1】What happened when the author went to attend the parent-teacher night?A.Athena was praised by others for her bravery and optimism. |
B.Athena defended her mother against her classmate’s rudeness. |
C.Some parents criticized their kids because of their misbehaviour. |
D.The author felt shocked at her daughter’s response to her classmate. |
A.Friendship needs to be watered by love. |
B.We should treat our children as best friends. |
C.We should accept other people’s differences. |
D.Our ability to handle difficulties can be developed. |
A.They have to drop out of school. |
B.They have the same physical condition as me. |
C.They have difficulty maintaining friendships. |
D.They feel worried because they are often judged. |
A.A birthmark to live with. | B.My strongest supporters. |
C.A kind and accepting heart. | D.The confidence to be different. |
There once lived a young man who thought himself to be poor. One day he went to a wise man to ask how to become rich. The wise man said, “Young man, you are already rich now.”
“But where is my wealth(财富)?” the young man asked.
“It is with you. Your eyes are your wealth. You use them to see this world. You use them to see all the beautiful things in this world. Your hands are your wealth. You can use them to work. You can use them to hug your beloved ones. Your legs are your wealth. You can go to any place...” the wise man said.
“You call these wealth? But everyone has them,” the young man said.
“These are wealth. What you have now is not what someone else can luckily have. Would you like to give your eyes to me? I'd like to give you a lot of money to exchange for them,” the wise man said.
“No, I'm not going to do so! My eyes are important to me!” the young man said.
Everyone is rich. We should treasure(珍惜)our wealth, and take care of it. We should not overuse it because once it is gone, it is gone forever. Remember it is our wealth that we do not want to lose.
【小题1】Why did the young man go to visit the wise man?A.Because he was ill. |
B.Because he was the wise man's friend. |
C.Because he wanted to know how to be rich. |
D.Because he wanted to be wise. |
A.was rich | B.was poor |
C.was wise | D.was silly |
A.the young man's money | B.the young man's eyes and feet |
C.the young man’s buildings | D.the young man’s cars |
A.he was rich |
B.he didn’t like the old man |
C.he thought his eyes were important to him |
D.he didn’t like money |
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