I was working as a consultant(顧問) in a beer company, helping the president and senior vice-presidents with something important. It was a big   16   . At the same time, my mother was in the  17  stages of cancer. .

   I worked during the day and  18  40 miles home to be with her every night. It was 19  and stressful, but it was what I wanted to do. My promise was to continue to do excellent consulting during the day, 20   my evenings were very hard. I didn’t want to 21  the president with my situation.  22   I felt someone at the company wanted to 23  what was going on. So I told the vice-president of Hunan Resources, asking him not to 24  the information with anyone.

   A few days  25  , the president called me into his office. I  26  he wanted to talk to me about one of the many issues we were  27  on. When I entered, he asked me to sit down. He faced me from across his large  28  , looked me in the eye and said, “I   29   your mother is very ill.”

   I was totally  30  by surprise and burst into tears. He just looked at me, let my 31   subside(平息)，and then he  32  said a sentence I will never forget: “Whatever you need.” That was it. His  33  and willingness to both let me be in my pain and to offer me  34    were qualities of compassion(同情) that I   35  with me to this day.

1.A.honour                          B. success                   C. challenge                         D. task

2.A.previous                        B. final                                   C. fine                                   D. developing

3.A. walked                          B. rode                                  C. ran                                    D. drove

4.A.tiring                     B. exciting                            C. boring                               D. frightening

5.A.as if                                 B. after all                   C. even though          D. now that

6.A. help                               B. puzzle                               C. cheat                                D. bother

7.A.or                                    B. yet                                     C. and                                    D. so

8.A.know                     B. realize                              C. hear                                  D. announce

9.A.enjoy                    B. learn                                 C. share                                D. hide

10.A.after                   B. ago                                    C. before                              D. later

11.A.knew                            B. figured                    C. doubted                           D. found

12.A.working                       B. getting                              C. living                                 D. going

13.A.room                            B. office                                C. desk                                  D. computer

14.A.guess                           B. hear                                  C. believe                    D. think

15.A.hit                                 B. got                                     C. made                                D. caught

16.A.crying                          B. explaining                        C. talking                               D. worrying

17.A.suddenly                     B. sadly                                 C. gently                               D. carefully

18.A.happiness          B. understanding                C. excitement                      D. sadness

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

20.A.take                              B. bring                                 C. help                                  D. carry

There is a lot of misunderstanding about studying. Most students have not been taught the principles behind really effective working. Imagine a graph showing the amount a person learns against the number of hours he works in a day. If he doesn’t do any work, he learns nothing (point 0). If he does an hour’s work he learns a certain amount (point 1). If he does two hours’ work he learns about twice as much (point 2). If he does more work he’ll learn still more (point 3). However, if he tries to do twenty-three and a half hours’ work in a day, he will be so tired that he’ll hardly remember anything: what he learns will be very little (point 4). If he did less work he’d learn more (point 5).
Now whatever the exact shape of the graph’s curve(曲線), made by joining these points, it must have a high point. Point “X” is the very maximum anyone can learn in the day. And this represents the optimum(最適度), the best, amount of work to do. It is the best possible compromise between adequate time at the books and fatigue(勞累). Fatigue is an absolutely real thing; one can’t escape it or ignore it. If you try to ignore it and press yourself to work past the optimum, you will only get on this downward slope and achieve less than the best – and then become very tired and lose your power of concentration.
The skill in being a student consists of getting one’s daily study as near the optimum point as possible. I cannot tell you what the optimum is. It differs with the type of work, it differs from person to person, and even in the same person it varies from week to week. You must try to find your own. Every day you study, bear this principle of the optimum in mind. When you feel yourself getting fatigued, if you find yourself reading the same paragraph over and over again and not taking it in, that’s a pretty good sign you’ve reached your highest point for the day and should stop. Most ordinary students find their optimum at five hours a day. Yours may be a little more or a little less – but if you get in five hours’ good work a day, you will be doing well.
Now, what are you doing with yourself when you aren’t working? Before examinations some students do nothing at all except sit in a chair and worry. Here is another misunderstanding. People often think that the mind works like the body; it does not. If one wanted to save one’s physical energy in order to cut the maximum amount of firewood, one would lie flat on a bed and rest when one wasn’t chopping. But the mind cannot rest. Even in sleep you dream, even if you forget your dreams. The mind is always turning. It gets its relaxation only by variety. That is what makes the mind rest.
When you’ve finished your optimum number of hours you must stop. You must not then sit around in the chair thinking about the work – that only tires without any learning. You must get out and do something. It doesn’t matter what – anything so long as you are actively doing something else but work.
【小題1】According to the passage, _______.

There is a lot of misunderstanding about studying. Most students have not been taught the principles behind really effective working. Imagine a graph showing the amount a person learns against the number of hours he works in a day. If he doesn’t do any work, he learns nothing (point 0). If he does an hour’s work he learns a certain amount (point 1). If he does two hours’ work he learns about twice as much (point 2). If he does more work he’ll learn still more (point 3). However, if he tries to do twenty-three and a half hours’ work in a day, he will be so tired that he’ll hardly remember anything: what he learns will be very little (point 4). If he did less work he’d learn more (point 5).

Now whatever the exact shape of the graph’s curve(曲線), made by joining these points, it must have a high point. Point “X” is the very maximum anyone can learn in the day. And this represents the optimum(最適度), the best, amount of work to do. It is the best possible compromise between adequate time at the books and fatigue(勞累). Fatigue is an absolutely real thing; one can’t escape it or ignore it. If you try to ignore it and press yourself to work past the optimum, you will only get on this downward slope and achieve less than the best – and then become very tired and lose your power of concentration.

The skill in being a student consists of getting one’s daily study as near the optimum point as possible. I cannot tell you what the optimum is. It differs with the type of work, it differs from person to person, and even in the same person it varies from week to week. You must try to find your own. Every day you study, bear this principle of the optimum in mind. When you feel yourself getting fatigued, if you find yourself reading the same paragraph over and over again and not taking it in, that’s a pretty good sign you’ve reached your highest point for the day and should stop. Most ordinary students find their optimum at five hours a day. Yours may be a little more or a little less – but if you get in five hours’ good work a day, you will be doing well.

Now, what are you doing with yourself when you aren’t working? Before examinations some students do nothing at all except sit in a chair and worry. Here is another misunderstanding. People often think that the mind works like the body; it does not. If one wanted to save one’s physical energy in order to cut the maximum amount of firewood, one would lie flat on a bed and rest when one wasn’t chopping. But the mind cannot rest. Even in sleep you dream, even if you forget your dreams. The mind is always turning. It gets its relaxation only by variety. That is what makes the mind rest.

When you’ve finished your optimum number of hours you must stop. You must not then sit around in the chair thinking about the work – that only tires without any learning. You must get out and do something. It doesn’t matter what – anything so long as you are actively doing something else but work.

1.According to the passage, _______.

2.Fatigue can result in ________.

3.The passage tells us that a person’s optimum number of working hours _______.

4.The only way the mind can relax is by ________.

5.After you have reached the optimum point of study in a day, you should ________.

There is a lot of misunderstanding about studying. Most students have not been taught the principles behind really effective working. Imagine a graph showing the amount a person learns against the number of hours he works in a day. If he doesn’t do any work, he learns nothing (point 0). If he does an hour’s work he learns a certain amount (point 1). If he does two hours’ work he learns about twice as much (point 2). If he does more work he’ll learn still more (point 3). However, if he tries to do twenty-three and a half hours’ work in a day, he will be so tired that he’ll hardly remember anything: what he learns will be very little (point 4). If he did less work he’d learn more (point 5).
Now whatever the exact shape of the graph’s curve(曲線), made by joining these points, it must have a high point. Point “X” is the very maximum anyone can learn in the day. And this represents the optimum(最適度), the best, amount of work to do. It is the best possible compromise between adequate time at the books and fatigue(勞累). Fatigue is an absolutely real thing; one can’t escape it or ignore it. If you try to ignore it and press yourself to work past the optimum, you will only get on this downward slope and achieve less than the best – and then become very tired and lose your power of concentration.
The skill in being a student consists of getting one’s daily study as near the optimum point as possible. I cannot tell you what the optimum is. It differs with the type of work, it differs from person to person, and even in the same person it varies from week to week. You must try to find your own. Every day you study, bear this principle of the optimum in mind. When you feel yourself getting fatigued, if you find yourself reading the same paragraph over and over again and not taking it in, that’s a pretty good sign you’ve reached your highest point for the day and should stop. Most ordinary students find their optimum at five hours a day. Yours may be a little more or a little less – but if you get in five hours’ good work a day, you will be doing well.
Now, what are you doing with yourself when you aren’t working? Before examinations some students do nothing at all except sit in a chair and worry. Here is another misunderstanding. People often think that the mind works like the body; it does not. If one wanted to save one’s physical energy in order to cut the maximum amount of firewood, one would lie flat on a bed and rest when one wasn’t chopping. But the mind cannot rest. Even in sleep you dream, even if you forget your dreams. The mind is always turning. It gets its relaxation only by variety. That is what makes the mind rest.
When you’ve finished your optimum number of hours you must stop. You must not then sit around in the chair thinking about the work – that only tires without any learning. You must get out and do something. It doesn’t matter what – anything so long as you are actively doing something else but work

1. 1.

   According to the passage, _______

   1. A.
      the longer you study every day, the more you will learn
   2. B.
      you’ll achieve better learning results if you work three hours every day
   3. C.
      the less work you do, the better you will learn
   4. D.
      your work efficiency will decrease once you exceed a certain point of work
2. 2.

   Fatigue can result in ________

   1. A.
      loss of memory
   2. B.
      a need for relaxation
   3. C.
      a lot of anxiety
   4. D.
      loss of concentration
3. 3.

   The passage tells us that a person’s optimum number of working hours _______

   1. A.
      follows a regular pattern with each individual
   2. B.
      changes regularly from week to week
   3. C.
      can be partly determined by the sort of work he is doing
   4. D.
      should be determined before he gets too tired
4. 4.

   The only way the mind can relax is by ________

   1. A.
      doing a variety of things in turn
   2. B.
      not thinking about anything
   3. C.
      turning continuously
   4. D.
      getting oneself in a state of fatigue
5. 5.

   After you have reached the optimum point of study in a day, you should ________

   1. A.
      lie in bed and rest
   2. B.
      do something else actively
   3. C.
      do some physical labor
   4. D.
      stop thinking about your studies

Jenny，

I often think if I am as important to you as you are to me.

We had an unhappy time yesterday.I really felt sad after it and almost apologized (道歉) to you.However，you could still laugh and talk with others like nothing had happened.I suddenly realized that I was not that important to you.You didn’t even realize that I was angry and sad.What’s more，you even forgot my birthday this year.

Goodbye，my friend.I have closed my feeling toward you.It is sad to say goodbye，my friend.But it is meaningless (無意義的) for us to be friends any longer.

Lucy

Dear Lucy，

I’m sorry that I hurt you so much yesterday.But here is something I really need to tell you.I never thought the quarrel we had yesterday was as serious as you thought.I just felt tired and didn’t feel like going shopping.Susan and Lily are also my good friends.I couldn’t pretend (假裝) not seeing them when they passed by.I also couldn’t let them know I was blue because of the quarrel.I didn’t want them to feel sad just because I was sad.I’m your best friend，but I don’t want to be your only friend.I don’t want to be with you all the time because sometimes I need to have my own time.I want to spend some time with my other friends and my brother.Please try to make more friends.You will feel much happier if you have more friends.And remember，I’m your best friend forever!

Jenny

41．What’s the purpose of Lucy’s letter?

A．To tell Jenny that she is really sorry for what happened yesterday.

B．To tell Jenny she doesn’t want to be friends with her any longer.

C．To ask Jenny not to be friends with Susan or Lily.

D．To ask Jenny if she means much to her.

42．What’s the cause of the quarrel yesterday?

A．Jenny laughed and talked with others.

B．Jenny didn’t notice that Lucy was sad.

C．Jenny didn’t want to go shopping.

D．Jenny didn’t remember Lucy’s birthday.

43．In the letter，Jenny suggests Lucy should________.

A．make more friends

B．leave her alone

C．make friends with Susan and Lily

D．spend more time with her family

44．According to the passage，if we say someone is blue，we mean he/she is________.

A．a(chǎn)ngry                                                 B．sad

C．kind                                                   D．happy

45．After reading Jenny’s letter，we learn that________.

A．Jenny and Lucy are both students

B．Lucy doesn’t know how to keep a healthy friendship

C．a(chǎn) friend in need is a friend indeed

D．Lucy is Jenny’s only friend