①Some people who find themselves facing a problem react by just giving up.But it is not good to
escape from problems by giving up or by making excuses for failures.You may be sure that all young
people go through the same difficult process that you are going through:meeting new situations,developing
new skills,and testing their abilities.
②If you are unhappy about something,face it.Try to state the problem in a few words,so that you
will know exactly what you are_up_against.Then see if you can "put your finger" on the cause of your
unhappiness.
③In many eases,we only "think" there is no solution to a particular problem.But often we can
overcome the problem and achieve the goal by making a direct attack.
④For example,a boy wanted to be a debater (辩论家). When he tried out for the debating team as
a freshman,the coach thought he was hopeless.He was shy; he had a highpitched voice; and his posture
(体态) was poor.Although he was given little hope of success,he took advantage of every opportunity
to debate.He studied successful speakers and evaluated his own weaknesses and advantages.Then he
spent many hours learning all the facts on the topics for debate,and worked at developing good posture
and at speaking clearly.By his junior year,he made the school debating team,and in his senior year he
was on the winning team in his state.He achieved his goal because he had made a direct attack upon his
problem.
⑤Although direct attack is often the bestway to meet problems,we have to be realistic (现实的) in
judging situations.Sometimes it is necessary to change either the method or the goal.
⑥A boy who wants to be a great football player may not be too strong and not quite fast enough for
football.In this situation,becoming a great football player may be an unreasonable goal for him.However,
he may become outstanding in tennis or golf,and satisfy his desire to take part in sports.
⑦A girl who is not goodlooking may decide that she cannot win popularity with her face,and so she
may try to develop an interesting personality,which eventually will get her much further.In this situation,
she must change her method of achieving her goal.
⑧So,although direct attack is often the best way to handle problems,it is important to study the
situation and make a wise decision about what to do.
1. From the first paragraph,we can learn that________.
A. it is really hard to escape from problems
B. people can solve all the problems that they meet
C. it is important for people to face the problems
D. few people like making excuses for failures
2. The underlined phrase "are up against" in the second paragraph could be best replaced by______.
A. are interested in
B. are faced with
C. come over
D. look after
3. Which decision was made by the boy who wanted to be a debater?
A. Adjusting the goal.
B. Judging situations.
C. Changing his styles.
D. Making a direct attack.
4. Which of the following best shows the structure of the text?
(①~⑧stand for "Paragraph 1~Paragraph 8")
5. The author showed the example of the girl in order to explain________.
A. how important the appearance is
B. how hard to develop a good personality
C. how to achieve the goal in a different way
D. how to win popularity in a short time
Lisa, a 25year old from Beijing, recently places a number of very unpleasant statements on the
Internet regarding the elderly.They include things like "don"t rely on others", "don"t expect others to
help", "don"t be talkative", and "dont"t be so stubborn". The underlying message was that elderly
people should not take advantage of their old age to demand special favours from others, particularly
from the young.This of course flies_in_the_face_of the Chinese tradition of respecting the elderly.But,
in my opinion, Lisa"s "requests" might not be totally unreasonable.Old people do sometimes behave
like they"re "stubborn"and "talkative". Still, the young woman is rudely insensitive to why the elderly
behave that way.As people get old, they become increasingly weakened physically.So it"s natural for
them to ask for more help from others.As their memories decline, they tend to be talkative because
they easily forget what has just been said.The American psychologists D. R.Atkinson and G. Hackett
said that the brain is characterized by flexibility.It has the ability (most pronounced up to the age of 12)
to change itself as a result of experience.But, as the brain ages, this flexibility decreases.As a result, the
elderly are often inflexible in their ways.
Therefore, old people need real care and deserve to be taken care of.Many have devoted most of
their lives to the wellbeing of the family or social.Their aging is no reason for showing prejudice (偏见)
to them. According to Chinese tradition, older people are to be respected.As are Westerners.
I live in the US for eight years, and in Hong Kong for 13.Never have I seen or heard anyone who
would openly tell old people "to behave themselves".
We may encourage old people to be more selfreliant.But rudely demanding that they do so is ageism.
That"s where the difference lies.
1. What does Lisa think of the elderly?
A. The elderly hate to rely on the others.
B. The elderly should take advantage of their old age.
C. They are not talkative but stubborn.
D. The elderly always demand special favors from the young.
2. The underlined part in the first paragraph can be replaced by"________".
A. expresses the apparent meaning of
B. shows disagreement with
C. deals with the surface meaning of
D. draws a conclusion from
3. What"s the writer"s attitude towards this problem?
A. The young woman is too sensitive to why the elderly behave that way.
B. The elderly naturally ask for more help from others, because their brain is characterized by flexibility.
C. The elderly are often inflexible in their ways, which makes the young suffer.
D. The elderly deserve to be taken care of and we shouldn"t show our prejudice because of their aging.
4. The last three paragraphs really want to show that________.
A. we should respect the elderly
B. the people in the US or Hong Kong respect the older people
C. old people should be encouraged to be more selfreliant
D. different ideas about the elderly are allowed to exist
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