A friend of mine, in response to a conversation we were having about the injustices of life ,asked me the question,“Who said life was going to be fair, or that it was even meant to be fair?” Her question was a good one. It reminded me of something I was taught as a youngster :life isn’t fair. It’s a disappointment, but it’s absolutely true .One of the mistakes many of us make is that we feel sorry for ourselves, or for others ,thinking that life should be fair, or that someday it will be .It’s not and it won’t be .
One of the nice things about surrendering (屈從)to the fact that life isn’t fair is that it keeps us from feeling sorry for ourselves by encouraging us to do the very best we can with what we have . We know it’s not “l(fā)ife’s job ”to make everything perfect :it’s our own challenge .Surrendering to this fact also keeps us from feeling sorry for others because we are reminded that everyone is dealt a different hand ; everyone has unique strengths and problems in the process of growing up, facing the reality and making decisions; and everyone has those times that they feel unfairly treated.
The fact that life isn’t fair doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do everything in our power to improve our own lives or the world as a whole. To the contrary , it suggests that we should .When we don’t recognize or admit that life isn’t fair ,we tend to feel pity for others and for ourselves .Pity ,of course ,is a self –defeating emotion that does nothing for anyone ,except to make everyone feel worse than they already do .When we do recognize that life isn’t fair, however ,we feel compassion (熱情)for others and for ourselves. And compassion is a heartfelt emotion that delivers loving-kindness to everyone it touches .The next time you find yourself thinking about the injustices of the world, try reminding yourself of this very basic fact .You may be surprised that it can make you out of self-pity and into helpful action.
小題1:The writer thought of his friend’s question as a good one because          .
A.he also wanted to know who held such an opinion
B.it made him recall something during his childhood
C.like his friend , he also thought life was unfair
D.he learned something from the question as a youngster
小題2:The second paragraph of the passage mainly tells us that          .
A.it’s nice to accept the injustice of lifeB.it’s nice to surrender to life
C.we should not feel sorry for everythingD.we should not surrender to life
小題3:From the passage, we can learn that the author’s attitude to life is          .
A.negativeB.positiveC.self-pityD.indifferent
小題4:Which of the following could be the best title of the text ?
A.A Helpful Action: Try to Feel CompassionB.A Good Question: Why Life Isn’t Fair
C.Do Our Best to Improve OurselvesD.Surrender to the Fact That Life Isn’t Fair
小題1:C小題1:A小題1:B小題1:D
練習(xí)冊系列答案
相關(guān)習(xí)題

科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Britain’s seed bank, the only one in the world aiming to collect all of the planet’s wild plant species, has reached its goal of banking 10 percent by 2010.
The Millennium Seed Bank Project, run by Kew Gardens—one of the oldest botanical gardens—will officially deposit the 24,200th species on Thursday, a pink, wild banana from China.
More than 50 countries are now on board with Kew's giant task but vast places of the globe, including India and Brazil, still need to join in and donate seeds, director Paul Smith said.                                                                                                                                                            
The seed bank is one of the largest and most diverse in the world with more than 1.5 billion seeds. Its goal is to help protect the planet’s bio-diversity during a time of climate change.
The wild banana seed is under threat of extinction(滅絕) in southwest China from agricultural development. It is a vital food source for Asian elephants and important for growing bananas for human consumption.
Stored at minus-20 degrees centigrade, so they can last for thousands of years, the seeds await the day that scientists hope never comes—when the species no longer exist in the wild.
It is a race against time, Smith said, because in the last decade alone, 20 plants held in the bank have already been wiped out in the wild. He estimates that between a third and a quarter will become extinct this century.
"It is urgent and it is happening now. An area, the size of England, is cleared of primary vegetation(植被)every year." Smith said.
Because most of the world's food and medicines come from nature, protecting wild plant species is quite important, scientists say. There are already many other seed banks safeguarding food crops, which only account for 0.6 percent of plant diversity.
For Kew's next goal—to collect a quarter of wild varieties by 2020—the botanists need 10 million pounds a year, or a further 100 million pounds on top of the 40 million they have already been granted.
小題1:What’s the final purpose of the Britain’s seed bank?
A.To collect enough money for the project.B.To safeguard food crops.
C.To protect wild plants from extinction.D.To help scientists study wild plants.
小題2:The wild banana seed in China is in danger because of _______.
A.the expanding of farming workB.the climate change in this area
C.the large number of Asian elephantsD.human’s large consumption
小題3: We can learn from the passage that _______.
A.the seeds in the bank can be used now and then all over the world
B.India and Brazil haven’t joined in the Seed Bank Project at present
C.there is only one seed bank in the world at present
D.the wild plants in places like India and China will never die out
小題4: What does the underlined word “it” in paragraph 7 refer to?
A.The extinction of plant species.B.The Millennium Seed Bank Project.
C.Britain’s seed bank.D.Kew Gardens’ next goal.
小題5:Which of the following information isn’t mentioned in the passage?
A.The global partnership of collecting wild plant species.
B.The temperature condition of the conservative wild plant species.
C.The government’s financial support for the seed bank project.
D.Scientists’ concern on the extinct wild plant species.

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Dear Michelle:
Why can't my daughter manage her life better? She is 17 and an honor student, but she seems to be wasting her life away with a boyfriend who is holding her back.
He consumes every waking, minute of her precious time and smooth-talks her as well.
His goal is to get her to agree to go to the college of his choice, not her choice, and because his grades are lower, his choice will be limited.
I feel like I want to rescue her, but she pushes me away and shuts me out. She has only brought us pride and joy; and now this! Help!
A worried mother
Dear Mother of a 17-year-old Girl:
Hmmmmm. What's the matter with kids today? Remember that song from "Bye Bye
Birdie"?
Well if you do not, let me fill you in about teenagers and their life-management skills.Do not expect too much too soon because at the ripe age of 17, life-management is not within their reach, not should it be.
Life experience creates both the conditions and the skills for management, and if management went before experiene, there would be tittle of it.
Your daughter is an honor student for good reasons. She is smart, studies with
intelligence and you have given her good Values.
When the time comes for her to apply for college, and she visit the ones that were specifically desigened for student the top of their grade, she will most likely break away from her boyfriend's influenee.
It is rare for an honor student to change the path of their academic career for puppy love. That being said, them might be some adoldscent wisdom in her behavior after all.
Perhaps she is choosing to worry you, her parents, for unconscious reasons. Being such a good girl and being a steady source of joy might have become a bit too much for her.
Let your daughter have her own private moment of 11th grade rebellion. She deserves a break from perfection.
Michelle
小題1:From the mother's letter we can learn that her daughter             
A.is being fooled by the boyB.has fallen behind in her studies
C.doesn't talk much with her motherD.has chosen which college to attend
小題2: According to Michelle; 17-year-teenagers              .
A.a(chǎn)re too young to manage their life
B.a(chǎn)re old enough to live their own life
C.should have managemnent before experience
D.have reached the age of an adult
小題3: The underlined word"puppy-love"refer to          
A.false loveB.foolish loveC.pure loveD.a(chǎn)dolescent love
小題4:Michelle seems to believe that the daughter will finally          
A.come up with the right decision
B.follow her boyfriend's advice
C.worry her parents for unconscious reasons
D.influence her boyfriend's behavior
小題5: The best title for the passage would be          
A.College of kids' own choice
B.How can I help my girl?
C.How to manage teenagers' life?
D.A 17-year-old girl and her mother

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Reading poems is not exactly an everyday activity for most people. In fact, many people never read a poem once they get out of high school.
It is worth reminding ourselves that this has not always been the case in America. In the nineteenth century, a usual American activity was to sit around the fireplace in the evening and read poems aloud. It is true that there was no television at the time, nor movie theatres, nor World Wide Web, to provide diversion. However, poems were a source of pleasure, of self-education, of connection to other people or to the world beyond one’s own community. Reading them was a social act as well as an individual one, and perhaps even more social than individual. Writing poems to share with friends and relations was, like reading poems by the fireside, another way in which poetry had a place in everyday life.
How did things change? Why are most Americans no longer comfortable with poetry, and why do most people today think that a poem has nothing to tell them and they can do well without poems?
There are, I believe, three culprits (肇事者): poets, teachers and we ourselves. Of these, the least important is the third: the world surrounding the poem has betrayed (背叛) us more than we have betrayed the poem. Early in the twentieth century, poetry in English headed into directions hostile (不利的) to the reading of poetry. Readers decided that poems were not for the fireside or the easy chair at night, that they belonged where other difficult-to-read things belonged.
Poets failed the readers, so did the teachers. They want their students to know something about the craft (技巧) of a poem, and they want their students to see that poems mean something. Yet what usually occurs when teachers push these concerns on their high school students is that young people decide poems are unpleasant crossword puzzles.
小題1: Reading poems is thought to be a social act in the nineteenth century because _______.
A.it built a link among peopleB.it helped unite a community
C.it was a source of self-educationD.it was a source of pleasure
小題2:The underlined word “diversion” in Paragraph 2 most probably means _______.
A.diversityB.change C.a(chǎn)musementsD.happiness
小題3:In the last paragraph, the writer questions _______.
A.the difficulty in studying poems
B.the way poems are taught in school
C.students’ wrong ideas about poetry
D.the techniques used in writing poems
小題4:According to the passage, what is the main cause of the great gap between readers and poetry?
A.Poems have become difficult to understand.
B.Students are poorly educated in high school.
C.TV and the Internet are more attractive than poetry.
D.Students are becoming less interested in poetry.

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Adult butterflies use their senses of sight, touch, hearing, smell, and taste to survive in the world, find food and mates, lay eggs in an appropriate place, migrate, and avoid hungry predators.
Sight
Butterflies have large, compound (multifaceted) eyes, which allow them to see in all directions without turning their heads. Like most insects, butterflies are very nearsighted, so they are more attracted to a large stand of flowers rather than individual plants. Butterflies do not "see" colors such as red, green, and yellow, but sense polarized(偏振的) light, which indicates the direction the sun is shining, as well as ultraviolet light, which is present on many flowers and guides butterflies to nectar (花蜜)sources.
Smell
Butterflies have a very well-developed sense of smell, but it's not in their nose (since they don't have one). Sense receptors located in their antennae, feet, and many other parts of the body help butterflies find food (usually flower nectar), and mates (the female smells the male's pheromones).
Taste
Butterfly's feet have sense organs that can taste the sugar in nectar, letting the butterfly know if something is good to eat or not. Some females also taste host plants in order to find appropriate places to lay their eggs. Adult butterflies and moths feed using a proboscis, a long, coiled tube. Butterflies force blood into the tube to straighten it out, allowing them to feed. Butterflies get all their food from this tube.
Hearing
Butterflies don't have ears. Instead they "hear" sounds through their wings by sensing changes in sound vibrations.
Butterflies may possess senses we don't even know about yet because their anatomy is very different than ours, and therefore difficult to understand when perceived through our own human senses.
小題1:From the passage we can know that butterflies can see_____
A.thing behind themB.thing in the distance
C.most bright colorsD.flower nectar from a distance
小題2: Butterflies can easily find food resources by using their______.
A.sense organs of sight and smellB.sense organs of sight and taste
C.sense organs of smell and hearingD.sense organs of smell and taste
小題3: How do butterflies feed themselves?
A.by using their feetB.by using a tube.
C.by using sense receptorsD.by using their wings.
小題4:What is the passage mainly about?
A.The food sources of butterflies.B.The habits of butterflies.
C.The unusual body of butterflies.D.the sense of butterflies.

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

I sometimes wonder if old Finchley has the right personality to be a research scientist. He keeps asking when he’ll be coming back. After all, it was his own fault. Nobody tries out what has just been invented on themselves any more but Finchley. Well, he must have pumped about a thousand c. c. s into himself before I noticed he was clearly becoming smaller.
It was funny watching him, because his clothes remained the same in size. They simply piled up around him so that he looked like a small boy in his father’s clothes. But he kept getting smaller and smaller. As my colleague Dawson and I watched him, he disappeared! All we could see was Finchley’s clothes on the floor. They looked so strange, because the lab coat was on top, shirt and trousers inside and, I suppose, underclothes inside again. It gave me a strange feeling, and I think Dawson was a bit shaken, too.
Dawson was sitting on his chair in front of a microscope he’d been using to examine a family of mites(螨蟲). He looked through the scope kind of absently again, and was nearly scared to lose awareness when he found old Finchley waving back from the other end.
It seems as if Finchley had taken a free ride on a dust mite and landed on the land of the mite family. Of course, we didn’t know till Finchley told us later. But anyhow, as I said, Dawson nearly passed out. He jumped off his chair and pointed at the microscope, to shocked to speak.
小題1:Finchley disappeared because ________.
A.he took something poisonous
B.he was changed into a dust mite
C.his father’s clothes totally covered him up
D.what he and his colleagues invented resulted in his disappearace
小題2: It frightened Dawson to see Finchley _______.
A.got into his scope by accidentB.was waving through his telescope
C.suddenly got lost in his clothesD.gradually disappeared in the lab
小題3: It can be inferred that Finchley, Dawson and the writer have possibly invented _____.
A.some kind of medicineB.a(chǎn) new powerful microscope
C.a(chǎn) machine to make people smallD.a(chǎn) new way to make a culture of mite
小題4: It can probably be concluded that Finchley ________.
A.passed out there and thenB.is not fit to be a scientist
C.is a devoted scientistD.will remain tiny all the time

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

For the person keeping a journal, whatever he experiences and wants to hold he can write down. But to get it down on paper begins another adventure. For he has to focus on what he has experienced, and to be able to say what, in fact, the experience is. What of it is new? What of it is remarkable because of associations in the memory it stirs up? It is a good or bad thing to have happened? And why, specifically? The questions multiply  (增多) themselves quickly. As one tries to find the words that best represent this discovery, the experience becomes even clearer in its shape and meaning.
Beyond the value of the journal as record, there is the value of the discipline it teaches. The journalist begins to pay closer attention to what happened to and around himself. He develops and sharpens his skills of observation. He learns the usefulness of languages as a means of representing what he sees, and gains skill and certainty in the expression of his experiences. To have given up one’s experience to words is to have begun marking out the limits and potential of its meaning. In the journal that meaning is developed and clarified (澄清、闡明) to oneself. When the intention of the development of that meaning is the consideration of another reader, the method of the journal redirects itself and it becomes the essay.
小題1:According to the author, keeping a journal is good for ________.
A.observation and expression
B.certainty and discipline
C.experience and adventure
D.consideration and development
小題2:By keeping a journal, one can ________.
A.develop the usefulness of language
B.develop his memory
C.clarify the consideration to everyone
D.have a thorough understanding of his experience
小題3:Which of the following statements is NOT correct?
A.The journalist can express what has happened.
B.A journal can serve as a record of the past happening.
C.The journalist must be able to observe closely.
D.Writing helps develop the consideration of others.
小題4:The passage is mainly about ________.
A.how to write a journal
B.the expressions of a journal
C.the values of keeping a journal
D.how to solve the problems in a journal

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

In this age of Internet chat,videogames and reality television,there is no shortage of mindless activities to keep a child occupied.Yet,despite the competition,my 8-year-old daughter Rebecca wants to spend her leisure time writing short stories.She wants to enter one of her stories into a writing contest,a competition she won last year.
As a writer I know about winning contests,and about losing them.I know what it is like to work hard on a story only to receive a rejection slip from the publisher.I also know the pressure of trying to live up to a reputation created by previous victories.What if she doesn.t win the contest again?That’s the strange thing about being a parent.So many of our own past scars and dashed hopes can surface.
A revelation(啟示)came last week when l asked her,”Don’t you want to win again?” “No,” she replied,“I just want to tell the story of an angel(天使)going to first grade.”
I had just spent weeks correcting her stories as she spontaneously(自發(fā)地)told them.Telling myself that l was merely an experienced writer guiding the young writer across the hall. I offered suggestions for characters,conflicts and endings for her tales.The story about a fearful angel starting first grade was quickly“guided”by me into the tale of a little girl with a wild imagination taking her first music lesson.I had turned her contest into my contest without even realizing it.
Staying back and giving kids space to grow is not as easy as it looks.Because I know very little about farm animals who use tools or angels who go to first grade,I had to accept the fact that I was co-opting(借用)my daughter’s experience.
While stepping back was difficult for me,it was certainly a good first step that l will quickly follow with more steps,putting myself far enough away to give her room but close enough to help if asked.All the while I will be reminding myself that children need room to experiment,grow and find their own voices.
小題1:What did the author say about her own writing experience?
A.Most of her stories had been rejected by publishers.
B.She did not quite live up to her reputation as a writer.
C.Her way to success was full of pains and frustrations.
D.She was constantly under pressure of writing more.
小題2:Why did Rebecca want to enter this year’s writing contest?
A.She wanted to share her stories with readers.
B.She was sure of winning with her mother’s help.
C.She believed she possessed real talent for writing.
D.She had won a prize in the previous contest.
小題3:The author took great pains to refine her daughter’s stories because       
A.she was afraid Rebecca’s imagination might run wild while writing
B.she did not want to disappoint Rebecca who needed her help so much
C.she believed she had the knowledge and experience to offer guidance
D.she wanted to help Rebecca realize her dreams of becoming a writer
小題4:What’s the author’s advice for parents?
A.Parents should keep an eye on the activities their kids engage in.
B.Children should be allowed freedom to grow through experience.
C.A writing career,though attractive,is not for every child to pursue.
D.Children should be given every chance to voice their opinions.

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

If you travel to a new exhibition at the San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers, you will have chances to see some meat-eating plants. Take bladderworts, a kind of such plant, for example. They appear so small and grow in a quiet pond. "But these are the fastest known killers of the plant kingdom, able to capture a small insect in 1/50 of a second using a trap door!"
Once the trap door closes on the victim, the enzymes(酶)similar to those in the human stomach slowly digest the insert. When dinner is over, the plant opens the trap door and is ready to trap again.
Meat-eating plants grow mostly in wet areas with soil that doesn't offer much food nutrition. In such conditions, these amazing plants have developed insect traps to get their nutritional needs over thousands of years. North America has more such plants than any other continents.
Generally speaking, the traps may have attractive appearance to fool the eye, like pitcher plants, which get their name because they look like beautiful pitchers full of nectar(花蜜).
Hair-like growths along the pitcher walls ensure that nothing can escape, and the digestive enzymes can get to work. A tiny insect can be digested in a few hours, but a fly takes a couple of days.
Some of these pitchers are large enough to hold 7.5 liters. Meat-eating plants only eat people in science fiction movies, but sometimes a bird or other small animals will discover that a pitcher plant isn't a good place to get a drink.
小題1:From Paragraph 1,we learn that bladderworts can_ .
A.kill an insect in a second
B.digest a fly in a few hours
C.be found floating on a quiet lake
D.capture an insect in 1/50 of a second
小題2:If the trap door of a meat-eating plant is closed, the plant is
A.fooling insects into taking a sip
B.producing nectar
C.tempting insects to come close
D.enjoying a dinner
小題3:Meat-eating plants can grow in wet and poor soil because they .
A.can get nutrition from animals
B.don't need much food nutrition
C.can make the most of such conditions
D.have developed digestive enzymes
小題4:What can be captured by meat-eating plants for food?
A.A child.B.A dog
C.A little bird.D.A little fish.

查看答案和解析>>

同步練習(xí)冊答案