I was working with a client who was completely burned out on her career and life and then ready for a career change. As we were talking, she said, “I just wish I had meaningful work. I don’t feel like I am making a difference. I am just wasting my life.” This is the theme I hear most often from clients who have been in the workforce awhile.All of us want to feel like we are making a difference. We want to believe our work means something. The problem comes in defining “meaningful work”. What is it? That answer is different for everyone. For some meaningful work might be helping others organize their office. For others it may mean making a million dollars.
What really matters is how you see it. What is meaningful work to you? Take out a piece of paper and answer these questions. How do you define meaningful work? When do you feel like you are really making a difference? What work have you done so far that feels the most meaningful? Write down whatever comes to mind.
What you want to do is meaningful. It is very easy to start judging yourself as being selfish. Stop! Allow yourself to be honest. The fact is when Picasso painted; he was doing it because he liked to paint. He was not thinking, “Oh, I hope this brings joy to others’ lives.” He painted because he wanted to. When Beethoven composed, he did it because he loved music. Even scientists searching for a cure for cancer are immersed in their work because it fascinates them.
Don’t look down on your work. It is easy to downplay the importance of work that feels meaningful. I remember Tony Robbins told a story of talking with the owner of a major company. The man said to Tony, “I wish I could do what you do because it makes such adifference in people’s lives”. Tony said, “You have got to be kidding! Look at what adifference you make. You provide work, health insurance and security for thousands ofpeople!” Don’t underestimate the value you provide.
Take a look at what you have written about meaningful work. Do you see any themes? How do you wish to contribute to this world? Whatever you choose, remember that the greatest gift you can give is to find work that makes you feel fulfilled and delighted. Respect your preference because giving your gifts to the world, whatever they look like, is the most meaningful action you can ever take.
小題1:. What does the writer mean by mentioning the famous people?
A．Famous people are selfish to start work for themselves.
B．Doing meaningful work requires our interest in it.
C．Interest is the best teacher in learning.
D．Honesty makes for the greatest people.
小題2:. When you downplay the value of your work, you tend to think it is ______.
A．quite differentB．very successfulC．not meaningfulD．less important
小題3:.According to the passage, what meaningful job does the writer advise us to take?
A．The one which is popular in society.
B．The one which brings you profits.
C．The one which wins you fame.
D．The one which interests you.
小題4:. The article is intended to ________.
A．explain what is the most important in changing one’s job
B．a(chǎn)dvise taking an immediate action to find meaningful work
C．suggest we should show confidence and talent in work
D．tell us the problem that the author’s client met

小題1:.C
小題1:.D
小題1:.D
小題1:.A
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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：完形填空

I ran into a stranger as he passed by, and I at once apologized to him. We were both very _36_, he stranger and I. Then we went    37  our way after saying good-bye.
But at home a   38  story is told. Later that day, when I 39  supper in the kitchen, my daughter suddenly stood behind me very   40 . When I turned back, I     41  knocked her down. “Don’t be in my   42   !” I shouted angrily. She walked away with her little heart     43 .On the kitchen floor later, I found some flowers by the door.
That night, while I lay     44  in bed, a voice in my deep heart said, “While 45  with a stranger, you are so polite, but with the children you love, you are so easily _46   .Why are there some flowers by the door? Those are the flowers she brought for you. She    47 them herself, pink, yellow and your favorite blue. She stood quietly in order to give you a    48 , and you never saw the         49  in her eyes.”
By this time, I felt very       50  and now my tears began to fall. I quietly went and knelt (跪下) by her __51__, “Wake up, little girl, wake up,” I said, “Are these the flowers you picked for me?” She smiled, “Yes, because I knew you’d like them, especially the  52_  .” I said, “Daughter, I’m sorry for the way I acted today; I       53  have shouted at you that way.”
She said, “Oh, Mom, that’s okay. I love you 54 .” I hugged her and said, “Daughter, I love you too, and I do like the flowers.”
Through this    55 , I realize what FAMILY means:
FAMILY="(F)ATHER" (A)ND (M)OTHER, (I) (L)OVE (Y)OU
小題1:
A．rudeB．politeC．educatedD．happy
小題2:
A．inB．toC．onD．for
小題3:
A．differentB．funnyC．movingD．terrible
小題4:
A．hadB．a(chǎn)teC．preparedD．took
小題5:
A．quicklyB．quietlyC．noisilyD．seriously
小題6:
A．nearlyB．hardlyC．a(chǎn)lreadyD．even
小題7:
A．kitchenB．roomC．placeD．way
小題8:
A．beatenB．missingC．brokenD．hit
小題9:
A．a(chǎn)liveB．a(chǎn)sleepC．a(chǎn)wakeD．a(chǎn)fraid
小題10:
A．talkingB．dealingC．workingD．meeting
小題11:
A．worriedB．nervousC．excitedD．disappointed
小題12:
A．grewB．pickedC．boughtD．planted
小題13:
A．giftB．flowerC．kissD．surprise
小題14:
A．expressionB．tearsC．happinessD．joy
小題15:
A．smallB．proudC．weakD．hurt
小題16:
A．tableB．deskC．bedD．knees
小題17:
A．pinkB．blueC．yellowD．green
小題18:
A．couldn’tB．mustn’tC．shouldn’tD．needn’t
小題19:
A．howeverB．trulyC．thoughD．a(chǎn)nyway
小題20:
A．a(chǎn)ccidentB．experienceC．question D．problem

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：完形填空

My wife and I had just finished the 150-mile trip home from our daughter’s college. It was the first time in our life that we would __36__ for any length of time. We wondered how other people had __37__ it.
Later in bed, I __38__ the time I started college. My father had driven me, too. My mother had to stay home to keep the __39__ from getting into the crops. I, the fourth in a line of brothers, was the first to __40__ college.
The truck was slow, and I was glad. I didn’t want to get to the city __41__. I shook hands with my father in the truck and he didn’t say a word. But I knew he was going to make a little __42__. He finally said, “I never went to college and __43__ of your brothers did. I can’t say don’t do this or that, because everything is __44__ and I don’t know what is going to come up, but I think things will __45__. When you get a job, be sure to be honest and work hard.” I knew that soon I would be __46__ in the big town and I would be __47__ the life home.
Then my father __48__ the Bible that he had read so often. I knew that he would miss it but I must __49__ it. He just said, “This can help you __50__ you will let it.”
When I finished school I took the Bible __51__ to my father. But he said he wanted me to __52__ it.
Now, too often, I remember. It would have been so __53__ to give it to my daughter when she got out of the car. But I didn’t. My father could give me only a Bible, but now I don’t really believe that I gave her half as __54__ as my father gave me. So the next morning I __55__ up the book and sent it to her. I wrote a note “This can help you.” I said, “if you will let it.”
小題1:
A．worryB．separateC．stayD．travel
小題2:
A．leftB．stoodC．enjoyedD．tried
小題3:
A．wastedB．spentC．rememberedD．killed
小題4:
A．policemenB．workersC．cattleD．birds
小題5:
A．graduate fromB．go away toC．set outD．set up
小題6:
A．very lateB．far awayC．too soonD．once again
小題7:
A．speechB．livingC．promiseD．progress
小題8:
A．someB．oneC．noneD．a(chǎn)ll
小題9:
A．impossibleB．differentC．difficultD．favorite
小題10:
A．work outB．die outC．hold outD．break out
小題11:
A．happyB．a(chǎn)loneC．freeD．lost
小題12:
A．losingB．spendingC．missingD．living
小題13:
A．brought aboutB．brought outC．brought upD．brought down
小題14:
A．refuseB．markC．followD．take
小題15:
A．ifB．unlessC．butD．though
小題16:
A．downB．upC．backD．a(chǎn)way
小題17:
A．keepB．returnC．postD．sell
小題18:
A．popularB．strangeC．readyD．nice
小題19:
A．muchB．manyC．farD．good
小題20:
A．setB．turnedC．gaveD．wrapped

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：完形填空

When I was in the final year of my graduation studies, I visited a friend’s home for lunch. The moment I reached his house, I found the staircases of his building were not so good and his home was not painted very well. I couldn’t  36  in words but it was not even the type of house in which a typical middle-class Indian family lives.
The greatest things I did find there were his parents. We sat on the ground for lunch because they didn’t have a dining  37 . His mother served us very delicious food, smiled throughout and showed care for the  38  lunch session. I can never forget that.
His father worked as a normal  39  and I wondered if he earned enough money to support their two sons. While we were taking lunch, his father returned home to meet us. When he entered their home, his hands were dark black and his clothes were very dirty. My friend had no  40  about his father and made the introductions.
As soon as his father came in, my friend asked me if I wanted “Papad”（a typical Indian food）to eat. Before I could say anything, the father very gently and kindly  41  it for me, after going through many staircases even though he was looking  42 .
Today, my friend is a leader in a big company. He is able to  43  high rent in Hyderabad and have a new beautiful home. Not only that, he helped his brother  44  in his studies and is still helping.
What I want to say is that I consider  45  as richness in a poor family. The amount of money you make won’t  46  other’s hearts; the only way is with love and kindness. Struggle and bad periods are needed for everyone’s life, as they make us strong. If you have strong willpower, goals and also the attitude of hard and smart work, you can  47  be a successful person in some areas of life.
小題1:  
A．describe B．takeC．talkD．speak
小題2:  
A．roomB．carC．tableD．hall
小題3:
A．desirableB．healthyC．temporaryD．entire
小題4:.
A．doctorB．mechanicC．lawyerD．teacher
小題5:
A．commentB．hesitationC．worryD．expectation
小題6:
A．borrowedB．boughtC．broughtD．took
小題7:  
A．tiredB．happyC．sadD．excited
小題8:
A．costB．spendC．tookD．pay
小題9:
A．dearlyB．financiallyC．highlyD．costly
小題10:
A．familiarityB．relationshipC．loveD．friendship
小題11:  
A．winB．getC．gainD．defeat
小題12:  
A．possiblyB．hardlyC．suddenlyD．definitely

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：完形填空

完形填空 (共20小題；每小題1.5分，滿分30分)
閱讀下面短文，從短文后各題所給的四個選項(A、B、C和D)中，選出可以填入空白處的最佳選項，并在答題卡上將該項涂黑。
I was standing on stage before 200 people, dressed up as George Washington. I had the lead role in my sixth grade  36  and, for the past two months, I had walked back and forth in my room  37  to say my lines.
Now it was time to give a  38  , and my heart was beating rapidly. At my  39 , I began to speak smoothly and clearly, but then it  40  : I stuttered（口吃）. I knew I would, and I did.
From that moment on, I  41  that my role in that play would be my first and my last. My speech problem affected  42  .
As a child, I struggled to say a full sentence, repeatedly hearing the  43  comments of my parents. “Take a deep breath and think about what you’re going to say.” I was too  44 to admit I had a problem.
 45  my school career progressed my speech problem became less noticeable, but it never 46  . It held me back.
After realizing that class officers had to speak in front of the entire student body, I  47 running in class elections . I feared reading aloud and meeting new people.
I would  48  sit in my room and cry, imagining what it would be like to be  49 , like everyone else.
Finally, I came to my senses. I read articles about famous people who 50  their speech problems. I  51  the fact that I do have a problem that will always be with me.
It has made me a 52  person and, with time, I know I’ll gain the confidence to stand up and 53  to myself that it will never hold me back.  54  , I know that I’m not the only one who  55 , because nobody is perfect.
小題1:  
A．play B．game C．danceD．concert
小題2:  
A．desiring B．waiting C．strugglingD．hesitating
小題3:
A．testB．performanceC．suggestionD．judgment
小題4:
A．sightB．a(chǎn)ngleC．news D．turn
小題5:
A．happenedB．seemedC．brokeD．remained
小題6:  
A．urgedB．promised C．a(chǎn)dmitted D．repeated
小題7:
A．nothing B．somethingC．everythingD．a(chǎn)nything
小題8:
A．excitingB．surprisingC．puzzling D．a(chǎn)nnoying
小題9:
A．a(chǎn)shamed B．willingC．weak D．eager
小題10:
A．ThoughB．AsC．BeforeD．Unless
小題11:  
A．failedB．disappearedC．burstD．combined
小題12:
A．insisted on B．put offC．a(chǎn)pproved ofD．gave up
小題13:
A．neverB．seldomC．sometime D．constantly
小題14:
A．normalB．special C．usualD．a(chǎn)live
小題15:
A．realizedB．refusedC．overcame D．a(chǎn)voided
小題16:  
A．doubtedB．changedC．hidD．faced
小題17:
A．strongerB．greaterC．wiserD．purer
小題18:  
A．explainB．proveC．respondD．scream
小題19:
A．On the contrary B．On the other handC．Above allD．At most
小題20:  
A．a(chǎn)ttempts B．a(chǎn)rguesC．suffers D．risks

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

“Be nice to people.” This sounds like a platitude（老生常談）,but I’ll never forget my father’s words. I was 10, and I had been mean to someone. He said, “There is no point in being mean to anyone at any time. You never know who you’re going to meet later in life. And by the way, you don’t change anything by being mean. Usually you don’t get anywhere.”
“Remember you can do anything you want to do. Don’t let anyone say, ‘You’re not smart enough, it’s too hard, it’s a foolish idea, no one has done that before, girls don’t do that.’ ”My mom gave me that advice in 1973. And it allowed me to never worry what others were saying about my career direction.
“Always do the best job you can do at whatever you’re assigned（分派）,even if you think it’s boring.” Jerry Parkinson, my boss at P&G, told me this in 1979. Here I was fresh out of Harvard Business School(HBS), and I was assigned to determine how big the hole in the Ivory shampoo bottle should be: 3/8 of an inch or 1/8 of an inch. I did research, focus groups and I would come home at night wondering how I had gone from HBS to this. But later I realized any job you’re given is an opportunity to prove yourself.
“Don’t be a credit hog. If you’re constantly in the neighborhood of good things, good things will happen to you.” Tom Tierney, who was my boss at Bain in 1981 and is now on the eBay board, told me this. It’s true that you get ahead by praising other people.
Finally, in 1998, I was in New York watching the ticker as eBay went public. My husband is a surgeon（外科醫(yī)生）.I called him and told him the great news. And he said, “That’s nice. But Meg, remember that it’s not brain surgery.”
小題1: We can learn that ______ from the passage.
A．“Be nice to people” is the topic that people like
B．it’s not necessary for us all to be too mean at any time
C．I never forget any word that father spoke to me
D．we won’t be successful if we are too mean to others
小題2: How many pieces of advice were given by her family?
A．Two.B．Four.C．Three.D．One.
小題3:This passage was written by _____ order.
A．story developmentB．timeC．working conditionsD．ideas
小題4: The author’s husband is more concerned _____ than eBay’s going public.
A．his successB．opportunity to prove himself
C．brain surgeryD．his career
小題5: What’s the main idea of the whole passage?
A．Advice in life really made a difference to us.
B．We should be nice to people around us.
C．People can succeed by praising others.
D．Too mean persons will get nothing from life.

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Today, we complete our story about the influential English writer William Shakespeare. He wrote plays and poems during the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries, which remain very popular today.
During earlier times, people would probably have learned several ancient Roman and Greek plays. It was not unusual for writers to produce more current versions of these works. For example, in Shakespeare's play "The Comedy of Errors" Shakespeare borrowed certain details from the ancient Roman writer Plautus. For his play "Macbeth", Shakespeare most likely used a work on Scottish history by Raphael Holinshed for information. Shakespeare might have borrowed from other writers, but the intensity（強(qiáng)度）of his imagination and language made the plays his own. While many plays by other writers of his time have been forgotten, Shakespeare and his art live on.
Shakespeare was also influenced by the world around him. He described the sights and sounds of London in his plays. His works include observations about political struggles, the fear of diseases, and the popular language of the city’s tradesmen. Shakespeare's knowledge of the English countryside is also clear. His works include descriptions of deep forests, local flowers, and the ancient popular traditions of rural people.
It would be impossible to list all of the ways in which Shakespeare’s works have influenced the world culture. But the first and greatest example would be his great influence on the English language. During his time, the English language was changing. Many new words from other languages were being added. Shakespeare used his sharp mind and poetic inventiveness to create hundreds of new words and rework old ones. For example, he created the noun forms of "critic", "mountaineer” and "eyeball". Many common expressions in English come from his plays, including "pomp and circumstance（裝腔作勢）"from "Othello", "full circle（繞圈子地）" from "King Lear", etc. The list of cultural creations influenced by Shakespeare is almost endless. From paintings to television to music and dance, Shakespeare was well represented. Shakespeare's plays have been translated into every major language in the world.
Shakespeare became a well­known writer during a golden age of theater. His years of hard work paid off.
小題1:What can we infer from the passage？
A．Many of Shakespeare's works were influenced by earlier writings.
B．Shakespeare was hard­working when he was a student.
C．The experience of living in London helped a lot with Shakespeare's works.
D．Shakespeare became rich later because of the popularity of his works.
小題2:Shakespeare might have learnt some information from ancient Roman works in　　　　.
A．"King Lear"B．"The Comedy of Errors"C．"Macbeth" D．"Othello"
小題3:Why could Shakespeare's works survive his time？
A．Because there were so few people writing plays in his time.
B．Because he produced too many works that nobody else could do.
C．Because he was a rich and influential person of his time.
D．Because his works were rich in imagination and language.
小題4:Shakespeare's greatest influence should be on　　　　.
A．the English languageB．paintingsC．televisionD．music and dance
小題5:The passage is mainly about 　　　　.
A．a(chǎn)n introduction to Shakespeare’s life and his works
B．the main features and styles of Shakespeare's plays
C．how culture influenced Shakespeare and he influenced culture.
D．Shakespeare’s greatest influence on the world culture.

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

How many people have I met who have told me about the book they have been planning to write but have never yet found the time ? Far too many.
This is Life, all right, but we do treat it like a rehearsal (排演) and, unhappily, we do miss so many of its best moments.
We take jobs to stay alive and provide homes for our families always making ourselves believe that this style of life is merely a temporary state of affairs along the road to what we really want to do. Then, at 60 or 65, we are suddenly presented with a clock and several grandchildren and we look back and realize that all those years waiting for Real Life to come along were in fact real life.
In  America they have a saying much laughed at by the English：“Have a nice day” they speak slowly and seriously in their shops, hotels and sandwich bars. I think it is a wonderful phrase, reminding us, in effect, to enjoy the moment: to value this very day.
How often do we say to ourselves, "I'll take up horse-riding (or golf, or sailing) as soon as I get a higher position," only to do none of those things when I do get the higher position.
When I first became a reporter I knew a man who gave up a very well paid respectable job at the Daily Telegraph to go and edit a small weekly newspaper. At the time I was astonished by what appeared to me to be his completely abnormal (反常的) mental state. How could anyone turn his back on Fleet Street in central London for a small local area？I wanted to know.
Now I am a little older and possibly wiser, I see the sense in it. In Fleet Street the man was under continual pressure. He lived in an unattractive London suburb and he spent much of his life sitting on Southern Region trains.
小題1:
The first paragraph of the passage tells us that          .
A．we always try to find some time to write a book
B．we always make plans but seldom fulfill them
C．we always enjoy many of life's best moments
D．we always do what we really want to do
小題2:
The underlined phrase "turn his back on" (paragraph 6) most probably means         .
A．leave forB．return toC．give upD．rely on
小題3:
The man ( paragraph 6) left his first job partly because he was           .
A．in an abnormal mental stateB．under too much pressure
C．not well paidD．not respected
小題4:
What is probably the best title for the passage?
A．Provide Homes For Our FamilyB．Take Up Horse-riding
C．Value This Very DayD．Stay Alive

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

My father was a foreman of a sugar-cane plantation in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico. My first job was to drive the oxen（牛） that ploughed the cane fields. I would walk behind an ox, guiding him with a broomstick. For $ 1 a day, I worked eight hours straight, with no food breaks.
It was very tedious work, but it prepared me for life and taught me many lasting lessons. Because the plantation owners were always watching us, I had to be on time every day and work as hard as I could. I’ve never been late for any job since. I also learned about being respectful and faithful to the people you work for. More important, I earned my pay; it never entered my mind to say I was sick just because I didn’t want to work.
I was only six years old, but I was doing a man’s job. Our family needed every dollar we could make because my father never earned more than $ 18 a week. Our home was a three-room wood shack with a dirty floor and no toilet. Nothing made me prouder than bringing home money to help my mother, father, two brothers and three sisters. This gave me self-esteem(自尊心), one of the most important things a person can have.
When I was seven, I got work at a golf course near our house. My job was to stand down the fairway and spot the balls as they landed, so the golfers could find them. Losing a ball meant you were fired, so I never missed one. Some nights I would lie in bed and dreamt of making thousands of dollars by playing golf and being able to buy a bicycle.
The more I dreamed, the more I thought. Why not? I made my first golf club out of guava limb(番石榴樹枝) and a piece of pipe. Then I hammered an empty tin can into the shape of a ball. And finally I dug two small holes in the ground and hit the ball back and forth. I practiced with the same devotion and intensity. I learned working in the field — except now I was driving golf balls with club, not oxen with a broomstick.
小題1:The word “tedious” in Paragraph 2 most probably means _______.
A．difficultB．boringC．interesting D．unusual
小題2:The writer learned that_______ from his first job.
A．he should work for those who he liked most
B．he should work longer than what he was expected
C．he should never fail to say hello to his owner
D．he should be respectful and faithful to the people he worked for
小題3:_______ gave the writer self-esteem.
A．Having a family of eight people
B．Owning his own golf course
C．Bringing money back home to help the family
D．Helping his father with the work on the plantation
小題4:Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A．He wanted to be a successful golfer.
B．He wanted to run a golf course near his house.
C．He was satisfied with the job he got on a plantation.
D．He wanted to make money by guiding oxen with a broomstick.

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