If you are trying to achieve big goals in your life and work, the chances are that, from time to time, you hit rock bottom. Nothing works, nothing goes right, and nothing succeeds. At times like these, you may feel like throwing_in_the_towel. But before you do, read the following story. It might just change your mind.

One day, a small business owner decided he'd had enough. Enough of the endless work, enough of the lack of response, enough of the disturbing loneliness.

He went into the woods to have one last talk to the wise man. “Mr. wise man，” he said. “Can you give me one good reason why I shouldn't give up?”

The answer took him by surprise. “Look around you，” the wise man said. “Do you see the fern (蕨类植物)and the bamboo?”

“Yes”， the man replied.

“When I planted the fern and the bamboo, I took very good care of them. I gave them both equal amounts of food and water. I gave them sunlight in spring and protected them from the storms in autumn. The fern quickly grew from the earth. Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not give up on the bamboo. In the second year, the fern grew even better than before but nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not give up on the bamboo. In year three there was still nothing from the bamboo seed. But I would not give up. In year four, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. Still would not give up.”

Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout(芽)came out from the earth. Compared to the fern it was seemingly small. But day by day the sprout grew. Within six months, the sprout had risen to a height of 100 feet. It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive.“Did you know, young man, that all this time you have been struggling, you have been growing? Grow the roots that you need to produce your fruit.”

“Don't compare yourself to others. All things have different purposes, and different journeys. The bamboo has a different purpose from the fern. Yet they both make the forest beautiful. Yourtime will come. You will rise high.”

The small business owner left the forest. And never went back.

If nothing seems like it is happening in your life, despite all the work you're putting in, remember that you're probably growing roots not fruit. Stick with it. One day not far from now, there'll be a great harvest.

文章大意：这是哲理类文章阅读。文章通过竹子的故事告诉我们当面临困难的时候不要放弃。

1.The underlined phrase “throwing in the towel” in Paragraph l probably means ________.

A.crying out B.showing off

C.giving up D.running away

答案：C　词义猜测题。cry out大声哭泣;show off炫耀;give up放弃;run away跑掉。根据前文的Nothing works, nothing goes right, and nothing succeeds诸多困难，应该是想到放弃。故选C。

2.After the wise man planted the fern and the bamboo，________

A.he cared for the fern only

B.they didn't receive any care from him

C.he gave up the bamboo in the fifth year

D.the bamboo seed never stopped growing

答案：D　推理判断题。根据文中the wise man所说的话“Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not give up on the bamboo. In the second year, the fern grew even better than before but nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not give up on the bamboo. In year three there was still nothing from the bamboo seed. But I would not give up. In year four, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. Still would not give up. Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout(芽)came out from the earth”可知竹子从没有放弃过自己的成长。故选D。

3.From the passage we can conclude that the small business owner will________.

A.not turn to the wise man for help again

B.not give up in face of difficulties

C.give up his business later

D.grow some bamboo later

答案：B　推理判断题。根据the wise man所说的竹子故事，不放弃。商人回去后肯定会在遇到困难时不再放弃。故选B。

4.Which of the following best describes the story in the passage?

A.Never give up hope.

B.Practice makes perfect.

C.Time and tide wait for nobody.

D.One should try and achieve bigger goals in life.

答案：A　主旨大意题。A项永远不要放弃希望;B项熟能生巧;C项时不我待;D项一个人应该努力在生活中获得更大的成就。通读全文，并根据the wise man的故事判断就是永远不要放弃。故选A。

【2016高考训练题】阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中，选出最佳选项。As any plane passenger will confirm, a crying baby is almost impossible to ignore, no matter how hard you try. Now scientists believe they may have worked out why. A baby’s cry pulls at the heartstrings(扣人心弦) in a way while other cries don’t, researchers found.

Researchers found that a baby’s cry can trigger unique emotional responses in the brain, making it impossible for us to ignore them---whether we are parents or not. Other types of cries, including calls of animals in great pain, fail to get the same response---suggesting the brain is programmed to respond specifically to a baby’s cry.

A team of Oxford University scientists scanned the brains of 28 men and women as they listened to a variety of calls and cries. After 100 milliseconds two parts of the brain that respond to emotion lit up. Their response to a baby’s cry was particularly strong. The response was seen in both men and women—even if they had no children.

Researcher Dr Christine Parsons said, “You might read that men should just notice a baby and step over it and not see it, but it’s not true. There is a special processing in men and women, which makes sense from an evolutionary(演变的) view that both men and women would be responding to these cries.” The study was in people who were not parents, yet they are all responding at 100ms to these particular cries, so this might be a fundamental response present in all of us regardless of parental status.

Researcher Katie Young said it may take a bit longer for someone to recognize their own child’s cries because they need to do more “fine-grained analysis”. The team had previously found that our reactions speed up when we hear a baby crying. Adults performed better on computer games when they heard the sound of a baby crying than after they heard recordings of adults crying.

1. A baby’s cry is difficult to ignore because it _____.

A. keeps on crying B. cries harder than adults

C. causes people great pain D. makes people feel strong emotions

2. The underlined word “trigger” in Paragraph 2 probably means “_____”

A. remove B. avoid C. cause D. Cure

3. What may Christine Parsons agree to?

A. Almost everyone makes certain response to a baby’s cries.

B. A crying baby makes no sense to people without children.

C. Men pay less attention to a crying baby than women.

D. Parents can hardly recognize their own babies’ cry.

4. Computer games are mentioned in the text to show _____.

A. players’ different reactions to a crying baby

B. baby’s crying contributes to quicker reactions

C. the influence of baby’s and adult’s crying on performance

D. it’s hard to keep one’s concentration with a crying baby nearby

参考答案、1-4 DCAB

【2016高考训练题】阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中，选出最佳选项。 Three Boys and a Dad

Brad closed the door slowly as Sue left home to visit her mother. Expecting a whole day to relax, he was thinking whether to read the newspaper or watch his favourite TV talk show on his first day off in months. "This will be like a walk in the park," he'd told his wife. "I'll look after the kids, and you can go visit your mom."

Things started well, but just after eight o'clock, his three little "good kids"—Mike, Randy, and Alex—came down the stairs in their night clothes and shouted "breakfast, daddy." When food had not appeared within thirty seconds, Randy began using his spoon on Alex's head as if it were a drum. Alex started to shout loudly in time to the beat(节拍). Mike chanted "Where's my toast, where's my toast," in the background. Brad realized his newspaper would have to wait for a few seconds.

Life became worse after breakfast. Mike wore Randy's underwear on his head. Randy locked himself in the bathroom, while Alex shouted again because he was going to wet his pants. Nobody could find clean socks, although they were before their very eyes. Someone named "Not Me" had spilled a whole glass of orange juice into the basket of clean clothes. Brad knew the talk show had already started.

By ten o'clock, things were out of control. Alex was wondering why the fish in the jar refused his bread and butter. Mike was trying to show off his talent by decorating the kitchen wall with his colour pencils. Randy, thankfully, appeared to be reading quietly in the family room, but closer examination showed that he was eating apple jam straight from the bottle with his hands. Brad realized that the talk show was over and reading would be impossible.

At exactly11:17, Brad called the daycare centre(日托所). "I suddenly have to go into work and my wife's away. Can I bring the boys over in a few minutes? " The answer was obviously "yes" because Brad was smiling.

1. When his wife left home, Brad expected to __________.

A. go out for a walk in the park

B. watch TV talk show with his children

C. enjoy his first day off work

D. read the newspaper to his children

2. Which of the following did Randy do?

A. Drawing on the wall B. Eating apple jam

C. Feeding the fish. D. Reading in a room

3. Why did Brad ask the daycare centre for help?

A. Because he wanted to clean up his house.

B. Because he suddenly had to go to his office.

C. Because he found it hard to manage his boys.

D. Because he had to take his wife back home.

4. This text is developed _________.

A. by space B. by comparison C. by process D. by time

参考答案、CBCD