“The first and best of victories is for a man to conquer himself; to be conquered by himself is, of all things, the most shameful，” says Plato. Selfcontrol is at the root of all the advantages. Let a man give in to his impulses (冲动) and feelings, and from that moment he gives up his moral (道德上的) freedom.
A single angry word has lost many a friend. When Socrates found in himself any temper or anger, he would check it by speaking low in order to control himself. If you are conscious of being angry, keep your mouth shut so that you can hold back rising anger. Many a person has dropped dead in great anger. Fits of anger bring fits of disease. “Whom the gods would destroy they firstmake mad” “Keep cool”， says George Herbert, “for fierceness (狂怒) makes error a fault.”
To be angry with a weak man is to prove that you are not strong yourself. “Anger，” says Pythagoras, “brings with folly(愚蠢) and ends with regret.” You must measure the strength of a man by the power of the feelings he conquers, not by the power of those which conquer him.
Selfcontrol is man's last greatest victory.
If a man lacks selfcontrol he seems to lack everything. Without it he can have no patience, no power to govern himself; he can have no selfconfidence, for he will always be controlled by his strongest feeling. If he lacks selfcontrol, the very backbone and nerve of character are lacking also.
小题1:What does the reader learn from the first paragraph?
A．The greatest victory for a man is to conquer everything except himself.
B．One's moral freedom is based on the control of himself.
C．To control oneself is the most difficult in one's life.
D．If a person is too stubborn, he will feel most shameful.小题2:What is the correct interpretation of “Whom the gods would destroy they first make mad”？
A．If the gods want to kill you, they make you crazy first.
B．If you cannot control yourself, you will become crazy.
C．If you always lose your temper, you will soon be finished.
D．If you are mad, you will be punished by the gods.小题3:If a man lacks selfcontrol, he lacks all of the following EXCEPT ________.
A．the very backbone and nerve of character
B．the patience and power to control himself
C．selfconfidence
D．strong feelings
小题1:B
小题2:C
小题3:D
题目分析：本文介绍了自控力在人生中的重要性。
小题1:推理题：根据第一段最后一句“Let a man give in to his impulses (冲动) and feelings, and from that moment he gives up his moral (道德上的) freedom”如果一个人被情感和冲动所支配，那么他就放弃了道德上的自由，由此可知一个人的道德自由就是建立在自控的基础上。故选B。
小题2:推理题：根据第二段中 “Whom the gods would destroy they first make mad”上帝若想毁灭一个人，必先使其发狂，以及最后一句“for fierceness (狂怒) makes error a fault”狂怒会导致错误，可知如果你总是脾气失控了，会带来自身的灭亡。故选C。
小题3:推理题：根据文章最后一段内容可知当人失控时，提到了no patience, no power to govern himself， no selfconfidence，缺少the very backbone and nerve of character，因为他总是被强烈的感情（strong feelings）控制的。故选D。