I told my friend Graham that I often cycle the two miles from my house to the town center but unfortunately there is a big hill on the route. He replied, ‘You mean fortunately.’ He explained that I should be glad of the extra exercise that the hill provided.
My attitude to the hill has now changed. I used to grumble as I approached it but now I tell myself the following. This hill will exercise my heart and lungs. It will help me to lose weight and get fit. It will mean that I live longer. This hill is my friend. Finally as I wend my way up the incline I console myself with the thought of all those silly people who pay money to go to a gym and sit on stationery exercise bicycles when I can get the same value for free. I have a smug smile of satisfaction as I reach the top of the hill.
Problems are there to be faced and overcome. We cannot achieve anything with an easy life. Helen Keller was the first deaf and blind person to gain a University degree. Her activism and writing proved inspirational. She wrote, “Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experiences of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired and success achieved.”
One of the main determinants of success in life is our attitude towards adversity. From time to time we all face hardships, problems, accidents, afflictions and difficulties. Some are of our making but many confront us through no fault of our own. Whilst we cannot choose the adversity we can choose our attitude towards it.
Douglas Bader was 21 when in 1931 he had both legs amputated following a flying accident. He was determined to fly again and went on to become one of the leading flying aces in the Battle of Britain with 22 aerial victories over the Germans. He was an inspiration to others during the war. He said, “Don’t listen to anyone who tells you that you can’t do this or that. That’s nonsense. Make up your mind, you’ll never use crutches or a stick, then have a go at everything. Go to school, join in all the games you can. Go anywhere you want to. But never, never let them persuade you that things are too difficult or impossible.”
The biographies of great people are littered with examples of how they took these kinds of steps to overcome the difficulties they faced. The common thread is that they did not become defeatist or depressed. They chose their attitude. They chose to be positive. They took on the challenge. They won.
小题1:The writer has a smug smile of satisfaction as he reaches the top of the hill because .
A．he was actually killing two birds with a stone
B．compared with those silly people, he was smarter
C．he lost weight by cycing to the town center every day
D．he was informed of a short route from his house to the town小题2:The writer quoted Helen Keller and her saying as an example to demonstrate .
A．one cannot achieve anything with an easy life
B．only disabled persons can experience hardship deeply
C．one’s success is determined by nothing but his / her attitude
D．it’s rare for a deaf and blind person to gain a University degree.小题3:From this passage we know that Douglas Bader was a person of .
A．individual and creative character
B．stubborn yet charming personality
C．great bravery and strong will
D．excellent speaker with great influence小题4:In writing style, the last paragraph serves as .
A．an explanation
B．a demonstration
C．an introduction
D．a summarization
