Passage 2

Walt Disney created a special phrase for persistence and determination. He referred to it as

"sticktoitivity". The majority of people are so   (1)   of failure. They don't know the Japanese have a wonderful way of looking at  (2)   Their saying "Fall seven limes; stand up eight" is a   (3)   explanation to sticktoitivity!

A good friend of mine has a business that he has   (4)   on for over five years. He knows that his   (5)    has the potential that can increase sales ten times.   (6)   to do so, he has to probably break the rules that make him   (7)   where he is today. He   (8)   gives up his dream, and he is an example of sticktoitivity!

Basketball star Michael Jordan   (9)   sticktoitivity in one of his shoe advertisements：“I've missed more than nine thousand shots in my whole   (10)    I've lost almost three hundred games. Twenty-six times I've been trusted to take the game winning shot but   (11)    . I've failed over and over and over again in my life, and that is why I   (12)   

We know some other examples of   (13)    people about "sticktoitivity". For example, Steven spielberg  (14)    high school in the first year. He was persuaded to come back and   (15)    in a learning disabled class. He lasted a month and gave up his school  (16)    because everyone thought he wasn't able to leam. Who could tell that he would become a most famous director in the US at that time?

Have you ever defined "success" or "failure" on your own terms? I   (17)    recommend doing so. It certainly helps create a sense of understanding in your life. Sometimes success is learning how to fail. Sometimes success is overcoming the obstacles that   (18)    failure. Remember, the only failure is not learning   (19)    from the failure. So it's   (20)    for you to stand up on the eighth time!

In our modern world, when something wears out, we throw it away and buy a new one. The    (1)   is that countries around the world have growing mountains of    (2)    because people are throwing out more rubbish than ever before.

   How did we    (3)   a throwaway society? First of all, it is now easier to    (4)     an object than to spend time and money to repair it.      (5)     modern manufacturing (制造业) and technology, companies are able to produce products quickly and inexpensively. Products are plentiful and     (6)     .

  Another cause is our     (7)    of disposable (一次性的) products. As    (8)    people, we are always looking for    (9)    to save time and make our lives easier. Companies     (10)   thousands of different kinds of disposable products: paper plates, plastic cups, and cameras, to name a few.

   Our appetite for new products also    (11)    to the problem. We are    (12)    buying new things. Advertisements persuade us that     (13)    is better and that we will be happier with the latest products. The result is that we     (14)     useful possessions to make room for new ones.

   All around the world, we can see the    (15)    of this throwaway lifestyle. Mountains of rubbish just keep getting bigger. To    (16)    the amount of rubbish and to protect the    (17)     , more governments are requiring people to recycle materials.     (18)   , this is not enough to solve our problem.

   Maybe there is another way out. We need to repair our possessions   (19)   throwing them away. We also need to rethink our attitudes about      (20)   . Repairing our possessions and changing our spending habits may be the best way to reduce the amount of rubbish and take care of our environment.

A lecturer was giving a lecture to his students on stress (压力) management. He  (1)  a gl ass of water and asked the audience, “How  (2)  do you think this glass of water is?”

       The students’ answers ranged (变化)   (3)   20g to 500g.

“It does not matter on the absolute   (4)  . It depends on how  (5)  you hold it. If I hold it for a minute, it is OK. If I hold it for a(n)  (6)   , I will have a pain in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you will have to   (7)  an ambulance(救护车). It is exactly the   (8)   weight, but the longer I hold it, the   (9)   it becomes.” The whole audience became silent, lost in thought.

       After a moment, the lecturer continued, “  (10)  we carry our burden(负担) all the time,    (11)   , we will not be able to carry on with the burden becoming increasingly heavier,   (12)   heavy for us to bear.

       “What you have to do is to   (13)   the glass, rest for a while   (14)  holding it up again.”

       As is shown in the story above, we have to put down the burden periodically,   (15)  we can be refreshed and are able to carry on.

       So before you   (16)  home from work tonight, put the burden of   (17)  down. Don’t carry it back   (18)  . You can pick it up tomorrow.

       Whatever burden you are having now on your   (19)  , let it down for a moment if you can.

       Life is short,   (20)  it!

I was an introvert(内向的人) by  (1)  . For as long as I remember, putting on a sincere smile when meeting someone had   (2)  been easy. The key to a sincere smile,  (3)  , is simple. It’s to be excited. But that’s the  (4)  of the problem. When meeting people,   (5)  being excited, I often felt upset.

But we all know  (6)  are important. The more friends you have, the more opportunities you get,  (7)  it’s job opportunities, a romantic relationship, or business partners. So a smile is important to make others feel  (8)  . Mother Teresa said,“Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a(an)   (9)  to that person, a beautiful thing.”

The smile I’m now talking about is not to make a face to cashiers or waiters. I’m talking about those  (10)  smiles you make when meeting old friends. So I’ve  (11)  a trick. And I call this technique“Oh, it’s Jamie!” When I meet someone, I imagine an old friend of mine called Jamie who was my first friend when we were  (12)  kids. It’s no secret  (13)  my smile is as wide as I can  (14)  make. And it’s not just the smile, but my tone and attitude that turn warm as well.

And the best part, whenever you’re friendly to others, they turn friendly   (15)  . You’re not hearing this from me. Some research done by scientists actually back this claim.  (16)  do remember to give it a try.

Three years ago at the age of 23, I took a long hard look at my life and decided that I was  (17)  .Tired of my life, I began to make big  (18)  and now I have become a popular writer. My  (19)  reflects that nothing is too difficult if you   (20)  bravely.

Many people associate crying with weakness. If a person easily breaks down, it gives the  

  (1)   that the person is soft and can easily be overpowered. But many do not know that tears have a purpose. It has a   (2)   after-effect on a person that can give comfort and strength to   (3)   any negative feeling or depression.

People cry for a reason. You may cry because you are too happy or too sad or very angry. Letting your tears flow freely gives you a sense of   (4)   to be true to your feelings and to yourself. It is a surrender (屈服) to your emotions that   (5)   you that you are human and you have the right to your emotions,   (6)   they are pleasant or not.

Just like water that washes off filth (污物), tears slowly wash off the   (7)   thoughts and feelings. That is why when you are in pain or in sorrow, do not   (8)   and let your tears roll down naturally. After a while you will   (9)   feel a bit better. Your tears become a form of   (10)   when problems become too much for us to bear.

In my opinion, people who are not afraid to cry   (11)   are stronger than those who control the tears for later. If the reason for crying is   (12)   and your emotions are very strong, you have no reason to be ashamed.

Tears can make you stronger in a way. When faced with a problem, people who control their tears   (13)   to constantly worry and stress about the problem and fail to see the   (14)   right away. This makes them more prone (易于…的) to weakness and to more mistakes. These people may   (15)   strong because they hide what they truly feel. But the truth is, all the pretensions make them a weaker person.

On the other hand, people who openly   (16)   themselves to cry release their emotions much sooner. After crying, these people feel more   (17)   and can then begin to think straight.   (18)   the negative thoughts and emotions have been reduced, they can   (19)   think of ways to solve the problem.

As the saying goes, “The truth shall set you free.” Tears show others your true emotions. Your true strength is using your tears to easily   (20)   your moment of suffering. That is the power of tears.

If you’ve been paying any attention to the news over the last few years, most people seem to agree the act of reading is in decline. As enthusiastic readers and authors, Marc and I are made uncomfortable by the statistics sometimes. But we’re____  (1)  ____for another reason.

    A readership catastrophe is really just a leadership ____  (2)  ____. In other words, for people who know how to respond ____  (3)  ____, any “disaster” is just another way of saying “there’s an opportunity for ____  (4)  ____ here.”

    We have been enthusiastic readers for decades. Most people think of us as writers, but we know the only way to be a good writer is to be a great ____  (5)  ____ first. Reading has ____  (6)  ____ us to learn and grow into the leadership roles via our blog, book and course.

    We’re not ____  (7)  ____ either. We know very few leaders who are ____  (8)  ____ in reading, regardless sof their industry or profession. And many of them read even more ____  (9)  ____ than we do.

    The biggest ____  (10)  ____ that reading gives us, I think, is the fact that it’s one of the most efficient ways to ____  (11)  ____ new information, and, we all need a lot of everyday information to keep things in perspective (恰当处理) and seize good opportunities. But reading does ____  (12)  ____ just give us a new set of tools for thinking; it actually ____  (13)  ____ all of our existing intellectual tools as well, especially our problem-solving and analytical abilities.

    Speaking for myself, I know my reading habit has ____  (14)  ____ my edge. I’m always ____  (15)  ____ when I’m working on a puzzling issue and some pieces of information comes to mind from something

I’ve read that helps me ____  (16)  ____ all the pieces.

    So with the ____  (17)  ____ of reading in mind, it’s time to read or re-read our 12 most popular posts based on the number of reader ____  (18)  ____ from this past year. ____  (19)  ____ you give them a chance, each one of these quick reads has the ____  (20)  ____ to change the way you think, live and love, so you can stay on track to living at your greatest potential.

Millions of people now use computers for many different things---communication, study and so on. Of course, computers are great and have   38 some people’s lives for the better.  39   , they can cause problems too. Many people who use computers a lot can develop   40   problems. They find that they eyesight gets   41   , for example, if they look at the screen for too long. Users’ hands and arms can become   42   from making the same movements thousands of times, while using a keyboard and a mouse. People who have computers are also spending more   43   sitting down, and less time   44   , so many of them are becoming overweight.

Other problems are psychological(心理上的).  Computers, the Internet and email have made people’s lives much   45   . This can be very exciting,  46  it also means that people feel under a lot of pressure(压力) to do everything more quickly.

Addiction(上瘾) is also a  47  with more and more young people. Many of them spend hours and hours    48   different websites, sometimes until very late 49   . This means they can’t work or study   50   and can have problems keeping friends. Some studies in the United States have   51   that young children and teenagers who spend many hours at computers can easily get   52   .

“Computers can be a really   53   part of children’s lives because they can be   54   for research, finding pictures and reading the latest news. But parents and teachers need to   55   children to learn how to use computers in  56  ways,” says teacher Jane Shields.  “ And children need to learn when it’s time to  57   and do something different.”

Kids have a way of connecting with each other. In fact, watching a five-year-old enter a room with two dozen other kids of his  36  can teach you a valuable lesson about real   37  . Within minutes of walking into a crowded gym, five-year-old strangers confidently   38   with one mission: playing. Developing an instant, yet nameless, affinity(喜好)for each other, they interact as if they have   39   each other for years. Without   40   , they are playing games, laughing and having a very good time. There is no positional differences, no politics, no barriers— just pure   41  .

When we grow up, suddenly there are differences and   42  . Sometimes this is due to   43   , insecurity, or even a false sense of deference(尊重). These causes,   44   varied, can instantly be removed the moment you choose to. Adults often forget that real communication comes through   45  , not just hearing and responding. Too often, in networking especially, we listen to others with intent to   46  . Soon, the voice in our head is   47   than the voice of the person who is talking as we evaluate which response we should use and when we should use it.

When you make the effort to truly understand not just what a person   48  , but who he or she is, you are able to   49   lift the barriers and connect with that person. Never feel proud. Each of us has a unique and interesting story,   50   there is always something new and unique to learn from everyone you meet. Combine the   51   of a five-year-old with the courtesy(礼貌)of an adult to introduce yourself and get to know others. Let go of   52  , inhibitions(拘谨) and social status. Remember what it is like to be a five-year-old child and meet people for the sake of having fun and enjoying their   53   . You’ll be surprised at   54   the simple act of listening to understand can improve your ability to connect with others in your life. These connections are what create a strong and healthy network of   55   friends.

Since the popularity of smartphones, people spend lots of time on their phones, either messaging other people,   (1)   news, or playing games.   (2)   I think cellphones have made life more   (3)  , I don’t think spending a lot of time on cellphones is a good idea.

First, spending too much time on cellphones may   (4)   cancer. Scientific studies have   (5)   that low levels of radiation are given off from the batteries(电池) of cellphones. Not only that, but phones are constantly using microwaves to send and   (6)   information. Since many people use their cellphones near their heads, long time exposure could eventually lead to some very   (7)   and unhealthy effects.

Secondly, when people spend too much time on their cellphones, they   (8)   on the things going on around them. This has been proven over and over again by   (9)   who use their phones while in their cars. This has been such a major cause of car   (10)  , because drivers are too distracted by their phones to   (11)   the road, that most states in the U.S. have banned the   (12)   of cellphones while driving. There are also other cases showing how using cellphones can  (13)   people to miss out on the things around them. For example, I went hiking with a friend a few weeks ago. She was so   (14)   to her cellphone the whole time that she missed out on all the   (15)   things we saw on the mountains, and didn’t get a   (16)   to experience the same awe(敬畏) of nature as I was able to experience.

Lastly, spending too much time on cellphones makes people forget how to have normal conversations.   (17)  , when people use text messaging, they use a form of shorthand known as “Netspeak” to   (18)   on the size of messages and make typing them on small keyboards fast and easy.   (19)   this, many people forget how to spell and use grammar   (20)  .