Many years ago, I bumped into an old friend of mine. He had devoted his life to acting but had never been quite successful. In his middle age, he seemed defeated and sad. I thought of his dogged (顽强的) perseverance. Was it smart or foolish? What could he have achieved? Had he quit his dream of acting and moved on? Our culture does not look kindly upon quitting. Failure is perfectly acceptable as long as it eventually results in success. We chant (反复喊着) “Winners never quit” and “If at first you don’t succeed, try again. ” We lap up (欣然接受) stories of persistence, of the author who submitted stories for years before her novels were published or of the athlete who trained since childhood to win gold at the Olympics. Persistence pays off when it is rewarded with success, but it does not reward every person. For every JK Rowling, there are thousands of aspiring writers who will never get published. For every Olympic athlete, there are innumerable (无数的) others who trained every day of their lives and never made the cut. We all agree that doing the same things and expecting a different result is unwise. So why do we believe that persevering through failure after failure is a good idea? We consider quitting in the face of failure to be weak. We believe that perseverance is the key to success. Perseverance is only one part of success. You need talent or skill, as well as passion and drive. Luck and timing are also key to any great success. Our society believes that anything is possible, as long as you “believe”. But not everyone can make it. Quitting when you’ re not ahead is sometimes the smartest thing to do. Obviously, if you enjoy a pursuit, regardless of its outcome, you should continue. If you knew your novel would never be published, would you want to write? If you could never be a champion swimmer, would you still train? Sometimes, it is wise to put your energy into something else. Failure is not always the path to success. Sometimes, failure is the door to something new.【小题1】What do we know about the author’s old friend?A．He was dissatisfied with his acting performance.B．He switched his dream of acting to something else.C．He failed in acting because of a lack of persistence.D．He failed in all attempts to become a successful actor.【小题2】The author mentioned JK Rowling mainly to ______.A．explain how she achieved success in writingB．show that success doesn’t happen to everyoneC．prove that success favors those who are perseverantD．encourage readers to hold onto their dream until they succeed【小题3】What is the meaning of the underlined phrase in paragraph 4?A．Made out of their dreams.B．Met the required standard.C．Improved their performances.D．Promised to be good players.【小题4】What does the author advise us to do if we’ve failed many times?A．Make an effort to try new things.B．Stick to your goal until we succeed.C．Wait for the right time and good luck.D．Ask friends or family members for help.【小题5】What is the author’s attitude toward perseverance?A．It makes anything possible.B．It is not necessary for success.C．It is not the only part of success.D．It works well regards of outcome.
Many years ago, I bumped into an old friend of mine. He had devoted his life to acting but had never been quite successful. In his middle age, he seemed defeated and sad.
I thought of his dogged (顽强的) perseverance. Was it smart or foolish? What could he have achieved? Had he quit his dream of acting and moved on? Our culture does not look kindly upon quitting. Failure is perfectly acceptable as long as it eventually results in success.
We chant (反复喊着) “Winners never quit” and “If at first you don’t succeed, try again. ” We lap up (欣然接受) stories of persistence, of the author who submitted stories for years before her novels were published or of the athlete who trained since childhood to win gold at the Olympics.
Persistence pays off when it is rewarded with success, but it does not reward every person. For every JK Rowling, there are thousands of aspiring writers who will never get published. For every Olympic athlete, there are innumerable (无数的) others who trained every day of their lives and never made the cut.
We all agree that doing the same things and expecting a different result is unwise. So why do we believe that persevering through failure after failure is a good idea? We consider quitting in the face of failure to be weak. We believe that perseverance is the key to success. Perseverance is only one part of success. You need talent or skill, as well as passion and drive. Luck and timing are also key to any great success.
Our society believes that anything is possible, as long as you “believe”. But not everyone can make it. Quitting when you’ re not ahead is sometimes the smartest thing to do. Obviously, if you enjoy a pursuit, regardless of its outcome, you should continue. If you knew your novel would never be published, would you want to write? If you could never be a champion swimmer, would you still train? Sometimes, it is wise to put your energy into something else.
Failure is not always the path to success. Sometimes, failure is the door to something new.
【小题1】What do we know about the author’s old friend?| A．He was dissatisfied with his acting performance. |
| B．He switched his dream of acting to something else. |
| C．He failed in acting because of a lack of persistence. |
| D．He failed in all attempts to become a successful actor. |
| A．explain how she achieved success in writing |
| B．show that success doesn’t happen to everyone |
| C．prove that success favors those who are perseverant |
| D．encourage readers to hold onto their dream until they succeed |
| A．Made out of their dreams. |
| B．Met the required standard. |
| C．Improved their performances. |
| D．Promised to be good players. |
| A．Make an effort to try new things. |
| B．Stick to your goal until we succeed. |
| C．Wait for the right time and good luck. |
| D．Ask friends or family members for help. |
| A．It makes anything possible. |
| B．It is not necessary for success. |
| C．It is not the only part of success. |
| D．It works well regards of outcome. |
题目解答
答案
解析
考查要点：
- 细节理解：根据文章内容判断人物经历和作者观点。
- 推理判断：通过上下文推断词义、作者态度及隐含含义。
- 主旨概括：理解文章核心论点（坚持并非唯一成功因素，适时放弃的智慧）。
解题核心：
- 关键信息定位：通过问题关键词（如“old friend”“JK Rowling”“made the cut”）快速定位原文段落。
- 逻辑关系分析：结合作者对“坚持”与“放弃”的辩证态度，判断选项的合理性。
小题1
问题：关于作者的老朋友，我们能知道什么？
关键句：
- “He had devoted his life to acting but had never been quite successful.”（他一生致力于表演但从未真正成功。）
- “in his middle age, he seemed defeated and sad.”（中年时显得沮丧。）
选项分析： - D正确：文中明确提到他多次尝试表演但均未成功，符合“failed in all attempts”。
- C错误：文中强调他坚持（dogged perseverance），失败并非因缺乏坚持。
小题2
问题：作者提到JK Rowling的目的是什么？
关键句：
- “For every JK Rowling, there are thousands of aspiring writers who will never get published.”（每个成功者背后有无数失败者。）
选项分析： - B正确：通过对比说明成功并非普遍，强调“坚持不一定成功”。
- C错误：文章否定“坚持必成功”的绝对化观点。
小题3
问题：短语“made the cut”在第4段中的含义是什么？
关键句：
- “athletes who trained every day of their lives and never made the cut”（长期训练却未达标。）
选项分析： - B正确：“made the cut”意为“达到标准”，与“never”连用表示未通过选拔。
小题4
问题：作者建议多次失败后应如何选择？
关键句：
- “Sometimes, failure is the door to something new.”（失败是新事物的起点。）
选项分析： - A正确：鼓励尝试新方向，而非固守失败目标。
小题5
问题：作者对“坚持”的态度是什么？
关键句：
- “Perseverance is only one part of success.”（坚持是成功的一部分，非全部。）
选项分析： - C正确：强调成功需天赋、热情、运气等多因素，否定“坚持万能论”。