Lack is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity," said the American talk show host Oprah Winfrey. I've never watched her show, but when a self-made billionaire gives life advice it' s probably worth listening to. Her point is that blind luck is very rare. You may have to be lucky to find a good job these days but that does not mean you should sit at home waiting for the opportunity to come to you. If you're a Chinese, you may already be familiar with the tale of a farmer waiting by a tree stump（树桩）for a rabbit to run out and break its neck. Richard Wiseman, the UK psychologist, conducted an experiment as part of his studies. First he divided volunteers into two groups: those who said they were lucky in life and those who said they were not. He gave everyone a newspaper and asked them to look through it to count how many photographs it had inside. On average, the unlucky people took about two minutes to count the photographs while the lucky people took just seconds. Why? On the second page of the newspaper, a command, "Stop counting There are 43 photographs in this newspaper," was written in big letters. The unlucky people mostly did not spot the message. It's easy to compare this situation to a young person looking for jobs in a local paper. They might search so hard for one type of position that they miss an even better opportunity. People who are "lucky", in fact, keep an open mind and don't go through the same routine every day. I first came to China in 2002 when it was considered a rather strange thing to do, Like many foreigners, my plan was to teach English for one year. Seven years later, and still here, I've had many great opportunities such as writing for newspapers and magazines. I did not dream these would have been possible. I've also never been sick, had an accident, got into a fight or had problems with the police. Coincidence? After reading about Professor Wiseman's studies I think not. As Wiseman advises, I usually trust my own judgment. Your friends and parents may give you advice based on rational（理性）thinking, but it's important to consider how you feel about each choice you make. Your feeling acts as a warning for a potential problem. Finally, try to turn bad luck into good. Even if you do fall down and break a leg, the time speat at home can be used wisely to study English.【小题1】What do you know about Oprah Winfrey? A．She is a good organizer of a talk show in America. B．She became famous through her family background. C．She was lucky and seldom fell flat on her face. D．She became successful entirely by her own effort. 【小题2】The writer quoted the Chinese tale of a farmer in order to show________. A．luck is in your own hand B．bad luck can turn into good C．you can't wait for an opportunity D．man can conquer nature 【小题3】From the experiment Wiseman drew the conclusion that________. A．lucky people are quick-minded B．unlucky people are slow to read C．lucky people often have an open mind D．unlucky people are not routineers 【小题4】The underlined word "spot" is the closest in meaning to "________”. A．recognize B．mark C．make D．receive 【小题5】Which of the following proverbs most agrees with the writer's point? A．Make the best of a bad situation. B．Rome was not built in a day. C．All is not gold that glitters. D．A good heart conquers ill fortune.
Lack is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity," said the American talk show host Oprah Winfrey. I've never watched her show, but when a self-made billionaire gives life advice it' s probably worth listening to.
Her point is that blind luck is very rare. You may have to be lucky to find a good job these days but that does not mean you should sit at home waiting for the opportunity to come to you. If you're a Chinese, you may already be familiar with the tale of a farmer waiting by a tree stump（树桩）for a rabbit to run out and break its neck.
Richard Wiseman, the UK psychologist, conducted an experiment as part of his studies. First he divided volunteers into two groups: those who said they were lucky in life and those who said they were not. He gave everyone a newspaper and asked them to look through it to count how many photographs it had inside. On average, the unlucky people took about two minutes to count the photographs while the lucky people took just seconds. Why? On the second page of the newspaper, a command, "Stop counting There are 43 photographs in this newspaper," was written in big letters. The unlucky people mostly did not spot the message.
It's easy to compare this situation to a young person looking for jobs in a local paper. They might search so hard for one type of position that they miss an even better opportunity. People who are "lucky", in fact, keep an open mind and don't go through the same routine every day.
I first came to China in 2002 when it was considered a rather strange thing to do, Like many foreigners, my plan was to teach English for one year. Seven years later, and still here, I've had many great opportunities such as writing for newspapers and magazines. I did not dream these would have been possible. I've also never been sick, had an accident, got into a fight or had problems with the police. Coincidence? After reading about Professor Wiseman's studies I think not.
As Wiseman advises, I usually trust my own judgment. Your friends and parents may give you advice based on rational（理性）thinking, but it's important to consider how you feel about each choice you make. Your feeling acts as a warning for a potential problem.
Finally, try to turn bad luck into good. Even if you do fall down and break a leg, the time speat at home can be used wisely to study English.
【小题1】What do you know about Oprah Winfrey?| A．She is a good organizer of a talk show in America. |
| B．She became famous through her family background. |
| C．She was lucky and seldom fell flat on her face. |
| D．She became successful entirely by her own effort. |
| A．luck is in your own hand |
| B．bad luck can turn into good |
| C．you can't wait for an opportunity |
| D．man can conquer nature |
| A．lucky people are quick-minded |
| B．unlucky people are slow to read |
| C．lucky people often have an open mind |
| D．unlucky people are not routineers |
| A．recognize | B．mark | C．make | D．receive |
| A．Make the best of a bad situation. |
| B．Rome was not built in a day. |
| C．All is not gold that glitters. |
| D．A good heart conquers ill fortune. |
题目解答
答案
【小题1】D
【小题2】C
【小题3】C
【小题4】A
【小题5】A
解析
- 考查要点：本题主要考查学生对文章主旨、细节理解、推理判断及词义猜测的综合能力。需要结合上下文分析人物背景、实验结论及作者观点。
- 解题核心：
- 小题1：通过人物身份（脱口秀主持人）和成就（自力更生成为亿万富翁）判断选项。
- 小题2：理解中国“守株待兔”故事与“被动等待机会”的隐喻关系。
- 小题3：实验中“幸运者”与“不幸者”的行为差异，推断结论。
- 小题4：通过上下文语境（未注意到提示信息）猜测“spot”的含义。
- 小题5：归纳文章核心观点（变坏事为好事）与谚语的匹配。
第（1）题
关键信息：Oprah Winfrey是美国脱口秀主持人，文中称其为“自力更生的亿万富翁”。
选项分析：
- D选项“完全靠自己成功”与“self-made billionaire”直接对应，正确。
- B选项“通过家庭背景成名”与“self-made”矛盾，排除。
第（2）题
关键信息：作者用“守株待兔”比喻“被动等待机会”，强调应主动出击。
选项分析：
- C选项“不能等待机会”与故事寓意一致，正确。
- A、B、D选项均偏离“被动等待”的核心意图。
第（3）题
实验过程：
- 实验设计：志愿者分为“幸运组”和“不幸组”，要求数报纸照片。
- 关键发现：不幸组未注意到第2页的提示信息（直接告知照片数量）。
结论推断：
- C选项“幸运者心态开放，不拘泥于固定模式”符合实验结果，正确。
- A、B、D选项未抓住“开放性思维”这一核心。
第（4）题
语境分析：文中“unlucky people mostly did not spot the message”意为“不幸者未注意到提示信息”。
词义猜测：
- A选项“识别”最接近“spot”在此处的含义（未识别关键信息）。
第（5）题
文章核心观点：
- 主动创造机会（如最后一段“摔倒时在家学习英语”）。
- 匹配谚语：
- A选项“变坏事为好事”与文章最后一句“turn bad luck into good”完全一致。