She once said: "When people ask me if writing has been a hard or easy road I always answer with the famous saying, "the end is nothing; the road is all.'” That is what I mean when I say writing has been a pleasure. I have never faced the type-writer (打字機) with the thought that one more task had to be done."

Like most writers, Willa Cather did not write books for the money that they brought her, but rather for the pleasure that came in their writing. Her works were, like her, simple and full of the vigor (活力) of her days in Nebraska, where she grew from childhood to young womanhood and where she developed a deep love for the treeless land of the Great Plains with its wild flowers, wheat fields and rivers.

"It's a rather strange thing about the flat country," she wrote later. "It takes hold of you, or it leaves you perfectly cold. A great many people find it very dull; they like a church tower, an old factory, a waterfall country all made to look like a German, Christmas card... But when I come to the open plains, something happens. I'm home. I breathe differently."

1.What did Cather mean by "the end is nothing; the road is all"?

A. Writing is the only path to success.               

B. I feel happy when I finish writing a book.

C. I enjoy writing whether it is hard or easy.       

D. Writing itself, not its result, is important.

2.What was the place like where Cather grew up?

 A. It was cold, plain and without a church.       

B. It was a colorful world of wild flowers.

C. It was like a German Christmas card             

D. It was vast, open, flat and wild.

3.When she said "It takes hold of you, or it leaves you perfectly cold", Willa Gather meant ______.

A. you either love the place or hate it                 

B. you decide either to stay or to leave

C. some find the place warm; others find it cold

D. some find the place peaceful; others find it wild

4.What happens when Cather comes to the open plains?

A. She breathes differently from others:               

B. She wants to make the place her home.

C. She finds the place similar to her home.           

D. She feels completely comfortable

People who show confidence really seem to have it made. They seize more rewarding careers, keep good relationships, and just seem to do everything with more styles than the rest of us.

So what is the secret? There isn’t one. Self-confidence is a skill and habit that anyone can learn to develop. And although people who are raised in an encouraging environment with confident role models have a hard start in self-confidence development, we all can learn to become more confident at any age.

Try these simple tips for practising and increasing your self-confidence levels:

Dare to fail. Anybody who’s out there bravely performing is going to fail repeatedly. If you are not failing, you are not trying. So don’t take failure too hard or too personally. Just learn to deal with it and use its lessons to keep improving.

When in doubt, pretend you know what you are doing. Because, if you are confident of your abilities, by the time you have done it, you will be experienced.

Dress for success. You don’t have to be beautiful to be confident. Make the most of your own unique physical characters and weaken your disadvantages.

Listen to yourself. You are the only person who knows what’s right for you. Don’t put others’ opinions above your own inner voice.

Build a confident vocabulary. Stop putting yourself down and give up continually blaming your tiny weaknesses. Learn to show up your strong points and the world will learn to see and celebrate them with you.

Pass on the praise. Praise others for their virtues and strengths. This practice will not decrease your confidence, but help increase it.

1.The passage is written mainly __________.

A. to explain the definition of self-confidence                          

B. to explain the secret of self-confidence

C. to tell people how important self-confidence is

D. to tell people how to build self-confidence

2.The main idea of the sixth paragraph is __________.

A. to be confident means to have no disadvantages

B. taking full advantage of your physical characters will help you be confident

C. your unique characters will help you be confident and be successful

D. to be confident means to be beautiful

3.All the following are tips to increase your self-confidence level EXCEPT______.

A. not to be afraid of failure                   B. dress yourself properly

C. pretend to know everything              D. make your advantages more obvious

4._______ will weaken your self-confidence.

A. Praising others for their strong points                                 

B. Always following others’ advice to do things

C. Giving up blaming your weaknesses     

D. Believing in yourself