Ask any person who is successful in whatever he or she is doing what motivates him/her, and very likely the answer will be "goals". Goal Setting is extremely important to motivation and success. So what motivates you? Why are you in college? If you are in college because that's what your parents want, you may find it difficult to motivate yourself. Sure, it's possible to succeed with someone else providing the motivation for you. ("If you graduate from college, I'll give you a car!" or worse "If you don't graduate from college, you won't get a car.") But motivation that comes from within really makes the difference.
Certainly, you need some intelligence, knowledge base, study skills, and time management skills, but if you don't have motivation, you won't get far. Think about this analogy. You have a car with a full tank of gas, a well-tuned engine, good set of tires, quadraphonic CD system, and a sleek, polished exterior(外表). There it sits. This car has incredible potential. However, until a driver sits behind the wheel, puts the key in the ignition(點火裝置), and cranks it up, the car doesn't function. You guessed it; the KEY is MOTIVATION.
Interest is an important motivator for a student. So is a desire to learn. When you link these two things together, you create success. Often success in an endeavor(努力) leads to more interest and a greater desire to learn, creating an upward spiral(螺旋形) of motivation toward a goal you have established.
So be honest with yourself. Are you genuinely interested in being in college? Have you set realistic goals for yourself? How can you develop the internal motivation that really counts? When it comes to motivation, KNOWING is not as important as DOING.
【小題1】Why does the writer give the example of a car in the second paragraph?

Humans are naturally drawn to other life forms and the worlds outside of our own. We take delight in the existence of creatures and even whole societies beyond our everyday lives.

This sense of wonder is universal. Look at the efforts that scientists have made to find out whether life of some kind exists on Mars, and the popularity of fantasy(幻想) literature or movies like The Lord of the Rings. This sense of wonder draws us to each other, to the world around us, and to the world of make-believe(虛假). But have we gone so far in creating worlds of fantasy that we are missing the pleasure of other worlds that already exist all around us?

Human beings, as biologists have suggested, possess an inborn desire to connect with and understand other life forms. However, people, especially in big cities, often lead rather isolated(隔離的) lives. In a study of British schoolchildren, it was found that children by age eight were much more familiar with characters from television shows and video games than with common wildlife. Without modern technology, a small pond could be an amazing world filled with strange and beautiful plants, insects, birds, and animals. When we lack meaningful interaction(交互) with the world around us, and sometimes even with our families and friends, we seek to understand and communicate with things that exist only in our imaginations or on a computer screen。

The world of make-believe is not necessarily bad. But when the world of fantasy becomes the only outlet(出路) for our sense of wonder, then we are really missing something. We are missing a connection with the living world. Other wonderful worlds exist all around us. But even more interesting is that if we look closely enough, we can see that these worlds, in a broad sense, are really part of our own.

1.The popularity of The Lord of the Rings proves        .

A. the close connection between man and the fantasy world

B. the wonderful achievements of fantasy literature

C. the general existence of the sense of curiosity

D. the fine taste of moviegoers around the world

2.What can we infer from the underlined sentence in Paragraph 3?

A. The world around us could serve as a source of wonder.

B. People are far less familiar with the world of fantasy.

C. The world of fantasy can be mirrored by a small and lively pond.

D. Modern technology prevents us from developing our sense of wonder.

3.If our sense of wonder relies totally on the world of make-believe, we will       

A. be confused by the world of make-believe

B. fail to appreciate the joy in our lives

C. miss the chance to recognize the fantasy world

D. be trapped by other worlds existing all around us

4.What is the main purpose of the passage?

A. To show us the hidden beauty in our world.

B. To discuss the influence of the world of make-believe.

C. To argue against the misuse of the sense of wonder.

D. To warn us not to get lost in the fantasy world.

Being the head of a high school for many years, I grew tired of budget meetings, funding cuts, and many other administrative chores(雜務). I started to dream of retirement. Sitting in traffic on a weekday morning, I would find my mind wandering. I would imagine spending time with my grandchildren, quiet evenings with my wife, traveling, or rediscovering some great books. I told myself that I wouldn’t sign myself up for any committees, any classes, or anything requiring a schedule.
My first day of retirement came at last! I cooked a great breakfast for my wife and me, leisurely read the paper, cleaned a bit of the house, and wrote a few letters to friends. On the second day, I cooked breakfast, read the paper… On the third day, … This is retirement? I tried to tell myself that it was just the transition(過渡), that those golden moments were right round the corner, and that I would enjoy them soon enough. But something was missing.
A former colleague asked a favor. A group of students was going to Jamaica to work with children in the poorest neighborhoods. Would I interrupt my newfound “happiness” and return to the students, just this once? One trip. That’s all. My bags were packed and by the door.
The trip was very inspiring. I was moved not only by the poverty I saw but also by the sense of responsibility of the young people on the trip. When I returned home, I offered to work one day a week with a local youth organization. The experience was so positive that I was soon volunteering nearly full-time, working with students across North America to assist them in their voluntary work.
Now, it seems, the tables have turned. Some days I am the teacher, other days I am the student. These young people have reawakened my commitment(責任感) to social justice issues by challenging me to learn more about the situation in the world today, where people are still poor and suffer because of greed, corruption and war. Most important, they have given me the opportunity to continue to participate in helping to find solutions. In return, I help them do their charitable projects overseas. I’ve gone from running one school to helping oversee the construction of schools in twenty-one countries!
【小題1】
What did the writer expect to do after he retired?

A．He wasn’t satisfied with his retired life.

B．He couldn’t refuse his colleague’s favor.

C．He was concerned about the people there.

D．He missed his students in that country.

A．improved the situation in his school

B．felt happy to work with students again

C．changed his attitude toward his retirement

D．became a learner rather than a teacher

閱讀下面的短文，然后按照要求寫一篇150詞左右的英語短文。
Nowadays, " the sense of happiness" has been repeatedly mentioned in various medias.  CCTV did a nation-wide survey by asking random passers-by： " Are you happy now? What exactly is happiness in your eyes?" The survey aroused a heated discussion across the country and people from all walks of life expressed their opinions.
" I would say I'm pretty happy at present because my dear daughter has graduated from college and found herself a decent job. " said a woman in her fifties with a big smile on her face.
Though it seemed that most people said they were happy, different voices were still heard and should not be ignored. A migrant worker’s(農(nóng)民工) reply was  "My family name is Zeng", showing his  determination to refuse the interview as well as his annoyance to mention happiness.
The brand-new Chinese Nobel Prize winner Mo Yan answered " I don't know " in an interview when he was asked the same question.
【寫作內容】
1.以約30個詞概括上文的主要內容。
2.以約120個詞就“幸�！钡脑掝}談談你的想法，內容包括：
（1）目前你是否感到幸福及其原因；
（2）請描述到現(xiàn)在為止讓你覺得最幸福的一件事情；
（3）談談你對幸福的理解。
【寫作要求】
1.作文中可以使用親身經(jīng)歷或虛構的故事．也可以參照閱讀材料的內容，但不得直接引用原文中的句子。
2.作文中不能出現(xiàn)真實姓名和學校名稱。
【評分標準】 概括準確，語言規(guī)范，內容合適，語篇連貫。

The English, as a race, are very different in many ways from all other nationalities, including their closest neighbors, the French, the Belgians and the Dutch. It is claimed that living on an island separated from the rest of Europe has much to do with it. Whatever the reasons are, it may be fairly stated that the Englishman has developed many attitudes and habits which distinguish him from other nationalities.

Broadly speaking, the Englishman is a quiet, shy, reserved person who is fully relaxed only among people he knows well. In the presence of strangers or foreigners he often seems restrained, even embarrassed. You have only to witness a city train any morning or evening to see the truth of this. Serious-looking businessmen and women sit reading their newspapers or having a light sleep in a corner, and no one speaks. In fact, to do so would seem most unusual. An Englishman, pretending to be giving advice to overseas visitors, once suggested, “On entering a railway carriage, shake hands with all the passengers.” Needless to say, he was not being serious. There is an unwritten but clearly understood code of behavior which, if broken, makes the person immediately suspected.

In many parts of the world it is quite normal to show openly extremes of enthusiasm, emotion, excitement, etc, often accompanied by appropriate gesture. The Englishman is somewhat different. Of course, an Englishman feels no less deeply than anyone of a different nationality, but he tends to display his feelings far less. This is reflected in his use of language. Imagine a man commenting on the great beauty of a young girl. A more emotional man might describe her state “Oh, she is a goddess”, whereas an Englishman might just say “Oh, she’s all right.” An Englishman who has seen a highly successful and enjoyable film recommends it to a friend by commenting, “It’s not bad you know”, or on seeing some very unusual scenery he might convey (表達) his pleasure by saying, “Nice, yes, very nice.” The overseas visitor must not be disappointed by this apparent lack of interest and involvement. Instead, he must realize that “all right,” “not bad,” and “nice,” very often have the sense of “first-class,” “excellent,” “beautiful”. This unique style of language use is particularly common in England, and is known as restrained statement.

1.According to the passage, the English are different from other nationalities in _______.

A. habits           B. attitudes          C. character          D. all of the above

2.The underlined word “restrained” in the second paragraph probably means “_______”. 

A. calm and controlled   B. polite and friendly    

C. nervous and quiet   D. silent and kind

3.In Britain, if you don’t want other people to think you are strange, you’d better _______.

A. talk with others as much as possible        

B. behave just like the English do

C. say nothing about yourself                  

D. shake hands with everyone you meet

4.If an Englishman says “all right”, it may mean “_______”.  

A. not bad              B. correct          C. quite right          D. wonderful

5.From the passage, we can infer that an Englishman _______.

A. doesn’t like to show his feelings so much  

B. has less emotion than people of other nationalities

C. finds it easy to express his emotion        

D. likes to have a joke with strangers