Not every president is a leader, but every time we elect a president we hope for one, especially in time of trouble. Leadership is as much a question of timing as anything else. The leader must appear on the scene at a moment when people are looking for leadership. And when he comes, he must offer a straightforward and powerful message.

Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers who cut through argument, debate and doubt to offer a solution everybody can understand and remember. We have an image of what a leader ought to be. We even recognize the physical signs: leaders may not necessarily be tall, but they must have bigger- than-life, commanding features. We expect our leaders to stand out a little, not to be like ordinary men. Half of President Ford’s trouble lay in the fact that, if you closed your eyes for a moment, you couldn’t remember his face, figure, or clothes.

It also helps for a leader to be able to do something most of us can’t. Mao swam the Yangtze River at the age of 72. We want our leaders to be like us but better, special, more so. Yet if they are too different, we reject them.

A leader must know how to use power (that’s what leadership is about), but he also has to have a way of showing that he does. A leader should know how to appear relaxed and confident. His walk should be firm and purposeful. He should be able to give a good, hearty, belly laugh. Ronald Reagan’s career as an actor showed to good effect in the debate with his opponent. He managed to convey the impression that in fact he was the President.

A leader rides the waves, moves with the tides, understands the deepest feelings of his people. He cannot make a nation that wants peace at any price go to war, or stop a nation determined to fight from doing so. His purpose must match the national mood. His task is to focus the people’s energies and desires, to inspire, to make what people already want seem possible and important to achieve.

68． The passage is mainly about____________________.

A．how a leader is elected                         B．what it takes to be a leader

C．when a leader is needed                  D．where a leader lays his power

69．The author thinks that President Ford_________________.

A．was an ordinary-looking man

B．got into more trouble than the other presidents

C．was not tall enough for his status

D．stood too far away from real life

70． According to the passage, Reagan succeeded in winning his election largely due to the fact that _______.

A．he was once an actor         

B．he was able to well present himself

C．Reagan did much for America    

D．Reagan was a very lucky man

71．In the last paragraph the author emphasizes that a leader should_________________.

A．encourage his people to think about things in a new way

B．like to swim like Mao to fight with waves and tides

C．spare no efforts to get his people to follow him   

D．try to know his people and make them happy

Not every president is a leader, but every time we elect a president we hope for one, especially in time of trouble. Leadership is as much a question of timing as anything else. The leader must appear on the scene at a moment when people are looking for leadership. And when he comes, he must offer a straightforward and powerful message.

Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers who cut through argument, debate and doubt to offer a solution everybody can understand and remember. We have an image of what a leader ought to be. We even recognize the physical signs: leaders may not necessarily be tall, but they must have bigger- than-life, commanding features. We expect our leaders to stand out a little, not to be like ordinary men. Half of President Ford’s trouble lay in the fact that, if you closed your eyes for a moment, you couldn’t remember his face, figure, or clothes.

It also helps for a leader to be able to do something most of us can’t. Mao swam the Yangtze River at the age of 72. We want our leaders to be like us but better, special, more so. Yet if they are too different, we reject them.

A leader must know how to use power （that’s what leadership is about）, but he also has to have a way of showing that he does. A leader should know how to appear relaxed and confident. His walk should be firm and purposeful. He should be able to give a good, hearty, belly laugh. Ronald Reagan’s career as an actor showed to good effect in the debate with his opponent. He managed to convey the impression that in fact he was the President.

A leader rides the waves, moves with the tides, understands the deepest feelings of his people. He cannot make a nation that wants peace at any price go to war, or stop a nation determined to fight from doing so. His purpose must match the national mood. His task is to focus the people’s energies and desires, to inspire, to make what people already want seem possible and important to achieve.

1． The passage is mainly about____________________.

A．how a leader is elected                         B．what it takes to be a leader

C．when a leader is needed                  D．where a leader lays his power

2．The author thinks that President Ford_________________.

A．was an ordinary-looking man

B．got into more trouble than the other presidents

C．was not tall enough for his status

D．stood too far away from real life

3． According to the passage, Reagan succeeded in winning his election largely due to the fact that _______.

A．he was once an actor         

B．he was able to well present himself

C．Reagan did much for America    

D．Reagan was a very lucky man

4．In the last paragraph the author emphasizes that a leader should_________________.

A．encourage his people to think about things in a new way

B．like to swim like Mao to fight with waves and tides

C．spare no efforts to get his people to follow him   

D．try to know his people and make them happy