“Luckisamatterofpreparationmeetingopportunity，”saidtheAmericantalkshowhostOprahWinfrey.I’veneverwatchedhershowbutwhenaself-madebillionairegiveslifeadviceit’sprobablyworthlisteningto.Herpointist

Question

“Luck 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.
A book by the UK psychologist Richard Wiseman called The Luck Factor argues we can all make ourselves luckier. It’ s not about going to a temple to burn some incense (香) in hopes that the gods will give you good fortune; it’ s practical advice you can follow each day.
Wiseman 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(巧合)? 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 （潜在）problem.
Finally try to turn bad luck into good. Even if you do fall down and break a leg the time spent at home can be used wisely to study English

1. 1.
   Which of the following proverbs most agrees with the writer’ s point?
   1. A.
      Make the best of a bad job
   2. B.
      Rome was not built in a day
   3. C.
      All is not gold that glitters
   4. D.
      A good heart conquers ill fortune
2. 2.
   What do you know about Oprah Winfrey?
   1. A.
      She became famous through her family background
   2. B.
      She was very lucky and seldom suffered setbacks （挫折）in her life
   3. C.
      She is a British talk show host
   4. D.
      She became successful by her own effort
3. 3.
   The writer quoted（引用） the Chinese tale of a farmer in order to show________
   1. A.
      luck is in your own hand
   2. B.
      bad luck can turn into good
   3. C.
      you should not sit at home waiting for the opportunity to come to you
   4. D.
      man can conquer nature
4. 4.
   From the experiment Wiseman drew the conclusion that________
   1. A.
      lucky people are quick-minded
   2. B.
      unlucky people are slow to read
   3. C.
      lucky people often have an open mind
   4. D.
      unlucky people are more creative
5. 5.
   The underlined word “spot” is the closest in meaning to“________”．
   1. A.
      discover
   2. B.
      mark
   3. C.
      make
   4. D.
      receive

Answer 1

ADCCA1.考查作者的意图：从最后一段的句子：Finally try to turn bad luck into good. 可知Make the best of a bad job.尽力把损失减少到最小，最符合作者的意思。选A2.推理题;从第一段的句子：but when a self-made billionaire gives life advice it’ s probably worth listening to.可知她是通过自己的努力成功的。选D3.细节题：从第二段的句子：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.可知不能坐等机会到来。选 C4.归纳题：第四段描述了这个实验，On average the unlucky people took about two minutes to count the photographs while the lucky people took just seconds.从中我们看出幸运的人具有开放的思维。选C5.猜词题：从第四段的句子：可知是没看见报纸上的大字。选A