I would like to tell you a story about my uncle Theo. He is my oldest uncle, a tall, thin, grey-haired man whose thoughts are always on learning and nothing else. He is quiet, gentle and absent-minded and with about as much sense as a child where money is concerned. Well, he applied a post in Camford University. It was a very good post and there were hundreds of candidates who applied for it, and about fifteen, including Theo, were asked to be interviewed. Camford is a very small town; there is only one hotel in it, and it was so full that they had to put many of the candidates two in a room. Theo was one of these, and the man who shared the room with him was a self-confident fellow called Adams, about twenty years younger than Theo, with a loud voice, and a laugh that you could hear all over the hotel. But he was a clever fellow all the same and had a good post in Iscaiot College, Narkover. Well, the Dean, who was the head of the department of the University, and the committee interviewed all the candidates; and as a result of this interview, the number of the candidates was reduced to two, Uncle Theo and Adams. The committee couldn't decide which of the two to take, so they decided to make their final choice after each of the candidates had given a public lecture in the college lecture-hall. The subject they had to speak on was "The Civilization of the Ancient Summerians"; and the lecture had to be given in three days' time. Well, for these three days Uncle Theo never left his room. He worked day and night at that lecture, writing it out and memorizing it, almost without eating or sleeping. Adams didn't seem to do any preparation at all. You could hear his voice and his laughter where he had a crowd of people around him. He came to his room late at night, asked Uncle Theo how he was getting on with his lecture, and then told him how he had spent the evening playing bridge, or at the music hall. He ate like a horse and slept like a log; and Uncle Theo sat up working at his lecture. The day of the lecture... What do we know about the post at Camford University? A) The applicants had to sit for an examination. B) There was much competition for the post. C) The post requires a lot of teaching experience. D) The post offered quite high salary.
B
To be able to motivate oneself, or self-motivate, occurs when a person has the willingness to do something and is internally motivated to do it. Sometimes it's very difficult to get ourselves moving.The natural tendency is to postpone.Life just seems to get in the way! There is a job to go to, groceries to do, television to watch--whoops! I guess we get pretty good at finding excuses to escape getting started on goals like an exercise routine or reading a new book.The fact is that we are creatures of routine and habit.So what can we do to motivate ourselves to accomplish our goals? Here are some tips on how to get moving: Decide what you want.It's hard to motivate an aimless mind.Set a goal and decide how you are going to go about it.Then break it down into smaller sections so it's easier to handle and less overwhelming. Keep track of your progress.Keep a log or journal where you can measure how much you have accomplished.Looking at it can also motivate you to keep pushing ahead. Post motivating pictures or slogans within your sight.It is always inspiring to see pictures of people who have accomplished what you're going for.It makes it attainable and realistic.Likewise, little slogans like "go for it" or "just do it" can give you the little support you need. _ .If you remind yourself to go for the desired promotion, it will re-establish why you are doing what you're doing. Make it a habit.Once you have accomplished your objective, e.g.becoming an early riser, keep it up so that it's second nature to you and you don't have to think about it anymore. Which of the following is the best title for the passage? A) Set Goals in Your Life B) Get Yourself Motivated C) Get into Good Habits D) Do Not Postpone
B
*Question*
People celebrate birthdays in almost every country on earth. And they celebrate them in many different ways. In China and in Japan, for example, the arrival of New Year is more important than a person's birthday. So everyone adds a year to celebrate their ages on New Year's Day, instead of on their birthdays, In Brazil, the special birthday food isn't cake, but special candles. In China, it's long noodles--for long life. In Iceland, people have pancakes with candies rolled inside them on birthdays. In Britain, a birthday is an all-day celebration. At school, the birthday child is lifted up and "bumped" by his classmates. This means the child is lifted by the feet and arms and bumped to the ground, once for each year once for good growth. In Israel, the same custom is followed, except the birthday person is lifted and lowered while sitting in a chair. In Holland, children not only get presents, but also give things out. They give cakes, cookies and candles to their classmates and teachers on their birthdays. In Mexico, it's good luck to give birthday greetings as early in the day as possible. So it's usual for the birthday child to be woken up at midnight by fiends singing birthday songs. In India, birthday celebrations also begin before dawn. Prayers and blessings must be said before morning comes. In Thailand, two tall candles are lighted the night before the birthday. One is as tall as the birthday person. If it goes out early, it's bad luck. Another customs of Thailand is that they buy live fish and birds for the birthday person and then the birthday person frees the animals, and it brings good luck. In Nigeria, people in a certain age group celebrate their birthdays together, on a certain day. In many countries birthday customs are changing. Old customs are giving way to western style of birthdays, with candle topped cakes. But one thing never changes--birthdays are special days for everyone! According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE? A) In Thailand people give fish and birds to the birthday person as presents. B) In Holland people give presents to unbirthday persons on their birthdays. C) In Nigeria people who were born in the same period may celebrate their birthdays on the same day. D) In Thailand a candle will be lighted on the birthday night.
**Answer**
B