It was time to break free. I needed to run away and the Bloomsburg Fair was the best place to go. I don't know if you can call it running away when it was only an hour away from my home.But once I entered the fair grounds, I crossed over into another world.The loudspeaker offered background music over the sounds of people talking, bargaining and food sellers yelling for your attention. I belonged here.I didn't know if I had it in my blood or not, but I always wanted to have a small food stand and travel in my off season from fair to fair selling goodies.Perhaps one day.It certainly wasn't a priority in my life , Perhaps it should be. After I was there a while, I needed to get away to a quiet spot.Most of the time, I could find that anywhere the farm animals were kept. They needed the quiet.So I went there to find peace with the cows, goats, horses, pigs and yes, the turkeys.You'd think being this close to "Thanksgiving", they'd be a little scared, but they were not. It was in the dairy barn where I found peace this time.I so admired the young folks who tended to farm animals.I thought they had a greater appreciation for life.They participated in it firsthand.I once watched a young farmer help bring a baby cow into the world. My favorite scene was to come across a young cowboy lying in the hay asleep among the cows that had settled down for a rest.There, with his heads in a small soft spot alongside his favorite cow, I had seen him in a much deserved sleep.Perhaps better at rest there than in his own bed. I had the pleasure of speaking with a young teenage farm girl that day. "You look so comfortable," I said to her. "Oh I am," she said."Life makes it comfortable for me." "You mean being a farm girl?" "No, Life! That's the name of my cow," she said, smiling as she gently patted the cow's side. "I thought they called cows Betsy and Elsie.Why did you call her Life?" "I discovered life again here.It was the only meaningful name that came to mind.I had been raised in the big city and really hated _ .Then we... The writer went to the Bloomsburg Fair probably in order to _ . A) have fun B) get ideas for writing C) do shopping D) escape something he disliked
D
Have you ever wondered when people will make up their minds to become friends? Dr. Leon answered the question in his book, "During their first four minutes together! Whenever you meet someone in a social situation, remember to focus your undivided attention on him for four minutes. That would change a lot of people's whole lives." When you are introduced to new people, you are supposed to appear friendly and self-confident to attract them. Generally speaking, "You like those who like you." On the other hand, it's unwise to make others think you are too sure of yourself. You may not sure about such advice, saying, "But In reality, I'm not either friendly or self-confident. That's not my nature. Wouldn't it be dishonest for me to behave that way?" For that question, Dr. Leon would tell you that a little practice can help you feel comfortable about changing your social habits. You will get used to any changes you choose to make in your personality . "It's like getting used to a new car. It may be unfamiliar at first, but it goes much better than the old." However, you may still wonder if it's dishonest to give the appearance of friendly and self-confidence while you don't actually feel that way. Perhaps, but according to Dr. Leon, "Entire honesty" is not always good for social relationships, especially during the first few minutes of two strangers' being introduced to each other. There is a time for a certain amount of _ may be the best choice for the first few minutes of contacting a stranger. That is not a suitable time to complain about one's health or to mention shortcomings you find in other people. It is not the right time to tell the whole truth about one's opinions and impressions. The author also makes it clear that that interpersonal relations need to be regarded as a required course in every school, along with reading, writing, and mathematics. In his opinion, success in life depends mainly on how you get along with other people. That is at least as important as how much you know. Introduced to a new person, you are supposed to _ . A) be sure of yourself without caring about the other's feelings B) be honest and always tell the whole truth even if it hurts C) look friendly and confident at least for the first few minutes D) directly point out faults you find in the other person
C
(Q).
A few weeks ago, while I was reading the morning paper, I turned the radio up to listen to a Saturday morning talk show and I heard an old sounding gentleman, with a golden voice. He was telling whoever he was talking with something about "a thousand marbles". I was _ and stopped to listen to what he had to say ... "Let me tell you something, Tom, something that has helped me keep a good perspective on my own priorities ." He continued, "You see, I sat down one day and did a little math. The average person lives for about seventy-five years. Now then, I multiplied 75 by 52 and I came up with 3,900 which is the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire lifetime. Now stick with (......) me, Tom. I'm getting to the important part." "It wasn't until I had lived through over twenty-eight hundred Saturdays that I started thinking about all this in any detail," he went on. "I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy-five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy. So I went to a toy store and bought 1,000 marbles. I took them home and put them inside a large, clear plastic container. Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and thrown it away. "I found that by watching the marbles diminish , I focused more on the really important things in life. There is nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help get your priorities straight. "It was nice to meet you, Tom. I hope you spend time with your family, and I hope to meet you again." You could have heard a pin drop on the radio when the old man signed off. I guess he gave us all a lot to think about. I had panned to work that morning. Instead, I went upstairs and woke my wife up with a kiss. "Come on, honey, I'm taking you and the kids to breakfast. And can we stop at a toy store while we're out? I need to buy some marbles." What life lesson does this text teach us? A) Spending more time with our family. B) Enriching our life with marble games. C) It's never too late to love our family. D) Learning to live life to the fullest.
(A).
A