Who’s in control of your life? Who is pulling your string? For the majority of us, it’s other people—society, colleagues, friends, family or our religious community. We learned this way of operating when we were very young, of course. We were brainwashed. We discovered that feeling important and feeling accepted was a nice experience and so we learned to do everything we could to make other people like us. As Oscar Wilde puts it, “Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else’s opinions, their lives a mimicry(模仿), their passions a quotation.”

So when people tell us how wonderful we are, it makes us feel good. We long for this good feeling like a drug. Therefore, we are so eager for the approval of others that we live unhappy and limited lives, failing to do the things we really want to. Just as drug addicts and alcoholics live worsened lives to keep getting their fix (一劑毒品). We worsen our own existence to get our own constant fix of approval.

But, just as with any drug, there is a price to pay. The price of the approval drug is freedom—the freedom to be ourselves. The truth is that we cannot control what other people think. People have their own agenda, and they come with their own baggage and, in the end, they're more interested in themselves than in you. Furthermore, if we try to live by the opinions of others, we will build our life on sinking sand. Everyone has a different way of thinking, and people change their opinions all the time. The person who tries to please everyone will only end up getting exhausted and probably pleasing no one in the process.

So how can we take back control? I think there’s only one way—make a conscious decision to stop caring what other people think. We should guide ourselves by means of a set of values---not values imposed（強加）from the outside by others, but innate values which come from within. If we are driven by these values and not by the changing opinions and value systems of others, we will live a more authentic, effective, purposeful and happy life.

What Oscar Wilde says implies that _____________.

A. we have thoughts similar to those of others

B. most people have a variety of thoughts

C. most people’s thoughts are controlled by others

D. other people’s thoughts are more important

What does the author try to argue in the third paragraph ?

A. We may lose ourselves to please others.

B. Changing opinions may cost us our freedom.

C. We need to pay for what we want to get.

D. The price of taking drugs is freedom.

In order to live a happy, effective and purposeful life, we should _________.

A. care about others’ opinions and change opinions all the time

B. guide ourselves by means of values from the outside

C. persuade others to accept our opinions

D. stick to our own values

It can be concluded from the passage that __________.

A. we shouldn’t care what others think     B. it’s better to do what we like

C. we shouldn't change our own opinions   D. it’s important to accept others’ opinions

Hey there,

So you’re about to spend four years of your life and tens of dollars of your parents’ money, and all you really know about college is that all of your friends are going. Do you ever stop to wonder why you’re going?

Relax. You’re making the right decision. First of all, you’ll discover what interests you by taking courses in many subjects. For example, it’s hard to decide if you want to be a painter if you’ve never painted any pictures; once you’re in a drawing-room on campus, you’ll know one way or the other. College is also a lot of fun — after you graduate, you’ll be working every weekday for 50 or so years. And remember that college graduate earn about twice the income of those who never attended college.

Finding the right college can be difficult. Fortunately, Johnson Review is here to help you every step of the way.

* Researching Schools. To us. the most important decision you’ll make is to choose the school that really fits you best — not the once that is the most competitive（有競爭力的）or has the best-equipped rooms.

* Applying to School. On JohnsonReview.com.  you’ll find hundreds of actual college application（申請）and links to many more.

* Raising Your Scores. American College Test is one of the most difficult parts of the admission（錄�。ヽourse. It’s not the most important, though, and not everyone needs to prepare for the best. But, if you can do better, find the right course for better scores.

*Paying for School. Most families need financial aid for the high cost of college. The problem is that financial aid seems difficult to get and many families get caught up in the price of college rather than learning the ways to get financial aid. If you really do your research, you’ll learn that you can afford to attend any college, no matter the cost.

For more information, call 600-3681 or visit JohnsonReview.com. Wherever you go.  have a nice trip !

Johnson Smith

Founder and CEO

Johnson Review

1.How many reasons for going to college does the author mention in the text?

A. 2        B. 3        C. 4       D. 5

2.The author thinks you should choose the college that is          .

A. well-equipped      B. competitive   C. suitable  D. famous

3.What does the author advise you to do to pay the high cost of college ?

A. To ask the family for help.           B. To make a study of financial courses.

C. To do research on the price of college  D. To get to know how to ask for financial aid.

4.What’s the author’s purpose of writing this text.?

A. To suggest ways to prepare for college learning.

B. To help readers find the right college.

C. To make Johnson Review popular.

D. To introduce college life.

5.Where may the article be taken from?

A. A Journalist Book   B. A Travel  Book  C. A Grammar Book   D. An Advice Book

First, it is important to recognize what kind of person you are and which special qualities make you different from____.  

A. everyone else     B. the other       C. someone else     D. the rest  

Western New Bridge Library Announcement

2008-3-10

To attend the annual Children’s Gathering, one has to ________．

       A．buy a ticket                     B．a(chǎn)pply in advance

       C．make a reservation               D．contact the call-down service

According to the passage, Enzo Monfre will ________．

       A．show the children around a zoo 

       B．tell stories to children over seven

       C．be present at the science show in person

       D．lead the children to the Ellen De Generes Show

The Help Desk in this library supplies service ________．

       A．only during the daytime                B．in case of emergency

       C．till the end of the Spring Break      D．a(chǎn)fter 22∶00 p．m．every day

We can learn from the passage that children can ________．

       A．a(chǎn)ttend all the activities with their parents．

       B．borrow some relevant books for the activities．

       C．participate in the activities from 8∶00 a．m．to 4∶00 p．m．

       D．choose only one of the activities according to their interests．

I fell in love with England because it was quaint （古雅）— all those little houses, looking terri??bly old-fashioned but nice, like dolls’ houses. I loved the countryside and the pubs, and I loved London. I’ve slightly changed my mind after seventeen years because I think it’s an ugly town now.

Things have changed. For everybody, England meant gentlemen, fair play, and good man??ners. The fair play is going, unfortunately, and so are the gentlemanly attitudes and good man??ners — people shut doors heavily in your face and politeness is disappearing.

I regret that there are so few comfortable meeting places. You’re forced to live indoors. In Paris I go out much more, to restaurants and nightclubs. To meet friends here it usually has to be in a pub, and it can be difficult to go there alone as a woman. The cafes are not terribly nice.

As a woman, I feel unsafe here. I spend a bomb on taxis because I will not take public trans??port after 10 p. m. I used to use it, but now I’m afraid.

The idea of family seems to be more or less non-existent in England. My family is well united and that’s typically French. In Middlesex I had a neighbour who is 82 now. His family only lived two miles away, but I took him to France for Christmas once because he was always alone.

56. The writer doesn’t like London because she ______.

       A. is not used to the life there now

       B. has lived there for seventeen years

       C. prefers to live in an old-fashioned house

       D. has to be polite to everyone she meets there

57. Where do people usually meet their friends in England?

       A. In a cafe.         B. In a restaurant.        C. In a nightclub. D. In a pub.

58. The underlined part “it” （in Para. 4） refers to______.

       A. a taxi       B. the money        C. a bomb     D. public transport

59. The writer took her neighbour to France for Christmas because he ______.

A. felt lonely in England              B. had never been to France

C. was from a typical French family     D. didn't like the British idea of family