《2025年情景导学高中英语选择性必修第四册外研版》

Ⅰ. 阅读理解
Many years ago, I bumped into an old friend of mine. He had devoted his life to acting but had never been quite successful. In his middle age, he seemed defeated and sad.
I thought of his dogged (顽强的) perseverance. Was it smart or foolish? What could he have achieved? Had he quitted his dream of acting or moved on? Our culture does not look kindly upon quitting. Failure is perfectly acceptable as long as it eventually results in success.
We chant "Winners never quit" and "If at first you don't succeed, try again". We lap up (欣然接受) stories of persistence, of the author who submitted stories for years before his or her novels were published or of the athlete who trained since childhood to win gold medals at the Olympics.
Persistence pays off when it is rewarded with success, but not every person is rewarded. For every J.K. Rowling, there are thousands of ambitious writers whose works will never get published. For every Olympic athlete, there are numerous others who trained every day of their lives but never made the cut.
We all agree that doing the same things and expecting a different result is unwise. So why do we believe that persevering through failure after failure is a good idea? We consider quitting in the face of failure to be weak and believe that perseverance is the key to success. However, perseverance is only one part of success. You need talent or skills, as well as passion and drive. Luck and timing are also key to any great success.
Our society believes that anything is possible, as long as you "believe". But not everyone can make it. Quitting when you're not ahead is sometimes the smartest thing to do. Obviously, if you enjoy a pursuit, regardless of its outcome, you should continue. If you knew your novel would never be published, would you want to write? If you could never be a champion swimmer, would you still train? Sometimes, it is wise to put your energy into something else.
Failure is not always the path to success. Sometimes, failure is the door to something new.
1. What do we know about the author's old friend?
A. He was dissatisfied with his acting performance.
B. He ultimately switched his dream of acting to something else.
C. He failed in acting because of a lack of persistence.
D. He failed in his attempts to become a successful actor.
(D)
2. Why is J.K. Rowling mentioned in the passage?
A. To explain how she achieved success in writing.
B. To show that success doesn't happen to everyone.
C. To prove that success favours those with perseverance.
D. To encourage readers to stick to their ambitions until they succeed.
(B)
3. What do the underlined words "made the cut" in Paragraph 4 probably mean?
A. Lived their lives to the full.
B. Met the required standard.
C. Improved their performance.
D. Promised to be good players.
(B)
4. What does the author think of perseverance?
A. It makes anything possible.
B. It is not necessary for success.
C. It is not the only part of success.
D. It works well in terms of outcomes.
(C)

答案： 1. D 2. B 3. B 4. C