I told my friend Graham that I often cycle two miles from my house to the town centre but unfortunately there is a big hill on the route. He replied, “You mean fortunately.” He explained that I should be glad of the extra exercise that the hill provided.
My attitude to the hill has now changed. I used to complain as I approached it but now I tell myself the following. This hill will exercise my heart and lungs. It will help me to lose weight and get fit. It will mean that I live longer. This hill is my friend. Finally I comfort myself with the thought of all those silly people who pay money to go to a gym and sit on stationary exercise bicycles when I can get the same value for free. I have a smile of satisfaction as I reach the top of the hill.
Problems are there to be faced and overcome. We cannot achieve anything with an easy life. Helen Keller was the first deaf and blind person to gain a university degree. Her activism and writing proved inspirational. She wrote, “The character cannot be developed with ease. Only through experiences of suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired and success achieved.”
One of the main determinants of success in life is our attitude towards adversity. From time to time we all face hardships, problems, accidents and difficulties. Some are of our making but many are no fault of our own. While we cannot choose adversity, we can choose our attitude towards it.
Douglas Bader was 21 when in 1931 he had both legs cut off following a flying accident. He was determined to fly again and went on to become one of the leading flying aviators in the Battle of Britain with 22 aerial victories over the Germans. He was an inspiration to others during the war. He said, “Don’t listen to anyone who tells you that you can’t do this or that. That’s nonsense. Make up your mind, and you’ll never use crutches or a stick, and then have a go at everything. Go to school, and join in all the games you can. Go anywhere you want to. But never, never let them persuade you that things are too difficult or impossible.”
The biographies of great people are full of examples of how they took steps to overcome the difficulties they faced. The common thread(思路) is that they did not become depressed. They chose their attitude. They chose to be positive. They took on the challenge. They won. Nevertheless, there is still the problem of how you change your attitude towards adversity.
【解题导语】 本文是一篇夹叙夹议文。“我”骑自行车去镇中心时要经过山地，“我”经历了从开始的抱怨到将山地当作锻炼契机的过程。人生之旅也是如此，我们要有战胜生活中的艰难的勇气。
1．Which of the following is true according to the author of the passage?
A．Those who want to achieve success can’t expect to live an easy life.
B．Climbing hills on bicycles is the best way to take exercise.
C．Going to a gym is greatly beneficial to people’s health.
D．People’s attitude to hardships is the only factor of their success.
A 解析：推理判断题。根据第三段的第二句可知，简单容易的生活不会使我们取得成功；据此可以推断，想要成功就不要期望过容易的生活，故A项正确。
2．By quoting what Douglas Bader said, the author intends to tell us “ ”．
A．Failure is the mother of success
B．A bad workman quarrels with his tools
C．Nothing is difficult to the man who will try
D．If you risk nothing, you will have nothing
C 解析：写作意图题。根据第五段Douglas Bader所讲的“Make up your mind，and you’ll never use crutches or a stick，and then have a go at everything...impossible”可知，Douglas Bader认为面对困难应当勇敢尝试，不要听信别人所言的太困难或不可能，没有什么克服不了的困难；据此可以判断，作者引用Douglas Bader的话旨在说明，对于勇于尝试的人来说，世界上没有克服不了的困难。故C项正确。
3．Following this passage, the author will further talk about ．
A．how his friend helped him to change his attitude towards the challenge he faced
B．why it is important to keep optimistic in the face of trouble
C．what steps to take to change your attitude towards the difficulties you face
D．what great people have in common
C 解析：推理判断题。根据文章最后一句可知，如何改变面对困难的态度仍然是一个问题；据此可以判断，下文将就此问题作进一步的阐述。故C项正确。
4．Which of the following can best function as the title of the passage?
A．Different Attitudes Towards Misfortune
B．Face Difficulties with a Smile
C．Nothing is Impossible
D．Life is Full of Adversity
B 解析：标题归纳题。通读全文可知，本文作者通过叙述将骑自行车经过的山地视为锻炼的机会及Helen Keller和Douglas Bader的故事说明，成功的关键是面对困难的积极态度。故B项最能概括主题。
