Would you BET on the future of this man？He is 53 years old. Most of his adult life has been a losing struggle against debt and misfortune. A war injury has made his left hand stop functioning，and he has often been in prison. Driven by heaven-knows-what motives，he determines to write a book.
你愿意在这个人的前途上下注吗？他53岁。他的大部分成年生活都是在与债务和不幸的斗争中失败。战争伤害使他的左手停止了功能，而且他经常进监狱。出于天知道什么动机，他决定写一本书。

The book turns out to be one that has appealed to the world for more than 350 years. That former prisoner was Cervantes, and the book was Don Quixote（《堂吉诃德》）. And the story poses an interesting question: why do some people discover new vitality and creativity to the end of their days，while others go to seed long before？
这本书最终成为了一本已经吸引了世界350多年的书。那位前囚犯就是塞万提斯，而那本书是《堂吉诃德》。而这个故事提出了一个有趣的问题：为什么有些人在生命的尽头发现新的活力和创造力，而其他人却早早地凋零了呢？

We’ve all known people who run out of steam before they reach life’s halfway mark. I’m not talking about those who fail to get to the top. We can’t all get there. I’m talking about people who have stopped learning on growing because they have adopted the fixed attitudes and opinions that all too often come with passing years.
我们都认识一些在人生中途就失去动力的人。我不是说那些没有达到顶峰的人。我们不可能都达到顶峰。我说的是那些因为接受了随着岁月流逝而常常出现的固定态度和观点，而停止学习和成长的人。

Most of us, in fact, progressively narrow the variety of our lives. We succeed in our field of specialization and then become trapped in it. Nothing surprises us. We lose our sense of wonder. But，if we are willing to lean，the opportunities are everywhere.
事实上，我们大多数人逐渐缩小了我们的生活范围。我们在专业领域取得成功，然后被困在其中。没有什么能让我们感到惊讶。我们失去了好奇心。但是，如果我们愿意学习，机会无处不在。

The things we learn in maturity seldom involve information and skills. We learn to bear with the things we can’t change. We learn to avoid self-pity. We learn that however much we try to please，some people are never going to love us-an idea that troubles at first but is eventually relaxing.
我们在成熟期学到的东西很少涉及信息和技能。我们学会忍受我们无法改变的事情。我们学会避免自怜。我们学会无论我们多么努力去取悦，有些人永远不会爱我们——这个想法一开始会让人感到困扰，但最终会让人感到放松。

With high motivation and enthusiasm，we can keep on learning. Then we will know how important it is to have meaning in our life. However, we can achieve meaning only if we have made a commitment to something larger than our own little egos（自我）, whether to loved ones, to fellow humans, to work, or to some moral concept.
有了高度的动机和热情，我们可以继续学习。然后我们就会知道，生活中有目标是多么重要。然而，只有当我们对某些比我们自己的小自我更大的东西做出承诺时，我们才能实现目标，无论是对亲人、对人类、对工作，还是对某种道德观念。

Many of us equate（视…等同于）“commitment” with such “caring” occupations as teaching and nursing. But doing any ordinary job as well as one can is in itself an admirable commitment. People who work toward such excellence—whether they are driving a truck, or running a store-make the world better just by being the kind of people they are. They’ve learned life’s most valuable lesson.
我们中的许多人将“承诺”等同于像教学和护理这样的“关怀”职业。但是，尽可能地做好任何普通工作本身就是一种令人钦佩的承诺。那些努力追求卓越的人都在使世界变得更好——仅仅因为他们是他们自己的那种人。他们已经学会了生活中最宝贵的课程。

1. The passage starts with the story of Cervantes to show that_.
   A. loss of freedom stimulates one’s creativity
   B. age is not a barrier to achieving one’s goal
   C. misery inspires a man to fight against his fate
   D. disability cannot stop a man’s pursuit of success
   答案：B

2. What does the underlined part in Paragraph 3 probably mean？
   A. End one’s struggle for liberty.
   B. Waste one’s energy taking risks.
   C. Miss the opportunity to succeed.
   D. Lose the interest to continue learning.
   答案：D

3. What could be inferred from Paragraph 4？
   A. Those who dare to try often get themselves trapped.
   B. Those who tend to think back can hardly go ahead.
   C. Opportunity favors those with a curious mind.
   D. Opportunity awaits those with a cautious mind.
   答案：C

4. What does the author intend to tell us in Paragraph 5？
   A. A tough man can tolerate suffering.
   B. A wise man can live without self-pity.
   C. A man should try to satisfy people around him.
   D. A man should learn suitable ways to deal with life.
   答案：D

5. What is the author’s purpose in writing the passage？
   A. To provide guidance on leading a meaningful adult life.
   B. To stress the need of shouldering responsibilities at work.
   C. To state the importance of generating motivation for learning.
   D. To suggest a way of pursuing excellence in our lifelong career.
   答案：A