In 2002 I began training to become a life coach. Many of my teachers and fellow classmates recommended the original Chicken Soup for the Soul book. I had heard of it as bestseller, but I’d never read it. I figured I should read it if only to expand my personal-development knowledge base. I had read only thirty-seven pages when I came across the story “ The Smiles.”
Contributor Hanoch McCarty told the story of Antoine de Saint, who wrote “The Smile”, which was possibly based on Saint-Exupery’s own experience as a captured fighter pilot in the Spanish Civil War. The pilot is nervous and frightened because he’s certain he will be put to death the next day. When he borrows a match from his jailer, their eyes lock unexpectedly. The pilot smiles at him. The jailer returns the smile. Then the two men begin to discuss their families and even share pictures. Later the jailer decides to free the pilot and lead him to safety. I remember being absolutely amazed by the words:” My life was saved by a smile.”
The magic moment when the two souls recognize each other filled me with hope and possibility. The next morning on my way to work I stopped in a food shop and bought a cup of tea. When the server handed me the cup I smiled and said thank you. He stepped back and for a moment looked confused. Then he smiled and said, “I’ve been doing this all morning , but you’re the first person to smile at me.” I couldn’t believe how good I felt.
As I continued to smile throughout the days, weeks and months I noticed an amazing cycle: The more I smiled, the friendlier everything seemed; and the friendlier everything seemed, the more I smiled. It also seemed to me that t he smiles I received
in ret u rn were n ot ju st polite smiles. I felt a momentary connection with the person, as though we had come to an agreement that all was right with the world.
21. . Why did the author read the Chicken Soup for the Soul book?.
A. To get ready for her job
B. To satisfy her curiosity
C. To relax herself a bit
D. To improve her outlook
22. . From Paragraph 2, the pilot’s smile .
A. is actually a sign of giving up
B. throws the jailer into confusion
C. makes it possible for him to be freed
D. shows he has the courage to face death
23. That morning, before the waiter served tea to the author,_ .
A. no other customers had come
B. The author was in low spirits
C. he smiled at the author
D. nobody smiled at him
24. . The underlined part in the last paragraph probably means _.
A. it was polite to return others’ smiles
B. the returned smiles came for the heart
C. the author found an amazing cycle of smiles
D. the author preferred warm smiles to polite smiles
ACDB
A. Profits enlarging B. Technology developing C. Education investing D. Benefits transferring E. Dominance disappearing F. A nation rising |
The following is an imaginary diary entry written by US president. This diary is part of Global Trends 2025, which was written by the US National Intelligence Council
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The
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The
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Global wealth and economic power will shift from West to East.
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The transition from old fuels to new will be slow, as will the development of new technologies that present feasible alternatives to fossil fuels or help eliminate food and water problems. All current technologies are inadequate, and new ones will probably not be commercially possible by 2025