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It was a quiet village in which there was a military camp (军营). It was far from the towns and cities and there were some high mountains around. Of course it was a good place for training the new soldiers. But it was difficult for the young men to go outside. Mr. White, an officer of forty, was strict with them and he hardly let them leave the camp. Once Mr. White was ill in bed. He couldn’t work and a young officer, Mr. Hunt, began to train the new soldiers instead of him. He knew the young men well and let nine soldiers go to the nearest town to have a holiday. But night fell and none came back to the camp. He was worried about it and stood at the gate. It was five to twelve when Mr. Hunt decided to go to the town and see what was happening to the young men. He started the car quickly and set off. At that moment the nine soldiers came back. It seemed they drank wine. Of course they found the officer was angry. “I’m sorry, sir,” said the first soldier. “I left the town on time. But something was wrong with my bus on my way here. I had to buy a horse and made it run fast. Bad luck! It died and I had to run back.” And the other seven soldiers said they were late for the same reasons. It was the last soldier’s turn. He said, “I’m sorry, sir. I got on a bus on time, but....” Having heard this, the officer became even angrier and stopped him at once. He called out, “If you say something was wrong with your bus, I’ll punish you at once!” “No, no, sir,” said the young man. “My bus was all right, but the dead horses were in its way!” 59. The military camp was built in the village to ________. A. stop the soldiers from going to towns B. stop the soldiers from meeting their friends C. train the new soldiers D. make the young men live quietly 60. Mr. Hunt let the nine soldiers have a holiday because ________. A. he was kind to them B. they felt lonely C. they had something important to do D. they were the best of all 61. The young officer was worried because ________. A. a traffic accident had happened B. he was afraid something happened to the nine soldiers C. the nine soldiers would come back D. the nine soldiers drank too much in the town 62. Which of the statements do you think is true? A. You’ll believe only the last soldier. B. The officer believed the nine soldiers. C. You’ll believe none of the nine soldiers. D. The officer wouldn’t punish his soldiers. C Everyone knows you must exercise regularly to keep good health. Indeed, staying physically fit is a big part of our culture, we consider (or rightly so) that healthy people are attractive people. Since most of us want to be attractive, there is no shortage of exercise clubs, training videos, magazines and books offering to help us stay physically fit. Unfortunately, however, our culture doesn’t place the same emphasis (重视) on mental fitness. Although we tend to like men and women with strong, healthy-looking bodies, we don’t have the same degree of respect or attraction for smart, educated, mentally healthy people. This is a pity, because there are great rewards for people who have developed the ability to think well. If your mind is well trained and flexible (灵活的), you will be able to understand a great deal of what happens around you. And if you are also well educated—that is, if you understand basic science, mathematics, music, art, literature, history and so on—you will find it much easier to make good decisions throughout your life. Over the long run, this leads to a sense of control over your destiny (命运) and a much better life than otherwise (in another way). People who are poorly educated or who don’t think well—that is, people who are not mentally fit—see things differently. Their world is controlled by mysterious, often malevolent (恶意的) forces. Such people live within a system they will never master, forced to follow rules they will never understand. Although it may not be obvious, most spend their lives being manipulated (控制) by others. They are told what to do, what to think, how to spend their money, and what they should and should not aspire (渴望) to in life. In my opinion, if you want to live well, you must be able to use your mind well. For this reason, I want you to be able to concentrate, to solve problems, to understand complex ideas, and to think clearly and quickly. Such skills will make it easier for you to make informed decisions, understand current events, choose good friends, manage your money well, make wise long-term decisions and appreciate music, art and literature. The key to developing such skills is to enjoy learning, and to have the ability and motivation to teach yourself. (责任编辑：admin) |