READING COMPREHENSION.
There are two basic ways to see growth: one as a product, the other as a process. People have generally
viewed personal growth as an external (外在的) result or a product that can easily be identified and measured.
The worker who gets a rise, the student whose grades improve, the foreigner who learns a new language-all
these examples of people who have measurable results to show for their efforts.
By contrast (对照), the process of personal growth is much more difficult to determine, since it is a
journey and not the specific signposts or landmarks along the way. The process is not the road itself, but the
attitudes, feelings people have, and their caution or courage, as they meet with new experiences and unexpected
difficulties. In this process, the journey never really ends; there are always new ways to experience the world,
new ideas to try, new challenges to accept.
In order to grow, to travel new roads, people need to have a willingness to take risks, to face the unknown,
and to accept the possibility that they may "fail" at first. How we see ourselves as we try a new way of being
is necessary for our ability to grow. Do we see ourselves as quick and curious? If so, we tend to take more
chances and be more open to unfamiliar experiences. Do we think we're shy and indecisive? Then our sense
of fear can cause us to hesitate, to move slowly, and we think we are slow to adapt change or that we're not
smart enough to deal with a new challenge. Then we are likely to take a more passive role or not try at all.
These feelings of insecurity and self-doubt are both unavoidable and necessary if we are to change and
grow. If we protect ourselves too much, then we stop growing. We become trapped inside a shell of our
own making.
1. A person is generally believed to achieve personal growth when_____ .
A. he has given up his smoking habit
B. he has made great efforts in his work
C. he is interested in making anything new
D. he has tried to determine where he is on his journey
2. Which of the following can be viewed as the process of personal growing?
A. Our manager was always willing to accept new challenges.
B. Jane won the first prize in the speech competition.
C. Jerry picked up French during his stay in Paris.
D. Father's salary rose from 5, 000 to 7,000.
2. In the author's eye, one who views personal growth as a process would ______.
A. succeed in climbing up the social ladder
B. judge his ability to grow from his own achievements
C. face difficulties and take up challenges
D. aim high and reach his goal each time
3.When the author says "a new way of being" (para.3), he is referring to _____.
A. a new approach to experiencing the world
B. a new way of taking risks
C. a new method of finding ourselves
D. a new system of adapting to change
4. For personal growth, the author is in favor of all the following except ____.
A. being curious about more changes
B. being quick in self-adaptation
C. having an open mind to new experiences
D. staying away from failures and challenges

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