Question

Listen carefully, working people, we would like to tell you something that could save your precious time and money! Best of all, it is free!

It’s “no”.

What do you ask? We’ll say it again: “No”.

Sweet and simple “no”.

Say “no” at your office and see how quickly that pile of work on your desk disappears.

“Saying ‘no’ to others means you are saying ‘yes’ to yourself, ” said Leslie Charles, a professional speaker from East Lansing, Michigan.

“Time is precious. People are spending money buying time. And yet we are willing to give up our time because we can’t say ‘no’.”

Susie Watson, a famous writer, said people who always say “yes” need to say “no” without guilt(內(nèi)疚)or fear of punishment. “I would rather have someone give me a loving ‘no’ than an obligated(強(qiáng)制的) ‘yes’, ” she said.

Susie Watson says she feels “no” obligation to give an explanation when she says “no” either socially or professionally. Does she feel guilty about it? “Not at all, ” said Watson, who is director of advertising and public relations at Timex Corp in Middlebury, Conneticut. “Most people are afraid of saying ‘no’… My advice is to say ‘yes’ only if you don’t mean ‘no’.”

Watson said “no” is the most effective weapon against wasting time. “Every year there are more demands on your time… Other people are happy to use up your time, ” Watson said. Time saving appears to be “no’s” greatest friend.

“No” can be your new friend, a powerful tool to take back your life. “No” may even take you further in the business world than “yes”.

“No” is power and strength. “No” now seems completely correct. “Saying ‘no’ isn’t easy. But finally it’s greatly liberating,” Charles said. But, he added, a “no” project needs to be worked on every day because it is hard to change long-term habit.

But, he also warns: “Don’t go to extremes. Don’t find yourself saying ‘no’ to everything. In return you should learn to hear ‘no’.”

The sentence “Saying ‘yes’ to yourself” means _______.

A. you can have more time to play with others

B. you needn’t care about other’s feeling if you are happy

C. you are selfish and treat others rudely

D. you can deal with your business as you have planned

When you say “no” to others you should say it in a _______.

A. secret way　　　B. polite way

C. proud way　　　　　D. guilty way

In Watson’s opinion, people can save much time on condition that _______.

A. they say “no” at a suitable time

B. they say “no” as much as possible

C. they are afraid of saying “no”

D. they make others angry at them

If a person says “no” to everything, the result he or she receive may be that he or she _______.

A. enjoys a wonderful life     B. makes a lot of money

C. faces difficulty in life　　D. forgets to say “yes” in the end

Answer 1

【小題1】D

【小題2】B

【小題3】A

【小題4】C

解析:

本文說明了人們在生活中敢于說“不”的重要性，同時(shí)也提醒人們應(yīng)注意不要走向極端。

【小題1】推斷題。根據(jù)Charles 所說的 Saying ‘no’ to others means you are saying ‘yes’ to yourself(否定他人就意味著肯定自己)可推知此題答案為D。

【小題2】推斷題。根據(jù)Susie Watson所說的I would rather have someone give me a loving ‘no’ (我倒愿意聽一聲有愛意的否定)可推知此題答案為B。

【小題3】推斷題。對(duì)文章倒數(shù)第5段最后一句My advice is to say ‘yes’ only if you don’t mean ‘no’.反過來理解：只有當(dāng)你不肯定的時(shí)候說“不”，可推知此題答案為A。

【小題4】推斷題。從文章最后一段 Charles 所說的 Don’t go to extremes. Don’t find yourself saying ‘no’ to everything 可知，不然的話就會(huì)遇到麻煩，故此題答案為C。