The autumn rains had come in with two angry storms, and Lazy River was waking up. In a week school (31) be closed for Easter vacation. Dick and Turkey planned to have a trip to the inland by boat, (32) they collected maps and statistics of the entire inland river system. Water levels down Lazy River; levels down the Namoi; along the Darling and the Murray; all were (33) their fingertips. They were very happy because now (34) , it appeared, except the joy of voyaging lay (35) them and the Southern Ocean or Central Queensland. It was clear to them (36) Australia’s early explorers had (37) a big mistake toiling overland when they (38) have opened up the continent rapidly and pleasantly with paddle and pole. It was at this stage (39) Dick’s father put his foot down. "Now listen, you chap," he said quietly. "It begins to look like a wet autumn and the river is already (40) wild. A few days’ rain or a wicked storm or two (41) it’ 11 flood. I’m not going to (42) your mother worrying herself sick about you, Dick. I know you’ re (43) on the trip but floods aren’t (44) anyone can fool with. You can go for a camp if you like, but no further (45) six miles from home; and of course you’ll camp (46) the flood level." It was (47) a blow to their inter-state dreams, (48) the boys had’ to concede, on reflection, that what their father said was reasonable. (49) they told their classmate Fred Ingleton at school on Monday about their father’s suggestion, he became suddenly cheerful. "That’s (50) my dad said, "he grinned. "Now he might let me go with you. He reckons you made a decent swimmer of me!\ 48().
Do It Yourself Magazine organizes a competition every summer to elect the“Handyman of the year”. The winner of this year iS Mr.Roy Miller. a Sheffield postman. A journalist and a photographer have come to his house. The journalist is interviewing Mr. Miller for an article in the magazine.W:Well, I’m very impressed by all the work you’ve done on your house, Mr. Miller. How long have you been working on itM:I first became interested in Do-it-Yourself several years ago. You see, my son Paul is disabled. He’s in a wheel-chair and I just had to make alterations to the house. I couldn’t afford to pay workmen to do it. I had to learn to do it myself.W:Had you had any experience in this kind of workDid you have any practical skillsM:No. 1 got a few books from the library but they didn’t help very much. So I decided to go to evening classes so that I could learn basic carpentry and electrical wiring.W:What sort of changes did you make to the houseM:First of all, practical things to help Paul. You never really realize the problems handicapped people have until it attacks your own family. Most government buildings, for example, have steps up to the door. They don’t plan buildings so that disabled people can get in and out. We used to live in a flat, and of course, it was totally unsuitable. Just imagine the problems a disabled person would have in your house. We needed a larger house with wide corridors so that Paul could get from one room to another. We didn’t have much money and we had to buy this one. It’s over ninety years old and it was in a very bad state of repair.W:Where did you beginM:The electrical. I completely rewired the house so that Paul could reach all the switches. I had to lower the light switches and raise the power-points. I went on to do the whole house so that Paul could reach things and go where he needed.W:What else did you doM:By the time I’d altered everything for Paul, do-it-yourself had become a hobby. I really enjoyed doing things with my hands. Look, I even installed smoke-alarms.W:What was the purpose of thatM:I was very worried about fire. You see, Paul can’t move very fast. I fitted them so that we would have plenty of warning if there were a fire. I put in a complete burglar-alarm system. It took weeks.The front door opens automatically. and I’m going to put a device on Paul’s wheelchair so that he’ll be able to open and close it when he wants.W:What are you working on nowM:I’ve just finished the kitchen. I’ve designed it so that he can reach everything. Now I’m building an extension so that Paul will have a large room on the ground floor where he can work.W:There’s a $10,000 prize. How are you going to spend itM:I am going to start my own business so that I can convert ordinary houses for disabled people. I think I’ve become an expert on the subject. Mr Miller had known a lot about carpentry and electric wiring before he was engaged in do-it-yourself.
A. 对
B. 错
Not every President is a leader, but every time we elect a President we hope for one, especially in times of doubt and crisis. In easy times we are ambivalent -- the leader, after all, makes demands, challenges the status quo, shakes things up.Leadership is as much a question of timing as anything else.(67) And when he comes, he must offer a simple, eloquent message.Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers, who cut through argument, debate and doubt to offer a solution everybody can understand and remember. Churchill warned the British to expect "blood, toil, tears and sweat"; FDR told Americans that "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself"; Lenin promised the war-weary Russians peace, land and bread. Straightforward but potent messages.We have an image of what a leader ought to be. We even recognize the physical signs: Leaders may not necessarily be tall, but they must have bigger-than-life, commanding features--LBJ’s nose and ear lobes, Ike’s broad grin. A trademark also comes in handy: Lincoln’s stovepipe hat, JFK’s rocker. We expect our leaders to stand out a little, not to be like ordinary men. Half of President Ford’s trouble lay in the fact that, if you closed your eyes for a moment, you couldn’t remember his face, figure or clothes. A leader should have an unforgettable identity, instantly and permanently fixed in people’s minds.It also helps for a leader to be able to do something most of us can’ t: FDR overcame polio; Mao swam the Yangtze River at the age of 72. We don’t want our leaders to be "just like us". We want them to be like us but better, special, more so.(68) Even television, which comes in for a lot of knocks as an image-builder that magnifies form over substance, doesn’t altogether obscure the qualities of leadership we recognize, or their absence. Television exposed Nixon’s insecurity, Humphrey’s fatal infatuation with his own voice.A leader must know how to use power, but he also has to have a way of showing that he does. He has to be able to project firmness-- no physical clumsiness(like Ford., no rapid eye movements(like Carter).A Chinese philosopher once remarked that a leader must have the grace of a good dancer, and there is a great deal of wisdom to this.(69) He should be able, like Lincoln, FDR, Truman, Ike and JFK, to give a good, hearty, belly laugh, instead of the sickly grin that passes for good humor in Nixon or Carter. Ronald Reagan’s training as an actor showed to good effect in the debate with Carter, when by his easy manner and apparent affability, he managed to convey the impression that in fact he was the President and Carter the challenger.If we know what we’ re looking for, why is it so difficult to find The answer lies in a very simple truth about leadership. People can only be led where they want to go. The leader follows, though a step ahead.(70) The British believed that they could still win the war after the defeats of 1940, and Churchill told them they were right.A leader rides the waves, moves with the tides, understands the deepest yearnings of his people. He cannot make a nation that wants peace at any price go to war, or stop a nation determined to fight from doing so. His purpose must match the national mood. His task is to focus the people’s energies and desires, to define them in simple terms, to inspire, and make what people already want seem attainable, important, within their grasp.(71) Winston Churchill managed, by sheer rhetoric, to turn the British defeat and the evacuation of Dunkirk in 1940 into a major victory. FDR’s words turned the sinking of the American fleet at Pearl Harbor into a national rallying cry instead of a humiliating national scandal. A leader must stir our blood, not appeal to our reason...A great leader must have a certain irrational quality, a stubborn refusal to face facts, infectious optimism, the ability to convince us that all is not lost even when we’re afraid it is. Confucius suggested that, while the advisers of a great leader should be as cold as ice, the leader himself should have fire, a spark of divine madness.A. Yet if they are too different, we reject them. Adlai Stevenson was too cerebral. Nelson Rockefeller, too rich.B. The leader must appear on the scene at a moment when people are looking for leadership, as Churchill did in 1940, as Roosevelt did in 1933, as Lenin did in 1917.C. Americans wanted to climb out of the Depression and needed someone to tell them they could do it, and FDR did.D. Our strength makes him strong; our determination makes him determined; our courage makes him a hero. He is the symbol of the best in us.E. Above all, he must dignify our desires, convince us that we are taking part in the making of great history, give us a sense of glory about ourselves.F. A leader should know how to appear relaxed and confident. His walk should be firm and purposeful. 69().