英语六级快速阅读练习：发挥你的潜力

　　One of the most wonderful and exciting facts about your life is that you already know a lot of the things you need to know to become the person you want to be. You have your "heant's desire" deep inside of you. There's something that you were put on this earth uniquely to accomplish. There's something that you, and only you, can do. And when you find your heart's desire, you'll have the key to unlocking your potential in every other part of your life. You'll have the key to happiness, satisfaction, fulfillment and the joy that's your natural birthright.

　　Take Some Time to Determine Your Ideal Lifestyle

　　Take some time to determine the kind of person you'd like to be, and the kind of person you'd have to become in order to live the kind of life that you'd like to live. Remember, you can't accomplish it on the outside until you become it on the inside.

　　To unlock your inner potential, you must set very clear, challenging and,yet, realistic goals and then make plans to accomplish them. You need to work,step-by-step, every day, in the direction of your dominant aspirations. You need to develop an unshakable level of self-confidence that makes you virtually unstoppable.

　　Momentum Is the Key to Long-Term Success

　　The momentum theory of success simply says that while it may take lO units of energy to get you moving in a particular direction, it takes only one unit of energy to keep you moving once you're in motion. You have the principle of momentum working in your favor.

　　How do you use the momentum principle in your life? Well,it's simple.

　　Let's say that your goal is to become financially independent. To do this,you have to pay off all of your existing debts and build up a cash reserve of three to six months of living expenses. When you reach that point, your entire personality will change. You'll be more clearheaded, you'll be more positive,you'll be more determined, you'll be more optimistic, you'll be a finer and better human being when you absolutely know that you're not dependent upon anyone for your living expenses. You'll be able to choose the job you want to do and go to the places you want to go. You won't have to tolerate any situation that you do not enjoy or that you feel isn't the best use of your personal potential.

　　If you simultaneously work on strengthening your self-discipline and using it to achieve the goal of financial independence, you'll become a better, stronger and more powerful human being. You'll cast off the bonds of helplessness and begin to feel that there's nothing in the world that you can't do or be or have.

　　When you set clear goals or objectives for yourself, when you dream big dreams and then determine to become the kind of person who's capable of achieving the kind of goals that you want to achieve, you convince yourself, at a deep, subconscious level, that you're absolutely unstoppable. You realize at last that nothing in the world can hold you back except your own thinking,and you don't even let your own thinking limit your potential.

　　What Beliefs Might You Have that Are Holding You Back?

　　Each one of us has feelings of inferiority that are manifested in the conclusion that we are not good enough. We think that we are not as good as other people, and we feel that we are not good enough to acquire and enjoy the things that we want in life. Very often, we feel that we don't deserve good things. Even if we do work hard and achieve some worthwhile objectives. we believe that we are not really entitled to our successes, and we often engage in behaviors that sabotage our successes.

　　The fact is that you deserve every good thing that you are capable of acquiring as the result of the application of your talents. The only real limitation on what you can be and have is your absence of desire. If you want something badly enough, nothing in the world can stop you from getting it. if you are willing to persist long enough and hard enough. Over and over. we find that our beliefs, more than anything else, act as the brakes on our capacities. We have high hopes and dreams and aspirations, but we let doubts creep in and undermine our competence and effectiveness.

　　The most harmful beliefs that you can have are what we call "self-limiting beliefs." These are beliefs about yourself, most of which are not true;but they hold you back nonetheless. Sometimes you, or others, will say that you cannot achieve certain goals because you did not get enough education. Somertimes you will say that it is because of your gender or race or age or the state of the economy.

　　The starting point to change your beliefs is to get up the courage to question them seriously. Question your basic premises. Check your assumptions. Ask yourself, "What assumptions am I making about myself or my situation that might not be true?"

　　It's a fact that we fall in love with our excuses and our assumptions. We fall in love with our reasons for not moving ahead. Even if someone comes along and challenges those reasons, even if someone tells you that you have the capacity to accomplish marvelous things, you will argue with him. If someone tells you that you can do far better than you're doing right now, you will come up with reasons to dispute this person's greater belief in your potential.

　　Believing in Yourself

　　Your beliefs about reality are based on a thousand influences, many of which began even before you were aware of what was going on. You have beliefs that are deep and beliefs that are shallow. Deep beliefs, with regard to your religion or your political party or your family, or especially yourself, are very hand to change. Shallow beliefs are easily changed. And many of your beliefs are in fact very shallow. They have no substance to them whatsoever. If you challenge them hard enough. you'll find that they are made of tissue paper.They'll simply blow away.

　　You can always tell what your true values and beliefs are by looking at your actions. It isntt what you say or wish or hope or intend that demonstrates what you really believe. It's only what you do. It's only the behaviors that you engage in. It's only the actions that you choose to undertake. Your values and beliefs are always expressed in your actions and behaviors.

　　Once you've ciearly decided on the person you would like to become. you are on the path toward developing new beliefs. You then discipline yourself each day to behave exactly as you would if you were already that person.

　　That simple technique. the "act as if" technique, is extraordinarily powerful.The more you act like the person you want to be, the more consistent your attitude will be with that person's. Your attitude will have the back-flow effect of affecting your expectations. Positive expectations will have the back-flow effect of building beliefs that are consistent with them. And your beliefs will exert an influence on your values.

　　People succeed not because they have remarkable characteristics or qualities.The most successful people are quite ordinary, just like you and me. Most of us start off poor and confused. We spend many years getting some sort of direction in our lives. But the turning point comes when we begin to believe that we have within us that divine spark that can lead us onward and upward to the accomplishment of anything that we really want in life.

　　测试题

　　1.The key to happiness. satisfaction,fulfillment and joy is______________.

　　A) having self-confidence B) finding your own desire

　　C) enjoying every day in life D) being devoted to your work

　　2.An unshakable level of self-confidence enables you to___________________.

　　A) make gradual progress

　　B) unlock your inner potential

　　C) set challenging but realistic goals

　　D) make plans to accomplish your goals

　　3.To be financially independent, one should________________.

　　A) use and invest money wisely B) find a job right after graduation

　　C) move away from parents' home D) pay off debts and have savings

　　4.Once you set clear objectives for yourself, the only thing that can prevent you from going forward is________________.

　　A) your own thinking B) your shortcomings

　　C) your own financial situation D) the pressure from your family

　　5.When we feel that we don't deserve good things, we are being influenced by the feelings of_________.

　　A) guilt B) modesty C) inferiority D) pessimism

　　6.One's self-limiting beliefs would make him_____________________.

　　A) overestimate his own abilities

　　B) tend to find fault with others

　　C) find excuses for his failure to achieve goals

　　D) attribute his failure to his state of economy

　　7.If you want to change your self-limiting beliefs, you should start with________________.

　　A) challenging those beliefs B) enriching your experiences

　　C) evaluating your situation D) setting up a practical schedule

　　8.Beliefs about one's religion and family, which are hard to change, are regarded as________________.

　　9.By looking at your actions and behaviors, people get to understand your______________.

　　10.The"act as if" technique can not only shape your attitude, but also affect your_______________.

　　答案详解

　　1.[B][定位]根据题干中的happiness，satisfaction，fulfillment and joy查找到首段最后两句。

　　解析：首段最后两句重复了you'll have the key to...这个结构，表明末句也与倒数第2句开头的when you find your heart's desire构成条件-结果的关系，选项B就是when引出的从句表述的内容，故为本题答案。

　　2.[B][定位]根据题干中的unshakable，self-confidence等查找到第1个小标题Take Some Time to Determine Your Ideal Lifestyle部分的第2段最后一句。

　　解析：原文该段开头To...表明unlock your potential是一个目的，而首句的you must...和其他句子的You need to...都是达成这个目的的方式，本题题干的主语部分是该段末句提到的内容，也与unlock your potential构成方式-目的关系，由此可见，本题应选B。

　　3.[D][定位]根据题干中的financially independent查找到第2个小标题Momentum Is the Key to Long-Term Suecess部分的第3段开头两句。

　　解析：原文该段第2句开头的To do this表明该句接下来的内容说明了做到“经济独立”的方法，选项D是对此内容的近义替代，故为本题答案。

　　4.[A][定位]根据题干中的objectives, only thing，prevent...going等查找到第2个小标题Momentum Is the Key to Long-Term Success部分的末段末句。

　　解析：要解答本题，主要是要注意题干中的prevent you from going forwards与原文该段末句中的hold you back同义，定位后即可确定本题应选A。

　　5.[C][定位]根据题干中的deserve good things，feelings等查找到第3个小标题What Beliefs Might You Have that Are Holding You Back?部分的首段第1句和第3句。

　　解析：原文该段第1句首先提到了the feelings of inferiority，该段其他句子都是“自卑感”的具体表现，其中第3句提到了题干中的don't deserve good things，这也是“自卑感”的表现之一，由此可见，本题应选“自卑感”，即选项C。

　　6.[C][定位]根据题干中的self-limiting beliefs与查找到第3个小标题What Beliefs Might You Have that Are Holding You Back?部分的第3段。

　　解析：该段提到自我限制的想法会使人们止步不前，因为人们会寻找各种理由来证实自己无法达成目标。C与原文表达的意思相同，A与原文意思相反，B文中未提及，D是利用文中的the state of the economy设置的干扰项。

　　7.[A]定位]根据题干中的change，self-limiting beliefs，start with等查找到第3个小标题What Beliefs Might You Have that Are Holding You Back?部分的第4段第1句。

　　解析：本题题干是对原文该句主语的同义改写，该句表明要改变你的想法，首先要做的就是question them(质疑这些想法)，选项A与question them同义，故为本题答案。

　　8.[deep beliefs]

　　[定位]根据题干中的religion and family等查找到第4个小标题Believing in Yourself部分的首段第3句。

　　解析：空白处应为名词成分。原文该句是对deep beliefs的说明，并举例指出有关宗教、政党、家庭方面的观念统属于deep beliefs，故此空应填deep beliefs。

　　9.[values and beliefs]

　　[定位]根据题干中actions and behaviors，understand等查找到第4个小标题Believing in Yourself部分的第2段。

　　解析：空白处应为名词成分。原文该段首句和末句都是总结性语句，表明通过观察言行，就可知道一个人的价值观和信仰，因此values and beliefs为本题答案。

　　10.[expectations,beliefs and values]

　　[定位]根据题干中的“act as if”technique查找到第4个小标题Believing in Yourself部分的第4段。

　　解析：空白处应为名词成分。该段表明，the“act as if”technique产生的影响是连锁的，而该段最后三句里均有与affect同义的词：affecting，effect，influence，表明这个technique对这3句中提到的expectations，beliefs和values都会产生影响。

　　参考译文

　　发现你内心的渴望，发挥你的潜力

　　生活中最美妙和最令人激动的一件事是：你已经明白了许多成为你想要成为的人所必须知道的事理。你的心灵深处拥有你自己的渴望。那是你来到这个世界本该完成的事情。那是你，只有你才能做的事情。[l]：一旦你发现了你内心的渴望，你就找到了开启你生活方方面面的潜力的钥匙。你将拥有打开通向幸福、满足、成功和与生俱来的喜悦之门的钥匙。

　　花点时间确定你理想的生活方式

　　花点时间确定你打算成为一个什么样的人，并确定为了过上你想要的生活你必须变成什么样的人。记住，只有内心里想成为这样的人你才能实现你的愿望。

　　[2]要开启你内在的潜力，你必须首先设定明确的、具有挑战性的、而符合实际的目标，然后制定完成这些目标的计划。你需要每天循序渐进地为自己最高的愿望而奋斗。你需要培养一种坚不可摧的自信心，促使自己永不止步。

　　动力是通向长期成功的钥匙

　　成功的动力理论认为，如果要使你朝着一个特定的方向运动的话，需要10个单位的能量，但是，一旦你处在运动中，要保持这种状态，只需要一个单位的能量。这是动量原理在起作用。

　　在生活中，应该如何使用动力原理呢?这很简单。

　　[3]比方说.你的目标是在经济上取得独立。要做到这一点，你必须偿还现有的债务，并增加3-6个月生活费用的储备金。当你到达这-步的时候，你整个人的个性将会改变。当你完全了解自己没有在生活费用方面依赖任何人的时候，你会变成一个更加清醒、积极、坚定、乐观、友善的人。你将能够选择你想要做的工作，到你想要去的地方。你将不会委曲求全地忍受你不喜欢的状况或者待在你感觉不是你能发挥个人潜力的最佳之地。

　　如果你在加强自律的同时，将其用于实现自己经济独立的目标，你会成为一个更好、更坚强、更强有力的人。你将摆脱无助的枷锁，并开始感觉到这个世界上进有什么你不能做到的事情、没有你不能成为的人，也没有你不能拥有的东西。

　　当你为自己设定明确的大小目标时，当你拥有远大的梦想并决心成为一个有能力实现自己想要的目标的人时，你会在内心深处、下意识地让你相信自己绝对是一个锐不可档的人。[4]你最终能体会到在这个世界上除了你自己的思想没有什么能够阻止你，而你不会让你自己的思想限制你的潜力。

　　你可能会有的什么想法会阻碍着你?

　　[5]我们每一个人都有自卑感，这主要体现在我们给自己下的定论上：我们不够优秀。我们认为自己没有别人那么优秀，而且感到我们还没有能力获得并享受生活中我们想要的东西。[5]很多时候，我们认为自己不配享有美好的事物。即使我们努力工作并实现了一些有价值的目标，但我们仍然认为，我们并不真正有资格获得我们所取得的成功，而且我们经常做一些有碍于自己取得成功的行为。

　　事实是，你应该享有所有你用自己的天赋获取的好东西。唯一真正限制你能成为一个什么样的人、能拥有什么样的东西的因素是你缺乏欲望。如果你非常想要得到什么东西，如果你愿意坚持足够长的时间并付出足够多的努力，那么世界上没有什么能够阻止你得到它。一次又一次，我们发现是我们的想法，而不是其他别的东西，成为阻止我们能力发挥的刹车闸。我们怀着美好的希望和梦想，抱有远大的志向，但我们却让怀疑潜入我们的内心破坏我们的能力和办事效率。

　　[6]你可能心怀的最有害的信仰是我们所谓的“自我限制的想法”。这些是关于你自己的想法，而多数是不真实的，但是它们仍然阻止了你。有时你，或其他人会说，你无法实现某些目标，因为你没有受过足够的教育。[6]有时你会说，这是由你的性别、种族、年龄、或经济的状况所导致。

　　[7]改变你的信仰的起点是鼓起勇气认真地审视你的这些想法。质疑你(得出结论)的基本前提，核实你所作的种种假想，问问你自己，“我在对自己作什么样的假想或者我所处的状况哪些可能不是真实的?”

　　事实是，我们偏爱我们自己所作的各种借口和假想。我们偏爱自己停滞不前的种种理由。即使有人来质疑你的那些理由，即使有人告诉你你有能力成功地完成某些事情，你仍然会与他争论。如果有人告诉你，你能够做得远远比现在更好，你将找到各种理由来挑战这个对你的潜力有更大信心的人。

　　相信你自己

　　你对于现实的想法是基于上千种影响力，其中很多影响力早在你意识到当时在发生什么事情之前就开始了。你有些想法是深刻的，而有一些则是肤浅的。[8]深刻的信仰，比如与你相关的宗教、政党、家庭，尤其是有关你自己的那些信仰是非常难以改变的。肤浅的想法却很容易被改变。你的许多想法实际上是非常肤浅的，没有什么实质内容。如果你认真质疑这些想法，你会发现，它们不过是棉纸制成的，你能不费吹灰之力就将它们驱散。

　　[9]你往往只要审视自己的行为就能够了解自己真正的价值观和想法是什么样的。你所说、所愿、或期待、或打算并不能表现出你的真正想法。只有你的所作所为能表现你的真正想法，只有你所采取的行动才能表现出你的真实想法。[9]你的价值观和想法总是在你的行动和表现中体现出来的。

　　一旦你清楚地决定你想要成为一个什么样的人，你就踏上了培养新想法的道路。然后你每天严格地按照假设你成为了那样一个人之后所应有的行为去磨练你自己。

　　[1O]这种简单的技巧，也就是“依假设行事”的技巧。具有非凡的动力。你的行为表现得越像你想要成就的那样一个人，那么你的态度就越接近他的态度。你的态度对于你的期望所产生的影响将起到一种支持的反作用。正面的期望将对建立与它们一致的信仰产生一种支持的反作用。而你的信仰将对你的价值观产生影响。

　　人们取得成功，不是因为他们有着卓越的个性或品质。最成功的人都相当普通，普通得就像你和我一样。我们大多数人在开始的时候都可怜而迷茫。我们花费很多年的时间寻找人生中的某个方向。但是只有当我们开始相信我们内心拥有一种神圣的火花的时候，转折点才会到来，这种火花能够带领我们勇往直前，取得我们生命中真正想要的任何成就。