Once when I was facing a decision that involved high risk, I went to a friend. He looked at me for a moment, and then wrote a sentence containing the best advice I've ever had: Be bold and brave — and mighty (强大的) forces will come to your aid.

Those words made me see clearly that when I had fallen short in the past, it was seldom because I had tried and failed. It was usually because I had let fear of failure stop me from trying at all. On the other hand, whenever I had plunged into deep water, forced by courage or circumstance, I had always been able to swim until I got my feet on the ground again.

Boldness means a decision to bite off more than you are sure you can eat. And there is nothing mysterious about the mighty forces. They are potential powers we possess: energy, skill, sound judgment, creative ideas—even physical strength greater than most of us realize.

Admittedly, those mighty forces are spiritual ones. But they are more important than physical ones. A college classmate of mine, Tim, was an excellent football player, even though he weighed much less than the average player. “In one game I suddenly found myself confronting a huge player, who had nothing but me between him and our goal line,” said Tim. “I was so frightened that I closed my eyes and desperately threw myself at that guy like a bullet(子弹)—and stopped him cold.”

Boldness—a willingness to extend yourself to the extreme—is not one that can be acquired overnight. But it can be taught to children and developed in adults. Confidence builds up. Surely, there will be setbacks (挫折) and disappointments in life; boldness in itself is no guarantee of success. But the person who tries to do something and fails is a lot better off than the person who tries to do nothing and succeeds.

So, always try to live a little bit beyond your abilities—and you'll find your abilities are greater than you ever dreamed.

1.Why was the author sometimes unable to reach his goal in the past?

A He faced huge risks.

B He lacked mighty forces.

C Fear prevented him from trying.

D Failure blocked his way to success.

解析：选C。答案C　细节理解题。根据第二段第二句It was usually because I had let fear of failure stop me from trying at all.可知，作者过去不能实现自己的目标是因为恐惧使自己不敢尝试，从而导致失败。A. 他面临巨大的冒险；B. 他缺乏强大的力量；C. 恐惧阻碍他尝试；D.失败阻碍了他成功的道路。故选C。

2.What is the implied meaning of the underlined part?

A Swallow more than you can digest.

B Act slightly above your abilities.

C Develop more mysterious powers.

D Learn to make creative decisions.

解析：选B。答案B　词义猜测题。根据前面的Boldness和后面的greater than most of us realize可判断出，画线部分的意思是“勇敢地采取超出自己能力的行动”。故选择B选项。

3.What was especially important for Tim's successful defense in the football game?

A His physical strength.

B His basic skill.

C His real fear.

D His spiritual force.

解析：选D。答案D　细节判断题。第四段以蒂姆成功的例子来说明those mighty forces are spiritual ones，也就是说蒂姆在足球比赛中成功防御主要是依靠他的精神力量。故选择D选项。

4.What can be learned from Paragraph 5?

A Confidence grows more rapidly in adults.

B Trying without success is meaningless.

C Repeated failure creates a better life.

D Boldness can be gained little by little.

解析：选D。答案D　细节判断题。根据第五段第一、二句话可知，勇敢不可能突然一下子就能得到的，它要有一个逐渐培养的过程。A. 对于成年人，自信的增长更为迅速；B. 不抱成功的尝试是没有意义的；C. 多次的失败是为了创造更好的人生；D. 胆量是逐渐获得的。故选择D选项。

5.What is the author's purpose in writing this passage?

A To encourage people to be courageous.

B To advise people to build up physical power.

C To tell people the ways to guarantee success.

D To recommend people to develop more abilities.

解析：选A。答案A　目的意图题。第一段点明文章的主旨：Be bold and brave，后面的段落对这一中心话题详细论述，所以作者写这篇文章的目的是激励人们要大胆、勇敢。故选择A选项。