The writer Devin with his friend Johnson went to his favourite news-stand. Johnson 21 the salesman selling the newspapers gently, but in return he received poor 22 . The salesman never even looked up at his customer when he 23 the late-night edition. Accepting the 24 , Johnson politely smiled and wished the salesman a pleasant weekend. The salesman made an unclear sound and seemed 25 that the two men had completed their business. As the two friends walked down the street, Devin asked, “Does he always treat you so 26 ?”
“Yes, 27 , he does,” Johnson responded. “And are you always so 28 and friendly to him?” “Yes, I am!” Johnson 29 as they turned a corner. “Why are you so nice when he is so unfriendly to you?” Johnson 30 , “Because I don’t want him to decide how I am going to 31 .”
Who 32 how you are going to act? Is it your circumstances or the difficult people in your life that determine your 33 ? When we allow our conflicts to 34 us, we behave as if getting rid of our difficulties is our only priority. 35 , it doesn’t really matter how we treat one another. For example, we’ll say, “This 36 is causing me problems right now so I don’t care about exercising 37 , self-control, and loving kindness. Instead, I want to let him know how 38 I am because of his action.”
We forget our difficulties will eventually weaken. But the way we handle conflicts will influence our 39 for a long time. Will you only respond to the momentary crisis or will you be more concerned about the 40 of what kind of person you are becoming? Who decides how you will behave when the pressure is on?
21. A. praised B. paid C. invited D. greeted
22. A. service B. harvest C. instructions D. scores
23. A. printed B. requested C. completed D. took
24. A. newspaper B. record C. radio D. food
25. A. encouraged B. disappointed C. relieved D. worried
26. A. separately B. seriously C. quickly D. rudely
27. A. obviously B. originally C. unfortunately D. finally
28. A. content B. smart C. energetic D. kind
29. A. struggled B. hesitated C. continued D. watched
30. A. ordered B. wondered C. advised D. explained
31. A. work B. act C. arrive D. write
32. A. decides B. imagines C. answers D. doubts
33. A. responses B. appearance C. growth D. progress
34. A. wound B. control C. cheat D. kill
35. A. Instead B. Again C. Therefore D. Besides
36. A. exam B. person C. trip D. enemy
37. A. pressure B. power C. duty D. patience
38. A. proud B. glad C. angry D. fearful
39. A. lives B. experiments C. friendship D. team
40. A. time B. value C. use D. nationality