2014届高考英语阅读理解基础测试题 (12).doc

In ancient Egypt the pharaoh ( 法老) treated the poor message runner like a prince when he arrived at the palace if he brought good news . However if the exhausted runner had the misfortune to bring the pharaoh unhappy news , his head was cut off . Shades of that spirit spread over today's conversations . Once ,a friend and I packed up some peanut butter and sandwiches for an outing . As we walked light-heartedly out of the door ic basket in hand ,a smiling neighbor looked up at the sky and said , "Oh boy , bad day for a ic . The weatherman says it's going to rain ."I wanted to strike him on the face with the peanut butter and sandwiches . Not for his stupid weather report , but for his smile . Several months ago I was racing to catch a bus . As I breathlessly put my handful of cash across the Greyhound counter , the sales agent said with a broad smile ,“ Oh , that bus left five minutes ago .” Dreams of head-cutting ! It's not the news that makes someone angry . It's the unsympathetic attitude with which it's delivered . Everyone must give bad n ews from time to time and winning professionals do it with the proper attitude .A doctor advising a patient that she needs an operation do es it ina caring way .A boss informing an employee he didn't get the job takes on a sympathetic tone . Big winners know when delivering any bad news , they should share the feeling of the receiver . Un