There are two basic ways to see growth: one as a product, the other as a process. People have generally viewed personal growth as an external（外部的） result or product that can easily be identified and measured. The worker who gets a promotion, the student whose grades improve, the foreigner who learns a new language--- all these are examples of people who have measurable results to show for their efforts.
By contrast, the process of personal growth is much more difficult to determine, since by definition it is a journey and not the specific signposts or landmarks along the way. The process is not the road itself, but rather the attitudes and feelings people have, their caution or courage, as they go through new experiences and unexpected obstacles. In this process, the journey never really ends; there are always new ways to experience the world, new ideas to try, new challenges to accept.
In order to grow, to travel new roads, people need to have a willingness to take risks, to be faced with the unknown, and to accept the possibility that they may “fail” at first. How we see ourselves as we try a new way of being is essential to our ability to grow.
These feelings of insecurity and self – doubt are both unavoidable and necessary if we are to change and grow. If we do not face and overcome these internal fears and doubts, if we protect ourselves too much, then we cease to grow. We become trapped inside a shell of our own making.
小题1:A person is generally believed to achieve personal growth when______..
A．he has given up his smoking habit
B．he has made great efforts in his work
C．he is interested in making anything new
D．he has tried to determine where he is on his journey小题2:In the author’s eyes, one who views personal growth as a process would______.
A．judge his ability to grow from his own achievements
B．succeed in climbing up the social ladder
C．face difficulties and take up challenges
D．aim high and reach his goal each time小题3:When the author says “a new way of being” (para. 3), he is referring to _____.
A．a new way of taking risks
B．a new approach to experiencing the world
C．a new system of adapting to change
D．a new method of finding ourselves小题4:For personal growth, the author may not support __________.
A．curiosity and more chances
B．being quick in self – adaptation
C．open – minded to new experiences
D．avoidance of internal fears and doubts
