day". But it"s easier said than done to stay happy all the time. There are always things that stand in its
way.
The first, perhaps the biggest is genetics. Some scientists say that some people are naturally happier
than others. Besides, major life events as well as social and economic factors can also stand in the way
of happiness, such as losing your job or a family member. Then, there is health affecting your happiness.
So, is it possible that people can find lasting happiness with so many factors preventing them?
Positive psychologists(心理学家)believe it"s possible for people to stay happy for long periods,
although it cannot be lasting. Martin Seligman at University of Pennsylvania argues that daytoday
happiness comes from two things: pleasures and satisfactions. Pleasures are rich experiences that simply
make us feel good things like eating cake or drinking wine. While pleasures can be quite satisfying, the
enjoyment we get from them is shortlived.
Satisfactions are activities that we like to do and we give all we have to them. They are often
challenging, and we have to draw_on personal skills and strengths to perform them. For some people,
satisfactions come with work. Doctors, for example, often become so concentrated in an operation that
hours pass without them noticing the time. For others, it may be hobbies like gardening, playing tennis or
stamp collecting. These satisfactory activities affect the mood in a way that appears to be lasting.
Too often, people choose pleasures over satisfactions because they are easier and the effects are
more immediate. Though pleasures may work for a while, there are bad effects. Pleasurable activities
become less enjoyable if overused. Always choosing pleasures over satisfactions can also prevent people
from developing their personal strengths, which, if they"re not put to work, will die.
B. Three.
C. Four.
D. Five.
B. are more meaningful and last longer
C. are more easily ignored by people
D. depend mostly on one"s genetics
B. find
C. improve
D. use
B. It"s Impossible to Stay Happy Long.
C. Pleasures Are Different From Satisfactions.
D. The Factors That Affect Our Happiness.
根据短文内容, 从下框的A-F选项中选出能概括每一段主题的最佳选项。选项中有一项
为多余项。
B. Water wasting in businesses
C. The consequence of the fierce drought in southeast of China
D. The efficient measures saving water
E. Much water is wasted from the old water facilities
F. Some of the businesses should be forced to close up to save water
1. ________
The most severe drought in more than a century ravaging Southwest provinces should serve as a
reminder to other parts of the country that they need to get prepared to avert the dangers from the
water crisis, with more than 400 cities in need of water.
2. ________
Beijing is a case in point. With per capita water resources of only 180 cubic meters, shortage of
water has been a permanent scourge(天灾). And what the city has done in saving on water is far
from enough.
3. ________
A total of 220,000 tons of fresh water are wasted in flushing toilets every day. The amount of water
leaking in a year from the old water supply pipelines is estimated to be about 70 Kunming Lakes at the
Summer Palace. The 9,000 carwashing shops consume as much as 30 million cubic meters of water a
year.
4. ________
In addition, the 38 golf courses around the city use 20 million cubic meters of water a year. And at
least more than a million tons of water are needed to make artificial snow for the ski runs in the city"s
suburbs. The amount of water consumed by the more than 1,000 bathhouses is estimated at nearly 20
million tons.
5. ________
This situation is similar in other cities badly in need of water. There is much we can to do to save
water. Of the 100 residential communities that have pipelines for treated water in Beijing, only 20
percent are using it to flush toilets. Why do we need so many golf courses to waste the precious fresh
water? Why do we allow carwashing shops to waste fresh water rather than treated water to wash
cars? Why does the government allow so many bathhouses and ski runs to operate?
All these businesses are making money at the expense of our precious resource of fresh water. We can"t
afford to wait until it is too late. Do whatever we can to save water.
The NBA"s version of the Ming Dynasty is done. After helping pro basketball gain a foothold in the
world"s most populous market, Chinese star Yao Ming has retired.
Yao made it official Wednesday, telling a news conference that a series of foot and leg injuries forced
him to end his playing career at the age of 30.
"I will formally end my career," said Yao, who became a household name in China before starting his
NBA career with the Houston Rockets in 2002. Yao played eight seasons in the NBA.
"Today is an important day for me and holds a special meaning for both my basketball career and my
future," Yao said. "I had to leave the court since I suffered a stress fracture(断裂) in my left foot for the
third time at the end of last year. My past six months were a painful wait. I have been thinking about my
future over and over. Today I am announcing a personal decision, ending my career as a basketball player and officially retire. But_one_door_is_closing_and_another_one_is_opening."
Yao said he would return to work with his former Chinese team, the Shanghai Sharks, with the
possibility of becoming general manager. He already owns the club and wants to contribute more.
"My playing career started with the club. I hope I can do something for it," Yao said.
He later appeared with his family on the stage to the applause and cheers of the crowd. He thanked
a lot of people-his family, former coaches, even players like Shaquille O"Neal-"for making me a better
player, I will be always with you. Thank you."
Rockets general manager Daryl Morey was among those attending the farewell(告别)conference
Wednesday. Morey made the long trip from Houston. Morey said 20 hours on planes was tiring but "I
would be sorry if I wasn"t here." "It"s a big moment," Morey added. "Yao had a sense of humor, a great
attitude and sense of responsibility. I hope we can continue his culture in the NBA."
Yao had played six years with the Chinese national team before joining the Rockets, and was already
a star in his home country. He carried the Olympic torch through Tian"anmen Square and his country"s
flag during the opening ceremonies at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. He also donated $2 million and set
up a foundation to rebuild schools in the wake of the 2008 earthquake in Sichuan.
B. Chinese great Yao Ming retires from basketball
C. A farewell conference
D. Yao Ming"s personal decision
B. He can"t go to the US because of his retirement.
C. He is welcomed in his motherland.
D. He will return to work with the charity.
B. Responsible.
C. Generous.
D. Cautious.
B. Yao Ming played six years in America.
C. Yao Ming started his playing career in Houston.
D. Yao Ming was once an Olympic torchbearer.
a surprise party(that was an agreement at our marriage).
"How about a small dinner with __2__?" I asked.
"No, " she said, "I hate being the center of __3__."
Still, the milestone had to be marked. __4__ wasn"t going to let her get away with a Stouffer"s frozen
dinner and a movie video, __5__ was all she said she wanted.
I thought and thought, and __6__ making my decision, I sent a letter to her friends, asking them for
photos, poems, and letters. "Carol doesn"t __7__ a party in person…but I"m hoping to __8__ her a
party in a book." I bought a(n)__9__ with a friend"s advice, and what I wanted 10 . For a few minutes
at the end of every workday, I 11 pull out the marking pens and make up the 12 , Carol"s.
Photos of her in junior high, pictures of us 13 the boys, original songs, notes, cards, and poems.
It made me 14 for all the years we had had together. The 15 was more than the album. It was the
friendship and love she had given to me, to our kids and to all her friends and family. You could 16 it
on every page.
I wrapped it up and 17 it home. "Happy birthday, sweetie, " I said. "It"s not a frozen dinner or a
video, but it"s 18 you deserve." She cried. She doesn"t 19 like to cry, but I think she likes the book.
She"s said so many times. And every time I remind her 20 putting it together was a gift to me.
( )1. A. amazing ( )2. A. neighbours ( )3. A. attention ( )4. A. She ( )5. A. for ( )6. A. before ( )7. A. want ( )8. A. make ( )9. A. album ( )10. A. went on ( )11. A. could ( )12. A. decision ( )13. A. for ( )14. A. grateful ( )15. A. meaning ( )16. A. count ( )17. A. took ( )18. A. how ( )19. A. normally ( )20. A. whether | B. clear B. children B. comment B. It B. that B. after B. have B. choose B. novel B. poured in B. should B. story B. around B. worried B. gift B. read B. sent B. why B. merely B. that | C. unusual C. friends C. view C. He C. which C. when C. hold C. find C. mirror C. turned back C. would C. mind C. with C. nervous C. party C. express C. placed C. which C. really C. when | D. important D. classmates D. interest D. I D. when D. once D. attend D. give D. overcoat D. got away D. might D. book D. except D. special D. world D. improve D. packed D. what D. obviously D. who |
阅读理解 | |||
What can help you make a fortune in the future? Graduating from a top university might not be enough. A new study from the University of Essex in Britain has shown that the more friends you have in school, the more money you"ll earn later. The idea that popularity could have a serious impact on one"s earning potential shouldn"t come as too much of a surprise. The researchers noted that if you want to get ahead in life, social skills and networking are easily as powerful as talent and hard work. "If a person has lots of friends, it means that he or she has the ability to get along with others in all kinds of different situations, " said Xu Yanchun, 17, from Nantou High School in Shenzhen, who totally agreed with the recent finding. "Also, friends always help each other. They not only create wider social circles for you but lift your mood when you occasionally feel depressed, " said Xu. She believed that all this helps you "earn a higher salary". Maybe that"s why some people think the younger generations are in the age of friendaholism(交友狂症). A woman even complained that the networking website Facebook"s 5,000friend limit was too low for her large reserve of social contacts. But what does a friend mean? Should friends be regarded as a form of currency? "Call me uncool, but I think of a friend as an actual person with whom I have an actual history and whom I enjoy actually seeing. It seems, however, that this is no longer the definition(定义)of "friend", " said Meghan Daum, who works with The Los Angeles Times in the US. Daum despised(鄙视)the idea that quantity trumps(胜过)quality in the age of friendaholism. She thought the idea of friendship, at least among the growing population of Internet social networkers, was to get as many of notreallyfriends as possible. For example, a friend might be someone you might know personally but who could just as easily be the friend of a friend of some other Facebook friends you don"t actually know. | |||
1. What"s the main idea of the passage? | |||
A. Making friends is important. B. Making friends makes you earn more money. C. Friends give you success. D. Social skills are important. | |||
2. Which of the following sentences is TRUE? | |||
A. It is surprising that making more money is popular with people. B. If you want to win in life, social skills are as important as talent and hard work. C. The young now have friendaholism. D. Friends do not create your wider social circles but lift your mood when you occasionally feel depressed. | |||
3. What"s the opinion of Xu Yanchun about making friends? | |||
A. Making friends may help you a lot in your life. B. Making friends can get a lot of money. C. Making friends can make you work hard. D. Making friends can improve your ability to work. | |||
4. What"s the author"s attitude? | |||
A. Objective. B. Subjective. C. Neutral. D. Optimistic. | |||
阅读理解 | |||
A university graduate described as a "respectable and intelligent" woman is seeking professional help after being convicted of (证明有……罪)shoplifting for the second time in six months. Ana Luz, ![]() can control the desire to steal from shops . Luz ,who lives with her partner in Fitzwilliam Road ,Cambridge ,admitted stealing clothes worth £9.95 from John Lewis in Oxford Street ,London ,on March 9. Phillip Lemoyne ,prosecuting(起诉),said Luz selected some clothes from a display and took them to the ladies" toilet in the store .When she came out again she was wearing one of the skirts she had selected ,having taken off the anti-theft security alarms(防盗警报装置). She was stopped and caught after leaving the store without paying ,Mr Lemoyne said. He added that she was upset on her arrest and apologized for her actions. Luz,28, was said to have been convicted of shoplifting by Cambridge judges last October ,but Morag Duff, defending ,said she had never been in trouble with the police before that . "She is ashamed andembarrassed but doesn"t really have any explanation why she did this," Miss Duff said. "She didn"t intend to steal when she went into the store .She is at a loss to explain it. She is otherwise a very respectable and intelligent young lady .She went to her doctor and asked for advice because she wants to know if there is anything in particular that caused her to do this." Judge David Azan fined Luz £ 50, and warned : "You"ve got a criminal record .If you carry on like this ,you will end up in prison ,which will ruin your bright future you may have." Luz achieved a degree in design at university in her native Spain ,went on to a famous university in Berlin , Germany for her master"s degree and is now studying for a PhD at Cambridge University ,UK. | |||
1. What is Ana Luz"s nationality? | |||
A. American. B. British. C. Spanish. D. German. | |||
2. What does the underlined sentence "She is at a loss to explain it" mean? | |||
A. In her opinion it was a loss to the clothes shops where she stole things . B. She doesn"t have any idea why she has the desire to steal from shops . C. She thinks it is a loss for her to explain why she stole things from shops. D. Personally she feels ashamed and embarrassed for her shoplifting actions. | |||
3. Which of the following best explains the meaning of the word "shoplifting" used in the passage? | |||
A . Carrying goods in a lift for a shop. B. Taking goods to the ladies" toilet . C. Selecting some goods from a display. D. Taking goods from a shop without paying. | |||
4. From the passage we can learn that . | |||
A. Ana Luz is already got her PhD at Cambridge University ,UK B. Ana Luz is ashamed and embarrassed and knows why she often did so C. the university graduate will be put in prison if she steals in shops once more D. Phillip Lemoyne is the "respectable and intelligent" woman"s defense lawyer | |||
5. What would be the best title for the passage ? | |||
A. Shoplifting Shame of a PhD Student B. Apologizing for the Actions in Shops C. Seeking Professional Help from Experts D. Controlling the Desire to Steal from Sho |