Ever since the global economic recession( 萧条) began in 2008,many Americans have changed their lifestyles by downsizing what they buy and what they possess.
Tammy Strobel and her husband used to own a two-bedroom apartment,two cars and had good incomes. But Tammy wasn’t happy.Inspired by a web site,they began donating some of their belongings to charity, and eventually got rid of their cars.Some thought they were crazy,but now they feel much happier.Without debt and working fewer hours,now they have more time to be outdoors and to volunteer.
“The idea that you need to go bigger to be happy is false,”Ms. Strobel says. “I really believe that the acquisition of material goods doesn’t bring about happiness.”
Despite the fact that the economy is not as booming as it was,studies have shown that many are feeling happier as they save more and spend less.This mainly happens when they spend money on experiences instead of material objects and when they relish（喜爱）what they plan to buy long before they buy it.
It is true that extra cash always makes life a little easier because it lets people meet basic needs.But scholars have found that types of purchases,their size and frequency,and even the timing of the spending all affect long-term happiness.One major finding is that spending money for an experience---concert tickets,French lessons, sushi-rolling classes---produces longer-lasting satisfaction.
At the height of the recession in 2008,consumers were doing something different---vacationing in their yards, eating more dinners at home,organizing family game nights .As a result, these leisure activities appeared to make them less lonely and increased their interactions with others.
“I think people are realizing they don’t need what they had.They’re more interested in creating memories,”says a scholar.
To stop purchasing things using credit cards at any time brings happiness,too;in other words,waiting for something and working hard to get it makes it feel more valuable and more stimulating. In fact,scholar have found that anticipation increases happiness. Considering buying an i-Pad?You might want to think about it as long as possible before taking one home.
Ms.Strobel is now an advocate（拥护者） of simple living.”My lifestyle now would not be possible if I still had a huge two-bedroom apartment filled to the gills(完全满了）with stuff,two cars,and 30 grand（一千美元） in debt,”she says. “Give away some of your stuff,” she advises. “See how it feels.”What did Ms Strobel and her husband do to change their life?
a. Donated their things to charity.
b. Changed their jobs.
c .Got rid of their cars.
d. Spent more time outdoors.
| A．a, b, c | B．b, c, d |
| C．a, b, d | D．a, c, d |
Which of the following is not a purchase of experience?
| A．Enroll in a French course. |
| B．Learn how to make Japanese sushi. |
| C．Get a new Mac. |
| D．Go to a concert. |
It is true that money_____________________
| A．always makes people happier |
| B．enables people to work fewer hours |
| C．makes one a better volunteer |
| D．helps people to meet their basic needs |
Purchase of experience can make people feel happier because_____________
| A．They increase the interaction between people |
| B．They are more economical than material goods |
| C．They are unique and can’t be obtained again |
| D．They make the participant smarter |
Why does stopping using a credit card to buy anything at any time bring happiness?
| A．Because one has to pay for interest by using a credit card. |
| B．Because the process of saving money and waiting for the thing you want makes it feel more valuable. |
| C．Because it helps stop buying things one actually doesn’t need |
| D．Because as one waits, he/she often finds something better to buy |
Every year thousands of tourists visit Pompeii, Italy. They see the sight that Pompeii is famous for—its stadium and theaters, its shops and restaurants. The tourists do not, however, see Pompeii’s people. No one has lived in Pompeii for almost 2,ooo years.
Once Pompeii was a busy city of 22,000 people. It lay at the foot of Mt Vesuvius, a grass-covered volcano. Mt Vesuvius had not erupted for centuries, so the people of Pompeii felt safe. But they were not. In August of the year 79 AD, Mt Vesuvius erupted. The entire top of the mountain exploded, and a huge black cloud rose into the air. Soon stones and hot ashes began to fall on Pompeii. When the eruption ended two days later, Pompeii was buried under 20 feet of stones and ashes. Almost all of its people were dead.
For centuries, Pompeii lay buried under stones and ashes. Then in the year 1861, an Italian scientist named Ginseppe began to uncover Pompeii. Slowly, carefully, Ginseppe and his men dug. The city almost looked the same as it had looked in 79 AD. There were streets and fountains, houses and shops. There was a stadium with 20,000 seats. Perhaps the most important of all, there were everyday objects, which tell us a great deal about the people who lived in Pompeii. Many glasses and jars had some dark blue color in the bottom, so we know that the people of Pompeii liked wine. They liked bread too; metal bread pans were in every bakery. In one bakery there were 81 round, flat loaves of bread—a type of bread that is still sold in Italy today. Tiny boxes filled with a dark, shiny powder tell us that women liked to wear eye-makeup.
Ginseppe has died, but his work continues. One-fourth has not been uncovered yet. Scientists are still digging, still making discoveries that draw the tourists to Pompeii. Why do large number of people come to Pompeii each year?
| A．To visit the volcano. | B．To shop and eat there. |
| C．To watch sports and plays. | D．To see how Pompeiians lived. |
Why did the city uncovered look almost the same as it had looked in 79 AD ?
| A．Because Ginseppe and his men dug it slowly and carefully. |
| B．Because the city was buried alive and remained untouched. |
| C．Because scientists successfully rebuilt the city with everyday objects. |
| D．Because nobody had lived in the city ever since the volcano erupted. |
What do we know about the Pompeiians who lived 2,000 years ago?
A. They lived more or less the same as Italians now do.
B. They liked women wearing all kinds of makeup.
C. They enjoyed a lazy life with drinking and eating.
D. They went back to Pompeii after the eruption in 79 AD.
As a youngster, there was nothing I liked better than Sunday afternoons at my grandfather’s farm in western Pennsylvania. Surrounded by miles of winding stone walls, the house and field provided endless hours of fun for a city kid like me. I was used to tidy living rooms that seemed to whisper, "Not to be touched!"
I can still remember one afternoon when I was eight years old. Since my first visit to the farm, I had wanted more than anything to be allowed to climb the stone walls surrounding the houses. My parents would never approve. The walls were old; some stones were missing, others loose and falling. Still, my idea to climb across those walls grew so strong that finally, one spring afternoon, I had all my courage to enter the living room, where the adults had gathered after Sunday dinner.
"I, uh-I want to climb the stone walls," I said. Everyone looked up. "Can I climb the stone walls? "Immediately voices of disagreement went up from the women in the room. "Heavens, no!" You'll hurt yourself!" I wasn't too disappointed; the response was just as I'd expected. But before I could leave the room, I was stopped by my grandfather's loud voice. "Now hold on just a minute," I heard him say. "Let the boy climb the stone walls. He has to learn to do things for himself."
"Go," he said to me, "and come and see me when you get back." For the next two and a half hours I climbed those old walls -and had the time of my life. Later I met with my grandfather to tell him about my adventures. I'll never forget what he said. "Fred," he said, smiling, "You made this day a special day just by being yourself. Always remember, there's only one person in this whole world like you, and I like you exactly as you are."
Many years have passed since then, and today I host the television program Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, seen by millions of children throughout America. There have been changes over the years, but one thing remains the same: my message to children at the end of almost every visit. "There's only one person in this whole world like you," the kids can count on hearing me say, "and people can like you exactly as you are.”When the writer was small, he lived .
| A．in the city | B．on the farm |
| C．with his grandparents | D．away from his parents |
The writer enjoyed his visits to the farm because .
| A．there were old stone walls. | B．it was an exciting place for him. |
| C．he liked his grandfather. | D．the living room there was clean |
The underlined word “approve” in paragraph 2 means .
| A．prove | B．suppose | C．allow | D．mind |
We can learn from the passage that the writer was .
| A．adventurous | B．funny | C．smart | D．talkative |
Here are six steps to better studying.
Pay attention in class
Do you have trouble paying attention in class? Are you sitting next to a loud person? Tell your teacher or parents about any problem that is preventing you from paying attention.
Take good notes
Write down facts that your teacher mentions or writes on the board. Try to use good handwriting so you can read your notes later. It’s a good idea to keep your notes organized by subject.
Plan ahead for tests and projects
Waiting until Thursday night to study for Friday’s test will make it hard to do your best. One of the best ways to make sure that doesn’t happen is to plan ahead. Write down your test dates. You can then plan how much to do after school each day, and how much time to spend on each topic.
Break it up
When there’s a lot to study, it can help to break things into several parts. Let’s say you have a spelling test on 20 words. Instead of thinking about all of the words at once, try breaking them down into five-word groups and work on one or two different groups each night.
Ask for help
You can’t study effectively if you don’t understand the material. Be sure to ask your teacher for help. If you’re at home when the confusion occurs, your morn or dad might be able to help.
Sleep tight
So the test is tomorrow and you’ve followed your study plan—but suddenly you can’t remember anything! Don’t panic. Your brain needs time to digest all the information you’ve given it. Try to get a good night’s sleep and you’ll be surprised by what comes back to you in the morning.We know from the passage that a loud person is .
| A．a student who always answers questions loudly in class |
| B．someone who likes to talk with others in a loud voice |
| C．a student who likes speaking with others in class |
| D．a person who makes a lot of noise in public places |
According to the author, which of the following is an effective studying method?
| A．Don’t try to review everything you have learned in one go. |
| B．Try to review what you’ve learned in one go. |
| C．To read all your notes the night before the test. |
| D．Try to remember everything on the first try. |
If you don’t understand what you have learnt, you can .
| A．read your notes over and over again |
| B．turn to people around you for help |
| C．put aside the material for later review |
| D．ask your teacher to explain it the next day |
By saying “Sleep tight”, what does the author mean?
| A．Sleep again after waking up. |
| B．Sleep holding your breath deep. |
| C．Get a good night’s sleep. |
| D．Go to sleep early every night. |
This year some twenty-three hundred teenagers(young people aged from13~19)from all over the world will spend about ten months in U.S. homes. They will attend U.S. schools, meet U.S. teenagers, and form impressions of the real America. At the same time, about thirteen hundred American teenagers will go to other countries to learn new languages and gain a new understanding of the rest of the world.
Here is a two-way student exchange in action. Fred, nineteen, spent last year in Germany with George’s family. In turn, George’s son Mike spent a year in Fred’s home in America.
Fred, a lively young man, knew little German when he arrived, but after two months’study the language began to come to him. School was completely different from what he had expected—much harder. Students rose respectfully when the teacher entered the room. They took fourteen subjects instead of the six that are usual in the United States. There were almost no outside activities.
Family life, too, was different. The father’s word was law, and all activities were around the family rather than the individual. Fred found the food too simple at first. Also, he missed having a car.
“Back home, you pick up some friends in a car and go out and have a good time. In Germany, you walk, but you soon learn to like it.”
At the same time, in America, Mike, a friendly German boy, was also forming his idea. “I suppose I should criticize(批评)American schools,” he said. “It is far too easy by our level. But I have to say that I like it very much. In Germany we do nothing but study. Here we take part in many outside activities. I think that maybe your schools are better in training for citizens. There ought to be some middle ground between the two.”This year ________teenagers will take part in the exchange programme between America and other countries.
| A．twenty-three hundred | B．thirteen hundred |
| C．over three thousand | D．less than two thousand |
The whole exchange programme is mainly to__________.
| A．help teenagers in other countries know the real America |
| B．send students in America to travel in Germany |
| C．let students learn something about other countries |
| D．have teenagers learn new languages |
Fred and Mike agree that__________.
| A．America food tasted better than German food |
| B．German schools were harder than American schools |
| C．Americans and Germans were both friendly |
| D．There were more cars on the streets in America |
What is particular in American schools is that________.
| A．there is some middle ground between the two teaching buildings |
| B．there are a lot of after-school activities |
| C．students usually take fourteen subjects in all |
| D．students go outside to enjoy themselves in a car |
“An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Similarly, if we drink a little more water ever day, we may find that we need to go to the doctor a lot less often. A healthy diet is made up of water and a great many different kinds of foods. We know that healthy foods like fruits, vegetables and fish, are important as they provide us with energy and fibre, without giving us too much fat and sugar. But why is water important?
The human body needs water to survive. Water is important as it carries poisons and waste out of our bodies. However, doctors advise us to drink plenty of water, much more than the small amount we need to stay alive.
Some doctors believe that water is important for our health in all kinds of ways. They believe that a great many illnesses and health problems stars as a result of dehydration—a lack(缺少) of water in the body. Most people are dehydrated at least some of time, although they probably don’t know it. It is surprising to learn that if we feel thirsty, we are already in the first stages of dehydration. In fact, we are advised to drink water before we feel thirsty.
These doctors think that health problems such as headaches, high blood pressure and asthma could be helped if people drink more water. They also believe that drinking more water can help people who are overweight. Water contains no calories so it will not make us put on weight. If we drink water, we will probably drink less sugary soft drinks such as Coca-cola. Doctors also believe that drinking more water may stop people from overeating. They say that many people think that they are hungry when they are, in fact, thirsty. Doctors suggest, therefore, that we eat less food and drink more water.
There are still many health problems that cannot be solved by drinking water, so we should not stop going to seeing the doctor completely. However, if we make a decision to drink water every day, we may find that we need to go to the doctor a lot less often.We need _____for a healthy diet.
| A．fibre | B．food | C．water | D．Water and different foods |
From the text, we know water can carry_________.
| A．energy and fibre in our bodies | B．fruit, vegetables and fish in our bodies |
| C．sugar and fat out of our bodies | D．poisons and waste out of our bodies |
Lack of water caused people to put on weight too much because_______.
| A．they think they are hungry and eat too much |
| B．they think they are thirsty and eat less |
| C．water has no calories |
| D．it makes them hungry |
Which of the following isn’t mentioned in the passage?
| A．Fruit provides us with energy and fibre. |
| B．Some healthy problems start because of a lack of water. |
| C．Drinking more water may stop people from overeating. |
| D．The amount of water a person should drink in a day. |
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