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 |
As we enter into this new age of cities in which more than half the world’s population will live in an urban area, we must also take a hard look at how we will care for the significant increase in our elderly population. While many will be living longer, they will be doing so with age-related health issues and disease. Of special concern, the number of people living with dementia（痴呆）worldwide is set to treble by 2050. Alzheimer’s Disease International reports that 44 million people live with the disease now but that figure will increase to 135 million by 2050. With this added pressure to health systems, technology is the critical factor to success.
In Oslo, Norway, a retired engineer, Mr. Helge Farsund cares for his wife, Kari. Kari, who had been an intensive-care nurse who served with the Red Cross in Rwanda, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s three years ago. Looking to live as normal a life as possible as Kari’s condition progressed, they are participating in a pilot project studying how a smart home powered by sensors enables people with Alzheimer’s Disease to stay in their home.
The system is created by Abilia. At the center of the system is an iPad-like device. The screen has Skype, which allows carers to regularly check in with patients．
Some l,000 people now have the system installed in their homes, and 25 of them, including the Farsunds, are testing the latest version, which combines the screen with wirelessly connected sensorsaround the house to detect motion. If a door is opened or left open, or if the stove is left on, the system alerts patients and caretakers of danger. The planner also provides spoken reminders about daily tasks, such as when they need to take medicine and events like birthdays as well as enabling caretakers and family members to check in remotely via Skype.
“With this kind of system, it allows people to take care of themselves, which is the most important thing,” says vice president Oystein Johnsen. For him, any move to improve city life needs to begin with people. “Smart cities are coming and they need to start with individuals in their own home,” he says. “It also saves the government money. In Norway it cost one million Norwegian krone (￡100,000) per year to have someone in a home, while this system costs 15,000. That is a lot of money to save.”Which section of BBC news is most likely to include this passage?
| A．Health | B．Entertainment |
| C．Technology | D．Business |
The case of Helge and Kari Farsund in the second paragraph serves to .
| A．expose a social problem |
| B．introduce the main topic |
| C．show sympathy to the elderly |
| D．arouse medical workers’ interest |
Which of the following functions can all be performed by the system?
①To warn people of possible dangers
②To help check in with patients
③To offer people some medicine
④To cure people of Alzheimer's
⑤To remind people of daily tasks
⑥To play movies like an iPad
| A．①②⑤ | B．②③⑤ |
| C．①④⑥ | D．③④⑤ |
According to the last paragraph, Oystein Johnsen will approve that .
| A．smart cities should be human-based |
| B．the system should reduce its cost |
| C．mass production is still impossible |
| D．individuals are responsible for future |
Nowadays, girls are so mean to each other. Many girls are becoming the victims of the harmful behaviors of the female bully.
Emma Tracey was a popular 17-year-old and a well-liked athlete who had already won a soccer scholarship to college. But none of that stopped Emma from becoming the target of online girl on girl bullying (欺凌). Emma began to receive hundreds of online unpleasant comments via the latest social networking site called www.formspring.com.
In March 2011, Emma committed suicide and although all agreed that the online bother was not the single factor that led to Emma’ death, everyone did agree that it was a contributory factor.
Unfortunately, Emma’ story is not unique. A 2010 study conducted by the Cyberbullying Research Center states “Cyberbullying victims were almost twice as likely to have attempted suicide compared to youth who had not experienced cyberbullying. Girls are 57% more likely to be victims of aggressive cyberbullying and 92% more likely to be the criminals.”
Suicide is obviously the extreme and no one can minimize the tragedy of it. However, there are other damages that occur as a result of aggressive bullying. It can damage self-confidence and lead to feelings of worthlessness, and also increase social isolation and make victims become withdrawn, depressed, anxious, and unsafe. So what causes girls to be so unkind towards each other?
A term known as relational aggression may best describe the cause of girl on girl bullying. It starts with a clique (派系) usually led by a girl with a high level of social status and popularity. In order not to lose her position, she will control girls within the clique and take action if she feels threatened. At the leader’s directive the girls within the clique will spread rumors and lies and annoy other girls continuously.
The bullying starts at school but will quickly go to cyberbullying due to anonymity (匿名) and lack of punishment. Girls will easily do so in the anonymity of the Internet. Finally the cause will be summarized as the unsafety and jealousy of one girl and the twisted loyalty of members within her clique. Underneath the confident exterior (外表) of a female bully lie desperate unsafety.The example of Emma Tracey is given to show .
| A．popular youth are not easy to become the target of bullying |
| B．today’s youth don’t like to study any more |
| C．suicide is a serious problem among youth |
| D．cyberbullying is quite common among teenagers |
The bullying will quickly go to cyberbullying mainly because .
| A．it’s free to post comments online |
| B．the bullies don’t have to give their names online |
| C．it will not attract much attention |
| D．it will not affect their real life |
Which of the following is NOT the cause of bullying?
| A．Lack of safety |
| B．The twisted loyalty of members within a clique |
| C．Jealousy of others |
| D．Trying to be friendly |
We can infer from the last paragraph that a female bully .
| A．has strong self-confidence |
| B．has strong leadership skills |
| C．is actually weak inside |
| D．is usually good at study |
EDINBURGH, Scotland (AP) —they arrived before polling stations even opened, dressed for the school day in striped ties and blazers, dress slacks and tartan skirts, book bags over their shoulders —and, for the first time in British history, ballot (选票) cards in hands on September 18.
Scotland’s experiment of allowing more than 109,000 Scottish teenagers aged 16 to 17 took part in the Scottish independence referendum (公民投票), in which Scotland finally decided not to become independent.
The age group only made up a small part of the 4.29 million total voters, but they have “demonstrated how the youngest voters can be some of the most enthusiastic in a mature democracy”, commented The Associated Press. Casting their ballots, they were “proud and passionate” to help their nation decide whether to break away from the UK after 307 years in union.
At age 16, Scottish residents are allowed to join the military, get married, and work. Eighteen is the legal drinking age, as well as the UK’s voting age. But in 2013, Scottish law was changed to allow 16- and 17-year-olds in Scotland to vote in the referendum. The government pushed for the change because “younger voters are more likely to vote with their hearts, not their heads—and embrace fundamental change by voting for the pro-independence Yes Scotland campaign”, NBC News said.
But when the decision was handed down, some worried that high school students might not be as informed as adult voters. However, many experts said that assumption was wrong.
Professor Jan Eichhorn of the University of Edinburgh insisted that Scottish teenagers were as likely to read newspaper articles and campaign materials as their parents. They would simply get these resources through social media.
“There’s no evidence to suggest that they’re less capable than adults of voting, from a research point of view,” Eichhorn told NPR.
Scotland’s move to let younger teenagers vote in the referendum has led to a discussion about whether the voting age ought to be lowered to 16, both in the UK and the US.
“By 16, most people have about as stable an ideology (思想意识) as they are going to get,” Professor Jason Brennan of Georgetown University wrote for CNN, arguing that the US should also think about allowing younger US citizens to vote.The Scottish independence referendum was held on Sept. 18 ______.
| A．to encourage youngsters to be concerned with politics |
| B．to lower the minimum voting age to 16 for the referendum |
| C．to decide whether Scotland would become independent from the UK |
| D．to elect who would be the new leader of Scotland |
According to the passage, we can learn ______.
| A．Scotland gained its independence from the UK eventually. |
| B．It is possible for the USA to lower the voting age to 16 in the future. |
| C．All the people in Scotland thought highly of the government’s decision to lower the voting age to 16. |
| D．Scottish teenagers aged 16 are allowed to join the military, get married, work and drink alcohol now. |
What does the underlined word “embrace” (in para.4) probably mean?
| A．Admit to | B．Object to |
| C．Know about | D．Approve of |
What is Jan Eichhorn’s opinion of the Scottish teenagers aged 16 to 17?
| A．They are as informed and capable as adults of voting. |
| B．They make no difference to the voting result. |
| C．They are too enthusiastic to make informed decisions. |
| D．They are unwilling to be involved in the decision of the country’s future. |
If you go to Ethiopia, you’ll find a strange palm-like structure, which is called WarkaWater. It gathers water from fog and condensation（水珠）and is invented by an Italian firm.
When Italian designer Arturo Vittori and Swiss architect Andreas Vogler first visited Ethiopia in 2012, they were shocked to see women and children forced to walk miles to access what, for them, had always been within easy reach, water.
Only 34 percent of Ethiopians have access to a reliable water supply. Some travel for up to six hours a day to fetch some or, even worse, has to use pond water polluted by human waste, subject to the spread of disease.
Worldwide, about 768 million people—two and a half times the U.S. population—don’t have access to safe drinking water. So just imagine if we could just pull water out of thin air? That’s what Vittori and Vogler asked once they saw the severe problem and promised to take action. Their firm, Architecture and Vision, has since come up with WarkaWater, a grand palm-like structure that may look like something you’d see in a modern art museum, but it’s been designed to harvest water from the air.
WarkaWater, which is named after an Ethiopian fig tree, is composed of a 30-foot bamboo frame containing a fog-harvesting nylon net that can catch water easily, can be easily lowered for repairs and allow communities to measure the water level. Collecting water through condensation is hardly a new technique, but the creators of WarkaWater say their tree-inspired design is more effective, maximizing surface and perfecting every angle to produce up to 26 gallons of drinkable water a day—enough for a family of seven.
Western organizations have been working to provide clean water access in Africa for decades, so WarkaWater joins a very long list of earlier attempts. So far, high-tech solutions, like the once promising Playpump, have failed, mostly due to high costs and maintenance issues.
This is where WarkaWater stands apart—a lower-tech solution that is easy to repair and far more affordable than digging wells in the rocky Ethiopian plateau.What does the underlined phrase “subject to” in the third paragraph most probably mean?
| A．Owing to | B．Opposite to |
| C．Sensitive to | D．Giving rise to |
WarkaWater is designed mainly to ______.
| A．gather clean water efficiently |
| B．reduce water supply costs |
| C．simplify maintenance |
| D．preserve water supplies |
According to Paragraph 6, what caused Playpump to fail?
| A．Lack of advanced technology |
| B．Unsuccessful designs |
| C．Lack of money and maintenance issues |
| D．Unreasonable structures |
Marianne Hardwick was timid and unadventurous, her energy consumed by physical activity and longing, her intelligence by indecisiveness, but this had less to do with the inborn characteristics of her weaker sex ( as her father, Creighton Montgomery, called it) than with the enfeebling(使人衰弱的) circumstances of her upbringing. Creighton Montgomery had enough money to mould (塑造) his daughters according to his misconceptions that girls were not meant to fend for themselves so he protected them from life. What is to say is that Marianne Montgomery grew up without making any vital choices for herself. Prevented from acquiring the habits of freedom and strength of character which grow from decision-making, very rich girls, whose parents have the means to protect them in such a crippling fashion, are the last representatives of Victorian womanhood. Though they may have the boldest manners and most up-to-date ideas, they share their great grandmothers’ humble dependence.
Most parents these days have to rely on their force of personality and whatever love and respect they can inspire to exert any influence over their children at all, but there is still an awful lot of parental authority that big money can buy. Multi- millionaires have more of everything than ordinary people, including more parent power, and their sons and daughters have about as much opportunity to develop according to their own inclinations(意向) as they would have had in the age of absolute monarchy (君主专制) .
The rich still have families. The great divide between the generations is the state of the lower and middle classes, whose children begin to drift away as soon as they are old enough to go to school. The parents cannot control the school, and have even less say as to what company and ideas the child will be exposed to; nor can they isolate him from the public mood, the spirit of the age. It is an often heard complaint of the middle-class mother, for instance, that she must let her children watch television for hours on end every day if she is to steal any time for herself. The rich have no such problems; they can keep their offspring busy from morning to night without being near them for a minute more than they choose to be, and can exercise almost total control over their environment.
As for schooling, they can handpick tutors with sound views to come to the children, who may never leave the grounds their parents own, in town, in the country, by the sea, unless for an exceptionally secure boarding school or a well- chaperoned (伴护着的) trip abroad. It would have been easier for little Marianne Montgomery to go to Cairo than to the nearest newsstand.The author implies that Marianne Hardwick’s timidity were closely associated with ______.
| A．the inborn characteristics of the weaker sex |
| B．the conditions where she was brought up |
| C．the consumption of her energy |
| D．her physical activity and longing |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．Rich girls always share their ideas with their grandmothers. |
| B．Wealthy children learn at home instead of going to school. |
| C．Middle-class mothers usually steal time for their children. |
| D．Rich parents may have more control over their children than the middle-class parents do |
What can we know about Creighton Montgomery's daughters from the passage?
| A．They did not have up-to-date ideas. |
| B．They were unintelligent. |
| C．They did not have much freedom. |
| D．They had no physical activity. |
It can be learned from the passage that multimillionaires’ children have ______.
| A．little opportunity to develop according to their own inclinations |
| B．absolute opportunity to develop according to their own inclinations |
| C．more opportunity to develop according to their own inclinations than ordinary children |
| D．as much opportunity to develop according to their own inclinations as ordinary children |
What is the main idea of this passage?
| A．The rich control their children's lives without being near them. |
| B．The generation gap only occurs in the lower and middle classes. |
| C．Rich parents have more authority over their children than poor parents. |
| D．Rich girls who are being overprotected by their parents are rather dependent. |
粤公网安备 44130202000953号