Americans gave nearly $300 billion away last year. Do you know the reason? Beyond the noble goals of helping others, it is that giving will make them happier.
It is a fact that givers are happier people than non-givers. According to the Social Capital Community Benchmark Survey, a survey of 30,000 American households, people who give money to charity are 43% more likely than non-givers to say they are “very happy” about their lives. Similarly, volunteers are 42% more likely to be very happy then non-volunteers.
The happiness difference between givers and non-givers is not due to differences in their personal characteristics, such as income or religion. Imagine two people who are identical in terms of income and faith, as well as age, education, politics, sex, and family circumstances, but one donates money and volunteers, while the other does not. The giver will be, on average, over 40 percentage points more likely to be very happy than the non-givers.
A number of studies have researched exactly why charity leads to happiness. The surprising conclusion is that giving affects our brain chemistry. For example, people who give often report feelings of euphoria, which psychologists have referred to as the “Helper’s High”. They believe that charitable activity produces a very mild version of the sensations people get from drugs like morphine and heroin.
Of course, not only does giving increase our happiness, but also our happiness increases the possibility that we will give. Everyone prefers to give more when they are happy. Researchers have investigated this by conducting experiments in which people are asked about their happiness before and after they participate in a charitable activity, such as volunteering to help children or serving meals to the poor. The result is clear that giving has a strong, positive causal impact on our happiness, so does happiness on givingAccording to Paragraph 2. We can learn that .
| A．only those people who gave money to charity will be happy |
| B．more givers say they feel having happy lives than non-givers |
| C．those who donate money are happier than those who volunteer |
| D．42% of the volunteers say they are as happy as the non-volunteers |
What causes the happiness difference?
| A．Income. | B．Faith. |
| C．Education. | D．Donation. |
The underlined word “euphoria” in Paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to .
| A．relaxation | B．uncertainty |
| C．nervousness | D．pleasure |
If a person feels happy, he may .
| A．ask for more donations |
| B．stop charitable activity |
| C．be likely to give more |
| D．cook food for the poor |
Which of the following is the main theme of this passage?
| A．Giving brings happiness. |
| B．Americans love donating. |
| C．The happiness difference. |
| D．Feelings of volunteers. |
The Internet has got into all the fields of our life. We can study and work on it. We can find a job on it. We can communicate on it. We can treat friends on it. We can buy and sell on it. We can do almost everything on the Internet, and almost anywhere, anytime.
However, although the Internet provides services for us, it is silently getting our privacy(隐私) to some degree. The services on most websites require our personal information. If we want to enjoy these services, we have to provide much of our information, including our names, sex, addresses, telephone numbers and sometimes bank accounts(帐户). Because weak network sometimes is unsafe, our information might be open, stolen or sold. Even sometimes it will be used freely by others.
Considering（考虑到...） the above mentioned, you must pay attention to the safety when using the Internet. First, when you need Internet service, you should always look through those big legal(合法的) websites. Second, if the service requires important personal information, you should think twice before you type it in. Third, store your own important card key(电子钥匙) and don’t tell others easily.According to the passage, we shouldn’t ______by using the Internet.
| A．learn English | B．give our friends’ information to others |
| C．chat with friends | D．look for jobs |
The underlined word “it” refers to ______.
| A．the telephone number | B．the name | C．the information | D．the bank account |
Which of the following ways is correct to protect our information on the Internet?
a. Surf the safe Web . b. Think over and over before typing it in.
c. Don’t chat with friends on line d. Don’t use your key easily.
| A．a,b,c. | B．b,c,d. | C．a,b,d. | D．a,c,d. |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Don’t believe others if you don’t know them. |
| B．Remember never use the ID card on the Internet. |
| C．Never use the Internet in the future. |
| D．From now on, we must pay attention to the safety of the information on line. |
Maybe you know some well-known buildings, such as the Great Wall, the Great Hall of the People, the Leaning Tower of Pisa. But do you know the Royal Academy of Arts (皇家艺术学院)?
Lying in the heart of London, the Royal Academy of Arts is an independent fine arts institution (机构) which supports modem artists and promotes interest in the arts through all kinds of exhibition programs. The Academy is completely independent. It is a self-funded (自筹资金的), organization which is governed by the Royal Academicians—eminent practicing, painters, printmakers, sculptors and architects who are elected to the position. The Academy has a long history and was founded in 1768 with Sir Joshua Reynolds as its first President. The Academy lies in Burlington House which itself has a long colorful history with parts of the original structure dating back to1664. Today, the Academy attracts over one million visitors each year, making it one of London’s top 10 attractions for paying visitors.
Air: London’s City Airport. Gatwick Airport, Heathrow Airport, Luton Airport and Stansted Airport.
Rail: Underground: Piccadilly and Green Park or a short walk from Oxford Circus and Bond Street.
Road: Bus: Public services.
Contact Addresses:
Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London WIJ OBD
Telephone: 020 7300 8000
Website: www.royalacademy.org.ukWhich of the following is TRUE about the Academy of Art?
| A．It dates back to 1664. |
| B．You can’t get there by underground. |
| C．It is one of London’s top 10 attractions. |
| D．It is much older than Burlington House. |
You can contact the Academy of Arts by all the following EXCEPT________________.
| A． writing a letter | B．sending an e-mail |
| C．visiting the website | D．making a call |
The main purpose of this passage is to_______________________.
| A．attract more visitors to the Royal Academy of Arts |
| B．introduce the well-known building of England |
| C．show the long history of England |
| D．introduce the arts of England |
Young people can have problems with their minds. Some students become worried because they have to study very hard. Others have trouble getting on well with people like their parents and classmates.
Liu Wei, a Junior 2 student from Hefei, could not understand his teacher and was doing badly in his lessons. He became so worried about it that he started to cut his finger with a knife. Another student, 14-year-old Yan Fang from Guangzhou, was afraid of exams. She got very worried in the test, and when she looked at the exam papers, she couldn’t think of anything to write.
A recent report from Jiefang Daily says about 18% of Shanghai teenagers have mental problems. Their troubles include being worried and very unhappy, and having problems in learning and getting on well with people. Many students who have problems won’t go for advice or help. Some think they will look stupid if they go to see a doctor. Others don’t want to talk about their secret.
Liang Yuezhu, an expert on teenagers from Beijing Anding Hospital has the following advice for teenagers.
1). Talk to your parents or teachers often.
2). Take part in group activities and play sports.
3). Go to see a doctor if you feel unhappy or unwell.The students who often become worried or have trouble getting on well with others may have___________.
| A．a headache | B．mental problems |
| C．knives with them | D．no parents |
Liu Wei cut his finger with a knife because____________.
| A．he was afraid of his teacher | B．he wanted to frighten his parents |
| C．his finger was badly hurt | D．he was so worried about his study |
Yan Fang’s problems happened whenever ______________.
| A．she studied very hard | B．she talked with her parents |
| C．she had exams | D．she thought of something |
Students who have problems won’t ask others for help because _____________.
| A．they won’t let others think they are stupid |
| B．they don’t think doctors can help them |
| C．they don’t want to tell their secret to others |
| D．both A and C |
Liang Yuezhu’s advice tells us that_________________.
| A．it’s unnecessary for them to be with others |
| B．it’s better for the students who have mental problems to join others |
| C．only group activities and sports can help them |
| D．teachers and parents can’t do anything about mental problems |
Dolphins and sharks are showing up in surprisingly shallow water just off the Florida coast. Mullets, crabs, rays and small fish gather by the thousands off an Alabama pirer. Birds covered in oil are crawling deep into marshes（沼泽）, never to be seen again.
Marine scientists studying the effects of the BP disaster（英国石油公司漏油事件）are seeing some strange phenomena. Fish and other wildlife seem to be fleeing the oil out in the Gulf and clustering in cleaner waters along the coast in a trend that some researchers see as a potentially troubling sign. The animals’ presence close to shore means their usual habitat is badly polluted, and the crowding could result in mass die-offs as fish run out of oxygen. Also, the animals could easily be captured by their enemies.
The nearly two-month-old spill（漏油）has created an environmental disaster in US history as tens of millions of gallons have flown into the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem. Scientists are seeing some unusual things as they try to understand the effects on thousands of species of marine life.
For nearly four hours Monday, a three-person crew with Greenpeace cruised past delicate islands and mangrove-dotted inlets in Barataria Bay off southern Louisiana. They saw dolphins by the dozen frolicking（嬉戏）in the oily sheen（光泽）and oil-tinged pelicans feeding their young. But they spotted no dead animals.
"I think part of the reason why we’re not seeing more yet is that the impacts of this crisis are really just beginning," Greenpeace marine biologist John Hocevar said.
The counting of dead wildlife in the Gulf is more than an academic exercise; the deaths will help determine how much BP pays in damages.What do the marine life react to the BP disaster?
| A．Birds crawl deep into caves. |
| B．Dolphins and sharks show up in deep water. |
| C．Tens of thousands of marine animals are found dead. |
| D．Sea creatures flee from oil spill, gathering near seashore. |
The environmental disaster was caused by .
| A．the damage of the Mexico Gulf ecosystem |
| B．the lack of environmental sense of BP |
| C．the nearly two-month-old oil spill |
| D．the crowding marine life |
What is John Hocevar’s attitude towards the disaster?
| A．Worried. | B．Disappointed. | C．Depressed. | D．Neutral. |
From the passage, we can infer that .
| A．BP will pay much money according to the number of dead wildlife there |
| B．marine scientists have seen some strange phenomena |
| C．the disaster has little influence on dolphins |
| D．a three-person crew reached no conclusion |
The test is most probably a ______ .
| A．newspaper ad | B．book review |
| C．science news report | D．science fiction story |
There are many older people in the world and there will be many more. A little-known fact is that over 60 percent of the older people live in developing countries. According to the World Health Organization, by 2020 there will be 1 billion, with over 700 million living in developing countries.
It is a surprising fact that the population aging is particularly rapid in developing countries. For example, it took France 115 years for the rate of older people to double from 7 percent to 14 percent. It is estimated to take China a mere 27 years to achieve this same increase.
What are the implications of these increased numbers of older folk? One of the biggest worries for governments is that the longer people live, the more likelihood there is for diseases and for disability. Attention is being paid to the need to keep people as healthy as possible, including during old age, to lessen the financial burden on the state.
Another significant problem is the need for the younger generations to understand and value the older people in their society. In some African countries, certainly in Asia, older people are respected and regarded as the ones with special knowledge. Yet traditions are fading away daily, which does not make sure the continued high regard of older people. As society changes, attitudes will change.
Much needs to be done to get rid of age discrimination in employment. Life-long learning programs need to be provided to enable older people to be active members in a country’s development.
Social security policies need to be established to provide adequate income protection for older people. Both public and private schemes are vital in order to build a suitable safety net.The rate of older people________.
A. is bigger in developed countries than in developing countries
B. B. is one-seventh of the population in developing countries
C. C. will increase much faster in China than in France
D. D. will be sixty percent in developing countries by 2020
2.According to passage, which of the following are governments most worried
About______.
A. The diseases and disability of older people.
B. The longer life and good health of people.
C. The loss of taxes on older people.
D. The increasing respect for older people. It is stated directly in the passage that older people should ________.
| A．be treated differently in different cultures |
| B．enjoy a similar lifestyle |
| C．be ignored as society changes |
| D．be valued by the younger generations |
Which of the following measure is NOT mentioned to solve the population aging problem?
| A．Getting rid of age discrimination in employment. |
| B．Supplying life-long learning programs to older people. |
| C．Making sure adequate income protection for older people. |
| D．Providing free health care for sick older people. |
The author concludes in the last paragraph that ________.
| A．governments have spent lots of time in solving the aging problem |
| B．population aging is a hard problem, but it needs to be solved urgently |
| C．people are too busy to solve the population aging problem |
| D．much time and effort will be lost in solving the aging problem |
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