It’s no secret that doing good makes others happy – but did you know it can make you happy as well?
According to a study, people participating in meaningful activities were happier and felt that their lives had more purpose than people who only engaged in pleasure-seeking behaviors.
Try giving these four things to others to start your journey to a happier and healthier lifestyle.
1. Your Time
With a busy life, it can be hard to find any time to give away. However, volunteering your time has great benefits, including making new friends and connections, learning new skills and even advancing your career.
According to a paper about the link between health and volunteering, volunteering is connected with lower instances of depression and reduces the risk of dying by 22 percent.
2. Your Attention
Most of us think we’re good listeners, but according to psychologist Paul Donoghue, most people are aware that others don’t listen as well as they could. In addition, they’re not fully aware that they themselves aren’t listening.
When practicing mindfulness meditation(正念禅修), you focus on what you experience in the moment and let your thoughts and emotions pass through without judgment. Did you know that giving someone your undivided attention helps you also? When done well, active listening strengthens your focus－which is a major part of good meditation.
3. Your Compassion
The psychological meaning of compassion is the ability to understand another person’s emotional state. Compassion differs from empathy(移情) in that those who experience compassion not only put themselves in another person’s shoes, but also want to reduce that person’s suffering.
A brain-imaging study showed that the brain’s pleasure centers are equally active when we give money to the poor as when we receive money ourselves.
4. Your Money
According to an experiment, those who spend money on other people are significantly happier than those who spend the same quantity of money on themselves.
Whether or not you can offer other gifts, donating money helps make real change happen. It represents time spent, compassion and careful attention to the needs of others.Who is the happiest according to the study mentioned in Paragraph 2?
| A．Bill, who is often invited to play golf by his wealthy uncle. |
| B．Tom, who is on the way to be the richest man in the world. |
| C．Mike, who is not well-off but often does what he can to those in need. |
| D．John, who is a disabled young man but has married a very beautiful girl. |
What does the underlined word “depression” in Paragraph 5 mean?
| A．pleasure | B．unhappiness |
| C．connection | D．misunderstanding |
Which of the four gifts matters most according to the author?
| A．Time. | B．Money. | C．Attention. | D．Compassion. |
What is the purpose of the passage?
| A．To encourage people to help others. |
| B．To give the meaning of “happiness”. |
| C．To offer a practical way of life. |
| D．To show his kindness. |
In the UK, we like a good bargain. People flock to the sales in January, when stores slash their prices to get rid of all their winter stock. But surprisingly, the British hate haggling. In markets you might see the odd British person battling with a stall owner to bring down the price of a pair of trousers or some furniture. Generally, though, people from the UK are too reserved to haggle. If we think the price of something we want is too high, we’ll simply move on and try somewhere else.
The act of bargaining with someone is very theatrical, in my opinion. It’s a test to see who can stand their ground for the longest. But it is not in British people’s nature to “perform” in public, especially around strangers.
However, in the US, people are generally more willing to haggle. And if you wander into a market, you’re likely to hear a number of phrases that Americans reserve for such occasions.
First, “you drive a hard bargain” is commonly said by the customer to indicate they think the stall holder is working very hard, probably a little too hard, to get the price he wants.
Or you might hear the buyer telling a stall holder that “the kid’s gotta have braces”, which means they don’t have enough spare money lying around to afford the price being offered.
If the customer is really shocked at the price suggested by the seller, they also might say “you’re killing me” to indicate that they think the price is far too high.
In Britain, it’s difficult to imagine anyone saying anything along these lines. If I were forced to bargain, I’d probably say, very simply: “I’m going to make you an offer.” If that offer were refused, I think I’d just walk away.The underlined word “haggling” can be replaced by _______.
| A．arguing | B．bargaining | C．performing | D．insisting |
Why don’t the British haggle generally?
| A．They don’t think it is polite behavior. |
| B．They have sales every January. |
| C．They can always get a better price somewhere else. |
| D．They dislike openly expressing feelings or opinions. |
The underlined phrase “you drive a hard bargain” means_______.
| A．the seller has a lot of deals on offer. |
| B．the buyer will make a final offer |
| C．the stall holder is too insistent |
| D．the buyer doesn’t have a lot of spare money |
What’s the author’s attitude toward bargaining?
| A．Negative. | B．Careless. | C．Positive. | D．Critical. |
How does the passage mainly develop?
| A．By providing examples. |
| B．By making comparision. |
| C．By analyzing causes and effects. |
| D．By following the order of importance. |
The opening of the Sherlock Holmes Museum to the public on March 27, 1990, was an event that should have happened several decades ago. Baker Street is, after all, one of the world’s most famous streets because of its long association with the great detective.
Thousands of people all over the world write to Sherlock Holmes, they form clubs and societies in his honor, and they celebrate his anniversaries. Now it is also possible to see where and how he lived in Victorian times!
Here visitors will recognize familiar objects mentioned in the stories. You can take as many photographs as you want (the maid will be pleased to assist) and when you are ready to leave, a ride home in a horse-drawn carriage will complete your 19th century experience!
Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson lived at 221b Baker Street from about 1881 to 1904. Apartment 221b was on the first floor of a lodging house, which they rented from a Mrs Hudson. The famous study that Holmes and his friend Dr Watson shared for almost 25 years is on the first floor overlooking Baker Street.
We know from Doctor Watson’s descriptions that their sitting room overlooking Baker Street was “illuminated(照明、照亮) by two broad windows” and that it was quite small.
Doctor Watson’s bedroom was on the second floor next to Mrs Hudson’s room and it overlooked an open yard at the back of the house. These rooms are used today for exhibits, where center stage is taken by a magnificant bronze bust(半身像)of Mr Holmes. Visitors can browse through literature, paintings, photographs and newspapers of the period. Memorabilia（纪念品） from the adventures and a selection of letters written to and from Mr Holmes are also on display.
The museum’s large and attractive souvenir shop is located on the ground floor. Here you will find a unique collection of gifts, objects of art, figures, busts, prints, books, playing cards, T-shirts, －novelties of every description available exclusively to museum visitors.According to the article, we can conclude that Sherlock Holmes’ admirers .
| A．expect replies from him |
| B．made the opening of the museum possible |
| C．treat him as if he were a real person |
| D．often adapt his books into films or plays |
Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．The sitting room is small but has two big windows. |
| B．Mrs Hudson’s rooms are not used as exhibit rooms. |
| C．Mr Holmes’ and Dr Watson’s bedrooms are on the same floor. |
| D．Mr Holmes and Mrs Hudson shared ownership of Apartment 221b Baker Street. |
When in the museum, which of the following can visitors not do?
| A．Take photos of the rooms or objects on show |
| B．Buy unusual and interesting souvenirs |
| C．Learn some news of Mr Holmes’s times |
| D．Ask the maid to serve you tea in the Victorian times |
Scholarship Application Tips in 2013 for college students
·Before you apply
1. Work hard to get good grades. Don’t sweat about one bad grade, but always strive(力求)to do your best.
2. Get involved, and stay involved, in extracurricular(课外的)activities. Sports, clubs, drama, bands and orchestras－these often count toward a student’s overall scholarship application evaluation. The same goes for paid (or unpaid) work experience.
3. Begin your scholarship research early－by your sophomore(大学二年级)or junior year of high school, if possible. Make special note of application deadlines, as they can vary from late summer to late spring.
4. Apply for as many scholarships as you are eligible(符合条件的)for－several smaller scholarships can add up to a lot of money.
·During the application process
1. Read the supplementary materials that come with scholarship application forms to better understand the program’s focus (community service, subject interest). Try to answer the questions with the focus area in mind.
2. Answer questions as they are asked. Don’t got off topic.
3. If there is a financial component to the application, make sure you get accurate and complete information from all appropriate sources to ensure your eligibility.
4. Take your time. Write down everything you can think of for each question, then set the application aside for a day so you can look everything over again before you send it off.
5. Don’t wait until the last minute to complete your application, especially if you are applying online. Computer systems can get clogged(阻塞的)with the large volume of applicants hoping to submit their qualifications during the last few days and hours before a deadline.
6. If a third party has to complete part of your application, such as providing a letter of recommendation, make sure you ask them early on and remind them as often as necessary to ensure they provide you with the necessary materials.
7. Last but not least, review your application with your parents to make sure you haven’t left out any important details.
Good luck to the students applying for the 2013 scholarship programs!Before you apply for a scholarship, it’s best to .
| A．pay more attention to grades than to extracurricular activities |
| B．focus on only one scholarship application |
| C．get as much work experience as possible |
| D．begin your preparation as early as possible |
When answering questions on the application form, you should .
| A．focus on the subject you are interested in |
| B．answer to the point |
| C．list your advantages |
| D．prove your abilities |
The author suggests that applicants should .
| A．submit the application in the few days |
| B．double-check their application with their parents |
| C．complete and submit the application in one day |
| D．avoid submitting the application online |
At 10 years old, Flynn Mc Garry became sick of the meals his mother cooked for him. So the Los Angeles native took matters into his own hands and started making his own dinners. One of his specialties? Trout with braised leeks(韭葱炖鲑鱼).
Now 13, the young chef is being praised as a “food prodigy(神童)”. He will spend his summer apprenticing with some of the best chefs at LA’s famous restaurants, MSNBC Nightly New reports.
Mc Garry began making a name for himself in the culinary(烹饪) world when John Sedlar, owner of the trendy Playa Restaurant, let Mc Garry take over the kitchen for a special nine-course meal. The meal sold out almost instantly.
“Flynn is a very unusual young man, and he’s very, very passionate,” owner John Sedlar told MSNBC.
By usual teenage boy standards, it’s true. So strong is his passion for cooking that the young man has turned his bedroom into an experimental kitchen laboratory.
Instead of video game consoles, baseball trophies and movie posters, Mc Garry’s room is lined with mixers, pots and pans, cutting boards and a stainless steel worktable. It’s where Mc Garry cooks his monthly pop-up dinners, which are served from his family’s dining room, a monthly supper club he calls Eureka.
Mc Garry is deft(灵巧的) and confident in the kitchen, with skills he’s been practicing since he was a child. What started out as a means of self-preservation from his mom’s unsatisfactory cooking has turned into a passion that the teen hopes to develop into a career.
“My goal? Michelin three stars, a restaurant in the top 50 list,” he told MSNBC. “Hopefully the top five.” Meanwhile, Mc Garry’s 13-year-old resume is already richer and more impressive than most cooks many times his age.
Mc Garry isn’t the only talented young prodigy to surprise experts in his field in recent years. At just 17 years old, physicist Taylor Wilson is already teaching graduate-level courses in physics and has built a functioning nuclear reactor.Mc Garry first started cooking ___________.
| A．for himself | B．as an experiment |
| C．in his own bedroom | D．with a teacher’s guidance |
Compared with many adult chefs, Mc Garry ________.
| A．has the best cooking equipment in his kitchen |
| B．is inventive and has many new specialties to his name |
| C．has much and impressive cooking experience for his young age |
| D．wants to open his own Michelin three-star restaurant |
The author mentions Taylor Wilson in the last paragraph to ______.
| A．prove that Flynn’s success is not a rare case |
| B．compare his talent to that of Flynn Mc Garry |
| C．introduce a young talent in a different field |
| D．suggest experts should be trained at a young age |
Where does this text probably come from?
| A．A recipe book | B．A restaurant introduction |
| C．A career guide | D．A news report |
Charlotte Hollins faces a battle. The 23-year-old British farmer and her 21-year-old brother Ben are fighting to save farm that their father worked on since he was 14. Although confident they will succeed, she is aware of farming’s many challenges.
“You don’t often get a day off. Supermarkets put a lot of pressure on farmers to keep prices low. With fewer people working on farms it can be isolating,” she said. “There is a high rate of suicide and farming will never make you rich!”
Like others around the world, Charlotte’s generation tend to leave the farm for cities.
Oliver Robinson, 25, grew up in Yorkshire. But he never considered staying on his father and grandfather’s land. “I’m sure Dad hoped I’d stay,” he said. “I guess it’s a nice, straightforward life, but it doesn’t appeal to me. For young, ambitious people, farm life is hard.”
For Robinson, farming doesn’t offer much “in terms of money or lifestyle”. Hollins agrees that economic factors stop people from enjoying the rewards of farming. He describes it as a career that provides “for a vital human need”, allowing people to work “outdoors with nature.”
Farming is a big political issue in the UK. The “Buy British” campaigns urge consumers not to purchase cheaper imported foods. The 2001 foot and mouth crisis closed thousands of farms, stopped meat exports, and raised public consciousness about the troubles on UK farms.
Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s 2005 campaign to get children eating healthily also highlighted the issue.
This national concern gives hope to farmers competing with powerful supermarkets. While most people buy food from the big supermarkets, hundreds of independent Farmers’ Markets are becoming popular.
“I started going to Farmers’ Markets in direct defiance(违抗) of the big supermarkets. I seriously objected to the super-sizing of everything－what exactly do they put on our apples to make them so big and red? It’s terrible,” said Londoner Michaela Samson, 31.What are the challenges that British farmers face according to Charlotte Hollins?
a. loneliness b. thin profits
c. a lack of good equipment d. long working hours but slow results
| A．abc | B．abd | C．acd | D．bcd |
Why did Oliver Robinson refuse to stay on the farm?
| A．He hoped for a simpler life |
| B．He was fed up with a hard farm life. |
| C．Farm life was too demanding though he liked it. |
| D．He hoped for something challenging and rewarding. |
What happened in 2001 to the British beef farmers?
| A．British people ate more British beef. |
| B．To be a beef farmer became profitable. |
| C．Diseaes dramatically reduced the amount of beef available. |
| D．Foreign farmers stopped selling beef to Britain. |
Which of the following is an advantage of Farmers’ Markets?
| A．Lower prices. | B．Flexible sizes. |
| C．Convenient location. | D．Healthier food. |
What can we conclude from the last two paragraphs?
| A．Things are improving for independent farms in the UK. |
| B．Farming in the UK can now match the powerful supermarkets. |
| C．Most British people are doubtful of food in supermarkets. |
| D．Most British people have realized the problems facing farms and begun to help save them. |
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