I live in north Celebes which is near Philippines. Since early December 2010 most tropical regions have been frequently hit by rain. Just like my hometown, tropical regions only have two seasons, including the dry season that usually starts from April to September and the wet or rainy season which usually happens from October to March. But, it could be indeterminate. Sometimes the rainy season can come a month earlier or later. It can be prolonged(延长) even more than 4 months and so can the dry season. Even during the dry season, rain can occur several times in certain areas.
The prolonged dry season in tropical areas usually causes a lot of losses. It will be very harmful to local farmers, because most of the tropical areas are regions of the developing countries. Sometimes agricultural and plantation crops will be damaged because of so much dry land and the fact that the river used to flow the water for rice fields are also dry. Rain is very important for plants because rain contains many nutrients that plants are in great need of.
What’s more, if the prolonged rainy season arrives and then floods usually occur in certain areas of low lands. Even for the capital city of Jakarta floods have struck several times during the prolonged rainy season. In addition to floods, the rainy season can cause many diseases. During the dry season, diseases are usually caused by mosquitoes such as dengue fever. While in the rainy season, people who have the weak immune will be more easily attacked by some diseases such as flu, fever, diarrhea, and much more.
If you live in the other places and want to travel to the tropical regions, make sure that you have known much about the season and the effect for these months in which you want to travel as tourists. Only in that way, can you at least prepare to deal with tropical weather. How long does the dry season usually last in the author’s hometown?
| A．Four months. | B．Five months. |
| C．Six months. | D．Seven months. |
The underlined word “indeterminate” in paragraph 1 can be replaced by “ _____”
| A．uncertain | B．unknown |
| C．untrue | D．unbelievable |
The second paragraph mainly tells us something about _____.
| A．the effects of the dry season. |
| B．the benefits of the rainy season. |
| C．the growth of dry land |
| D．the diseases in the dry season |
We can learn from the passage that in the wet season, _____
| A．the capital of Jakarta is flooded every year |
| B．more crops will die after being flooded for so long. |
| C．mosquitoes will spread more diseases among the crowd. |
| D．people with weak immune might be attacked by some diseases |
The main purpose of this passage is to introduce _____.
| A．some interesting facts of tropical regions |
| B．some knowledge about tropical regions to travelers |
| C．some knowledge about how to live well in different regions. |
| D．some differences between dry and wet seasons in tropical regions. |
As the pace of life continues to increase, we are fast losing the art of relaxation. Once you are in the habit of rushing through life, being on the go from morning till night, it is hard to slow down. But relaxation is essential for a healthy mind and body.
Stress is a natural part of everyday life and there is no way to avoid it. In fact, it is not the bad thing it is often supposed to be. A certain amount of stress is vital to provide motivation and give purpose to life. It is only when the stress gets out of control that it can lead to poor performance and ill health.
The amount of stress a person can withstand depends very much on the individual. Some people are not afraid of stress, and such characters are obviously prime material for managerial responsibilities, others lose heart at the first sign of unusual difficulties. When exposed to stress, in whatever form, we react both chemically and physically. In fact we make choice between "flight or fight" and in more primitive days the choices made the difference between life or death. The crises we meet today are unlikely to be so extreme, but however little the stress, it involves the same response. It is when such a reaction lasts long, through continued exposure to stress, that health becomes endangered. Since we can't remove stress from our lives (it would be unwise to do so even if we could), we need to find ways to deal with it. People are finding less and less time for relaxing themselves because_____.
| A．they do not know how to enjoy themselves |
| B．they do not believe that relaxation is important for health |
| C．they are travelling fast all the time |
| D．they are becoming busier with their work |
According to the writer ,the most important character for a good manager is his _______.
| A．not fearing stress |
| B．knowing the art of relaxation |
| C．high sense of responsibility |
| D．having control over performance |
Which of the following statements is true?
| A．Stress is always harmful to people |
| B．We can find some ways to avoid stress |
| C．It is easy to change the habit of keeping oneself busy with work. |
| D．Different people can withstand different amounts of stress |
In the last sentence of the passage, "do so " refers to ______.
| A．" expose ourselves to stress" |
| B．"find ways to deal with stress" |
| C．" remove stress from our lives" |
| D．"established links between diseases and stress" |
For some minutes, all was quiet in the street. Then, from across the street, someone came walking at a slow pace.
It looked like a man of middle height, dressed in a big raincoat, a soft hat and rubber soled boots or shoes, and making little sound while walking: at most a soft, sliding sound. No one was in sight. It was a street with two rows of about fifty small houses, and there were three lamps on either side. The lamp nearest the child’s house could be seen clearly, but the others were almost hidden by the smoky air. A car passed the end of the street and its lights showed faintly, but clearly enough the wrinkled skin of a woman’s small face. The car disappeared as the woman, wrapped up in her coat, reached the doorway of the child’s house.
She put a key into the lock quickly, pushed the door open and stepped inside, then close the door without looking round. She began to breathe hard.
She leaned against the door for a moment, then straightened up as if with an effort, and walked towards the door of the front room, the passage leading to the kitchen, and the narrow staircase. She hesitated outside the door, and then went up the stairs, quickly but with hardly a sound. There was enough light from the narrow hall to show the four doors leading off a small landing. She pushed each door open in turn and shone a torch inside, and the light fell upon beds, walls, furniture, a bathroom band basin, a mirror which flashed brightness back; but this was not what the woman was looking for. She turned away and went downstairs and hesitated again at the foot of the stairs, then turned towards the kitchen. Clearly there was nothing there, or in the small wash-room, that she wanted. Two rooms remained; the front room and a smaller one next to it. She opened the front room door. After a moment, she saw the child’s bed and the child.The lights of the car passing the end of the street showed that _______.
| A．a woman was walking by herself up the street |
| B．a man was walking up the street |
| C．a man was driving by himself up the street |
| D．a woman was driving the car |
When she got into the house, the woman ______.
| A．went upstairs at once | B．seemed tired |
| C．started breathing again | D．felt excited |
What the woman was looking for was _______.
| A．furniture | B．a bathroom-basin |
| C．a room | D．a child |
From the description above we can see that the woman was _______.
| A．old and earnest | B． energetic and cold |
| C．young and powerful | D． weak and hopeless |
Rainy days don’t have to get you down, a happiness expert has claimed.
Paul Dolan, Professor of Behavioral Science at the London School of Economics, said that people only feel miserable in bad weather because they think about it too much. Studies have shown that people who live in warm, sunny climates are no happier than those in chilly, wet climates, he says.
So the British talking about the weather may be making us gloomier（沮丧的） than the weather itself.
He said: “A study was done that measured the happiness levels of people in California compared to the North West.
“They expected that people in California would be happier because it is more sunny, but they found that levels of happiness were exactly the same.
“If it is sunny every day you get used to it and the sunshine doesn’t make you any happier.
“Most of the time the weather doesn’t affect our well-being at all. But when we think about it, and think that it does, that’s when we get miserable.”
In his new book, Happiness By Design, Dolan argues that we can think ourselves happy by taking our attention away from what makes us sad.
“Most of our anxieties come from what might be,” he argues. “If you want to be happier, pay attention to the things that make you feel good.”
He also claimed that a problem shared was not always a problem halved. He claimed that humans are actually very good at being able to get over tragedy and loss.
Professor Dolan also admitted for the first time that he had a stammer（口吃）, which had made his early life miserable. He claimed it only got better when he learned not to pay attention to his speech problem.
“Things are never as bad as you imagine them being,” he said.What does the underlined word “miserable” in the second paragraph mean?
| A．Good. | B．Unhappy. |
| C．Cheerful. | D．Confident. |
People in California ___________ compared to people in the North West.
| A．are much happier |
| B．can’t enjoy sunny days |
| C．are more used to sunny days |
| D．have lower levels of happiness |
What is Dolan’s suggestion for being happy?
| A．Don’t think too much about yourself. |
| B．Don’t focus on what makes you sad. |
| C．Avoid comparing yourself to others. |
| D．Avoid doing many miserable things. |
Where could this passage have been taken from?
| A．A report. | B．A notice. |
| C．A poster. | D．A questionnaire. |
A popular saying goes, “Sticks and stone may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” However, that’s not really true. Words have the power to build us up or tear us down. It doesn’t matter if the words come from someone else or ourselves– the positive and negative effects are just as lasting.
We all talk to ourselves sometimes. We’re usually too embarrassed to admit it, though. But we really shouldn’t be, because more and more experts believe talking to ourselves out loud is a healthy habit.
This “self-talk” helps us motivate ourselves, remember things, solve problems, and calm ourselves down. Beware, though, that as much as 77% of self-talk tends to be negative. So in order to stay positive, we should only speak words of encouragement to ourselves. We should also be quick to give ourselves a pat on the back. The next time you finish a project, do well in a test, or finally clean your room, join me in saying, “Good job!”
Words possess power because of their lasting effects. Many of us regret something we once said. And we remember unkind words said to us! Before speaking, we should always ask ourselves: Is it true? Is it loving? Is it needed? If what we want to say doesn’t pass this test, then it’s better left unsaid.
Words possess power: both positive and negative. Those around us receive encouragement when we speak positively. We can offer hope, build self-esteem(自尊) and motive others to do their best. Negative words destroy all those things. Will we use our words to hurt or to heal? The choice is ours.The author argues in the first paragraph that ________.
| A．words will never hurt us at all |
| B．positive effects last longer than negative effects |
| C．words have lasting effects on us |
| D．negative words last longer than positive effects |
Why should we not feel embarrassed when talking to ourselves?
| A．Talking to ourselves is believed to be good for our health. |
| B．It does harm to have “self-talk” when we are alone. |
| C．Talking to ourselves helps us to solve all the problems. |
| D．Almost everybody has the habit of talking to oneself. |
The underlined phrase “give ourselves a pat on the back” in Paragraph 3 means _______.
| A．blame ourselves | B．punish ourselves |
| C．talk to ourselves | D．praise ourselves |
Which of the following statements would the author agree to?
| A．It is impossible for unkind words to be forgotten. |
| B．It is better to think twice before talking to others. |
| C．Words always possess long positive effects. |
| D．Kind words are sometimes not needed at all. |
Some people will do just about anything to save money．And I am one of them．Take my family’s last vacation．It was my sixyearold son’s winter break from school, and we were heading home from Fort Lauderdale after a week long trip．The flight was overbooked, and Delta, the airline, offered us $400 per person in credits to give up our seats and leave the next day．I had meetings in New York, so I had to get back．But that didn’t mean my husband and my son couldn’t stay．I took my ninemonthold and took off for home．
The next day, my husband and son were offered more credits to take an even later flight．Yes, I encouraged — okay, ordered — them to wait it out at the airport, to “earn” more Delta Dollars．Our total take: $1,600．Not bad, huh?
Now some people may think I’m a bad mother and not such a great wife either．But as a bigtime bargain hunter, I know the value of a dollar．And these days, a good deal is something few of us can afford to pass up．
I’ve made a living looking for the best deals and exposing（揭露）the worst tricks．I have been the consumer reporter of NBC’s Today show for over a decade．I have written a couple of books including one titled Tricks of the Trade: A Consumer Survival Guide．And I really do what I believe in．
I tell you this because there is no shame in getting your money’s worth．I’m also tightfisted when it comes to shoes, clothes for my children, and expensive restaurants．But I wouldn’t hesitate to spend on a good haircut．It keeps its shape longer, and it’s the first thing people notice．And I will also spend on a classic piece of furniture．Quality lasts．Why did Delta give the author’s family credits?
| A．They took a later flight． |
| B．They had early bookings． |
| C．Their flight had been delayed． |
| D．Their flight had been cancelled． |
What can we learn about the author?
| A．She rarely misses a good deal． |
| B．She seldom makes a compromise． |
| C．She is very strict with her children． |
| D．She is interested in cheap products． |
What does the author do?
| A．She’s a teacher． |
| B．She’s a housewife． |
| C．She’s a media person． |
| D．She’s a businesswoman． |
What does the author want to tell us?
| A．How to expose bad tricks． |
| B．How to reserve airline seats． |
| C．How to spend money wisely． |
| D．How to make a business deal． |
Never go into a supermarket hungry! This is a good piece of advice. If you go shopping for food before lunchtime, you’ll probably buy more than you plan to. Unfortunately, however, just this advice isn’t enough for consumers these days. Modern shoppers need an education in how and how not to buy things at the store. First, you check the weekly newspaper ads. Find out the items that are on sale and decide if you really need these things. In other words, don’t buy anything just because it’s cheaper than usual! “New and Improved!” or “All Natural” on the front of a package influence you. Instead, read the list of contents on the back. Third, compare prices, that is, you should examine the prices of both different brands and different sizes of the same brand.
Another suggestion for consumers is to buy ordinary items instead of famous brands. Ordinary items in supermarkets come in plain packages. These products are cheaper because producers don’t spend much money on packing or advertising. The quality, however, is usually as good as the quality of well-known name brands. In the same way, in buying clothes, you can often find high quality and low prices in brands that are not famous. Shopping in discount clothing stores can help you save a lot of money. Although these stores aren’t very attractive, and they usually do not have individual dressing rooms, not only are the prices low, but you can often find the same famous brands that you find in high-priced department stores.
Wise consumers read magazine ads and watch TV commercials, but they do this with one advantage: knowledge of the psychology behind the ads. In other words, well informed consumers watch for information and check for misinformation. They ask themselves questions: Is the advertiser hiding something in small print at the bottom of the page? Is there any real information in the commercial(商业广告), or is the advertiser simply showing an attractive image? With the answers to these questions, consumers can make a wise choice.All the following statements are true about the phrase “ordinary items” in Paragraph 2 except ______.
| A．ordinary products are usually cheaper than famous brands. |
| B．producers spend less money on packaging of ordinary items . |
| C．the quality of ordinary items is usually as good as that of famous brands. |
| D．ordinary items never say “New and Improved” or “All Natural”. |
What does the writer think about ads?
| A．They are believable. | B．They are attractive. |
| C．They are helpful. | D．They are harmful. |
One of the author’s suggestions to consumers is ______.
| A．to buy any ordinary items instead of famous brands . |
| B．to make use of advertisements carefully for shopping. |
| C．to buy high quality items such as famous brands after lunch . |
| D．not to buy items with words like “New and Improved” or “All Natural”. |
The author implies that ______.
| A．advertisements sometimes don’t tell the truth to the consumers. |
| B．discount clothing stores are only good places to go to for shopping. |
| C．going into the supermarket hungry, you may buy less than you plan to. |
| D．the quality of ordinary items is usually high and the prices are relatively low. |
The trouble with school is that you can’t choose the people you get to see every day. If you’re unlucky enough to be stuck with classmates who don’t really “get” you, you’ve just got to try to make the best of it.
But that doesn’t mean you need to “fit in”, or at least in the way that people think. If you try to transform yourself into a clone of everyone else, it won’t help you make friends. It’ll just make you feel like a fake.
You also shouldn’t shut down or refuse to be friends with everyone who doesn’t like you. If you do that, you’ll just make yourself miserable. Instead, you’ve got to work on being comfortable and confident with whom you are while ignoring all the haters. Keep on speaking up, asking questions and getting to know people better. If you send out positive energy, then people will generally send some back to you. A couple of them will stay the same, and you’re allowed to forget about them.
If you feel like you’re doing all that but still not getting anywhere, then don’t give up. Just expand your circle. Get a part-time job at a cool-looking place, join an after-school art class or youth group—do whatever it takes to find a couple of like-minded people to connect with. Even if you don’t find anyone right away, you’ll still be getting some more social experiences under your belt, and that’s always a good thing.
A fun book called Uncool, by Erin Elisabeth Conley, has some tips for folks like you who want to stay positive at school while being true to your personality:
·Throw caution to the wind.
·Don’t tolerate others’ mistakes.
·Have patience with people who are different from you.
·Don’t change just because someone else thinks you should.
·Know that even though you may be a misfit, there’s always some place where you will be welcomed in the world.According to the author, what should you do if you meet people who don’t appreciate you?
| A．Just give up. |
| B．Ask someone else for help. |
| C．Show positive attitude toward them. |
| D．Try your best to fit in with them. |
The author agrees that you should take part in more activities in order to __________.
| A．get more chances of making friends |
| B．lay a better foundation for your future jobs |
| C．transform yourself into a clone. |
| D．make you feel like a fake. |
In the book Uncool, Erin Elisabeth Conley thinks you should _________.
| A．always be kind to your friends |
| B．keep your own personality |
| C．tolerate others’ mistakes |
| D．help improve characters of others |
This passage was written mainly for _______.
| A．doctors | B．scientists |
| C．students | D．Teachers |
Too many people want others to be their friends, but they don’t give friendship back. That is why some friendships do not last very long. To have a friend, you must learn to be one. You must learn to treat your friend the way you want your friend to treat you. Learning to be a good friend means learning three rules: be honest; be generous; be understanding.
Honesty is where a good friendship starts. Friends must be able to trust one another. If you do not tell the truth, people usually find out. If a friend finds out that you haven’t been honest, you may lose your friend’s trust. Good friends always trust one another to speak and act honestly.
Generosity (大度) means sharing and sharing makes a friendship grow. You do not have to give your lunch money or your clothes of course. Instead you have to learn how to share things you enjoy, like your hobbies and your interest. Naturally you will want to share your ideas and feelings. These can be very valuable to a friend.
Sooner or later everyone needs understanding and help with a problem. Something may go wrong at school. Talking about the problem can make it easier to solve. Turning to a friend can be a first step in solving the problem. So to be a friend you must listen and understand.
No two friendships are ever exactly alike. But all true friendships have three things in common. If you plan to keep your friends, you must practice honesty, generosity, and understanding.Some friendships don’t last very long because ____.
| A．there are too many people who want to make friends |
| B．they don’t know friendship is something serious |
| C．those who give others friendship receive friendship from others |
| D．some people receive friendship but don’t give friendship back |
The best title of this passage is _____.
| A．Honesty is the Best Policy |
| B．A Friend in Need is a Friend Indeed |
| C．Three Important Points in Life |
| D．Three Important Points in Making Friends |
Which of the following isn’t mentioned in the passage?
| A．Always tell your friends the truth. |
| B．Sharing your mind with your friends is of great value. |
| C．Discussing your problems with your friend often helps to solve the problem. |
| D．A friend who gives you his lunch money is a true friend. |
Perhaps you think you could easily add to your happiness with more money. Strange as it may seem, if you’re unsatisfied, the issue is not a lack of means to meet your desires but a lack of desires—not that you cannot satisfy your tastes but that you don’t have enough tastes.
Real riches consist of well-developed and hearty capacities(能力)to enjoy life. Most people are already flooded with things. They eat, wear, go and talk too much. They live in too big a house with too many rooms, yet their house of life is a hut.
Your house of life ought to be a mansion(豪宅), a royal palace. Every new taste, every additional interest, every fresh enthusiasm adds a room. Here are several rooms your house of life should have.
Art should be a desire for you to develop simply because the world is full of beautiful things. If you only understood how to enjoy them and feed your spirit on them, they would make you as happy as to find plenty of ham and eggs when you’re hungry.
Literature, classic literature, is a beautiful, richly furnished room where you might find many an hour of rest and refreshment. To gain that love would go toward making you a rich person, for a rich person is not someone who has a library but who likes a library.
Music like Mozart’s and Bach’s shouldn’t be absent. Real riches are of the spirit. And when you’ve brought that spirit up to where classical music feeds it and makes you a little drunk, you have increased your thrills and bettered them. And life is a matter of thrills.
Whatever rooms you might add to your house of life, the secret of enjoying life is to keep adding.The author intends to tell us that________.
| A．true happiness lies in achieving wealth by fair means |
| B．big houses are people’s most valued possessions |
| C．big houses can in a sense bring richness of life |
| D．true happiness comes from spiritual riches |
The underlined sentence in the second paragraph probably implies that________.
| A．however materially rich, they never seem to be satisfied |
| B．however materially rich, they remain spiritually poor |
| C．though their house is big, they prefer a simple life |
| D．though their house is big, it seems to be a cage |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．House of Life | B．Secret of Wealth |
| C．Rest and Refreshment | D．Interest and Enthusiasm |
It’s great fun to explore new places—it feels like an adventure，even when you know you’re not the first to have been there. But make sure not to get lost or waste time going round in circles.
● Do the map reading if you’re being driven somewhere. It’ll be easier if you keep turning the map so it follows the direction you’re traveling in. Keep looking ahead so that you can give the driver lots of warning before having to make a turn or you’ll have to move to the back seat.
● Get a group of friends together and go exploring. You'll need a good map, a compass , a raincoat, a cell phone to call for help in case you get lost, and a bit of spare cash for emergencies . Tell someone where you’re going before you set out and let them know what time you expect to be back. The test is in not getting lost, not in seeing how fast you can go, so always stick together, waiting for slower friends to catch up.
● See if your school or a club organizes orienteering activities, in which you need a map and a compass to find your way. This can be done as a sport, with teams trying to find the way from A to B (and B to C, etc.)in the fastest time, or simply as a spare-time activity. Either way, its not only good fun, but a great way to keep fit. Sitting beside the driver, you should___________.
| A．look ahead to see where there’s a turn |
| B．direct the driver when necessary |
| C．move to the back seat if feeling uncomfortable |
| D．keep looking at the map to find a place to go to |
Why do you need to tell someone your exploration plan before setting out?
| A．To be saved in case of an accident. |
| B．To get information when in danger. |
| C．To share the fun with him/her in exploration. |
| D．To tell him/her what’s going on with the group members. |
Orienteering activities can______________.
| A．make people work fast |
| B．help people organize other activities |
| C．help people stay healthy |
| D．make people get prepared for sports |
The text mainly talks about____________.
| A．the fun of exploration |
| B．what to bring for exploration |
| C．the way to use a map in exploration |
| D．how to prevent getting lost in exploration |
What do you want to be when you grow up? A teacher? A doctor? How about an ice-cream taster?
Yes, there really is a job where you can get paid to taste ice-cream. Just ask John Harrison, an＂Official Taste Tester＂for the past 21 years. Testing helps manufacturers to be sure of a product’s quality. During his career Harrison has been responsible for approving large quantities of the sweet ice cream－as well as for developing over 75 flavors (味道).
Some people think that it would be easy to do this job: after all, you just have to like ice cream, right? No－there’s more to the job than that, says Harrison, who has a degree in chemistry. He points out that a dairy or food-science degree would be very useful to someone wanting a career in this＂cool＂field.
In a typical morning on the job, Harrison tastes and assesses 60 ice-cream samples. He lets the ice cream warm up to about 12℉. Harrison explains,＂You get more flavor from warmer ice cream, which is why some kids like to stir it, creating ice-cream soup.＂
While the ice cream warms up, Harrison looks over the samples and grades each one on its appearance.＂Testing begins with the eyes,＂he explains. He checks to see if the ice cream is attractive and asks himself,＂Does the product have the color expected from that flavor?＂Next it’s time to taste!
Continuing to think up new ideas, try out new flavors, and test samples from so many kinds of ice cream each day keeps Harrison busy but happy－－working at one cool job. What is John Harrison’s job?
| A．An ice-cream taster. | B．An official. |
| C．A chemist. | D．An ice-cream manufacturer. |
According to John Harrison, to be qualified in the＂cool field＂, it is helpful to ______.
| A．keep a diary of work |
| B．find out new flavors each day |
| C．have new ideas every day |
| D．have a degree in related subjects |
What does Harrison do first when testing ice cream?
| A．He stirs the ice cream. |
| B．He lets the ice cream warm up. |
| C．He tastes the flavor of the ice cream. |
| D．He examines the color of the ice cream. |
Which of the following is probably the best title of the passage?
| A．Tasting with Eyes | B．Flavors of Ice Cream |
| C．One Cool Job | D．John Harrison’s |
A man and his girlfriend were married. It was a large celebration. All of their friends and family came to see the lovely ceremony. Everyone could tell that the love they had for each other was true.
A few months later, the wife came to the husband with a piece of advice, “I read in a magazine, a while ago, about how we can strengthen our marriage,” she offered. “Each of us will write a list of the things that we find a bit annoying with the other person. Then, we can talk about how we can fix them together and make our lives happier together.”
The husband agreed. So each of them tried to think of the things that annoyed them about the other and wrote down what they came up with. The next morning, at the breakfast table, they decided that they would go over their lists.
“I’ll start,” offered the wife. She took out her list. It had many items on it, enough to fill three pages. In fact, as she started reading the list of the little annoyances, she noticed that tears were starting to appear in her husband’s eyes because he never thought that he had so many shortcomings.
The wife continued to read until she had read all three pages to her husband. “Now, you read your list and then we’ll talk about the things on both of our lists,” she said happily. Quietly the husband stated, “I don’t have anything on my list. I think that you are perfect. I don’t want you to change anything for me. You are lovely and wonderful and I wouldn’t want to try and change anything about you.” The wife, touched by his honesty and the depth of his love for her and his acceptance of her, turned her head and wept.
In life, there are enough times when we are disappointed, depressed and annoyed. We don’t really have to go looking for them. We have a wonderful world that is full of beauty, light and promise. Why waste time in this world looking for the bad, disappointing or annoying when we can look around us and see the wonderful things before us?Why were there tears in the husband’s eyes when the wife read his annoyances?
| A．Because he had no courage to face his shortcomings. |
| B．Because he was sorry that he didn’t find any annoyance about his wife. |
| C．Because he never thought he had so many annoyances in his wife’s eyes. |
| D．Because he didn’t think he deserved to have such a perfect wife. |
After hearing the husband’s words, the wife felt _________.
| A．sad and disappointed | B．moved and ashamed |
| C．satisfied and proud | D．surprised and confused |
The story is intended to tell us that ___________.
| A．disappointment cannot be avoided in our life |
| B．young couples should be more tolerant (宽容的) to each other |
| C．we should turn a blind eye to other people’s blame |
| D．we should try to look for and see the wonderful things around us |
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. |
We all know what it is like to be unable to turn your head because of a cold in the muscles of your neck, or because an unexpected twist has made your neck ache． The slightest move makes you jump with pain． Nothing could be worse than a pain in the neck．
That is why we use the phrase to describe some people who give you the same feeling． We have all met such people．
One is the man who always seems to be clapping his hands—often at the wrong time-during a performance in the theater． He keeps you from hearing the actors．
Even worse are those who can never arrive before the curtain goes up and the play begins．They come hurrying down to your row of seats． You are comfortably settled down, with your hat and heavy coat in your lap． You must stand up to let them pass． You are proud of yourself-control after they have settled into their seats…Well, what now…God, one of them is up again． He forgot to go to the men’s room, and once more you have to stand up, hanging on to your hat and coat to let him pass． Now, that is “a pain in the neck”．
Another, well-known to us all, is the person sitting behind you in the movies． His mouth is full of popcorn ; he is chewing loudly, or talking between bites to friends next to him． None of them remain still． Up and down, back and forth, they go—for another bag of popcorn, or something to drink．
Then, there is the man sitting next to you at lunch, smoking． He wants you to enjoy it too, and blows smoke across your food into your mouth．
We must not forget the man who comes into a bus or subway and sits down next to you, just as close as you will let him． You are reading the newspaper and he gets closer so that he can read the paper with you． He may even turn the paper to the next page before you are ready for it．
We also call such a person a “rubber neck”, always getting close to where it does not belong, like neighbors who watch all your visitors． They enjoy learning about your personal business． People have a strong dislike for “rubber necks”． They hate being watched secretly．Where can you find this passage?
| A．In a medicine dictionary． |
| B．in a kids’ story book． |
| C．In a social science book． |
| D．In a science textbook． |
According to the passage, how do you feel when late comers walk back and forth in front of you in a cinema?
| A．disturbed． | B．bored． | C．ignored． | D．relaxed． |
A “rubber neck” often __________________ ．
| A．says bad words behind people． |
| B．quarrels face to face with neighbors． |
| C．bargains with salespeople over the price |
| D．asks about other people’s business |
Which of the following persons CANNOT be described as a “pain in the neck”?
| A．Someone who often claps at the wrong time during a performance． |
| B．Someone who feels ache in his neck due to a cold in the muscles． |
| C．Someone who sits next to you smoking, which you never enjoy． |
| D．Someone who keeps eating or talking all through the movies． |
What is the main purpose of the author?
| A．To tell people what might be bad manners in public． |
| B．To criticize （批评） the people who might be a “pain in the neck” |
| C．To show anger to those who are described as a “pain in the neck”． |
| D．To tell people how to stop the pain in the neck． |
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