A group of robbers dug their way into the basement of a bank in Paris and emptied almost 200 private safes(保险箱).
They entered the Credit Lyonnais branch using building equipment to dig holes and destroy walls.
Saturday night, they tied up a security guard and spent next nine hours robbing the bank.
One investigator described the robbery a “professional job”. The robbers came in at about 22:00 on Saturday left at 7:00 on Sunday. They entered through the basements of the neighboring building, digging through a series of tunnels and making a hole into a wall of 80 cm thick to get into the bank, was having building works at the time.
When left, the robbers set the place on fire to remove any trace of evidence, switching on the anti-fire system and flooding the building. Fortunately, the guard escaped unharmed.
is difficult to estimate the total value of was stolen as only the bank’s clients(储户) know the content of their private safes.
阅读下面短文,按照句子结构的语法性和上下文连贯的要求,在空格处填入一个适当的词或使用括号中词语的正确形式填空,并将答案填写在答题卡标号为16-25的相应位置上。
Christopher Reeve was born in September, 1952. He was in his first school play when he was eight and he started 16 (act) in TV shows and films while he was still in college. He made many successful films and TV shows but he is 17 (famous) for his Superman films.
Unfortunately, disaster came in 1995 18 he fell from his horse and broke his back. The doctors did not expect him to live. 19 , he made 20 (amaze) progress. At first, he couldn’t breathe 21 a machine, but he learnt to breathe on his own. He would never walk again but he started a new life with great 22 (courageous).
The second year after his accident, Christopher returned to film making. He also raised a lot of money to promote medical research into back injuries. He made speeches all over the USA about 23 experiences. This not only drew public attention 24 research into back injuries but also encouraged a lot of people 25 (live) with all kinds of problems.
阅读下面短文并用英语回答问题,交答案与在答题卡相应的位置上(请注意76、77、79和80四个小题后面的词数要求)。
[1] Jean Paul Getty was born in 1892 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He became a millionaire when he was only 24. His father was wealthy, but he did not help his son. Getty made his millions alone. He made his money from oil. He owned Getty Oil and over 100 other companies. The Fortune magazine once called Getty “the richest man in the world.”
[2]But money _________. He married five times and divorced five times. He had five children but spent little time with them. None of Getty’s children had very happy lives.
[3]Getty loved to make money and loved to save it. In spite of his great wealth, Getty was miser. Every evening, he wrote down every cent he spent that day. He even put pay telephone in the guest’s bedrooms in his house so he could save money on phone bills.
[4] In 1973, kidnappers took his 16-year-old grandson, and demanded a large amount of money for his safe return. Getty’s son asked his father for money to save his child. But Getty refused. The kidnappers were merciless and Getty’s son made repeated requests for help from his father. Finally, Getty agreed to lend the money, but at 4 percent interest.
[5] Getty started a museum at his home Malibu, California. He bought many important and beautiful pieces of art for the museum. When Getty died in 1976, the value of the collection in the museum was $1 billion. He left all his money to the museum. After his death, the museum grew in size. Today it is one of the most important museums in the United States. Getty made a large fortune in his life, but he gave his money to the art world because he wanted people to learn about and love art.
What is the main idea of Paragraph 1? (no more than 8 words)
________________________________________________________________________________________
Fill in the blank in Paragraph 2 with proper words. (no more than 7 words)
________________________________________________________________________________________
Explain the underlined sentence in Paragraph3.
________________________________________________________________________________________
What did the kidnappers do to Getty’s family (no more than 10 words)
________________________________________________________________________________________
What does the author want to tell us about Getty in the last paragraph? (no more than 10 words)
________________________________________________________________________________________
请认真阅读下列短文, 并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入最恰当的单词。注意:每空格1个单词。
The job of raising children is a tough one. Children don’t come with an instruction handbook. And each child is different. So parents sometimes pull their hair out in frustration, not knowing what to do. But in raising children---as in all of life---what we do is influenced by our culture. Naturally then, American parents teach their children basic American values.
To Americans, the goal of parents is to help children stand on their own two feet. From infancy, each child may get his or her own room. As children grow, they gain more freedom to make their own choices. Teenagers choose their own forms of entertainment, as well as the friends to share them with. When they reach young adulthood, they choose their own careers and marriage partners. Of course, many young adults still seek their parents’ advice and approval for the choices they make. But once they "leave the nest" at around 18 to 21 years old, they want to be on their own, not "tied to their mother’s apron strings."
The relationship between parents and children in America is very informal. American parents try to treat their children as individuals ─ not as extensions of themselves. They allow them to fulfill their own dreams. Americans praise and encourage their children to give them the confidence to succeed. When children become adults, their relationship with their parents becomes more like a friendship among equals. But contrary to popular belief, most adult Americans don’t make their parents pay for room and board when they come to visit. Even as adults, they respect and honor their parents.
Most young couples with children struggle with the issue of childcare. Mothers have traditionally stayed home with their children. In recent years, though, a growing trend is to put preschoolers in a day care center so Mom can work. Many Americans have strong feelings about which type of arrangement is best. Some argue that attending a day care center can be a positive experience for children. Others insist that mothers are the best caregivers for children. A number of women are now leaving the workforce to become full-time homemakers.
Disciplining children is another area that American parents have different opinions about. Many parents feel that an old-fashioned spanking(一顿打) helps youngsters learn what "No!" means. Others prefer alternate forms of discipline. For example, "time outs" have become popular in recent years. Children in "time out" have to sit in a corner or by a wall. They can get up only when they are ready to act nicely. Older children and teenagers who break the rules may be grounded, or not allowed to go out with friends. Some of their privileges at home like TV or telephone use may also be taken away for a while. Although discipline isn’t fun for parents or children, it’s a necessary part of training.
Being a parent is a tall order. It takes patience, love, wisdom, courage and a good sense of humor to raise children. Some people are just deciding not to have children at all, since they’re not sure it’s worth it. But raising children means training the next generation and preserving our culture. What could be worth more than that?
Title: The Job of Raising Children
Paragraph outline |
Supporting details |
Introduction |
It is no easy task to bring up children. Parents sometimes feel very 1 ▲ , not knowing what to do. |
The goal of parents |
They help children to be 2 ▲ instead of depending on parents. |
The relationship between parents and children |
An informal relationship exists between American parents and children. ● Children are praised and 3 ▲ to realize their dreams. ● Children are treated 4 ▲ more like friends. |
The issue of childcare |
Most young couple struggle with this issue. ● 5 ▲ , mothers stayed home with kids. ● Recently, a day care center is where preschoolers are put. ● There is a(n) 6 ▲ over whether attending a day care center is a positive experience for children. |
Ways to 7 ▲ children |
American parents have different opinions. ● "Time outs" have become 8 ▲ in recent years. ● 9 ▲ away some privileges is a way to punish some older children and teenagers. |
Conclusion |
Raising children takes patience, love, wisdom, courage etc., but it is 10 ▲ . |
根据短文内容,完成文后任务。注意:每个空格只填一个单词。
Jerome Kern is often called the father of American musical theater. Kern is remembered for the hundreds of songs he wrote for musical plays and movies. Music historians say that Kern gave artistic importance to American popular music for the first time. And, they say, he led the development of the first truly American theater music.
Jerome Kern was born into a middle-class family in New York City in 1885. Jerome’s mother, Fanny, loved the piano. She began to teach Jerome how to play when he was very young.
Jerome was a quiet boy and not a top student. When he completed high school, his father said he would have to work in the family’s store. But he later came to believe that Jerome might do better in music than in business after all. So he let the boy go to Europe to study music, as almost all serious young musicians did at the time.
Jerome Kern began his career as a songwriter in theaters in London and New York City. Success came quickly. By the early nineteen twenties, Kern was a successful young composer for Broadway musical comedies. In one three-year period alone, he wrote music for nineteen shows.
Kern wanted to try something completely new. He thought a musical play should be a real work of art, not just a collection of songs and dances. Kern wanted to do a truly American musical, with real American characters and real situations.
In 1927, he found the story he wanted. It was the book “Show Boat” by American writer Edna Ferber. “Show Boat” takes place in the 1880 on a passenger steam boat that travels along the Mississippi River.
Kern died in 1945 at the age of sixty. But “Show Boat” has been performed thousands of times all over the world.
认真阅读下列短文,并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入最恰当的单词。注意:每空格只填一个单词。
Ticket tax fuels Indian cinema strike
Cinemas in Mumbai, Bollywood’s homeland are striking against high taxes on ticket sales.
Owners of Mumbai’s single-screen theatres will keep their shutters (百叶窗) down until Friday to protest about taxes, which they say are driving them out of business.
More than a third of single-screen cinemas in the state of Maharashtra have closed down in the last five years. According to the Cinema and Exhibitors Association of India, just 700 are still in operation. The association blames the closing down on Maharashtra’s high rate of entertainment tax. Its president, R V Vidhani, says that cinemas must pay a tax for every ticket sold, which is 45%, and this makes it hard to break even. It’s the highest of all states across India. The majority of the states in India pay zero entertainment tax. Mr Vidhani says his members had decided to go ahead with a one-week closure after getting no response from the state government on the matter.
It is not just a high tax rate contributing to the shrinking(收缩)number of traditional cinemas, however. Large costs and declining box office takings also make times tougher.
Mr Vidhani has run the New Excelsior Theatre in South Mumbai since 1974. Last week a screening of Bollywood movie Tanu Weds Manu sold just 71 tickets despite a capacity of more than 1,000. Whether it’s a full house or an empty screening, running costs are more or less the same. “Air conditioning, regular business — every expenditure (支出) is the same, but the income has stopped.”
The cricket (板球) World Cup is not helping matters, according to Mr Vidhani. “The World Cup is creating the biggest problem,” he says. “These people are crazy so far as the cricket is concerned. When India is playing, occupancy in the theatre is just 15%.”
Mumbai’s city centre is dotted with empty cinemas.
So after remaining empty for six years, the Novelty theatre is perhaps more fortunate than its neighbours: it is to be reborn as a four-screen multiplex cinema.
Over the last decade the number of multiplexes in India has risen sharply. Despite higher ticket prices, with more choice on offer and typically newer facilities they pose fierce competition to the traditional single-screen theatres.
“Competition from the multiplexes is really tough,” Mr Vidhani says. “Then there is competition from the movie window being narrow. Movies are being released much quicker on television than they used to be so people can pretty much watch movies for free at home.
“With rising incomes, everyone’s going out and buying DVD players or VCD players. Content is available for the asking whether it is official or pirated(盗版).”
Unless single-screen theatres can become special destinations in their own right, while also offering up-to-date facilities, Jehil Thakkar thinks the decline is a trend that will continue, especially as multiplex cinemas spread to smaller towns.
“They are large corporate chains,” he says. “They have the ability to spend money on branding and advertising, so to a large extent the small cinema guys are fighting a losing battle.”
Ticket tax fuels Indian cinema strike
The current (1) ▲ of cinema business in Mumbai |
● Many single-screen cinemas are (2) ▲ . |
The causes of the closing down of cinemas |
Cinemas in Mumbai have to pay a tax (3) ▲ than any other places in India. It costs a lot to (4) ▲ a cinema whether it’s a full house or an empty screening. The occupancy is (5) ▲ by people’s enthusiasm for cricket. Single-screen cinemas are (6) ▲ with competition from multiplex cinemas, which offer more choices and (7)▲ facilities. A quicker release of movies on television is to (8) ▲ . People prefer to watch DVD or VCD rather than go to the cinema. |
The (9) ▲ of single-screen cinemas |
The trend of decline will continue. Single-screen cinemas are certain to (10) ▲ the battle. |
任务型读写(共10小题;每小题1分,满分10分)
阅读下列短文,根据所读内容在文章后的表格中填入恰当的单词。注意:表格中的每个空只填一个单词。
Researchers from the University of Michigan reported that empathy(感情移入),the ability to understand other people, among college students had dropped sharply over the past 10 years. That could be because so many people have replaced face time with screen time. Today, people spend more time alone and are less likely to join groups and clubs.
But there is another explanation. Turn on the TV, and you’re showered with news and reality shows full of people fighting, competing, and generally treating one another with no respect. Humans learn by example---and most of the examples on it are anything but empathetic.
There are good reasons not to follow those bad examples. Humans are socially related by nature. Having relationships with other people is an important part of being human—and having empathy is decisive to those relationships. Researchers have also found that empathetic teenagers are more likely to have high self-respect. Besides, empathy can be a cure for loneliness, sadness, anxiety, and fear.
Empathy is also an indication of a good leader. In fact, many top companies report that empathy is one of the most important things they look for in new managers. Good social skills---including empathy—are a kind of “emotional(情感的) intelligence” that will help you succeed in many areas of life.
What’s the best way to develop empathy? For starters, let down your guard and really listen to others. One doesn’t develop empathy by having a lot of opinions and doing a lot of talking. In addition, you’d better volunteer at a nursing home or a hospital, be a member of a club or a team, have a “sharing circle” with your family, or spend time caring for pets at an animal shelter.
Title |
Empathy |
Situation |
A_____drop of empathy among college students in the past decade. |
______of empathy dropping |
◆Having less face-to-face__________ ◆Showing no __________among people in TV programs |
Importance of empathy |
◆Being vital for social_________ ◆Making _______ more likely to have high self-respect ◆_________one’s loneliness, sadness, anxiety, and fear ◆Indicating you can be a good leader |
______to develop empathy |
◆To be a good ________ ◆To work as a volunteer ◆To _________a club, share feelings with your family or care for a pet |
认真阅读下列短文,并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。注意:每个空格不超过3个单词。
Some people think that the Internet is a necessary part of our getting an education, but others blame it for making people addicted (上瘾). This article will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the Internet.
One of the advantages of the Internet is that one can find all the information on it
with ease(轻易,毫不费劲). Internet portals (入口) like "YAHOO" and "AltaVista" have been created to help us do so. With an Internet connection at home, one has almost no need to go to a library, and this can save a lot of time. Another advantage is that we can communicate with almost everyone over the Net. Email is much cheaper and faster than the normal mail.
On the other hand, the disadvantages are a serious problem for today’s world. The Internet has led to a new disease: Internet addiction. Many students who used to work hard on their studies now spend all their time online, chatting and doing other worthless things, and wasting a lot of money in Internet cafes. In extreme(极端的) cases teens are even lured (引诱) into doing things that are improper and even illegal (不合法的), such as making videos for adults.
The Internet is part of our lives now, but we still have to learn to avoid the dangers that come with it. We should remember that it’s only a source of information, and not a way to search for true friendship.
1. :We need to learn to make use of the Internet properly.
Advantages:
●We can look for (2)______ we need.
●We can get information (3)______ with the help of Internet portals.
●If the Internet is available at home, we don’t need to go to a library, which can save a lot of time.
●The Internet lets us (4)______ almost everyone.
( 5 ) :
●People become addicted to the Internet.
●Students waste (6)______ chatting and doing useless things.
●Internet cafes can cost a lot of (7)______.
●Children can be lured into doing (8)______ things.
The author’s (9)______ :
The Internet is a (10)______ of our lives, but we should learn to avoid the dangers it involves.
Directions: Read the following passage, Answer the questions according to the
information given in the passage.
Secret Santas
On Christmas morning, Linda wakes up, and tries to imagine the wide-eyed surprise of children in another household as they unwrap the presents she carefully chose for them. Linda has never met the children, but that’s all part of the joy of giving as secret Santas, she says.
"It's an amazing feeling to buy gifts on an anonymous (匿名的) basis," says Linda.
"It brings a whole new meaning to the holidays."
Linda and Tony are an American couple living in Toronto, Canada, and Linda did charitable work as a member of the American Women's Club of Toronto. As the name suggests, members are U.S. citizens living in Toronto, who join together for fellowship and community service.
To find her "adopted" family, Linda goes to the local schools and requests a wish list for a family that's struggling to survive. Last year she helped a single mother with three children. The mother works as a cleaning lady in a nursing home.
"The list is always heartbreaking. They have an opportunity to ask for anything and do just the opposite, asking for basic clothes or simple toys," she says. "We always buy the kids a new winter coat, hats, and gloves." She also buys gifts for the parents.
Last year Linda asked the mother for a second wish list--one that didn't include the basics. "Every child should have a Christmas that sticks with them for a lifetime." She purchased iPods for the two older children and a video game system for the youngest."I have learned a very valuable lesson in all of this," says Linda. "Pay attention to what's going on in your own backyard--no matter where you live."
The joy of giving as secret Santas is much sweeter when the gift is anonymous.
What reaction does Linda imagine the children will have?
(No more than 5 words) (2 marks)
Why did Linda join the American Women's Club of Toronto?
(No more than 10 words) (2 marks)
Why did Linda ask for a second wish list?
(No more than 15 words) (3 marks)
What kind of people does "secret Santas" in the passage refer to?
(No more than 12 words) (3 marks)
阅读下面短文,按照句子结构的语法性和上下文连贯的要求,在空格处填入一个适当的词或用括号中词语的正确形式填空,并将答案填写在答题卡标号为1~10的位置上。
Scientists have discovered that ______(stay) in the cold could help us lose weight. Researchers at the University of California found that exposure to the cold increases levels of a protein that helps form brown fat -------- the type of fat that produces heat and keeps us warm. Brown fat burns energy, _______ helps us lose weight. White fat stores extra energy, which results ______ weight gain. The researchers said that because air conditioning and heating give us constant, _______ (comfort) temperatures, our body's need for brown fat has decreased. They found that: "Outdoor workers in northern Finland who ______ (expose) to cold temperature have ______ significant amount of brown fat when ______ (compare) to same-aged indoor workers."
The research was conducted on two different control groups of mice. ______ group was injected with the protein that helps create brown fat. This group later gained 30% less weight after both groups were fed high-fat diets. The researchers say this could be good news in the fight against obesity. People who are obese have _______(low) levels of brown fat than thinner people. Head researcher Hei Sook Sul said: "This protein could become an important target for research into the treatment and prevention of obesity and obesity-related diseases." She added: "If you can somehow increase levels of this protein, you could ______ (possible) lose more weight even if eating the same amount of food."
阅读下面短文,根据所读内容在表格中的空白处填入恰当的单词。注意:每个空格只填一个单词。
任务型阅读(共10小题;每小题1分,满分10分)
认真阅读下列短文,并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。
注意:每个空格只填1个单词。请将答案写在答题卡相应题号的横线上。
A library is a place where a large collection of books are lined. However, quite different from traditional ones, a new library which opened last month in San Antonio, Texas, US is very special in the thing —there is not a single book in it.
In fact, the world’s first “bookless” library, known as BiblioTech, looks more like an Internet café—instead of bookshelves. It has iPads, laptops and desktop computers to use on site and 500 e-readers for members to borrow. Most importantly, there is no printed material, reported Time.
“Our digital library is stored in the cloud, so you don’t have to come in to get a book,” Laura Cole, BiblioTech’s special projects coordinator, told CNN. The library at the moment has a collection of 10,000 e-books and is trying to add more.
The idea of a bookless library no longer seems new since e-books have been around for quite some time. At the end of 2012, 23 percent of Americans aged 16 and older read e-books, up from 16 percent the year before. At the same time, the proportion(比例) of Americans who read a printed book fell from 72 percent to 67 percent.
“Not all libraries are going to be like us,” Nelson Wolff, a local official told CNN. “But we surely do hope it’s going to drive them to do so. The world is changing, and libraries can’t stay the same —if they want to stay connected with the changing world.”
Also, located in a low-income (低收入的) neighborhood where 40 percent of families don’t have a computer and half are not available(可获得的) to broadband Internet service, BiblioTech provides digital convenience to people who lack it.
All in all, the newly-born library, though young, may be promising in the future soon to come.
Title |
A__________Library |
Introduction |
●A new library came into_____ last month. ●It has no book in it at all. |
Features of the library |
●Computers, iPads and laptops took the_____ of bookshelves. ●______ borrow e-readers to read. ●There is no printed material. ●Books are stored in the ______. ●More e-books will be _______ |
______ for its bright future |
●People are _________ with e-books for long. ●The changing world _______people to do so. ●Such bookless libraries meet low-incomers’ ______ |
Conclusion |
The bookless library may be promising in the future. |
Chinese proverbs are rich and they are still widely used in Chinese people’ daily life.___ _ these proverbs there are often interesting stories. For example, the proverb, “plucking up a crop ______ (help) it grow”, is based on the following story.
It is said that a short-tempered man in the Song Dynasty(960-1279) was very anxious to help _____ rice crop grow up quickly. He was thinking about _____ day and night. But the crop was growing much slower than he expected.
One day, he came up with an idea _____ he would pluck up all of his crop a few inches. He did so the next day.
He was very tired ____ doing this for a whole day, ____ he felt very happy since the crop did "grow" ____ (high).
His son heard about this and went to see the crop. Unfortunately the leaves of the crop began to wither.
This proverb is saying we have to let things go in their ____ (nature) course. Being too anxious to help an event develop often ____ (result) in the contrary to our intention.
请认真阅读下列短文,并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。注意:请将答案写在答题卡上相应题号的横线上。每个空格只填1个单词。
Learning inside the museum
Museums have an important role in providing learning services to users,especially school children.Some learning services will provide a range of formal teaching opportunities in the museum;others will work closely with school teachers so that these teachers can make better use of the learning resources available through displays and exhibitions,databases,handling collections and museum staff.
In an ideal world,every museum would have at least one learning or education specialist.He or she would be a trained teacher who also had a good understanding of museums and museum collections,and a strong feeling to help people especially children use and learn from them.
A museum education specialist is of great value. For most museums the establishment of such a post should be high priority. He or she is the only member of staff with training in the psychology of learning,and has considerable experience of analyzing complex concepts and-presenting them in a simple way to a non-specialist audience. The education specialist is,indeed,the only professional interpreter in the museum.
It is clearly reasonable,therefore,for the museum to make full use of the education specialist's skills,and to involve him or her in all aspects of interpretation and the planning of new displays and exhibitions.Museum learning is not just about teaching children,though children may be its principal audience.
Many small museums may not be able to employ an education specialist of their own.For them,there are other possibilities. One is that the local Schools Service may be able to lend a teacher to the museum,perhaps for two or three years,who could be trained to apply teaching skills to the museum context: another is that suitable volunteers may be available in the community-perhaps retired teacher,or teachers not presently working who may be willing to give some of their time to the museum. Another possibility is sponsorship:a large company might be willing to finance the appointment an education specialist for a few years.
An important part of the work for the education specialist in a museum is to establish strong links with its local schools.He or she is a communicator who has responsibility for keeping contact with the teachers at local schools. He or she should make sure that the schools know what is going on at the museum and how they can make use of it,and that the museum staff know about development in the school.Above all,it is their responsibility to find out what schools want and to ensure that the museum does its best to meet those requirements.There needs to be a continuing dialogue between teachers and museum:the museum needs to know what the teachers are teaching;teachers need to learn how the museum could help,and what resources they could use.
The look of wonder on a child's face can be the reward for a lifetime's work in museums.The aims of museum learning are to establish contact between people ----whether children or adults---and objects;and not to teach facts,but to sow(播)a seed of interest,a spark(火花)of inspiration.
阅读填空
Alice always wanted to be a singer. Music was the important thing in her life but, to tell you the (true), she took lesson for years, practised every day, in spite of all this, her voice didn't improve. Honestly, it didn’t get better, it just got (loud).
Her teacher finally gave and stopped the lessons, but Alice refused to quit, and one day she decided to give a concert and invited her former teacher to attend.
The teacher was very worried about to say after the performance. She knew it be terrible and it was. She didn't want to tell a lie, but she didn’t want to hurt Alice’s feelings . Finally, she got an idea and went backstage to greet her former pupil.
“Well”, said Alice, “what did you think of performance?”
“My dear,” said the teacher, “you’ll be better than you were tonight.”
认真阅读下列短文,并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。
注意:每个空格只填1个单词。请将答案写在答题纸相应题号的横线上。
Mirriam Websters online dictionary defines happy as: enjoying good health and satisfaction. Sounds nice, doesn’t it? I know a secret that can lead to happiness. Now you may ask, what secret is that? It’s a well-known secret, in fact. Perform a random(随意的) act of kindness per day.
Positive psychology is the scientific study of the strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to grow. According to University of Pennsylvania’s website, positive psychology has three central concerns: positive emotions, positive individual character, and positive systems. Understanding positive emotion includes the study of satisfaction with the past, happiness at present, and hope for the future. Understanding positive individual character consists of the study of the strengths and virtues, such as love, courage, creativity, curiosity, self-knowledge, self-control, and wisdom. Understanding positive systems needs the study of meaning and purpose as well as the strengths that help the growth of better communities, such as responsibility, leadership, teamwork, purpose, and tolerance(忍耐力).
Positive psychology focuses on strengths as well as weaknesses, on building the best things in life as well as repairing the worst. It asserts(断言) that human goodness and excellence is just as real as sadness and illness, and that life consists more than seeking the answers to problems. All these things can be summed up in one concept: giving can equal a meaningful life, i.e. happiness.
But you are probably wondering how. Well, let’s examine the research, shall we? A 1996 study showed that wealth is only weakly related to happiness both within and across nations, particularly when income is above the poverty level. So money does not mean happiness. In 2000, a different study showed that activities that make people happy in some way—such as shopping, good food and making money—do not lead to satisfaction in the long term, indicating that these have quick diminishing returns(收益递减).
However, on the other hand, we also know that people who witness others perform good deeds experience an emotion which drives them to perform their own good deeds. Making a contribution to the lives of other people may help to extend our own lives.
This is why I make a point of trying to do something nice every day. Sometimes I tip much larger than I need to. Sometimes I just smile at someone who looks like they really need it. A random act of kindness is an act that receives just as much as it gives. You’ll be happier. They’ll be happier. And you’ll live longer. So, please, perform a random act of kindness each day.
Title |
Happiness and kindness |
The ______ of happiness |
Being healthy and _____. |
The _____ to happiness |
Performing a random act of kindness per day |
Positive psychology behind happiness |
The three central concerns: Positive emotion is the positive attitude toward the present, the past and the future. Positive character is the_______ and virtues in one. Positive system is what helps better communities _______. |
The focus of positive psychology: It attaches much importance to building the strengths and repairing weaknesses. Life is more than _______ problems. A meaningful life lies in ______. |
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The results of a study |
Wealth is only related to happiness in a(n) ______ way. Some activities only bring happiness for a _____ time. |
The influence |
Good deeds can bring people an emotion to do the _____ and make them live longer. I will do something nice every day such as giving a larger tip and smiling at whoever needs it. |