The way people hold to the belief that a fun - filled, pain free life equals happiness actually reduces their chances of ever attaining real happiness. If fun and pleasure are equal to happiness then pain must be equal to unhappiness. But in fact, the opposite is true: more often than not things that lead to happiness involve some pain.
As a result, many people avoid the very attempts that are the source of true happiness. They fear the pain inevitably brought by such things as marriage, raising children, professional achievement, religious commitment （预担的义务）, self - improvement.
Ask a bachelor（单身汉） why he resists marriage even though he finds dating to be less and less satisfying. If he is honest he will tell you that he is afraid of making a commitment. For commitment is in fact quite painful. The single life is filled with fun, adventure, excitement. Marriage has such moments, but they are not its most distinguishing features.
Couples with infant children are lucky to get a whole night’s sleep or a three - day vacation. I don’t know any parent who would choose the word fun to describe raising children. But couples who decide not to have children never know the joys of watching a child grow up or of playing with a grandchild.
Understanding and accepting that true happiness has nothing to do with fun is one of the most liberating realizations. It liberates time: now we can devote more hours to activities that can genuinely increase our happiness. It liberates money: buying that new car or those fancy clothes that will do nothing to increase our happiness now seems pointless. And it liberates us from envy: we now understand that all those who are always having so much fun actually may not be happy at all.According to the author, a bachelor resists marriage chiefly because ________ .
| A．he is reluctant to take on family responsibilities |
| B．he believes that life will be more cheerful if he remains single |
| C．he finds more fun in dating than in marriage |
| D．he fears it will put an end to all his fun adventure and excitement |
Raising children, in the author’s opinion is ________ .
| A．a moral duty | B．a thankless job |
| C．a rewarding task | D．a source of inevitable pain |
From the last paragraph, we learn that envy sometimes stems from ________ .
| A．hatred | B．misunderstanding | C．prejudice | D．ignorance |
To understand what true happiness is one must ________ .
| A．have as much fun as possible during one’s lifetime |
| B．make every effort to liberate oneself from pain |
| C．put up with pain under all circumstances |
| D．be able to distinguish happiness from fun |
What is the author trying to tell us?
| A．Happiness often goes hand in hand with pain． |
| B．One must know how to attain happiness. |
| C．It is important to make commitments. |
| D．It is pain that leads to happiness. |
Tony Hawken, 57, is divorcing his wife Xiu Li, 51, Britain’s wealthiest woman entrepreneur（企业家）, because he says he doesn’t like being rich and is ‘not in the habit’ of spending lots of money.
The pair traded up their semi-detached home in South Norwood, London, and bought a £1.5million house in Surrey.
Li, who is now worth $1.2billion (£700million) according to Forbes, quickly settled into a life which included sipping a £900 bottle of wine on a luxurious yacht.
However, Mr Hawken says he felt more comfortable getting lunch in his local Wetherspoon’s.
Despite his sudden wealth he continued to buy books from charity shops, and shunned dear clothes.
In an interview withThe Times, he said: ‘I think it made me uncomfortable because I’m not in the habit, I don’t like spending lots of money — I’ve been brought up that way.
‘Until recently I was never a wealthy person. I’ve been moderately comfortable because I have been careful with my money.’
Now the couple have decided to part, Mr Hawken will walk away with just £1million, but says it will be enough for him.
He added: ‘I have got a settlement which is not great, but it’s enough for me because I don’t have an extravagant lifestyle. I won’t have to work if I’m careful.’
On a recent trip to China, Mr Hawken said his wife took him on a yacht and treated him to a £900 bottle of wine, but he prefers his local Wetherspoon pub.
‘I’m getting a little pay when you consider her potential wealth, but I don’t really want to fight it.’
Mr Hawken met Li on a blind date while he was still a teacher and she was studying English.
The couple married, but as Li’s business took off the couple spent more and more time apart. Mr Hawken says the couple have spent most of the relationship apart.
Far from driving them apart, Mr Hawken believes the distance kept them together, and says they would have divorced a long time ago if they were under the same roof.
Mr Hawken says his only regret is not getting a divorce sooner, but he didn’t push for it over fears it would affect the couple’s teenage son William, now 17.
Mr Hawken no longer teaches full-time, but instead gives free tuition to under-privileged children.Tony Hawken is divorcing his wife Xiu Li because________.
| A．he doesn’t affect his son. |
| B．they spent less and less time together. |
| C．he is no longer a teacher. |
| D．he isn’t used to spending a lot of money. |
what does the underlined word “shunned”mean in the fourth paragraph？
| A．enjoy | B．prefer | C．avoid | D．expect |
From the passage， we inferred that ________.
| A．Tony Hawken gave up teaching, because of his sudden wealth. |
| B．Tony Hawken wanted to divorce sooner. |
| C．Tony Hawken lived a rich life. |
| D．Tony Hawken didn’t care about his son. |
From the passage，we know that Xiu Li________.
| A．doesn’t like Mr Hawken. |
| B．is richest woman in China. |
| C．is wealthiest woman entrepreneur in Britain. |
| D．is studying English now. |
which of the following statements is true according to the passage？
| A．Mr Hawken wants to get a lot of money by divorcing |
| B．When Mr Hawken dated Xiu Li，she was an English teacher. |
| C．Mr Hawken believes it was the distance that kept them apart. |
| D．As many passed, Mr Hawken still kept his own lifestyle. |
More than 50 people have responded to an advertise for "one of the most relaxing jobs on the market" - a bathtub TESTER.
Bathstore is seeking a Bathroom Executive Officer (BEO) to test their range of products.
It is sure to give the perfect candidate a stress-free life and possibly some pruned fingers and toes.
And 12 month contract role pays a yearly salary of ￡6,000, plus bathroom installation worth ￡6and products worth ￡4,000 to trial.
For those expecting an easy life, this job isn't all about splashing around in the suds or playing with a rubber duck.
The successful applicant will be responsible for providing written reports and analysis on the overall bathing experience.
However, all that boring stuff can be done from the comfort of your own home.
That's because Bathstore will regularly install their new baths into the BEO's home "ensuring that this is one job that can be taken lying down".
Before you apply, make sure you meet the criteria, which is to be laid back, relaxed and bubbly!
Bathstore's chief marketing officer Claire Bayliss said: "We are dedicated to making dream bathrooms easy, from design to installation, and this appointment demonstrates our commitment to deliver quality products and expert advice.
"We've already received some great applicants for the BEO position and will be looking to produce a short-list in the upcoming weeks.
"We're really looking forward to filling the role and won't rest until we find the right candidate".
Other possible best jobs in the world range from a chief funster to a taste master. what is the advantage of the job for the perfect candicate?
| A．He will lead a stress-free life. |
| B．He can have their fingers and toes washed. |
| C．He can do the job at home. |
| D．He can do the job comfortably. |
How much money will the successful candidate earn per year?
| A．more than￡6,000 | B．no more than￡4,000 |
| C．less than ￡6,000 | D．as much as ￡4,000 |
What should the successful applicant do for the job?
| A．deliver quality products and expert advice. |
| B．write reports and analyse the overall bathing experience. |
| C．install the new baths into their homes. |
| D．advertise the new baths according to their experience. |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．The job is not as relaxing as the advertisement says. |
| B．No people have applied for the job. |
| C．The company will have a rest until we find the right candidate |
| D．Claire Bayliss is in charge of designing and installing the bathtub. |
What is true according to Claire Bayliss?
| A．Before you apply, make sure you meet the criteria . |
| B．They have found the right candidate. |
| C．Expert will give them advice on how to design the bathtub. |
| D．They are committed to delivering products of high quality. |
The events of Saturday night in Kunming are deeply engraved in the mind of Xie Qiming, who narrowly escaped death in the terrorist attack at the city's railway station.
The 48-year-old policeman intervened to stop the butchering of unarmed civilians, saving many from death and injury, but he was injured in the process.
Lying in a hospital bed, his head and nose marked by serious hacking wounds - one more than 20 centimeters long - Xie recounted（详细叙述） his actions on the day he describes as a nightmare.
"I shot at them but fell to the ground during the fighting. After the shots, the terrorists turned their attention to the police and several of them surrounded me and stabbed me like crazy," he said. "There is no humanity in them."
Xie is from the Beijinglu Police Station, the closest to the attack, and four police officers from the station were the first to respond. He survived because he was wearing a bulletproof vest, which was damaged by the attackers.
When the officers arrived, the attackers were running out of the ticket hall, attacking people with long knives.
Xie and his colleagues tried to stop the attack, which is when Xie was injured. In addition to the deep cuts, his skull was fractured, and at the time of writing he was awaiting further surgery.
"A wave of fierce anger rose up in my mind, and we all forgot to think about the possible danger to us," said Hu Zhe, 23, a police officer trainee at the Beijinglu Police Station.
Having no firearm, he fought the terrorists with a wooden baton, but it got broken in the fighting. He sustained a 6-centimeter wound to his left eyebrow.
Wan Weiqing, a neurosurgeon from Beijing Tiantan Hospital, learned of the attack at 2 am on Sunday and took the first flight to Kunming, where he has been helping the victims.
He said that 71 victims are being treated at the Kunming First People's Hospital, most of them with severe multiple injuries.
"There is one victim whose rib, breastbone, lung and even heart were all injured in one chopping action. The attackers had obviously prepared and practiced for a long time," he said.
Zhou Hongmei, director of the Medical Reform Office at the Yunnan Health Department, said a team of medical experts including 29 doctors had arrived in Kunming by Monday night. They have been working at the five hospitals treating victims of the attack.
Chen Min, a Neurology Department nurse at Kunming First People's Hospital, said the department usually had seven nurses in the daytime and three at night. "But all the other nurses who were not on duty returned to the hospital voluntarily on Saturday night," she said.
In the past three days, none of them had more than 10 hours of rest.
"The crucial factor in saving lives in such incidents is treatment without delay," said Chai Wenzhao, associate director of the Intensive Care Unit in the Peking Union Medical College Hospital. Chai has participated in many emergency rescue efforts.
He said that the victims will need psychological counseling once their physical injuries have been dealt with, because the emotional impact of such an incident can be severe.
Four psychologists from Anding Hospital in Beijing have begun treating some of the victims.When did the terrorist attack happen?
| A．on Saturday afternoon | B．on Sunday night |
| C．Three days before the report came out. | D．Just before the report was written. |
Which of the following is true about Xie Qiming?
| A．He was the first to arrive at the scene. |
| B．He was waiting for surgery when the report was writing. |
| C．He was slightly wounded. |
| D．He tried to stop the attack all by himself. |
What does the underlined word “engraved” mean in the passage?
| A．feared | B．disapointed | C．attacked | D．impressed |
How did Xie Qiming survive?
| A．He was saved by his colleagues. |
| B．He missed the shot and fell to the ground during the fighting. |
| C．He was protected by his bulletproof vest. |
| D．He pretended to fall to the ground. |
What can we learn from Zhou Hongmei,?
| A．the victims will need psychological treatment, because the emotional impact of such an incident can be severe. |
| B．Victims of the attack have been treated by .a team of medical experts. |
| C．Treatment without delay should be given to save lives in such incidents . |
| D．The attackers had obviously prepared and practiced for a long time, |
What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．Survivors recount nightmare |
| B．Many people was injured in the attack |
| C．A terrorist attack happned in Kunming. |
| D．Police stopped the terrorist attack. |
Three “Great Walls” built around the United States’ Tornado Alley could reduce tornadoes from destroying billions of dollars in property and endangering millions of lives, a physicist has claimed.
Professor Rongjia Tao of Temple University, Philadelphia unveiled a proposal this week calling for the construction of three 1,000-foot barriers up to 100 miles long, which would act like hill ranges and soften winds before tornadoes could form, the BBC reports.
The $16.9 billion plan would call for the faux hill ranges in North Dakota, along the border between Kansas and Oklahoma, and in Texas and Louisiana, ostensibly saving billions of dollars in damage every year, Tao said. The walls would not shelter towns, he said, but instead would soften the streams of hot southern and cold northern air that form tornadoes when they clash in the first place.
But critics laughed at Tao’s proposals. Leading tornado experts pointed to areas that are already protected by hill ranges the size of the barriers Tao is proposing, yet still have plenty of tornados, like parts of Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri. And even if the plan did work, it would create more problems than it would solve, scientists said, by creating catastrophic weather side effects.
“Everybody I know is of 100% agreement – this is a poorly conceived idea,” Professor Joshua Wurman of the Center for Severe Weather Research. “From what I can gather his concept of how tornadoes form is fundamentally flawed（有缺陷的）. Meteorologists（气象学家） cringe（尴尬） when they hear about ‘clashing（交锋） hot and cold air’. It’s a lot more complicated than that.”What does the underlined word “unveiled”mean in the fourth paragraph？
| A．reminded | B．came up with | C．referred | D．applied |
What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．The different opinions on the proposal that the walls will reduce the loss caused by tornadoes. |
| B．How to solve the problems that are caused by tornadoes. |
| C．The proposal mentioned in the paragragh is totally wrong. |
| D．The proposal to reduce tornadoes is effective. |
From the passage, we can infer that__________.
| A．the tornadoes form by clashing（交锋） hot and cold air. |
| B．if the walls are built, they will work well. |
| C．if the plan is carried out, we will have more problems than expected. |
| D．The walls not only soften the winds but also shelter the towns. |
Which of following statements is true according to the passage？
| A．Leading tornado experts think that would soften the streams of hot southern and cold northern air that form tornadoes. |
| B．Professor Joshua Wurman pointed out that the plan will be expensive. |
| C．Professor Rongjia Tao is against the construction of walls to prevent the tornadoes. |
| D．the plan will not be carried out because it will creating serious weather side effects. |
Hawking's Five Easy Steps for Making Yourself a Genius
As we all know，Stephen Hawking writes the book A Brief History of Time that explains the
origin of the universe. The book spent 147 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller List and has
sold 10 million copies. He is，most agree，very smart.
In his recently published autobiography My Brief History，Hawking offers five life lessons on
how to become a genius.
1)Don’t miss opportunities by being too cool
“We showed an air of complete boredom and the feeling that nothing was worth making an
effort for. One result of my illness has been to change all that. When you are faced with the
possibility of an early death, it makes you realize that life is worth living and that there are lots of
things you want to do. ”Seize the moment，as Oxford types would say.
2)Keep it simple
When writing A Brief History of Time，he tried to make science understandable for the rest of
us. “I was sure that nearly everyone is interested in how the universe operates，but most people
cannot follow mathematical equations(数学公式). ”He has trouble with them，too. “This is
partly because it is difficult for me to write them down，but mainly because I don't have an inborn
feeling for equations. My aim in the book was to describe these mental images in words. It is
such an easy book that everybody can understand it.” The moral：You don't have to be a genius to know everything.
3）Have fun
Hawking has a long history of being a joker，and he has placed lots of bets with other
scientists on the nature of black holes. One was with Cal-Tech scientist John Preskill. After
paying off his bet by giving Preskill a baseball encyclopedia，Hawking wrote，“but maybe I should
have just given him the ashes. ”So lighten up! Geniuses like bad jokes too.
4) Always look for a silver lining (even if you are seriously ill)
Hawking's disease has slowly robbed him of the ability to walk，move his arms，even speak.
But，Hawking says，“in some ways I guess my disability has been an assist：I haven't had to
lecture or teach students, and I haven't had to sit in meetings. So I have been able to devote
myself completely to research.”In other words，Hawking was given lemons，and he made
Champagne.
5)Don’t work too hard at school
……The passage tells us the facts about A Brief History of Time EXCEPT that ________.
| A．it included Hawking's five life lessons on how to become a genius |
| B．it has sold 10 million copies up to now |
| C．it spent 147 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller List |
| D．it explained the origin of the universe |
According to the passage，which of the following statements is guiding you to be a genius?
| A．Place lots of bets with your friends. |
| B．Find something good even in bad situations. |
| C．Seize the moment to learn everything. |
| D．Get to know everything including math equations. |
Hawking shows his viewpoint by ____________.
| A．making comparisons | B．quoting a famous saying |
| C．talking about his own experience | D．listing the numbers and equations |