Happiness is U-shaped, for we are happier at the start and end of our lives but hit a slump when we are middle-aged, British and US researchers say.
Economists from the University of Warwick, central England, and from Dartmouth College, New Hampshire, looked at data on the mental health of two million people from 80 countries.
In Britain, the probability of depression for men and women peaks at around 44 years of age, Warwick University said in a press release.
In the United States, though, ________________________between men and women. Among women, unhappiness peaked at around the age of 40, whereas among men, it was about 50.
But the U-shape of happiness is constant around the world, and mid-life depression occurs regardless of marital status（婚姻状况）, changes in job or income.
The study appears in Social Science & Medicine, published by the Dutch publishing house Elsevier.
"It happens to men and women, to single and married people, to rich and poor, and to those with and without children.” said co-author Andrew Oswald.
One possibility may be that people realize they won't achieve many of their ambitions at middle age. The researchers said.
Another reason could be that after seeing their fellow middle-aged peers begin to die, people begin to value their own remaining years and embrace life once more.
But the good news is that if people make it to aged 70 and are still physically fit, they are on average as happy and mentally healthy as a 20-year old.
"For the average persons in the modern world, the dip in mental health and happiness comes on slowly, not suddenly in a single year," Oswald said. "Only in their fifties do people emerge from this low period.”
1. Which sentence in the passage is the closest in meaning to the following one?
There are chances that the middle-aged people will realize their ideal is likely to be unattainable.
__________________________________________________________________________
2. Fill in the blank in Paragraph 3 with a proper sentence．（within 10 words）
__________________________________________________________________________
3. How do you understand the sentence that “Happiness is U-shaped”? （within 20 words）
__________________________________________________________________________
4. Is mid-life depression a common Phenomenon in the world? How do you know? （within 15 words）
__________________________________________________________________________
5. Translate the underlined sentence in the last paragraph into Chinese
__________________________________________________________________________
五.语法填空 (20分)
May Day is coming. Our class have had a __1__about what to do during the holiday. Some are in favour of staying at __2__. They think it’s both convenient and 3 . What’ more, they can save___4___for other purposes. But they will lose the chance of getting to know the outside world.
___5___, others prefer to go out for traveling since it can increase their____6___ and broaden their horizons. But they will spend more money and meet some difficulties while ７ .
In my opinion, it would be much ＿＿８＿＿to stay at home , for I can do＿９＿＿I like, such as reading books, watching TV, and helping my parents ＿10＿＿housework.
1. _________ 2. ____________ 3. ______________ 4. ____________ 5. __________
6. _________ 7. ____________ 8. ______________ 9. ____________ 10.__________
第二卷（共35分）
第四部分：写作（共两节，满分35分）
第一节：短文填词（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）
阅读下面短文，根据以下提示：1）汉语提示；2）首字母提示；3）语境提示，在每个空格内填入一个适当的英语单词，并将该词完整地写在右边相对应的横线上。所填单词要求意义准确、拼写正确。
Dear Sally,
Hi! I’m Li Ying, your new pen friend from Fujian, China. I got your name
and address from a magazine and thought I would w to you. Well, 76.
let me start by telling you something about . I’m a high school 77.
student of seventeen. I have many hobbies, among __ reading novels and 78.
collecting (邮票) are my favorites. I love the outdoors, especially 79.
the sea and I’ve been on several tours abroad. I also enjoy (听) 80.
to both pop and classical music. In a word, I’m a (谦虚的) , 81.
patient and caring person. I guess life in London must wonderful 82.
with so many places of i to visit and so much tasty food to enjoy. I 83.
hope to visit London d my holidays because I really like to 84.
learn more about your culture. I’m 1 forward to hearing from you. 85.
Yours,
Li Ying
第二卷（共35分）
第四部分：写作（共两节，满分35分）
第一节：短文填词（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）
阅读下面短文，根据以下提示：1）汉语提示；2）首字母提示；3）语境提示，在每个空格内填入一个适当的英语单词，并将该词完整地写在右边相对应的横线上。所填单词要求意义准确、拼写正确
On May 9th, 1906, an American Anne Jevis’s mother died. Ann was in deep
sorrow. In order to memorize her mother, she forward a suggestion to 76.
fix a day as Mother’s Day. On May 7th, 1914 a law was passed, m the 77.
second Sunday of May “Mother’s Day”. Today (百万) of Americans 78.
(庆祝) Mother’s Day in some way. They buy more than 150,000,000 79.
Mother’s Day greeting cards. There are d kinds of greeting cards, 80.
most of show pictures of flowers, hearts or other things to express 81.
a person’s love for his or her mother. Jevis’s mother was f of the 82.
white carnation, so carnations are specially c for Mother’s Day. 83.
And it is one of the days of the year for the whole flower 84.
(产业) as there are too many flowers to be sent at the same time. 85.
第二节语法填空（共10小题，每小题1.5分，满分15分）
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卷标号为31-40的相应位置上。
The year 2009 is the Year of the Ox, which is a representative of the farming culture of China. In the farming economy, oxen are the major animals 31(pull) plows (犁).
Of course, the good of oxen is not limited to plowing. In fact, they are seen as “boats on land” for their ability to carry loads. Besides, the whole body of an ox is full of treasures, with their meat and milk as food full of nutrition, 32their skin used to make clothes and shoes.
In the past, oxen played an important role in the 33(spirit) life of the Chinese. Even today, oxen still play a special part in some folk activities. For example, some people who 1ive in southwest China will cook cattle bone soup and share 34among family members when holding a ceremony for children 35 reach 13. They believe that the cattle bone soup represents the blood relationship among family members. 36(express) their love for oxen, people in some 37areas will run to shake off diseases on the 16th day of the first month by the lunar calendar, and during their run they will take their oxen along, which 38(indicate) they regard the creature as human.
Because of the contribution of oxen in their lives, the Chinese people are very grateful to 39animal. In addition, the use of oxen in ceremonies and the thanks people owe 40oxen help to develop various traditional customs, which becomes an important part of the folk culture of the Chinese nation.
语法填空（共10小题，每小题1.5分，满分15分）
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。
In the 1960s, a family that owned a farm near Belfast, Tennessee kept a bull chained __31_____ an oak tree. The bull paced around the tree, ____32_____(drag) the heavy iron chain, which led to a groove (槽) in the bark (树皮). ____33_____groove was deepened over the years. Though for whatever reason, it did not kill the tree.
34some years, the family took their bull away. They cut the chain, leaving the loop around the tree and one link 35 (hang down).
Then one year, agricultural catastrophe struck Tennessee in the form of Dutch oak disease. All of the oaks lining the road leading to the farm became infected 36died. Everyone thought that the old oak tree would be the next. The farm owners considered 37(go) the safe thing: pulling it out and chopping it up into firewood before it died.
38(surprise), the tree did not die. Nobody could understand 39it was the only oak still standing in the county. It' s said that 40doesn' t kill you will make you stronger. Or, as a plant pathologists (病理学家 ) put it , "Life breaks us all, but afterwards, many of us are strongest at the broken places."