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（承担的义务）, 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 liberati
ng 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. |
A mobile phone is no longer just a phone -- it is also a music player, video camera and personal organizer. And mobile phones with television programming are just around the corner. But the more functions cell phone manufacturers add, the greater the amount of power the phones use and the less practical running them on lithium (锂) batteries becomes -- so the race to find a viable alternative is on.
Two of the world's biggest electronics makers, Hitachi and Toshiba, are currently competing against each other to come up with an alternative, most likely to be micro fuel cells. The task has been set by Japan's second largest mobile phone provider, KDDI, which wants its customers to soon be able to use special television programming on their handsets, and has asked the two electronics companies to come up with a better power source. Hitomi Murakami, of KDDI, says battery-operated mobile phones cannot keep up with the new applications. "We're looking at various ways to expand content and services that we can provide to the people. And we don't want to have battery issues delaying us from doing that," he says.
Hitachi's Atsushi Morihara says it is a critical race for both of the companies as the resulting product will have a major impact on the mobile market in the future. "We are in competition and it's up to both of us to come up with a good product. A product that will satisfy KDDI's needs. I think I can go as far to say that the winner will take all."
Miniaturized direct methanol (甲醇) fuel cells are different batteries in that they create power instead of simply storing it. That power is made by new technology utilizing cheap methanol. If all gees to plan, come 2007, Japanese phone users will not use an electric charger to power their mobiles, they will instead carry a small bottle of methanol and with just a few squirts, they will have power for their phones. But the method has its downsides, including how passengers will be able to take small mounts of flammable methanol on airliners. Fumio Ueno of Toshiba says that once developed, the uses of miniaturized direct methanol fuel cells have endless possibilities.The lithium batteries are becoming improper for the cell phone because ______.
| A．there is a television in the phone | B．it is inconvenient to use |
| C．it can't provide enough power | D．people have found substitutes |
According to the passage, Toshiba ______.
| A．is in critical competition with KDDI |
| B．will probably beat its rival |
| C．attaches great importance to methanol fuel |
| D．is one of the largest battery provider |
Which of the following is NOT the characteristic of methanol fuel?
| A．Easy to catch fire. | B．Portable. |
| C．Inexpensive. | D．Available everywhere. |
The best title for the passage is ______.
| A．Search for better phone power. |
| B．Development of cell phone battery. |
| C．Competition between two electronic firms. |
| D．Advantage and disadvantage of methanol fuel. |
BEIJING, China (CNN)-- China's economic growth dropped to 9 percent for 2008, according to numbers released by the government Thursday--in line with expectations, but still the slowest rate the nation has seen in seven years.
Economists are concerned about what the slowdown means for investment in the future, whether new projects will be undertaken in manufacturing companies and in factories. If not, it will translate into more job losses and erase any optimism about a rebound (反弹) in 2009.
Since 2001, China has been used to double-digit growth as consumers buy Chinese goods. However, the export sector was hit hard in late 2008, with December exports down 2.8 percent.
Consumer spending has mostly held up in China, as people there do not carry as much debt as their American counterparts and can continue to spend.
Consumer confidence, however, is a problem, said Dong Tao, Asia chief economist for Credit Suisse. Infrastructure (基础设施的建设) is the only thing driving the Chinese economy, Dong said.
Tens of thousands of Chinese factories have closed, millions of people are looking for jobs and an untold number of migrants who can't find work may be leaving cities for good because of the slowdown, which would have been unheard of six months ago.
Fourth quarter numbers showed growth at 6.8 percent. Goldman Sachs predicted 6.5 percent, down from 9 percent in the third quarter.
For all of 2008, Goldman Sachs had predicted 8.8 percent, down from 11.9 percent in 2007.
1. Since 2001, the slowest rate in annual economic growth China has seen is ___.
| A．6.8% | B．8.8% | C．9% | D．11.9% |
2. According to Dong Tao, the only thing driving the Chinese economy is ____.
| A．export | B．infrastructure | C．consumer confidence | D．consumer spending |
3. Which of the following is NOT the difficulty China is facing?
| A．Tens of thousands of factories have closed. |
| B．Millions of people are looking for jobs. |
| C．An uncertain number of migrant workers may be leaving cities forever. |
| D．The terrible situation will erase any optimism about a rebound in 2009. |
4. In which quarter of 2008 did the slowdown of China's economic growth first appear?
| A．1st. | B．2nd. | C．3rd. | D．4th. |
5. The best title of this passage should be _____.
| A．China's Economic Growth Slows. |
| B．Economic Crisis in China. |
| C．Economists Analyze China's Economy. |
| D．Several Factors Determine China's Economy |
BEIJING, China (CNN)-- China's economic growth dropped to 9 percent for 2008, according to numbers released by the government Thursday--in line with expectations, but still the slowest rate the nation has seen in seven years.
Economists are concerned about what the slowdown means for investment in the future, whether new projects will be undertaken in manufacturing companies and in factories. If not, it will translate into more job losses and erase any optimism about a rebound (反弹) in 2009.
Since 2001, China has been used to double-digit growth as consumers buy Chinese goods. However, the export sector was hit hard in late 2008, with December exports down 2.8 percent.
Consumer spending has mostly held up in China, as people there do not carry as much debt as their American counterparts and can continue to spend.
Consumer confidence, however, is a problem, said Dong Tao, Asia chief economist for Credit Suisse. Infrastructure (基础设施的建设) is the only thing driving the Chinese economy, Dong said.
Tens of thousands of Chinese factories have closed, millions of people are looking for jobs and an untold number of migrants who can't find work may be leaving cities for good because of the slowdown, which would have been unheard of six months ago.
Fourth quarter numbers showed growth at 6.8 percent. Goldman Sachs predicted 6.5 percent, down from 9 percent in the third quarter.
For all of 2008, Goldman Sachs had predicted 8.8 percent, down from 11.9 percent in 2007.
1. Since 2001, the slowest rate in annual economic growth China has seen is ___.
A. 6.8% B. 8.8% C. 9% D. 11.9%
2. According to Dong Tao, the only thing driving the Chinese economy is ____.
A. export B. infrastructure C. consumer confidence D. consumer spending
3. Which of the following is NOT the difficulty China is facing?
A. Tens of thousands of factories have closed.
B. Millions of people are looking for jobs.
C. An uncertain number of migrant workers may be leaving cities forever.
D. The terrible situation will erase any optimism about a rebound in 2009.
4. In which quarter of 2008 did the slowdown of China's economic growth first appear?
A. 1st. B. 2nd. C. 3rd. D. 4th.
5. The best title of this passage should be _____.
A. China's Economic Growth Slows.
B. Economic Crisis in China.
C. Economists Analyze China's Economy.
D. Several Factors Determine China's Economy
以下是某个英语杂志有关专家对一些读者反映问题的建议：
| A．Feel Grateful! You say you’re thankful, but then dismiss your mom’s investment as an “obligation”. By today’s economic standards, what she did is virtually miraculous. Tell your mom plainly, over and over again, how grateful you are. I’m sure the complaining will begin to fade. |
| B．Tame the beast! When one boy discovers his inner caveman, he likes to initiate others into the tribe. Don’t over-worry. Boys will be boys. You and your husband should meet the boy’s parents down the street, suggesting a plan to either tame the wild beasts or limit their time together. |
| C．Good effort and goodwill makes it! Maybe there was a reason why your buddy was out of work. He’s taking advantage of you and your employer. Remind him how to act on the job. He owes good effort and goodwill if he accepts the pay. Tell him to be quiet or get away. |
| D．Calm down! |
| Fast vehicles and wild people---sounds like adolescent dreams to me. As some men age, they compensate with bigger, faster toys. But he’s putting you at risk and breaking the law. In a calm moment outside the car, tell him that he is scaring you. Suggest he join a car club, one that promotes safe driving. |
E. Move your line away!
| You say you’re “in the middle”, but I’d say you’re dangerously close to slipping off the edge. There are lots of fish in the sea; why drop your line in waters your friend is still fishing? |
F. Speak out and breathe easily together!
| You are rebuilding a relationship with new trust and affection. If there’s a bad odor left from the old day, you need to clear the air. Mention the problem, and say, “I’m sorry for my part in that argument.” I’ll bet she’ll say the same. |
以下是一些读者在生活中反映的问题。请匹配问题及对应的建议。
56. Allan: My friend Jim was out of work and I helped him find a job in my company. But recently I have found he is very lazy and doesn’t do his work well. Besides, he often tells me that our employer is too bad.
57. Mary: Cathy and I were good friends. But two years ago she moved and left me because we had an argument. Now I hear she has come back to this town and lives about a mile away. I hope to visit this old friend, but I really don’t know what to do.
58. Mrs. Green: My eight-year-old son used to be obedient. But recently he’s become wild and crazy like a barbarian and doesn’t want to stay at home. My husband and I get worried. Now I find he likes to play with another boy who is also a barbarian.
59. Mike: I live with my mother, who works night and day so that she can support my schooling. I’m grateful but sometimes I get even more annoyed because she seems to be always unsatisfied with me and complains about my faults.
60. Eileen: My friend Jim is a helpful young man, and he has taken me downtown in his car several times. But every time he drove his car so crazily that I felt horrible. “I’ve got used to driving fast,” he says.
If you look for a book as a present for a child，you will be spoiled for choice even in a year there is no new Harry Patten．J．K Rowling’s wizard is not alone ．The past decade has been a harvest for good children’s books ,which has set off a large quantity of films and an increased sales of classics such as The lard of the Rings．Yet despite that, reading is increasingly unpopular among children ．According to statistics in 1997, 23% said they didn’t like reading at all．In 2003, 35% didn’t．And around 6% of the children leave primary school each year unable to read properly．Maybe the decline is caused by the increasing availability of computes games．Maybe the books boom has affected only the top of the educational pile．Either way, Chancellor Cordon Brown plans to change things for the bottom of the class ．In his pre-budget report, he announced the national project of Reading Recovery to help the children struggling most．Reading Recovery is aimed at six year olds, who receive four months of individual daily half-hour classes with a specially trained teacher．An evaluation this year reported that children on the school made 20 months’ progress in just one year, whereas similarly weak readers without special help made just five months’ progress ,and so ended the year even further below the level expected for their age．International research tends to find that when British children leave primary school, they read well ,but read text often for fun than those elsewhere ．Reading for fun matters because children who are keen on reading can report lifelong pleasure and loving books is an excellent indicator of future educational success ．According to the OECD, being a regular and enthusiastic reader is of great advantage．51．Which of the following is true of Paragraph 1?A．Many children’s books have been adapted from films．B．Many high-quality children’s books have been published．C．The sales of classics have led to the popularity of films．D．The sales of presents for children have increased．52．Statistics suggested that ．A．the number of top students increased with the use of computersB．a decreasing number of children showed interest in readingC．a minority of primary school children read properlyD．a huge percentage of children read regularly53．What do we know about Reading Recovery?A．An evaluation of it will be made sometime this year．
B．Weak readers on the project were the most hardworking．
C．It aims to train special teachers to help children with reading．
D．Children on the project showed noticeable progress in reading．
54．Reading for fun is important because book-loving children _________．
A．take greater advantage of the project
B．show the potential to enjoy a long life
C．are likely to succeed in their education．
D．would make excellent future researchers
55．The aim of this text would probably be _________．
A．to overcome primary school pupils reading difficulty．
B．to encourage the publication of more children’s books
C．to remind children of the importance of reading for fun
D．to introduce a way to improve early children reading