I arrived at the bus station much too early for the London bus, which was not to leave until five to twelve. I pushed through the crowds, looking for somewhere to sit down. Scores of people were standing about, or struggling along with their bags and the cases to find the right lines. There was a party of school girls. I could see teachers trying to keep them in order. But there was nowhere for me to sit.
I stepped into the station buffet. I looked up at the clock there. It was only twenty to twelve. I found a seat opposite a large mirror on the wall. Just then a friend of mine called Jim came in and sat with me. "What time is your bus?" asked Jim. "Oh, there's a plenty of time yet," I answered. "Oh, I'll get some drinks then," said Jim. We talked while drinking. Then I looked at the clock again. "Good heavens! It's going backward!" I cried. "A moment ago it was twenty to twelve and now it's half past eleven." "You are looking at the clock in the mirror," said Jim. I could kick myself for being so stupid. I had not realized that the marks for one and eleven on the face of the clock were the same. The next bus was not to leave for another hour. I have never liked mirror since then. The writer went to the station buffet because ________.
| A．he was thirsty |
| B．he saw the station buffet was not so crowded |
| C．it was still early for his bus and he couldn't find a place to sit at the bus station |
| D．he had changed his mind; he wouldn't go to London |
The writer sat ________.
| A．behind a mirror | B．facing a mirror |
| C．under a mirror | D．near a mirror |
Jim came to the station buffet at about ________.
| A．twenty to twelve | B．twenty past twelve |
| C．half past one | D．twenty past eleven |
What time was it when the writer looked at the clock again?
It was ________.
| A．half past eleven | B．twelve thirty |
| C．twelve twenty | D．eleven thirty |
People who are too happy die younger than their more downbeat（pessimistic） peers(同龄人), claims new research.
A study which followed children from the 1920s to old age showed that people who were rated 'highly cheerful' by teachers at school died younger than their more reserved classmates。
This was because people who were too happy were more likely to suffer from mental disorders such as bipolar, making them less fearful and more likely to take risks that increase the chance of having a fatal accident.
Being too cheerful - especially at inappropriate times - can also rouse anger in others, increasing the risk of a person coming to harm.
Researchers from a variety of universities worldwide also discovered that trying too hard to be happy often ended up leaving people feeling more depressed than before, as putting an effort into improving their mood often left people feeling cheated.
And magazine articles offering tips on how to be happy were also blamed for worsening depression.
One study saw participants asked to read an article offering ways to improve your mood, and follow one of the tips to see how effective it was.
Participants then took the advice offered - such as watching an upbeat film - often concentrated too hard on trying to improve their mood rather than letting it lift naturally。
This meant that by the time the film had ended, they often felt angry and cheated by the advice given, putting them in a far worse mood than when they had started watching.
However, results of the study, published in the journal Perspectives on Psychological Science, revealed that the key to true happiness was much more simple: meaningful relationships with friends and family members.
Study co-author Professor June Gruber, from the department of psychology at Yale University in the United States, said of people who actively tried to be happy: 'When you're doing it with the motivation or expectation that these things ought to make you happy, that can lead to disappointment and decreased happiness. '
'The strongest predictor of happiness is not money, or external recognition through success or fame. It's having meaningful social relationships.'
She added: 'That means the best way to increase your happiness is to stop worrying about being happy and instead divert your energy to nurturing the social bonds you have with other people.'People who are too happy die younger than their more downbeat（pessimistic） peers because________.
| A．because they are more likely to suffer from mental disorders. |
| B．because they have more chance of having traffic accidents. |
| C．because they have meaningful social relationship. |
| D．because they stop worry about being happy. |
What does the underlined word in Paragraph 2 mean?
| A．happy | B．unwilling to show feelings | C．angry | D．narrow-minded |
The most important factor(因素) of true happiness is __________.
| A．to have meaningful relationships with friends and family members. |
| B．to stop worry about being happy. |
| C．to devote your energy to developing the social bonds. |
| D．to have feeling of success. |
Which of the following sentences is correct according to the passage?
| A．magazine articles offering tips on how to be happy can help you reducing depression. |
| B．trying too hard to be happy often leaves people feeling more depressed than before. |
| C．When you're doing things with the motivation or expectation, that can lead to disappointment and decreased happiness. |
| D．The strongest factor of happiness is external recognition through success. |
Not so long ago, the weary tourist would head off on holiday for the simple pleasures of recharging their batteries, topping up their tan and relaxing on a sun-lounger.
Now, it seems, we are more likely to spend our time away catching up online with friends and acquaintances than gaze at the horizon or the contents of a good book.
A new study has found that the average holidaymaker spends at least an hour a day of their down-time logging on to social media portals or checking other favourite websites.
In fact, so obsessed are we with the online world that a new holiday annoyance – hotels and resorts charging for wi-fi access – has joined the more familiar worries that can have travellers reaching for complaint forms and their booking terms and conditions.
The survey was conducted by accommodation group Thistle Hotels, which asked 2000 people about their regular holiday peeves.
The top frustration was still the issue symbolised by the manic(不耐烦的)face of Basil Fawlty, with 69 per cent of those questioned saying rude hotel staff were their key bone of contention.
Arriving at your resort to find that your room is still being cleaned, and is not ready, was the second most common concern – suggested by 45 per cent of respondees.
But a sign of changing times is there at number three, with a very modern complaint – being forced to pay for wi-fi – causing grumbles with over a third of people (38 per cent).
Other widespread holiday flashpoints included a poor selection of food at the resort buffet (37 per cent of those questioned) and a hotel being further from a destination’s attractions and restaurants than advertised (32 per cent).
Our determination to be tweeting and liking even when we are supposed to be taking a break from the norm is also apparent in the survey’s list of what are considered to be the most important elements of a stay at a place in the sun.
Over half of the respondees (51 per cent) said that free wi-fi is crucial to their enjoyment of their escape – ranking higher than a hotel having a swimming pool (49 per cent), being close to a destination’s attractions (41 per cent) and offering in-room TVs (37 per cent).
“It’s crazy to think that, in 2014, hotel chains are still charging for wi-fi,” says Mike DeNoma of Thistle Hotels.
“Our research shows that free wi-fi is very important to holidaymakers.”What are people most interested in nowadays?
| A．spending time on line. | B．gazing at the horizon |
| C．enjoying the contents of a good book. | D．relaxing on a sun-lounger. |
Why did accommodation group Thistle Hotels conduct the survey?
| A．To attract more customers. | B．To promote their hotel. |
| C．To find out what the customers complain | D．To evaluate their staff. |
What did nearly half of the respondees complain?
A.The hotel staff are rude. B.They are forced to pay for wi-fi.
B.The room isn’t cleaned until they arrive at the hotel. D.The food is not satisfactory.What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．Tourists are not satisfied with the fact that there is no free wi-fi in the hotel. |
| B．Tourists complained about the poor sevice of the staff. |
| C．More and more people prefer to surf the Internet than go travelling. |
| D．Hotels should consider the tourists complaints and improve their service. |
My day began on a definitely sour note when I saw my six-year-old wrestling with a limb of my azalea（杜鹃花）bush. By the time I got outside, he’d broken it. “Can I take this to school today?” he asked. With a wave of my hand, I sent him off. I turned my back so he wouldn’t see the tears gathering in my eyes.
The washing machine had leaked on my brand-new linoleum. If only my husband had just taken the time to fix it the night before when I asked him instead of playing checkers with Jonathan.
It was days like this that made me want to quit. I just wanted to drive up to the mountains, hide in a cave, and never come out.
Somehow I spent most of the day washing and drying clothes and thinking how love had disappeared from my life. As I finished hanging up the last of my husband’s shirts, I looked at the clock. 2:30. I was late. Jonathan’s class let out at 2:15 and I hurriedly drove to the school.
I was out of breath by the time I knocked on the teacher’s door and peered through the glass. She rustled through the door and took me aside. “I want to talk to you about Jonathan,” she said.
I prepared myself for the worst. Nothing would have surprised me. “Did you know Jonathan brought flowers to school today?” she asked. I nodded, thinking about my favorite bush and trying to hide the hurt in my eyes. “Let me tell you about yesterday,” the teacher insisted. “See that little girl?” I watched the bright-eyed child laugh and point to a colorful picture taped to the wall. I nodded.
“Well, yesterday she was almost hysterical. Her mother and father are going through a nasty divorce. She told me she didn’t want to live, she wished she could die. I watched that little girl bury her face in her hands and say loud enough for the class to hear, ‘Nobody loves me.’ I did all I could to comfort her, but it only seemed to make matters worse.” “I thought you wanted to talk to me about Jonathan,” I said.
“I do,” she said, touching the sleeve of my blouse. “Today your son walked straight over to that child. I watched him hand her some pretty pink flowers and whisper, ‘I love you.’“
I felt my heart swell with pride for what my son had done. I smiled at the teacher. “Thank you,” I said, reaching for Jonathan’s hand, “you’ve made my day.”
Later that evening, I began pulling weeds from around my azalea bush. As my mind wandered back to the love Jonathan showed the little girl, a biblical verse came to me: “...these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” While my son had put love into practice, I had only felt anger.
I heard the familiar squeak of my husband’s brakes as he pulled into the drive. I snapped a small limb bristling with hot pink azaleas off the bush. I felt the seed of love that God planted in my family beginning to bloom once again in me. My husband’s eyes widened in surprise as I handed him the flowers. “I love you,” I said.Why did the woman cry when seeing her son had broken the azalea bush?
| A．Because she could not tolerate the harm to it. | B．Because she wanted to hand it to her husband. |
| C．Because her son did not ask her for permission. | D．Because it made her bad mood even worse. |
The writer wanted to hide in the mountain cave probably for the reason of .
| A．boring daily routine with a feeling of lack of love |
| B．her husband’s failing to fix the machine in time |
| C．feeling fed up with her endless daily housework |
| D．her hoping to seek happiness in a brand new place |
We can infer from the passage that the writer expressed love to her husband in that.
| A．she felt guilty that she misunderstood her husband and wanted to apologize |
| B．she was inspired by her son that love was supposed to be felt and practiced |
| C．she felt it necessary to have a complete family for the happiness of herself |
| D．she wanted to prove her love and expected the same words from her husband |
People believed for a long time that the heart was the center of a person's emotions. That is why the word "heart" is used in so many expressions about emotional situations.
One such expression is to "lose your heart" to someone. When that happens, you have fallen in love. But if the person who won your heart does not love you, then you are sure to have a "broken heart." In your pain and sadness, you may decide that the person you loved is "hard-hearted," and in fact, has a "heart of stone."
You may decide to "pour out your heart" to a friend. Telling someone about your personal problems can often make you feel better.
If your friend does not seem to understand how painful your broken heart is, you may ask her to "have a heart." You are asking your friend to show some sympathy for your situation. Your friend "has her heart in the right place" if she says she is sorry, and shows great concern for how you feel.
Your friend may, however, warn you not to "wear your heart on your sleeve." In other words, do not let everyone see how lovesick you are. When your heart is on your sleeve you are showing your deepest emotions.
If your friend says "my heart bleeds for you," she means the opposite. She is a cold-hearted person who does not really care about your situation.
In the ever-popular motion picture, "The Wizard of Oz," the Tin Man seeks a heart. He wanted to feel the emotion of love, and was seeking help from the powerful Wizard of Oz to find a heart.
The Cowardly Lion, in the same movie, did have a heart. But he lacked courage and wanted to ask the Wizard of Oz to give him some. You could say that the cowardly lion was "chicken-hearted." That is another way of describing someone who is not very brave. A chicken is not noted for its bravery. Thus, someone who is chicken-hearted does not have much courage.
When you are frightened or concerned, your "heart is in your mouth." You might say, for example, that your heart was in your mouth when you asked a bank to lend you some money to pay for a new house. What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．The heart was the center of a person's emotions. |
| B．There are many expressions about heart and what do they mean. |
| C．We should learn some expressions about “heart”. |
| D．It is important to learn some expressions about “heart” |
How many expressions about “Heart” are mentioned in the passage?
| A．10 | B．8 | C．9 | D．11 |
If you hear one of your family members is hurt in a traffic accident, you will feel ________.
| A．heart is in your mouth. | B．have your heart in the right place |
| C．wear your heart on your sleeve | D．lose your heart |
Why did the writer mention"The Wizard of Oz,"in the passage?
| A．To show thatit is ever popular. |
| B．To introduce a film to the readers |
| C．To give some more examples about the phrases. |
| D．To show that the Tin Man is not brave. |
A recent research has pointed to the risks of overpraising a child. But for parents, drawing the line between too little praise and too much has become a high-pressure balancing act.
Cara Greene, a mother of three children ages 1 to 8, is wary of deliberately pumping up her kids' egos(自我), for fear of instilling（灌输） the sense of entitlement she sees in young adults 'who have been told they're wonderful and they can do anything.' But she also wants them to have healthy self-esteem（自我认知）.
'We wouldn't be doing our children any favors by overinflating their egos. At the same time, I want them to have the confidence to tackle any challenge that is placed before them,' says Ms. Greene, of New York City.
Now, psychologists are creating a deeper and more nuanced understanding of self-esteem, which could make it easier for parents to walk that line. Some of the conclusions: It can actually be good for kids to have low self-esteem, at least temporarily. And praise can harm if it disregards the world outside the home. Children who have a realistic not inflated understanding of how they are seen by others tend to be more resilient to the world around them.
In the past, many parents and educators believed that high self-esteem predicted happiness and success, and that it could be instilled(灌输) in kids simply by doling out trophies and praise. But researchers have since found self-esteem doesn't predict these outcomes. High self-esteem is partly the result of good performance, rather than the cause. Inflating kids' self-esteem too much can backfire, making them feel worse later on when they hit setbacks.
'Children absolutely need to feel valued, accepted and loved, and this will lead to high self-esteem,' Dr. Leary says. But it can also be good for kids to feel bad about themselves temporarily, if they behave in selfish, mean or hurtful ways that might damage their ability to sustain relationships or hold a job in the future, he says. The best path is a middle road, helping children develop a positive but realistic view of themselves in relation to others.The researchers believe that_______.
| A．high self-esteem brings happiness and success to children. |
| B．high self-esteem is the cause of good performance. |
| C．Inflating kids' self-esteem too much can make kids feel worse later on when they meet difficulties. |
| D．self-esteem couldn’t be instilled in kids simply by doling out praise. |
Which of the following statements is wrong according to the passage?
| A．high self-esteem could be instilled(灌输) in kids simply by doling out trophies and praise. |
| B．children should have a realistic not inflated understanding of how they are seen. |
| C．high self-esteem can lead to happiness. |
| D．praise can harm if it disregards the world outside the home. |
The main idea of the passage is_______________.
| A．We want to kids to have self-esteem（自我认知）. |
| B．We should help children develop a positive but realistic view of themselves in relation to others. |
| C．it can also be good for kids to feel bad about themselves temporarily. |
| D．Children absolutely need to feel valued, accepted and loved, and this will lead to high self-esteem. |