I live in Hollywood. You may think people in such an attractive, fun-filled place are happier than others. If so, you have some mistaken ideas about the nature of happiness.
Many intelligent people still equate happiness with fun. The truth is that fun and happiness have little or nothing in common. Fun is what we experience during an act. Happiness is what we experience after an act. It is a deeper, more long-lasting emotion. Going to an amusement park or ball game, watching a movie or television, are fun activities that help us relax, temporarily forget our problems and maybe even laugh. But they do not bring happiness, because their positive effects end when the fun ends.
I have often thought that if Hollywood stars have a role to play, it is to teach us that happiness has nothing to do with fun. These rich, beautiful individuals have constant access to exciting parties, fancy cars, expensive homes, everything that spells “happiness”. But in memoir(回忆录) after memoir, celebrities reveal the unhappiness hidden beneath all their fun: depression, alcoholism, drug addiction, broken marriages, troubled children, and long-time loneliness.
The way people hold on to the belief that a fun-filled, pain-free life equates happiness actually decreases their chances of ever attaining real happiness. If fun and pleasure are equated with happiness, then pain must be equated with unhappiness. But, in fact, the opposite is true: More times than not, things that lead to happiness involve some pain.
As a result, many people avoid the very efforts that are the source of true happiness. They fear the pain inevitably brought by such things as marriage, raising children, professional achievement, religious commitment, charitable work and self-improvement.According to the passage, “fun activities” ____________.
| A．are the things we do before we find happiness |
| B．may help us relax and forget our problems sometimes |
| C．will lead us to the true happiness |
| D．could provide long-last positive effects |
In the author’s opinion, those Hollywood stars ____________.
| A．possess happiness because they are rich and famous |
| B．experience almost all kinds of happy things |
| C．tell us happiness isn’t equal to fun using their own stories |
| D．have to suffer a lot before they become successful |
It is difficult for people to find real happiness because ____________.
| A．they believe happiness is the fun life without pain |
| B．they find pain equals unhappiness |
| C．they fear to lose what they already have in life |
| D．they are afraid all their efforts were in vain |
The main purpose of the text is to ____________.
| A．describe the difference between happiness and fun |
| B．show the true meaning of happiness |
| C．encourage people to pursue fun activities |
| D．advise people to find their real life |
I first went to Harrow in the summer term. The school had the biggest swimming pool I had ever seen. It was a good joke to come up behind a naked boy, and push him into the pool. I made quite a habit of this with boys of my own size or less.
One day 1 saw a boy wrapped in a towel on the side of the pool. He was no bigger than I was, so I thought him a fair game. Coming secretly behind, I pushed him in, holding on to his towel so that it would not get wet, I was surprised to see an angry face come out from the water, and a being of great strength making its way by fierce strokes(猛力地划)to the shore. I fled, but in vain. He overtook me, seized me violently, and threw me into the deepest part of the pool. I soon climbed out on the other side, and found myself surrounded by a crowd of younger boys. ‘‘Do you know what you have done?" they said，“ It's Amery ；he is in Grade Six. He is champion at gym. He has got his football honor. ”
I was frightened and felt ashamed. How could I tell his position when he was wrapped in a bath towel and so small. He didn't seem pleased at all, so I added in a most brilliant word，“ My father, who is a great man, is also small. ” At this he laughed, and after some general words about my rude behavior and how I had better be careful in the future, signified the incident was closed. The writer thought Amery "a fair game "because the boy ________.
| A．looked like an animal |
| B．was fond of games |
| C．was of similar size |
| D．was good at sports |
The writer felt" ashamed" because ________.
| A．he was laughed at by other boys |
| B．Amery turned out to be in the same grade |
| C．he pushed Amery hard and hurt him |
| D．he played a joke on an outstanding athlete |
By saying “ My father, who is a great man, is also small”，the writer ________.
| A．tried to please Amery |
| B．challenged Amery |
| C．threatened Amery |
| D．admired his father |
Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．The writer could run faster than Amery. |
| B．The writer liked playing on boys of all sizes. |
| C．Amery was a student in Grade Four， |
| D．Amery forgave the writer for his rude behavior. |
What does the underlined word "overtook" mean?
| A．caught hold of |
| B．caught up with |
| C．took a look at |
| D．shouted at |
Pop stars today enjoy what once only belonged to the royalty(皇室）. Wherever they go, people turn out in their thousands to greet them. The crowds go wild trying to catch a brief glimpse of their smiling, colorfully dressed idols. The stars are transported in their chauffeur driven Rolls-Royces, private helicopters or executive aero planes. They are surrounded by a permanent entourage (随从）of managers, press agents and bodyguards. Photographs of them appear regularly in the press and all their comings and goings are reported, for, like royalty, pop stars are news. If they enjoy many of the privileges of royalty, they certainly share many of the inconveniences as well. It is dangerous for them to make unscheduled appearances in public. They must be constantly shielded from the adoring crowds who idolize them. They are no longer private individuals, but public property. The financial rewards they receive for this sacrifice cannot be calculated, for their rates of pay are great.
And why not? Society has always rewarded its top entertainers lavishly. The great days of Hollywood have become legendary ： famous stars enjoyed fame, wealth and adulation (奉承）on an all-time scale. By today's standards, the excesses of Hollywood do not seem quite so spectacular. A single gramophone record nowadays may earn much more in royalties than the films of the past ever did. The competition for the title "Top of the Pops” is fierce, but the rewards are truly huge.
It is only right that the stars should be paid in this way. Don't the top men in industry earn enormous salaries for the service they perform to their companies and their countries? Pop stars earn vast sums in foreign currency—often more than large industrial companies- and the taxman can only be grateful for their massive annual contributions to the exchequer (国库）• So who would begrudge them their rewards?
It's all very well for people in boring jobs to complain about the successes and rewards of others. People who make envious remarks should remember that the most famous stars represent only the tip of the iceberg. For every famous star, there are hundreds of others struggling to earn a living. A man working in a steady job and looking forward to a pension at the end of it has no right to expect very high rewards. He has chosen security and peace of mind, so there will always be a limit to what he can earn. But a man who at-tempts to become a star is taking enormous risks. He knows at the outset that only a handful of competitors ever get to the very top. He knows that years of concentrated effort may be rewarded with complete failure. But he knows, too, that the rewards for success are very high indeed ： they are the payback for the huge risks involved and once he makes it, he will certainly earn them. That's the essence of private enterprise. The author develops the passage mainly by __________.
| A．comparing different ideas |
| B．giving explanations |
| C．inferring |
| D．listing typical examples |
The underlined word “begrudge" in the third paragraph is closest in meaning to __________.
A. be jealous of
B. be satisfied with
C. be anxious about
D, be crazy aboutAccording to the passage, which of the following can match the view of the author?
| A．He who laughs last laughs best. |
| B．If you venture nothing, you will gain nothing. |
| C．He who makes no mistakes makes nothing. |
| D．Success belongs to the persevering. |
The author holds a(n)__________ attitude towards the high income of pop stars.
| A．critical |
| B．approval |
| C．optimistic |
| D．indifferent |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．People are blind in idolizing stars. |
| B．There is fierce competition in becoming pop stars. |
| C．The government taxes pop stars very little. |
| D．Pop stars'life is more luxurious than that of royalty. |
New rules will let millions of Americans know where more of their food comes from. The law is known as COOL-Country of Origin Labeling.
American Congress first passed the law in 2002. Stores have had to label seafood by country-of-origin since 2005. But industry pressure delayed other requirements until last week.
Products that must now be labeled include fresh fruits and vegetables, muscle meats and some kinds of nuts. But the rules are complex, and many foods are excluded. For example, organ meats are free to be labeled. So are processed foods, including cooked or smoked food.
The United States has imported more and more food in recent years to save money and expand choices. Country-of-origin labeling has become more common lately but has still been limited in many stores.
Food safety is one reason why some shoppers pay close attention to where foods came from. For example, when a large number of people recently got sick from salmonella (沙门菌病），officials blamed peppers from Mexico. Yet the last big food scare involved spinach (菠菜）grown in California. But labeling is also a way for people to know they are getting what they want. Some want to buy local foods or foods from a particular country.
The country-of-origin labeling law gives stores 30 days to correct any violations that are found. Stores and suppliers that are found to be deliberately violating the law could be fined 1，000dollars per violation. Federal inspectors are not to take action to en-force the law for six months to give time for an education campaign.
Some food safety activists say they are generally pleased with the law. They call it a good step that will give people more useful information. What's the regulation in the new rules?
| A．Stores have to label food by its producing date from now on. |
| B．The country-of-origin labeling has to be marked on more food. |
| C．Stores have to label seafood by country of origin. |
| D．Labeling of food should include more useful information. |
Why has more and more food been imported to the United States in recent years?
| A．Because it is economical and provides people with more choices. |
| B．Because the United States is short of food supply. |
| C．Because Americans need more and more food recently. |
| D．Because foreign food is of higher quality than native food. |
Consumers are more concerned about where foods came from because __________.
| A．they are curious about the country of the food origin |
| B．they are particular about the tastes of the food |
| C．they are concerned about food safety and want to get what they want |
| D．most of the shoppers are food safety activists themselves |
The new rules of the country-of-origin labeling law will come into effect __________.
| A．right now |
| B．in a month |
| C．in three months |
| D．in half a year |
Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?
| A．Most Americans prefer imported vegetables to the vegetables grown in local places， |
| B．The government of America will forbid importing peppers from Mexico. |
| C．The law was not fully carried out until last week because of food industry's resistance. |
| D．Store owners are most likely to be the supporters of the law. |
Even plant can run a fever, especially when they're under attack by insects or disease. But unlike human, plants can have their temperature taken from 3，000 feet away straight up. A decade ago, adopting the infrared (红外线）scanning technology developed for military purposes and other satellites, physicist Stephen Paley came up with a quick way to take the temperature of crops to determine which ones are under stress. The goal was to let farmers precisely target pesticide (杀虫剂）spraying rather than rain poison on a whole field, which invariably includes plants that don't have pest(害虫）problems.
Even better, Foley's Remote Scanning Services Company could detect crop problems before they became visible to the eyes. Mounted on a plane flown at 3，000 feet at night, an infrared scanner measured the heat emitted by crops. The data were transformed into a color-coded map showing where plants were running " fevers". Farmers could then spot-spray, using 50 to 70 percent less pesticide than they otherwise would.
The bad news is that Paley's company closed down in 1984，after only three years. Farmers resisted the new technology and long-terra backers were hard to find. But with the renewed concern about pesticides on produce, and refinements in infrared scanning, Paley hopes to get back into operation. Agriculture experts have no doubt the technology works. " This technique can be used on 75 percent of agricultural land in the United States，" says George Oerther of Texas A & M. Ray Jackson, who recently retired from the Department of Agriculture, thinks remote infrared crop scanning could be adopted by the end of the decade. But only if Paley finds the financial backing which he failed to obtain 10 years ago. Plants will emit an increased amount of heat when they are __________.
| A．sprayed with pesticides |
| B．facing an infrared scanner |
| C．in poor physical condition |
| D．exposed to excessive sun rays |
In order to apply pesticide spraying precisely, we can use infra-red scanning to __________.
| A．estimate the damage to the crops |
| B．measure the size of the affected area |
| C．draw a color-coded map |
| D．locate the problem area |
Farmers can save a considerable amount of pesticide by __________.
| A．resorting to spot-spraying |
| B．consulting infrared scanning experts |
| C．transforming poisoned rain |
| D．detecting crop problems at an early stage |
The application of infrared scanning technology to agriculture met with some difficulties. For example，__________.
| A．the lack of official support |
| B．its high cost |
| C．the lack of financial support |
| D．its failure to help increase production |
Infrared scanning technology may be brought back into operation because of __________.
| A．the desire of farmers to improve the quality of their produce |
| B．growing concern about the excessive use of pesticides on crops |
| C．the forceful promotion by the Department of Agriculture |
| D．full support from agricultural experts |
Like all animal species, plant species must spread their off-spring to suitable areas where they can grow and pass on their parents' genes. Young animals generally spread by walking or flying. Because plants don't have that ability, they must somehow hitchhike(搭顺风车). Some plant seeds scatter by blowing in the wind or floating on water. Many other plant species, though, trick an animal into carrying their seeds. How do they do this? They enclose the seeds within a tasty fruit and advertise the fruit's ripeness by its colour or smell. The hungry animal collects and swallows the fruit, walks or flies off, and later spits out the seeds somewhere far from its parent tree. Seeds can thereby be carried for thousands of miles. It may surprise you to learn that plant seeds can resist digestion. In fact, some seeds actually require passage through an animal's body before they can grow.
Wild strawberries offer a good example of hitchhiking tactics. When strawberry seeds are still young and not yet ready to be planted, the surrounding fruit is green, sour and hard. When the seeds finally mature, the berries turn red, sweet, and tender. The change in the berries'colour serves as a signal to birds which then eat the strawberries, fly off, and eventually spit out the seeds.
Naturally, strawberry plants didn't set out with a conscious intention of attracting birds only when their seeds were ready to be dispersed . Nor did birds set out with the intent of planting strawberries. Rather, strawberry plants evolved through natural selection. The sweeter and redder the final strawberry, the more birds spread its ripe seeds ； the greener and more sour the young strawberry, the fewer birds destroyed the seeds by eating berries before the seeds were ready. What does the underlined word "dispersed" in the third para-graph mean?
| A．Spread. | B．Eaten. | C．Born. | D．Planted. |
For plants, which of the following is NOT a way of spreading their offspring to suitable areas?
| A．Hitchhiking. |
| B．Blowing in the wind. |
| C．Floating on water. |
| D．Tracking an animal. |
Which strategy does the example of wild strawberries describe?
| A．The conscious intent of attracting birds. |
| B．Spreading by walking. |
| C．Spreading by flying. |
| D．The strategy of taking a lift. |
Why does the author describe how strawberry seeds are spread?
| A．To show plants are good at adapting to the environment. |
| B．To show strawberry's special way. |
| C．To show the plant has different ways of spreading seeds. |
| D．To show the mystery of plant. |
What's the passage mainly about?
| A．How animals disperse offspring. |
| B．How plants disperse their offspring. |
| C．Plant evolution. |
| D．Plants'hitchhiking on animals. |