The way people hold to the belief that a funfilled，painfree 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 (不可避免地) brought by such things as marriage，raising children，professional achievement，religious commitment and selfimprovement.
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.Certainly，commitment is quite painful.The single life is filled with fun，adventure，and excitement.Marriage has such moments，but they are not its most distinguishing (显著的) features.
Couples with infant (婴儿) children are lucky to get a whole night’s sleep or a threeday 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 doesn’t want to marry mainly because________.
| A．he is unwilling to take 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 |
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 main idea of the passage?
| 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. |
I’ve reported about tigers on the news, however, nothing could have prepared me for what I found in India. I didn’t know what to expect, so when I saw my first tiger in the wild, I was shocked. What a beautiful and powerful creature it is!
But they live with a price on their heads — a single tiger skin is worth up to ￡8,000, and their bones possibly more. Another problem is that farmers need to clear a large number of areas of the forest for their cattle. This means deer are losing their living places. As a result, tigers are losing their natural prey, so they end up eating the cattle.
Tigers are not easy to live close to. I met a farmer who had been mauled by one. But despite (尽管) that, he told me everything had its place in the world and he had no right to kill the tiger. He was really kind.
Those who work for the Tigers Forever Project realize that to ensure their survival, tigers don’t only need space. They need space away from people.
They are working to stop the conflict (冲突) between tigers and people by separating them. I visited a new town. People had been moved to it from a settlement in the forest. And it really has worked. It has given tigers a better life and better opportunities for the children of the resettled people.
Only 2,500 tigers are now left in the wild in India. Three out of eight tiger sub-species have already disappeared. Tigers that once lived across Asia only survive in 7% of their original living places now. What does the underlined word in the third paragraph mean?
| A．Hunted. | B．Injured. | C．Frightened. | D．Killed. |
The following statements are all the factors reducing the population of tigers EXCEPT that .
| A．making money drives some people to hunt tigers |
| B．tigers’ food chain is being destroyed |
| C．the living places of tigers are disappearing |
| D．people live far from where tigers live |
We can infer from the last paragraph that .
| A．there are only 2,500 tigers in the wild in India |
| B．tigers need space far from people |
| C．if we don’t protect tigers in Asia, they will die out there |
| D．children are happy to live far from tigers |
What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．Expensive tigers. |
| B．More space for tigers. |
| C．Tigers and cattle. |
| D．A kind-hearted farmer. |
Two years ago my grandmother was going to turn 75. My family discussed what was the best way to celebrate. Should we throw her a party? Should we take her on a trip? We remembered that she had touched so many people’s lives, and there were so many people for her to consider. Then someone got the idea that we should include everyone in the celebration by turning it into a tribute（献礼）to my grandmother.
We secretly sent out letters to the people in Grandmother’s address book and asked them to send a letter with a memory that they had shared with her. People sent us letters with poems, stories and pictures. The deep feeling that was shared through the response（回应）surprised us. We compiled（编辑）these letters into a memory book and amazed her with it on the morning of her birthday.
The unusual thing about my grandmother’s friends was not the number that she had, but the connection they shared. In many ways this book of friendship was the greatest achievement of my grandmother’s life.
I believe that developing true friendships is one of the most important things that anyone can do in one’s lifetime. It is not a matter of the number of friends one has, but the quality of the connection. If one has had at least one true friendship before dying, then one can say one has lived a successful life. I have made many friends and I believe I have begun to develop the same types of friendships my grandmother kept up over her lifetime. I only hope that I will be as successful as she has been.How did the author’s family celebrate Grandmother’s birthday ?
| A．They took her on a trip across the country. |
| B．They gave her a memory book of friendship. |
| C．They invited all her friends to her birthday party. |
| D．They asked all her friends to send her cards. |
When receiving her birthday gift, the author’s grandmother probably felt _____.
| A．disappointed and lonely | B．sorry and sad |
| C．surprised and pleased | D．nervous and excited |
According to the passage, the author probably agrees that _____.
| A．the more friends you have, the better |
| B．friends are more important than family |
| C．understanding leads to greater success |
| D．true friendship is very important to us |
Which of the following words can best describe the author’s grandmother?
| A．Kind. | B．Great. | C．Graceful | D．Pleasant |
A large number of women in Western European countries wish that they were born men. The number is said as high as 60% in West Germany.
“Women often wish that they had the same chance as men have, and believe it is still men’s world,” said Dr James Holden, one of the scientists who did the study.
Anne Harper has a very good job for an international oil company. She also believes in “Women’ s Liberation(解放)”.
“I don’t wish that I were a man,” she says, “and I don’t think many women do. But I do wish that people would stop looking down upon us women. At work, for example, we often do the work that men do but get paid less. There are still a lot of jobs that are usually the best ones and open only to men. If you’re a man, you have a much better chance of leading an exciting life. How many women pilots are there ... or engineers or scientists?”What can we learn from the first paragraph?
| A．60% women in West Germany wish that they were born men. |
| B．Most women in Western European countries wish that their babies were all boys. |
| C．60% Western European women wish that they were born men. |
| D．60% Western European women who wish that they were born men are from West Germany. |
“It is still men’s world.” means “______.”
| A．There’re more men than women in the world |
| B．There’re more men scientists or engineers than women scientists or engineers in the world |
| C．Women have not been given the same chance as men |
| D．Women cannot live without men |
Anne Harper considers that women should ______.
| A．live a better life than men | B．be really liberated |
| C．be well paid | D．get better jobs than men |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Usually the best jobs are not open to women. |
| B．Women are less paid than men for the same job. |
| C．There’re more men pilots, engineers and scientists than women ones. |
| D．Women are looked down upon because they’re the second-class citizens. |
Mo Yan’s winning of the 2012 Nobel Prize in Literature shows the world’s recognition of China’s contemporary literature, according to the China Writers Association.
It also represents the attention drawn to Chinese writers and the international influences of Chinese literature, said an official statement from the organization on Thursday evening.
Mo is the first Chinese national to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. In the statement, the association congratulated Mo Yan on his success and spoke highly of his “outstanding achievements”.
Mo had effectively extended the boundaries of imagination, the depth of thoughts and the state of arts of Chinese literature by focusing on lives in the countryside with a unique national style, said the statement.
He Jianming, vice president of the association, said in a separate interview, “It is not only a joyous occasion for Mo, but also a dream coming true for generations of Chinese writers. ”
“The prize also shows recognition in realism writing coming from traditional Chinese literature, ” said He.
He cited Mo’s latest novel, Frog, which was published in China in 2010, as an example of Mo’s focus on realism. The book focuses on the influence of China’s “one child” policy in the countryside.
“Mo’s works are among the best when it comes to Chinese contemporary literature. ”He said, “Adding the award is significant for the development of Chinese literature and will improve confidence in the country’s cultural creativity. ”
Mo Yan, a pen name for Guan Moye, was born in 1955 and grew up in Gaomi in east China’s Shandong Province.
Mo is one of the most widely translated Chinese writers. His best-known work is Red Sorghum, which was made into a film by the director Zhang Yimou. Which is the main idea of the passage?
| A．2012 Nobel Prize in Literature. |
| B．Mo Yan’s success represents recognition of Chinese literature. |
| C．The success in Chinese literature. |
| D．A great Chinese writer. |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Mo Yan and Guan Moye refer to the same person. |
| B．Mo’s works are the best in China. |
| C．Mo Yan is the first Chinese national to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. |
| D．The film Red Sorghum directed by Zhang Yimou was written by Mo Yan. |
Mo Yan’s works focus on ______.
| A．lives in the countryside |
| B．city lives |
| C．China’s “one child” policy |
| D．the international influences of Chinese literature |
The other day I heard a few local musicians talking:
"I hate all the pianos in this town and I hate that rubbish they play on the radio .They cannot every understand rhythm（韵律)"
"Nobody wants to pay musicians anything. I'm sick of all the people who want you to play without paying you."
One younger musician said, "There are several clubs who want me to play for a few nights a month and I'm trying to find other places to play .I'm also planning to join in several summer festivals this year."
I really liked what the younger musician said so I made friends with him.
Attitudes are important. Whether they're positive or negative(消极) they're all rubbing off on you,If you're around people who are always complaining or blaming others, it is possible that you will start doing the same as well. If you spend lots of time with people who don't support your dreams, it is time to take a look at the people you call " friends".
There is an easy exercise you can try. Make a list of the people who you often stay with, and simply stop , spending time with the negative ones on your list. Set a new standard for yourself and don't become friends with people who fall below that standard.
Of course, this exercise is entirely different from making friends only for the good of oneself. We really should try to help and spend time with those who are working towards a goal or dream.The musicians' conversation at the beginning is there to show that
| A．musicians' living conditions are not good |
| B．people in that town have poor taste in music |
| C．young people are more likely to succeed |
| D．different musicians have different attitudes |
The underlined part in Para. 6 means________.
| A．they'll have an influence on you |
| B．they'll help you realize your dreams |
| C．they'll keep you from moving on |
| D．they'll push you ahead very hard |
Why did the author want to make friends with the younger musician?
| A．He is more active than the others. |
| B．He can earn more than the others. |
| C．His attitude is more positive than the others. |
| D．He has more things to do than the others. |
By doing the exercise mentioned in Para. 7, you can________.
| A．improve your ability to make friends |
| B．make the right kind of friends for sure |
| C．develop a better relationship with your friends |
| D．make some new friends with similar interests |
We can get the following information from the passage EXCEPT________.
| A．the younger musician is a positive person and would be a good friend |
| B．one should avoid making friends with people having lots of difficulties |
| C．the exercise can help you keep close to really helpful friends |
| D．one will start complaining if one spends too much time with negative people |