OnasunnydaylastAugust,Timheard-优题课

Definition of Happiness
A proverb from ancient China was widely spread in the West: “If you want to be happy for a few hours, go to get drunk; if you want the happiness to last three years, get married; if you want lifetime happiness, take up gardening.” The reason for the last is this: Gardening is not only useful, but it helps you to identify(与……一致) yourself with nature, and thus brings you new joy each day besides improving your health.
A research of a US university that I’ve read gives a definition of happiness as what makes a person feel comfortably pleased. To put it specially, happiness is an active state of mind where one thinks one’s life is meaningful, satisfactory and comfortable. This should be something lasting rather than transitory (短暂的).
Lots of people regard it the happiest to be at leisure (空闲). But according to a study, it is not a person with plenty of leisure but one at work that feels happy, especially those busy with work having little time for leisure. Happiness does not mean gains one is after but a desire to harvest what one is seeking for. People often do not treasure what they already have but desire what they cannot get. That is somewhat like a man with fond dreams of numerous lovers while unwilling to settle down with the woman beside him.
Happiness is a game balancing between two ends — what one has and what one wishes for, i.e. one’s dream and the possibility to realize it. The study comes to this conclusion: A happy man is one who aims high but never forget his actual situation; one who meets challenges that develop his ability and potentiality; one who’s proud of his achievements and the recognition given to him. He has self-respect and self-confidence; treasures his own identity and loves freedom. He is sociable and enjoys wide range communication with others; he’s helpful and ready to accept assistance. He knows he is able to bear sufferings and failures; he is sensible enough to get fun from daily work. He is a man capable of love and passion.
1. According to the passage, gardening can bring lifetime happiness because _______.
A. it is a business that brings money
B. it can strengthen gardeners’ ability to remake nature
C. it can make gardeners enjoy very happy marriage
D. gardeners can build good relationship with nature
2. It can be concluded from the research of the university that most people feel happy when _______.
A. they are at leisure
B. they are engaged in working
C. they are gardening
D. they have numerous lovers
3. The writer mentioned a man with fond dreams of numerous lovers in order to _______.
A. give an example of a person who doesn’t value what he already owns
B. show that this kind of person has plenty of leisure time to do what he wants
C. make it clear that only this kind of person can enjoy happiness
D. show the serious problem in marriage in modern society
4. From the passage we can know that happiness is _______.
A. getting everything one longs for
B. just dreams made by those confident people
C. taking up gardening
D. a balance between what one owns and what one dreams of

What a strange world this would be if everyone told the truth! Even though all world religions caution(告诫) people against lying, it seems that lying is a universal communication style. Most of us get angry at big lies—especially those in government, business, and the social world. But how about truth-telling in our private life? Should we always tell the truth to husbands, wives, mothers, fathers and children? Do we?
We all lie. National public opinion polls find that only about one in ten Americans say they never tell a lie. One study of college students found that each student told about two lies a day. Half of all adults interviewed in a CBS New Poll last year admitted they had told a lie they regretted, and nearly as many said they had been deeply hurt by a lie someone told them.
We all lie about lies. Researchers asked subjects to describe the lies they told over a period of weeks. Subjects over-reported “white lies”(harmless lies—I really like your dress) and under-reported serious lies( I graduated with honors).
We lie differently to different types of people. We tell more lies to men than to women. Men and women tell more lies about themselves when talking to men, but more lies about others when talking to women. Men are particularly likely to lie about themselves. Women tell more lies than men, but only because women tell white lies in order to flatter or avoid confrontation (对抗).
Lies are hard to detect(察觉). Surveys show that nearly everyone believes most people are truthful. That’s why people are so bad at detecting lies.
1. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
A. When asked, the subjects admitted they told more serious lies.
B. People are not good at detecting lies.
C. White lies are harmless.
D. Men tell fewer lies than women.
2. The underlined word “flatter (in Paragraph 4)” probably means “_______”.
A. to anger somebody by telling a lie
B. to praise somebody in order to win his favor
C. to avoid somebody so as to escape payment
D. to warn somebody by shouting
3. Lies are not easy to detect because _______.
A. most people get angry at big lies
B. people tell more lies about themselves
C. nearly everyone believes most people are truthful
D. everyone tells the truth

A letter to Edward,a columnist (报刊专栏作家)
Dear Mr Expert,
I grew up in an unhappy and abusive home.I always Promised myself that I’d get out as soon as possible.Now,at the age of 20,I have a good job and a nice house,and I’m really proud of the independence I’ve achieved.
Here’s the problem:several of my friends who still live with their parents wish they had places like mine—so much so that they make mine theirs.
It started out with a couple of them spending the weekends with me.But now they seem to take it for granted that they can show up any time they like.They bring boyfriends over,talk on the phone and stay out forever.
I enjoy having my friends here sometimes—it makes the place feel comfortable and warm—but this is my home,not a party house.I was old enough to move out on my own,so why can’t I seem to ask my friends to respect my privacy(隐私)?
Joan
Edward’s reply to Joan
Dear Joan，
If your family didn’t pay attention to your needs when you were a child,you probably have trouble letting others know your needs now.
And if you’ve gathered your friends around you to rebuild a happy family atmosphere(气氛),you may fear that saying no will bring back the kind of conflict you grew up with—or destroy the nice atmosphere you now enjoy.You need to understand that in true friendship it’s Okay to put your own needs first from time to time.
Be clear about the message you want to send.For example,“I really love your company but I also need some privacy.So please call before you come over.”
Edward
1. We can learn from the first letter that Joan___________.
A.lives away from her parents B.takes pride in her friends
C.knows Edward quite well D.hates her parents very much
2. We can infer from the first letter that___________.
A.Joan considers her friends more important than her privacy
B.Joan’s friends visit her more often than she can accept
C.Joan doesn’t like the parties at all
D.Joan dislikes the boyfriends her friends bring over
3. According to Edward,why can’t Joan tell her friends her feelings?
A.She is afraid of hurting her friends.
B.She does not understand true friendship.
C.Her family experience stops her from doing so.
D.She does not put her needs first.
4 .The underlined word “conflict” in the second letter means___________.
A.dependent life B.fierce fight C.bad manners D.painful feeling
5.The second letter suggests that Edward .
A.is worried about Joan’s problem
B.warns Joan not to quarrel with her friends
C.advises Joan on how to refuse people
D.encourages Joan to be brave enough

四. 阅读理解(40分)
Children start out as natural scientists, eager to look into the world around them. Helping them enjoy science can be easy; there’s no need for a lot of scientific terms or expensive lab equipment. You only have to share your children’s curiosity(好奇).Firstly, listen to their questions. I once visited a classroom of seven-year-olds to talk about science as a job. The children asked me “textbook questions” about schooling, salary(薪水) and whether I liked my job. When I finished answering, we sat facing one another in silence. Finally I said,“Now that we’ve finished with your lists, do you have questions of your own about science?”
After a long pause, a boy raised his hand,“Have you ever seen a grasshopper(蚱蜢) eat?When I try eating leaves like that, I get a stomachache. Why?”
This began a set of questions that lasted nearly two hours.
Secondly, give them time to think. Studies over the past 30 years have shown that, after asking a question, adults typically wait only one second or less for an answer, no time for a child to think. When adults increase their “wait time” to three seconds or more, children give more logical(符合逻辑的),complete and creative answers.
Thirdly, watch your language. Once you have a child involved in a science discussion, don’t jump in with “That’s right” or “Very good”.These words work well when it comes to encouraging good behavior(行为).But in talking about science, quick praise can signal that discussion is over. Instead, keep things going by saying,“That’s interesting” or “I’d never thought of it that way before”,or coming up with more questions or ideas.
Never push a child to “Think”.It doesn’t make sense, children are always thinking, without your telling them to. What’s more, this can turn a conversation into a performance. The child will try to find the answer you want, In as few words as possible, so that he will be a smaller target(目标) for your disagreement.
Lastly, show don’t tell. Real-life impressions of nature are far more impressive than any lesson children can learn from a book or a television program. Let children look at their fingertips through a magnifying glass(放大镜),and they’ll understand why you want them to wash before dinner. Rather than saying that water evaporates (蒸发),set a pot of water to boil and let them watch the water level drop.
1..According to the passage, children are natural scientists, and to raise their interest, the most important thing for adults to do is .
A.to let them see the world around
B.to share the children’s curiosity
C.to explain difficult phrases about science
D.to supply the children with lab equipment
2.In the last sentence of the first paragraph, the word “lists” could best be replaced by________.
A.any questions B.any problems
C.questions from textbooks D.any number of questions
3.According to the passage, children can answer questions in a more logical, complete and creative way if adults___________.
A.ask them to answer quickly
B.wait for one or two seconds after a question
C.tell them to answer the next day
D.wait at least for three seconds after a question
4.In which of the following paragraph(s) does the author tell us what to say to encourage children in a science discussion?
A.The second and third. B.The fourth and fifth.
C.The fifth and sixth. D.The seventh.
5.The author mentions all of the following techniques for adults to share with their children’s curiosity except that adults should___________.
A.tell their children stories instead of reciting(背诵) facts
B.offer their children chances to see things for themselves
C.be patient enough when their children answer questions
D.encourage their children to ask questions of their own

第二节（共5小题，每小题2分，满分10分）
根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。其中有两项为多余选项。
Is the customer always right? 71 Shopping is very much a part of a country’s culture, and attitudes to shopping and consumers vary from country to country just as much as climate or taste in food.
Recent economic hardship has given the consumers increased power in Europe because shopkeepers fight to win their share of reduced disposable(可支配的) income. This has meant falling prices, plenty of special offers and a re-examination of what customer service really means. 72 In restaurants in the south of the USA, for example, waiters compliment(恭维) you on your clothes, ask about your day, compliment you on your wisdom of your order and then return every ten minutes to refill your glass and make sure that everything is to your satisfaction.
Anyone who has waited 30 minutes to be served in a restaurant may possibly dream of such customer service. 73 In fact, different nationalities expect different types of service. As a friend of mine once told me, “By the end of evening I had spent as much time talking to the waiter as to my wife.”
A Chinese-American friend loves telling people about how her Chinese mother shops for clothes. First of all she waits until they are on sale. 74 And later she finds some small fault with the product and demands a further reduction. She never buys anything at the regular price. Could you imagine trying such ways in department stores in other countries?
Attitudes to service are, of course, affected by employers’ attitudes to their workers. As American waiters heavily depend on tips, they have to provide more service. But is this fair？ 75 It might not be a case of “Is the customer always right?” but a case of “How much service is it fair to expect?”

A．People often point to America as an example of good customer service.

B．It is a question of expectations.

C．Do we think it is fair to ask shop assistants to work late evenings or on Sundays?

D．Then she asks for a discount until she gets an even better price.

E.The answer, it seems, depends on which country you are in.
F.The way we shop shows the way we get along with other people.
G..However, do Europeans really want US style service?

A．To test the umbrella as a sail.	B．To swim in the open water.
C．To get back their football.	D．To go boat rowing.

A．How to save people on sea	B．Brave Rescue of kids on Sea
C．An Unforgettable Experience	D．Careless Kids in Danger