Recently, CCTV journalists have approached pedestrians with their cameras, held a microphone to their mouth and asked a simple question: “Are you happy?”
The question has caught many interviewees off guard. Even Mo Yan, who recently won a Nobel Prize, responded by saying: “I don’t know”.
While the question has become a buzz phrase and the Internet plays host to heated discussions, we ask: What exactly is happiness? And how do you measure it?
In the 1776 US Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson set in writing the people’s unalienable right to “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”. Last year, 235 years on, China’s Premier Wen Jiabao told the nation: “Everything we do is aimed at letting people live more happily.” At last year’s National People’s Congress, officials agreed that increasing happiness would be a top target for the 12th five-year plan.
US psychologist Ed Diener, author of Happiness: Unlocking the Mysteries of Psychological Wealth, describes happiness as “a combination of life satisfaction and having more positive than negative emotions”, according to US broadcasting network PBS. This may sound straightforward enough, but it still doesn’t explain what determines people’s happiness.
Many argue that happiness is elusive and that there is no single source. It also means different things to different people. For some, happiness can be as simple as having enough cash.
Researchers believe happiness can be separated into two types: daily experiences of hedonic(享乐的) well-being; and evaluative well-being, the way people think about their lives as a whole. The former refers to the quality of living, whereas the latter is about overall happiness, including life goals and achievements. Happiness can cross both dimensions.
Li Jun, a psychologist and mental therapy practitioner at a Beijing clinic, says: “Happiness can mean both the most basic human satisfaction or the highest level of spiritual pursuit. It’s a simple yet profound topic.”
Chen Shangyuan, 21, a junior English major at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, said his idea of happiness always evolves. “At present it relates to how productive I am in a day,” he said. “It might be linked to job security or leisure time after I graduate.”
Then there is the question of measuring happiness. Does it depend on how many friends we have, or whether we own the latest smart phone? Is it even quantifiable?
Economists are trying to measure happiness in people’s lives. Since 1972, Bhutan’s GDP measurement has been replaced by a Gross National Happiness index. It is calculated according to the peoples’ sense of being well-governed, their relationship with the environment, their satisfaction with economic development, and their sense of national belonging.
In 2009, US economist Joseph Stiglitz proposed “to shift emphasis from measuring economic production to measuring people’s well-being”. But is well-being more easily measured? In the second paragraph, the writer gave an example to .
| A．support his idea that being famous is the reason to be happy |
| B．introduce his topic to be discussed |
| C．tell people winning a Nobel Prize is a great honour |
| D．show that the question was quite difficult |
From what Thomas Jefferson and Wen Jiabao mentioned in the passage, we know .
| A．people’s happiness is determined by great people |
| B．people’s happiness is an important target for the development of a country |
| C．people in all countries have the right to ask the government for a happy life |
| D．People both in China and America are living a happy life |
According to the passage, the writer may most likely agree that _________.
| A．CCTV journalists are concerned about people’s happiness out of sympathy. |
| B．the question has led to heated discussions about who are the happiest people in China |
| C．Bhutan’s new index shows that people there are the happiest in the world |
| D．it is not easy for us to decide what determines people’s happiness |
What does the underlined word “elusive” in the sixth paragraph mean?
| A．Available. | B．Easy to get. |
| C．Hard to describe. | D．Unimaginable. |
The best title of the passage is .
| A．Are You Happy? | B．The Measurement of Happiness |
| C．GDP and Happiness | D．The Secret of Happiness |
The Amazing Kids! PenPals Program is a literacy-based (基于读写能力的), traditional letter-writing pen pal program, available to all children aged 5-17 worldwide.
At $10 per child, our program is a low-cost and fun way to help your children practice their literacy skills while they are making new friends. Groups of 15 or more receive a 50% discount.
Children love our program because:
●It helps them develop new (and possibly life-long)friendships.
●It allows them to practice the traditional form of letter writing and correspondence.
●They love getting letters in the mail from their pen pals!
Parents love our program because:
●It offers one of the few remaining choices for finding an established, safe and trusted traditional pen pal program to their children.
●It helps strengthen communication and literacy skills taught in their children’s classroom.
●It helps open their children’s eyes to a larger world, and other cultures and traditions outside their own.
●Many parents remember having a pen pal when they were children and want to give their children the same positive, fun learning experience.
●Parents love helping their children find new friends of their own age and gender.
Frequently asked questions
Why is there a fee?
We are a small, all-volunteer non-profit organization, and the fees help cover our cost of running the program.
How did the Amazing Kids! PenPals Program begin?
The program began as a way of reaching out to the children affected by the devastating (毁灭性的) hurricanes of 2005. Our hope was that by matching young hurricane survivors with a new pen pal, we could help them in their recovery from the trauma (创伤) they experienced.
The program is now available to all children worldwide. We continue to welcome teachers, youth groups or agencies who like to work with hurricane survivors.
How does it work?
Amazing Kids! will match students of the same gender and age with other students who may share similar interests and hobbies, based on the information provided on the registration form.
I’ve completed all forms and made my payment. What happens next?
Someone from Amazing Kids! will contact you once a match has been found. You will be asked to call the other parent, teacher or group leader of the pen pal Amazing Kids! has selected. If both adults agree that the pen pal match is a good one, then the students may begin writing to each other. If the match is determined not to be a good one, Amazing Kids! will try and find an alternative match..If a group of twenty children want to join the program, they should pay _____altogether.
| A．$50 | B．$100 | C．$150 | D．$200 |
.Parents may agree the program helps children_________.
| A．travel around the world | B．communicate well with others |
| C．Meet many famous people | D．get good marks in exams |
In the beginning the Amazing Kids! PenPals Program was set up for the kids who ______.
| A．suffered from the hurricanes |
| B．were willing to make pen pals |
| C．were good at writing letters |
| D．wanted to help hurricane survivors |
I am a writer. I spend a great deal of my time thinking about the power of language—the way it can evoke (唤起) an emotion, a visual image, a complex idea, or a simple truth.Language is the tool of my trade. And I use them all—all the Englishes I grew up with.
Born into a Chinese family that had recently arrived in California, I’ve been giving more thought to the kind of English my mother speaks. Like others, I have described it to people as “broken” English. But I feel embarrassed to say that. It has always bothered me that I can think of no way to describe it other than“broken”, as if it were damaged and needed to be fixed, as if it lacked a certain wholeness. I’ve heard other terms used, “limited English,” for example. But they seem just as bad, as if everything is limited, including people’s perceptions(认识)of the limited English speaker.
I know this for a fact, because when I was growing up, my mother’s “limited” English limited my perception of her. I was ashamed of her English. I believed that her English reflected the quality of what she had to say. That is, because she expressed them imperfectly her thoughts were imperfect. And I had plenty of evidence to support me: the fact that people in department stores, at banks, and at restaurants did not take her seriously, did not give her good service, pretended not to understand her, or even acted as if they did not hear her.
I started writing fiction in 1985. And for reasons I won’t get into today, I began to write stories using all the Englishes I grew up with: the English she used with me, which for lack of a better term might be described as “broken” ; and what I imagine to be her translation of her Chinese, her internal (内在的) language, and for that I sought to preserve the essence, but neither an English nor a Chinese structure. I wanted to catch what language ability tests can never show: her intention, her feelings, the rhythms of her speech and the nature of her thoughts.. The author used to think of her mother’s English as .
| A．impolite | B．amusing |
| C．imperfect | D．practical |
. Which of the following is TRUE according to Paragraph 3?
| A．Americans do not understand broken English. |
| B．The author’s mother was not respected sometimes. |
| C．The author’s mother had positive influence on her. |
| D．Broken English always reflects imperfect thoughts. |
The author gradually realizes her mother’s English is .
| A．well structured | B．in the old style |
| C．easy to translate | D．rich in meaning |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．The change of the author’s attitude to her mother’s English. |
| B．The limitation of the author’s perception of her mother. |
| C．The author’s misunderstanding of “limited” English. |
| D．The author’s experiences of using broken English. |
Mistakes are a part of life. To err is human. Failure is also a part of life, not the end of life. Be happy facing life’s challenges. When you make the effort to be happy and to improve your life, you are actually rewarded along the way.
Life is like a game and maybe you can award(奖励) points for every effort that has been a success for you. Try it. Add ten points for every achievement. And when you have reached 50 points, just yell, “ Hey, I’ve won!” and give yourself a reward. If you happen to have missed your points for whatever reason, tell yourself, “Well, I tried!” which is better than not trying at all. Don’t let it be said you didn’t try.
What is it that you want to make yourself happy? Actually happiness means different things to different people. For example, an athlete will be happy winning his first race. For a new mother happiness would be seeing her baby’s first steps. Happiness for a poor person would mean having a meal just for today. So happiness for you is really something simple that you want for yourself.
It really doesn’t have to be big. As a matter of fact you should always have realistic expectations. Make the best out of every given situation. If you expect a certain result from a situation and it does not happen, don’t get despondent. This just means trying harder next time. We all have in us the power to succeed. Don’t let “ give up ” be a part of your vocabulary.By saying “To err is human”, the author means that________.
| A．human beings should try to avoid(避免) making mistakes |
| B．no one is perfect(完美的) and everyone makes mistakes |
| C．mistakes and failures make up our life |
| D．human beings make mistakes easily |
.What’s the main idea of Paragraph 2?
| A．Try to reach 50 points. |
| B．Never stop trying in your life. |
| C．Award yourself for your success |
| D．Don’t be afraid of missing your points. |
The author proves his idea in Paragraph 3 through_________.
| A．examples | B．numbers |
| C．experiments | D．stories |
The underlined word “ despondent ” in the last paragraph means________.
| A．frightened | B．disappointed |
| C．surprised | D．excited |
How to improve our life? Many people think that they have to accept whatever life throws at them. They'll say, "This is my destiny. I cannot change it."
Of course not! You don't have to suffer needlessly. Your life depends on you, not on other factors.
I know a woman who says she just accepts what life gives her because she has done everything she can to improve it. Guess what her lifestyle is? She wakes up in the morning, goes to work, comes back home, relaxes, chats with people, watches TV, and then goes to sleep. Next day, the same routine cycle follows.
Huh! Is this what she calls "doing her best"? She believes she has tried her best and just accepts it in her heart that this is the life that has been intended for her and that her luck can only change if God wills it. She hasn't realized that we have to do our share of making the effort to live the life of our dreams.
Remember that you harvest what you sow. You have to get off the sofa, get your eyes off the TV screen, get your hands off the phone (unless it’s helpful to your success), and get your mind and body to work! Don't expect your luck to change, unless you do something about it. If something goes wrong, don't just regard it as a temporary(暂时的) problem; Instead, learn your lesson, make the most of the situation, and do something to solve the problem. It's not enough to think positively; you also have to act positively.
If someone's life is in trouble, do you just hope and pray that things will turn out fine? Of course not! You get to do anything you can to save the person. So it is with your own life. It is not enough to hope for the best, but you have to do your best. In other words, don't just stand or sit there, do something to improve your life.According to the woman mentioned in Para. 3, her life ___________.
| A．doesn't need improving |
| B．will be better some day |
| C．can’t improve itself |
| D．will be worse in the future |
What does the author think of the woman's life?
| A．Positive | B．Disturbing |
| C．Colorful | D．Negative (消极的) |
Which of the following statements is the author's opinion?
| A．Your temporary problem is not discouraging. |
| B．You should treat yourself in the way you treat friends. |
| C．Your luck can be changed by your own efforts. |
| D．You can only achieve success when God wills it. |
In Para. 5, the author emphasized（强调）the importance of _________.
| A．positive thinking |
| B．positive action |
| C．hope for the best |
| D．intention to succeed |
The text is mainly written to advise you to __________.
| A．improve your life |
| B．understand yourself |
| C．believe in yourself |
| D．change your normal way |
From Japan to Indonesia, a certain kind of pop culture is very hot. But it doesn’t come from Hollywood—it’s Hallyu(韩流), the wave of Korean pop culture that has washed over Asia. It has influenced everything from music to television. And thanks to the Internet and social media, it’s now spreading worldwide.
South Korea produces all types of entertainment, the most popular being music, soap operas and films. What makes Hallyu so hot in Asia? One reason is that its products are of high quality and much cheaper than western products. Another reason is that eastern cultures are similar to each other, although there are language differences.
Korean pop music, or “K-pop”, ranks the firsteverywhere. Fans love the songs and the attractive stars. Companies like SM Entertainment, JYP Entertainment and YG Entertainment help many K-pop stars, such as Super Junior, Big Bang and Rain, to succeed. They are not only popular in Asia but also enjoy popularity in the West. In 2011, Big Bang’s mini-album Tonight reached the top 10 on U.S. Tunes Top Pop Albums. When SM Entertainment took their 2010 world tour to Los Angeles, only 30 percent of the 15,000 fans were Korean. Half of the audience wasn’t even Asian!
One important reason for the success of Hallyu is simply the Internet. A little more than 10 years ago, Korean soap operas, movies and music reached the outside world quite slowly. They began in Korea, and then gradually spread outward, appearing in its neighboring countries where local TV and radio companies would play them. Now they are played around the world online at the same time.
YouTube is another major way to get Korean entertainment to fans everywhere. It is an inexpensive and valid way for artists to introduce their work to a larger audience. In 2010 the YouTube channels for the top three Korean entertainment groups together had nearly 800 million views from 225 different countries.Hallyu is very hot in Asia partly because________.
| A．languages in Asia are similar to each other |
| B．the culture is the most fashionable in the world |
| C．South Korea’s products are the cheapest in Asia |
| D．the quality of South Korea’s products is high |
The author shows the popularity of K-pop in the West_______.
| A．by giving examples |
| B．in order of space |
| C．by listing reasons |
| D．in order of time |
The last two paragraphs mainly tell us________.
| A．how important the Internet is |
| B．Hallyu is popular worldwide |
| C．the Internet helps Hallyu spread quickly |
| D．how popular and effective YouTube is |
What does the underlined word valid (in Para. 5) mean?
| A．slow | B．useless |
| C．successful | D．necessary |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．K-pop Ranks the First Everywhere |
| B．Hallyu Makes Waves across the World |
| C．YouTube Helps Korean Cultures Spread |
| D．Korean Soap Operas Are Growing in Popularity |