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 straight forward 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 gods and achievement.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?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 understand. | D.Accessible. |
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 |
Hong Kong, major commercial center for Asia, and with a population which has grown at an alarming rate to over 5 million, is a city highly dependent on mass (大量的, 大规模的) transit of all sorts, both local and long distance. An ordinary Hong Kong worker or businessman, going about his daily activities, simply must use transportation at one time or another.
Because Hong Kong is in two parts, Kowloon, on the mainland side, and Hong Kong, the island, with Hong Kong's harbor in between Hong Kong's mass transit systems, in addition to going over land they must also cross water.
Going from home to work, or going shopping from one side of the harbor to the other, the Hong Kong resident has three choices. One way is to take a bus which will cross the harbor through an under water traffic tunnel moving slowly through bumper- to-bumper (一辆接一辆) traffic.Another way is by ferry boat , a pleasant ride which crosses the harbor in from seven to fifteen minutes.
But by far the fastest way of crossing the harbor is the newly built underground electric railway, the Hong Kong Metro(地铁). If one gets on the train in the Central District,the commercial area of Hong Kong on the island side, he can speed across the harbor in an astonishing three minutes. On the other side of the harbor the railway continues, snaking back and forth through the outlying districts of Kowloon, allowing one to get off a short distance from his destination.
The story of the Metro is an encouraging one for supporters of mass transit. Although building the system was certainly a challenging task, the Japanese firm hired to construct it did so in record time. Construction got underway in 1979 and it was completed in 1980.
For the average commuter (一般持月票往返两地的乘客) the system has only one disadvantage; it is more expensive than by bus or ferry. One can ride the bus across the harbor for half as much or he can ride the ferry across for less than one-fifth as much.Hong Kong public transportation extends ________.
A.over hills and valleys | B.across land and water |
C.through mountains | D.throughout the Kowloon area |
Crossing the harbor by train is ________.
A.by far the most economical methods |
B.the most pleasant method |
C.the least pleasant method |
D.the fastest method |
The business area on the island side of Hong Kong is referred to as ________.
A.Kowloon | B.the Central District |
C.the Hong Kong Metro | D.downtown Hong Kong |
The underground railway ________.
A.winds through Kowloon | B.ends when it reaches Kowloon |
C.snakes across the harbor | D.circles Kowloon |
It doesn't matter when or how much a person sleeps, but everyone needs some rest to stay alive. That's what all doctors thought, until they heard about Al Herpin.
Al Herpin, it was said, never slept. He was 90 years old when doctors came to his home in New Jersey. They expected to find out that he needed sleep of some kind. But they were surprised. Though they watched him every hour of the day, they never saw Herpin sleeping. He did not even own a bed. He never needed one.
The closest that Herpin came to resting was to sit in a rocking chair(摇椅) and read some news papers. The doctors were puzzled by this strange continuous sleeplessness. Herpin offered the only probable explanation of his condition. He remembered some talk about his mother having been injured several days before he was born.The point of this story is that _______.
A.We needn't feel surprised to find someone who doesn't sleep |
B.one person was found who actually didn't need any sleep |
C.everyone needs some rest to stay alive |
D.not sleeping may help one to live longer |
After watching him closely, the doctors believed that Al Herpin _______.
A.needed some kind of sleep | B.slept while one was watching |
C.needed no sleep at all | D.nearly slept in a rocking chair |
One suggested explanation of Herpin's sleeplessness was _______.
A.his old age |
B.his not having a bed |
C.his magnificent physical condition |
D.his mother's injury while carrying him |
The writer of the story obviously thinks that Al Herpin's sleeplessness ___.
A.could be cured | B.could be explained |
C.was healthful | D.was uncommon |
James Joyce was an Irish novelist who revolutionized the methods of depicting characters and developing a plot in modern fiction. his astonishing way of constructing a novel, his frank portrayal(描画, 描写)of human nature in his books, and his complete command of English have made him one of the outstanding influences on literature in the 20th century. Many critics judge that he is second only to Shakespeare in his mastery of the English language. Joyce was deeply influenced by Ireland and wrote all his books about Dublin.
When he was in Dublin College, he studied languages and spent his spare time reading books. He refused to take part in the nationalist movement like his fellow students, but he became passionately(热情地, 热烈地)interested in literature. He wrote outspoken articles of literary criticism that shocked his teachers and even taught himself norwegian(挪威语)so that he could read Ibsen’s(挪威剧作家及诗人)works in the original.
When he graduated in 1902, he knew he would become a writer and an exile(流犯, 被放逐者), because he felt he could not be one without the other. In order to preserve his ideal of writing truthfully, fully, and as objectively as he knew how, about the people and places he knew best, he had to escape from all temptations to become involved in popular opinion or public life. He went to France, Italy and Switzerland, where he lived in poverty and obscurity for the first 20 years, only returning to Ireland when his mother was dying. Except for a couple of brief trips, he stayed abroad all his life.James Joyce was famous for many reasons except _______.
A.his way of constructing a novel |
B.his frank portrayal of human nature |
C.his complete command of English |
D.his passion in literature |
“he is second only to Shakespeare” is a comment on his ________.
A.achievement in literature |
B.achievement in the nationalist movement |
C.achievement in his study of languages |
D.mastery of the English language |
How many examples are used to show his passion in literature?
A.2. | B.3. | C.1. | D.4. |
Why did James Joyce stay abroad almost all his life?
A.Because he wanted to live in poverty and obscurity. |
B.Because he wanted to write the people and places he knew best. |
C.Because he wanted to escape from all temptations to become involved in popular opinion or public life. |
D.Because he wanted to preserve his ideal of writing truthfully, fully and objectively about the people and the places he knew best. |
Hong Kong, major commercial center for Asia, and with a population which has grown at an alarming rate to over 5 million, is a city highly dependent on mass (大量的, 大规模的) transit of all sorts, both local and long distance. An ordinary Hong Kong worker or businessman, going about his daily activities, simply must use transportation at one time or another.
Because Hong Kong is in two parts, Kowloon, on the mainland side, and Hong Kong, the island, with Hong Kong's harbor in between Hong Kong's mass transit systems, in addition to going over land they must also cross water.
Going from home to work, or going shopping from one side of the harbor to the other, the Hong Kong resident has three choices. One way is to take a bus which will cross the harbor through an under water traffic tunnel moving slowly through bumper- to-bumper (一辆接一辆) traffic.Another way is by ferry boat , a pleasant ride which crosses the harbor in from seven to fifteen minutes.
But by far the fastest way of crossing the harbor is the newly built underground electric railway, the Hong Kong Metro(地铁). If one gets on the train in the Central District,the commercial area of Hong Kong on the island side, he can speed across the harbor in an astonishing three minutes. On the other side of the harbor the railway continues, snaking back and forth through the outlying districts of Kowloon, allowing one to get off a short distance from his destination.
The story of the Metro is an encouraging one for supporters of mass transit. Although building the system was certainly a challenging task, the Japanese firm hired to construct it did so in record time. Construction got underway in 1979 and it was completed in 1980.
For the average commuter (一般持月票往返两地的乘客) the system has only one disadvantage; it is more expensive than by bus or ferry. One can ride the bus across the harbor for half as much or he can ride the ferry across for less than one-fifth as much.Hong Kong public transportation extends ________.
A.over hills and valleys | B.across land and water |
C.through mountains | D.throughout the Kowloon area |
Crossing the harbor by train is ________.
A.by far the most economical methods |
B.the most pleasant method |
C.the least pleasant method |
D.the fastest method |
The business area on the island side of Hong Kong is referred to as ________.
A.Kowloon | B.the Central District |
C.the Hong Kong Metro | D.downtown Hong Kong |
The underground railway ________.
A.winds through Kowloon | B.ends when it reaches Kowloon |
C.snakes across the harbor | D.circles Kowloon |
It doesn't matter when or how much a person sleeps, but everyone needs some rest to stay alive. That's what all doctors thought, until they heard about Al Herpin.
Al Herpin, it was said, never slept. He was 90 years old when doctors came to his home in New Jersey. They expected to find out that he needed sleep of some kind. But they were surprised. Though they watched him every hour of the day, they never saw Herpin sleeping. He did not even own a bed. He never needed one.
The closest that Herpin came to resting was to sit in a rocking chair(摇椅) and read some news papers. The doctors were puzzled by this strange continuous sleeplessness. Herpin offered the only probable explanation of his condition. He remembered some talk about his mother having been injured several days before he was born.The point of this story is that _______.
A.We needn't feel surprised to find someone who doesn't sleep |
B.one person was found who actually didn't need any sleep |
C.everyone needs some rest to stay alive |
D.not sleeping may help one to live longer |
After watching him closely, the doctors believed that Al Herpin _______.
A.needed some kind of sleep | B.slept while one was watching |
C.needed no sleep at all | D.nearly slept in a rocking chair |
One suggested explanation of Herpin's sleeplessness was _______.
A.his old age |
B.his not having a bed |
C.his magnificent physical condition |
D.his mother's injury while carrying him |
The writer of the story obviously thinks that Al Herpin's sleeplessness ___.
A.could be cured | B.could be explained |
C.was healthful | D.was uncommon |