Happiness is important for everyone. Most people want to be happy but few know how to find happiness. Money and success don’t bring lasting happiness. Happiness depends on ourselves. In other words, we make our own happiness. Some people believe that if they are wealthy, they will be able to do anything they want, which means happiness. On the other hand, some people believe that holding a high position in the government is happiness. In this way, you have both money and many other things which can’t be bought by money. However, other people believe that having lots of money is not happiness, nor is holding a high position in the government. These people value their beliefs, or their intelligence, or their health. They think these can make them happy.
Here are a few ways to help you be happier.
The first secret of happiness is to enjoy the simple things in life. Sometimes we spend too much time thinking about the future, for example, getting into college or getting a good job, that we don’t enjoy the present. You should enjoy life’s simple pleasures, such as reading a good book, listening to your favorite music, or spending time with close friends. People who have close friends usually enjoy happier and healthier lives.
The second secret of happiness is to be active. Many people go dancing or play sports. People can forget about their problems and only think about the activities.
Finally, many people find happiness in helping others. According to studies, people feel good when they volunteer their time to do many meaningful things for other people. If you want to feel happier, do something nice for someone. You can help a friend with his or her studies, go shopping to get food for an old neighbor, or simply help around the house.
Now maybe you know how to find happiness!The underlined word “wealthy” means “__________” in the article.
| A．pleased | B．healthy | C．excited | D．rich |
Some people who hold a high position in the government think they can _________.
| A．get money and something they can’t buy with money |
| B．do what they want to do at any time |
| C．enjoy health which makes them work hard |
| D．take an active part in all kinds of activities every day |
The writer thinks the secret of happiness is that people ___________.
| A．think about getting a good job |
| B．think of presents they don’t like |
| C．often spend time with close friends |
| D．often spend time on entering the college |
Many people find it happy to ___________.
| A．remember the old days and troubles |
| B．do some meaningful things for others |
| C．go shopping to buy some food |
| D．make much money and little success |
The passage mainly tells us __________.
| A．how to find happiness |
| B．how to save happiness |
| C．to do something good for others |
| D．to make friends with others |
Once a baby cries, the parents will go to see what happened as soon as possible. According to a new study, a baby’s cry can make adults react very quickly, even if they are not related(相关的).
Oxford University researchers used a game called Whack-a-mole for the study. The game needs people to hit one buttons(按钮). The players must react as quickly as they can to hit the button that lights up at random(随机的). It is a game that requires speed and accuracy(准确度).
The study included 40 men and women volunteers aged 19 to 59. Some of them had sons or daughters but none had a baby at the time. They played whack-a-mole after listening to different sounds, including babies’ crying, the crying of adults in trouble and birds’ song that sounds like babies’ crying.
The volunteer’ scores were higher after listening to the sound of crying babies. Men and women had similar scores. The results showed that a crying baby gets special attention.
“Few sounds make people react quite like the cry of a baby,” said Morten Kringelbach of Oxford’s psychiatry department, who led the study.
He added that a baby’s cry can increase adults’ heart rate and blood pressure. This is understandable, because in the course of human evolution(进化), taking care of babies has always been an important job for adults. When a baby is hungry or feeling bored or unwell, it will cry. As a result, human brains and bodies develop a special reaction to a baby’s cry.According to the passage, how many volunteers took part in the study?
| A．80 | B．40 | C．19 | D．59 |
In the passage, the underlined word react means__________.
| A．表演 | B．打击 | C．反应 | D．演示 |
The game “whack-a-mole” shows__________.
| A．a baby’s cry can get special attention from adults |
| B．men and women have different reaction speed and accuracy |
| C．adults without babies react more quickly to a baby’s cry |
| D．women react to a baby’s cry more quickly than men |
According to the passage, a baby’s cry__________.
| A．can get the same attention from adults as the birds’ song |
| B．is the noisiest sound |
| C．can increase adults’ heart rate and blood pressure |
| D．is good for its health |
From the last paragraph, we learn that_________.
| A．taking care of the younger babies was the most important thing in the past |
| B．human brains and bodies have developed to take care of babies |
| C．baby cries are a good way make adults react quickly |
| D．baby cries have developed a lot during the course of human evolution |
What do you like most when you can get one of such things: freedom, true friends, love, honesty and so on? Here are some choices of students:
Chen Cheng, 14, Jiangsu: I think I need a true friend. I had some friends before. However, it seemed that they didn't treat me well. I told them my secrets but they didn't share theirs with me. What's worse, they told my secrets to others, which made me very unhappy. I hope to find a true lifelong（终身的）friend who can share happiness and sadness with me and keep my secrets.
Gan Xiaoning 14, Heilongjiang: Freedom is what I want most. I am a bird in two cages. In school, I have to follow the school's rules and listen to teachers. At home, my parents don't allow me to do what I like, either. I have to do everything that they tell me to do: study, study and study some more. So, freedom is the only thing I really want!
Yuan Siyu, 15, Guangxi: I am a boy from a poor family. My father works very hard but only makes a little money every month to support the family. I want to go to a key university （重点大学）so that I can find a good job in the future. Then, I can earn enough money to get my family out of poverty(贫困) and offer my parents a happy life.
Qu Yi, 15, Hebei: I want a complete family. My parents got divorced(离婚) three years ago. Since then, I have had no chance to be together with both of them any more. Now, I am living with my mom and get her love, but I also want my dad's love. I am envious(羡慕) of my classmates who live with their parents. So, I would have a complete family if I could. What is not mentioned in the passage?
| A．freedom | B．love | C．a true friend | D．hobby |
Who is facing the problem of poverty and decides to fight?
| A．Qu Yi | B．Chen Cheng | C．Gan Xiaoning | D．Yuan Siyu |
As for Chen Cheng, she wants a friend_______.
| A．who often tells lies to her | B．who only cares about her own happiness |
| C．who can play with her | D．who can share her feeling and keep secrets |
What does the underlined word “earn” mean in this passage?
| A．Gave | B．Make | C．Lend | D．Borrow |
Which of the following is true?
| A．Qu Yi's father works very hard and makes much money to support his family. |
| B．Chen Cheng gets along very well with his friends |
| C．If Qu Yi's parents didn't get divorced, he would be much happier. |
| D．Gan Xiaoning says he is a bird because he wants to fly like a bird. |
Many of us don’t pay much attention to the importance of eye care. It is said that if you take care of your body, then you can surely be healthy. That is why our eyes should be given a lot of care. Natural eye care should be put in a number one place.
There are several causes leading to poor eyesight like not enough food, genes(基因) and aging(老化). Televisions, computers and reading are also the causes of having poor eyesight. If you happen to work in front of the computer, it is best to take a break every once in a while. Something dirty can cause redness and they will make you uncomfortable. It is bad for your eyes, too. If this happens, the best way is to clean your eyes by using cold water. You must also try your best to protect your eyes from harmful things. For example, sunglasses are not just for fashion but they can also serve as a great way to protect your eye-sight from UV rays.
Eating healthy foods will do good to your eyesight. Remember that vitamin A, C and E are good for eyes. Try to eat food groups that have these vitamins. And you should do eye exercises because exercise protects your eyesight, too. If a person exercises regularly(定期的) and eats the right kind of food, his eyes will stay in good condition(状况) for a long time.
All above are natural ways of eye care that help us keep healthy eyes. Being happy all the time can be helpful to a person’s eyesight, too. In a word, eye care is very important, no matter how old a person is.__________ is the most important way to protect our eyes.
| A．Natural eye care | B．Taking medicine |
| C．Seeing a doctor | D．Being happy all the time |
All the following causes can lead to bad eyesight except__________ .
| A．age | B．height | C．reading | D．computers |
What should you do if you have to work in front of the computer?
| A．Eat healthy foods. | B．Clean the eyes by using cold water. |
| C．Wear a pair of sunglasses. | D．Have a rest after working for a while. |
What do the underlined words UV rays mean?
| A．沙尘 | B．闪电 | C．紫外线 | D．超声波 |
Which is the best title of the passage?
| A．Ways of eye care | B．Ways of eye exercises |
| C．Ways of Being Happy | D．Ways of Being Healthy |
When I was a teenager growing up in Russia, I felt studying very boring, I wanted to leave school and have my own life. There were only two ways for me to do this—working in the toy factory in my town, or getting married. I chose the first one. I was nervous when I told my father that I wanted to leave school. I thought he would say, “No! You are going to college.” Instead, he took me by surprise when he said, “OK. We’ll go to the toy factory.”
Two days later, he took me to the factory. I had a very romantic idea of working in a factory. I had imagined everyone to be friendly working together and having fun. I even imagined there would be music and singing. I guess I had watched too many movies as a teenager.
When we arrived at the factory gates, my father spoke to the guard and one minute later we went inside. My father said, “Take your time. Look around.” I walked around the factory, looking at the buildings, the workers, and listening to the noise. It was terrible. I ran back to my father and said, “I want to go home.”
He asked me, “What do you think of the factory?”
“It’s terrible,” I replied.
“And you have another choice, but I think getting married is even worse!” he said.
I went back to school the next day. From then on, I studied as hard as I could. Finally I got into a good college. I enjoyed studying English so I decided to major in languages at college. Thanks to my father and our trip to the factory, I now work at the United Nations and my father is very proud of me. I married a very good man and my life is much better than it would have been working in the factory!The writer lived in ________ when she was a teenager.
| A．Russia | B．Japan | C．China | D．England |
At first she thought life in the factory would be ________ than in school.
| A．more terrible | B．more colorful | C．busier | D．more boring |
After they visited the factory, the writer ________.
| A．decided to work there | B．changed her romantic idea |
| C．wanted to get married | D．argued with her father |
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．The writer studied languages after she went into the college. |
| B．The writer now works at the United Nations. |
| C．The writer’s father used a special way to let his daughter go back to school. |
| D．The writer’s father is proud because his daughter married a good man. |
Some people think only school children do not agree with their parents, in fact, it is not true.
Communication is a big problem for parents and children of all ages. If it’s hard for you to communicate well with your parents, don’t worry about it. Here are some advice for you to bridge the generation gap.
Don’t argue with your parents. Don’t get to your parents when you are angry. On one hand, your parents probably won’t consider your ideas if you are shouting at them. On the other hand, you can’t express yourself well if you are angry. Please go someplace to cool off, try to make sure you understand why you are unhappy. Then, think about what you want to say to your parents. If you don’t think you can speak to them at the moment, writing a letter may be a good way to help you.
Try to reach an agreement. Perhaps you and your parents disagree on something. You can keep your disagreement and try your best to accept each other. For example, Michael wanted to buy a motorcycle, but his mother didn’t agree with him, they argued over it. Finally, they came to an agreement. Michael bought the motorcycle, but he could only drive it on certain days.
Of course, your parents might refuse to agree on something. In these situations, it is especially important to show your love and respect to them. Showing respect will keep your relationship strong.
Talk about your values. Because of the generation gap, the values of your parents are probably different from those of your own. Tell your parents what you care about, and why. Understanding your values might help them see your purposes in life.
A good relationship with your parents can make you a better and happier person. It is worth having a try! Communication is an art!According to the passage, who have a communication problem?
| A．parents and other people | B．school kids and their parents |
| C．teachers and their students | D．parents and children of all ages |
If the values of your parents are different from those of yours, you’d better _______.
| A．argue with them | B．keep away from them |
| C．agree with them all the time | D．tell your parents what you care about |
The underlined word “bridge” in the passage means “_______”.
| A．建立 | B．消除 | C．扩大 | D．桥梁 |
The best title for the passage is______.
| A．How to reach an agreement | B．How to communicate with parents |
| C．How to talk about your values | D．How to write a letter to parents |