What is the definition of “happiness?” Is it material wealth filled with fancy cars, a dream house or jewelry? Or does happiness simply mean having a roof over your head? Food in the fridge? Having a swimming pool? A designer Gucci bag? Love? Money? A perfect job?
Do you recall a time----let’s say when you were about 5 years old-----what defined happiness back then? Was it getting a puppy for Christmas? Or maybe, you were a child of divorce; and all you wanted was for Mom and Dad to get back together again? Then as you got older, you were hoping that someone would ask you to the party that would have made your day. During college, good grades made you happy, but it was short-lived. Because in the real world, you had to look for a job, and competition was fierce. But then, you got a perfect job, could you be happy?
We like having and accumulating things. We work so we can pay our rents, credit card debts, school loans, car payments… The list goes on and on. And at some point, we realize that apart from having most of what we want, we still aren’t happy. Now since we’ve learned to adapt to new standards which we’ve created for ourselves, we find that we have less time, less patience, less sleep, which leads to more stress and more anxiety. Therefore, don’t stupidly make a conclusion that happiness is just based on “things”.
Sometimes, we trade our lives for not only basic necessities, but for excessive items and services as well. Certainly, you’ve heard of individuals trying to “find themselves”, or to “rediscover themselves”. But the point has been missed: happiness is already there.
Disappointments and tragedies in life will come and go, but happiness never leaves you. We can lose our jobs, but be grateful for those who love us. We can lose our homes to nature, but be thankful to be alive. If we think we are happy, we are indeed happy. Happiness is merely a perception of each individual.
Happiness is part of love, and love is an ocean. Go dive in and get some, and then share it with everyone, which can be an endless supply. But sharing happiness with people around demands skilful techniques.The author puts forward a lot of questions to__________.
| A．ask readers for information |
| B．compare answers from readers |
| C．expect positive answers from readers |
| D．draw readers’ attention to the topic |
It can be inferred from Para.3 that___________.
| A．accumulating things is not a good habit. |
| B．pressure and worry should be ridded of. |
| C．people have to work hard to pay for daily necessities |
| D．some aren’t satisfied with what they have possessed |
Individuals trying to “rediscover themselves ” fail to realize that___________.
| A．they haven’t got lost in the material life |
| B．each individual has different opinions on happiness |
| C．there has existed something worth making them happy |
| D．it is not necessary for them to bear heavy financial burden |
People will feel happy if__________.
| A．they think of the positive aspects of life |
| B．they seek excessive items and services |
| C．they have no disappointments in life |
| D．they can get a puppy for Christmas in their childhood |
The paragraph following the last will probably talk about___________.
| A．the definition of happiness |
| B．how to share happiness with others |
| C．the ways to rediscover happiness |
| D．where to seek happiness in our daily life |
Because he wrote his name so that it could be read easily, John Hancock has a place in the dictionary.
John Hancock was a wealthy man who helped the patriots in the American Revolution. He was president of the Continental Congress. He was also governor of Massachusetts and one of the first men of sign the Declaration of Independence. Yet he is remembered best for his large signature.
The story is told that when Hancock sat down to sign the Declaration of Independence, he said that he would write his signature large enough for John Bull to read without his glasses. Hancock’s signature on the Declaration is four the three-quarter inches long—an inch longer than his usual signature.
Today John Hancock can be used to mean any person’s signature.
1. The passage is mainly about______________.
A. the American Revolution
B. John Hancock’s handwriting
C. how an American expression began
D. signing the Declaration of Independence
2. Hancock is remembered best because he________.
A. was governor of Massachusetts
B. helped the patriots in the Revolution
C. signed his name in large letters
D. was president of the Continental Congress
3. According to the dictionary, a John Hancock is a________.
A. governor B. man who sign petitions
C. strong patriotD. person’s signature
第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Miss Gorgers taught physics in a New York school. Last month she explained to one of her classes about sound, and she decided to test them to see how successful she had been in her explanation. She said to them, “Now I have a brother in Los Angeles. If I was calling him on the phone and at the same time you were 75 feet away, listening to me from the street, which of you would hear what I said earlier, my brother or you and for what reason?”
Tom at once answered, “Your brother. Because electricity travels faster than sound waves.” “That’s very good,” Miss Gorgers answered; but then one of the girls raised her hand, and Miss Gorgers said, “Yes? Kate.”
“I disagree. Your brother would hear you earlier because when it’s 11 o’clock here and it’s only 8 o’clock in Los Angeles.” Kate said.
1. Miss Gorgers was teaching her class ______.
A. how to telephone B. about electricity
C. about time zone D. about sound
2. Miss Gorgers raised this question because she wanted to know whether ______.
A. it was easy to phone to Los Angeles
B. her student could hear her from 75 feet away
C. her students had understood her lesson
D. sound waves were slower than electricity
3. Kate thought Tom was wrong because ______.
A. clocks in Los Angeles showed a different time from those in New York
B. electricity was slower than sound waves
C. Tom was not good at physics at all
D. Tom’s answer had nothing to do with sound waves
4. Whose answer do you think is correct according to the law of physics?
A. Tom’s. B. Kate’s. C. Both A and B. D. Neither A nor B.
Foreign drivers will have to pay on-the-spot fines of up to ￡900 for breaking the traffic law to be carried our next month.
If they do not have enough cash or a working credit card, their vehicles will clamped（扣留）until they pay—and they will face an additional fee of &80 for getting back their vehicles .
The law will also apply to British citizens. The fines will be described officially as “deposits” when the traffic law take effect, because the money would be returned if the driver went to court and was found not guilty, In practice, very few foreign drives are likely to return to Britain to deal with their cases.
Foreign drivers are seldom charged because police cannot take action against them if they fail to appear in court. Instead, officers often only give warnings.
Three million foreign-registered(注册) vehicles enter Britain each year . Polish vehicles make up 36 percent, French vehicles 10 percent and German vehicles 9 percent.
Foreign vehicles are 30 percent more likely to be in a crash(相撞) than British-registered vehicles .The number of crashes caused by foreign vehicles rose by 47 percent between 2003 and 2008. There were almost 400 deaths and serious injuries and 3,000 slight injuries from accidents caused by foreign vehicles in 2008.
The new law is partly intended to settle the problem of foreign lorry drivers ignoring limits on weight and hours at the wheel. Foreign lorries are three times more likely to be in a crash than British lorries. Recent spot checks found that three quarters of Lorries that failed safety tests were registered overseas.
The standard deposit for a careless driving offence —such as driving too close to the vehicle in front or reading a map at the wheel—will be ￡300. Deposits for speeding offences and using mobile phones will be ￡60. Foreign drivers will not get points as punishment added to their licenses(执照), while British drivers will.
1. The first paragraph serves as a(n)_________.
A. explanation B. introduction C. comment D. background.
2. The foreign drivers who break the traffic law and do not pay on the spot are likely to be fined up to_________.
A. ￡60 B. ￡300 C. ￡900 D. ￡980
3. We can learn from the passage that_________.
A. many foreign drivers have been fined by Britain police
B. 300,000 German vehicles enter Britain every year
C. 25 percent of foreign vehicles entering Britain have failed safety tests
D. British drivers will be punished with points and fines for breaking the traffic law
4. The new traffic law mainly plans to_________.
A. limit the number of foreign vehicles entering Britain
B. increase the British movement’s additional income
C. lower the rate of traffic accidents and injuries
D. get foreign drives to appear in count
We spent a day in the country and picked a lot of flowers. Our car was full of flowers inside! On the way home we had to stop at traffic lights, and there my wife saw the bookshelf.
It stood outside a furniture shop. “Buy it,” she said at once. “We’ll carry it home on the roof-rack(车顶架). I’ve always wanted one like that.”
What could I do? Ten minutes later I was twenty dollars poorer, and the bookshelf was tied on to the roof rack. It was tall and narrow, quite heavy too.
As it was getting darker, I drove slowly. Other drivers seemed more polite than usual that evening. The police even stopped traffic to let us through. Carrying furniture was a good idea.
After a time my wife said, “There’s a long line of cars behind. Why don’t they overtake(超车)?”
Just at that time a police car did overtake. The two officers(警官)inside looked at us seriously when they went past. But then, with a kind smile they asked us to follow their car through the busy traffic. The police car stopped at our village church. One of the officers came to me．
“Right, sir,” he said. “Do you need any more help now?”
I didn’t quite understand. “Thanks, officer,” I said. “You’ve been very kind. I live just down the road.”
He was looking at our things: first at the flowers, then at the bookshelf. “Well, well,” he said and laughed. “It’s a bookshelf you’ve got there! We thought it was——er, something else.”
My wife began to laugh. Suddenly I understood why the police drove here. I smiled at the officer. “Yes, it’s a bookshelf, but thanks again.” I drove home as fast as I could.
1. From the story we know that_________.
A. the writer was poor and didn’t buy the bookshelf for his wife
B. the writer’s wife didn’t like the bookshelf at all
C. the writer was always glad to buy something for his wife
D. the writer was not very glad to buy the bookshelf for his wife
2. What made the writer think that carrying furniture was “a good idea”?
A. He could drive slowly and it was safe．
B. Other drivers would let him go first．
C. His wife could use a new bookshelf．
D. He could save a lot of money and time．
3. Why were the police and other drivers so kind to the writer?
A. Because they thought the writer liked studying very much and needed
a bookshelf．
B. Because they didn’t think it was polite to overtake a car with a
bookshelf on it．
C. Because they thought somebody in the writer’s family had died and he
needed help．
D. Because they thought it was dangerous to carry a bookshelf on a car．
4. Why did the writer’s wife begin to laugh?
A. Because now she knew what mistake the police had made．
B. Because at last her husband understood why the police had driven to
the church．
C. Because the officer was always looking at the flowers and the
bookshelf．
D. Because the police had helped them a lot．
Some time ago I discovered that one of my chairs had a broken leg. I didn’t think there would be any difficulty in getting it mended, as there are a whole lot of antique（古董）shops near my home. So I left home one morning carrying the chair with me. I went into the first shop expecting a friendly reception. I was quite wrong. The man wouldn’t even look at my chair.
The second shop, though slightly more polite, was just the same, and the third and the fourth—so I decided that my approach must be wrong.
I entered the fifth shop with a plan in my mind. I placed the chair on the floor and said to the shopkeeper, “Would you like to buy a chair?” “Twenty pounds,” I said. “OK,” he said. “I’ll give you twenty pounds.” “It’s got a slightly broken leg,” I said. “Yes, I saw that. It’s nothing.”
Everything was going according to the plan and I was getting excited. “What will you do with it?” I asked. “Oh, it will be easy to sell once the repair is done.” “I’ll buy it,” I said. “What do you mean? You’ve just sold it to me,” he said. “Yes, I know but I’ve changed my mind. I am sorry. I’ll give you twenty-seven pounds for it.” “You must be crazy,” he said. Then, suddenly the penny dropped. “I know what you want. You want me to repair your chair.” “You’re right,” I said. “And what would you have done if I had walked in and said, ‘Would you mend this chair for me?’” “I wouldn’t have agreed to do it,” he said. “We don’t do repairs, not enough money in it and too much trouble. But I’ll mend this for you. Shall we say for a fiver?” He was a very nice man and was greatly amused by the whole thing.
1. We can learn from the text that in the first shop the writer .
A. was rather impolite
B. was warmly received
C. asked the shopkeeper to buy his chair
D. asked the shopkeeper to repair his chair
2. The underlined word “approach” in the second paragraph means .
A. plan for dealing with things B. decision to sell tings
C. idea of repairing things D. way of doing things
3. The expression “the penny dropped” in the last paragraph means the shopkeeper .
A. changed his mind B. accepted the offer
C. saw the writer’s purpose D. decided to help the write
4. How much did the writer want to pay for the repair at first?
A. ￡ 5. B. ￡ 7. C. ￡ 20. D. ￡ 27.