We do some strange things when we don’t like the way our life is going．Too often we blame(责怪)someone else．‘‘I wish my parents were more understanding．”
“I have such a bad Chemistry teacher!”
“My friends are so boring and self-centered．They make my life worse and worse．’’
Blame! Blame! Blame!
It seems natural to sing this self-pitying song，but the truth is，if you don’t like your life，you should do something about it．No one else knows exactly how you feel or what you need．No one can read your mind correctly．You are the only one with the power to check your life，and if you want it to be different，you can change what you’re doing．
When you’re in trouble，don’t give away your power to decide how you feel about yourself. Choose how you want to think and act．Other people can’t make you unhappy or angry．They only act in their own way and then it’s up to you to decide how you will respond(回应)．For example，your friends go out to lunch without you and you feel very angry．How are you going to act? You may blame your friends，“They are not kind．Who needs them anyway?” Or you may tell your friends how you feel，listen to their explanation，and let them know you’d like to be invited next time．
When you decide everything in your own way，you’re getting hold of your own life and shaping(塑造)it according to your tastes and feelings．You can choose to be happy，to make friends and to build an interesting life．When you blame others for what is or isn’t happening in your life，you have stopped growing or learning．
One of the most important rules is that you can never change another person by your direct action．The only person you have the right to change is yourself．Once you change，the other person has something different to respond to and change is possible．If you want change in your life，begin with yourself．What should we do if we don’t like our life?
| A．Change what we’re doing． | B．Read our minds correctly． |
| C．Sing that self-pitying song． | D．Tell others what we want． |
If the writer’s friends have dinner together without him，he may _________.
| A．ask somebody else to talk to them |
| B．do the same thing to them in return |
| C．talk to them and try to find out why |
| D．forget it and be still friendly with them |
What’s the writer’s idea about how to change others?
| A．He thinks it’s impossible to change others． |
| B．He believes our love can change everything． |
| C．He chooses to talk with others directly． |
| D．He prefers to change ourselves first instead． |
At the beginning of the passage three examples are given __________.
| A．to support the idea that people often blame others |
| B．to suggest that there are various problems in people’s life |
| C．to show that not all chemistry teachers are fit for their job |
| D．to explain the reason why some people’s life is worse and worse |
What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．Blame! Blame! Blame! | B．Who Controls My Life? |
| C．Change! Change! Change! | D．What Makes Me Unhappy? |
The morning had been a disaster.My tooth was aching，and I’d been in an argument with a friend.Her words still hurt：“The trouble with you is that you won’t put yourself in my place.Can’t you see things from my point of view？”I shook my head stubbornly－and felt the ache in my tooth.I’d thought I could hold out till my dentist came back from holiday，but the pain was really unbearable.I started calling the dentists in the phone book，but no one could see me immediately.Finally，at about lunchtime，I got lucky.
“If you come by right now，”the receptionist said，“the dentist will fit you in.”
I took my purse and keys and rushed to my car.But suddenly I began to doubt about the dentist.What kind of dentist would be so eager to treat someone at such short notice？Why wasn’t he as busy as the others?
In the dentist’s office，I sat down and looked around.I saw nothing but the bare walls and I became even more worried.The assistant noticed my nervousness and placed her warm hand over my icecold one.
When I told her my fears，she laughed and said，“Don’t worry.The dentist is very good.”
“How long do I have to wait for him？”I asked impatiently.
“Come on，he is coming.Just lie down and relax.And enjoy the artwork，”the assistant said.
“The artwork？”I was puzzled.
The chair went back.Suddenly I smiled.There was a beautiful picture，right where I could enjoy it：on the ceiling.How considerate the dentist was！At that moment，I began to understand what my friend meant by her words.
What a relief!Which of the following best describes the author’s feeling that morning?
| A．Cheerful. | B．Nervous. |
| C．Satisfied. | D．Upset. |
What made the author begin to doubt about the dentist?
| A．The dentist’s agreeing to treat her at very short notice. |
| B．The dentist’s being as busy as the other dentists. |
| C．The surroundings of the dentist’s office. |
| D．The laughing assistant of the dentist. |
Why did the author suddenly smile?
| A．Because the dentist came at last. |
| B．Because she saw a picture on the ceiling. |
| C．Because she could relax in the chair. |
| D．Because the assistant kept comforting her. |
What did the author learn from her experience most probably?
| A．Strike while the iron is hot. |
| B．Have a good word for one’s friend. |
| C．Put oneself in other’s shoes. |
| D．A friend in need is a friend indeed. |
(2013·高考天津卷，D)When asked about happiness，we usually think of something extraordinary，an absolute delight，which seems to get rarer the older we get.
For kids，happiness has a magical quality.Their delight at winning a race or getting a new bike is unreserved (毫不掩饰的)．
In the teenage years the concept of happiness changes.Suddenly it’s conditional on such things as excitement，love and popularity.I can still recall the excitement of being invited to dance with the most attractive boy at the school party.
In adulthood the things that bring deep joy－love，marriage，birth－also bring responsibility and the risk of loss.For adults，happiness is complicated (复杂的)．
My definition of happiness is “the capacity for enjoyment”．The more we can enjoy what we have，the happier we are.It’s easy to overlook the pleasure we get from the company of friends，the freedom to live where we please，and even good health.
I experienced my little moments of pleasure yesterday.First I was overjoyed when I shut the last lunchbox and had the house to myself.Then I spent an uninterrupted morning writing，which I love.When the kids and my husband came home，I enjoyed their noise after the quiet of the day.
Psychologists tell us that to be happy we need a mix of enjoyable leisure time and satisfying work.I don’t think that my grandmother，who raised 14 children，had much of either.She did have a network of close friends and family，and maybe this is what satisfied her.
We，however，with so many choices and such pressure to succeed in every area，have turned happiness into one more thing we’ve got to have.We’re so selfconscious about our “right” to it that it’s making us miserable.So we chase it and equal it with wealth and success，without noticing that the people who have those things aren’t necessarily happier.
Happiness isn’t about what happens to us－it’s about how we see what happens to us.It’s the skillful way of finding a positive for every negative.It’s not wishing for what we don’t have，but enjoying what we do possess.As people grow older，they________.
| A．feel it harder to experience happiness |
| B．associate their happiness less with others |
| C．will take fewer risks in pursuing happiness |
| D．tend to believe responsibility means happiness |
What can we learn about the author from Paragraph 5 and 6?
| A．She cares little about her own health. |
| B．She enjoys the freedom of traveling. |
| C．She is easily pleased by things in daily life. |
| D．She prefers getting pleasure from housework. |
What can be inferred from Paragraph 7?
| A．Psychologists think satisfying work is key to happiness. |
| B．Psychologists’ opinion is well proved by Grandma’ case. |
| C．Grandma often found time for social gatherings. |
| D．Grandma’s happiness came from modest expectations of life. |
People who equal happiness with wealth and success________.
| A．consider pressure something blocking their way |
| B．stress their right to happiness too much |
| C．are at a loss to make correct choices |
| D．are more likely to be happy |
What can be concluded from the passage?
| A．Happiness lies between the positive and the negative. |
| B．Each man is the master of his own fate. |
| C．Success leads to happiness. |
| D．Happy is he who is content. |
Guide to Stockholm University Library
Our library offers different types of studying places and provides a good studying environment.
Zones
The library is divided into different zones.The upper floor is a quiet zone with over a thousand places for silent reading，and places where you can sit and work with your own computer.The reading places consist mostly of tables and chairs.The ground floor is the zone where you can talk.Here you can find sofas and armchairs for group work.
Computers
You can use your own computer to connect to the wifi specially prepared for notebook computers；your can also use library computers；which contain the most commonly used applications，such as Microsoft Office.They are situated in the area known as the Experimental Field on the ground floor.
Groupstudy Places
If you want to discuss freely without disturbing others，you can book a study room or sit at a table on the ground floor.Some study rooms are for 23 people and others can hold up to 68 people.All rooms are marked on the library maps.
There are 40 groupstudy rooms that must be booked via the website.To book，you need an active University account and a valid University card.You can use a room three hours per day，nine hours at most per week.
Storage of Study Material
The library has lockers for students to store course literature.When you have obtained at least 40 credits (学分)，you may rent a locker and pay 400 SEK for a year’s rental period.
Rules to be Followed
Mobile phone conversations are not permitted anywhere in the library.Keep your phone on silent as if you were in a lecture and exit the library if you need to receive calls.
Please note that food and fruit are forbidden in the library，but you are allowed to have drinks and sweets with you.The library’s upper floor is mainly for students to________.
| A．read in a quiet place |
| B．have group discussions |
| C．take comfortable seats |
| D．get their computers fixed |
Library computers on the ground floor________.
| A．help students with their field experiments |
| B．contain software essential for schoolwork |
| C．are for those who want to access the wifi |
| D．are mostly used for filling out application forms |
What condition should be met to book a groupstudy room?
| A．A group must consist of 8 people. |
| B．Threehour use per day is the minimum. |
| C．One should first register at the university. |
| D．Applicants must mark the room on the map. |
A student can rent a locker in the library if he________.
| A．can afford the rental fee |
| B．attends certain courses |
| C．has nowhere to put his books |
| D．has earned the required credits |
What should NOT be brought into the library?
| A．Mobile phones. | B．Orange juice. |
| C．Candy. | D．Sandwiches. |
Two dolphins race around in a big pool in the Ocean Park.The smaller dolphin，Grace，shows off a few of her tricks，turning around and waving hello to the crowd.The most amazing thing about her，however，is that she’s even swimming at all.She doesn’t have a tail.
Grace lost her tail as a baby when she got caught up in a fish trap.When the dolphin arrived at the Ocean Park in December 2005，she was fighting for her life.“Is she going to make it？”Her trainer，Abbey Stone，feared the worst.Grace did make it—but her tail didn’t.She ended up losing her flukes and the lower part of her peduncle.
Over the past six years，she has learned to swim without her tail.Dolphins swim by moving their flukes and peduncle up and down.Grace taught herself to move another way—like a fish! She pushed herself forward through the water by moving her peduncle from side to side.
The movements put harmful pressure on Grace’s backbone.So a company offered to create a manmade tail for her.The tail had to be strong enough to stay on Grace as she swam but soft enough that it wouldn’t hurt her.
The first time Grace wore the artificial tail，she soon shook it off and let it sink to the bottom of the pool.Now，she is still learning to use the tail.Some days she wears it for an hour at a time，others not at all.“The new tail isn’t necessary for her to feel comfortable，”says Stone，“but it helps to keep that range of motion (动作) and build muscles (肌肉)．”
Now，the dolphin is about to get an even happier ending.This month，Grace will star in Dolphin Tale，a film that focuses on her rescue and recovery.Her progress has inspired more than just a new movie.Many people travel from near and far to meet her.Seeing Grace swim with her manmade tail gives people so much courage.When Grace first arrived at the Ocean Park，her trainer worried about her________.
| A．physical build |
| B．potential ability |
| C．chance of survival |
| D．adaptation to the surroundings. |
A manmade tail is created for Grace to________.
| A．let her recover faster |
| B．make her comfortable |
| C．adjust her way of swimming |
| D．help her perform better tricks |
The story of Grace inspires people to________.
| A．stick to their dreams |
| B．treat animals friendly |
| C．treasure what they have |
| D．face difficulties bravely |
In 1947 a group of famous people from the art world headed by an Austrian conductor decided to hold an international festival of music，dance and theatre in Edinburgh.The idea was to reunite Europe after the Second World War.
It quickly attracted famous names such as Alec Guinness，Richard Burton，Dame Margot Fonteyn and Marlene Dietrich as well as the big symphony orchestras(交响乐团)．It became a fixed event every August and now attracts 400,000 people yearly.
At the same time，the “Fringe” appeared as a challenge to the official festival.Eight theatre groups turned up uninvited in 1947，in the belief that everyone should have the right to perform，and they did so in a public house disused for years.
Soon，groups of students firstly from Edinburgh University，and later from the universities of Oxford and Cambridge，Durham and Birmingham were making the journey to the Scottish capital each summer to perform theatre by littleknown writers of plays in small church halls to the people of Edinburgh.
Today the“Fringe”，once less recognized，has far outgrown the festival with around 1,500 performances of theatre，music and dance on every one of the 21 days it lasts.And yet as early as 1959，with only 19 theatre groups performing，some said it was getting too big.
A paid administrator was first employed only in 1971，and today there are eight administrators working all year round and the number rises to 150 during August itself.In 2004 there were 200 places housing 1,695 shows by over 600 different groups from 50 different countries.More than 1.25 million tickets were sold.What was the purpose of Edinburgh Festival at the beginning?
| A．To bring Europe together again. |
| B．To honor heroes of World War Ⅱ. |
| C．To introduce young theatre groups. |
| D．To attract great artists from Europe. |
Why did some uninvited theatre groups come to Edinburgh in 1947?
| A．They owned a public house there. |
| B．They came to take up a challenge. |
| C．They thought they were also famous. |
| D．They wanted to take part in the festival. |
Who joined the“Fringe”after it appeared?
| A．Popular writers. |
| B．University students. |
| C．Artists from around the world. |
| D．Performers of music and dance. |
We may learn from the text that Edinburgh Festival________.
| A．has become a nonofficial event |
| B．has gone beyond an art festival |
| C．gives shows all year round |
| D．keeps growing rapidly |