A hobby is an activity we can do in our free time, so that we can keep ourselves busy with something that makes us happy. Different people pursue (追求) different kinds of hobbies, according to their personal likes and dislikes. Hobbies are activities we choose to do, but not activities we have to do. There is a lot of difference between wanting to do something and having to do it. We only want to do those things we like to do, and things that give us pleasure and peace of mind.
Hobbies hold a very important place in our lives. For example, they are a means of connecting us with our inner self. The time devoted to taking up a hobby is our own time. This is the time when we can connect and communicate with ourselves. During this personal time, we can do whatever we like. Doing things according to our own wishes gives us a sense of inner satisfaction, and also helps develop self-confidence.
Hobbies also help discover talents. There is a possibility that we are interested in a certain activity, but have never had a chance to actually try it. If we develop our interest as our hobbies, it’s obvious that we’ll do it with great interest. So, even if we have never tried a certain thing before, we can still learn to do it. Thus, the hobbyists’ hidden talents can be discovered, and this can make them feel extremely proud and satisfied.
It’s human nature to try to know more about the things we like. The moment we pursue some activities as our favorite hobbies, we tend to gain more knowledge about the same hobby. Whether it’s gardening, cooking, painting or collecting stamps, we always try to get a deeper understanding of what we’re doing, so that we can do it more correctly. What’s more, we also happen to meet people with similar tastes and sometimes, possessing (拥有) rich knowledge about their hobbies. Thus, besides gaining knowledge, hobbies also provide us with a chance to meet people who share similar likes and dislikes with us.
Whatever our hobbies are, they can be developed at any age, as a child or as an adult. However, if we begin at a young age, we can get more time to experience the joys of our favorite pursuit. The hobby tends to grow with us, and someday, may also take us to great heights.
| Why to take up a hobby |
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·Hobbies are activities we do in our free time and can make us ·Our hobbies are based on our likes. ·Hobbies are those activities people are |
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| Helping connect With the inner self |
·The time ·We’ll feel |
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| Helping discover talents |
·We can learn a lot by trying some activities with great ·We’ll be able to find our |
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| Helping gain knowledge |
·When pursuing a hobby, we tend to try our best to ·We can also |
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| Though all hobbies can be developed at any age, yet it’s better to develop one when we are young. |
Perhaps you have heard a lot about the Internet, but what is it, do you know? The Internet is a network. It uses the telephone to join millions of computers together around the world.
Maybe that doesn’t sound very interesting. But when you’re joined to the Internet, there are lots and lots of things you can do. You can send E-mails to your friends, and they can get them in a few seconds. You can also do with all kinds of information on the World Wide Web (WWW).
There are many different kinds of computers now. They all can be joined to the Internet. Most of them are small machines sitting on people’s desks at home, but there are still many others in schools, offices or large companies. These computers are owned by people and companies, but no one really owns the Internet itself.
There are lots of places for you to go into the Internet. For example, your school may have the Internet. You can use it during lessons or free time. Libraries often have computers joined to the Internet. You are welcome to use it at any time.
Thanks to the Internet, the world is becoming smaller and smaller. It is possible for you to work at home with a computer in front, getting and sending the information you need. You can buy or sell whatever you want by the Internet. But do you know 98% of the information on the Internet is in English? So what will English be like tomorrow? What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Computers. | B．Information. | C．Internet. | D．E-mails. |
Who’s the owner of the Internet?
| A．No one. | B．The officer. | C．The headmaster. | D．The user. |
What does the writer try to tell us with the last two sentences?
| A．Most of the information is in English. |
| B．The Internet is more and more popular. |
| C．English is important in using the Internet. |
| D．Every computer must have the Internet |
On November 19, 1863, Abraham Lincoln went to Gettysburg to speak at the National Soldiers Cemetery（公墓）. The Civil War was still going on. There was much criticism (批评) of President Lincoln at the time. He had been invited to speak at Gettysburg only out of politeness. The other speaker was to be Edward Everett, a famous statesman (政治家) and speaker of the day. Everett was a handsome man and very popular everywhere.
It is said that Lincoln prepared his speech on the train while going to Gettysburg. Later that night, alone in his hotel room and tired out, he again worked briefly on the speech. The next day Everett spoke first. His speech lasted an hour and 57 minutes and it was a perfect example of the day. Then Lincoln rose. The crowd of 15,000 people at first paid little attention to him. He spoke for only nine minutes. At the end there was little applause（掌声）. Lincoln turned to a friend and said, “I have failed again.”
Some newspapers at first criticized (批评) the speech. But little by little, as people read the speech, they began to like its simplicity（简洁）and its deep meaning. It was a speech which only Abraham Lincoln could have made.
Now everyone thinks of it as one of the greatest speeches ever given in American history. In 1863, Abraham Lincoln was __________________ in Gettysburg.
| A．warmly welcomed | B．unpopular | C．greatly praised | D．very polite |
Lincoln was invited to speak at the National Soldiers Cemetery because he was __________.
| A．a famous speaker of the day | B．very handsome and polite |
| C．President of the United States at the time | D．a popular statesman |
It can be inferred from the text that __________________________________.
| A．Lincoln had prepared his speech very carefully before he went to Gettysburg |
| B．Lincoln was very busy at the time and didn’t have much time to prepare his speech |
| C．Lincoln’s speech seemed to be a failure for the first time |
| D．Lincoln’s speech was a little shorter than Everett’s one |
Lincoln’s speech was __________________.
| A．an immediate success | B．not accepted at all |
| C．a total failure | D．not well-received at first |
Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE?
| A．Lincoln’s speech has deep meaning though it is simple in style. |
| B．Neither Lincoln’s speech nor Everett’s was popular then. |
| C．Lincoln’s speech proved to be a great success later. |
| D．Everett’s speech was thought to be perfect at that time. |
★Money and Happiness★
A Guide to Living the Good Life
Author: Laura Rowley
Publisher: Wiley (March 1, 2008)
Laura Rowley helps us all understand the money-happiness connection in our own lives so that we spend our time and efforts wisely. She offers insights that every reader can use to make smarter decisions that will lead to living a rich life in every possible definition of the term.
★Happiness★
The Science Behind Your Smile
Author: Daniel Nettle
Publisher: Oxford University Press (July 1, 2008)
This is the first book to look thoroughly at what happiness is and how it works. Nettle examines whether people are basically happy or unhappy, whether success can make us happy, why some people are happier than others, and much more.
★The Happiness Makeover★
How to Teach Yourself to Be Happy and Enjoy Every Day
Author: M. J. Ryan
Publisher: Broadway (May 10, 2008)
Ryan’s own desire to be happier first led her to study what is known about happiness from brain science, psychology, and the wisdom traditions of the world. The Happiness Makeover draws on this wide-ranging knowledge and presents a plan that will help you:
Clear away happiness problems like worry, fear, envy, and dislikes.
Learn to think confidently.
Find daily ways to truly enjoy, even relish, the moments of your life.
★Health and Happiness★
Hormones and Qualities Llives
Author: Steven F. Hotze
Publisher: Forrest Publishing (April, 2008)
Dr Steven Hotze is leading a wellness revolution that advances a new model of healthcare. Unlike the popular medical way of treating individual symptoms(症状) with the familiar “anti” drugs, Dr Hotze deals with the basic causes of poor health.
In Hormones, Health, and Happiness you are shown how to reach and keep the best body functioning.
Based on a process of biologically the same hormones(荷尔蒙) and other natural treatments, it can help you enjoy a better quality of life. According to the passage, which of the following books was the first to come out?
| A．A Guide to Living the Good Life |
| B．Hormones and Qualities Lives |
| C．How to Teach Yourself to Be Happy and Enjoy Every Day |
| D．The Science Behind Your Smile |
If you want to know more about whether happiness has something to do with success, you should turn to _________________________________.
| A．Money and Happiness | B．Happiness |
| C．The Happiness Makeover | D．Health and Happiness |
Whose model will possibly help readers obtain health and wellness naturally?
| A．Laura Rowley’s. | B．M. J. Ryan’s. | C．Daniel Nettle’s. | D．Steven F. Hotze’s. |
Which is the best title for the passage?
| A．What Is Happiness? | B．Recent Books on Happiness |
| C．Money and Happiness | D．How to Keep Yourself Happy |
Dear Editor,
I’m now busy in preparing for the Postgraduate (研究生) Entrance Exam. A few days ago, I happened to see some new guidebooks for those who want to take next year’s exam. With too many hopes and without taking it into too much consideration, I bought several that were written by some known for helping candidates (应试者) for master’s degrees.
What made me really angry was the starting discovery that the contents of those books were almost exactly the same as some I had bought before. There were only superficial (外表的) changes in their covers, with more attractive new titles and better designs. The contents were the same.
People say that the publishing industry is in a state of chaos (混乱) these days but I used to be doubtful abut that. I was of the opinion that only people of noble character, prestige (威望), and exceptional talent would produce books for higher education. But these editors are caring little about their readers.
I hope that authors and publishing houses will be more responsible for their readers. Don’t destroy the image that you have with your readers.The writer bought some guidebooks in order to ___________________________.
| A．write an essay on guidebooks | B．prepare for the entrance exam |
| C．give his students a lecture | D．send them to his good friends |
The writer was angry because _________________________________________.
| A．there were a lot of printing mistakes in the books that he had bought |
| B．the books were so expensive that he couldn’t afford any of them |
| C．he found the books he had bought were thin but of poor quality |
| D．the books had the same contents as what he had bought before |
In the writer’s opinion, publishers should be _____________________________.
| A．responsible | B．kind-hearted | C．hard-working | D．creative |
It was a quiet village in which there was a military camp. It was far from the towns and cities and there were some high mountains around. Of course it was a good place for training the new soldiers. But it was difficult for the young men to go outside. Mr. White, an officer of forty, was strict with them and he hardly let them leave the camp.
Once Mr. White was ill in bed. He couldn’t work and a young officer, Mr. Hunt, began to train the new soldiers instead of him. He knew the young men well and let nine soldiers go to the nearest town to have a holiday. But night fell and none came back to the camp. He was worried about it and stood at the gate. It was five to twelve when Mr. Hunt decided to go to the town and see what was happening with the young men. He started the car quickly and set off. At that moment the nine soldiers came back. It seemed they were all drunk. Of course they found the officer was angry.
“I’m sorry, sir,” said the first soldier. “I left the town on time. But something was wrong with my bus on my way here. I had to buy a horse and made it run fast. Bad luck! It died and I had to run back.”
And the other seven soldiers said they were late for the same reasons. It was the last soldier’s turn. He said, “I’m sorry, sir. I got on a bus on time, but…”
Having heard this, the officer became even angrier and stopped him at once. He called out, “If you say something was wrong with your bus, I’ll punish you at once!”
“No, no, sir,” said the young man. “My bus was all right, but the dead horses were in its way!” The military camp was built in the village to _______.
| A．stop the soldiers going to towns |
| B．stop the soldiers meeting their friends |
| C．train the new soldiers |
| D．make the young men live quietly |
Mr. Hunt let the nine soldiers have a holiday because _______.
| A．he was kind to them |
| B．they felt lonely |
| C．they had something important to do |
| D．they were the best of all |
The young officer was worried because _______.
| A．a traffic accident had happened to the nine soldiers |
| B．he was afraid something happened to the nine soldiers |
| C．he didn’t think the nine soldiers would come back |
| D．the nine soldiers drank too much in the town |
The nine soldiers returned to the camp late because _______.
| A．something was wrong with their buses |
| B．their horses died on the return way |
| C．it took them much time to run back |
| D．they all had drunk much in the town |
Which answer do you think right?
| A．I’ll believe only the last soldier. |
| B．The officer believed the nine soldiers. |
| C．I’ll believe none of the nine soldiers. |
| D．The officer won’t punish his soldiers. |