Do you want to live with a strong sense of peacefulness, happiness, goodness, and self- respect? The collection of happiness actions broadly categorized as "honor" help you create this life of good feelings.
Here's an example to show how honorable actions create happiness.
Say a store clerk fails to charge us for an item. If we keep silent, and profit from the clerk's mistake, we would drive home with a sense of sneaky excitement. Later we might tell our family or friends about our good fortune. On the other hand, if we tell the clerk about the uncharged item, the clerk would be grateful and thank us for our honesty. We would leave the store with a quiet sense of honor that we might never share with another soul.
Then, what is it to do with our sense of happiness?
In the first case, where we don't tell the clerk, a couple of things would happen. Deep down inside we would know ourselves as a type of thief. In the process, we would lose some peace of mind and self-respect. We would also demonstrate that we cannot be trusted, since we advertise our dishonor by telling our family and friends. We damage our own reputations by telling others. In contrast, bringing the error to the clerk's attention causes different things to happen. Immediately the clerk knows us to be honorable. Upon leaving the store, we feel honorable and our self-respect is increased. Whenever we take honorable action we gain the deep internal rewards of goodness and a sense of nobility.
There is a beautiful positive cycle that is created by living a life of honorable actions. Honorable thoughts lead to honorable actions. Honorable actions lead us to a happier existence. And it's easy to think and act honorably again when we're happy. While the positive cycle can be difficult to start, once it's started, it's easy to continue. Keeping on doing good deeds brings us peace of mind, which is important for our happiness. According to the passage, the positive action in the example contributes to our_________.
| A.self-respect | B.financial rewards |
| C.advertising ability | D.friendly relationship |
The author thinks that keeping silent about the uncharged item is equal to___.
| A.lying | B.stealing |
| C.cheating | D.advertising |
The phrase "bringing the error to the clerk's attention" (in para. 5) means___.
| A.telling the truth to the clerk |
| B.offering advice to the clerk |
| C.asking the clerk to be more attentive |
| D.reminding the clerk of the charged item |
How will we feel if we let the clerk know her mistake?
| A.We'll be very excited. |
| B.We'll feel unfortunate. |
| C.We'll have a sense of honor. |
| D.We'll feel sorry for the clerk. |
Which of the following can be the best title of this passage.
| A.How to Live Truthfully |
| B.Importance of Peacefulness |
| C.Ways of Gaining Self-respect |
| D.Happiness through Honorable Actions |
Whether you're having problems with your homework or you’re preparing for your term paper, these student-focused websites can help you with anything you need. The key to getting the most out of these online resources is to know how they can best be used to your advantage.
♦ Facebook
Although Facebook can be one of your biggest time-wasters and distractions(干扰)when you are supposed to be getting work done, it can also be one of your most valuable resources. Most of your classmates will probably have a Facebook account, so anyone you need to connect with about a class you missed or about a problem is usually just a few clicks away.
♦ SparkNotes
With a free library of history timeline, philosophy study guides and library summaries, and essays, SparkNotes has covered just about any reading-related jam you find yourself in, just run a search for the book, play, or short summary of the material you are supposed to read.
♦ Amazon.com
Do you finish every term with many expensive textbooks you will never open again? Instead of letting the money spent go to waste, get back some of your cash by selling your books on Amazon.
♦Wikipedia
While Wikipedia isn't aimed specifically at students, it is difficult to think of another website that does more to reduce the pain of paper writing and researching. Wikipcdia gives you a quick way to find sources and get the details of almost any topic you need to research——-all without walking to the library.The passage was mainly written to _____.
| A.explain some websites for parents |
| B.compare some educational websites |
| C.introduce different parts of a website |
| D.offer some websites that may help students |
While you are taking great pains to write a research report, _____can most probably be a help.
| A.Facebook | B.SparkNotes |
| C.Amazon.coin | D.Wikipedia |
Which of the following will you most probably refer to, if you need brief ideas for class discussion in reading?
| A.Wikipedia. | B.Facebook. |
| C.SparkNotes. | D.Amazon.com. |
A teenager realized her dream of becoming a professional model three years after a serious car accident.
Marita Davies was on her way home from a party when the crash happened. The car that Marita took as a passenger was going the wrong way and crashed into another car driven by a drunken driver named David Hudson, which left her with a broken leg and back. It took the firefighters more than two hours to free the teenager from the damaged car before she was taken to hospital. Marita was in a wheelchair for a year after being bed-ridden for nine months.
Marita feared her dream of a modeling career was over. She said, “I was extremely upset and shocked when I knew about my terrible injuries. I thought my dream of becoming a model was over. My leg and back were broken. The crash had broken my confidence and I became quiet and spent less time with other people. I was 16, and at that age all I wanted to do was to go out with my friends.”
But as her health took a turn for the better, Marita finally came out of the wheelchair and learned to walk. She decided she would still try to follow her dreams, and sent some photos off to some modeling agencies. She did a few unpaid jobs while studying at college. Soon, paid commercial modeling jobs started coming in. Marita was a bit doubtful at first, because the crash had left her with huge scars on her leg and back. She was worried that people wouldn’t want her to model for them, but this didn’t stop her.
Marita had done amazingly well to overcome everything that had been thrown at her in the three years. Finally, Marita became a professional model in 2013. She was signed up for advertising campaigns and appeared in TV ads. When did the accident happen?
| A.In 2008. | B.In 2009. |
| C.In 2010. | D.In 2011. |
Who should be to blame for the accident?
| A.Marita Davies. |
| B.David Hudson. |
| C.The driver of the car that Marita took. |
| D.Both of the drivers involved in the accident. |
How did Marita feel when modeling jobs became available to her?
| A.Lucky. | B.Satisfied. |
| C.Surprised. | D.Unconfident. |
The passage is intended to ______.
| A.prove modeling is a promising career. |
| B.warn people not to drive after drinking |
| C.suggest having a dream is a good thing |
| D.praise Marita’s spirits to overcome difficulties |
You cannot find a better way to enjoy Scottish traditions than going fishing and tasting a little bit of whisky(威士忌)at a quiet place like the Inverlochy Castle. When Queen Victoria visited the castle in 1873, she wrote in her diary, “I never saw a lovelier spot ,” And she didn’t even go fishing.
Scotland is not easily defined. In certain moments, this quiet land of lakes and grasses and mountains changes before your very eyes. When evening gently sweeps the hillside into orange light ,the rivers, teeming with fish, can turn into streams of gold . As you settle down with just a fishing pole and a basket on the bank of River Orchy, near the Inverlochy castle , any frustration will float away as gently as the circling water. It’s just you and purple , pink ,white flowers, seeking a perfect harmony . If you are a new comer to fishing, learning the basics from a fishing guide may leave you with a lifetime’s fun. For many, fishing is more than a sport, it is an art.
Scotland offers interesting place where you can rest after a long day’s fishing. Set against a wild mountain and hidden behind woodland , the beautiful Inverlochy Castle Hotel below the Nevis is a perfect place to see the beauty of Scotland’s mountains . Ben Nevis is the highest of all British mountains , and reaching its 1342-metre top is a challenge . But it’s not just what goes up that matters; what comes down is unique . More than 900 metres high, on the mountain’s north face, lies an all-important source of pure water. Its name comes form the Gaelic (盖尔特) language “usqueb” or “water of life”, and it is the single most important ingredient(原料) in Scotland’s best-known drink: whisky.Queen Victoria’s story wants to tell us that _____.
| A.the Queen is rich in tour experience |
| B.tasting whisky is better than going fishing |
| C.the Castle is a good place to go in Scotland |
| D.1873 is a special year for the Queen |
How is Paragraph 2 mainly written?
| A.By making comparisons. |
| B.By following time order. |
| C.By analyzing causes. |
| D.By giving descriptions. |
What makes Ben Nevis special ?
| A.The water from the mountain. |
| B.The beauty of its surroundings. |
| C.The Inverlochy Castle Hotel. |
| D.The challenge up to its top. |
What is the main purpose of the passage?
| A.To introduce Scottish traditions to tourists. |
| B.To show the attractions of Scotland to readers. |
| C.To explore geographical characteristics of Scotland. |
| D.To describe the pleasures of life in Scotland. |
Are some people born clever, and others born stupid? Or is intelligence developed by our environment and our experience? Strangely enough, the answer to these questions is yes. To some extent our intelligence is given to us at birth, and no amount of special education can make a genius out of a child born with low intelligence. On the other hand, a child who lives in a boring environment will develop his intelligence less than one who lives in rich and varied surroundings. Thus the limits of person’s intelligence are fixed at birth, but whether or not he reaches those limits will depend on his environment. This view, now held by most experts, can be supported in a number of ways.
It is easy to show that intelligence is to some extent something we are born with. The closer the blood relationship between two people, the closer they are likely to be intelligence. Thus if we take two unrelated people at random from population, it is likely that their degree of intelligence will be completely different. If on the other hand we take two identical twins, they will very probably be as intelligent as each other. Relations like brothers and sisters, parents and children, usually have similar intelligence, and this clearly suggests that intelligence depends on birth.
Imagine now that we take two identical twins and put them in different environments. We might send one, for example, to a university and the other to a factory where the work is boring. We would soon find differences in intelligence developing, and this indicates that environment as well as birth plays a part. This conclusion is also suggested by the fact that people who live in close contact with each other, but who are not related at all are likely to have similar degrees of intelligence.Which of these sentences best describes the writer’s point in Paragraph 1?
| A.To some extent, intelligence is given at birth. |
| B.Intelligence is developed by the environment. |
| C.Some people are born clever and others born stupid. |
| D.Intelligence is fixed at birth, but is developed by the environment. |
It is suggested in this passage that ________ .
| A.close relation usually have similar intelligence |
| B.unrelated people are not likely to have different intelligence |
| C.the closer the blood relationship between people, the more different they are likely to be in intelligence |
| D.people who live in close contact with each other are not likely to have similar degrees of intelligence |
The phrase “ at random” (Line 3, Para.2) means ________ .
| A.purposely | B.rationally |
| C.aimlessly | D.independently |
The best title for this article would be ________ .
| A.What Does Intelligence Mean? |
| B.On Intelligence |
| C.We are Born with Intelligence |
| D.Environment Plays a Part in Developing Intelligence |
A lady named Mary from California flew to Japan, in her favourite jeans and a casual jacket, to give her first speech. Fourteen hours later, four perfectly dressed Japanese gentlemen greeted her at the airport. Smiling and bowing low, they handed her their business cards. With her bag in one hand, Mary took their cards with the other. She thanked them, glanced briefly at the cards, and put them into her jeans pocket quickly.
When the five of them arrived at the hotel, they invited Mary to tea in the lobby (大厅). While sipping tea, the gentlemen presented her with a small gift which she eagerly opened. She was thrilled with the gift and shouted excitedly, “Oh, it's beautiful!”
At this point, the four Japanese gentlemen stood up and, bowing only very slightly, said “Sayonara” and left immediately. Poor Mary was left astonished. What did she do wrong?
Everything! Her jeans were the first gaffe. Even if you're coming off a bicycle in Japan, you do not meet clients (客人) casually dressed. The second mistake was Mary's handling of their business cards rudely. In Japan, the business card is one of the most important communicative tools. It is always presented and accepted respectfully with both hands. However, Mary put their cards away much too quickly. In Japan, people use business cards as a conversation starter. You chat about each other's cards and work and do not put theirs away until they gently and respectfully place yours in safe keeping. Putting it carelessly into her jeans pocket was the ultimate disrespect.
Then, the fourth horror of horrors was that Mary should not have opened the gift in front of her clients. In a land where saving face is critical, it would be embarrassing to discover the gift they gave was not as nice as the one they received. What is worse, Mary hadn't even given them a gift!Why did the four Japanese gentlemen leave Mary suddenly?
| A.Because they had finished the task. |
| B.Because Mary had something more important to do. |
| C.Because they couldn't bear Mary 's behavior any longer. |
| D.Because Mary felt embarrassed. |
What does the underlined word “gaffe” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?
| A.ignorance | B.carelessness |
| C.sadness | D.mistake |
The third mistake Mary made was that she ________.
| A.kept her clients' cards in a wrong place |
| B.took her clients' cards with one hand |
| C.met her clients in jeans |
| D.used her own card as a conversation starter |
What lesson can we draw from this story?
| A.Think twice before you take any action. |
| B.When in Rome, do as the Romans do. |
| C.To save time is to lengthen life. |
| D.One false move may lose the game. |