It’s no secret that doing good makes others happy – but did you know it can make you happy as well?
According to a study, people participating in meaningful activities were happier and felt that their lives had more purpose than people who only engaged in pleasure-seeking behaviors.
Try giving these four things to others to start your journey to a happier and healthier lifestyle.
1. Your Time
With a busy life, it can be hard to find any time to give away. However, volunteering your time has great benefits, including making new friends and connections, learning new skills and even advancing your career.
According to a paper about the link between health and volunteering, volunteering is connected with lower instances of depression and reduces the risk of dying by 22 percent.
2. Your Attention
Most of us think we’re good listeners, but according to psychologist Paul Donoghue, most people are aware that others don’t listen as well as they could. In addition, they’re not fully aware that they themselves aren’t listening.
When practicing mindfulness meditation(正念禅修), you focus on what you experience in the moment and let your thoughts and emotions pass through without judgment. Did you know that giving someone your undivided attention helps you also? When done well, active listening strengthens your focus－which is a major part of good meditation.
3. Your Compassion
The psychological meaning of compassion is the ability to understand another person’s emotional state. Compassion differs from empathy(移情) in that those who experience compassion not only put themselves in another person’s shoes, but also want to reduce that person’s suffering.
A brain-imaging study showed that the brain’s pleasure centers are equally active when we give money to the poor as when we receive money ourselves.
4. Your Money
According to an experiment, those who spend money on other people are significantly happier than those who spend the same quantity of money on themselves.
Whether or not you can offer other gifts, donating money helps make real change happen. It represents time spent, compassion and careful attention to the needs of others.Who is the happiest according to the study mentioned in Paragraph 2?
| A．Bill, who is often invited to play golf by his wealthy uncle. |
| B．Tom, who is on the way to be the richest man in the world. |
| C．Mike, who is not well-off but often does what he can to those in need. |
| D．John, who is a disabled young man but has married a very beautiful girl. |
What does the underlined word “depression” in Paragraph 5 mean?
| A．pleasure | B．unhappiness |
| C．connection | D．misunderstanding |
Which of the four gifts matters most according to the author?
| A．Time. | B．Money. | C．Attention. | D．Compassion. |
What is the purpose of the passage?
| A．To encourage people to help others. |
| B．To give the meaning of “happiness”. |
| C．To offer a practical way of life. |
| D．To show his kindness. |
In every language, there are words or phrases that have some interesting stories behind them. The word “sandwich”, for example, is very common in English. If we want to know the story behind it, we must know something about an English nobleman (贵族) called Sandwich.
Sandwich lived in the 18th century. He liked to play cards for money. He often played for twenty four hours, and not even stop to have his meal. He ordered his servants to bring some meat and bread, and he played while eating. He put the meat between two pieces of bread, and he held the food in his left hand while he played with his right hand. People liked Sandwich’s idea and began to eat bread and meat in this way.
From the name of the man Sandwich, we have the word “sandwich” today.
1 Sandwich is very popular food today, which comes from ____ .
A. a man’s name B. people’s idea C. a servant’s name D. a nobleman’s play
2 What did Sandwich play cards for?
A. Pleasure. B. Living. C. Food. D. Pounds.
3Which of the following can best explain the reason why Sandwich did not stop to have his meals?
A. He played cards with his right hand.
B. He put the meat between two pieces of bread.
C. He played cards for twenty four hours.
D. He played cards while eating.
4 The best title for the passage should be “____”.
A. How Sandwich Played Cards
B. How the Word “Sandwich” Came into Use
C. A Bright Idea
D. An Interesting Story
Now I’d like to talk to you about your final exam. The exam will be held next Thursday, the last day of the exam week. Remember to bring two or three pens in case you run out of ink. And unlike the midterm exam, this test will not include multiple-choice questions; it will consist (由…组成) entirely of essays (文章). You’ll have to answer three of the five essay questions. The exam will be comprehensive (理解性的), which means you’ll be responsible (负责) for all of the subject matters we covered in class this term. I would suggest you review your midterm exam as well as textbooks and your class notes. The research project will count as 20 percent and the midterm exam 30 percent. I’ll be in my office almost all day next Tuesday. If you run into any problems, please drop in. Gook luck to you and I’ll see you on Tuesday.
1 The final exam take place on a ____ .
A. Tuesday B. Wednesday C. Thursday D. Friday
2 What will be included in the exam?
A. There will be only multiple-choice questions.
B. The exam will contain both multiple-choice and essay questions.
C. The exam will have an oral and written section.
D. There will be only essay questions.
3 Why does the teacher call the exam comprehensive?
A. Because it will be easy to understand.
B. Because it will cover topics from a variety (多种多样) of subjects.
C. Because students will be tested on all the material discussed in class.
D. Because students must complete all parts of it.
4 The underlined phrase run into probably means ____ .
A. meet somebody unexpectedly B. go into
C. come across (偶然遇见) D. come up against something with force
Dear Mom and Dad,
I’m afraid I have some very bad news for you. I have been very naughty and the school master is very angry with me. She is going to write to you. You must come and take me away from here. She does not want me in the school any longer.
The trouble started last night when I was smoking a cigarette in bed. As I was smoking, I heard footsteps coming towards the room. I did not want a teacher to catch me smoking, so I threw the cigarette away. Unfortunately, the cigarette fell into the waste--paper basket. It caught fire. There was a curtain near the waste --paper basket. It caught fire too. Soon the whole room was burning. The master phoned the fire brigade（消防队）. The school is a long way from the town and before the fire brigade arrived, the whole school was on fire. The master said that the fire was all my fault and I must pay for the damage. She will send you a bill for about a million dollars.
I’m very sorry for this.
Much love, Sarah
1 What did Sarah write to his parents for?
A. He was tired of studying, and wanted to leave school.
B. He told his parents what he had done in school.
C. He thought he was old enough to help them do something.
D. He missed them a lot for they hadn’t seen each other for a long time.
2 Where did Sarah smoke?
A. In the classroom. B. In the street.
C. In the dormitory. D. In the Dinning hall.
3 Why was the school master angry with him?
A. Because he was too naughty. B. Because he was too lazy.
C. Because he caused a big fire. D. Because he stole something at school.
4 According to the passage, the students should not ____ .
A. smoke because smoking is dangerous to them
B. dance because dancing would waste a lot of money
C. make friends because making friends would take them absent
D. wear expensive clothes because they would waste a lot of money
In China, more and more middle school students are getting shorter sleeping time than before. More students sleep less than nine hours every night, because they have much homework to do. Some homework is given by their teachers, and some by their parents. Also, some students don’t know how to save time. They are not careful enough while they do their homework, so it takes them a lot of time. Some students spend too much time watching TV or playing computer games. They stay up very late. Some students have to get up early every morning on weekdays to get to school on time by bus of by bike . It can be a long way from home to school. It will probably make them sleepy during school hours.
Schools and parents should cut down some of the homework so that our children can enjoy more than nine hours of sleep every night for their health. For children, they should make the most best use of their time. When they have enough time for sleeping .They will find it much better for both their study and health.
1 What make most students sleep less than nine hours every night?
A. Doing housework. B. Playing computer games.
C. Doing homework. D. Watching TV.
2 Who else gives children some homework to do except their teachers according to the article?
A. Their parents. B. Other students. C. Nobody else. D. They themselves.
3 How many hours of sleep is good for students’ health?
A. Only 9 hours. B. Over 9 hours. C. 8 hours. D. Less than 9 hours.
4 Which is the following is NOT true?
A. Some students are careless that they spent much time on the homework.
B. All the students stay up late for their homework.
C. Schools and parents should take care of children’s health.
D. Children should be given less homework.
第二部分阅读理解 (满分45分)
第一节 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。 (每小题2分)
When we think of Hollywood, we think of films and famous film stars. They are part of Hollywood’s history. Today people make films in other places, too. Not all famous film stars live in Hollywood. But Hollywood is still a very special part in Los Angeles, California.
You can easily see where Hollywood is in Los Angeles. There is a big sign on the hills. It says “HOLLYWOOD”. The white letters are fifty feet tall. You can see the sign from far away. The Hollywood sign is a famous Hollywood landmark (标记) in Los Angeles. Many postcards show this famous Hollywood landmark.
In the hills of Hollywood, there is also the Hollywood Bowl. This is an open-air theatre. It is one of the biggest open-air theatres in the world. It has seventeen thousand seats and a very different stage (舞台). The designer (设计师) of the stage was a great American called Frank Lloyd Wright. You can listen to different kinds of concerts at the Hollywood Bowl.
1The best title for the article should be “____”.
A. The History of Hollywood B. Hollywood
C. Famous Films and Film Stars D. Famous Hollywood Sign
2 We learn from the reading that ____ .
A. Hollywood is one part of Los Angeles
B. Hollywood is now a place only for travelers
C. all the films are made In Hollywood
D. “HOLLYWOOD” can just be seen from far away
3 The word “special” in the last sentence of the first paragraph means ____ .
A. unusual B. famous C. old D. new
4At the Hollywood Bowl ____ .
A. all postcards are made B. only 7000 people can get together
C. people can enjoy music D. you can hardly listen to all kinds of concerts