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Recently, CCTV journalists have approached pedestrians with their cameras, held a microphone to their mouth and asked a simple question: “Are you happy?”
The question has caught many interviewees off guard. Even Mo Yan, who recently won a Nobel Prize, responded by saying: “I don’t know”.
While the question has become a buzz phrase and the Internet plays host to heated discussions, we ask: What exactly is happiness? And how do you measure it?
In the 1776 US Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson set in writing the people’s unalienable right to “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”. Last year, 235 years on, China’s Premier Wen Jiabao told the nation: “Everything we do is aimed at letting people live more happily.” At last year’s National People’s Congress, officials agreed that increasing happiness would be a top target for the 12th five-year plan.
US psychologist Ed Diener, author of Happiness: Unlocking the Mysteries of Psychological Wealth, describes happiness as “a combination of life satisfaction and having more positive than negative emotions”, according to US broadcasting network PBS. This may sound straightforward enough, but it still doesn’t explain what determines people’s happiness.
Many argue that happiness is elusive and that there is no single source. It also means different things to different people. For some, happiness can be as simple as having enough cash.
Researchers believe happiness can be separated into two types: daily experiences of hedonic(享乐的) well-being; and evaluative well-being, the way people think about their lives as a whole. The former refers to the quality of living, whereas the latter is about overall happiness, including life goals and achievements. Happiness can cross both dimensions.
Li Jun, a psychologist and mental therapy practitioner at a Beijing clinic, says: “Happiness can mean both the most basic human satisfaction or the highest level of spiritual pursuit. It’s a simple yet profound topic.”
Chen Shangyuan, 21, a junior English major at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, said his idea of happiness always evolves. “At present it relates to how productive I am in a day,” he said. “It might be linked to job security or leisure time after I graduate.”
Then there is the question of measuring happiness. Does it depend on how many friends we have, or whether we own the latest smart phone? Is it even quantifiable?
Economists are trying to measure happiness in people’s lives. Since 1972, Bhutan’s GDP measurement has been replaced by a Gross National Happiness index. It is calculated according to the peoples’ sense of being well-governed, their relationship with the environment, their satisfaction with economic development, and their sense of national belonging.
In 2009, US economist Joseph Stiglitz proposed “to shift emphasis from measuring economic production to measuring people’s well-being”. But is well-being more easily measured?
In the second paragraph, the writer gave an example to .
| A．support his idea that being famous is the reason to be happy |
| B．introduce his topic to be discussed |
| C．tell people winning a Nobel Prize is a great honour |
| D．show that the question was quite difficult |
From what Thomas Jefferson and Wen Jiabao mentioned in the passage, we know .
| A．people’s happiness is determined by great people |
| B．people’s happiness is an important target for the development of a country |
| C．people in all countries have the right to ask the government for a happy life |
| D．People both in China and America are living a happy life |
According to the passage, the writer may most likely agree that _________.
| A．CCTV journalists are concerned about people’s happiness out of sympathy. |
| B．the question has led to heated discussions about who are the happiest people in China |
| C．Bhutan’s new index shows that people there are the happiest in the world |
| D．it is not easy for us to decide what determines people’s happiness |
What does the underlined word “elusive” in the sixth paragraph mean?
| A．Available. |
| B．Easy to get |
| C．Hard to describe. |
| D．Unimaginable. |
The best title of the passage is .
| A．Are You Happy? |
| B．The Measurement of Happiness |
| C．GDP and Happiness |
| D．The Secret of Happiness |
On October 12, 1987, some Chinese scientists were working at the computers to look for information they needed. Suddenly they saw a lot of very bright spots(点 )crossing the computers’ screens. At the same time the computers were working much slower. To find out what was happening they stopped their work to check some parts of the computers. To their horror(恐惧), they found out that most of their stored information was got rid of( 除掉) by computer viruses! Obviously all these computers had been infected（感染 ） by computer viruses.
It is said that the computer viruses were made by a group of young man fond of playing tricks. They all had excellent education. They created the viruses just to show their intelligence.（才智）These kinds of computer viruses are named Jerusalem( 耶路撒冷 )Viruses. These viruses can stay in computers for a long time. When the time comes they will attack the computers by lowering the function(功能), damaging their normal programs or even getting rid of all the information.
We now come to know that Jerusalem Viruses often attack computers on Fridays and that they are spreading(传播) to a list of computers. Among the countries that suffering computer viruses are Britain, Australia, Switzerland and the U.S. But till now, how to get rid of the terrible remains a problem.The group of young men created the viruses to __________.
| A．damage the computers |
| B．test their ability |
| C．play a trick on operators of the computers |
| D．tell the world that they were intelligent |
According to the passage, computer viruses seem to _______.
| A．have been in nature for years |
| B．be difficult to get rid of at present |
| C．exist（存在） in any computers |
| D．be able to be got rid of in the near future |
The most serious damage caused by the viruses is that _______.
| A．all the information stored in the computers is gone |
| B．the computer’s functions are lowered |
| C．the normal programs are damaged |
| D．the computers infected by the viruses can no longer be used |
According to the passage, which of the following is true?
| A．Four countries found their computers were infected by viruses. |
| B．The viruses will come to a new computer after staying in the old one for some time |
| C．The Jerusalem Viruses are a great harm to human health. |
| D．Scientists are trying to find a way to get rid of the viruses |
Many animals recognize their food because they see it. So do humans. When you see an apple or a piece of chocolate you know that these are things you can eat. You can also use other senses when you choose your food. You may like it because it smells good or because it tastes good. You may dislike some types of food because they do not look, smell or taste very nice. Different animals use different sense, to find and choose their food. A few animals depend on only one of their senses. while most animals use more than one sense.
Although there are many different types of food, some animals spend their lives eating only one type. The giant panda (大熊猫) eats only one particular type of bamboo (竹子). Other animals eat only one type of food even when given the choice. A kind of white butterfly (蝴蝶) will stay on the leaves of a cabbage, even though there are plenty of other vegetables in the garden. However, most animals have a more varied diet (多样化饮食). The bear eats fruits and fish. The fox eats small animals, birds and fruits. The diet of these animals will be different depending on the season.
Humans have a very varied diet. We often eat food because we like it and not because it is good for us. In countries such as France and Britain, people eat foods with too much sugar. This makes them overweight, which is bad for their health. Eating too much red meat and animal products, such as butter, can also be bad for the health, Choosing the right food, therefore, has become an area of study in modern life.We can infer from the text that humans and animals - —.
| A．depend on one sense in choosing food |
| B．are not satisfied with their food |
| C．eat entirely different food |
| D．choose food in similar ways |
Which of the following eats only one type of food?
| A．The small bird. | B．The bear. | C．The fox. | D．The white butterfly. |
Certain animals change their choice of food when ________
| A．the food color changes |
| B．the season changes |
| C．they move to different places |
| D．they are attracted by different smells |
A man was selling medicine at a fair（集市）．At first he sold bottles of a cure（药剂）for colds（感冒）for just a dollar a bottle．
Many people wanted to buy it and the man's young assistant moved quickly through the crowd collecting money and handing out bottles of the cure．
Then，when he had a big crowd， the man held up a very small bottle．
“And now，ladies and gentlemen，he shouted，“Here is the medicine you have been waiting for．The cure for old age．Drink just one bottle of this and you will live forever．
“And，ladies and gentlemen，the man continued，“I'm not going to charge（向……要价……）you a hundred dollars a bottle for this wonderful medicine．I'm not going to charge you fifty dollars a bottle．I'm not going to charge you twenty-five dollars a bottle．Now，ladies and gentlemen，I'm going to charge you just ten dollars a bottle． Think，my friends，for ten dollars you can live forever．
Most of the people in the crowd did not believe this．
One person shouted，“If it can make you live forever，why don't you drink it？Then another person cried，“Yes， you look as if you're at least sixty years old．
“Thank you，sir，thank you，the man answered，“I'm so glad you said that． My real age is three hundred and twenty-nine．
The crowd laughed at this but there were still some people who wanted to believe the man ．One of them spoke to the man's assistant as she passed by，“Is that true？he asked．“Is he three hundred and twenty-nine？
“Don't ask me，the assistant said，“I've only worked for him for a hundred and fifty years．What did the man sell at first at the fair？
| A．bottles |
| B．a cure for colds |
| C．a cure for old age |
| D．a medicine that made people live forever |
How much did the man charge for the cure for old age？
| A．one dollar a bottle | B．twenty-five dollars a bottle |
| C．fifty dollars a bottle | D．ten dollars a bottle |
What does the word “assistant” mean in this passage？
| A．仆人 | B．朋友 | C．助手 | D．同伴 |
What does this passage really mean？
| A．The man is not honest，and so is his assistant |
| B．The cure for old age is very useful and not so expensive． ． |
| C．The cheaper the medicine is，the more people will buy． |
| D．The two men are very honest，and they would like to help people live forever． |
People in the United States honor their parents with two special days：Mother＇s Day, on the second Sunday in May, and Father＇s Day, on the third Sunday in June．These days are set aside to show love and respect for parents．They raise their children and educate them to be responsible（有责任感的） citizens．They give love and care．These two days make us think about the changing roles of mothers and fathers．More mothers now work outside the home．More fathers must help with child care．
These two special days are celebrated in many different ways．On Mother’s Day people wear carnations．A red one symbolizes a living mother．A white one shows that the mother is dead．Many people attend religious services to honor parents．It is also a day when people whose parents are dead visit the cemetery（墓地）．On these days families get together at home, as well as in restaurants．They often have outdoor barbecues for Father＇s Day．These are days of fun and good feelings and memories．
Another tradition is to give cards and gifts．Children make them in school．Many people make their own presents．These are valued more than the ones bought in stores．It is not the value of the gift that is important, but it is “the thought that counts”．Greeting card stores, florists, candy makers, bakeries, telephone companies, and other stores do a lot of business during these holidays．WhichisNOTareasonforchildrentoshowloveandrespectforparents?
| A．Parentsbringchildren |
| B．Parentsgiveloveandcaretochildren |
| C．Parentseducatechildrentobegoodpersons. |
| D．Parentspassawaybeforechildrengrowup |
Whatdoyouknowfromthepassage?
| A．Mother’sDayandFather’sDayarebothinMay. |
| B．Fewerwomenworkedoutsidethehomeinthepast |
| C．Notallthechildrenrespecttheirparents |
| D．Fathersarenotasimportantasmothersathome |
Which do you think is right about “carnation”?
| A．It has only two kinds of colors． |
| B．It refers to the special clothes people wear on Mother’s Day or Father’s Day． |
| C．People can wear carnations only on the second Sunday in May． |
| D．It’s a kind of flower showing love and best wishes． |
On Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, _______．
| A．everyone goes to visit the cemetery |
| B．people usually have family parties |
| C．children always go to parents’ home |
| D．hand-made cards are the most valuable gifts |
Of all the websites, one that has attracted attention recently is myspace.com. Most of this attention has come from the media and tells every reason why the website should be shut down. The danger of internet predators(窃掠者) is indeed a tough reality, but shutting down the site is not the answer. If myspace.com were shut down, another site would quickly take its place. Therefore, the right way is to teach teens how to use the site safely and educate them about who may be predators and how to avoid them.
The key to staying safe on the Internet is to make sure that your profile(个人资料) is secure. The simplest way is to change the privacy setting on your profile to “private”, which protects your information so that only the people on your friend list can view it. Although this is effective, it is not perfect. Predators can find ways to view your profile if they really want to, whether through hacking(非法侵入) in or figuring out their way onto your friend list. Thus, you should never post too much personal information. Some people actually post their home and school addresses, date of birth, and other personal information, often letting predators know exactly where they will be and when. The safest information is your first name and province. Anything more is basically inviting a predator into your life.
Another big problem is photos. I suggest completely skipping photos and never posting a photo of a friend online without asking permission.
Most importantly, never, under any circumstances, agree to a real-life meeting with anyone you meet online. No matter how well you think you know this person, there are no guarantees that they have told the truth. But you could feel free to chat with people you meet on the site, but just remember that not everyone is who they say they are. Hopefully, the next time you edit your profile, you’ll be more informed about the dangers of Internet predators and take the steps to defend yourself.
Lastly, do not send money to anyone you meet online. A common scam among Internet criminals is to request to pay for “expensive Internet charges” or “unreasonable Internet cafe fees”. While it is indeed true that many countries in Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa and South America do not yet have Internet service readily available in all cities and towns, a sincere friend from one of these countries will be more than happy to pay their own Internet charges. Never, under any circumstances, should you send money to a stranger from another country(or within your own country for that matter) who claims monetary assistance is required to continue their contact with you.Kids can avoid web predators successfully by________.
| A．attracting more public attention |
| B．shutting down the “myspace.com” |
| C．learning different ways to try other sites |
| D．recognizing and getting away from them |
68. We can learn from the text that________.
| A．everybody you meet online isn’t honest and reliable |
| B．it is not acceptable to post a photo of a friend online |
| C．it is not safe to chat with grown-ups on the website |
| D．only you and your friends can view your personal profile |
What does the underlined word “scam” in the last paragraph mean?
| A．A thing that you can have two choices. |
| B．An unpleasant task that tests one’s ability. |
| C．A possibility of something happening. |
| D．An illegal plan for making money. |
What could be the best title of this passage?
| A．Personal Safety. | B．Web Safety for Teens. |
| C．Web Hackers in the past. | D．Predators’ Tricks. |