IfConfuciuswerestillalivetoday-优题课

Finding true happiness is a universal aspiration (渴望). We all want it, but can we all have it? Genuine happiness is written all over our faces when we are truly contented, and, likewise, a forced smile does nothing to hide underlying sadness.
Believing that everyone can create their own lasting joy, Matthieu Richard has been declared the Happiest Man in the World. Richard earned his “happiest man” status after a series of laboratory tests in 2004. Richard has shared his thoughts on happiness with a worldwide audience. As an experienced speaker, he has explained his insights into happiness to everyone, from students to corporate groups. Looking inwards to find joy rather than relying on outer conditions, he believes, is the way to achieve well-being.
“It’s quite clear that the outer conditions are not enough. The way we interpret those outer conditions in our inner experience is what determines either a sense of well-being or misery. We love to go jogging for fitness and we do all kinds of things to remain beautiful, yet we spend surprisingly little time taking care of what matters most: the way our minds function. It’s the essential thing that determines the quality of our experience.” Besides this, Richard stresses that it is not what’s happening around us that makes us unhappy, but rather the way we choose to react to it.
The pursuit of happiness is becoming a modern obsession（痴迷）. As life becomes more complex, our ability to process our reactions to various outside influences comes under strain. “Genuine happiness” he says, “doesn’t mean pleasant feelings one after the other. It’s more like a series of qualities that we can develop as skills — like openness, genuine love, compassion, inner strength and inner peace.”
Richard has been declared the Happiest Man in the World _______.

A．because he has shared his thoughts on happiness with a worldwide audience

B．after he has explained his insights into happiness to everyone

C．after a series of laboratory tests

D．because he tries his best to achieve happiness and well-being

According to Richard, what is the best way to achieve well-being?

A．Interpreting those outer conditions in our inner experience.

B．Looking inwards to find joy rather than relying on outer conditions.

C．Spending little time taking care of what matters most.

D．Reacting to various outside influences in the modern world.

What determines the quality of our experience?

A．The way our minds react to outer conditions.

B．Insights into happiness that we hold.

C．The constant pursuit of happiness in our life.

D．Those outer conditions affecting our happiness.

How can we pursuit happiness?

A．Go jogging for happiness.

B．Do everything to remain beautiful.

C．Make sure that our minds are functioning normally.

D．Develop necessary qualities.

If you see a group of people dancing and singing on the street or in the railway station, you don't need to feel surprised．They are a flash mob （快闪族）, which is a group of people who come together suddenly in a public place, do something unusual for a brief period of time, and then quickly break up．They are usually organized with the help of the Internet or other digital communication network．At a predetermined time, they gather and perform some distractions（消遣） such as waving their hands and exchanging books, Then, they quickly break up before the police can arrive．Using mobile phones, the flash mob can change its location if the first one has been replaced for any reason．
Bill Lasik, senior editor of Harper’s Magazine, organized the first flash mob in Manhattan in May 2003 and the first successful flash mob came together on June 3, 2003 - after the first attempt was foiled at Macy's department store．Lasik claimed that the activity was designed to make fun of hipsters （起时髦的人）, and call attention to the cultural atmosphere．
Flash mob gatherings can sometimes shock people．Such an activity might seem amusing and untrue, but it also might frighten people who are not aware of what is taking place．Undoubtedly, flash mobs can serve as good political tools in any direction．They also have great economic potential, such as using flash mobs to advertise a product．
The flash mob is now becoming more and more popular．People use it to do many things．For example, in 2009, Michael Jackson's fans took part in a flash mob to remember him．Hundreds of his fans gathered singing and dancing Michael's famous song "Beat It" together．Flash mobs give people from all walks of life an opportunity to come together to create a memory．
The undefined word "foiled" in Paragraph 2 can be replaced by _。

A．forgotten	B．prevented
C．announced	D．confirmed

What can you learn about the flash mob from the passage?

A．The flash mob usually breaks up quickly for lacking enough time．

B．Once the place for the activity is determined, it can't be changed．

C．The flash mob can be made use offing many fields just for fun．

D．It gives people the chance to come together to do something unusual．

The main purpose of the passage is

A．to entertain	B．to encourage
C．to inform	D．to persuade

The writer's attitude towards the flash mob is

A．negative	B．objective
C．favorable	D．doubtful

An 80-year-old man was sitting on the sofa in his house along with his 45-year-old highly educated son. Suddenly a crow(乌鸦) rested on their window.
The father asked his son, “What is this?”
The son replied “It is a crow.”
After a few seconds the father asked his son the second time, “What is this?”
The son said, “Father, I just now told you; it is a crow.”
After a little while, the old man again asked his son the third time, “What is this?”
At this time some expression of anger was felt in the son’s tone when he said to his father, “It is a crow, a crow.”
A little later, the father again asked his son the fourth time, “What is it?”
This time the son shouted at his father, “Why do you keep asking me the same question again and again? Although I have told you so many times? It is a crow. Are you not able to understand this?”
A little later the father went to his room and came back with an old diary which he had kept since his son was born. On opening a page, he asked his son to read that page. The following words were written in it:
Today my little son aged three was sitting with me on the sofa. When a crow was sitting on the window, my son asked me 23 times what it was, and I replied to him all 23 times that it was a crow. I hugged him lovingly each time he asked me the same question again and again for 23 times. I did not at all feel angered. I rather felt affection for my innocent(单纯的) child.
So ……
If your parents reach old age, do not look at them as a burden, but be kind to them. Be considerate to your parents.
How many times did the father asked his son the same question?

A．Twice.	B．Three times.
C．Four times.	D．Twenty-three times.

What was written in the diary mainly shows_________.

A．the son’s foolishness	B．the father’s loneliness
C．the father’s love for his son	D．the son’s curiosity

After reading the diary, the son most probably felt_________.

A．very disappointed	B．even angrier
C．rather happy	D．deeply ashamed

What lesson should we learn from the passage?

A．We should be considerate to our parents.

B．It’s important to be a great father.

C．We should form the habit of keeping a diary.

D．Old diaries have extraordinary values.

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（固执地）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 ice-cold 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．Upset.	B．Nervous.
C．Satisfied.	D．Cheerful.

What made the author begin to doubt about the dentist?

A．The laughing assistant of the dentist.

B．The dentist’s being as busy as the other dentists.

C．The surroundings of the dentist’s office.

D．The dentist’s agreeing to treat her at very short notice.

What did the author learn from her experience most probably?

A．Strike while the iron is hot.

B．Put oneself in others’ shoes.

C．Have a good word for one’s friend.

D．A friend in need is a friend indeed.

Most teens can't wait to learn to drive. Not so with me. Driving made me nervous. I didn't get a license until I turned 24 years old. As a result, when I first married, we only had one car and car pooled to work. My husband's hours were different from mine by one hour. I worked earlier. So he dropped me off and went to the diner to drink coffee until work time.
Then, in the afternoons, I leisurely walked the three miles to his work place where I waited in his car, reading a book.
One day while waiting for him, I noticed the most beautiful Cadillac pull in the lot. It was powder blue and sleek looking. The kind of car you dream about. I was busily admiring the car, when I noticed the driver. Honestly, she was probably the prettiest woman I had ever seen off the movie screen.
She pulled into the spot beside our car and it was all I could do not to stare. There was a striking resemblance to Liz Taylor. Jet black hair and alabaster skin. Our eyes made contact and she smiled at me. Her eyes were as blue as the sea, and teeth like an even row of pearls. She was wearing a light blue shirt that just matched her car. Peeking through her long, softly curled hair I could see gold hoop earrings. They had to be gold to shine like that. A couple of minutes later, a nice looking man came out of the building, entered her car, leaned over and kissed her and she drove away.
Sitting there in my jeans, shirt and hair in a pony tail, I wanted to cry. How could some people have it all?
Maybe I would have forgotten about her, but the following week, I saw her again. Then it became almost routine to see her about once a week. She seemed friendly and always waved, flashing a big smile. My envy lingered long after she drove away.
Many nights when sleep evaded me, I would think about the beautiful lady. I wondered if she and her husband ate out, and where they dined, and what she was wearing. I wanted her to get out of the car and let me see her full length. Did she wear really high heeled shoes and pants, or a skirt.
I would get my answers in a couple of weeks.
Sitting in our usual parking lot, I was holding my book, watching her over the top of it. She was waiting and when her husband came to the car, she called to him. They spoke a few words and he opened the car door for her to step out. He took her arm and helped her out of the car. I could see very well as she moved to get out. She was wearing a skirt.
She haltingly walked around to the passenger side very slowly, leaning on a walking cane. Sitting sideways in the car, she lifted one leg with her hands and then the other one. The beautiful lady had a prosthesis on the left leg and a brace on the right leg. I couldn't watch them drive away as the tears were blinding me. For weeks I had envied this woman and her way of life, while I had been able to walk three miles to our car!
When my husband arrived and found me crying, he immediately asked what was wrong. Through my tears, I told him about the beautiful lady. He said he knew her husband and also knew the story. The beautiful lady and her parents were in a car that either stalled or got caught on the railroad tracks and was hit by a train. Both parents were killed and she was severely injured. She was only 12 years old. The railroad made a large settlement with her because the crossing had no signals. He explained her car was specially built for her needs as well as the home.
I prayed for forgiveness all the way home. The lady I thought had everything I didn't. I realized how lucky I was to have my parents, the ability to walk, run or dance through life and many wonderful things money can't buy. I would not have traded places with the beautiful lady for anything
When you meet a person who seems to be much better off than you, don't be fooled.
In the afternoons the woman walked three miles to her husband’s work place to___.

A．take exercise on the way	B．meet the beautiful lady.
C．enjoy the scenery and reading	D．wait for her husband

After seeing the beautiful lady, the woman concluded_______.

A．the beautiful lady led a rich and happy life.

B．the beautiful lady liked to show off herself.

C．she and her husband must make more money.

D．she shouldn’t have married her husband.

The woman prayed for forgiveness all the way home because_______.

A．She should have known the whole story earlier.

B．She shouldn’t have compared herself with the woman.

C．She shouldn’t have told her husband what she had seen.

D．She shouldn’t have seen the woman getting out of the car.

Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．The woman learned that health and family are more important.

B．The woman was poor and couldn’t afford another car and fancy clothes.

C．The woman envied the beautiful lady of her capable husband.

D．The woman regretted marrying her husband.

The underlined word “haltingly” probably means________.

A．proudly	B．excitedly
C．difficultly	D．steadily

Which of the following do you think can be the best title of the passage?

A．Seeing is believing	B．Trust her heart instead of her look
C．Looks can be deceiving	D．Fooled by her look