Have you ever noticed that the more you have the more you want? Let’s face it．Thinking our life is good enough doesn’t come naturally to many people．When we have high expectations of everything in life we will run into disappointment．Only when we are aware that needs are different from desires can we live with satisfaction．Here are a few ideas to help you be happier with what you have and who you are．
Focus on what you are thankful for．Most people want things to be better than they are, or when things are going well, we forget to appreciate what we have．Learn to reflect on how much better things are than they could be．Focus on what you are thankful for．Write down 5 things you are grateful for right now．
When we hold onto regrets from decisions we have made, it can really poison our well-being．Many people regret something they can no longer change, which ends up holding them back from moving forward in a more positive manner．What happened in the past is done and gone, so work to stay present and be mindful of the current moment to find more joy and fulfillment．
When we use other people as the measuring stick for our personal success and quality of life we are likely to be less satisfied．Social comparisons can provide useful information when we try to learn from others, but they also hold our perspective in a discontented position．Compare yourself less with others so you can be satisfied more．
When you are focused on your big ambitions and future goals you might elide the daily pleasures that surround you．Learn to slow down and absorb the wonder and beauty around you．Stay present and focus on the task you’re undertaking at the moment．Don’t let the life pass you by because you’re always on the go and distracted by ambition．
Practice looking at life through the lens of contentment and it will become more natural．How can we live with contentment?
| A．To change our lifestyle． |
| B．To have a motivation in life． |
| C．To give less attention to what we are grateful for． |
| D．To realize the difference between needs and desires． |
What’s the main idea of Paragraph 3?
| A．Make wise decisions |
| B．Know the present situation |
| C．Let go of regrets |
| D．Remember the past |
The underlined word “elide”(in Paragraph 5) probably means “______”．
| A．enjoy | B．change | C．create | D．neglect |
What should you do to put yourself in a good mood?
| A．Make time for simple pleasures． |
| B．Learn from successful people． |
| C．Focus on your future goals． |
| D．Create chance to learn more． |
The hottest show this summer-the “Voice” just finished on Sunday at the Shanghai Stadium．But the show that had a good start didn't end to everyone's satisfaction．The two and a half hour show dragged on for more than four hours because of the huge amount of advertising, which the audience and residents（居民） living nearby could hardly bear．
This summer, something hotter than the weather came to Shanghai. That is the Voice of China．The show soon became a cash cow for the organizer as the advertisement prices reached 1.16 million yuan for 15 seconds. And the show has earned more than 100 million yuan up to now in ad income only. But the organizers’ bliss（快乐） was audiences’ melancholy（悲哀）．
In the final live show on Sunday, about 14 rounds of advertisements were aired, each of which came at a crucial result-announcing moment.
Frequently interrupted by advertisements, some audience complained that the show wasn’t worth its ticket prices of 180 to 1680 yuan.
The planned two and a half hour show went two hours overtime because of the advertising. This annoyed audience members, and touched the nerves(神经) of residents living near the site.
Someone called the police, and the show is now facing punishment for going over-time and disturbing residents late at night.Why didn’t “the Voice” make audience satisfied?
| A．It failed to attract audience attention in the end． |
| B．It failed to make audience satisfied． |
| C．It increased by one and a half hours and audience couldn’t bear it． |
| D．It was full of so many advertisements that audience can’t tolerate them． |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The show lasted for two and a half hours. |
| B．Someone called the police because they can’t bear the noises late at night. |
| C．The show was worth its ticket prices because the audience watched many advertisements. |
| D．The show has earned more than 100 million yuan up to now totally. |
Which of the following can best serve as the title of the passage?
| A．The Voice of China—the most popular TV show of last summer. |
| B．The Voice of China—I want you. |
| C．The Voice of China—hard to say I love you. |
| D．The Voice of China—the noises of China. |
This passage is organized in the pattern of____.
| A．time and event | B．comparison and contrast |
| C．cause and effect | D．definition and classification |
A few months before I was born, my Dad met a stranger who was new to our small town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer and soon invited him to live with our family. The stranger was quickly accepted and was around to welcome me into the world a few months later.
As I grew up, I never questioned his place in my family. In my young mind, he had a special position. My parents were complementary instructors：Mom taught me the words, and Dad taught me to obey them. But the stranger... He was our storyteller. He would keep us spellbound for hours on end with adventures, mysteries and comedies(喜剧).
If I wanted to know anything about politics，history or science，he always knew the answers about the past, understood the present and even seemed able to predict the future! He made me laugh, and he made me cry. The stranger never stopped talking, but Dad didn't seem to mind.
I now know that my early concepts about relationship were influenced strongly by the stranger. Time after time, he opposed the values of my parents, yet he was seldom blamed...and NEVER asked to leave.
More than fifty years have passed since the stranger moved in with our family. He has blended(融合) right in but is not nearly as fascinating as he was at first. Still, if you were to walk into my parent's room today, you would still find him sitting over in his corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk and watch him draw his pictures. His name?
We just call him...“TV”.
He has a younger sister now. We call her “Computer”.When the stranger came to live with our family, he was ________.
| A．ignored by the children |
| B．driven away for no reason |
| C．abandoned because it was too noisy |
| D．accepted by every family member |
The stranger can do all the following things EXCEPT that he can ________.
| A．tell us some funny stories | B．reject our proposals(提议) |
| C．influence the children's character | D．predict the future |
The underlined word “spellbound” in Paragraph 2 most probably means ________.
| A．concentrated | B．puzzled |
| C．fascinated | D．astonished |
What can we learn from the last three paragraphs of the passage?
| A．The computer is more advanced and has gained greater popularity. |
| B．Old as he is，we like the stranger best. |
| C．The TV set is out of fashion and often breaks down. |
| D．We decide to throw the TV set away immediately. |
As soon as I saw her, I understood I was in trouble. The tiny 10-year-old girl was staring at me with that specific facial expression which probably only dentists have to enjoy all day long!
Whatever question I asked, whatever activity I suggested, her reaction was pretty much the same — she was frozen with horror. She was sent to our private language school after having been the worst in English at her key school with a pretty strict ELT syllabus(教学大纲), with her peers teasing her for her mistakes in English. Moreover, her state school teacher called her name. To make things worse, she was under pressure from her family for getting bad marks in English. She was definitely expecting me to carry on the same way with her.
I have to admit that I had been staring at her with probably the same expression for a while before eventually she handed in an absolutely incredible composition which I had previously asked the class to write. It was written in perfect handwriting, was full of clever ideas and had correct paragraphing. The girl got her first excellent mark in English, and I praised her generously and from then on I started using her writing skills to support the others. Before doing an oral retelling of a story, she wrote it down. Before presenting her oral project, she was allowed to do the same thing. The day she first put up her hand to orally answer my question addressed to the class I was incredibly happy.
She taught me how to approach withdrawn students — find the skill which they can excel at, in her case writing, and help the student use it to develop other skills!
| A．in a language training center |
| B．in a private language school |
| C．in a state school |
| D．in a key public school |
| A．incredibly dull | B．hard to cope with |
| C．far too lovely | D．pretty confident |
| A．she had some special skills |
| B．she was good at writing poems |
| C．she felt very uncomfortable at her previous school |
| D．she is poor at her pronunciation |
Charlton Heston was born in 1923 in Evanston, Illinois. Charlton Heston discovered his interest in acting while performing in plays at his high school. He later spent two years studying theater at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. But he left college to join the Army Air Forces during World War Two.
After the war, he found small roles in the theater as well as in television shows. His performance in a television version of the book Jane Eyre caught the attention of the Hollywood producer Cecil B. De Mille who later asked Heston to play the role of Moses in his movie The Ten Commandments which came out in 1956.This role made Heston famous and defined(明确) his career as a hero and leader. His face and body represented strength and heroism in many different roles. He played cowboys, soldiers and athletes.
The 1959 movie Ben Hur made Charlton Heston an even bigger star. Ben Hur won eleven Academy Awards, including Best Actor for Charlton Heston. Heston starred in many adventure movies during the 1960s. In the 1970s, Heston appeared in popular disaster movies like Earthquake, Skyjacked and Airport 1975.
Charlton Heston was also very active in the movie industry. He worked to help set up the American Film Institute. In 1977 he was honored for his service in the industry. He received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In 1997 he was awarded a Kennedy Center Honor. And, in 2003, President Bush gave Charlton Heston a Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.
In 2000, Charlton Heston issued a statement announcing that he had an Alzheimer’s disease. He died in 2008 at his home in Beverly Hills, California.
| A．Heroes. | B．Cowboys. | C．Soldiers. | D．Athletes. |
| A．Jane Eyre. | B．Earthquake. |
| C．Ben Hur. | D．The Ten Commandments. |
| A．He began to show his talent in Ben Hur. |
| B．He used to be a soldier. |
| C．He was once awarded by Kennedy. |
| D．He won eleven Academy Awards. |
| A．How Charlton Heston became famous. |
| B．How Charlton Heston began his career. |
| C．Who made Charlton Heston a popular star. |
| D．Who made Charlton Heston win so many awards. |
To be sure, only children experienced some things differently from those with sisters and brothers. Many feel more pressure to succeed. In the absence of brothers and sisters, only children also tend to look more exclusively to their parents as role models.
In India, 10-year-old Saviraj Sankpal founded a support group for the tiny minority of only children. Among other things, the group does volunteer work to counter the myth that they are not responsible. “People think we’re treated too kindly and ruined,” says Sankpal, a computer engineering student. “But I’d like to remind them how lonely it can get.”
Most only children, however, say they wish for sisters or brothers only when it comes to caring for aging, unhealthy parents. Britain’s David Emerson, coauthor of the book The Only Child, says that such a person bears a terrible burden in having to make all the decisions alone. Emerson knows from experience: After his father died, he chose to move his elderly mother from their family home, where she was vulnerable(易受攻击的) to house breakers, to a new one with more security. “The move was quite hard on her, and she might feel that I pushed her into it,” he says. “After all, I am left with that responsibility.”
In the future, more and more only children will likely face similar choices. With working mothers increasingly the rule, many families are finding they simply don’t have the time, money or energy to have more than one child. As only children become common, perhaps the world will realize that the charge made against them is unjust.
| A．critical | B．objective | C．hostile | D．unjust |
| A．find a support group for their only children |
| B．do volunteer work to help their only children |
| C．let their only children make all the decision alone |
| D．set good examples for their only children |
| A．is the only one who cares about her |
| B．doesn’t want to leave her alone |
| C．wants to share the responsibility with her |
| D．is worried about her safety |
| A．spend all her time and money on her only child |
| B．be responsible for bringing up her only child |
| C．have and bring up only one child |
| D．devote all her energy to her job |