Does money buy happiness？Not！Ah, but would a little more money make us a little happier？Many of us smirk(傻笑，假笑) and nod．There is, we believe, some connection between financial fitness and emotional fulfillment．Three in four American college students—nearly double the 1970 proportion— now consider it “very important” or “essential” that they become “very well off financially”．Money matters．
But a surprising fact of life is that in countries where nearly everyone can afford life’s necessities, increasing wealth matters surprisingly little．The connection between income and happiness is “surprisingly weak,” observed University of Michigan researcher Ronald Inglehart in one 16-nation study of 170,000 people．Once comfortable, more money provides diminishing returns(报酬递减)．The second piece of pie, or the second $100,000, never tastes as good as the first．Even lottery winners and the Forbes’ 100 wealthiest Americans surveyed by University of Illinois psychologist Ed Diener have expressed only slightly greater happiness than the average American．Making it big brings temporary joy．But in the long run wealth is like health: its complete absence can create suffering, but having it doesn’t guarantee happiness．Happiness seems less a matter of getting what we want than of wanting what we have．
Has our happiness, however, floated upward with the rising economic tide？Are we happier today than in 1940s, when two out of five homes lacked a shower or tub？Actually, we are not．Since 1957, the number of Americans who say they are “very happy” has declined from 35 to 32 percent．Meanwhile, the divorce rate has doubled, the teen suicide(自杀) rate has increased nearly three times, the violent crime rate has gone up nearly four times, and depression has mushroomed．Economic growth has provided no boost to human morale．When it comes to psychological well being, it is not the economy．
I call this soaring wealth and shrinking spirit “the American paradox．” More than ever, we have big houses and broken homes, high incomes and low confidence, secured rights and reduced civility．We are good at making a living but often fail at making a life．We celebrate our prosperity(繁荣) but long for a purpose．We treasure our freedoms but long for connection．In an age of plenty, we feel spiritual hunger．Which of the following statements best expresses the author’s view？
| A．The more money we earn, the less returns we have． |
| B．The more money we earn, the happier we would be． |
| C．In the long run, money cannot guarantee happiness． |
| D．In the long run, happiness grows with economy． |
“The second $100,000 never tastes as good as the first” because _____．
| A．it is not so fresh as the first $100,000 |
| B．it is not so important as the first $100,000 |
| C．profit brought by it is less than that from the first $100,000 |
| D．happiness brought by it is less than that from the first $100,000 |
According to the passage, people do well in making a living but don’t _____．
| A．have any primary aim |
| B．know how to spend money |
| C．know how to enjoy life |
| D．keep in touch with other people |
The things that happened after 1957 are given to show that _____．
| A．people’s spiritual needs cannot be fulfilled by wealth |
| B．family problems become more and more serious |
| C．young people are not happy about their life |
| D．social crimes have increased significantly |
Most people agree that honesty is a good thing. But does Mother Nature agree? Animals can’t talk, but can they lie in other ways? Can they lie with their bodies and behavior?
Animal experts may not call it lying, but they do agree that many animals, from birds to chimpanzees, behave dishonestly to fool other animals. Why? Dishonesty often helps them survive.
Many kinds of birds are very successful at fooling other animals. For example, a bird called the plover sometimes pretends to be hurt in order to protect its young. When a predator (猎食动物) gets close to its nest, the plover leads the predator away from the nest. How? It pretends to have a broken wing. The predator follows the “hurt” adult, leaving the baby birds safe in the nest.
Another kind of bird, the scrub jay, buries its food so it always has something to eat. Scrub jays are also thieves. They watch where others bury their food and steal it. But clever scrub jays seem to know when a thief is watching them. So they go back later, unbury the food, and bury it again somewhere else.
Birds called cuckoos have found a way to have babies without doing much work. How? They don’t make nests. Instead, they get into other birds’ nests secretly. Then they lay their eggs and fly away. When the baby birds come out, their adoptive parents feed them.
Chimpanzees, or chimps, can also be sneaky. After a fight, the losing chimp will give its hand to the other. When the winning chimp puts out its hand, too, the chimps are friendly again. But an animal expert once saw a losing chimp take the winner’s hand and start fighting again.
Chimps are sneaky in other ways, too. When chimps find food that they love, such as
bananas, it is natural for them to cry out. Then other chimps come running. But some clever chimps learn to cry very softly when they find food. That way, other chimps don’t hear them, and they don’t need to share their food.
As children, many of us learn the saying "You can't fool Mother Nature." But maybe you can't trust her, either.A plover protects its young from a predator by _________
| A．getting closer to its young |
| B．driving away the adult predator |
| C．leaving its young in another nest |
| D．pretending to be injured |
By "Chimpanzees, or chimps, can also be sneaky" , the author means _______.
| A．chimps are ready to attack others |
| B．chimps are sometimes dishonest |
| C．chimps are jealous of the winners |
| D．chimps can be selfish too |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．Some chimps lower their cry to keep food away from others. |
| B．The losing chimp won the fight by taking the winner's hand. |
| C．Cuckoos fool their adoptive parents by making no nests. |
| D．Some clever scrub jays often steal their food back. |
Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?
| A．Do animals lie? |
| B．Does Mother Nature fool animals? |
| C．How do animals learn to lie? |
| D．How does honesty help animals survive? |
The Brown Bear
My wife Laura and I were on the beach, with three of our children, taking pictures of shore birds near our home in Alaska when we spotted a bear. The bear was thin and small, moving aimlessly.
Just a few minutes later, I heard my daughter shouting, “Dad! The bear is right behind us!” An aggressive bear would usually rush forward to frighten away its enemy but would suddenly stop at the last minute. This one was silent and its ears pinned back---- the sign of an animal that is going in for the kill. And it was a cold April day. The bear behaved abnormally, probably because of hunger.
I held my camera tripod (三脚架) in both hands to form a barrier as the bear rushed into me. Its huge head was level with my chest and shoulders, and the tripod stuck across its mouth. It bit down and I found myself supporting its weight. I knew I would not be able to hold it for long.
Even so, this was a fight I had to win: I was all that stood between the bear and my family, who would stand little chance of running faster than a brown bear.
The bear hit at the camera, cutting it off the tripod. I raised my left arm to protect my face; the beast held tightly on the tripod and pressed it into my side. My arm could not move, and I sensed that my bones were going to break. www..com
Drawing back my free hand, I struck the bear as hard as I could for five to six times. The bear opened its mouth and I grasped its fur, trying to push it away. I was actually wrestling (扭打) with the bear at this point. Then, as suddenly as it had begun, the fight ended. The bear moved back toward the forest, before returning for another attack----- The first time I felt panic.
Apparently satisfied that we caused no further threat, the bear moved off, destroying a fence as it went. My arm was injured, but the outcome for us could hardly have been better. I’m proud that my family remained clear-headed when panic could have led to a very different outcome.The brown bear approached the family in order to _________.
| A．catch shore birds | B．start an attack |
| C．protect the children | D．set up a barrier for itself |
The bear finally went away after it _________.
| A．felt safe | B．got injured |
| C．found some food | D．took away the camera |
The writer and his family survived mainly due to their _________.
| A．pride | B．patience |
| C．calmness | D．cautiousness |
It was Monday.Mrs.Smith’s dog was hungry,but there was not any meat in the house.
Considering that there was no better way,Mrs.Smith took a piece of paper,and wrote the following words on it “Give my dog half a pound of meat.” Then she gave the paper to her dog and said gently,“Take this to the butcher,and he’s going to give you your lunch today.”
Holding the piece of paper in its mouth,the dog ran to the butcher’s.It gave the paper to the butcher.The butcher read it carefully,recognized that it was really the lady’s handwriting and soon did it as he was asked to.The dog was very happy,and ate the meat up at once.
At noon,the dog came to the shop again.It gave the butcher a piece of paper again.After reading it,he gave it half a pound of meat once more.
The next day,the dog came again exactly at noon.And as usual,it brought a piece of paper in the mouth.This time,the butcher did not take a look at paper,and gave the dog its meat,for he had regarded the dog as one of his customers (顾客).
But,the dog came again at four o’clock.And the same thing happened once again.To the butcher’s more surprise,it came for the third time at six o’clock,and brought with it a third piece of paper.The butcher felt a bit puzzled.He said to himself,“This is a small dog.Why does Mrs.Smith give it so much meat to eat today?”
Looking at the piece of paper,he found that there were not any words on it!The little dog went to the butcher’s altogether during the two days.
| A．three times | B．four times | C．five times | D．six times |
The butcher did not give any meat to the dog .
| A．before he felt sure that the words were really written by Mrs.Smith on Monday |
| B．when he found that the words on the paper were not clear |
| C．because he had sold out all the meat in his shop |
| D．until he was paid enough by Mrs.Smith |
From the story,we can know that the dog was very .
| A．kind | B．clever | C．honest | D．foolish |
At the end of the story,you’ll find that .
| A．the dog was clever enough to write on the paper |
| B．the dog dared not go to the butcher’s any more |
| C．the butcher was told not to give any meat to the dog |
| D．the butcher found himself cheated(欺骗) by the dog |
As an English teacher,I’ve been lucky enough to travel to many countries all over the world.I’ve seen people celebrate everything from the arrival of new babies to the delivery of new cars.I’ve attended weddings,parties and religious celebrations in countries such as Argentina and Japan,and I’ve noticed that gold—the metal or the colour of it—is always part of cultural events,traditions and celebrations.
It makes me wonder:Why do people love gold?
For some people,gold seems to be a status(地位)symbol.Indian businessman Datta Phuge loves gold so much that he even bought a shirt made of gold at a cost of $250,000.I’m not sure I’d spend so much money on a shirt,would you?But Datta Phuge has his reason.He explains,“Some people want to own an Audi or a Mercedes.I choose gold.”
For other people,gold is an investment(投资).The price of gold generally increases over time and in European markets,it reached even $1,500 per ounce in 2011.
And for many people,a family heirloom(传家宝)brings together status and investment.My mother has a gold bracelet(手镯)that was given to her by her grandmother who,in turn,inherited it from her own grandmother.It’s quite a heavy piece and probably worth quite a lot of money.But its mental value is greater than its value in dollars.It’s a beautiful object that holds many family memories.When the time comes,my mum will give the bracelet to me,and one day,I’ll pass it on to the younger generation.
Therefore,status and investment are good reasons to value gold.However,I think that the real reason why people love gold is that it can be made into beautiful objects.Think about Tutankhamen’s death mask.Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?
People love gold because it holds their minds,their imaginations and,above all,their hearts.The main idea of the first paragraph is that .
| A．the author has traveled to many countries |
| B．people celebrate almost everything |
| C．there are many ways to use gold |
| D．people all over the world love gold |
Datta Phuge bought a shirt made of gold because .
| A．gold is a status symbol to him |
| B．he loves this kind of shirt |
| C．people there love gold so much |
| D．he is a successful businessman |
According to the passage,in Europe,gold could be per ounce in 2010.
| A．$1,550 | B．$1,500 | C．$1,450 | D．$1,600 |
The gold bracelet is the heirloom for the author’s family mainly because .
| A．it’s worth a lot of money |
| B．it brings status and investment |
| C．it’s a beautiful object |
| D．it holds family memories |
Looking back on my childhood,I am convinced that naturalists are born and not made.Although we were all brought up in the same way,my brothers and sisters soon abandoned their pressed flowers and insects.Unlike them,I had no ear for music and languages.I was not an early reader and I could not do mental arithmetic.
Before World War Ⅰ we spent our summer holidays in Hungary.I have only the dim memory of the house we lived in,of my room and my toys.Nor do I recall clearly the large family of grandparents,aunts,uncles and cousins who gathered next door.But I do have a clear memory of the dogs,the farm animals,the local birds,and above all,the insects.
I am a naturalist,not a scientist.I have a strong love of the natural world and my enthusiasm led me into varied investigations.I love discussing my favorite topics and enjoy burning the midnight oil while reading about other people’s observations and discoveries.Then something happens that brings these observations together in my conscious mind.
Suddenly you fancy you see the answer to the riddle,because it all seems to fit together.This has resulted in my publishing 300 papers and books,which some might honor with the title of scientific research.
But curiosity,a keen eye,a good memory and enjoyment of the animal and plant world do not make a scientist:one of the outstanding and essential qualities required is self-discipline,a quality I lack.A scientist requires not only self-discipline,but hard training,determination and a goal.A scientist,up to a certain point,can be made.A naturalist is born.If you can combine the two,you get the best of both worlds.The first paragraph tells us the author .
| A．was interested in flowers and insects in his childhood |
| B．lost his hearing when he was a child |
| C．didn’t like his brothers and sisters |
| D．was born to a naturalist’s family |
The author can’t remember his relatives clearly because .
| A．he didn’t live very long with them |
| B．the family was extremely large |
| C．he was too young when he lived with them |
| D．he was fully occupied with observing nature |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?( )
| A．The author is a naturalist,but not a scientist. |
| B．The author is a scientist as well as a naturalist. |
| C．The author is first of all a scientist. |
| D．The author is neither a naturalist nor a scientist. |
The author says that he is a naturalist rather than a scientist probably because he thinks he .
| A．has a great deal of trouble doing mental arithmetic |
| B．lacks some of the qualities required of a scientist |
| C．just reads about other people’s observations and discoveries |
| D．comes up with solutions in a most natural way |