In effect, many people avoid the very attempts that are the source of true happiness. They fear the pain inevitably brought by such things as marriage, raising children, professional achievement, religious commitment and self-improvement.
Ask a bachelor (单身汉) why he resists marriage even though he finds dating less and less satisfying. If he is honest he will tell you that he is afraid of making a commitment. For commitment is in fact quite painful. The single life is filled with fun, adventure and excitement. Marriage has such moments, but they are not its most distinguishing features.
Couples with infant children are lucky to get a whole night's sleep or a three-day vacation. I don't know any parent who would choose the word fun to describe raising children. But couples who decide not to have children never know the joys of watching a child grow up or of playing with a grandchild.
Understanding and accepting that true happiness has nothing to do with fun is one of the most liberating realizations. It liberates time: now we can devote more hours to activities that can genuinely increase our happiness. It liberates money: buying that new car or those fancy clothes that will do nothing to increase our happiness now seems pointless. And it liberates us from envy: we now understand that all those who are always having so much fun actually may not be happy at all.
1.According to the author, a bachelor resists marriage chiefly because _______ .
A.he is unwilling to take family responsibilities
B.he believes that life will be more cheerful if he remains single
C.he finds more fun in dating than in marriage
D.he fears it will put an end to all his fun adventure and excitement
2.Raising children, in the author's opinion, is _______ .
A.a moral duty B.a thankless job
C.a rewarding task D.a source of inevitable pain
3.To understand what true happiness is one must _______ .
A.have as much fun as possible during one's lifetime
B.make every effort to liberate oneself from pain
C.put up with pain under all circumstances
D.be able to distinguish happiness from fun
4.What is the author trying to tell us?
A.Happiness often goes hand in hand with pain.
B.One must know how to make money.
C.It is not important to make commitments.
D.It’s pain that leads to happiness.
The Sahara Festival is a celebration of the very recent past. The three-day event is not fixed to the same dates each year, but generally takes place in November or December. It is well attended by tourists, but even better attended by the locals.
During the opening ceremonies, after the official greetings from the government leaders, people who attend the festival begin to march smartly before the viewing stands, and white camels transport their riders across the sands. Horsemen from different nations display their beautiful clothes and their fine horsemanship. One following another, groups of musicians and dancers from all over the Sahara take their turn to show off their wonderful traditional culture. Groups of men in blue and yellow play horns and beat drums as they dance in different designs. On their knees in the sand, a group of women in long dark dresses dance with their hair: their long, dark, shiny hair is thrown back and forth in the wind to the rhythm of their dance.
The local and visiting Italian dogs are anxious to run after hares. The crowd is on its feet for the camel races. Camels and riders run far into the distance, and then return to the finish Line in front of the cheering people.
Towards the evening, there comes the grand finale of the opening day, an extremely exciting horserace. All the riders run very fast on horseback. Some riders hang off the side of their saddles（马鞍）. Some even ride upside down—their legs and feet straight up in the air—all at full speed. Others rush down the course together, men arm in arm, on different horses. On and on they went. So fast and so wonderful!
1.The Sahara Festival is a festival which _____.
A.has a very long history in North Africa
B.is held in the same place on the same day
C.is attended mainly by the people in the Sahara
D.is celebrated mostly by travelers from different countries
2.Before the races begin, _____ take part in the activities during the opening ceremonies.
A.musicians, dancers, horses and hares
B.camel riders, musicians, dogs and hares
C.horsemen, dancers, camels and dogs
D.musicians, officials, camels and horses
3.The underlined word “finale” in the fourth paragraph most probably means the _____ of the opening day.
A.first part B.last part C.middle D.whole
4.This passage mainly tells readers _____.
A.how animals race on the first and the last days of the Sahara Festival
B.how people celebrate during the three-day Sahara Festival
C.what takes place at the closing ceremonies of the Sahara Festival
D.what happens on the opening day of the Sahara Festival
Riding School:
You can start horse-riding at any age. Choose private or group lessons any weekday between 9 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. (3:30 p.m. on Saturdays). There are 10 kilometers of tracks and paths for leisurely rides across farmland and open country. You will need a riding hat.
Opening Hours: Monday through Friday: 9:00 a.m. ~ 8:30 p.m.
Phone: (412) 396-6754 Fax: (412) 396-6752
Sailing Club:
Our Young Sailor’s Course leads to the Stage Sailing qualification. You’ll learn how to sail safely and the course also covers sailing theory and first aid. Have fun with other course members afterwards in the club room. There are 10 weekly two-hour lessons.
Opening Hours: Tuesdays: 6:00 p.m.~ 8:00 p.m.
Phone:( 412)396-6644 Fax: (412) 396-6644
Diving Centre:
Our experienced instructors offer one-month courses in deep-sea diving for beginners. There are two evening lessons a week, in which you learn to breathe underwater and use the equipment safely. You only need a swimming costume and towel. Reduced rates for couples.
Opening Hours: Monday and Friday: 6:30p.m.~ 8:30 p.m.
Phone: (412)396-6312 Fax: (412) 396-6706
Medical Center:
The staff of the Medical Center aim to provide convenient and comprehensive medical care to students and staff of the university. The center is well equipped and the staff here are trained to deal with a broad range of medical problems. Both female and male doctors as well as nursing staff are available for consultation. Also, all kinds of medicines are sold here and are cheaper for students than other drugstores.
Opening Hours: 24 hours from Monday to Sunday
Phone: ( 412)396-6649 Fax: (412) 396-6648
Water-sports club:
We use a two-kilometre length of river for speedboat racing, and water-skiing. A beginners’ course consists of ten 20-minute lessons. You will learn to handle boats safely and confidently but must be able to swim. The club is in a convenient central position and is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with lessons all through the day.
Opening Hours: Monday through Friday: 9:00 a.m.~ 4:00 p.m.
Phone: (412)396-6899 Fax: (412) 396-6890
1.If you want to swim and enjoy activities which are fast and a bit dangerous, you should join_______ .
A.Sailing Club B.Riding School
C.Water-sports Club D.Diving Centre
2.If you want to experience a new activity in the countryside in the mornings, you may fax________ .
A.(412) 396-6752 B.(412) 396-6706
C.(412) 396-6648 D.(412) 396- 6876
3.If you want to do an activity one evening a week and get a certificate in the end, you can go to_______ .
A.Sailing Club B.Diving Centre
C.Water-sports Club D.Riding School
假如你是李华，你校今天邀请了某大学的外籍教师Brown先生给高一的学生就如何提高英语阅读能力进行了一次演讲，请根据以下内容给你的朋友王鹏介绍这次活动。
1. Brown先生用简单的英语为我们讲课，不懂之处他反复解释, 有时用卡片展示一些内容；
2. 你就如何克服生词障碍提出了问题；
3. 同学们懂得了基本的阅读方法，决心扩大阅读面，提升英语水平。
注意:1. 字数:100-120。 2. 信的开头结尾已给，不计入总词数。
Dear Wang Peng,
I am extremely glad to offer you some information about the speech
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Best wishes,
Your sincerely
Li Hua.
阅读下面短文，在空白处填入适当的内容(不多于3个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。
These days, more and more Chinese people enjoy sending and receiving messages on the phone, which can help them to get the latest news and communicate with friends. But I think I should read more books besides the texts. The more, 1. better. It can improve my language skills and also can help me to get good grades.
Before you start reading, ask 2.(you) why you are reading this book. Most people read for two main 3.(reason), pleasure or knowledge. Clearing about your reading purpose can not only help you choose the books you really need to read, but also remind you why reading the book is of great 4.(important) to you, so you will decide 5.(read) and finish the book faster.
No matter what you are reading, it is important to enjoy 6. you read. Your friends may tell you the books they are interested 7., but those books might not be the ones you enjoy. Whenever you realize that you aren’t enjoying the book you are reading, give it up.
It is true to read the books that 8.(borrow) from libraries 9.(fast) than those I buy. The reason is that I don’t need to return those books I buy. Having a reading goal 10.(help) you work out how much reading you need to do in a week or even a day. Before you read each book, you should know what time you need to complete this book by.
A young man was one day taking a walk with his professor, who was well-known for his kindness to everyone. As they went along, they saw a pair of old ____, which belonged to a poor man who had almost____ his day’s work on the field.
The student ____ to the professor, saying: “Let us play the man a ____; we will hide his shoes, and hide ourselves behind those trees, and wait to see his ____ when he can not find them.”
“My young friend” answered the professor, “we should never do it at the ____ of the poor man. Please put a coin into each shoe, and then we will hide ourselves and watch how the discovery ____ him.”
The student ____so, and they both hid behind the trees close by. The poor man soon finished his work, and came to the place ____ he had left his coat and shoes. While____ on his coat he slipped his foot into one of his shoes; but feeling something hard, he ____ down to see what it was, and found the____. An expression of ____ was seen upon his face. He looked at the coin, turned it round, and looked at it again and again. He then looked around him on all sides, but no person was to be seen. He now put the money into his pocket, and ____to put on the other shoe; but his surprise was doubled on finding ____ coin. His feelings overcame him; he fell upon his knees, looked up to heaven and uttered aloud a thanksgiving, in which he spoke of his wife, sick and ____, and his children without bread, whom the timely help, from some unknown hand, would save from starving.
The student stood there ____affected(受打动), and his eyes filled with tears. “Now”, said the professor, “are you not much more ____ than if you had played your trick?”
The youth answered, “You have taught me a ____ which I will never forget. I feel now the truth of those words, which I never understood before: “It is more blessed to give than to ____.”
1.A.trousers B.shoes C.coats D.coin
2.A.finished B.started C.begun D.left
3.A.came B.arrived C.turned D.reached
4.A.fun B.fool C.laugh D.trick
5.A.happiness B.pleasure C.excitement D.anxiety
6.A.end B.cost C.beginning D.age
7.A.goes B.comes C.influences D.happens
8.A.made B.did C.got D.told
9.A.where B.which C.that D.there
10.A.dressing B.having C.wearing D.putting
11.A.lay B.stood C.fell D.bent
12.A.note B.money C.coin D.dollar
13.A.happiness B.joy C.wonder D.sadness
14.A.started B.continued C.finished D.stopped
15.A.the other B.another C.other D.others
16.A.useful B.useless C.helpful D.helpless
17.A.wide B.widely C.deeply D.deep
18.A.surprising B.pleased C.pleasant D.surprised
19.A.lesson B.course C.class D.promise
20.A.refuse B.receive C.forget D.own
