Do you know what makes you happy? Write a list of all the things that make you happy. How many of them are fun? Most of them? So, if you spend your time doing all these fun things, you’ll be really happy, won’t you?
Well, maybe not. For most people, fun isn’t enough for real happiness. Paul Dolan wrote a book called Happiness by Design. 1. If most of the things on your list are about pleasure, that is what you think makes you happy. But you also need activities with purpose.
2. It’s easy to do well in subjects you like, but subjects you don’t like are less motivating. They’re not fun for you, but you have to study them so you need to find purpose. An “A” in a subject you hate won’t help the world. 3. Each person can study one part until they understand it and then teach it to the rest of the group. The purpose becomes helping the team.
Go back to your list of things that make you happy. 4. Can you add any? Remember, some activities might bring both pleasure and purpose.
Now you need to design a happy life. Paul Dolan believes people should “decide, design, do”. First decide what brings you pleasure and/or purpose -that means your two lists. 5. For example, you might love riding a bike but never have time to do it. So, ride to school or the library or the shops. Some parts of our lives are good or bad luck, but we can still design the rest to make more happiness.
A.But can you be part of a study team with friends?
B.How many of them are activities that bring purpose?
C.There are different ways we can find pleasure in things.
D.He thinks happiness comes from both pleasure and purpose.
E.If you’re a student, your “job” is studying and passing exams.
F.If you think something makes you happy, then it makes you happy.
G.Then, don’t just think about these activities, fill your life with them.
If one more person talks about the benefits of mindfulness, I will throw cabbage at them. Just kidding. But I do have lots of cabbage happily rotting away in my, kitchen thanks to the wellness obsession(着迷) that failed to keep my attention. This is a symptom of a phenomenon known as “wellness tiredness”.
Wellness is seriously big business with a worth of $3.72 trillion and a healthy annual growth of 14 percent. To satisfy this consuming desire, brands of super foods and various exercise classes crowd in. “The problem with all this constantly changing information on what to eat or which exercise class to take is that people begin to form distorted(扭曲的) mindsets towards the idea of a healthy lifestyle,” explains Dr Bijal, a psychologist at Nightingale Hospital. “The least harmful result of a distorted mindset will be confusion. The most harmful would be serious physical and mental disorders like extreme dieting or over-exercising.”
It’s little wonder that many people are beginning to reject the idea of wellness and the lifestyle it advocates. “I can’t tell you the number of wellness accounts I’ve unfollowed on Instagram,” one fitness-enthusiast friend tells me. When I ask her why, she tells me that the public pursuit(追求) of wellness has reached “the eye-roll stage”. Meanwhile, sales of fitness trackers and wearable wellness things have dropped sharply.
Speaking of gym culture, which offers classes like Hula Hoop and Yoga, it’s also beginning to show signs that people are returning to more conventional forms of exercise-some that wouldn’t look out of place on a school timetable.
The whole point of wellness is that it should become such an everyday thing that you forget about seeking it. Living a healthy lifestyle becomes a given rather than something singled out as impressive and worth applauding. Now, more people are starting to cycle to and from work, swim on lunch breaks and even try to buy old school exercise bikes.
1.What is the main idea of paragraph 2?
A.The wellness business costs people a great deal of money.
B.People are faced with too many food and exercise choices.
C.Distorted mindsets to wellness cause harmful consequences.
D.The wellness industry has been developing at a steady speed.
2.Why is the author’s friend mentioned in paragraph 3?
A.To inform us wearable wellness things are not popular.
B.To advocate the idea of wellness and a healthy lifestyle.
C.To tell us that online wellness accounts are hard to follow.
D.To show the public’s unfavorable attitude to wellness obsession.
3.Why are people starting to return to traditional forms of exercise?
A.Sports such as cycling are more impressive.
B.People are treating wellness as an everyday thing.
C.Classes like Hula Hoop and Yoga are too expensive.
D.People have come to know wellness is not so necessary.
4.Which of the following is the best title for the text r?
A.The Importance of Living a Healthy Lifestyle
B.Are You Suffering from Wellness Tiredness?
C.The Benefits of Mindfulness in Wellness Industry
D.What is the Real Meaning of Wellness Obsession?
While “they” may seem small, this gender-neutral(性别中立的) word is clearly making its mark on culture. On Tuesday, Merriam-Webster announced “they” was the 2019 Word of the Year.
“Our Word of the Year ‘they’ reflects a surprising fact,” the dictionary publisher wrote. “Even a basic term- a personal pronoun(代词)- can rise to the top of our data.” The word secured the top spot when Merriam-Webster’s annual traffic report showed searches for the term increased by 313 percent. And while the reason for the increase was likely affected by many things, Merriam-Webster believes the power of the pronoun cannot be overstated.
“English famously lacks a gender-neutral pronoun to correspond neatly pronouns like ‘everyone’ or ‘someone’. As a consequence, ‘they’ has been used for this purpose for over 600 years. However, ‘they’ has also been used to refer to one person whose gender identity is non-binary, that is, neither male nor female,” Merriam-Webster explained.
The publisher also pointed out major events in culture that arouse interest in the word, such as Sam Smith’s switch to use the pronouns “they” and “them”, as well as the American Psychological Association’s recommendation that “they” be used when referring to someone whose gender is unknown, or who prefers “they” over “he or she”.
In September, Merriam-Webster added gender-neutral pronouns “they” and “themselves” to the dictionary. Many were thrilled by the news, and non-binary people expressed thanks. They felt “accepted” and “seen”.
Emily Brewster, a senior editor at Merriam-Webster, was also excited. “Pronouns are among the language’s most commonly used words, and they tend to be mostly ignored by dictionary users,” Brewster said in a statement to NBC. “But over the past year or so, as people have increasingly come across the non-binary use, we’ve seen searches for ‘they’ grow rapidly.”
1.What does the Merriam-Webster publisher think of the pronoun “they”?
A.It is quite powerful. B.It is almost worthless.
C.It has been overused. D.It has nothing to do with culture.
2.What do the underlined words “this purpose” refer to in paragraph 3?
A.Discouraging people from using “someone”.
B.Matching other pronouns such as “everyone”.
C.Mentioning someone whose gender is unknown.
D.Replacing personal pronouns like “he” or “she”.
3.Which of the following may Emily Brewster agree with?
A.Pronouns are the most commonly used words by senior editors.
B.Dictionary users tend to completely ignore pronouns in real life.
C.The non-binary use contributes to the popularity of the word “they”.
D.More searches for the word “they” can be seen in the past few years.
Katie always wanted to be a performer. She, the youngest of, the three kids from Cleveland, was crazy about musicals and Disney movies from an early age and would often watch them singing with her mom, Karen. However, Katie’s happy childhood took a turn when her mother was diagnosed(诊断)with cancer. When the doctor informed the family that Karen’s disease was terminal, they decided to make a trip to Disney World.
The family spared no expense for their once-in-a-lifetime vacation and stayed at Disney’s hotel for eight nights. They spent their days in the parks, seeing the sights, greening characters, all the while pushing Karen in her wheelchair and watching her face light up with joy. They all shared in the merriment of experiencing the parks for the first time with Karen. The trip to Disney World at the height of Karen’s battle with cancer slowed them to escape into a world of magic and laughter. This was the day Katie decided she wanted to work for Disney.
Sadly, Karen lost the battle and died later, but the whole family remembered her every day and often thought of that Disney vacation Katie went on to go after her dream. After she received her degree in musical theater, she struggled for years, working as a waitress and trying to be a performer. Her hard work finally paid off when she was hired to work for Disney.
As a Disney performer, Katie is aware that many other families visit the parks and have similar stories to her own. She encourages everyone, especially children, who may be experiencing a hard time. “Every moment -is meant for you, even the painful ones.” she says. “It’s just like in your favorite Disney movie: There is always some kind of conflict or hardship or pressure. Remember to celebrate those moments, too, because they are taking you to whatever your version of a happy ending is.”
1.What made Katie decide to work for Disney?
A.The dream that she wanted to live a lire full magic.
B.The memory that she watched Disney movies as a kid.
C.The great joy the Disney vacation brought to her family.
D.The great courage her mother showed in fighting cancer.
2.Which of the following words best describe Katie?
A.Kind and curious. B.Patient and helpful.
C.Strict and independent. D.Tough and determined.
3.What message does Katie convey in the last paragraph?
A.Sweet is pleasure after pain. B.Experience must be bought.
C.Many drops make a shower. D.Good medicine tastes bitter.
Directions: Write an English composition in 120-150 words according to the instructions given below in Chinese.
假设你叫王林，你的美国好友John来信说他最近每天晚上玩手机到深夜，导致白天没有精神且食欲不振。他对此很担心，但又管不住自己，因此写信向你求助。请你用英语给John写一封回信，谈谈你的想法并给他一些建议。
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Directions: Translate the following sentences into English, using the words given in the brackets.
1.开车时遮挡车牌号是违法的。(It)
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2.在做出抉择之前，务必充分权衡这一决定将产生的后果。(weigh)
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3.参加艺术活动不仅可以缓解压力、培养创造力，还能延年益寿。(not only)
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4.在信息泛滥的互联网时代，我们要学会独立思考和自主判断, 而不是盲目从众。(rather than)
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