Every year, more books on happiness are published. And every year, more people feel depressed because they do not see themselves as happy. They don’t remember or know what it feels like, and instead, they feel guilty that they aren’t as happy as everyone says they should be. This is really a sad state of emotional affairs.
The books, blogs, YouTube videos and advice columns (专栏) will tell you that if you read, exercise, stay busy, help others, and increase your intimacy (亲密) every day, then you too can be happy.
The simple truth is that no one can be happy all the time. That doesn’t mean you have to be sad, angry, or depressed the rest of the time but that you can find a middle ground called contentment. This middle ground is a good place mentally and emotionally, and spending time there is a healthy choice.
Contentment is somewhere between satisfied and peaceful. When you are in that place, the stuff of life can be going on around you, but you don’t need to allow it to bother you. And that, my friends, is a very nice way to go through life.
I find contentment in walks and in writing, and in talking with my partner and reminding each other that our life is good, despite temporary setbacks or scary moments. Because I know about myself and I can respond differently. Doing this takes away stress and will keep you from losing your state of contentment.
If there is even one thing that puts you in a state of contentment — you do it regularly and early enough each day — it will help you go through any challenges you may have to face later.
Right at this moment, things around me are still a little out of my control — such is life — but I am feeling pretty good because I actively living my purpose. I am now content, and that feeling will last the whole day through. You can do the same.
1.What does the author want to stress by mentioning “Books on happiness in paragraph 1?
A.People find it difficult to agree on what happiness is.
B.Such books are so popular that they are sold out very soon.
C.Happiness is something easy to gain in our daily life.
D.Experts find it useless to argue about the value of happiness.
2.When facing setbacks or sad moments, what does the author do?
A.He turns to such media as blogs.
B.He definitely communicates with partners.
C.He adjusts himself and reacts positively.
D.He sees himself unlucky and feels depressed.
3.What is the author most likely to agree with?
A.Still water runs deep. B.Health is better than wealth.
C.Enough is as good as a feast. D.One good turn deserves another.
4.What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?
A.To introduce a novel experience.
B.To advocate a proper life attitude.
C.To encourage studies on happiness.
D.To persuade us to work endlessly.
As doctors performed surgery on Dagmar Turner’s brain, the sound of a violin filled the operating room. The music came from the patient on the operating table. In a video from the surgery, the violinist was moving her bow (琴弓) up and down as surgeons worked to remove her brain tumor (肿瘤). The King’s College hospital surgeons woke her up in the middle of the operation in order to ensure they did not damage parts of the brain necessary for playing the violin and keep her hand’s functions intact.
Turner, 53, learned that she had a slow-growing tumor. Later doctors found that it had become more aggressive and the violinist decided to have surgery to remove it. “We knew how important the violin is to Turner, so it was vital that we preserved function in the delicate areas of her brain that allowed her to play,” Keyoumars Ashkan, a doctor at King’s College Hospital, said in a press release.
Before Turner’s operation, Ashkan and his colleagues spent two hours carefully mapping her brain to identify areas that were active when she played the violin and those controlling language and movement. Waking her up during surgery then allowed doctors to monitor whether those parts were suffering damage.
Brad Mahon, expert at Carnegie Mellon University, said the basic features of an “awake craniotomy” — the type of brain surgery where patients are awake in order to avoid damage to critical brain areas — have remained largely unchanged for decades. But he said that doctors are now able to map the patient’s brain activity in great detail before the surgery, using an imaging technique called functional MRI. That means surgeons are coming into the operating room with far more information about a specific patient’s brain. That kind of information helps doctors tailor tests to a patient’s particular needs.
1.What does the underlined word “intact”mean in the first paragraph?
A.Strong. B.Sound.
C.Talented. D.Influential.
2.Why did Ashkan and his colleagues map Turner’s brain before operation?
A.To keep her brain more active when she played the violin.
B.To monitor whether her brain had suffered damage severely.
C.To recognize the areas related to music and movement precisely.
D.To remove the tumor while keeping all function of her brain.
3.What can we know according to Brad Mahon?
A.Doctors are using an imaging technique to monitor the surgery.
B.Patients are asleep to protect critical brain areas in a surgery.
C.A patient’s language ability couldn’t be preserved before.
D.Surgeons can personalize a patient’s operation by mapping his brain.
4.What is the best title for the passage?
A.Musician joined in her own brain surgery
B.Mapping a brain is realized after surgery
C.The violinist suffers from a brain tumor
D.Doctors perform surgery on a brain
One of the most important things that has happened to me occurred long before I was aware of it. As the story goes, I was three days old and Mom was singing “The Name Game” song to me: “Christine Bo-Bean.” By day four, I was given a new name —Christine-Bo-Bean, or just Bo-Bee to my mother.
Now, I am Bo to her and close friends. Although I have been Bo to my mother all my life, I recently discovered that my true name is not on my birth certificate; it’s the name that is as unique and memorable as I am.
People usually know me as Christine. They still see me as a quiet, bookish child. They don’t know who I am now. My most recent hopes, fears, goals, dreams and opinions escape their notice; it is easier to think of me as I was. In their minds, they have a box labeled “Christine” in which I fit neatly, and as Christine, I was content with the perfect packaging.
Those who call me Bo or Bo-Bee really know me. They remember who I was and realize I have changed. The Bo I am is ever-changing, ever-growing and ever-learning.
When I was Christine, I was quiet, and easily scared. I feared groups, meeting new people and sharing my opinions. I was more comfortable with a book than my best friend. As Christine, I thought everyone was better than I was.
As Bo, I still love my books, but I want to discuss them. As Bo, my dream is to live where I can experience new things and meet new people. I dream about being alone on a stage lit by a single spotlight; I have that confidence now. I am equal to those I once saw as better than me.
I can’t always be Bo. Sometimes exposing myself is still scary and I feel too nervous; I want to hide in those old boxes. Mostly, however, I am ready for the world. So, just call me Bo.
1.When was the author given a nickname?
A.When she was three years old.
B.On the fourth day after she was born.
C.Seven days after she was born.
D.When she received the old “Christine” box.
2.What do the people know about the author as Christine?
A.They think the author is active and crazy.
B.They care about the author’s most recent feelings.
C.They don’t realize the author has changed.
D.They don’t know the author has changed her name.
3.What kind of person was the author in the past?
A.She showed no interest in reading.
B.She took pleasure in finding new things.
C.She loved reading and sharing books with friends.
D.She lacked confidence and preferred to be alone.
4.What can be a suitable title for the text?
A.Bo—the True Name
B.A Unique Name
C.Remember the Past
D.The Meaning of Nickname
If you're a design enthusiast, you're sure to feel dizzy over these jaw-dropping pools.
Sky Park Infinity Pool, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore
Located on the Sky Park above Singapore's most famous hotel, Marina Bay Sands this is the world's largest rooftop pool. Offering amazing views of the city's skyline, the pool is at least three times the length of an Olympic swimming pool. As visitors swim toward the edge, they face an illusion that they’ll float into the sky-line. It's quite a heart-beaten rush!
The Red Pool, The Library Koh Samui. Thailand
This blood-red pool is perhaps one of the most special hotel pools on the list. Set against the backdrop of Koh Samui's Chaweng Beach, the fascinating colour isn’t the result of using artificial dye. Rather, the mosaic tiles(马赛克瓷砖) of orange， yellow and red make the brilliant sight that is set among trees and an open-air library.
San Alfonso del Mar Resort Pool. Region de valparaiso, Chile
The world's largest outdoor swimming pool gets its water directly from the sea. The pool uses a computer-controlled pump and filtration system. Located at Chile's San Alfonso del Mar Resort, this huge man-made pool is larger than 20 Olympic-size pools and holds approximately 250 million litres of water. It also holds the Guinness World Record for being the world's deepest (115 feet)pool.
Y-40 Deep Joy, Hotel Millepini Terme in Montegrotto Terme, Italy
The deepest hotel swimming pool in the world will make you feel like you're jumping into the sea! The Y-40 Deep Joy is a round-shaped pool that reaches a depth of an impressive 130 feet. The pool, which has special caves， ledges(壁架) and underwater viewing glass， was designed by well-known- architect Emanuele Boaretto. It's meant for leisure dives, dive training and photo shoots.
1.What is special about the Red Pool in Thailand?
A.The water is artificially dyed red. B.The swimming pool is specially dyed.
C.The swimming pool is painted red. D.The mosaic tiles make its brilliant color.
2.If you want to experience a swimming of real sea water, which one can you visit?
A.Sky Park Infinity Pool B.The Red Pool
C.San Alfonso del Mar Resort Pool D.Y-40 Deep Joy
3.What do San Alfonso del Mar Resort Pool and Y-40 Deep Joy have in common?
A.They both use sea water. B.They are both very huge.
C.They are both round-shaped. D.They are both very deep.
阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成-一个完整的故事。
I walked to Mrs. Windsor's house and waited outside. She was working with another student, and I was not supposed to bother them by ringing the bell. 1 stood against the wall and daydreamed what I'd rather be doing. I had been tutored enough to read, understand, and even write some musical compositions, but I just didn't have a gift for it. Mrs. Windsor had offered to give me the lessons for free, so I felt my duty to try.
The door opened and Wendy Barton came out. 1 walked in, sat down on the piano bench and began to sort through my sheet music. Today Mrs. Windsor introduced her niece Pasha to teach me.
With a smile, Pasha sat beside me on the piano bench, opened my sheet music to the beginning page and asked me to play. I arranged my fingers on the keys. Then I frowned(皱眉) and concentrated to make the notes on the page match the finger movements. I had to admit I was a rather mechanical (呆板的) pianist.
After about a page or two, Pasha gently put her hand on top of mine as if to calm my fingers. There was a long pause. “What are you hearing in the music?" 1 looked at her rather strangely and admitted I didn't know what she meant. “Like a story. Here, let me try and you listen," Pasha advised.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting her fingers dance lightly over the keys. Then, she began to play. “See, it begins here beside some kind of river. Hear the water flowing beside you?" Her fingers rose and fell gently on the keys. “Now a princess appears and she's picking flowers from the water's edge." A happy piece of music filled the air in time to Pasha's dancing fingers.
注意:
1.所续写短文的词数应为150左右;
2.至少使用5个短文中标有下划线的关键词语:
3.续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好: .
4.续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
5.评分依据:主题理解的准确性;情节设计的协同性和合理性;语言使用的准确性和丰
富性。
Paragraph 1:
Suddenly the music changed.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:
That day means a lot in my musical life.
________________________________________________________________________________________
假如你是李华，你的一位英国笔友Tom想来中国旅游，不知道去哪儿更好。你向他推荐了你的家乡扬州,请根据以下提示写一封电子邮件。
内容包括:
1.写信目的;
2.推荐理由(至少两条); .
3.你的祝愿。
注意:
1.词数80左右;
2.可以适当增加细节,以使行文连贯;
3.开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear Tom,
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Best wishes!
Yours
Li Hua
