Are people less happy or more happy the older they get ? A study found that people generally become happier and experience less worry after age 50. In fact, it found that by the age of 85, people are happier with their life than they were at 18.
The finding came from a Gallup survey of more than 340,000 adults in the United States in 2008. At that time, the people were between the age of 18 an 85.
Arthur Stone in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science at Stony Brook University in New York led the study. His team found that levels of stress were highest among adults between the ages of 22 and 25. Stress levels dropped sharply after people reached their fifties.
Happiness was highest among the youngest adults and those in their early seventies. But the people least likely to report feeling negative emotions(消极情绪) were those in their seventies and eighties. The survey also found that men and women had similar emotional patterns as they grow older. However, women at all ages reported more sadness, stress and worry than men did.
The researchers also considered possible influences like having young children, being unemployed or being single. But they found that influences like these did not affect the levels of happiness and well-being related to age.
So why would happiness increase with age ? One theory is that, as people get older, they become more thankful for what they have and have better control of their emotions. They also spend less time thinking about bad experiences.
The original(最初的) goal of the study was to confirm the popular belief that aging is connected with increased sleep problems. The survey did find an increase during middle age, especially in women. But except for that , people reported that they felt their sleep quality improved as they got older.
1.Old people may be happier probably because _________
A. their children have grown up.
B. they don’t have to work every day.
C. they can do whatever they like best.
D. they are most likely satisfied with life.
2.According to the survey, when will adults feel most stressful?
A. In their twenties. B. In their fifties.
C. In their seventies. D. In their eighties.
3.What may make Arthur Stone a bit surprised?
A. Women usually live longer than men.
B. Middle-age men mostly are very rich.
C. Old people usually have a better sleep.
D. Most of old people can’t sleep well at night.
4.Which of the following may be the topic of this passage ?
A. The difference between men and women.
B. Old people’s feeling of happiness.
C. The young people and the old people.
D. The connection of sleep and happiness.
I come to the United States ten year ago. I would always say that I was trying to study, but there were always things like work and my kids that would not allow me to start.
Now I realized that those were only excuses. What stopped me was that I was afraid to start studying again. I always believed I would learn by myself.
One day, however, my son told me that he was sad because his friends would come over and I didn’t understand them because I didn’t speak English. He was also sad because I could never help him with his homework. That same day, I told myself, “Rocio, you have to start believing in yourself and you will see you can make it.”
The next day, I went downtown to look for a big banner (横幅) in front of the school which said that they offered classes for adults. I came in to see if I could join, but the classes were closed already. That night I took the kids to the movies, and on the way back, I told them we would take a new route. I ended up getting lost. That’s the way I found Chaffey College. The following Monday, I went to ask for information. They told me that summer school was starting that week.
That’s how I started studying English last summer. It is difficult, but I have had great rewards. My daughter had to write a story for school. It was about the female they most admired and why . She wrote that I was the person she most admired because I had started going to College. I will never forget this.
1.According to the passage, the author probably is a .
A. teacher B. doctor C. father D. mother
2.What made the author make up her mind to study English?
A. What her son said.
B. What her daughter said.
C. Thinking about herself.
D. Thinking about her daughter.
3.How did they find Chaffey College?
A. On the way to the movies.
B. They took a new route and got lost.
C. Ask a stranger for information.
D. According to the banner.
4.Which of the following is NOT true?
A. The author came to the United States from another country.
B. The author had two children at least including one daughter.
C. What really changed the author’s life was she believed in herself.
D. The author wrote that she was the person her son most admired.
Apple is known for offering the best customer service in the consumer technology market, such as Lenovo, Google and Nokia, in customer satisfaction surveys every year .
A particular story tells of how an Apple store manager broke a rule to earn a new, 10-year-old customer for life.
Matt tells us this touching story:
My daughter has been saving her birthday money and allowance for almost 9 months so that she could afford an iPod touch with a camera in it.
As of this morning, she had saved the amount needed and headed to an Apple store in Utah with my wife. They arrived at 10:30 am, not realizing that the store would be closed from 11 am to 2 am that day. As they approach the store, two friendly Apple employees greeted them and said they were sorry, but they were closed.
My wife pointed to my daughter who had a mason jar full of cash in her arms and explained why they were there and also pointed out that it was not quite 11 am yet. They again said they were sorry, but could not let them in. My wife and daughter were sad and regretful, but understood and made their way to another store in the mall.
About three stores down, an Apple employee raced after them and explained that the manager was going to make an exception and let them in. Every one of the employees stopped what they were doing as my daughter approached the register.
As she took all of the cash out of the mason jar, one employee stepped forward and said, “I don’t mean to bother you, but I have to tell you that this made my day wonderful.”
After the transaction(交易), my daughter and wife were on their way out, the store manager raised his voice and said to all of the employees, “Everyone, please give a round of applause for saving her money and buying an iPod today.”
1.What can we learn from the first paragraph?
A. Apple doesn’t do well in the customer service.
B. Consumers are more satisfied with Apple
C. Nokia did better than Apple in the past.
D. Customer satisfaction surveys are made every two years.
2.According to the text, Matt’s daughter would like to have________.
A. a computer B. an iPhone
C. an iPod D. an iPod touch
3.According the passage, what is “a mason jar” ?
A. a money box B. a pot for cooking
C. a coffee cup D. a candy box
4.What is the text mainly about ?
A. A good example on how to bargain with an Apple employee.
B. How a girl and her mother tried to buy what they wanted.
C. A touching story about how Apple earned a new customer for life.
D. The reason why a girl wanted to buy an Apple product.
I created a writing group at my school this year, and it has become a hit with all students who enjoy writing. Now students of the group make rapid progress in their writing. Let me share a few tips that you can use to start your own writing group.
Set up separate groups for different ability levels
You probably don’t want to mix a gifted eighth grader with a second grader who writes very little. In a larger school, you could have a beginner group, a more advanced group, and a publishing group. Members can move to more appropriate groups if they are not comfortable in the current one.
Advertise the group in different ways
Send advertisements home with students, and put an advertisement on the school website or in the school newsletter.
The first meeting should be very open
At the first meeting, you should tell the students that this group is all about them. It is not a class, not a grade and not a requirement. Then tell them what some other writing groups do, and ask what they would like to do.
Set up a time to meet once or twice a month
It is important that students bring their writing with them. The group could go in any direction: criticize each other’s work, read your writing aloud, read silently, publish your work in a booklet (小册子), play creativity games or do an online chat with a published author.
It will take a little while to find out what works best for your group
Search for creativity exercises and role plays. You might even be able to set up a special section of your school’s website just for your writing group.
1.The purpose of this passage is to ________.
A. introduce how to start up a writing group
B. offer some advice on how to teach writing
C. train highlevel students to start up a writing group
D. compare different tips on starting up a writing group
2.What does the underlined word “hit” probably mean?
A. problem B. test C. tool D. success
3.Which of the following is NOT the activity of a writing group?
A. Practice role plays.
B. Meet a published author.
C. Criticize each other’s work.
D. Play creativity games.
文理分科几乎是每一个上过普通高中的学生都要面临的一个重要选择。近日，关于高中阶段是否文理分科的话题再次引起热议，社会各界反响不一。请你根据下表所列情况写一篇短文，客观地介绍议论情况，并谈谈你的见解。
支持的理由 | 减轻学生学习负担，让大家集中精力学好自己喜欢的科目 |
反对的理由 | 学生知识体系不完整，将来就业难度大 |
你的观点 | ……(至少两点) |
注意：1．词数：150左右。
2．短文的开头已经为你写好，不计入总词数内。
3. 包含所有要点,可以适当发挥。
4．参考词汇：文理分科 dividing of science and art
学习负担 learning burden
知识体系 knowledge system
Dividing of science and art is an important choice for every senior high school student.
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根据首字母和汉语意思完成单词，使句意完整。
1.Over the past years, scientists have made many great b___________ in science and technology.
2.Tourists are not allowed to take photographs here without p_________.
3.My father coughs frequently as a c___________ of smoking.
4.Some people have wrong a________ towards people with disabilities.
5.In society, some greedy businessmen hide from their r___________ and only worry about money.
6.In general, girls are more __________ （敏感的）to what comments other people will make on them.
7.He is such a _________ (可信赖的) young man as everyone can depend on.
8.It’s really annoying to be _________(背叛) by your close friend.
9.He is so determined a boy that he must have enough courage to _______ (克服)the difficulty.
10.In her __________ (判断),it was a wrong thing to give children so much pocket money.
