After a car crash left 14-year-old Collin Smith paralyzed, doctors told him he had a 20 percent chance of finishing high school. The opportunity to attend college seemed even slimmer. Yet eight years later, Collin earned a bachelor of arts degree. He achieved the nearly impossible--with the help of a kind and generous man five decades his senior.
Emest Greene and his wife attended the same church as Collin and his parents did. The Creenes had moved to the area just nine months earlier. But when Emest heard about Collin' s accident and the fact that his parents would not be able to care full-time for him, he approached Collin's parents with the idea that he looked after the boy while they were at work. The Smiths gratefully accepted.
Emest sought training to care for Collin and then began arriving early on weekday mornings. He would help Collin get out of bed, wash, dress and have breakfast. Then he' d drive Collin to and from school. Then, while the two waited for one of Collin's parents to get home, "We played lot of Monopoly," says Emest with a laugh. At first, the age difference was a challenge but they learned to compromise. "Older folks are just older versions of you," says Collin. "Same people. great stories."
Some days were better than others. "He can't do for himself, so he can be demanding," says Emest. But he attests that Collin's strong will got him through tough times.
After graduation, Collin was accepted to nearby High Point University. Emest accompanied him to every class. On graduation day, Emest received an honorary degree in humanities.
"I was floored, "he says.
Collin wasn't surprised, however. "Emest is a godly example of the way a man should live-calm, modest," he says.
1. What do we know about Emest Greene?| A．He took care of Collin at his parents' request. |
| B．He was an old family friend of the Smiths. |
| C．He was a witness to Collin's car accident. |
| D．He overcame difficulties to tend Collin. |
| A．By providing training for him |
| B．By playing Monopoly with him |
| C．By completing the same course. |
| D．By accompanying him in life and study. |
| A．Evidences. | B．Expects. |
| C．Guesses | D．Clarifies. |
| A．To share a special friendship. |
| B．To describe an act of kindness. |
| C．To stress the importance of determination. |
| D．To appeal for helping the disabled. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Not long ago, a good friend of mine asked me to help him in a halfway house in Nashville. I agreed and made my way there one evening.
When I got there, I sat with my friend and talked about how he ended up there. As we talked, another man came up, lighting up his cigarette as he sat down. He had dark, leather skin, and looked like he had endured the sun, the rain, and the wind for long, long time. I couldn’t tell how old he was, but I was sure that he was younger than he looked.
Through a bit of conversation, I found out that he had been on the streets for many, many years.
Without my asking, he started describing life as a homeless man. How he got food; how he stayed warm; how he got money. And he told me something that caught my attention.
He said, “You want to know how I keep my stuff safe at night?”
“Sure, “ I replied.
“I put it up in the trees.”
“Why is it safe in the trees?” I asked.
“The homeless are always looking for treasure on the ground--- coins, something someone’s dropped, half-smoked cigarettes. I know if I put my stuff in the trees, they’ll never find it because they never look up. Never. “
Profound words from an unexpected place. And his message is for all of us.
We all have our particular search. We’re looking for treasure on this earth. But what we are REALLY looking for is right there above us. There’s really nothing we need on the ground.
In fact, it’s surrounding us.
1. What did the author go to Nashville for?| A．To help his friend. | B．To build a halfway house. |
| C．To visit a stranger. | D．To pick up a homeless man. |
| A．Enjoyed | B．shared |
| C．Suffered | D．expected |
| A．nobody could climb up the trees | B．there was a hole in the tree |
| C．The leaves of the trees were thick | D．the homeless never looked up |
| A．We should look up for treasure in future |
| B．What we’re looking for is just by our side |
| C．There’s really nothing we need on the ground |
| D．It is wrong to look for treasure on the ground |
【推荐2】ON TUESDAY, the Shenzhen team of Blue Sky Rescue, a domestic nonprofit civil rescue team, confirmed that two of its members had died trying to rescue 24 tourists who had got into difficulties.
According to the official news, it was on Monday that the rescue team received a telephone call from 24 travelers, who were trapped in a river valley, with a storm on the way and one of the female travelers being badly injured.
The team responded immediately. However, when they helped the travelers, two team members got trapped by the rising river water. The next day, they were confirmed dead.
The two heroes who gave their own lives to save others are being mourned by all.
Who can rescue the rescuers? The question aroused a heated discussion among people. Most of them think we would rather such “heroic deeds” were not required. However, that depends on people being more sensible. we would rather such “heroic deeds” were not required. In the past several years, there have been many cases in which travelers, ignoring the signs saying certain areas are dangerous and off-limits, still have kept on “exploring” unpaved and unmarked regions and ended up needing to be rescued. By so doing, they put not only their own lives at risk but also the lives of those who go to their aid.
In this case, although the travelers may have been in an authorized area, they ignored the warnings of an approaching typhoon. It was extremely reckless (鲁莽的) of them to travel into the wild on such a day, as the local weather forecast had warned people against the impending typhoon. Two rescuers have lost their lives because of the thoughtlessness of others.
Although the majority of travelers behave properly, some attempt challenging tasks that are obviously beyond their abilities.
The law has already made it clear that if a traveler or group gets into difficulties when entering unauthorized regions, they must bear the costs of the rescue operations. The regulations need strengthening to deter travelers from putting their own lives and the lives of others at risk.
1. What happened to a woman traveler?| A．She lost her way. | B．She was trapped on the mountain. |
| C．She died in the storm. | D．She was seriously hurt. |
| A．Critical. | B．Sympathetic. |
| C．Understanding. | D．Admiring. |
| A．protect | B．keep |
| C．excuse | D．separate |
| A．The Blue Sky Rescue. | B．Who can rescue the rescuers? |
| C．Who should bear the costs? | D．A deadly typhoon |
【推荐3】The Four People You Don’t Want to Sit Next to on a Plane
Let me begin by promising you that I am not an angry person. I would actually vow that I am inherently happy and all-around quite friendly and nice. But one thing that really grinds my gears, is being seated next to a nightmare neighbor on an airplane.
Perhaps you normally like them, but when you are sitting next to them on a plane it’s a different thing. They usually spend all the flight moving around and dropping their toys on the floor, and when they’re drinking their orange juice it ends up on your trousers.
Conversation makers
You recognize this type as soon as you sit down. They immediately start talking about the plane, or the weather, or they ask you a personal question. It’s very difficult not to talk to these people.
Nervous fliers
These are the people with white faces who sit down and immediately ask for something to drink. Every five minutes they call a flight attendant to ask if there are any problems with the plane.
Space invaders
| A．Naughty kids |
| B．Well-behaved parents |
| C．They also tell you about air crash |
| D．Some people want to talk all the time |
| E．The people are not necessarily very large |
| F．Then they decide they want to have fun with you |
| G．You’ll probably have to keep talking until the plane lands |
On March 5, 2012 , I bought a Perfect Muffin Kit(松饼粉 ) from your store at Midfield Shopping Center. The cashier who assisted me was George. George was very friendly and told me that the Perfect Muffin Kit would live up to the guarantee on the box: “Perfect Muffins Every Time!”.
Unfortunately, this product did not live up to what it promised . The muffins I made were far from perfect . I followed the directions in the package very carefully . First , I removed the bag of mix from the box. Then , I poured it into a bowl. Next, I added the correct amount of water to the mix and stirred it. According to the directions, after stirring the mixture , I added half a cup of dried prapes, nuts , berries, or another favorite ingredient(配料 ) . My favorite ingredient happens to be hot sauce (沙司 ). I find that a bit of hot sauce makes pizza and soup taste very delicious. So, continuing to follow the directions, I added half a cup of hot sauce to the mix and stirred it. Finally, I poured the mix into muffin tins and baked it in the baker at 350 degrees for exactly 20 minutes.
When the muffins finished baking, I was very excited to eat the “Perfect Muffins” as promised on the box. You can imagine my disappointment when, upon tasting the muffins, I discovered that they were not perfect. These muffins were , in fact , absolutely terrible. Not even my dog was interested in eating these supposedly “perfect” muffins.
I would appreciate a full refund(退款 ) of $3.99 for this product as soon as possible. Enclosed are the receipt, the empty box, and one of the un-perfect muffins so that you can experience it for yourself . Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely ,
Michelle Bauer
1. This letter is most likely addressed to _______.
| A．a local storeowner |
| B．the owner of the muffin mix company |
| C．the clerk at a local muffin bakery |
| D．George, the cashier who sold the muffin mix |
| A．embarrassed | B．hopeless |
| C．disappointed | D．disgusted |
| A．the directions of the product contained a mistake |
| B．it was not up to the promise made on the box |
| C．it was too difficult to follow the directions |
| D．it was worth less money than she paid for it |
| A．prevent others from making the same mistake |
| B．persuade the company to change the wording on their box |
| C．get back all the money paid from the shop |
| D．complain about how bad the muffins tasted |
【推荐2】Like many teenagers, I was once troubled by anxiety and dissatisfaction-feelings that my parents often met with puzzlement rather than sympathy. They were already in their 50s, and having grown up in postwar Britain, they struggled to understand the sources of my discontentment.
“The problem with your generation is that you always desire to be happy.” my mother once said. I was puzzled. Surely happiness was the purpose of living, and we should spare no efforts to achieve it at every opportunity. I simply wasn’t prepared to accept my unhappiness as something that was beyond my control.
But I have noticed a shift in thinking, and I am now coming to the conclusion that my mother’s judgement was spot on. Over the past 10 years, numerous studies have shown that our obsession (痴迷) with happiness and high personal confidence may be making us less content with our lives, and less effective at reaching our actual goals. Indeed, we may often be happy when we stop focusing on happiness altogether.
While greater contentment is achievable, don’t expect miracle, and accept that no matter how hard you try, feeling of frustration and unhappiness will appear from time to time. In reality, certain negative feelings can serve a useful purpose.
When we feel sad, it’s often because we have learned something painful but important, while stress can motivate you to make some changes to your life. The last thing you should do is to blame yourselves for occasionally feeling bad when plans don’t work out.
Eventually, you might adopt the old saying “Prepare for the worst, hope for the best and be unsurprised by everything in between.” As my mother tried to teach me all those years ago, ease the pressure off yourself. and you may find that contentment arrives when you’re least expecting it.
1. Which of the following best explain “spot on” underlined in Paragraph 3?| A．Confusing. | B．Correct. | C．Ridiculous. | D．Controversial. |
| A．High expectations. |
| B．Low living-purposes. |
| C．Inadequate efforts. |
| D．Improper preparations. |
| A．Stress in your life will probably ruin your happiness and life. |
| B．Higher personal confidence makes us more satisfied with our life. |
| C．You needn’t be guilty of feeling awful since you may learn a lot from it. |
| D．If we try hard, feelings of frustration and unhappiness will disappear from our life. |
| A．Can we benefit from negative feelings? |
| B．Why it’s time to stop fighting for happiness? |
| C．How can we overcome our unhappiness? |
| D．Can we generation be happier than our parents? |
【推荐3】When seeing the doctor, you feel better to know you will get some medicine. But the doctor knows that medicine is not always needed. Sometimes all a sick person needs is some reassurance (安想) that all will be well. In such cases the doctor may prescribe a placebo.
A placebo is a sugar pill, a harmless shot, or an empty capsule. The patient thinks it is medicine and begins to get better. How does this happen?
The study of the placebo opens up new knowledge about the way the human body can heal itself. It is as if there was a doctor in each of us. The doctor will heal the body for us if we let it. But it is not yet known just how the placebo works to heal the body. Some people say it works because the human mind fools itself. These people say that if the mind is fooled into thinking it got medicine, then it will act as if it did, and the body will feel better.
Placebos don’t always work. The success of this treatment seems to rest a lot with the relationship between the patient and the doctor. If the patient has lots of trust in the doctor and if the doctor really wants to help the patient, then the placebo is more likely to work. So in a way, the doctor is the most powerful placebo of all.
A placebo can also have bad effects. If patients expect a bad reaction to medicine, then they’ll also show a bad reaction to the placebo. Some doctors still think that if the placebo can have bad effects it should never be used. They think there is still not enough known about it.
The strange power of the placebo does seem to suggest that the human mind is stronger than we think it is. There are people who say you can heal your body by using your mind. And the interesting thing is that even people who swear this is not possible have been healed by a placebo.
What is the best title for the text?
| A．Placebo: Work on Your Mind |
| B．Placebo: The Most Powerful Medicine |
| C．Placebo: The Best Doctor |
| D．Placebo: Heal the Body |
【推荐1】Passage Nine (Holmes’ Knowledge)
His ignorance was as remarkable as his knowledge. Of contemporary literature, philosophy and politics he appeared to know next to nothing. Upon my quoting Thomas Carlyle, he inquired in the naivest way who he might be and what he had done. My surprise reached a climax, however, when I found incidentally that he was ignorant of the Copernican Theory and of the composition of the Solar system.
“You appear to be astonished,” Holmes said, smiling at my expression. “Now that I do know it I shall do my best to forget it. You see, I consider that a man’s brain originally is like a little empty attic, and you have to stock it with such furniture as you choose: A fool takes in all the lumber of every sort that he comes across, so that the knowledge which might be useful to him gets crowded out, or at best jumbled up with a lot of other things, so that he has difficulty in laying his hand upon it. It is a mistake to think that the little room has elastic walls and can distend to any extent. Depend upon it, there comes a time when for every addition of knowledge you forget something that you know before. It is of the highest importance, therefore, not to have useless facts elbowing out the useful ones.”
“But the Solar System!” I protested.
“What the deuce is it to me?” he interrupted impatiently.
One morning, I picked up a magazine from the table and attempted to while away the time with it, while my companion munched silently at his toast. One of the articles had a pencil mark at the heading, and I naturally began to run my eye through it.
Its somewhat ambitious title was “The Book of Life,” and it attempted to show how much an observant man might learn by an accurate and systematic examination of all that came in his way. It struck me as being a remarkable mixture of shrewdness and of absurdity. The reasoning was close and intense, but the deduction appeared to me to be far-fetched and exaggerated. The writer claimed by a momentary expression, a twitch of a muscle or a glance of an eye, to fathom a man’s inmost thought. Deceit, according to him, was impossibility in the case of one trained to observation and analysis. His conclusions were as infallible as so many propositions of Euclid. So startling would his results appear to the uninitiated that until they learned the processes by which he had arrived at them they might well consider him as a necromancer.
“From a drop of water,” said the writer, “a logician could infer the possibility of an Atlantic. So all life is a great chain, the nature of which is known whenever we are shown a single link of it. Like all other arts, the science of Deduction and Analysis is one which can be acquired by long and patient study, nor is life long enough to allow any mortal to attain the highest possible perfection in it.”
This smartly written piece of theory I could not accept until a succession of evidences justified it.
1. What is the author’s attitude toward Holmes?| A．Praising. | B．Critical. | C．Ironical. | D．Distaste. |
| A．By deduction. | B．By explanation. | C．By contrast. | D．By analysis. |
| A．Learning what every body learned. |
| B．Learning what was useful to you. |
| C．Learning whatever you came across. |
| D．Learning what was different to you. |
| A．One may master the way of reasoning through observation. |
| B．One may become rather critical through observation and analysis. |
| C．One may become rather sharp through observation and analysis. |
| D．One may become practical through observation and analysis. |
【推荐2】An old man in a faded yellow shirt sat in a windowless room on a raised concrete form. The only source of heat came from somewhere beneath the plastic mattress and the rough blanket the blank-faced police woman had handed him after taking his thumb prints. He heard voices and metallic clang as the cell door swung open.
At the front desk a tired looking policeman handed the old man back his belongings, his worn-out cap and the Seiko watch that had stopped working the day his beloved Evelyn left. The policeman dramatically held the blue plastic bag at an arm's length to the old man who took it and made sure its contents were undamaged: the goat meat, palm oil, leaves and spices. He ignored the confused expression on the officer’s face and signed the document declaring he had been returned the possessions they had taken off him the night before.
No one spoke to him as he walked slowly towards the exit.
''Mr. Easy-nwa? '' He stopped and prayed to the God who now took care of Evelyn to please take him far away from this unhappy place of expressionless faces, clipped accents and people who did not even attempt to pronounce his name right.
''Ezenwa,'' He said and looked at a woman with tangerine lips, her name tag said Jessica Harlow, Social Services. ''A bit far from home'' she said as she drove fast and with confidence the way Evelyn used to. He wondered if she meant the 50 miles from Liverpool or the 50,000 miles from Enugu，a city in Nigeria. He did not bother replying as this woman had plenty to say about the weather, bad drivers, her daughter's school play...
At last she drew up outside the block of flats where he lived.
''Got here in the end''，said she seriously, ''Really Mr. Easy-nwa, if you keep getting lost, we will have to consider moving you into a home''.
''No need, I was not lost, '' he answered. He carefully rolled up the sleeves of the oversize bomber jacket he wore and turned on the tap to wash his hands, relieved the pipes were not frozen.
In a clean pan he placed the chopped pieces of goat meat. The herbs and spices that had taken him three months to track down, the uziza seeds had taken him into the heart of Granby Market in Liverpool, his uchanwu leaves down a shady back alley in Manchester, and yesterday, among other food items, the finest goat meat from a Sierra Leonean Butcher in Birmingham. That had taken some time, so much he missed the last train and when the police found him shivering outside the locked-up station, so cold he couldn't answer loudly enough the pink-faced big copper who yelled in his face, ''What's your name sir? '' spraying his face with spittle (唾沫)as he did so, leaving them with no choice but to search an exhausted, frozen old black man and finding him in possession of mysterious condiments (调味品)including a bag of dried bitter-leaf which could of course be mistaken for anything that resulted in him getting read his rights and charged with ...possession???
He lifted the lid of the bubbling soup, the room was filled with the rich and spicy scent of his culinary (烹饪的)effort. He served two bowls, taking the chipped one and placing the other opposite where Evelyn would have sat. He would tell her about his adventure, it was their anniversary and this was the perfect pepper soup to celebrate.
Ken Onyia, UK (Nigeria) Commonwealth Sport Short Story Prize
1. Why was Mr. Ezenwa taken to the prison for a night?| A．He was too weak to move. |
| B．He couldn't find his way back home. |
| C．He then had nowhere else to go. |
| D．He was suspected of possessing drugs. |
| A．his thumb print was taken immediately |
| B．the policeman was confused about what he had |
| C．a social worker was assigned to drive him back home |
| D．the policeman was so kind as not to damage his belongings |
| A．He collected all sorts of valuables as presents. |
| B．He cooked native food as a surprise for his wife. |
| C．He prepared a special Nigerian pepper soup carefully. |
| D．He travelled a lot, attempting to get his wife back. |
| A．Hopeless and pessimistic. | B．Affectionate and persistent. |
| C．Mysterious and troublesome. | D．Energetic and sympathetic. |
【推荐3】The United States is one of the world’s wealthiest countries. Despite this, many Americans are not even getting enough to eat. In fact, around 37 million Americans struggle just to put healthy food, or any food at all, on the table every day.
One might think that a food shortage is happening in America, but this is not the case. There is more than sufficient food for everyone. Unfortunately, 40% of food is wasted every day. There are many different ways food is wasted: farmers only pick the best-looking crops, deliveries aren’t made on time, supermarkets throw out extra products, customers buy more than they need, and so on. The highest level of wastage tends to happen in the richest communities.
Meanwhile, people who live in poor or rural areas often have little or no access to food. These areas are called “food deserts”. They have fewer supermarkets, and the only food options that they can afford are often unhealthy ones. Healthy foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables may be impossible to find. Sadly, 12. 8% of the American population live in food deserts.
What can we do to help those who don’t have enough food? Shirley and Annie Zhu came up with a solution. In 2017, when Hurricane Harvey destroyed over 100,000 homes in their city, Houston, the sisters got involved. While helping to clear water from a flooded supermarket, they saw a huge amount of food being wasted. At the same time, thousands of people in the city didn’t have enough to eat.
The girls were only 15 when they set up Fresh Hub with 10 of their classmates. They created an app which could be used by residents to find out whether fresh food was available. Then they contacted local farmers and supermarkets to ask for their extra food.
At first, they found that people didn't take them seriously because they were so young. They decided to work with Second Servings, a local organization that had been providing food to food deserts around the city. The owner of Second Servings, Barbara Bronstein, was impressed with the twins and introduced them to several food providers. To date, Fresh Hub has delivered more than 15,000 pounds of food to people in need.
1. What does paragraph 2 mainly tell us?| A．What causes food shortage. |
| B．How much food is wasted every day. |
| C．How food is wasted in America. |
| D．Where the highest level of wastage happens. |
| A．When they were assisting in flood relief. |
| B．After they had made a survey about it. |
| C．When they were visiting a food desert. |
| D．After they had read reports about it. |
| A．Crops can’t grow in food deserts. |
| B．People in food deserts have no access to fresh water. |
| C．Only fruits and vegetables are available in food deserts. |
| D．About one in ten Americans live in food deserts. |
| A．Its founders are mostly college students. |
| B．It has gained support from Second Servings. |
| C．It has created a most popular food app. |
| D．It is welcomed by local farmers and supermarkets. |
【推荐1】The noble tree house—all natural materials, strong construction, aloof from the troubles of the world. In a more dangerous time in human history, their position above the ground would protect the inhabitant against environmental difficulties and possible predators. As modern construction has improved, these arboreal places have become less of a practical housing and more of a children’s fun—a secret place erected in many a back garden. But now, these fun shelters are appealing to adults too and many are booking themselves in for a few nights among the treetops.
These tree house hotels can be found From Europe to Australia. Best of all, they come in a variety of interesting designs! From the traditional four walls and a roof habitation, such as at TreeHouse Point, in Washington, North America, to the more artistic Nothofagus Hotel in Chilean Patagonia, whose twelve-sided walls make it look like a beehive. If that doesn’t appeal, how about a tree container? The Free Spirit Spheres resort on Vancouver Island in Canada allows guests to stay in one of three yellow spheres (圆球), which are suspended from trees. The company was founded in 1998 by Tom Chudleigh, who hand built the container from cedar wood and fibre glass, and then added fixtures and fittings. Not only are they as safe as houses, they’re popular! Visitor numbers have probably doubled in the past five years, Mr. Chudleigh tells the BBC.
And how about an office? Microsoft, hoping to give its employees thinking space, has commissioned (委托) a three-building structure from Pete Nelson, designer and builder of tree houses. “Studies show people can work better in nature. They are more productive,” says Mr. Nelson. If you’ve no head for heights, then maybe a tree house getaway isn’t going to be your home away from home. But the sense of adventure, the freshness of the setting and the opportunity to return to nature has given an increasing number of tree house-staying adults something to write home about.
1. The underlined word “arboreal” in paragraph one means “ ”.| A．relating to history | B．of or relating to trees |
| C．of danger | D．of secret |
| A．the company has profited a lot from tree houses |
| B．tree houses come from interesting places |
| C．Tom Chudleigh has an eye for safety |
| D．tree houses are becoming fashionable |
| A．Because people are more productive working in nature. |
| B．Because the sense of adventure make people work harder. |
| C．Because the freshness of the setting make people cooperate well. |
| D．Because people need the opportunity to return to nature. |
| A．how a tree house is built | B．the trend for tree houses |
| C．peoples’ opinions about tree houses | D．the history of tree houses |
【推荐2】Mice and rats have long been used in medical research because of their biological similarities to humans. Now, scientists have trained rats to drive small vehicles created for them. One of the main findings of the experiment was that the driving activity seemed to help the rats relax.
Researchers at the University of Richmond in Virginia led the experiment. The team built tiny cars out of plastic and other materials. The vehicles had an opening at one end where electrical wires were attached. By touching one of three different wires, the rat could control the direction of the vehicle.
Researchers trained 17 rats over several months to drive around the experiment containers. The animals proved that they could be trained to drive forward as well as in other directions to get to the sweet treats placed inside the containers.
The researchers examined levels of two hormones (荷尔蒙) in the rats—one that causes stress and another that reduces it. All rats that took part in the training had higher levels of the hormone that reduces stress. The research suggests the increased relaxation levels could be linked to the enjoyment of successfully completing a new skill. The team also found that the rats that drove themselves showed higher levels of the stress-fighting hormone than those that simply rode in small cars controlled by humans.
Lambert said the most exciting result of the experiment for her was about the possible effect on humans. The research may open new areas of non-drug treatments for people suffering from mental health conditions.
“There’s no cure for schizophrenia or depression and we need to catch up,” she said. “And I think we need to look at different animal models and different types of tasks and really respect that behavior can change our neurochemistry (神经化学). ”
Speaking to the British-based magazine New Scientist, Lambert said her team is planning to continue experiments to learn more about how the rats learned to drive. The new research will also examine why some activities appear to reduce stress, and which areas of the brain are involved in the process.
1. What did the experiment find?| A．Rats are able to drive vehicles. | B．Rats feel relaxed when driving. |
| C．Rats can be used in medical research. | D．Rats are biologically similar to humans. |
| A．one hormone causes stress and another reduces it | B．acquiring a new skill brings about joy |
| C．levels of hormone are controlled by stress | D．relaxation contributes to enjoyment |
| A．it may lead to a way to treat human mental problems |
| B．it will affect the way that humans drive their cars |
| C．it may help people train animals better. |
| D．it can surely change neurochemistry |
| A．which parts of the rats’ brain control their emotions |
| B．why rats have the ability of fighting stress |
| C．when activities affect the levels of stress |
| D．why certain activities reduce stress |
【推荐3】Do a country 's people get happier as it gets richer? Most governments seem to believe so, given their continuous focus on increasing GDP year by year. Reliable, long-term evidence linking wealth and happiness is, however, lacking. And measuring well-being is itself filled with problems, since it often relies on surveys that ask participants to assess their own levels of happiness subjectively.
Daniel Sgroi of the University of Warwick and Eugenio Proto of the University of Glasgow, both in Britain, think, nevertheless, that they have an answer.
By examining millions of books and newspaper articles published since 1820 in four countries (America, Britain, Germany and Italy), they have developed what they hope is an objective measure of each place’s historical happiness. And their answer is that wealth does bring happiness, but some other things bring more of it.
In Britain, for example, happiness fell sharply during the two world wars. It began to rise again after 1945, peaked in 1950, and then fell gradually, including through the so-called Swinging Sixties, until it reached a nadir around 1980.
America’s national happiness, too, fell during the world wars. It also fell in the 1860s, during and after the country 's civil war. The lowest point of all came in 1975, at the end of a long decline during the Vietnam war, with the fall of Saigon and America’s humiliating defeat.
Overall, then, Dr Sgroi and Dr Proto found that happiness does vary with GDP. But the effect of health and life expectancy is larger, even when the tendency of wealth to improve health is taken into account.
A one — year increase in longevity, for example, has the same effect on national happiness as a 4.3% increase in GDP. And, as the grand historical sweep suggests, it is warfare that causes the biggest drops in happiness.
On average it takes a 30% increase in GDP to raise happiness by the amount that a year of war causes it to fall. The upshot appears to be that, while increasing national income is important to happiness, it is not as important as ensuring the population is healthy and avoiding conflict.
1. According to the passage, why do most governments continuously focus on increasing GDP year by year?| A．To increase its people 's wealth. |
| B．To strengthen its people 's health. |
| C．To improve its people 's happiness. |
| D．TO improve its overall national strength. |
| A．Warfare has no effect on happiness. |
| B．Happiness has nothing to do with GDP. |
| C．GDP is the most important factor in improving people 's happiness. |
| D．Health and life expectancy bring more happiness than GDP does. |
| A．Happiness rose to the top in Britain around 1980. |
| B．America’s national happiness fell to the bottom in 1975. |
| C．A one — year increase in longevity has the same effect as GDP on happiness. |
| D．The fall of happiness caused by war takes a 30% increase in GDP to raise. |
| A．What on earth can bring people 's happiness? |
| B．Why wealth can 't bring people 's happiness? |
| C．What effect can war have on people 's happiness? |
| D．Why health can bring happiness to people? |
