Where do you think the world’s happiest people live? Somewhere hot with sandy beaches? A country with a tradition of the fine food and culture? Not according to a recent study by the university of Leicester. Who are the happiest people on Earth?
Let’s start with all that tax they pay. The Danish government provides its people with one of the finest education and health systems in the world. It spends more on children and elderly people per capital than other country.
And there’s another advantage to those high taxes. Because a shop assistant’s final salary is not that much less than someone who works in a bank, for example, Danes don’t choose their careers based on money or status as people in other countries do. They choose the job they want to do. There’s a philosophy in Denmark known as “Jante-lov”, which translates as “you’re no better than anybody else”
Money doesn’t seem as important in Denmark. It has been called a “post consumerist” society.
Perhaps the bike is a good symbol for Denmark. The Danes can afford cars but they choose bikes-simple, economical, non-polluting machines that show no status and help keep people fit.
| A．In a list ranking countries by the happiness of their citizens, it put tropical Fiji 50 places below freezing Iceland. |
| B．The street sweeper can hold his head up high as he proudly does his job. |
| C．Danish people aren’t as suspicious as many other nations. |
| D．Most Danes are used to seeing between 50-70% of their salary going to the goverment！ |
| E．Those 5.5 million people who call Denmark their home. |
| F．People have nice things in their houses, but they’re not mad about shopping and spending. |
| G．You’ll find vegetable stalls with no assistant. |
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【推荐1】Sailors used to speak of a “Jack”when they meant a flag which was set near the bow of a sailing ship. The flag showed the country to which the ship belonged. The Union Jack became the flag of Great Britain. Australia’s flag has the Union Jack in the top left hand corner together with the stars of the Southern Cross. They have kept this small part of Britain on their flag because their country was first settled by people from Britain.
Australia’s flag is the same color as the Union Jack—red, white and blue. The act of joining together is called a “Union”. The Union Jack was the name of the flag made when England, Scotland and Ireland joined together to make one country.
It all began in 1707 when England and Scotland joined together to become one nation. A flag was made using two crosses--one for the patron saint of each country. The word “patron” means protector. Many centuries before the English had taken St George as their patron saint, his emblem (标志 ) was a red cross on a white background. The Scottish patron saint was St Andrew. In memory of him, they used a white cross on a blue background. This cross was shaped like the letter “X”. The new flag was a mixture of both flags with two sets of crosses. When Ireland joined England and Scotland in 1800, another cross was added. St Patrich’s cross of Ireland was red and also shaped like an “X”. All three flags now made up the Union Jack.
1. The Union Jack is a kind of ________ and contains_______.| A．flag; three crosses |
| B．ship; four crosses |
| C．flag; two crosses |
| D．ship; three crosses |
| A．One. | B．Two. | C．Three. | D．None. |
| A．Because Australians respect the English. |
| B．Because the Union Jack is colorful. |
| C．Because people from Britain settled in Australia first. |
| D．Because people from Britain brought the Union Jack to Australia. |
| A．The emblem (象征) of the English was a red cross on a white background. |
| B．The Scottish used a white cross on a blue background in memory of St Andrew. |
| C．Australia’s flag is the same color as the Union Jack. |
| D．The Irish used a red cross on a blue background in memory of St George. |
| A．red, black and blue |
| B．white, yellow and blue |
| C．red, white and black |
| D．red, white and blue |
【推荐2】When it comes to the greatest inventions of the world, China’s name is sure to be mentioned several times. There are hundreds of things which were invented by the Chinese.
Alcohol
Shocked? I was because when they said alcohol I thought about either the US or the UK. China had never crossed my mind. In China, alcohol was made by two legendary persons named Yi Di and Du Kang who belonged to the Xia Dynasty. This period was about 2000 BC - 1600 BC. Research says that in ancient China, beer with 4% alcoholic content was widely consumed by people.
Tea
China is the proud inventor of tea which was first drunk by Shen Nong, a Chinese emperor around 2737 BC. Tea production was rapidly developed, making tea a popular drink during the Tang and Song Dynasties.
The Mechanical Clock
Have you ever wondered what on earth we would be doing without any idea of time? A clock really is an invention without which things were incomplete. The credit of making the first mechanical clock goes to ancient China. The first mechanical clock was invented by Yi Xing in the Tang Dynasty. This was during 618 and 907.
Silk Fabric
Silk, the favorite fabric of many girls out there, is also a Chinese invention. Although we all know that silk is made by silkworms, it was Chinese people who first invented a way to harvest the silk and then use it to make clothes. The oldest silk which has been found so far is in Henan Province and dates back to 3630 BC.
1. We can learn from Paragraph 2 that ________.| A．people in the US like alcohol |
| B．beer was popular in the Xia Dynasty |
| C．Yi Di and Du Kang invented alcohol by accident |
| D．the author didn’t know alcohol is a Chinese invention |
| A．ancient Chinese inventors were wiser |
| B．many things in our lives are incomplete |
| C．ancient Chinese people never wasted time |
| D．the invention of the mechanical clock is important |
| A．Tea. | B．Alcohol. |
| C．Silk fabric. | D．The mechanical clock. |
【推荐3】Italy’s Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo have been announced as the hosts of the 2026 Winter Olympics.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced Italy’s bid ahead of Stockholm, Sweden.
Skating sports and ice hockey will be held in Milan, while most skiing events will take place in the resort of Cortina. Other snow sports will be held in the Italian Alps, including Bormio and Livigno.
The 2026 Winter Olympics will take place from February 6 to 22. Cortina hosted the Winter Olympics in 1956, while Turin staged the 2006 Winter Olympics.
There were only two bidders left that were considered suitable for the Winter Olympics after four other bidders — the Swiss city of Sion, Japan’s Sapporo, Graz in Austria and the Canadian city Calgary, which had earlier dropped out of the race with concerns over the event’s size and cost.
The results showed Milan-Cortina had received 47 out of the 82 votes cast. Sweden has never hosted a Winter Games before and received 34 votes.
IOC president Thomas Bach said: “Congratulations to Milan-Cortina. We can look forward to an outstanding Olympic Winter Games in a traditional winter sports country. The passion and knowledge of Italian fans, together with experienced sporting event operators, will create the perfect atmosphere for the best athletes in the world.”
Knowing the winning, Italian people shouted “Italia, Italia” as the decision was announced.
1. How many votes did Italy get?| A．22. | B．34. | C．47. | D．82. |
| A．All events will be held in Milan. | B．The 2026 Winter Olympics will last about two weeks. |
| C．Sweden held the Winter Olympics once. | D．Calgary gave up the bid considering the time. |
| A．Discouraged. | B．Surprised. | C．Doubtful. | D．Excited. |
| A．The 2026 Winter Olympics Games |
| B．The competition for holding Winter Olympic Games |
| C．Italy’s successful bidding for 2026 Winter Olympic Games |
| D．The introduction of Winter Olympics Games |
