Many intelligent people equate happiness with fun. The truth is that fun and happiness have little or nothing in common. Fun is what we experience during the act. Happiness is what we experience after an act. It is deeper, more abiding emotion.
Going to an amusement park of ball game, watching a movie or television, are fun activities that help us relax, temporarily forget our problems and maybe even laugh. But they do not bring happiness, because their positive effects end when the fun ends.
The way people cling to the belief that a fun-filled, pain free life equals happiness actually decreases their chances of ever attaining real happiness. If fun and pleasure are equated with happiness, then pain must be equated with unhappiness. But in fact, the opposite is true: more times than not, things that lead to happiness involve some pain.
As a result, many people avoid the very endeavors that are the source of true happiness. They fear the pain inevitably brought by such things as marriage, raising children, professional achievement, religious commitment, charitable work, self-improvement.
Ask a bachelor why he resists marriage even though he finds dating to be less and less satisfying. If he’s honest, he will tell you that he is afraid of making a commitment. For a commitment is in fact quite painful. The single life is filled with fun, adventure and excitement. Marriage has such movement, but they are not its most distinguishing features.
Similarly, couples who choose not to have children are deciding in favor of painless fun over painful happiness. They can dine out whenever they want, travel wherever they want and sleep as late as they want. Couples with infant children are lucky to get a whole night’s sleep or a three-day vacation. I don’t know any parents would choose the word fun to describe raising children.
But couples who decide not to have children never experience the pleasure of hugging them or tucking them into bed at night. They never know the joy of watching a child grow up or of playing with a grandchild. Difficult endeavors — writing, raising children, trying to do good in the world — will bring us more happiness than can ever be found in fun, that least permanent of things.
The moment we understand that fun does not bring happiness, we began to lead our lives differently. The effect can be, quite literally, life-transforming.
1. In the last sentence of the first paragraph, the word “It” refers to ______.| A．fun | B．happiness | C．act | D．truth |
| A．playing cards | B．playing football | C．dancing | D．helping the poor |
| A．Couples who have children own true happiness. |
| B．There are some similarities between fun and happiness |
| C．Couples who don’t want to have children own true happiness |
| D．Men who like to live a single life are the most happy ones of the world. |
| A．Utopian | B．ever-lasting | C．temporary | D．complicated |
| A．The ways to get happiness | B．The secret of true happiness |
| C．Fun and its effects | D．The happiness of raising children. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Once upon a time, there was a farmer. He didn't have a lot of money, so he used an old horse to plow(耕)his field instead of a tractor(拖拉机).
One afternoon, while working in the field, the horse died. Everyone in the village said, "Oh, what a terrible thing!" The farmer just said, "We'll see." He was such a good person that the villagers got together and bought him a new horse as a gift.
Then many people said, "What a lucky man!" And the farmer replied, "We'll see."
A few days later, the new horse jumped over the wall and ran away. Everyone in the village said, "What a poor man!"
The farmer smiled and said. "We'll see." But finally, the horse found his way home, and everyone said, "What a fortunate man!" The farmer said, "We'll see."
Later in the year, the farmer's young boy went out, riding on the horse. He fell off the horse and broke his leg. Everyone in the village said, "What a poor boy!" The farmer said, "We'll see."
Two days later, the army came into the village to ask people to be soldiers. When they saw that the farmer's son had a broken leg, they decided not to ask him to join the army.
Everyone said, "What a lucky young man!" The farmer smiled again and said, "We'll see."
1. The farmer used a horse to plow the field because _____.| A．he was too poor to afford a tractor |
| B．the horse was very young and strong |
| C．the horse was his best friend |
| D．the field was only suitable for horses |
| A．happy | B．afraid | C．calm | D．angry |
| A．we should do things when we can |
| B．we should be sad when we are in trouble |
| C．we should not believe what other people say |
| D．if we are positive, all situations (境遇) are gifts |
【推荐2】My mother was an excellent housekeeper. She had a few surgeries over the years, and before each one she’d have my father move the stove out from the wall so she could clean behind it. It would have been hard for her to relax in the hospital if she knew there were dust balls behind the stove.
The entire house was tidy and organized – there was a place for everything and everything
was in its place. Mom would hang the sheets outside to dry rather than inside the house. And if storm clouds gathered, she would run outside, race down to the sheets, throw them into a bag, and then race back to the house as the rain started, satisfied that a major catastrophe had been avoided. Throughout our entire childhoods, my sisters and I were spoiled with fresh bedding and cookies fresh from the oven.
There’s something beautiful about freshness, like the beginning of a school year, the start of a marriage, the birth of a child, moving to a new place, or starting a new job.
Freshness is like opening a new calendar that isn’t yet filled with neglected tasks. A new year always means a chance at a fresh start. But the question is, how do we choose to make this new start?
Maybe I need to do some housekeeping myself. A good sweeping usually leads to finding some interesting things – an old memory or two and new hobbies that fell by the wayside. Perhaps it’s time to clean out all those drawers filled with junk – the ones holding old tapes that replay the things I regret doing and the things that I wish I had done.
My personality could use some polish (亮光剂) as well – the ability to listen more than I talk. Glass cleaner (玻璃清洁剂) would be a good idea too – something to give me a clearer view of the things that matter and the things that don’t.
Cleaning is rarely my first choice of activity, but I’m ready to go and do what needs to be done. Here’s to a fresh start and a new year.
1. What can we learn about the author’s mother according to the article?| A．She prefer rainy days to sunny days. |
| B．She couldn’t bear anything to be unorganized in her house. |
| C．She required her daughters to wash their own bedding. |
| D．She ask her husband to do the housekeeping during her surgeries. |
| A．She has forgotten it | B．It was painful for her. |
| C．It was full of happiness. | D．She was spoiled by her mother. |
| A．She see it as a chance to improve herself and move on. |
| B．She wants to help reduce her mother’s burden. |
| C．She is quite bothered by her messy house. |
| D．She thinks it’s time to learn some life skills. |
| A．give advice on how to clean the house. |
| B．inspire people’s thought and plan for the new year. |
| C．share the story of her mother’s strength. |
| D．recall her mother sisters and father. |
【推荐3】“For you, a thousand times over.” The words echoed (回响) in my heart long after I had finished the heartbreaking story. Each word struck me with the power of staunchness, the power of determination, and the power of love, whether it is from Hassan orAmir.
It’s hard to use a few words to describe what the story is about because too many things are revealed, friendship, familial affection, love, inferiority, timidity, betrayal, regret, atonement, etc. It’s even harder to imagine how the writer managed to expose so many aspects of human nature in just one story, with the truth of cruelty. Unlike many other stories in which the main characters are always perfect men or heroes. Kite Runner shows us a real man who is also desperate for others’ approval, who may also become timid in the face of challenge, who will also make big mistakes, just like most of us. In the story, we witness Amir’s growth from an immature, unconfident boy to a brave man, willing to shoulder responsibilities. But he grows up with pain and regret, and almost at the cost of his life.
The story strikes me with the cruel reality that some mistakes take a lifetime to make up for. Some hurt which has already been caused can never be undone. Some people, once left, may never return. So always keep a sense of responsibilities for what you are doing, so that unnecessary hurt can be avoided. If mistakes are made, try to make up for it at once, for you may never have a second chance. Also, cherish people you love when they are still by your side, for they may be away for good.
At last, I believe that the person, who is ever promised by others with the word “For you, a thousand times over”, is the luckiest guy in the world. I wish I could have this honor too.
1. The passage most probably is ________.| A．a book review | B．the preface of a book |
| C．a summary of a book | D．an original piece from a book |
| A．Amir reflects many aspects of human nature. |
| B．Amir grows up happily with love and friendship. |
| C．Amir likes to challenge himself in growth. |
| D．Amir is a brave hero who loses his life at last. |
| A．sometimes | B．frequently |
| C．forever | D．occasionally |
| A．Wait for what you love though it’s far away. |
| B．Cherish what you have before it’s gone. |
| C．Chase what matters despite the difficulties. |
| D．Avoid what hurts unless it counts. |
● Knowing why you are reading or what you are reading to find out will often help you to know whether to read rapidly or slowly.
● Some things should be read slowly throughout. Examples are directions for making or doing something, arithmetic（算术） problems, science and history books, which are full of important information. You must read such things slowly to remember each important step and understand each important ideas.
● Some things should be read rapidly throughout. Examples are simple stories meant for enjoyment, news letters from friends, pieces of news from local, or home-town, papers, telling what is happening to friends and neighbors.
● In some of your reading, you must change your speed from fast to slow and slow to fast, as you go along. You will need to read certain pages rapidly and then slow down and do more careful reading when you come to important ideas which must be remembered.
1. The underlined word "rate" in the first sentence means _______.
| A．fast | B．slow | C．speed | D．skill |
| A．Stories for enjoyment |
| B．Arithmetic problems |
| C．Letters from friends |
| D．News from hometown newspapers |
| A．The faster, the better. |
| B．The more slowly, the better. |
| C．Neither too fast nor too slow. |
| D．It depends on what we are reading. |
| A．Read slowly when you are reading something important to you. |
| B．Read fast when you are reading something unimportant to you. |
| C．Read the materials that you are interested in slowly. |
| D．Read the materials that you are interested in fast. |
【推荐2】In 1547, the king of Spain sent a coded (编码的) letter to his ambassador in France. Now, after nearly 500 years, researchers have finally cracked(破解) the code and can read the letter. It turns out that the king was worried someone might be trying to kill him.
Charles V was the king of Spain from 1516 to 1556. But his power went far beyond Spain. As the “Holy Roman Emperor”, Charles V controlled lands across Europe. In spite of his great power, he had to manage many threats.
Three years before the letter was written, Charles V had made a peace deal with King Francis I of France. But there was still a lot of information he didn’t want to share with the king of France.
At the time, the only way to communicate across long distances was to send letters. But letters weren’t secure. So Charles V used a complicated code to send information that needed to be kept secret.
Cecile Pierrot is a cryptographer- -an expert in codes. She and a team of other cryptographers set out to figure out what the letter said. The code was harder to crack than Ms. Pierrot had expected. But as the researchers studied the three-page letter, they began to notice some patterns.
Some symbols stood for just one letter. Others stood for several letters combined. And a few of the symbols stood for whole words. To make things more difficult, some symbols meant nothing at all and were only included to make the code harder to crack.
After three years of efforts, the experts finally cracked the code. The team says the decoded letter tells them a lot about tensions in Europe at the time. The discovery opens a door to even more history. There are hundreds of similar letters all over Europe. Now that the code is broken, historians will have a much easier time learning what Charles V was thinking about during his time as a leader.
1. Whom did Charles V send the letter to?| A．An ambassador. | B．Roman Emperor. | C．King Francis I. | D．Cecile Pierrot. |
| A．He liked playing with codes. | B．It was his writing style. |
| C．It was a rule at the time. | D．The letter involved secrets. |
| A．The process of the work. | B．The patterns of the code. |
| C．The importance of the letter. | D．The information about the experts. |
| A．The code will become more popular. |
| B．It will be easier for people to create codes. |
| C．There will be more discoveries in the future. |
| D．People will get more information about all leaders. |
【推荐3】Dogs greet other dogs nose-first, as it were—sniffing each other from fore to (especially) aft. People are not quite so open about the process of sniffing each other out. But the size of the perfume industry suggests scent is important in human relations, too. There is also evidence that human beings can infer kinship (亲戚关系), deduce emotional states and even detect disease via the sense of smell.
Now, researchers of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, have gone a step further. They think they have shown, admittedly in a fairly small sample of individuals, that friends actually smell alike. They have also shown that this is probably the case from the beginning, with people picking friends at least partly on the basis of body odour (气味), rather than the body odours of people who become friends subsequently converging (趋同).
They stated their research by testing the odours of 20 pairs of established non-romantic, same-sex friends. They did this using an electronic nose and also two groups of specially employed human “smellers.” The e-nose employed a set of gas sensors to assess T-shirts worn by participants. One group of human smellers were given pairs of these shirts and asked to rate how similar they smelt. Those in the other group were asked to rate the odours of individual T-shirts on five subjective dimensions: pleasantness, intensity, attractiveness, competence and warmth. All three approaches yielded the same result. The T-shirts of friends smelt more similar to each other than the T-shirts of strangers. Friends, in other words, do indeed smell alike.
Why scent might play a role in forming friendships remains obscure. Other qualities related with being friends, including age, appearance, education, religion and race, are either immediately obvious or rapidly become so. But while some individuals have strong and noticeable body odour, many—at least since the use of soap has become widespread—do not. It is present. But it is subconscious.
1. Why are dogs and the perfume industry mentioned in Paragraph 1?| A．To list some examples. | B．To introduce the topic. |
| C．To make a comparison. | D．To provide relevant evidence. |
| A．The body odour is the beginning of friendship. |
| B．People start to smell alike after becoming friends. |
| C．Many people are involved as the research samples. |
| D．Odour-matching may be a reason for being friends. |
| A．By trying to yield the same result with three approaches. |
| B．By testing the odours of 20 non-romantic friends of the same sex. |
| C．By asking each group to rate the odours of T-shirts on five dimensions. |
| D．By employing e-nose and human smellers to assess the odours of T-shirts. |
| A．Unclear. | B．Important. | C．Obvious. | D．Subjective. |
