MADRID — What is it that makes people happy? Youth, health, a good job, good looks, a flashy car? None of these things, Spanish experts say.
The concept of happiness is coming under increasingly close examination in Spain. As the nation rises to the club of the world’s wealthiest countries, people are discovering that material things do not bring happiness.
“Most people use money as a measure of human value,” says Jesus Yn-fante, author of a book on Spain’s 300 Biggest Fortunes. “Expensive Products are regarded as the best. The rich are admired simply for being rich,” Yn-fante said. Yet psychologists (心理学家) warn that happiness cannot be bought. They advise people to look for it in human relations and in the small pleasures of everyday life.
Many people regard happiness as moment of ecstatic pleasure (狂喜) — something that, by definition, cannot last — while others speak of it as peace and acceptance of oneself. Polls (问卷调查) in different countries indicate that between 65 and 85 percent of the world’s population regard themselves as reasonably happy.
Around 40 percent of a person’s happiness is thought to be determined by genetics (遗传), while the rest depends on childhood environment and the process of growing up.
Perhaps the most surprising thing about happiness is that it has little to do with age, health, wealth, or other values thought to be important in western society.
For most Spaniards, happiness is linked with feeling close to other people.
Happy people accept their limitations and set themselves reachable goals, experts say. There are lifestyle choices which favour happiness, such as exercise, eating carbohydrates (含碳水化合物的食物) and exposing oneself to sunlight.
But the main secret of happiness is to take pleasure in small things.
“If you are given a choice between eternal (永久的) happiness and cheese sandwich, take the sandwich,” advises musician Julian Hernandez.
1. Spain, as this passage tells us, ________________.| A．has built more clubs than the other countries |
| B．has owned the largest group of experts |
| C．has become one of the richest countries in the world |
| D．has produced the most wealth in the world |
| A．have much money | B．only care about themselves |
| C．Don’t do any homework | D．have a few relations |
| A．are always full of feelings | B．are always born in rich families |
| C．always enjoy every achievement they get | D．always look down upon themselves |
| A．he is not a happy musician | B．he is leading a hard life |
| C．he doesn’t agree to the idea in this passage | D．he is humorous |
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【推荐1】The time to form a new habit depends on the person, the habit itself, the environment, and the motivation. Generally speaking, 60 days is good enough for getting a new habit formed, but some habits could take twice as long. Some habits will never be formed no matter how much time passes. Even a habit that takes months or years to form can still be broken eventually.
Becoming an early riser was really challenging. I struggled with this habit for years to manage to form it. I do break this habit now and then, usually by choice to experience something different for a while. In the past 90 days, I have stayed in bed past 5 am perhaps only two or three times. It takes me less than a week to be back with it. Remembering the benefits surely helps.
In my 20s I was too impatient with many habits. If I couldn’t get something working in a few weeks, I’d often drop it and try something else. Now that I’m in my late 40s, I have learned to think in a more practical way. I know that even if it takes many months or years to form a new habit, I am sure the habit could bring advantages for many years. It doesn’t take me too long to think of carrying out the new habit, I just get it started. When you think about a habit that you have stuck to for many years, who cares if it took a few weeks or six months to form it?
Don’t worry so much about how long it takes to form a habit. Instead, consider which habits could improve the quality of your life so that they are worthy of six months to get them formed. When a habit forms at last, it feels uncomfortable not to do it, and your day doesn’t feel complete without it.
1. What can we infer from the first paragraph?| A．We have to keep the habits once formed. | B．Most habits can be formed quickly. |
| C．We need sixty days to form a new habit. | D．The time to form habits varies greatly. |
| A．He likes sleeping in bed for a while. | B．He wants to try something different. |
| C．He prepares breakfast for the family. | D．He is afraid to wake up his family. |
| A．The development of the habit. | B．The expense of the habit. |
| C．The benefits of the habit. | D．The limitation of the habit. |
| A．Education. | B．Technology. | C．Tourism. | D．Literature. |
【推荐2】There are several ways from which to choose for you to keep your kids safe in your neighborhood. But the first step to keep your child safe in your neighborhood is to know your neighbors.
Knowing your neighbors can save you a lot of worry. It lets you know that the car that has just driven down the street belongs to “the yellow house on the corner”, or the truck that has just driven by the playground looks unfamiliar, but the guy in the passenger seat lives two doors down. It’s these simple things that keep you from going out of your mind whenever you see someone driving by where children are playing.
But you shouldn’t just know what they look like. The next step is to know them well. What do they do? How do they act?You might be OK with them driving by the playground since they live in the neighborhood, but are you OK with them being on the playground?Knowing your neighbors helps with several things. First you find out what kind of people they are. This helps you know if you should let your child go out in an area that they gather. Let’s face it: you don’t want your child to play around people or people’s children that curse (咒骂) or hit each other. Sometimes you have to protect your child against your own neighbors.
Knowing them also makes them know you. Being neighbors is an interesting thing. You might not like them or have the same views as them, but we all usually protect those that we consider our own. If you know your neighbors, they know you. They will more probably look after the child of the nice lady down the street in the brick house, than the people in the house on the corner that no one ever sees.
1. This text is mainly to tell how to ________.| A．keep your child safe in the neighborhood |
| B．set a good example to your neighbors |
| C．get along with your neighbors |
| D．teach your child to protect himself |
| A．Becoming very excited. | B．Becoming very worried. |
| C．Becoming very sad. | D．Becoming very relaxed. |
| A．It is important for you to be polite to your neighbors. |
| B．People in the same neighborhood are quite different. |
| C．People like enjoying themselves on the playground. |
| D．Knowing your neighbors helps to keep your kids safe. |
| A．they are often encouraged | B．you are getting on well with them |
| C．you are the one nobody knows | D．they think you are a beautiful lady |
【推荐3】Are you sometimes a little tired and sleepy in the early afternoon? Many people feel this way after lunch. They may think that eating lunch is the cause of the sleepiness. Or, in summer, they may think it is the heat (热). However, the real reason lies inside their bodies. At that time—about eight hours after you wake up - your body temperature goes down. This is what makes you slow down and feel sleepy. Scientists have tested sleep habits in experiments where there was no night or day. The people in these experiments almost always followed a similar sleeping pattern (模式). They slept for one long period and then for one short period about eight hours later.
In many parts of the world, people take naps (小睡) in the middle of the day. This is especially true in warmer climates (气候), where the heat makes work difficult in the early afternoon. Researchers are now saying that naps are good for everyone in any climate. A daily nap gives one a more rested body and mind and therefore is good for health in general. In countries where naps are traditional (传统的), people often suffer less from problem such as heart disease.
Many working people unfortunately, have no time to take naps. Though doctors may advise taking naps, employers do not allow it! If you do have the chance, however, here are a few tips about making the most of your nap. Remember that the best time to take a nap is about eight hours after you get up. A short sleep too late in the day may only make you feel more tired and sleepy afterward. This can also happen if you sleep for too long. If you do not have enough time, try a short nap - even ten minutes of sleep can be helpful.
1. Why do people feel sleepy in the early afternoon according to the text?| A．They eat too much for lunch. | B．They sleep too little at night. |
| C．Their body temperature becomes lower. | D．The weather becomes a lot warmer. |
| A．About 12:30 pm. | B．About 1:30 pm. | C．About 2:30 pm. | D．About 3:30 pm. |
| A．Just for a Rest | B．All for a Nap |
| C．A Special Sleep Pattern. | D．Taking Naps in Warmer Climate. |
【推荐1】The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) released a report on Australian students’ sense of belonging in school in May. It described as “disturbing” some of the differences in Australian students’ sense of belonging between male and female students, students from high and low economic backgrounds, and students from different cultural backgrounds.
A sense of belonging in school is the degree to which students feel respected, accepted and supported by teachers and peers. It has been linked to students’ attention and effort in class, their persistence and completion of learning activities. An understanding of belonging is important for educators. It allows them to plan effective practices to support students in the classroom and school-wide.
A study from the US found students’ sense of belonging goes down from year 7 through to year 11.With it. students’ educational expectations also decrease. This fall may be due to a mismatch between students’ need for autonomy (自主) and interaction, and their learning environment. They may experience less supportive and caring teacher-student relationships increased teacher control, and limited opportunities for autonomy. A similar study in Finland also found this might be because secondary students need to adapt to a larger social network and a larger number of teachers, so they may not know their peers or teachers as well.
Importantly, some groups of students may feel lower levels of belonging. This includes students with different cultural or language backgrounds, students with disabilities or students awkward in social interaction.
Teachers and schools play an important role in building up students’ sense of belonging. If a student considers their school and teacher to be caring and accepting, they’re more likely to adopt the academic and social values of their school and teacher. Teachers and schools can take steps to improve students’ sense of belonging in school, which is of great importance for all students.
1. Why is it important for educators to understand students’ sense of belonging?| A．Teachers can recognize students’ effort easily. |
| B．Teachers can be more supportive to students. |
| C．Students can plan their learning effectively. |
| D．Students can understand learning activities better. |
| A．they care less about teacher-student relationship |
| B．they expect less of their academic performance |
| C．they are given limited opportunities for discussion |
| D．they are less involved in teacher-student interaction |
| A．To explain why students are less motivated in learning. |
| B．To persuade students to interact more with teachers. |
| C．To advise teachers to raise students’ level of belonging. |
| D．To present how schools can benefit both teachers and students. |
In our grandparents’ time, it was unthinkable. In our parents’ time, it was unusual and nobody spoke openly about counseling. These days, more and more schools are asking for this service and it is considered a necessity for most. Why is it? What has changed in the last fifty years to have made counseling at schools so important?
“One reason is that we expect schools to do more to protect their pupils than we did in the past,” says school counselor, Mike Hudson. “Also, our society doesn’t work as well as it should. Many parents are either under pressure of work or face the economic problems of unemployment, while children are under more and more pressure to do well at school. Many pupils feel they are pushed to their limits by their parents and teachers.”
Most school children face some kind of relationship problem at some stage with family members, teachers or other pupils, so it helps to have somebody to talk to.
From the pupil’s point of view, it is easier to talk to a counselor in confidence rather than a family member or teacher. This solution is less embarrassing to pupils, who are not forced to face the person that they had problems with in the first place. They can calmly talk things through without arguments.
School counselors advise not only students but also their teachers and parents, and offer other services as well, such as deciding learning disabilities or assisting parents and guardians to make the correct decisions about their children’ s education.
Counselors can help students with problems ranging from the most serious, like a death in the family, to what an adult would consider really trivial, like an argument with a friend.
In a society that is becoming more and more stressful, this service is providing children with a supportive way to express their fear and worries.
1. Why is school counseling becoming important?
| A．Pupils are not well protected in school. |
| B．Parents can’t help their children in learning. |
| C．Parents and pupils are under too much pressure. |
| D．The relationship between parents and schools is worse. |
| A．bear high pressure themselves |
| B．are the guarantee of school success |
| C．have more responsibilities than teachers |
| D．are more likely to be accepted when pupils have problems |
| A．unimportant | B．puzzling |
| C．difficult | D．urgent |
| A．The development of school counseling. |
| B．The reasons for school counseling’s popularity. |
| C．The advantages and disadvantages of school counseling. |
| D．The comparison of the past and present school counseling. |
【推荐3】Good time management allows you to complete more in a shorter period of time, lowers the amount of pressure(压力), and leads to career success. Here is some advice for you.
Make a plan
List all the tasks that are important.
Stay away from distractions(分散注意力的事)
Though the e-mail and social media are important to your everyday communication, they require much of your attention.
Learn to say “no”
Give yourself a break
Don’t be hard on yourself. You will actually perform better if you take breaks.
Improve your plan
| A．Try not to do more work if possible |
| B．Taking breaks is good for your brains |
| C．Be honest with yourself as well as others |
| D．Avoid looking at your work e-mails when not working |
| E．Write them down and don’t just rely on your memory |
| F．Review your work plan regularly when things are not going well |
| G．Shut them off as you work on a task requiring your full attention |
