1 . A Pathway (路径) to Meaning in Life

When it comes to a meaningful life, we might think of love, happiness and health. A life filled with meaning is what most of us want for ourselves. Then, what makes a meaningful life?

Many researchers agree that a meaningful life comes down to three factors (因素): having long-term goals, believing that one’s life matters, and feeling that one’s life fits together and “makes sense”.

But we believe there is more to consider. Sometimes life enables us to experience small moments of beauty. When people are open to appreciating (欣赏) such experiences, these moments may improve how they see their own life. We call this experiential appreciation (EA). EA is about the person feeling connected to events and being able to appreciate the value within the connection. It shows the discovery of and admiration for life’s beauty.

We recently set out to better understand EA in studies. We were interested in whether EA was also tied to general judgment of meaning in life. If so, it could be a factor for meaningfulness.

In the first study, we had people rate (评估) their support for different methods of reducing stress. We found that people who managed stress by focusing on their appreciation for life’s beauty also reported experiencing life as highly meaningful.

In the next study, we asked people to rate the degree to which they agreed with various statements, such as “I appreciate the beauty of life” and “I appreciate little things in life,” as well as other statements that related to the three factors and a general sense of meaning in life. Our results showed that the more people reported that they were “appreciating life” and its many experiences, the more they felt their life was valuable.

In the following studies, we further looked at the connection between EA and meaningfulness. For example, we found that people who were asked to look back on the most meaningful event of the past week generally reported high EA in those moments.

All the results proved our theory (假设) true. But putting it into practice can be difficult. Our fast-paced lifestyles fill the day with goals. We try to get the highest output both at work and in spare time. This focus on future outcomes makes it all too easy to miss what is happening right now. We should slow down and let life surprise us.

1. You were most probably in the EA condition when _________.

A．you made a travel plan for the coming holiday

B．you hurried to serve the customers in the store

C．you practiced hard to become the best violinist

D．you stopped to admire the roses by the roadside

2. What can we learn from the studies mentioned in the passage?

A．Thinking back to the past weakens our sense of meaning.

B．Enjoying small things can influence our attitude toward life.

C．Proper stress management is the key to living a satisfying life.

D．Good judgment on beauty improves connections among people.

3. What does the last paragraph mainly tell us?

A．It is easier for results-driven people to achieve success.

B．We often turn a blind eye to the present moment.

C．A fast-paced lifestyle helps us reach our goals.

D．Future life will bring us many more surprises.

4. What is the writer’s main purpose in writing this passage?

A．To explain how to discover beauty in life.

B．To discuss what the true meaning of life is.

C．To introduce a new factor for a meaningful life.

D．To compare different factors for meaningfulness.

2 . Computer scientist Mary has an idea for a new robot to help her work with children. How should it look? The robot should have arms to be able to lift things. And if it is going to communicate with people, it will also need a face. Scientists believe that giving a robot a face can make it seem more friendly. Humans would also like to pay more attention to robots with faces. But what kind?

For Mary, she wants to make sure that her new robot doesn’t look too much like a human. She wants people to just treat it as a machine-person. If it looks more like a human than a machine, she thinks users might find it a bit creepy and feel afraid. Mary also believes that robot faces don’t need to look a lot like ours. Her research shows that we can enjoy communicating with robots whether or not they look like humans, because our brains are able to look for faces. Just put two circles on top of a robot’s body, and we will see a face.

Dave feels differently. He believes that although at first we might be afraid when seeing a robot with a lifelike face, we may soon get used to it. If robots are going to work closely with humans, they should look as much like us as possible. After all, faces are an important part of the way we communicate.

To make his robots look as much like real people as possible, Dave invented a special skin (皮肤) for their faces. With this skin, robots can show human-like expressions and appear to be angry, sad, happy or surprised. Dave’s robots are also programmed to copy expressions. How? Just imagine his robot is looking at you. The cameras in its eyes send pictures of your face to its central computer!

1. Why do scientists think a robot needs a face?

A．It will become more beautiful.	B．It can do better in lifting things.
C．It will pay more attention to children.	D．It can better communicate with people.

2. What does the underlined word “creepy” mean in paragraph 2?

A．Uncomfortable to look at.	B．Impossible to touch.
C．Boring to talk to.	D．Difficult to understand.

3. Which of the following would Dave most probably agree with?

A．People should treat robots as humans.

B．Robots need to express their own feelings.

C．Robots shouldn't look too much like humans.

D．People can easily accept robots with a human face.

4. What is the purpose of the passage?

A．To explain the reasons why robots should have faces.

B．To suggest what humans can do with robots with faces.

C．To share ideas on what kind of faces robots should have.

D．To show how scientists invent robots with different faces.

3 .

Nature and culture are often seen as opposite ideas. What belongs to nature cannot be the result of human activities and on the other hand, cultural development is achieved against nature. However, this is not the only opinion on the relationship between nature and culture. Studies in the development of humans suggest that culture, whether taken as an effort against nature or a natural effort, is part of the development of the human species(物种).

Several modern writers saw the process of education as a struggle(斗争) against human nature. We are born with wild natures, such as eating and behaving in a disorganized way or acting selfishly. Education uses culture as a way to get us out of our widest natures; it is thanks to culture that the human species could learn to adapt(适应) , progress and raise itself above and beyond other species.

Over the past century and a half, however, studies in the history of human development have shown that the formation of culture is part of the biological adaptation. Consider, for example, hunting(打猎) . It seems to be an adaptation, which allowed humans to move into new and different areas, opening up the opportunity to change living habits. At the same time, the development of weapons(武器) is related to that adaptation-from rocks and stones to a set of hunting tools, and from hunting tools to rules relating to the proper use of weapons. Hunting also seems to be responsible for a whole set of bodily abilities, such as balancing on one foot. Just think of how this very simple thing is closely related to dance, a key expression of human culture. It is then clear that biological development and cultural development are closely tied.

The transmission of culture seems to be directly related to what’s in our blood.   Just as snails carry their shells, so do we bring along our culture.   However, culture is also passed on among people of the same time or among people belonging to different populations.   We can learn how to make jiaozi even if we were born from Russian parents in Paris just as we can learn how to speak English even if none of our family or friends speak that language.

1. What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?

A．Culture belongs to human nature.

B．Nature teaches humans how to adapt.

C．Humans are supposed to be well organized.

D．Education pushes the human species to progress.

2. Why does the writer talk about hunting in Paragraph 3?

A．To suggest some possible ways of changing living habits.

B．To stress the importance of tools in humans’ struggle for life.

C．To show how culture develops as humans adapt to the environment.

D．To explain why there is a need to call for the proper use of weapons.

3. The word “transmission” in Paragraph 4 probably means “________”.

A．system

B．spread

C．start

D．spirit

4. What is the writer’s opinion on the nature-culture relationship?

A．Culture and nature are separate yet balanced.

B．Culture depends much on nature to progress.

C．Nature and culture are different but connected.

D．Nature follows the unwritten rules set by culture.

4 . Each of us has dreams and goals for our future. What makes us study and make progress each day is closely connected with our personal dream and goal.

But why do you have dreams and goals, you still end up with nothing? What separates successful people from the dreamers is their persistent (锲而不舍的) action. When you learn your lessons in school, you must work hard and not give up. You will often find some of your lessons very hard. Try and keep trying, and you’ll be sure to successfully deal with any difficulty you meet with. If we have a hard lesson today, let us try our best to learn it well and then we shall be prepared for a harder one tomorrow.

This is the famous formula (公式) for success:

Dream > Believe > Achieve

Most people have what they want (Dream) and think they can realize their dreams (Believe). And then they do nothing. They just imagine their dreams can come true. When they get tired waiting and lose a lot, they get bored. They say angrily how terrible their life is.

I personally believe that if you really want to achieve your dreams and goals in life, you have to add one thing to your success formula:

Dream > Believe > Act > Achieve

For me, act is the most important thing for success and that’s to Take Persistent Action (Act). If you say, “I can’t do it” and give up, you can never do anything valuable. However, “I’ll try” creates wonders. Let’s remember that there will be obstacles in our life. We must face them bravely and solve them. Success is not something that falls down from the sky. Most successful people made their dreams come true because of their persistent action.

Please remember: Action is the bridge that connects our dreams and goals to reality.

1. What should you do when you find your lessons very hard?

A．Ask people for help.	B．Try and keep trying.
C．Get ready to create wonders.	D．Prepare for a harder one.

2. Which does the writer add to the famous formula?

A．Act.

B．Achieve.

C．Connect.

D．Create.

3. What does the underlined word “obstacles” mean?

A．Dangers.

B．Imaginations.

C．Wonders.

D．Difficulties.

4. Why does the writer use the formula “Dream > Believe > Act > Achieve”?

A．To support his idea.	B．To ask readers to explain it.
C．To show what his goals are.	D．To compare it with a bridge.

5. Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?

A．Doing Something Valuable	B．Studying Hard and Making Progress
C．Realizing Dreams with Persistent Action	D．Separating Successful People from Dreams

6 . Labor(劳动)education has been made a part of compulsory(义务的)education. Students will have at least one course every week on basic household(家庭的)skills such as cleaning and cooking. Should cooking be taught at schools? How can labor education continue after school? The topic catches wide social attention and causes heated public discussions.

Li Mei a student in Beijing We spend most of the time studying and have little time to develop our interests. A household skill class can give us chances to experience more aspects of life and help us discover different interests. I hope we could be given the choices to take whatever courses we like.

Mrs. Chen a housewife in Hubei Schools should have cooking classes. Children will be taught about their food and how to cook properly. Many parents don’t have the professional knowledge and have no time to do this. A household class would provide the knowledge and training that parents are unable to give their children.

Mr. Wang a teacher in Shandong By learning basic skills like cooking and cleaning, children can learn how to take care of themselves and live independently. Parents won’t always help their children with every problem they’ll meet in their life. (B)They need to learn new things, solve problems and grow from their experiences. It is necessary for children to know how to master these important lifesaving skills as early as possible.

Wu Lei an engineer in Shanghai I learned some basic cooking skills from my mother. But most of them were learned after I graduated from university, from books and online short videos. Household skills like cooking are very useful in our daily life. I hope these cooking classes will really make the students realize that labor is important and valuable.

1. 从文中找出与句子I hope we could have the chances to choose the courses we like.意思相近的句子。
________________________________________________________
2. What does the underlined word(B)They refer to?
________________________________________________________
3. Fill in the blanks according to the text. (每空1个单词)

The idea of labor education is heatedly __________ and widely accepted by teachers, students and parents. Labor education not only teaches the students to __________ lifesaving skills, but also educates them about the realize the __________ and __________ of labor.

4. Please give your own idea about labor education.
________________________________________________________

7 . 阅读短文，根据题目要求完成各小题。

To respect your decisions is a simple and powerful quality of a person but it’s seldom used. Few people fully respect all his or her decisions, making decisions without really considering whether those decisions are really needed, whether they are correct, or even whether they are possible to complete. Imagine how you will feel if you are able to respect your decisions. You will be determined (坚定的), more creative, more satisfied, and so on.

Although many methods could be written about how to respect your decisions and carry them out, the simplest way to start is by deciding to decide and deciding to respect the decisions you make! Yes, it’s as simple as that.

Before making a decision, it is a good idea to notice how you feel about what you are considering. Do you feel easy and relaxed about what you are thinking to do? If you decide to do something that doesn’t agree with your inner feelings, you will certainly find it difficult to complete the task that you’ve decided to do. In fact you may not even start it! By making sure that the decision agrees with your values first, you should have no difficulties carrying it out.

Respecting your decisions is respecting yourself. If you seldom do what you say, then other people will not trust you, nor will you trust yourself. Very quickly these make you tired, slow and lazy. At this point nearly everything seems like hand work.

To respect your decisions is a great quality to have. By giving importance to your time and energy, you will be able to make wise decisions. You will be known as someone who does what they say they will do. You will be highly respected. You will have a powerful and clear mind. You’ll have one of the greatest attributes (特质) needed for success.

1. What will you be like if you respect your own decisions according to Paragraph 1?
________________________________________________
2. What should you do before making a decision according to Paragraph 3?
________________________________________________
3. Why do others no longer trust you according to Paragraph 4 ?
________________________________________________
4. How could you make wise decisions according to the last paragraph?
________________________________________________
5. Give a proper title to the passage.
________________________________________________

9 . We all have those moments when bright ideas hit us, but not everyone can develop such moments into the fruits of creative thinking. While we believe creative thinking is the falling apple of Isaac Newton, one of the greatest scientists, we seldom notice that creative thinking is in fact a process (过程).

Let’s look at what happened in 1666.

Sitting in the garden, Newton watched an apple fall from a tree. He began to wonder if the same force that pulled the apple down also kept the moon circling the earth. Newton believed it did. He called it “gravity (重力)”.

This story has become one of the most popular examples of “eureka” moments. But when we cheer for the great discovery, the whole process of creative thinking shouldn’t be forgotten.

Newton studied mathematics for long to have a better understanding of the world. He always enjoyed finding new ways to solve problems. The falling apple was only the fruit of years of hard work before. It also started the train of thought that continued for the next twenty years.

Newton began to examine “gravity” carefully. He experimented (实验). Then he studied the results and used what he had learned to do new experiments. In 1687, the greatest scientific work ever written came out.

The whole process of creative thinking works the same in our life.

In school, we prepare ourselves for the right moment. Once the moment comes, we catch it and then keep on working in the years to come. It takes much to get the fruits of creative thinking, but the sweetest fruits will be ready for those who wait the longest.

1. You may read the passage in a ________.

A．notice

B．picture

C．magazine

D．dictionary

2. The underlined word “eureka” in Paragraph (段落) 4 probably means “________”.

A．I’ve got it

B．I give up

C．I’ve no idea

D．I believe it

3. The writer mainly develops his idea by ________.

A．raising questions	B．giving examples
C．listing numbers	D．explaining differences

4. The creative thinking process for Newton follows the order of ________.
a. He caught the right moment.   b. He did experiments over and over.
c. He saw an apple fall from a tree.   d. He studied mathematics for long.

A．a-c-d-b

B．b-a-c-d

C．a-b-c-d

D．d-c-a-b