2 . True happiness lies in rewarding relationships, not material wealth, according to new research. Scientists have said that a close circle of friends and family is most important for happiness, and that owning things such as iPhones, computers, being wealthy and owning a sports car do not provide the same level of satisfaction.

The study was done by psychologists at the Sahlgrenska Academy and Lund University, in Sweden. The experts analyzed articles in Swedish newspapers published in 2016 and recorded which words most often occurred in the same articles as the Swedish word for happiness. In this way, they could know our common happiness.

Co-author Dr Danilo Garcia, a researcher at the Sahlgrenska Academy’s Center for Ethics, Law and Mental Health, said, “It’s relationships that are most important, not material things that we possess, and this is in line with other findings in happiness research.”

The study, which contained more than 1.5 million words, showed that terms such as “grandmother” and personal pronouns such as “you”, “me”, “us” and “them” often emerge in the same article as the Swedish word for happiness. Researchers found that words such as “iPhone”, “millions” and “Google” almost never appear with the word “happiness”.

The study is a part of a larger research project on how people describe both positive and negative events in their lives. The researchers believe that the word analysis reflects a common perception among the members of our society as to what should make us happy.

Dr Danilo Garcia said, “Just as the Beatles sang, most people understand that money can’t buy you happiness or love. But even if we can understand the importance of close and warm relationships at a social level, it isn’t certain that everyone is aware that such relationships are actually necessary for our own personal happiness.”

1. New research mainly shows that ________.

A．various things can lead to happiness in people

B．having some close friends is very important to us

C．owning expensive things can actually make us happy

D．rewarding relationships make us happy instead of material wealth

2. How did the experts arrive at their findings?

A．By doing surveys.

B．By doing experiments.

C．By analyzing printed articles.

D．By referring to previous studies.

3. What Dr Danilo Garcia in Paragraph 3 shows that the new findings ________.

A．explain something new

B．are unbelievable to many people

C．prove material things are unimportant

D．confirm previous findings in happiness research

4. What does the underlined word “emerge” in Paragraph 4 mean?

A．Appear.

B．Spread.

C．Start.

D．Unite.

5. Dr Danilo Garcia doubts whether ________.

A．money really buys us happiness or love

B．rewarding relationships really lead to personal happiness

C．close and warm relationships are important at a social level

D．all people know rewarding relationships lead to personal happiness

4 . A US mum and her six boys decided to grow their hair together. They would donate some hair to children _______.

On Monday, Mary and her six sons had their hair _______ in a special activity. Mary told HuffPost that the hairdresser (理发师) helped the family _______ their goal. The hair was donated to Children with Hair Loss. It is an organization that _______ hair for children and young adults with hair loss for free. The proud New York mum shared photos of the _______ on Facebook.

The family’s decision to grow and donate their hair was a _______ decision.

“Three years ago, my friend _______ her son because of cancer. He was a twin and very close in _______ to my twins,” Mary told HuffPost.

One year after his death, Mary’s eldest three boys donated their hair in honour of him.

“Since their _______ two years ago,” she said, “our lives have continued to be affected by cancer. It’s everywhere. My boys want to __________ the people who suffer from hair loss. Donating their hair is __________ they do it.”

Despite their kind acts, the journey hasn’t been easy for the boys. “They have been __________ by everyone because of their long hair,” Mary wrote in a Facepost. “But they didn’t let that slop them. They had a __________ and stuck to it. They really set a good example to their little sister.

“I am so __________ of my boys,” she said.

The day after their cuts, Mary was still getting used to her newly short-haired sons. “I didn’t __________ my own children,” she told ABC News with a sigh.

1.

A．in need

B．in power

C．in place

D．in trouble

2.

A．died

B．cut

C．injured

D．decorated

3.

A．construct

B．challenge

C．expect

D．achieve

4.

A．divides

B．sells

C．provides

D．cures

5.

A．ceremony

B．convenience

C．collection

D．activity

6.

A．previous

B．severe

C．consistent

D．complex

7.

A．lost

B．protected

C．switched

D．suspected

8.

A．union

B．organ

C．victim

D．age

9.

A．appearance

B．discovery

C．donation

D．experience

10.

A．defeat

B．assist

C．expose

D．control

11.

A．what

B．why

C．how

D．where

12.

A．laughed at

B．run after

C．consisted of

D．broken away

13.

A．task

B．responsibility

C．goal

D．reward

14.

A．proud

B．confident

C．amazed

D．attractive

15.

A．realize

B．recognize

C．arrange

D．understand

6 . I can remember when my daughter Maggie, who is now six, used to crawl into my lap and say, “Daddy, read me a story.” Last year she announced, “Daddy, I’m going to read you a story.”

Maggie was a television child. When she first became conscious of anything beyond eating and sleeping, the TV set was right there, and it soon commanded her attention.

A few years ago, we were worried not only that we’d never get the children away from the set long enough to learn to read, but that we’d forget how to read ourselves. But in 1955 there was not only more reading than before TV, but more reading than ever before in history.

Clearly, reading has survived television as it has survived a lot of other things. When I was six, a wail went up about menaces (威胁) to reading at home: motor cars and cinema. When Maggie came along, there was television. The motorcar, the radio, the cinema and television do take up a lot of time.

Well, we’ve got more time. When my mother was a girl, people worked about 60hours a week. Now it’s 44. When Maggie grows up, it’ll be 30. And there’ll be numerous gadgets to do her housework. She’ll have to read. You can’t watch TV all day. At present Maggie is reading about Johnny Woodchuck. Ahead of her—and I’m a little envious—are her first brush with Black Beauty, Alice stepping through the looking glass, Huck and Jim drifting down the Mississippi, the emotional storms of Shakespeare, the spiritual agonies of Tolstoy. For reading isn’t all joy. Like life itself, it’s mixed with many moods, from ecstasy (狂喜) to despair. Maggie will learn to take the rough with the smooth, gathering from the ancient wisdom of long-dead genius a little fire to enrich her spirit.

And some day, if she’s lucky, she’ll get the biggest thrill of all, when a little girl climbs into her lap and announces, “Mummy, I’m going to read you a story.”

1. Which of the following things used to catch Maggie’s attention too much?

A．The motorcar.

B．The radio.

C．The cinema.

D．The television.

2. Why do the young generation like Maggie have more access to reading?

A．They face less working pressure.

B．There is more time available for reading.

C．Their parents encourage them more often.

D．They have a stronger desire for knowledge.

3. What makes the author envious of Maggie?

A．Her exposure to classic reading.	B．Her productive works in writing.
C．Her wild imagination in daily life.	D．Her spiritual reflection on the books.

4. What does the underlined sentence in paragraph 6 imply?

A．Maggie has rich experiences.

B．Maggie has a good plan for reading.

C．Maggie will benefit a lot from reading.

D．Maggie is on the road to becoming a genius.

5. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A．It is a blessing that reading can be passed down.

B．More girls like Maggie enjoy telling stories.

C．Maggie’s daughter brings her the biggest thrill.

D．Reading makes Maggie a fortunate girl.

7 . While it may be commonplace, snubbing one’s friends can have serious impacts on relationships, and there are a variety of factors that may drive individuals to ignore their friends in favor of an electronic screen, according to a new University of Georgia study.

The study reveals positive associations between depression and social anxiety and increasing snubbing: depressed people are likely to snub their friends more frequently, and socially anxious people, who prefer online social interactions, might also exhibit more snubbing behavior. These people are really sensitive to their messages. With each buzz or sound, they consciously or unconsciously look at their phones. The device’s various applications are key drivers contributing to this dynamic.

The finding also shows that agreeable individuals have a lower instance of snubbing in the presence of their friends. People who have agreeableness as a personality feature tend to show cooperative, polite and friendly behaviors in their interpersonal relationships and social settings. Though agreeable people may prioritize strong friendships, an exploratory study reveals they are also more likely to turn to phones in the presence of three or more people.

That dynamic may influence the spread of snubbing in the context of a work environment. “It’s ironic that while so many people believe that snubbing behavior is rude, they still do it,” Sun said. “A majority of people snub others, and in a group, it may seem OK, because it’s just me, the speaker doesn’t notice I’m using the phone. The number of people in a group can be one reason.”

Alternately, disabling or turning over a phone can indicate a show of respect for a situation and focus on a person. That, too, is a signal—I am listening to what you are saying and I am focusing on you.

1. What does the underlined word “snubbing” in paragraph 1 mean?

A．ignoring

B．depressing

C．respecting

D．suspecting

2. What can cause snubbing behavior?

A．Social requirements.	B．Unhealthy mental condition.
C．Frequent social interactions.	D．Limited communication devices.

3. What can be inferred about the agreeable people?

A．They are insensitive to phone messages.

B．They are more likely to snub their friends.

C．They attach importance to firm friendships.

D．They get accustomed to groups with more people.

4. Why do some people continue snubbing behavior even if they know it’s rude?

A．The majority are using phones.

B．They don’t like the environment.

C．The speaker doesn’t care about it.

D．They think they will go unnoticed.

5. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．How snubbing behaviors can be avoided

B．Why people snub their friends with their phones

C．Why people are addicted to phone messages

D．How phones influence people’s social interactions

10 . Some time ago I discovered that one of my chairs had a broken leg. I didn't think there would be any difficulty in getting it repaired as there are a whole lot of antique (古董) shops near my home. So I left home one morning carrying the chair with me. I went into the first shop expecting a friendly reception. I was quite wrong. The man wouldn't even look at my chair.

The second shop, though slightly more polite, was just the same, and the third and the fourth, so I decided that my approach must be wrong, and I should try another way.

I entered the fifth shop with a plan in my mind. I placed the chair on the floor and said to the shopkeeper, “Would you like to buy a chair?” He looked it over carefully and said, “Yes, not a bad chair. How much do you want for it, sir?” “Twenty pounds,” I said. “OK,” he said, “I'II give you twenty pounds.” “It's got a slightly broken leg,” I said. “Yes, I saw that. It's nothing.”

Everything was going according to plan and I was getting excited. “What will you do with it?” I asked. “Oh, it will be easy to sell once the repair is done.” “I'll buy it.” I said, “What would you mean? You've just sold it to me,” he said. “Yes. I know but I've changed my mind. I am sorry. I'll give you twenty-seven pounds for it.” “You must be crazy.” he said. Then, suddenly the penny dropped. “I know what you want. You want me to repair your chair.” “You're right,” I said. “And what would you have done if I had walked in and said, ‘Would you repair this chair for me?’” “I wouldn't have agreed to do it.” he said. “We don't do repairs, not enough money in it and too much trouble. But I'll repair this for you, shall we say for five pounds?” He was a very nice man and was greatly amused by the whole thing.

1. We can learn from the passage that in the first shop the writer ________.

A．was rather impolite

B．was warmly received

C．asked the shopkeeper to buy his chair

D．asked the shopkeeper to repair his chair

2. What does the underlined word “approach” in Paragraph 2 refer to?

A．plan for dealing with things	B．way of doing things
C．idea of repairing things	D．decision to sell things

3. The expression “the penny dropped” in the last paragraph means the shopkeeper ________.

A．saw the writer's purpose	B．accepted the offer
C．changed his mind	D．decided to help the writer

4. From the passage, we can learn that the writer was ________.

A．honest

B．careful

C．clever

D．funny

5. Which of the following statements is true?

A．The writer wanted to sell his chair for 20 pounds.

B．It was very easy to repair the writer's broken chair.

C．The writer succeeded in getting his chair repaired at last.

D．The man in the first shop thought the chair was too old.