2 . Feeling overwhelmed by your to-do list can certainly make you unhappy, but new research suggests that more free time might not be the magic medicine many of us dream it could be.

In a new study, researchers found that people with more free time generally had higher levels of subjective well-being, but only up to a point.

People who had up to two hours of free time a day generally reported they felt better than those who’d had less time. But people who had five or more hours of free time a day generally said they felt worse. So ultimately the free-time “sweet spot” might be two to three hours per day, the findings suggest.

Part of finding the “sweet spot” has to do with how people spend the extra time they have. The researchers conducted several smaller online experiments. In one they asked participants to imagine having 3½ to seven free hours per day. They were asked to imagine spending that time doing “productive” things (like exercising) or to imagine doing “unproductive” activities (like watching TV). Study participants believed their well-being would suffer if they had a lot of free time during the day, but only if they used it unproductively. In other words, how people use their free time matters.

Of course, what feels “productive” is up to you. If watching two hours of Real Housewives in your free time increases your happiness, you should do that. And even more traditionally productive or purposeful activities can be easy and fun. Engaging in a bit of low-key cardio, like walking, can help burn stress. Free-time activities like reading, cooking or gaming are also known to put people in a state of flow.

In cases when people do find themselves with huge amounts of free time, such as retirement or having left a job,” Sharif said, “our results suggest these individuals would benefit from spending their newfound time with purpose.”

1. According to the study, how many hours of free time brings the best feelings?

A．3 to 7 hours.

B．5 hours or more.

C．Up to 2 hours.

D．2 or 3 hours.

2. Which of the following may the author agree with?

A．The busier, the happier.

B．The more free time, the better.

C．Purposeful activities increase happiness.

D．Retirement makes people depressed and unhappy.

3. Which of the following can put people in a state of flow?

A．Getting stuck in silence.	B．Having a poor-quality sleep.
C．Struggling with a dull book.	D．Enjoying classic music.

4. What’s Sharif’s advice for retirees?

A．To make a new schedule.	B．To do more housework.
C．To watch more TV.	D．To find a new job.

5. Which section of a newspaper can we find this passage?

A．Stories.

B．Life.

C．Science.

D．Sports.

3 . A common claim states that a sheet of paper cannot be folded in half more than seven times. But is this true?

In 2002, Britney Gallivan, then a junior in high school in Pomona, California, folded a single piece of paper in half 12 times. She currently holds the Guinness World Record for the most times to fold a sheet of paper in half.

The prompt that led Gallivan to accomplish these feats was an extra-credit challenge in math class to fold anything in half 12 times. Her teacher asked the students to fold something thicker: a piece of paper.

Gallivan said “it was very frustrating, as I had many unsuccessful attempts at trying to fold different papers in half. I began to question if folding paper in half more than eight times could be impossible.” However, Gallivan recalled. “I knew I needed to understand what was limiting the folding progression.”

The equations that Gallivan came up with calculated how many times a sheet of paper could be folded. She found that in order to fold many times, a long thin sheet is needed — the more a sheet is folded, the thicker the resulting stack becomes, and once the stack becomes thicker than it is long, there is nothing left to fold. She ultimately set her record with a sheet of tissue paper she found online that was 4,000 feet (1,219 meters) — more than three-quarters of a mile, or over a kilometer — long, Guinness World Records noted.

“Working on the problem took a tremendous amount of time and effort,” Gallivan said. “As frustrating as it was at times, I learned an immense amount from the experience, which has been valuable to me throughout my life in more capacities than one would expect.”     

Since Gallivan set her record, others have made claims of folding a sheet of paper more than 12 times. Still, “I anticipate that my current record will be surpassed,” Gallivan said.

1. Which was commonly considered the most times that paper can be folded in half?

A．7.

B．8.

C．9.

D．12.

2. It is impossible to fold a paper in half more times when _____.

A．the stack is as thick as its length	B．the paper is neither long nor thin
C．the stack is thicker than its length	D．the paper is longer than its thickness

3. What can we learn about Gallivan’s attempts?

A．It’s risky.

B．It’s fruitless.

C．It’s meaningless.

D．It’s energy-consuming.

4. What does Gallivan think of her experience?

A．Worthwhile.

B．Unsuccessful.

C．Miserable.

D．Regretful.

5. What can we infer from the passage?

A．Gallivan’s record is impossible to break.

B．Folding paper in half is merely a math problem.

C．Folding things in half may not be limited to 12.

D．Folding paper 12 times is a required credit in maths class.

4 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

There was a state     1     (call) Zhou (周) in the Chinese history. One day, the king of Zhou asked his officials for advice on     2     (deal) with prisoners of war. An official said, “If you love someone, you     3     (suppose) to love even the crows on the roof of his house. The prisoners of war are enemies fighting     4     us. In my opinion, we’d better kill them all.”

But the king didn’t agree with him. “I think we should treat the prisoners of war     5     (different) by differing them into those     6     are guilty or not. The guilty ones will be sentenced to death in order to avoid future disasters.”

Then another one said, “Your majesty, I think all the prisoners should be set free and sent back home to work in the fields and support     7     (them) by their own labor.     8     , you should keep strictly the rules for reward and     9     (punish). The people are sure to believe in you if you govern our country by morals and laws.”

The king thought the official’s proposal was quite reasonable so he accepted and followed it. As a result,     10     domestic situation soon settled down and gradually the country became stronger.

7 . When I was thirteen years old , a girl gave me an important gift. It was a _______. It was the early autumn of my first year at a new school. No one _______ me. I was very lonely. Every time I heard the other students talking and laughing, I felt even more _______. I could not talk to anyone about my_______, and I did not want my parents to worry about me.

One day, my classmates were talking with their friends, but I sat _______. At that moment, a girl entered the classroom,_______ me without a word and gave me a bright smile._______, I felt the touch of something bright and friendly. It made me feel _______. It was like a hidden treasure. That smile   _______ my life. I started to talk with the other__________. Day by Day, I learnt to__________people, and they included me in their circle of friends. The girl with the __________smile has become my best friend now. One day, asked her __________ she smiled at me that day. She said she could not remember!

Now I believe that the world is what you think it is. If you __________ that you are lonely, you might always be alone. My __________ is : smile at the world and it will smile back.

1.

A．toy

B．smile

C．postcard

2.

A．reminded

B．cheated

C．knew

3.

A．lonely

B．comfortable

C．excited

4.

A．problem

B．suggestion

C．danger

5.

A．in turn

B．in silence

C．in surprise

6.

A．shouted to

B．looked at

C．sent for

7.

A．Briefly

B．Terribly

C．Suddenly

8.

A．warm

B．angry

C．shy

9.

A．destroyed

B．controlled

C．changed

10.

A．workers

B．neighbors

C．students

11.

A．trust

B．ignore

C．refuse

12.

A．bright

B．forced

C．sad

13.

A．how

B．why

C．where

14.

A．doubt

B．answer

C．think

15.

A．difficulty

B．advice

C．chance

10 . 请根据上下文内容，将文中划线部分译成汉语或者英语。

In modern society, many Chinese traditional festivals are still an important part of Chinese culture, and     1     we must protect them and maintain them.

Some traditional festivals teach us a lot about our nation’s history. For example,     2     the Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated in honour of Qu Yuan. By celebrating the festival with rice dumplings and dragon boat races, the story of Qu Yuan is passed down from generation to generation.

Moreover,     3    传统节日使我们更多了解中国人的价值观. Festivals, such as the Mid-Autumn Festival, have a caring, family-centre d message at their heart.     4     The full moon on the festival is considered to stand for family togetherness.

Finally, traditional festivals are a source of national pride and help shape our national identity. For example,     5     我们有腊八节 with unique customs, and these shared experiences bring us together as a people. Traditional festivals tell us who we are and fill us with pride in being Chinese.