9 . Party themes are a popular way to add something special to birthdays, anniversaries or any type of gathering. There are many options for putting together a French-themed party.
Including French phrases in your invitation is an easy way to set the mood for a French-themed party. Conveniently enough, a number of standard invitation and party phrases are already French. “Hors d’ oeuvre” can be substituted for “appetizer (开胃小菜)”, for instance. The commonly-used “R. S. V. P.” stands for the French “repondez sil vous plait”, meaning please respond.
You can use the French spellings for other words, too, particularly if you are throwing a French-themed party for an anniversary or other occasions. For instance, “Coeur” is French for “heart”, “enchante” means “enchanted”, and as many are already aware, “l’ amour” means “love”.
Decoration can be an important part of carrying off any theme. For a French-themed party, one way to improve your decoration is to use well-known French icons. The Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe are both recognizable architectural structures, for instance.
| A．So consider spelling out this phrase to add effect. |
| B．You might also post prints by famous French artists. |
| C．Music and food can add much to your French-themed party. |
| D．Anyone who has been to France will be eager to talk about it. |
| E．Besides, it can be relatively easy and inexpensive to create one. |
| F．These words can also be used in your decoration, thank-you notes and more. |
| G．Color schemes for French-themed parties can vary according to your preferences. |
10 . Imagine reading a story titled “The Constant Pursuit of Alcohol”. You would likely expect a depressing story about a person abusing alcohol. Now imagine reading a story titled “The Constant Pursuit of Success”. That would be an inspiring story, wouldn’t it?
Though it isn’t a conventional medical addiction, for many people, success has addictive properties. To a certain extent, praise stimulates the neurotransmitter dopamine (神经递质多巴胺) , which is shown in all addictive behaviors. Therefore, success is also similar to alcohol addiction in its effects on human.
“Unhappy is he who depends on success to be happy,” wrote Arex DiasRibeiro, a former Formula l race-car driver. “For such a person, the end of a successful career is the end of the line. His destiny (命运) is to die of bitterness or to search for more success in other careers and to go on living from success to success until he falls dead. In this case, there will not be life after success.”
There is plenty you can do to retrain yourself to pursue happiness instead of success. The first step is an admission that successful as you are, were, or hope to be in your life and work, you are not going to find true happiness in your professional life. You’ll find it in things that are deeply ordinary: enjoying a walk or a conversation with a loved one. The second step is to make up for any relationships you’ve compromised (妥协) in the name of success. The last step is to find the right measurement of success. If you measure yourself only by the rewards of money and power, you’ll spend your life running on these and comparing yourself to others. I suggest the better measurements be faith, family, and friendship.
Success in and of itself is not a bad thing. It can bring fun and sweetness to life. But it becomes tyrannical (专横的) when it is a replacement for the relationships and love that should be at the center of our lives.
1. What can we learn from Paragraph 2?| A．Success is determined by many factors. |
| B．People can be greatly addictive to success. |
| C．Success can be really attractive to humans. |
| D．It’s difficult to achieve great success in life. |
| A．It is not wise to end a successful career. |
| B．Happiness is more important than success. |
| C．Successful people usually live a boring life. |
| D．Success may not be the source of happiness. |
| A．To take on a highly-paid job. | B．To hold a high social position. |
| C．To focus on the true meaning of life. | D．To find the right approach to success. |
| A．To show us the importance of success. |
| B．To suggest love is at the center of our life. |
| C．To remind us not to overly pursue success. |
| D．To share his experience in finding happiness. |
