1 . My father passed away on March 21, 2010 in Calgary after a brief journey with cancer. I loved my father so much, and we were very_______. We traveled together and talked on the phone at least twice a day. His death has_______a forever pain in my heart.

One day_______ I arrived back home from walking outdoors I sat on the front step, thinking about my Dad and feeling quite_______.Within a minute or so, I_______and saw a butterfly on the other side of the fence. It flew over to me, around my head for a bit, then_______near by. I thought maybe it is a sign my Dad is_______. The butterfly then flew up again, and this time it rested on my left side for quite a while on a beautiful_______before flying off.

The_______day I went out for a walk by the lake, a different time and place. I started________Dad again. I called out in my________for him to show a sign he was________here with me. Within moments the same type of butterfly________.

It rested on a rock while I________it. When I got up to continue walking it followed me down the________. I took a picture of it as some people didn’t________me when I said I saw a butterfly at that time of year.

The next day I walked on the path again________to meet the butterfly once more. Within moments of thinking about my Dad the same type appeared.________, this time it joined up with two more before they all flew away.

I feel it might have been a(n)________from my Dad saying he was with his Mom and Dad and he was okay. Those________helped me feel comforted when I needed it the most.

1.

A．friendly

B．honest

C．grateful

D．close

2.

A．avoided

B．left

C．removed

D．treated

3.

A．when

B．because

C．though

D．until

4.

A．tired

B．embarrassed

C．sad

D．peaceful

5.

A．lay down

B．looked up

C．reached out

D．gave in

6.

A．stayed

B．dropped

C．performed

D．rested

7.

A．around

B．in

C．out

D．down

8.

A．computer

B．instrument

C．flower

D．pillow

9.

A．other

B．next

C．last

D．first

10.

A．searching

B．following

C．catching

D．missing

11.

A．mind

B．mouth

C．opinion

D．eye

12.

A．even

B．hardly

C．still

D．nearly

13.

A．happened

B．appeared

C．existed

D．survived

14.

A．attended

B．touched

C．comforted

D．watched

15.

A．path

B．river

C．hill

D．tree

16.

A．support

B．change

C．believe

D．appreciate

17.

A．pretending

B．hoping

C．promising

D．offering

18.

A．Thus

B．Therefore

C．Besides

D．However

19.

A．sign

B．mark

C．item

D．tip

20.

A．successes

B．accidents

C．experiences

D．journeys

2 . Why do people long for celebrity news? At least some of the hunger centers around schadenfreude—having joy from the suffering of others. People often act as if joy is dependent on achieving material gain. Seeing people that seem to “have it all” suffer (going through divorce, drug abuse, mental illness, etc.) momentarily destroys that thought. And then people can think, “Perhaps it’s OK that I don’t have my own television show, and own four large houses.” Let’s chat a bit more about schadenfreude and related concepts. If you’ve been alive a couple of decades, you’ve certainly seen plenty of examples showing that money does not bring happiness. But what does bring happiness? One of the keys involves learning to fully attend to and enjoy the present moment—not just learning this as information, but, through practice, developing the skill of living mindfully in this moment.

Other keys to happiness involve developing the skill of compassion (同情) and loving kindness. This may seem strange to readers: developing a skill of compassion? Don’t you just have or not have compassion? There are some types of meditation (冥想) originating from Buddhist traditions that are designed to develop compassion and loving kindness.

The four related qualities developed by these types of meditation practices are termed: loving kindness, calmness, compassion, and sympathetic joy. Sympathetic joy is the exact opposite of schadenfreude—with sympathetic joy, we get joy from the joy of others. Think of a close family member doing well and notice the joy you feel—that is sympathetic joy. To develop more sympathetic joy, when something good happens to another person, say to yourself (with as much meaning as possible), “I’m happy for you. May your good fortune continue. May your good fortune grow.”

When a person, celebrity or not, is suffering, you can practice a compassion meditation. Close your eyes and imagine a scene that naturally brings forth sympathy, such as hugging a loved one, or holding a baby. Then imagine saying to the person suffering, “May you be free from suffering,” or “May your suffering ease.”

1. What can make us happy according to the author?

A．Having a well-paid job.	B．Owning great popularity.
C．Focusing on celebrities’ news.	D．Learning to live in the moment.

2. What does the author mainly talk about in paragraph 2?

A．Compassion and loving kindness.	B．The origin of some traditions.
C．Happiness and meditation.	D．Meditation practices.

3. Which of the following is sympathetic joy?

A．You cheer up when a celebrity gets divorced.

B．You crow over it when your schoolmate gets injured.

C．You’re delighted when your classmate wins a competition.

D．You’re pleased when a celebrity practices attentively meditation.

4. What is the author’s purpose of writing the text?

A．To show celebrities’ real life.

B．To introduce the findings of a study.

C．To stress the importance of happiness.

D．To correct the negative attitudes to other people’s sufferings.