Yesterday night, over a dinner with my elder brother’s family, a topic of happiness came up. My wife, Marla, a psychologist, was sharing Csikszentmihalyi’s concept of “flow” with us. Marla explained that according to the research on flow, people are happiest when they are absorbed in a task that is just challenging enough for them to experience a sense of mastery(熟练).

A few moments later my brother, Yuri, offered the following opinion: “The first and only, necessary and sufficient factor for happiness is to stop associating happiness with pleasure. The two — happiness and pleasure — have nothing to do with each other.” This morning, with my cup of coffee, I searched through a pile of books on my bedside table and—at the bottom—found a book by Bertrand Russell, I started reading but didn’t finish. In it, I found the following thought:

“The human animal, like others, is adapted to a certain amount of struggle for life, and when by means of great wealth homo sapiens can gratify all his whims (突发奇想) without effort, the mere absence of effort from his life removes an essential ingredient of happiness.”

The conversation came full circle: people are happiest when they are in a state of flow (Csikszentmihalyi’s language )…which is the effortful devotion in a moment…which has nothing to do with pleasure.

Indeed, as Yuri insisted : happiness–as–pleasure is a myth; the association between happiness and pleasure is nothing but a semantic(语义的) habit; psychologically, the two—happiness and pleasure—are arguably different; and breaking up this association between pleasure and happiness might, in fact, be a powerfully first step in pursuit of happiness.

As I look back on that exchange, I recall that there was an effort, a struggle to find a common understanding about this seemingly difficult idea—a struggle that made me happy.

1.The author wrote this text mainly to_______.

A.look back on the happy night                         B.advise readers to read Bertrand Russell

C.tell readers how to be happiest                       D.show different opinions on family gathering

2.According to Marla, people feel happiest when they______.

A.get what they want without effort                  B.master the happiness around them

C.involve themselves in a challenging task         D.experience things that can bring pleasure

3.What writing style is used by the author to explain happiness?

A.Giving examples.                                         B.Using quotes.

C.Making comparisons.                                    D.Offering arguments.

4.The best title of the text may probably be______.

A.The struggle for life                                      B.Happiness as pleasure

C.A topic over the dinner                                 D.The effort for happiness

Something strange has been happening to me lately: Women in the street have been telling me I’m brave.

My act of courage isn’t much - I just stopped coloring my hair. I had brown hair that started going gray when I was 30. So, like a lot of women, I started dyeing(染) it. It was expensive and time-consuming. And my hair grows fast, so I needed to go back to the hair salon (美发厅) every 5 weeks.

Many people seem to enjoy holding onto their youth for as long as possible, giving off the impression that they don’t have much wisdom or many accomplishments. But our hair starts to turn gray and suddenly we start spending $500 or more a year to cover something our male colleagues don’t need to cover.

Of course, people should do what they want with their own body - my mother is 91 and still has “blond” hair, and why not? I just wish more of us would feel that it was OK to be ourselves, because going gray has done more for me than saving me time and money.

I like my natural hair, just as it is. I like how it has got curly and full again. It is recovering after years of being damaged by chemicals. I also like that it has given me some needed attitude in a society that makes youth seem so important, while being against maturity. It reminds me that I’m not a kid anymore - and this isn’t a bad thing. Not being a kid anymore means I read the books I want, and not the books I feel I should read. It means not wasting my time at events I don’t need to attend when I’d rather be with my family and friends.

When I see my hair in the mirror, it’s a reminder that my time is limited, and I should spend it doing what matters. There’s nothing shameful about growing older. And pretending it’s not happening is a way of giving up our power.

I see my gray hair as a little act of rebellion(反叛)against the idea that people lose value as they age, instead of gaining it. I see gray hair as my “flag” and I’m letting it fly proudly.

1.How does the author feel about coloring hair?

A.It shows people’s great courage.                    B.It is a good way to hold onto youth.

C.It shows wisdom and accomplishments.          D.It is not worth the time and money spent on it.

2.What should we do when we grow old according to the author?

A.Give up our power.                                      B.Pretend to be still young.

C.Accept it and act positively.                           D.Read as many books as possible.

3.What is the author’s main purpose in writing this passage?

A.To explain why youth is valued.

B.To share her opinion on growing older.

C.To stress the importance of different attitudes.

D.To analyze the advantages and disadvantages of aging.

4.Which can be the best title for the passage?

A.Holding Onto Youth                                          B.Dyeing Your Hair

C.Gaining Value With Age                               D.Valuing Wisdom Of Age

Your house may have an effect on your figure. experts say the way you design your home could play a role in whether you pack on the pounds or keep them off. you can make your environment work for you instead of against you. Here are some ways to turn your home into part of your diet plan.

Open the curtains and turn up the lights. dark environments are more likely to encourage overeating, for people are often less self-conscious(难为情) when they’re in poorly lit places—and so more likely to eat lots of food. If your home doesn’t have enough window light, get more lamps and flood the place with brightness.

Mind the colors. Research suggests warm colors fuel our appetites. In one study, people who ate meals in a blue room consumed 33 percent less than those in a yellow or red room. Warm colors like yellow make food appear more appetizing, while cold colors make us feel less hungry. So when it’s time to repaint, go blue.

Don’t forget the clock—or the radio. People who eat slowly tend to consume about 70 fewer calories(卡路里) per meal than those who rush through their meals. Begin keeping track of the time, and try to make dinner last at least 30 minutes. And while you’re at it, actually sit down to eat. If you need some help slowing down, turn on relaxing music. It makes you less likely to rush through a meal.

Downsize the dishes. Big serving bowls and plates can easily makes us fat. We eat about 22 percent more when using a 12-inch plate instead of a 10-inch plate. When we choose a large spoon over a smaller one, total intake(摄入) jumps by 14 percent. And we’ll pour about 30 percent more liquid into a short, wide glass than a tall, skinny glass.

1.The text is especially helpful for those who care about ____.

A.their home comforts                                     B.their body shape

C.house buying                                                D.healthy diets

2.A home environment in blue can help people ____.

A.digest food better                                         B.reduce food intake

C.burn more calories                                        D.regain their appetites

3.What are people advised to do at mealtimes?

A.Eat quickly.                                                 B.Play fast music

C.Use smaller spoons                                       D.Turn down the lights

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

A.Is Your House Making You Fat?                    B.Ways of Serving Dinner

C.Effects of Self-Consciousness                        D.Is Your Home Environment Relaxing?

A new device (设备) works like a solar panel, except it doesn't harvest energy from the sun to produce electricity. Instead, it uses energy from the cold night sky.

In the center of this device is a thermoelectric generator (热电发电机), which uses the temperature difference between Earth and outer space to create electricity.

As long as one side of it is cooler than the other, the generator can produce electricity. The cooler side faces the sky and is attached to an aluminum plate. That plate is sealed under a transparent cover and surrounded with materials that keep heat out. It stays cooler than the surrounding air by getting rid of any heat it absorbs as infrared (红外线的) radiation. That radiation can zip up through the transparent cover and on toward outer space.

The bottom of the generator is attached to an exposed aluminum plate, which is warmed by the local air. At night, the top plate can get several degrees centigrade cooler than the bottom of the generator.

Researchers tested the device one clear December night in Stanford, Calif. The generator produced up to about 25 milliwatts of power per square meter of the device. That was just enough power to light a small electric lamp. Further improvements might develop its production to at least 500 milliwatts per square meter.

"It's a very clever idea," says Yuan Yang, a materials scientist who works at Columbia University in New York City. "The device still needs improving," he notes. "But this new device may be useful for backup power," Yang says. "It might also provide a bit of energy to people living in areas that lack electricity."

"The device could help power remote weather stations or other environmental devices," says Aaswath Raman, a materials scientist who worked on the device at the University of California, Los Angeles. What's more, this may be useful in areas that don't see sunlight for months at a time, Raman adds.

1.How is the device designed?

A.It includes two aluminum plates with different functions.

B.It is equipped with a heat resistant generator in the center.

C.Its two aluminum plates are exposed to air to keep heat out.

D.Its generator is sealed by a transparent cover to remain cool.

2.What is the limitation with the tested device?

A.It won't be expanded to be much larger.          B.It fails to produce electricity fast enough.

C.It is unable to power small electric lamps.       D.It produces a limited amount of electricity.

3.In paragraph 6, Yuan Yang mainly intends to________.

A.evaluate the device on a positive basis            B.point out the problems with the device

C.explain the research work for the device         D.comment on Aaswath Raman's prediction

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

A.Lamps Are Powered by the Energy From the Cold Night Sky

B.A Generator Producing Electricity Has Been Applied in Many Areas

C.Scientists Have Made a Breakthrough in Harvesting Green Energy

D.A Device Uses Energy From the Cold Night Sky to Produce Electricity

In the winter of 1910, Dr. Wu Lien-Teh stepped off a train in the northern Chinese city of Harbin. He was there to solve a medical mystery, at great personal risk. Over the past few months, an unknown disease had swept along the railways of northeast China, killing 99.9% of its victims. The Qing Imperial court had sent the Cambridge-educated Dr. Wu north to stop the epidemic.

When Dr Wu arrived in Harbin on Christmas Eve, 1910, he carried little in the way of medical instruments and had only one assistant. One of Wu' s first acts upon arrival was to set up special quarantine(隔离) units and to order lockdowns to stop infected persons from traveling and spreading the disease. He had teams check households for possible cases, and even managed to convince authorities to completely close the railways in the early weeks of 1911. Of particular concern was the upcoming Chinese New Year holiday, which had become a great annual migration of people traveling across the country to see their families.

Thanks to Dr. Wu's efforts, the number of plague victims began to die down, and by March 1, 1911, the epidemic was fully contained. The pneumonic (肺炎的) plague outbreak of 1910-1911 lasted nearly four months, affected five provinces and six major cities, and accounted for over 60,000 deaths. It is clear that without the brave and decisive actions taken by Dr. Wu, it could have been much worse. Had the epidemic gone unchecked, allowing holiday rail passengers to spread the disease to the rest of China could have meant a catastrophic loss of life and possibly a global health crisis.

In April 1911, Dr. Wu chaired an International Plague Conference in Shenyang, attended by scientists from 11 counties including the United States, Great Britain, Russia, Japan and France. They praised Dr. Wu for his handling of the 1910-1911 outbreak. For a time, Dr. Wu was the world's most famous plague fighter, a title be defended in a malaria epidemic in China in 1919, and a return of plague in 1921.

1.What was Dr Wu's mission in 1910?

A.To take personal risk.                                    B.To end an epidemic.

C.To provide medical education.                       D.To investigate the number of victims.

2.Which of Dr Wu's acts stopped the disease from spreading nationwide?

A.Setting up special quarantine units around the country.

B.Treating infected persons with his medical instruments.

C.Checking households himself for possible cases.

D.Convincing authorities to close the railways.

3.What can we infer from the last two paragraphs?

A.The disease worsened after Mach 1, 1911.

B.60,000 would have died without Dr Wu's efforts.

C.A global health crisis followed the 1910-1911 outbreak.

D.The plague broke out again about 10 years later.

4.What can be the best title of the text?

A.A Plague Fighter

B.A Global Health Crisis

C.The Beginning of the Chinese Public Health System

D.A Plague Outbreak