Sadness is unpleasant, and in a society where personal happiness is prized above all else, there is little tolerance for falling in despair. Especially now we’ve got drugs for getting rid of sad feelings — whether it’s after losing a job, the break-up of a relationship or the death of a loved one. So it’s no surprise that more and more people are taking them.
But is this really such a good idea? A growing number of voices from the world of mental health research are saying it isn’t. They fear that the increasing tendency to treat normal sadness as a disease is playing fast and loose. Sadness, they argue, serves a useful purpose—and if we lose it, we lose out. Yet many psychiatrists insist not. Sadness has a unpleasant habit of turning into depression they warn. Even when people are sad for good reason, they should take drugs to make themselves feel better.
So who is right? Is sadness something we cannot live without or something horrible never to touch? There are lots of ideas about why feeling sad should become part of human life. It may be a kind of self-protection, as other primates (灵长类) also show signs of sadness. A losing monkey that doesn’t show sadness after it loses a fight may be seen as continuing to challenge the winning monkey — and that could result in death.
In humans sadness has a further function: we may display sadness as a form of communication. By acting sad, we tell other community members that we need support.
Then there is the idea that creativity is connected to dark moods. There are plenty of great artists, writers and musicians who have suffered from depression or disorder. Scientists found that people with signs of depression performed better at a creative task, and negative moods make people think deeply over the unhappy experience, which allows creative processes to come to the front. There is also evidence that too much happiness can be bad for your career. A doctor found that people who scored 8 out of 10 on a happiness test were more successful in income and education than 9s or 10s. The happiest people lose their willingness to make changes to their lives that may benefit them.
1.The underlined word “this” refers to ________.
A. taking medicine B. falling in despair
C. losing a job D. feeling sad
2.The author believes sadness is ________.
A. a good thing for people’s health B. something horrible never to touch
C. a necessary function of humans D. always to be treated as depression
3.Some animals show their sadness in order to ________.
A. cheat their enemy B. protect themselves
C. comfort the loser D. challenge the winner
4.We can infer from the last paragraph that ________.
A. people with great creativity tend to be happier
B. unhappy experiences contribute to a greater career
C. too much happiness can be bad for your career
D. the happiest people are the most successful ones
In modern society, it is necessary for middle school students to take part in academic activities and enrich their knowledge. There are many academic clubs that students can participate in. Students can choose clubs that focus on an area of interest.
Mathcounts Club
Mathcounts tries to increase excitement towards mathematic achievement. It hopes to provide students with the foundation for success in science, technology, engineering and mathematics careers. Schools select individuals and teams to participate in competitions. Local competitions are held in February with winners progressing to state competitions and then on to the national level. Mathcounts works to challenge student math skills, develop self-confidence and give rewards for their achievements.
Envirothon
The Envirothon program focuses on natural resources knowledge and exposes students to diverse environmental issues, ecosystems, and topography. The ecology field competition for five-member middle school teams offers competitions in wildlife, soils, forestry, current environmental issues and aquatics. Students work and learn in middle school clubs and can compete at the local and state level.
Future Problem Solvers
Future Problem Solvers is an academic club that uses a six-step process to solve problems that may happen in the future. Students who are in the talented and gifted program, who like to “think out of the box,” or who enjoy thinking about futuristic problems may like this club. Teams comprised of four students read future scenes and write up solutions in a booklet using the six-step process. Teams that score high enough can go to the state competition and then to the international competition.
Builders Club
Builders Club is open to any middle school student who wishes to perform community service. Each Builders Club is co-sponsored by a Kiwanis club and the middle school. The members learn by doing, and they learn organization, teamwork, and leadership. Builders Clubs can sponsor a "Teacher of the Year" program, provide a recycling collection point, organize canned food and clothing drives to support local shelters, adopt a resident at a local senior citizens home, adopt a highway, tutor, etc.
Middle school academic clubs offer students a place to explore interests or talents. The clubs that join in middle school can help guide choices in high school and beyond.
1.The students who are not interested in competitions would like to choose .
A. Mathecounts Club B. Builders Club
C. Future Problem Solvers D. Envirothon
2.Why do some of the students choose Mathcounts Club?
A. To be successful in science careers.
B. To enjoy solving future problems.
C. To perform community service.
D. To study wildlife and soils.
3.What is the common feature of the four clubs?
A. Competitions B. Sponsorship
C. Scientific researches D. Teamwork.
4.The passage mainly talks about .
A. the state academic competitions B. middle school clubs
C. extra – curricular activities D. the gifted students
Recently, one of my best friends, whom I’ve shared just about everything with since the first day of kindergarten, spent the weekend with me. Since I moved to a new town several years ago, we’ve both always looked forward to the few times a year when we can see each other.
Over the weekend, we spent hours and hours, staying up late into the night, talking about the people she was hanging around with. She started telling me stories about her new boyfriend, about how he experimented with drugs and was into other self-destructive behavior. I was blown away! She told me how she had been lying to her parents about where she was going and even stealing out to see this guy because they didn’t want her around him. No matter how hard I tried to tell her that she deserved better, she didn’t believe me. Her self-respect seemed to have disappeared.
I tried to convince her that she was ruining her future and heading for big trouble. I felt like I was getting nowhere. I just couldn’t believe that she really thought it was acceptable to hang with a bunch of losers, especially her boyfriend.
By the time she left, I was really worried about her and exhausted by the experience. It had been so frustrating, I had come close to telling her several times during the weekend that maybe we had just grown too far apart to continue our friendship，but I didn’t. I put the power of friendship to the ultimate test. We’d been friends for far too long. I had to hope that she valued me enough to know that I was trying to save her from hurting herself. I wanted to believe that our friendship could conquer anything.
A few days later, she called to say that she had thought long and hard about our conversation, and then she told me that she had broken up with her boyfriend. I just listened on the other end of the phone with tears of joy running down my face. It was one of the truly rewarding moments in my life. Never had I been so proud of a friend.
1.In the writer’s opinion, her friend ________.
A. was a girl with no self-respect
B. could find a better boyfriend
C. was brave enough to stick to her own choice
D. didn’t value the writer’s suggestion
2.What did the writer worry about?
A. She would lose the friendship with her.
B. Her friend’s parents would be worried about their daughter.
C. Her friend would get into great trouble with the boy.
D. Her friend’s boyfriend would be in great trouble.
3.We may learn from Paragraph 3 that the writer ________.
A. didn’t want to go anywhere else
B. hated her friend’s hanging with her boyfriend
C. couldn’t believe that her friend’s choice was acceptable
D. doubted whether she could in any way help her friend
4.What can be concluded from the passage?
A. Friendship starting from childhood is not reliable.
B. Friendship is a cure for any injury in life.
C. Friendship should be everlasting once begun.
D. Friendship can have magical power in life.
Liverpool, with its half a million citizens, is a big city. It's a city with variety and options.
Every year, tourists from all over the world go to Liverpool, most of whom head straight for the stadium to catch the city's two football teams in action. Liverpool and Everton are both world－famous clubs with fans from all corners of the World, as well as a good number of home grown supporters.
Another big draw to the city is the four local boys. Paul, John, George and Ringo, collectively famous as The Beatles. The pop group first put Liverpool on the world map in the 1960s. The Beatles Story, situated at the Albert Dock, is a huge draw for fans, and you'll find the Beatles shop and ever－popular Cavern Club, the “birthplace of the perfect Four”, in the Cavern Quarter of the city. Fans can also join one of the coach trips around the sights associated with the band, from the houses they grew up in, to the places including Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields.
But Liverpool is about more than music and sport. It is rich in history, with some of the most shocking architecture in the UK. The city has two great cathedrals: Anglican－the largest of its kind in Europe; and the more modern－styled Metropolitan. The famous waterfront, with the Pierhead and the Albert Docks, is also worth a visit. Many of the city's great museums are situated here, including the Walker Art Gallery, the Liverpool Maritime Museum, and the Tate Gallery, which is home to the largest modern art collection in the North. The nightlife in the city also has a lot to offer. With more than 250 bars, pubs and restaurants, there is always something for everyone to do in Liverpool. Music, museums, shopping, history, pubs and bars——it's all there. It is the world in one city, a place truly deserving of the Capital of Culture title.
1.Liverpool and Everton are clubs.
A. architecture B. music C. tourist D. football
2.What made Liverpool first known to the world?
A. The Beatles Story. B. Cavern Club.
C. The Beatles. D. The Beatles shop.
3.Compared with Metropolitan, the cathedral Anglican is .
A. more traditional B. more shocking
C. better－known D. smaller
4.Why does the author say “It is the world in one city” in the last paragraph?
A. Liverpool belongs to the world.
B. Liverpool is world famous now.
C. Liverpool owns lots of museums well－known in the world.
D. Liverpool is a lively city with various cultures.
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。
With the development of society, hiring qualified people is becoming more and more difficult. Employers who can 1prejudice from the process will surely gain a big advantage 2his opponents.
As a manager, Miss Tiffany is 3for interviewing applicants for some of the 4with her company. During one interview, she noticed that the 5never made direct eye contact. She was puzzled and a little 6because she liked the person on the whole.
He had a perfect resume and gave good 7to her questions,8the fact that he never looked her in the eye said “untrustworthy”. Several days later, she decided to offer the job to her _9choice. “It wasn’t until I 10a diversity workshop that I realized the person we passed over was the perfect person,” Tiffany says. What she hadn’t known at that time was that that person behaved 11was simply a cultural misunderstanding. He was an Asian-American 12_ in a family where 13for those in authority was shown by avoiding your eyes.
“Attending the diversity workshop helped me 14how much I could learn by simply asking questions and creating dialogues with employees, 15making assumptions and trying to be a know-it-all,” Miss Tiffany admits. “The biggest thing I 16from the workshop is learning how to be more ‘inclusive(包容的)’ to 17_ .”
“I was just _18by the lack of eye contact, not realizing it was cultural,” Tiffany says. “I missed out, but will not miss that opportunity again.”
Many of us have had similar problems with 19we consider as different. As the world is becoming smaller and our workplaces more diverse, it is becoming necessary to 20our understanding of others and to reexamine some of our false assumptions.
1.A. replace B. remove C. refresh D. recover
2.A. of B. above C. over D. on
3.A. desperate B. responsible C. ready D. punctual
4.A. positions B. businesses C. conditions D. trades
5.A. employer B. opponent C. client D. candidate
6.A. disappointed B. excited C. worried D. annoyed
7.A. Suggestions B. Responses C. impressions D. comments
8.A. so B. and C. or D. but
9.A. first B. immediate C. second D. careless
10.A. closed B. started C. attended D. organized
11.A. politely B. carelessly C. skillfully D. differently
12.A. raised B. found C. treated D. adopted
13.A. concern B. envy C. respect D. sympathy
14.A. imagine B. realize C. predict D. expect
15.A. other than B. rather than C. more than D. less than
16.A. cut away B. put away C. gave away D. took away
17.A. misunderstandings B. shortcomings C. faults D. mistakes
18.A. impressed B. confused C. refused D. depressed
19.A. behaviors B. words C. habits D. thoughts
20.A. ignore B. express C. limit D. expand
I’m not sure whether everything can be added into my journal, such as my thoughts, or a commentary on a movie.______, I waste a lot of time to consider what I should write.
A. As a matter of fact B. As a whole
C. As a consequence D. As follows
