Our most commonly held code for success is broken. Conventional wisdom holds that if we work hard we will be more successful, and if we are more successful, then we’ll be happy. If we can just find that great job, win that next promotion, lose those five pounds, happiness will follow. But recent discoveries in the field of positive psychology have shown that this code is actually backward: Happiness fuels success, not the other way around. When we are positive, our brains become more engaged, creative, motivated, energetic, and productive at work. This discovery has been repeatedly borne out by rigid research in psychology and neuroscience(神经学), management studies, and the bottom lines of organizations around the globe.
In The Happiness Advantage, Shawn Achor, who spent over a decade living, researching, and lecturing at Harvard University, draws on his own research—including one of the largest studies of happiness and potential at Harvard and others at companies like UBS to fix this broken code. Using stories and case studies from his work with CEOs of Fortune 500 in 42 countries, Achor explains how we can reprogram our brains to become more positive in order to gain a competitive ability at work.
Based on seven practical, actionable principles that have been tried and tested everywhere from classrooms to boardrooms, stretching from Argentina to Zimbabwe, he shows us how we can capitalize on the Happiness Advantage to improve our performance and maximize our potential.
A must-read for everyone trying to stand out in a world of increasing workloads and stress, The Happiness Advantage isn’t only about how to become happier at work. It’s about how to acquire the benefits of a happier and more positive mode of thinking to achieve the extraordinary in our work and in our lives.
1.Which of the following is the traditional code for success?
A. Hard word→success→happiness.
B. Success→happiness→hard word.
C. Happiness→hard word→success.
D. Hard work→ happiness→success.
2.What do we know about the new discovery in paragraph 1?
A. Conventional code for success is totally useless.
B. The more we are successful, the happier we are.
C. Positive psychology is really backward.
D. Happiness contributes greatly to success.
3.Why did the writer write the book The Happiness Advantages?
A. To reprogram one’s brain to be healthier.
B. To make people more positive and competitive.
C. To study stories and cases of CEOs.
D. To make a lecture at Harvard University.
4.The underlined phrase “capitalize on” in paragraph 3 is closes in meaning to ____
A. provide fund for
B. make full use of
C. write big letters for
D. stand out in
5.What is the purpose of the writer in writing the passage?
A. To help people stand out in the world.
B. To arouse people’s sense of happiness.
C. To help people decrease the work stress.
D. To strongly recommend the book.
One windy spring day, I observed young people having fun using the wind to fly their kites. Multicolored creations of varying shapes and sizes filled the skies like beautiful birds dashing and dancing in the exciting atmosphere above the earth. As the strong winds gusted against the kites, a string kept them in check.
Instead of blowing away with the wind, they arose against it to achieve great heights. They shook and pulled, but the controlling string and the clumsy tail kept them in tow(牵引), facing upward and against the wind. As the kites struggled and trembled against the string, they seemed to say, “Let me go! Let me go! I want to be free!” They flew beautifully even as they fought the forced restriction of the string. Finally, one of the kites succeeded in breaking loose. “Free at last,” it seemed to say. “Free to fly with the wind.”
Yet freedom from control simply put it at the mercy of an unsympathetic gentle wind. It flew ungracefully to the ground and landed in a twisted mass of weeds and string against a dead bush. “Free at last”. Free to lie powerless in the dirt, to be blown helplessly along the ground, and to settle down lifeless against the first roadblock.
How much like kites we sometimes are. There always exist misfortunes and restrictions, rules to follow from which we can grow and gain strength. Prohibition is a necessary counterpart to the winds of opposition. Some of us pulled at the rules so hard that we never fly fast to reach the heights we might have obtained. If we keep all the commandment(戒律), we will never rise high enough to get our tails off the ground.
Let us each rise to the great heights, recognizing that some of the prohibitions are actually the steady force that helps us climb and achieve.
1.In the passage the writer watched _______.
A. many young people enjoying the sunny day
B. many birds dashing and dancing in the sky
C. many young people flying multicolored kites
D. the strong winds blowing against the sky
2.What enables a kite fly gracefully in the sky according to the story?
A. The kite itself and strange shapes.
B. A long string and blowing wind.
C. A windy spring day and blue sky.
D. The size and a long string.
3.What didn’t happen to the freed kite?
A. It kept flying freely in the air.
B. It lay powerless in the dirt.
C. It was trapped in a dead bush.
D. It was blown helplessly around.
4.What is the purpose of the author in writing this passage?
A. To give up tips on how to fly kites effectively.
B. To warn us that freedom is actually powerless.
C. To explain that restrictions are really unnecessary.
D. To teach us a lesson that rules are important in life.
5.Which of the following is the best title of the passage?
A. Fly with Restrictions
B. Where to Fly
C. Why to Fly Kites
D. Fly to Freedom
I seldom thought I had a passion. I would sit before the TV all day, thinking 1. nothing but the next shadow. It was not long ago that I first learned how important having a passion is to life.
One day I went with Mum to drop my sister off at the gym. Then, 2. Mum stopped at a red light, someone on the roadside caught my eyes. It was a man 3. (dress) in rags, homeless. That didn’t interest me, for I 4. (see) many like him before.
But he man wasn’t sitting down with a sad 5. (express). He had a radio in his hand and was dancing 6. (merry) to the music. The radio seemed to be the most precious thing 7. he had.
“Mum, why does that man have a radio even though he’s homeless?” I asked.
“He bought 8.,” she replied.
“But if he’s homeless, why doesn’t he use the money to buy food or clothes? He wasted it on something he doesn’t need.”
“Well, Sarah, sometimes food and clothes aren’t 9. only important things. We need happiness, too.”
“I see.” The man must care too much about music, so he bought a radio instead of food and clothes. I realized that happiness is the key to life. 10. it, there’s nothing to look forward to. A passion gives a person the happiness they need to keep going!
It is generally agreed that a good student must be able to concentrate for a reasonable time on a written text, yet most students are given very little help to practice this skill. Almost all classroom reading is into minutes of reading and therefore it is no wonder that a number of students have in this field.
If you have a problem with ,you must first examine the conditions in which you work. Lighting can be a problem: too many readers put up with lighting conditions. If this is a problem, and you don’t have a reading lamp, try a strong bulb(灯泡), read near a window in day time and always avoid reading in your own shadow. the light should come from overhead or over your shoulder. Reflective surfaces should be avoided. You should also excessive contrast (过度对比) caused by using a reading lamp as the only of light as this will cause great tiredness and probably eye injury.
A second reason for poor concentration is the of motivation, that is, an absence of any sense of purpose. If this is the cause, you will almost be bored by the text. Be sure that you keep your in mind during your reading so that you know you should also adopt some specific techniques—such as making notes from your reading—to aid your concentration.
If you play the role of a receiver of information, simply concentrating on absorbing everything you read, you will that your mind is overloaded, confused by the material. Then you should take a more active approach. Enter into a with the text, pausing to reflect on what you read, and what you find. That’ll be good for reading and comprehension.
1.A. forced B. driven C. admitted D. broken
2.A. problems B. abilities C. advantages D. mistakes
3.A. instruction B. communication C. concentration D. appreciation
4.A. good B. poor C. strong D. bright
5.A. Ideally B. Optionally C. Deliberately D. Cheerfully
6.A. promote B. ensure C. avoid D. increase
7.A. source B. grade C. aspect D. system
8.A. supply B. concern C. awareness D. lack
9.A. abnormal B. clear C. careful D. humorous
10.A. carefully B. strangely C. certainly D. naturally
11.A. objectives B. requirements C. memories D. considerations
12.A. sensitive B. relative C. conservative D. passive
13.A. forget B. doubt C. find D. believe
14.A. quarrel B. dialogue C. battle D. connection
15.A. refusing B. demanding C. receiving D. questioning
Many years ago, when I was fresh out of school , I was driving to my parents' home in Missouri for Christmas．I stopped at a gas station about 50 miles from Oklahoma City. While I was standing in line at the cash register(收款台), I said hello to an older couple who were also paying for gas．
I took off, but had gone only a few miles when black smoke poured from the back of my car．I stopped and wondered what I should do．A car pulled up behind me．It was the couple. They said they would take me．We chatted and when I got out of the car, the husband gave me his business card．I wrote them a thank-you note．Soon afterward, I received a Christmas present from them．Their note that came with it said that helping me had made their holidays meaningful．
Years later, I drove to a meeting in the morning．In late afternoon I found that I'd left the lights on all day, and the battery was dead．Then I noticed that the Friendly Ford dealership was right next door．I walked over and found two salesmen in the showroom．
"Just how friendly is Friendly Ford?" I asked and explained my trouble．They quickly drove a pickup truck to my car and started it．They would accept no payment, so later, I wrote them a note to say thanks．I received a letter back from one of the salesmen．No one had ever written him and say thank you, and it meant a lot, he said．
"Thank you" - two powerful words．They're easy to say and mean so much．
[写作内容]
(1) 以约30个词概括短文的要点；
(2) 然后以120个词就“向别人道谢的重要性”这个主题发表你的看法, 并包括如下要点：
a) 叙述你向别人道谢的一次真实或虚构的经历；
b) 你是如何认识到向别人道谢的重要性的；
c) 向别人道谢对你和对方都带了什么影响。
[写作要求] 可以使用实例或其它论述方法支持你的论点, 也可以参照阅读材料的内容, 但不得直接引用原文中的句子
【评分标准】概括准确，语言规范，内容合适，篇章连贯。
中国民工学校状况越来越受到人们的关注，假设你是李华，你和你的同学共同对你所在的城市的民工学校进行了调查。了解情况之后你写信给英语周报，呼吁全社会关注民工学校，帮助民工子弟。
[写作内容]：
民工学校的现状 | 1、设施简陋 2、师资缺乏 3、民工子弟热爱学习 |
改善民工学校现状的建议 | 政府方面：资金的投入 |
学生方面：...... （至少提两个建议） | |
呼吁全社会的人关注民工学校 |
[写作要求]
1、只能使用5个句子表达所有写作内容，信的开头与结尾已经给出，不计入句子个数。
2、文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称。
[参考词汇]：民工学校：migrant school
