Consumers everywhere are faced with the same dilemma: given limited resources, what sorts of purchases are most likely to produce lasting happiness and satisfaction? Recent research has confirmed that experiential purchases tend to produce greater hedonic (享乐的）gains than material purchases.
The reason why experiences improve with time may be because it is possible to think about experiences in a more abstract manner than possessions. For example, if you think back to a fantastic summer from your youth, you might easily remember an abstract sense of warm sunshine and youthful exuberant (生气勃勃), but you're less likely to remember exactly what you did day-by-day.
Material possessions are harder to think about in an abstract sense. The car you bought is still a car, that great new jacket you picked up cheap is still just a jacket. It’s more likely the experience of that summer has taken on a symbolic meaning that can live longer in your memory than a possession.
Purchasing may have a negative impact on happiness because consumers often buy “joyless” material possessions, resulting in comfort but not pleasure. In general, people adapt to experiences more slowly than to material purchase. This can be seen in both negative and positive purchases: hedonic adaptation would result in a positive experience causing more happiness but a negative experience causing less happiness than the comparable material purchase with the same initial happiness level.
Experience, however, seems to be more resistant to these sorts of unfavourable comparisons. It is because of the unique nature of experience. It’s more difficult to make an unfavourable comparison when there is nothing directly comparable. After all, each of our youthful summers is different.
It’s well established that social comparisons can have a huge effect on how we view what might seem like positive events. One striking example is the finding that people prefer to earn $50,000 a year while everyone else earns $25,000, instead of earning $100,000 themselves and having other people earn $200,000.
A similar effect is seen for possessions. When there are so many flat-screen HD TVs to choose from, it's easy to make unfavourable comparisons between our choice and the others available.
1.An abstract sense in the passage refers to awareness of something __________.
A. you cannot think about
B. you can’ t remember well
C. you cannot understand
D. you cannot see or touch
2.If you make an experiential purchase before a material purchase, you may go to__________.
A. a theatre before going to a store
B. an exhibition before going to a park
C. a mall before going to a grocer's
D. a market before going to a restaurant
3.The example of earnings is given to actually indicate__________.
A. how ridiculous people are B. how people feel content
C. how nearsighted people are D. how people hold prejudice
4. It is implied in the passage that, after their material purchases, people might__________.
A. enjoy their ownership of what they have bought
B. pick every fault in the products they have got
C. regret making a wrong decision to buy the items
D. leave what they’ve purchased untouched at home
Severely disabled people may soon be able to use their noses to write, drive a wheelchair or surf the Internet, thanks to a device (装置) developed by doctors in Israel.
The device will be used by breathing in and out through the nose, according to a study. Healthy people who tested the device quickly learned to play computer games and write sentences by sniffing. Encouraged by the results, the researchers decided to test their device on people who are paralyzed (瘫痪) but whose intelligence remains normal. Ten paralyzed who tested the device quickly learned to use their noses to write words, open a webpage, copy words and put them into a search engine.
With their success in helping severely disabled people to communicate * the researchers decided to make use of the new technology to design an electric wheelchair to be driven by sniffs.
Ten healthy people easily mastered sniff—driving a wheelchair through a maze (迷宫), and a 30-year-old man who had been paralyzed from the neck down for six years was as good a sniff-driver as the healthy participants at his second attempt. In other words, a paralyzed person could use the sniff controller to drive an electric wheelchair.
At the moment, sniff-controlled technology is still in the stage of development, and the Weizmann Institute has already applied for a patent on the device. "Ill be very happy if it can help us to make money, but the real problem is that I hope someone will develop it, because this would help a lot of people," said Sobel, one of the lead researchers of the study.
1. What’s the purpose of the passage?
A. To introduce a new invention.
B. To equip the disabled with life skills.
C. To show the nose's special functions.
D. To instruct doctors to apply for a patent.
2. In the test, the paralyzed people with normal intelligence can use their nose to ______.
A. type long sentences quickly
B. play computer games easily
C. enter a website without much difficulty
D. communicate with others successfully
3.With the help of the sniffing device, a 30-year-old disabled man ______.
A. spent six years learning how to drive a wheelchair
B. failed to drive through the maze at his first attempt
C. took the wheelchair controlled by healthy participants
D. managed to drive an electric wheelchair by sniffing
4. From the last paragraph, we can infer that the sniff-controlled technology ______.
A. will be applied to other fields of research
B. needs further developing to serve more people
C. has become an important patented invention
D. shows the wisdom and talents of Israel doctors
Dogs Don't Tell Jokes - By Louis Sachar
Twelve-year-old Gary Boone knows he was born to be a comedian. He never stops joking, regardless of the fact that nobody laughs much and his classmates think he is stupid. Therefore he had no real friends at school. Due to being laughed at by his classmates, Gary Boone thought winning the school talent show would be his dream of proving himself to be a real comedian, but on the big night his dream went wrong with funny results. | Winners Never Quit - By Mia Hamm
Mia Hamm, American soccer champion, tells a true-to-life inspiring story of learning that winning and losing aren't as important as being part of a team. More than anyone, soccer superstar Mia Hamm knows the value of teamwork. She shares this lesson, paired with energetic pictures by Carol Thompson, and this story is perfect for soccer kids and their soccer moms. |
Shack let on s Incredible Voyage - By Alfred Lansing
The astonishing adventure of polar explorer Ernest Shackleton's survival for over a year on the ice-bound Antarctic seas, as Time t magazine put it, "defined heroism". To write the authoritative story, Lansing consulted with ten of the surviving members and gained access to diaries and personal accounts by eight others. The book has a first-hand account, expanded with maps and illustrations especially for this edition. | The Alchemist - By Paulo Coelho
The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho, continues to change the lives of its readers forever. It tells the magical story of Santiago, an Andulusian shepherd-boy (牧童) who desires to travel in search of treasure. The story of the treasures Santiago finds along the way teaches us about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts and above all, following our dreams. |
1.From Shackletoris Incredible Voyage, we know the main character ______.
A. is a writer for Time magazine
B. is a survival of one polar exploration
C. has left a lot of diaries and accounts
D. has formed a close friendship with Alfred Lansing
2. If you want to know more about teamwork, you can read ______.
A. Dogs Don't Tell Jokes
B. Shackletoris Incredible Voyage
C. Winners Never Quit
D. The Alchemist
3.What do we know about The Alchemist?
A. It has an everlasting influence on its readers.
B. It gives people magical power over their dreams.
C. It tells a story of how to find treasures.
D. It is mainly about the wisdom of listening to others.
A． Life isn‘t a competition．
B． Fight for a better life with determination．
C． Love should be your rule．
D． Be grateful and feel hopeful about life．
E． Life can be cruel at times．
F． Be open to life anyway．
Dear Seth,
You‘re only three years old, and at this point in your life you can‘t read, much less understand what I‘m going to try to tell you in this letter． But I‘ve been thinking a lot about the life that you have ahead of you, about my life so far as I reflect on what I‘ve learned, and about my role as a dad in trying to prepare you for the trials that you will face in the coming years． As with my advice, take it with a grain of salt． What works for me might not work for you． But someday when you‘re ready, I hope you will find some wisdom and value in what I share with you．
1._____________________________
You are young, and life has yet to take its toll on you, to throw disappointments and heartaches and loneliness and struggles and pain into your path． You have not been worn down yet by longs hours of thankless work, by the slings and arrows of everyday life． For this, be thankful． You are at a wonderful stage of life． You have many wonderful stages of life still to come even if they are not without their costs and great dangers．
2.____________________________
There will be people in your life who won‘t be very nice because you‘re different, or for no good reason． There‘s not much you can do except to learn to deal with them, and learn to choose friends who are kind to you, actually care about you, and make you feel good about yourself． There will be times when you are met with disappointment rather than success． Life won‘t always turn out the way you want． But instead of letting these things get you down, push on． Learn to turn negatives into positives． You‘ll also face heartbreak and abandonment by those you love． I hope you don‘t have to face this too much, but it happens． Let these pains become stepping stones to better things in life and learn to use them to make you stronger．
3. _____________________________
Yes, you‘ll find suffering in your journey through life, but don‘t let that close you to new things or wall yourself off． Be open to new things, experiences and people． You might get your heart broken ten times but find the most wonderful woman the 11th time． You might get teased and hurt by people you meet． If you close yourself off to new people, who will be there during the toughest times of your life and create some of the best times of your life． You will fail many times but if you allow that to stop you from trying, you will miss out on the amazing feeling of success once you reach new heights with your accomplishments．
4. _____________________________
You will meet many people who will try to outdo you in school, in college, at work． They‘ll try to have nicer cars, bigger houses, nicer clothes, cooler gadgets． To them, life is a competition — they have to do better than their peers to be happy． Here‘s a secret: Life isn‘t a competition． It‘s a journey． If you spend that journey always trying to impress other, to outdo others, you‘re wasting it． Instead, learn to enjoy the journey． Make it a journey of happiness, of constant learning, of continual improvement, of love． Find your passion, and pursue it doggedly． Life is too short to settle for a job that pays the bills．
5._____________________________
If there‘s a single word you should live your life by, it should be this: Love． It, I know, might sound corny, but trust me, there‘s no better rule in life． Some would live by the rule of success． Their lives will be stressful, unhappy and shallow． Others would live by the rule of selfishness． They will live lonely and unhappy lives． Live your life by the rule of love． Love your spouse, children, parents, friends, with all of your heart． Love not only your loved ones, but your neighbours, coworkers, strangers, even your enemy． And most of all, love yourself． While others criticize you, learn not to be so hard on yourself, to think that you‘re ugly or dumb or unworthy of love． Instead, learn to love yourself for who you are．
Finally, know that I love you and always will． You are starting out on a weird, scary, daunting, but ultimately incredibly wonderful journey． And I will be there for you when I can．
Love, Your Dad
As Amy Hagadorn rounded the corner across the hall from her classroom, she crashed with a tall boy from the fifth grade running in the opposite direction．
“Watch it, Squirt,”the boy yelled, as he dodged around the little third grader． Then, with an unfriendly smile on his face, the boy took hold of his right leg and mimicked the way Amy limped（跛行）when she walked．
Amy closed her eyes for a moment． ―Ignore him,‖ she told herself as she headed for her classroom．
But at the end of the day, Amy was still thinking about the tall boy‘s mean teasing． It wasn‘t as if he were the only one． Amy was tired of it． Sometimes, even in a classroom full of other students, the teasing about her speech or her limping made her feel all alone．
Back home at the dinner table that evening Amy was quiet． That‘s why Patti Hagdorn was happy to have
some exciting news to share with her daughter．
“There‘s a Christmas Wish Contest on the radio station,” she announced． “Write a letter to Santa and you might win a prize． I think someone at this table with blond curly hair should enter．”
Amy giggled． The contest sounded like fun． She started thinking about what she wanted most for Christmas．
A smile took hold of Amy when the idea first came to her． Out came pencil and paper and Amy went to work on her letter． ―Dear Santa Claus,‖ she began．
While Amy worked away at her best printing, the rest of the family tried to guess what she might ask from Santa． Amy‘s sister, Jamie, and Amy‘s mom both thought a 3-foot Barbie Doll would top Amy‘s wish list． Amy‘s dad guessed a picture book． But Amy wasn‘t ready to reveal her secret Christmas wish just then． Here is Amy‘s letter to Santa, just as she wrote it that night:
Dear Santa Clause,
My name is Amy． I am 9 years old． I have a problem at school． Can you help me, Santa? Kids laugh at me because of the way I walk and run and talk． I have cerebral palsy（大脑性瘫痪）． I just want one day where no one laughs at me or makes fun of me．
Love,
Amy
At radio station WJLT in Fort Wayne, Indiana, letters poured in for the Christmas Wish Contest． The workers had fun reading about all the different presents that boys and girls from across the city wanted for Christmas．
When Amy‘s letter arrived at the radio station, manager Lee Tobin read it carefully． He knew cerebral palsy was a muscle disorder that might confuse the schoolmates of Amy who didn‘t understand her disability． He thought it would be good for the people in Fort Wayne to hear about this special third grader and her unusual wish． Mr． Tobin called up the local newspaper．
The next day, a picture of Amy and her letter to Santa made the front page of the ．News Sentinel‖． The story spread quickly． All across the country, newspapers and radio and television station reported the story of the little girl in Fort Wayne, Indiana, who asked for such a simple, yet remarkable Christmas gift – just one day without teasing．
Suddenly the postman was a regular at the Hagadorn house． Envelopes of all sizes addressed to Amy arrived daily from children and adults all across the nation． They came filled with holiday greetings and words of encouragement．
During that unforgettable Christmas season, over two thousand people from all over the world sent Amy letters of friendship and support． Amy and her family read every single one． Some of the writers had disabilities; some had been teased as children． Many people thanked Amy for being brave enough to speak up． Others encouraged her to ignore teasing and to carry her head high． Each writer had a special message for Amy． Through the cards and letters from strangers, Amy glimpsed a world full of people who truly cared about each other． She realized that no amount or form of teasing could ever make her feel lonely again．
Amy did get her wish of a special day without teasing at South Wayne Elementary School． Additionally, everyone at school got an added bonus． Teachers and students talked together about how bad teasing can make others feel．
That year, the Fort Wayne mayor officially proclaimed December 21st as Amy Jo Hagadorn Day throughout the city． The mayor explained that by daring to make such a simple wish, Amy taught a universal lesson．
“Everyone,” said the mayor, “wants and deserves to be treated with respect, dignity and warmth．”
1. The underlined word ―mimicked‖（Paragraph 2）can probably be replaced with ___________．
A． struck B． copied
C． blocked D． declined
2.According to Paragraph 4, the message is conveyed that ___________．
A． Amy was often made fun of at school and she disliked the fact
B． loneliness always accompanied Amy because of the tall boy
C． some other students teased Amy made her think of the mean boy．
D． Amy hated being laughed at in the classroom full of other students．
3.Amy‘s mother shared the news of a Christmas Wish Contest that day because she knew ___________．
A． her daughter was teased by a fifth grader．
B． Amy‘s disease went much worse than before．
C． the contest would change Amy‘s life．
D． things weren‘t going well with Amy at school．
4.The postman suddenly became a regular because ___________．
A． he wanted to comfort Amy regularly．
B． a number of letters needed delivering there．
C． he used to be teased alike at school．
D． holidays greetings were asked to give to Amy．
5.Amy learned through strangers‘ cards and letters that ___________．
A． the world was filled with care and love．
B． she would take teasing as a present in life．
C． some people were being teased similarly．
D． everyone should be treated with kindness．
6.The passage talks about ___________．
A． Everyone can do something remarkable．
B． A small act makes a difference．
C． A girl who was brave to speak her wish up．
D． The disabled deserve respect．
More than four decades ago British scientist Robert Edwards first witnessed the miracle of human life growing inside a test tube at his Cambridge lab． Since that ground-breaking moment, more than four million babies have been born through IVF and in 2010 his great contribution to science was finally recognized as he was awarded the Nobel Prize for medicine．
The prize for Dr Edwards, who was given a Daily Mirror Pride of Britain Award in 2008, includes a ￡900,000 cheque． The Nobel Assembly described IVF as a "milestone in modern medicine"．
With the help of fellow scientist Patrick Steptoe, the Manchester-born physiologist developed IVF - leading to the birth of the world's first test tube baby． Dr Steptoe died 10 years later but their work has transformed fertility treatment and given hope to millions of couples．
It was a scientific breakthrough that transformed the lives of millions of couples． They said: "His achievements have made it possible to treat infertility, a disease which makes human unable to have a baby． This condition has been afflicting a large percentage of mankind including more than 10% of all couples worldwide．"
Louise Brown, the world's first test tube baby, made international headlines when she was born in Oldham, Gtr Manchester, in 1978 to parents Lesley and John who had been fruitlessly trying for a baby since 1969．
Ivf-in-vitro fertilisation is the process whereby egg cells are fertilised outside the body before being implanted in the womb． After a cycle of IVF, the probability of a couple with infertility problems having a baby is one in five — the same as healthy couples who conceive naturally．
Professor Edwards, who has five daughters and 11 grandchildren, began his research at Cambridge University in 1963, after receiving his PhD in 1955．He once said: "The most important thing in life is having a child． Nothing is more special than a child．" With the help of fellow scientist Patrick Steptoe, Prof． Edwards founded the Bourn
Hall clinic in Cambridge shire, which now treats more than 900 women a year． Each year, more than 30,000 women in Britain now undergo IVF and 11,000 babies are born as a result of the treatment．
But his work attracted widespread criticism from some scientists and the Catholic Church who said it was "unethical and immoral"．
Martin Johnson, professor of reproductive（生殖的） sciences at the University of Cambridge, said the award was "long overdue"． He said: “We couldn't understand why the Nobel has come so late but he is delighted - this is the cherry on the cake for him．”
Professor Edwards was too ill to give interviews but a statement released by his family said he was "thrilled and delighted"．
1.What is Robert Edwards‘ contribution to science?
A． Challenging a disease which stops human having a baby．
B． Seeing the wonder of the first tube baby growing
C． Enabling millions of couples to live a better life．
D． Helping couples with infertility to have tube babies．
2. What does the underlined word “afflicting”（Paragraph 4）most probably refer to?
A． Troubling B． Developing
C． Improving D． Confusing
3. Why did Professor Edwards begin his research on tube baby?
A． Because he thought it of great significance to have a child in life．
B． Because the birthrate around the world was unexpectedly low then．
C． Because a special child did make a difference to an ordinary family．
D． Because his fellow scientist wanted to give hope to the unlucky couples．
4.It can be inferred from Paragraph 8 and Paragraph 9 that ___________．
A． some people envied Professor Edwards for his being awarded．
B． different opinions were voiced on Professor Edwards‘ finding．
C． Professor Edwards deserved the prize for his breakthrough．
D． the prize was late because the finding was first considered immoral．
5. What might be the best title for the passage?
A． Life Stories of Robert Edwards
B． Preparations for Having a Baby
C． Nobel Prize for IVF Expert Edwards
D． Treatment of Infertility in a Lab
