The new science of spending comes to a surprising conclusion. How we use our money may____ as much or more than how much we’ve got it.
Money spent on experiences, rather than material goods, ____ more happiness.
Imagine that you wake up tomorrow morning to ___ $1 million under your bed .What would you do that cash?
The money will probably make you think about one thing _____ all else— yourself. A large amount of research reveals that money our selfish sides. We will much on what that money can do for us alone. Perhaps you are imagining buying a faster car, or even a new house.
But studies show that_______goods often fail to deliver _______ happiness. Fortunately, our ongoing research _______many ways to get more happiness from every dollar you spend. Changing how you spend money can increase your happiness.
But making these_______ needs to challenge some of our ideas of spending. It’s hard not to ______buying a house as a wise investment. But research shows it brings very little happiness. A study in the United States found that homeowners, on average, were no happier than_______.
So, working hard to save money for a house might not be such a good idea _______ it means spending less time with your families and friends. And dozens of studies show that people get more happiness from buying _______ than material things. Experimental purchases—such as trips, concerts and special meals—are more _______connected to our sense of self.
And experiences come with one more______. They tend to bring us______to other people, but more often, material things are enjoyed _____.So social contacts are important to ______ mental and physical health.
1.A. present B. matter C. appear D. equal
2.A. refers to B. breaks out C. holds on D. brings along
3.A. keep B. own C. discover D. count
4.A. to B. with C. about D. for
5.A. above B. below C. before D. after
6.A. shows B. explains C. proves D. designs
7.A. depend B. concentrate C. take D. look
8.A. mental B. material C. beautiful D. clever
9.A. outgoing B. lasting C. willing D. exciting
10.A. invites B. offers C. prefers D. follows
11.A. changes B. plans C. decisions D. mistakes
12.A. know B. view C. dream D. judge
13.A. buyers B. sellers C. builders D. renters
14.A. if B. how C. unless D. though
15.A. houses B. cars C. experiences D. health
16.A. clearly B. hardly C. generally D. deeply
17.A. advantage B. conclusion C. purpose D. identity
18.A. familiar B. close C. proper D. native
19.A. completely B. worldwide C. secretly D. alone
20.A. gain B. damage C. improve D. build
Our story began in 1768 in Madrid, Spain. The king of Spain, Charles the Third, had recently received reports that worried him. The reports said Russian explorers were in the northern part of the territory (领土) called California. 1. But Spain had no settlements in California. King Charles knew if the Russians began to settle the area, Spain might lose control of California forever.
King Charles decided the best way to keep the Spanish claim (主权要求) to California was to build settlements there. So he decided to order the creation of a series of small farming communities along the Pacific Ocean coast of California. 2.
Spanish citizens might want to settle there. Therefore, the Spanish claim to California would be safe.
3. King Charles and his advisors decided that the farming settlements would begin with churches called missions. Missions were places where Roman Catholic religious leaders converted people to the Christian religion. 4.
King Charles decided Roman Catholic priests would build the missions and settlements with the help of Native American Indians. The priests would teach the native people the Christian religion, the Spanish language and how to farm.
A religious group within the Catholic Church called the Franciscans would build the settlements. 5. Serra was born in 1713 on the island of Mallorca, Spain. After he became a Franciscan priest, he taught at a university in Mallorca.
A. But there was no one on the coast of California to begin the work.
B. King Charles decided to fight against Russia as quickly as possible.
C. They taught the religion to people who wanted to become members of the church.
D. The Franciscans chose a young priest named Junipero Serra to begin the work.
E. Visiting the beautiful missions along California’s coast can learn history.
F. The settlements would provide trade and grow into larger cities.
G. Spain had claimed most of that area more than 200 years earlier.
The US will seek to expand its own oil production in an attempt to reduce dependence on imported oil and bring down fuel prices, President Obama says. New contracts for exploration will be signed in non-protected areas of Alaska and in the Gulf of Mexico.
In his weekly speech, the President insisted the US could reduce its need for imported oil and improve safety. Using his speech to tell Americans that he understood their concerns about rising prices, President Obama focused particularly on the price of fuel, which has risen in recent months.
US consumers have historically enjoyed cheap fuel, but have seen prices rise in recent months even though US oil production in 2010 reached its highest level for seven years.
Although the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 was serious, Mr. Obama said the Gulf remained a key part of the country’s future energy supply.
The President’s proposals (议案) come after Republicans (共和党人) introduced a series of proposals that would expand and speed up oil and gas production.
The White House has criticized the Republican proposals for safety reasons, but Mr. Obama was clear in his speech that he felt safety and environmental standards could be maintained even though production might rise.
“I believe that we should continue to expand oil production in America — even as we increase safety and environmental standards,” he said.
“As a nation, we should be investing in the clean, renewable sources of energy that are the solution to high gas prices.”
Mr. Obama has previously called for a step-change in energy policy, saying the US must move towards getting 80% of its electricity from clean energy sources by 2035.
1.Which of the following is NOT included in Mr. Obama’s speech?
A. The reason for the rising oil prices.
B. Improving safety standards.
C. The dependence on imported oil.
D. Expanding oil production.
2.Mr. Obama thinks the Republican proposals are ______.
A. not safe enough B. not environmentally friendly
C. practical D. clear
3.What can we learn from the text?
A. The US has got most of its electricity from clean energy.
B. US oil production is too small to keep the present low fuel prices.
C. The US produced the most oil in 2010 in its history.
D. The Gulf is still important in energy supply in spite of the oil spill in 2010.
4.Which of the following can serve as the title?
A. Obama: clean, renewable sources of energy are the solution to high gas prices
B. Obama: US will import less oil to improve safety and environmental standards
C. Obama: the time of high fuel prices will be gone
D. Obama: US will seek oil in Alaska and Gulf of Mexico
(Reuters) — A group of Chinese scientists and explorers are looking for international help to organize a new search for the country’s answer to Bigfoot, known locally as the “Yeren”, or “wild man”.
Over the years, more than 400 people have said they saw the half-man, half-ape (半猿) Yeren in a remote, mountainous area of the central province of Hubei, state news agency Xinhua said on Saturday.
Expeditions in the 1970s and 1980s found hair, a footprint, and a sleeping nest suspected of belonging to the Yeren, but there has been no conclusive proof, the report added.
Witnesses describe a creature that walks upright and is more than 2 meters tall with grey, red or black hair all over its body, Xinhua said.
Now the Hubei Wild Man Research Association is looking for volunteers from around the world to join them on another expedition to look for the Yeren.
“We want the team members to be devoted, as there will be a lot of hard work in the process,” Luo Baosheng, vice president of the group, told Xinhua.
But the team will have to come up with about 10 million yuan ($1.50 million) first, and is talking to companies and other bodies to secure the money, so there is no timetable yet for when they may start, the report added.
China is no stranger to cryptozoology. There are many tales about mysterious, monster-like creatures in remote parts of the country. For example, Tibetans have long talked about the existence of the Yeti (喜马拉雅雪人), or “Abominable Snowman”, in the high mountains of their snowy homeland.
1.What the volunteers for this expedition need most is _____.
A. devotion B. enthusiasm
C. confidence D. experience
2.The timetable for starting the trip depends on _____.
A. the number of explorers B. government’s support
C. the finance D. local people’s guiding
3.According to the text, the underlined word “cryptozoology” in the last paragraph probably refers to _____.
A. the study of mysterious animals
B. the study of human beings
C. dangerous expeditions
D. tourism industry
4.What would be the best title for this text?
A. Volunteers for an expedition needed
B. Scientists to look for China’s Bigfoot
C. International cooperation in finding wild man
D. Yeren appeared in Hubei again
]HIGHFIELD COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL SCHOOL REPORT Form Teacher: G. Baker Pupil’s Name: Simon Watkins Term: Summer 2014 Form: Ⅳ B
FORM TEACHER’S REMARKS HEADMASTER Basically satisfactory work and progress I shall be keeping an eye on his though he will now have realized, I hope, that progress in his weaker subjects in certain subject areas he needs to make speedy though his success in the sciences is improvement. most pleasing. |
1.According to the comments of the Physical Education teacher, Simon_______.
A. is too talkative in the class
B. doesn’t exercise his body at the right time
C. likes to work with his classmates
D. becomes weak because he doesn’t exercise at all
2.Which of Simon’s subjects will attract the headmaster’s attention in future?
A. Biology and Maths.
B. History and French.
C. English and Chemistry.
D. Physics and Physical Education.
3.Which of the following statements best describes Simon?
A. He has made great progress in language classes.
B. His potential has been fully reflected in science classes.
C. His grade in maths makes him a born scientist.
D. He needs to improve his attitude on certain subjects.
4.Based on the school report, which of the following statements is true?
A. Simon didn’t bother his teacher to revise French.
B. Basically, Simon did a good job in science.
C. Simon is a determined learner in English.
D. Simon is able to pay attention to history for long.
Australia’s koalas could be wiped out within 30 years unless urgent action is taken to stop the losing in population, according to researchers. They say development, climate change and bushfires have all combined to reduce the number of wild koalas sharply.
The Australian Koala Foundation said a recent survey showed the population could have dropped by more than half in the past six years. Previous estimates put the number of koalas at more than 100,000, but the latest calculations suggest there could now be as few as 43,000.
The foundation collected field data from 1,800 sites and 80,000 trees to calculate the numbers. In one area in northern Queensland estimated to have 20,000 koalas a decade ago, a team of eight people could not find a single animal in four days of searching.
The foundation said besides problems caused by cutting down forests, hotter and drier conditions because of global warming had reduced the nutritional value of their staple food, eucalyptus leaves, leading to poor nutrition for them.
Koalas, which live in the forests in Australia’s east and south, are very fussy (爱挑剔的) about what types of the leaves they eat.
Foundation chief Deborah Tabart said: “The koalas are missing everywhere we look. It’s really no tree, no me. If you keep cutting down trees you don’t have any koalas.”
She is hoping the new figures will persuade the government’s Threatened Species Steering Committee (TSSC) to list the koala as threatened. But committee chairman Bob Beeton said a decision was not likely recently and the koala’s status as one of the country’s favourite animals would not be a factor. “There’s a number of species which are attractive and people have special feelings towards them. We don’t consider that,” Mr Beeton was reported as saying by the AFP agency.
1.The writer gives the example of the area in northern Queensland in Paragraph 3 to show that _____.
A. the forests are being damaged heavily
B. the environment is being polluted seriously
C. koalas usually live in wild mountainous areas
D. the number of koalas is dropping quickly
2.Global warming is an important cause of koalas’ reduction because _____.
A. koalas can hardly stand the hot weather
B. the leaves koalas eat are losing nutritional value
C. koalas cannot get enough water to drink
D. the leaves koalas eat cannot grow in hot weather
3.According to Bob Beeton, _____.
A. koalas are his favourite animals
B. a decision will be made to protect koalas
C. they needn’t pay special attention to koalas
D. koalas needn’t be protected at all
