Everyone wants to achieve true happiness in life. But the biggest factor holding most of us back is actually our ownselves. The Huffington Post released a list of seven mistakes we need to let go of in order to become happier people. Let’s take a look.
1.Placing too much emphasis on fulfillment (成就感)
Those who put a lot of pressure on themselves to be happy feel more lonely on a daily basis than those who do not, according to research conducted at the University of Denver, US.
2. Keeping it all in
Keeping it all together during tough times can hurt you. Crying is the body’s emotional response to outside triggers (诱因).By suppressing it, you may be damaging your mental and physical health.
3. Looking at your smart phone all the time
Connecting with others may be the key to happiness, but a recent University of Michigan study found that the more time participants spent on social networking sites, the less happy they felt.
4. Not moving
It’s no secret that a healthy lifestyle is a big part of happiness. Something as simple as a walk can help you increase your creativity and expose you to essential vitamins.
5. Not reflecting on the past
In a 2013 study on nostalgia (怀旧) and emotion, participants reported a higher sense of physiological comfort when they looked back on the past. Affection for heartwarming memories helps people relate their past experiences to the present in order to create a greater sense of meaning.
6. Resisting change
A study on the psychology of choices shows that the human brain naturally tries to avoid loss—but that resistance can cause stress. Whether it’s fear of the unknown or fear of losing what you currently have, the pressure to hold on to the present can harm your future life satisfaction.
7. Not being mindful
Setting aside time for meditation (沉思) allows your body to relax, cultivates an attitude of gratitude and lowers your stress level, according to researchers at University of California, Los Angeles, US.
1.What is the main purpose of the article?
A. To inform readers of the benefits of being happy.
B. To explain why our happiness depends on our own actions.
C. To point out the things we do that prevent us from being happy.
D. To discuss some typical characteristics of happy people.
2.The underlined word “suppressing” in the third paragraph is closest in meaning to .
A. speaking of B. holding back
C. thinking about D. taking no notice of
3.According to the article, to be a happy person, it is important for us to .
A. set goals and achieve as much as we can
B. avoid recalling the past
C. do exercise in our spare time
D. spend more time on social networking sites
4.According to the article, meditation is helpful mainly because .
A. it increases our creativity
B. it makes us less afraid of the unknown
C. it helps us relax and thus reduce our stress
D. it allows us to relate our past experiences to the present
Lightning flashed through the darkness over Donald Lubeck’s bedroom skylight. The 80-year-old retired worker was shaken by a blast of thunder. It was 11 p.m. The storm had moved directly over his two-story wood home in the rural town of Belchertown, Massachusetts. Then he heard the smoke alarm beeping. Lubeck padded down the stairs barefoot and opened the door to the basement, and flames exploded out.
Lubeck fled back upstairs to call 911 from his bedroom, but the phone didn’t work. Lubeck realized he was trapped. “I started panicking(恐慌),” he says.
His daughter and young granddaughters, who lived with him, were away for the night. “No one will even know I’m home, ” he thought. His house was three miles off the main road and so well hidden by pines that Lubeck knew calling for help would be fruitless.
Up a hill about a third of a mile away lived Lubeck’s closest neighbors, Jeremie Wentworth and his wife. Wentworth had been lying down, listening to the radio when it occurred to him that the sound was more like a smoke detector. He jumped out of bed, grabbed a cordless phone and a flashlight, and headed down the hillside toward the noise.
He dialed 911 “Is anyone there?” he called out as he approached the house. Wentworth knew that Lubeck lived in the house.
Then he heard, “Help me! I’m trapped!” coming from the balcony off Lubeck’s bedroom.
“I ran in and yelled, ‘Don, where are you?’ Then I had to run outside to catch my breath.”
After one more attempt inside the house, he gave up and circled around back. But there was no way to get to him. “I shone the flashlight into the woods next to an old shed and noticed a ladder,” says Wentworth. He dragged it over to the balcony and pulled Lubeck down just as the second floor of the house collapsed.
Wentworth and Lubeck don’t run into each other regularly, but Lubeck now knows that if he ever needs help, Wentworth will be there.
Lubeck still chokes up when he tells the story. “I was alone,” he says. “Then I heard the most beautiful sound in my life. It was Jeremie.”
1.According to the text, Lubeck .
A. stayed calm in the fire
B. couldn’t find a safe way out
C. lived on the first floor
D. called for help in the fire
2.How did Wentworth help Lubeck escape?
A. He called 911.
B. He went upstairs and took Lubeck out.
C. He put out the fire.
D. He used a ladder and pulled Lubeck down.
3.Which of the following factors was not mentioned in the text that almost caused Lubeck’s life?
A. He was living in his wood home alone that night.
B. The storm was too heavy and the fire was too fierce.
C. He lived far from the main road and was surrounded by pines.
D. He was too frightened to escape from the danger.
4.What does the text mainly talk about?
A.A near neighbor is better than a distant cousin.
B. A good way to get a narrow escape.
C. God helps those who help themselves.
D. Blood is thicker than water.
Ten years ago I used to be very fit. I rode a bike to work and I got a lot of exercise at weekends. I used to play tennis a lot and go for long walks. In those days I didn’t earn very much. I had a job in an office. It wasn’t a
very good job but I had a lot of time to do the things I enjoyed.
Then, about eight years ago, I got a much better job. The pay was better, but the hours were a lot longer. I bought a car and drove to work every day. I began to take people out to lunch. And I began to put on weight, too. I stopped playing tennis and going for long walks at weekends because I just didn’t have any time for things like those any more.
There’s a lot of stress in my job. Perhaps that’s why I started drinking more than I used to. For example, I used to have only half a glass of whisky when I got home, but then I started filling my glass to the top, and instead of having one glass, I would have several. I started smoking a lot, too. I never used to smoke at all.
Two months ago I had a heart attack. At first I just couldn’t believe it. Luckily it wasn’t very serious. The doctor advised me to stop smoking and to eat less. He also advised me to work less and get more exercise. But I just haven’t any time! My job takes everything out of me!
Sometimes I wonder if I should get another job. Perhaps I could do something as I used to. But if I do that, I won’t earn as much. I have a family to support. I have to think of them, too. I just don’t know what I should do. What do you think?
1.According to the passage, when the author got the better job, which of the following is NOT true?
A. He got higher pay.
B. His working hours weren’t long.
C. He found it very stressful.
D. He had little free time at weekends.
2.After the author had a heart attack, the doctor advised him .
A. not to work any longer
B. to take a long vacation abroad
C. to stop smoking and take exercise
D. not to eat out any more
3.What can we learn about the author?
A. The author is not sure what he should do now.
B. The author has taken the doctor’s advice already.
C. The author has got another new job.
D. The author feels much better now.
The Man Who Never Put a Foot Wrong
Some people do not like anything to be out of place: they are never late for work, they return their books to the library on time, they remember people’s birthdays, and they pay their bills as soon as they arrive. Mr. Dodds is such a person.
Mr. Dodds works in a bank, and lives on his own. The only family he has is in the next town: his sister lives there with her husband, and her son, Mark. Mr. Dodds does not see his sister, or her family, from one year to the next, but he sends them Christmas cards, and he has not forgotten one of Mark’s birthdays.
Last week Mr. Dodds had quite a surprise. He drove home from the bank at the usual time, driving neither too slowly nor too fast. He parked his car where he always parked it, out of the way of other cars, and he went inside to make his evening meal. Straight away, there was a knock at the door. Mr. Dodds opened the door to find a policeman standing on the door-step.
“What have I done wrong?” Mr. Dodds asked himself. “Have I driven on the wrong side of the road? Has there been some trouble at the bank? Have I forgotten to pay an important bill?”
“Hello, Uncle,” said the policeman. “My name is Mark.”
1.From the passage we know that his sister .
A. lives in the next town with her husband and son
B. is the only member of the family that he knows
C. never writes back to him
D. has a small family: a son and Mark, her husband
2.“He has not forgotten one of Mark’s birthdays” means .
A. he has forgotten Mark’s birthdays
B. he didn’t send Mark anything on his birthdays
C. he always sent Christmas cards on Mark’s birthdays
D. he always sent Mark something on his birthdays
3.There was a knock at the door when Mr. Dodds was .
A. driving home from the bank
B. parking his car
C. ready to make his evening meal
D. just about to shut the front door
4.The policeman was there .
A. to ask Mr. Dodds to go to see his uncle
B. to ask Mr. Dodds to park his car not too near to other cars
C. to meet Mr. Dodds, his uncle
D. to see Mr. Dodds about some trouble at the bank
假如你是红星中学高三李华，请给你的美国朋友Jim写一封信，告诉他你打算参加龙舟训练营，希望他一起参加，邮件的内容包括：
1.介绍训练营的相关内容（例如；时间，地点，参加者等）；
2.说明你打算参加的原因；
3.询问对方的意向。
注意：1.词数不少于80；
2.开头和结尾已给出， 不计入总词数。
提示词：龙舟训练营 Dragon Boat Training Camp
Dear Jim,
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li hua
Nowadays, mobile phones are more and more popular in our society． Even many students of high schools have got their own mobile phone． The mobile phone does offer a lot convenience to us． With a mobile phone, we can call the others not matter where we are． We can also send short messages． But, the mobile phone brings trouble as well． The signals of the phone disturbed our living space too much． Sometimes it will be unsafe or impolite to use a mobile phone． What’s more, it can be bad for the students who pay too more attention to it． It seems it’s not necessary for our middle school students to have a phone． In a word, if they use the mobile phone in a proper way, it can help us a lot without bring us troubles．
