There are two types of people in the world. Although they have equal degree of health and wealth and other comforts of life, one becomes happy and the other becomes unhappy. This arises from the different ways in which they consider things, persons, events and the resulting effects upon their minds.
People who are to be happy fix their attention on the convenience of things: the pleasant parts of conversation, the well prepared dishes, the goodness of the wine and the fine weather. They enjoy all the cheerful things. Those who are to be unhappy think and speak only of the opposite things. Therefore, they are continually dissatisfied. By their remarks, they sour the pleasure of society, hurt many people, and make themselves disagreeable everywhere. If this turn of mind was founded in nature, such unhappy persons would be the more to be pitied. The intention of criticizing and being disliked is perhaps taken up by imitation. It grows into a habit, unknown to its possessors. The habit may be strong, but it may be cured when those who have it realize its bad effects on their interests and tastes. I hope this little warning may be of service to them, and help them change this habit.
Although in fact it is chiefly an act of the imagination, it has serious results in life since it brings on deep sorrow and bad luck. Those people hurt many others; nobody loves them, and no one treats them with more than the most common politeness and respect. This frequently puts them in bad temper and draws them into arguments. If they aim at getting some advantages in social position or fortune, nobody wishes them success. Nor will anyone start a step or speak a word to favor their hopes. If they bring on themselves public objections, no one will defend or excuse them, and many will join to criticize their wrongdoings. These should change this bad habit and be pleased with what is pleasing, without worrying needlessly about themselves and others. If they do not, it will be good for others to avoid any contact with them. Otherwise, it can be disagreeable and sometimes very inconvenient, especially when one becomes mixed up in their quarrels.
1.People who are unhappy ________.
A. always consider things differently from others
B. always discover the unpleasant side of certain things
C. usually misunderstand what others think or say
D. usually are affected by the results of certain things
2.The phrase “sour the pleasure of society” most nearly means “________”.
A. makes others unhappy
B. has a good taste with social life
C. tend to scold others openly
D. enjoy the pleasure of life
3.We can conclude from the passage that ________.
A. we should pity all such unhappy people
B. such unhappy people are dangerous to social life
C. people can get rid of the habit of unhappiness
D. unhappy people can not understand happy persons
In the Middle Ages in Europe, theater was an important part of civic, economic and religious life. During this period after the fall of Roman civilization, many cities were destroyed. Southern and Western Europe, famous for its agriculture, became increasingly more agricultural. After several hundred years, many towns appeared again. The Roman Catholic Church took over religion, education and politics. What remained of theater was mostly on the Greek and Roman performing arts.
Theater was reborn as liturgical（礼拜式的）dramas. It was written in Latin and dealing with biblical（圣经）stories which would be performed by church members. Then there came local dramas spoken in common language not Latin. They were more wonderful one-act dramas taking place in town squares or other parts of the city. There were three types of local dramas. Mystery or cycle plays were short dramas based on biblical stories organized into historical cycles. Miracle plays dealt with the lives of the great. Morality（道德的）plays taught a lesson through characters standing for good or bad qualities. Secular plays in this period existed, but religious drama in the Middle Ages is mostly remembered today. As the Middle Ages ended, the number of religious theatres became small as the church weakened and more secular qualities won over religious theaters.
1.According to the passage, what does "secular plays" mean here?
A. Plays that deal with the lives of the great.
B. Plays that taught a lesson.
C. Plays based on biblical stories.
D. Plays that are not connected with the church.
2.Why did religious theatres become less important as the Middle Ages came to an end?
A. People were not interested in them any longer.
B. The church was not as important as what it had been.
C. People liked new plays.
D. The stories of religious theatres were outdated.
3.According to the passage, why did religious theatres take over in the Middle Ages?
A. People preferred religious theatres to other ones.
B. There were no other types of theatres.
C. The church played an important part in people’s life.
D. The quality of religious theatres was better than that of other theatres.
4.What would be the best title for the passage?
A. European dramas
B. Religious dramas
C. Religious theatres in the Middle Ages
D. Secular dramas in the Middle Ages
The Enigma (谜）of Beauty
The search for beauty spans centuries and continents. Paintings of Egyptians dating back over 4, 000 years show both men and women painting their nails and wearing makeup. In 18th-century France, wealthy noblemen wore large wigs (假发）of long, white hair to make themselves attractive. Today, people continue to devote a lot of time and money to their appearance.
There is at least one good reason for the desire to be attractive: beauty is power. Studies suggest that good-looking people make more money, get called on more often in class, and are regarded as friendlier.
But what exactly is beauty? It's difficult to describe it clearly, and yet we know it when we see it. And our awareness of it may start at a very early age. In one set of studies, six-month-old babies were shown a series of photographs. The faces on the pictures had been rated for attractiveness by a group of college students. In the studies, the babies spent more time looking at the attractive faces than the unattractive ones.
The idea that even babies can judge appearance makes perfect sense to many researchers. In studies by psychologists, men consistently showed a preference for women with larger eyes, fuller lips, and a smaller nose and chin while women prefer men with large shoulders and a narrow waist. According to scientists, the mind unconsciously tells men and women that these traits —the full lips, clear skin, strong shoulders —equal health and genetic well-being.
Not everyone thinks the same way, however. “Our hardwiredness can be changed by all sorts of expectations — mostly cultural,” says C. Loring Brace, an anthropologist at the University of Michigan. What is considered attractive in one culture might not be in another. Look at most Western fashion magazines: the women on the pages are thin. But is this “perfect” body type for women worldwide? Scientists' answer is no; what is considered beautiful is subjective and varies around the world. They found native peoples in southeast Peru preferred shapes regarded overweight in Western cultures.
For better or worse, beauty plays a role in our lives. But it is extremely difficult to describe exactly what makes one person attractive to another. Although there do seem to be certain physical traits considered universally appealing, it is also true that beauty does not always keep to a single, uniform standard. Beauty really is, as the saying goes, in the eye of the beholder.
1.People's ideas about beauty ________.
A. have existed since ancient times
B. can be easily described
C. have little influence on a person's success
D. are based upon strict standard
2.In Paragraph 3, the babies in the study ________.
A. were rated for their appearance
B. were entered in a beauty contest
C. were shown photos of a group of college students
D. were able to tell attractive faces from unattractive ones
3.The underlined word “traits” in Paragraph 4 probably means ________.
A. qualities B. measurements
C. judgments D. standards
4.We can learn from the passage that ________.
A. the ideas of beauty vary as people grow up
B. the search for beauty is rooted in lack of confidence
C. the standards for beauty are based on scientific researches
D. the understanding of beauty depends on cultural backgrounds
书面表达
假如你是李华，你的澳大利亚笔友Jim要来中国学习中文，请你帮忙找个寄宿家庭（host family）。请你回一封邮件，告诉他你已经找到合适的家庭了，内容包括：
1. 所处的位置；
2、家庭成员情况；
3、费用。
注意： 1.词数100 左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
短文改错
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧)，并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线(＼)划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1．每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2．只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。
The best advice I received in my childhood was from my dad. He always gives me some advice, but I seldom took them seriously. One day he was encouraged me to participate in a speech competition. So I signed up and after the competition, I did my best to be full prepared. But the moment I stood on the stage, I was such nervous that my mind completely went blank. The experience of lose a competition was really painful. Then, my dad said, “My son, life is like battlefield. You have to lose many time to win the final victory.” Thanks for his advice, I never give up when I do anything.
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。
In the middle of April, if you walk through Jinghong, 1. capital of Xishuangbanna region in Yunnan Province , 2. (chance) are that you’ll get very, very wet. The Dai people will be celebrating their water-splashing festival from April 15 to 17, marking the new year for the Dai ethnic minority.
Lonely Planet, one of the world’s 3. (large) travel brands, has described what happens:“People race around the streets of Jinghong and the surrounding villages, soaking （浸透）every person 4. sight with buckets of water. ”
5. (tradition), water would be collected and poured only on family members as a symbolic way 6. (ensure) good luck in the coming year. Dai people believe that the wetter you get, the luckier you will be.
Although water 7. (play) a vital role in the celebration, there is much more to the festival , especially during the first two days 8. water splashing is comparatively kept under control, according to Lonely Planet. People wear their best clothes , while older women in nearby villages 9. (dress) in special costumes. They gather with their families and visit Dai temple . There, they wash the statues of Buddha with water, a practice 10. (know) as “Bathing the Buddha.”
