Does being rich make you happy? Many studies on happiness give negative answers. Here are some points in being happy.
Basic Human Needs Must Be Met
People whose basic needs for shelter, clothing and food are not met will find it very difficult to feel happy. Of course，there are exceptions，but for most of us，we can only be happy once our basic needs are met.
The Joneses Cannot Be Escaped
People's happiness is not determined by how much they have, but by how much people around them have. So, we tend to feel happy once our basic needs are met and we have more than the people surrounding us.
This means that while keeping up with the Joneses could be destructive if we let it go too far, it is also part of human nature to want to feel at least on the same level，financially，as those surrounding us.
You Should Escape The Rat Race
We should know the importance of staying out of the rat race. So yes, you need to work hard，get the education you need to land a good job and work long enough and hard enough to get to a place where you can easily meet your basic needs. What are basic needs? For most middle or upper middle class Americans, basic needs are not very basic anymore.
For most of us，once our basic needs have been met, happiness is achieved when we engage in activities we like，spend time with friends and family and stay active. Making money for the sake of making money does not make people happy.
Ideally, these questions should be answered when you're still young and just starting out. Don't wait until your midlife crisis to realize that half your life has passed you by and you're still unhappy.
【小題1】What is the main idea of the passage?

A．The research on what determines happiness

B．Being rich makes people happy

C．What makes people feel unhappy

D．Key points on being rich and being happy

【小題2】What does "the Joneses" in Paragraph 4 probably stand for？

A．Expensive things	B．Neighbors
C．Money	D．Richer people

【小題3】From the passage，what people probably do in "the rat race"？

A．To enjoy their life with family.

B．To get high education for better jobs.

C．To work too hard for money only.

D．To work hard for basic needs.

【小題4】What's the attitude of the author towards the passage?

A．Money is happiness.

B．The love of money is the root of all evil.

C．Money doesn't grow on trees.

D．Money is a big problem, but money isn't everything.

I had the meanest mother in the world. While other kids ate candy for breakfast，I had to have cereal，eggs and toast. Others had cokes and candy for lunch，while we had to eat a sandwich. As you can guess，my supper was different than the other kids’. But at least I was not alone in my suffering. My sister and two brothers had the same mean mother as I did.
My mother insisted on knowing where we were at all times. She had to know who our friends were and what we were doing. We had to wear clean clothes every day. Other kids always wore their clothes for days. We reached the height of disgrace because she made our clothes herself，just to save money.
The worst is yet to come. We had to be in bed by 9：00 each night and up at 7：45 the next morning. So while my friends slept，my mother actually had the courage to break Child Labor Law. She made us work. I believed she lay awake all night thinking up mean things to do to us. Through the years，our friends’ report cards had beautiful colors on them, black for passing，red for failing. My mother, however，would merely be content with black marks. None of us was allowed the pleasure of being a dropout.
She forced us to grow up into educated and honest adults. Using this as a background，I’m now trying to bring up my three children. I’m filled with pride when my children think I am mean because now I thank God every day for giving me the meanest mother in the world.
【小題1】From the passage we can learn that the writer’s mother was __________.

A．not generous at all	B．very strict with her children
C．very mean with money matters	D．very cruel to her children

【小題2】Which of the following things did the writer hate to do most?

A．Eating differently from other kids.

B．Wearing clean clothes made by mother.

C．Going to bed early and getting up early.

D．Letting mother know where they were.

【小題3】It can be inferred from the passage that____________.
A the writer worked hard and usually got good grades in studies
B. mother was punished for breaking the Labor Law
C. all the other kids studied better than the writer
D. the writer’s family lived a miserable life

How often one hears children wishing they were grown-ups, and, old people wishing they were young again. Each age has its pleasures and its pains, and the happiest person is the one who enjoys what each age gives him without wasting his time in useless regrets.
Childhood is a time when there are few responsibilities(責(zé)任) to make life difficult. If a child has good parents, he is fed, looked after and loved, whatever he may do. It is impossible that he will ever again in his life be given so much without having to do anything in return. What’s more, life is always giving new things to the child——things that have lost their interest for older people because they are too well known. But a child has his pains: he is not so free to do what he wishes to do; he is repeatedly being told not to do something, or being punished for what he has wrongly done.
When a young man starts to earn his own living, he can no longer expect others to pay for his food, his clothes, and his room, but has to work if he wants to live comfortably. If he spends most of his time playing about in the way that he used to as a child, he will go hungry. And if he breaks the laws of society as he used to break the laws of his parents, he may go to prison. If, however, he works hard, keeps out of trouble and has good health, he can have the great happiness of building up for himself his own position in society.
【小題1】According to Paragraph 2, the writer thinks that          .

A．life for a child is fairly easy

B．a(chǎn) child is always loved whatever he does

C．if much is given to a child, he must do something in return

D．only children are interested in life

【小題2】The main idea of the passage is that            .

A．life is not enjoyable since each age has some pains

B．young men can have the greatest happiness if they work hard

C．childhood is the most enjoyable time in one’s life

D．one is the happiest if he can make good use of each age in his life

【小題3】The paragraph following this passage will most probably discuss           .

A．examples of successful young men

B．how to build up one’s position in society

C．joys and pains of old people

D．what to do when one has problems in life

After Mom died, l began visiting Dad every morning before I went to work. He was frail and moved slowly, but he always had a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice on the kitchen table for me, along with an unsigned note reading," Drink your juice." Such a gesture, l knew, was as far as Dad had ever been able to go in expressing his love. In fact, l remember, as a kid I had questioned Mom "Why doesn't Dad love me?" Mom frowned, "Who said he doesn’t love you?" "Well, he never tells me, "I complained." He never tells me either," she said, smiling. " But look how hard he works to take care of us, to buy us food and clothes, and to pay for this house. That's how your father tells us he loves us. "
I nodded slowly. I understood in my head, but not in my heart. l still wanted my father to put his arms around me and tell me he loved me. Dad owned and operated a small scrap (片) metal business, and after school I often hung around while he worked. Dad handled scrap steel into a device that chopped it as cleanly as a butcher chops a rack of ribs. The machine looked like a giant pair of scissors, with blades thicker than my father's body. If he didn’t feed those terrifying blades just right, he risked serious injury. "Why don' t you hire someone to do that for you?" Mom asked Dad one night as she bent over him and rubbed his aching shoulders with a strong smelling liniment. "Why don’t you hire a cook?" Dad asked, giving her one of his rare smiles.
Many years later, during my first daily visit, after drinking the juice my father had squeezed for me. l walked over, hugged him and said, "I love you, Dad." From then on I did this every morning. My father never told me how he felt about my hugs, and there was never any expression on his face when I gave them.
【小題1】What would be the best title for the passage?

A．My father never loved me	B．I just couldn't understand my father
C．My hard-working father	D．Silent fatherly love

【小題2】The author’s father always prepared a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice for him because____.

A．that was the author's favorite

B．that was a gesture of love

C．the author was always complaining

D．he was sure the author would be thirsty

【小題3】The author’s father didn’t hire a helper because________.              .

A．he wanted to save money

B．his job required high skills

C．his job was too dangerous

D．he was not good at communicating with others

【小題4】We may infer from the passage that _______.

A．the author's father lacked a sense of humor

B．the author's-father didn't love him very much

C．the author quite understood his father as time went on

D．the author's father was too strict with him

You have the ability to decide if you are happy or not. Happiness is a choice.
You can't depend on someone else to make you happy. That is a lesson I learned early on in my marriage. I realized that I couldn't rely on my husband as my source of happiness. I learned that my happiness depended on me and not my husband's actions. I learned that you have to choose to be happy.
You can choose your emotions. True happiness comes from within; it can't be forced by outside forces. So how do you choose happiness? The same way you choose to smile or choose to wear a certain outfit. You choose it because that's what you want to experience in your life.
You want to buy a new pair of shoes so you choose a pair that you like and feel good. You wouldn't buy a pair of shoes that you don't like or that don't fit well, right? So why do we keep choosing emotions and feelings that don't make us feel good?
Choosing to be happy after you realize your anger has shown up (or even choosing to be calm) can be beneficial. We choose our feelings; no one can do that for us. If we let others get to us, influence our emotions - we are giving them power over us. When others cause us anger or pain, we are giving them our power.
We need to keep our feelings in check and not react automatically to what is thrown at us. We need to think our actions out instead of just reacting to what someone says or does.
Remember that we can always choose happiness. At first it will be difficult to just switch your thoughts and feelings from anger, self-doubt, or fear to joy and happiness. But it is only a thought away. Don't dwell on what happens to you unnecessarily but realize what is causing you to feel that way. Realize that thoughts, feelings and emotions can change. Then move on and choose to be happy.
【小題1】What’s the best title of this passage?

A．Choose to Be Happy	B．Choose Your Emotions
C．Pretend to Be Happy	D．Find Happiness

【小題2】The lesson the writer learned in her marriage is ________.

A．she can depend on her husband to find happiness

B．balancing the relationship between the husband and wife is an art

C．one can’t rely on someone else to make himself or herself happy

D．happiness can be influenced by outside forces

【小題3】Why did the writer mention buying shoes?

A．To use it as an example to show the importance of choosing to be happy.

B．To offer advice on how to choose comfortable shoes.

C．To compare choosing shoes and choosing an outfit.

D．To help to move to the next paragraph easily.

【小題4】The writer suggests that we should ________.

A．let others control our feelings

B．respond immediately to others’ words

C．pay more attention to words than actions

D．hold back our feelings properly

When I was young, I had an old neighbor named Dr. Gibbs. He didn’t look like any doctor I’d ever known. He never shouted at us for playing in his yard. I remembered him as a neighbor who was nicer than anyone else in the neighborhood.
When Dr. Gibbs was happy, he was planting trees. And his life’s goal was to make it a forest.
Dr. Gibbs had some interesting theories about planting. He talked about trees that weren’t watered would grow deep roots in search of water. So he never watered his trees. He planted an oak (橡樹(shù)) and, instead of watering it every morning, he beat it with the rolled-up newspaper. I asked him why he did that, and he said it was to get the tree’s attention.
Dr. Gibbs died a couple of years. Every now and again, I walk by his house and look at the trees that he planted twenty-five years ago. They’re very strong now.
I planted a couple of trees a few years later. I watered them regularly and took good care of them. Whenever a cold wind blows, they shake their leaves and branches.
The funny thing about those trees of Dr. Gibbs was that difficulty seemed to help them in ways comfort and ease never could.
【小題1】What was Dr. Gibbs’ life goal?

A．To build a forest.	B．To save more lives.
C．To make a lot of money.	D．To study plants.

【小題2】One of Dr. Gibbs’ theories about planting was that ______.

A．he often talked to the trees	B．he kicked the trees heavily
C．he never watered the trees	D．he buried the leaves around the roots

【小題3】What does the writer mainly want to tell us?

A．Trees are not as weak as we think.

B．We should listen to others’ advice.

C．Difficulty is necessary for growth.

D．Planting trees is good for the environment.

In 1986, when Monty Reed was a member of the Army Rangers (黑鷹突擊 隊(duì)), he had an accident. "It was a night jump, and we were jumping low," he recalls. "We were training. Somebody got too close to my parachute (降落傘)."The parachute below blocked Reed’s air and his parachute failed to open. Reed crashed a hundred feet to the ground, breaking his back in five places.
The next morning, Reed could not move. "Doctors said it was likely that I would never walk again." Reed stared out of his hospital window, wondering what the future would be like. It was the saddest moment of his life. "The experts are telling me my body doesn’t work! What am I supposed to do?" he thought.
To distract (轉(zhuǎn)移注意力) himself, he picked up a book: Robert Heinlein’s Starship Troopers. The science-fiction describes a set of man-made muscles that would allow people to carry 2,000 pounds. He thought that if he could build something like that, it might be able to lift him out of his wheelchair. So he began his project and finally succeeded in building a set of robot legs. Several years later, he made an amazing recovery and was able to get up and walk away from his wheelchair. He even jumped out of an airplane again to celebrate.
Reed wanted to do something for others with the second chance that life had given him. He has now perfected the robot legs that can get the injured, the elderly and the paralyzed (癱瘓的) out of their wheelchairs. Now he has started his own company to make the legs. "I’ve seen them compete in marathons and go swimming and mountain climbing," he said. "So never give up!"
【小題1】Monty had an accident in 1986 because_______.

A．his feet hit the ground too hard

B．his parachute was under another person’s

C．a(chǎn)nother person’s parachute stopped his from opening

D．he was training to jump at night

【小題2】Monty started to read Starship Troopers to ______.

A．create a new kind of wheelchair for himself

B．discover how to make man-made muscles

C．learn how to jump out of an airplane

D．stop himself from thinking about his pain

【小題3】Which of the following is TRUE about Monty?

A．He didn’t lose heart in the face of difficulty.

B．He is fond of reading science fiction.

C．He spent the rest of his life in a wheelchair.

D．He didn’t believe what the doctors said.

【小題4】We can learn from the passage that Monty’s goal is to ______.

A．become a famous writer like Robert Heinlein

B．return to the Army Rangers and continue with his jumps

C．compete in games and marathons and go swimming

D．help more patients in wheelchairs to recover

You’re rushing to work and a man ahead of you collapses on the sidewalk. Do you stop to help? In a study of by-standers, it was found that some people avert their gaze and keep on  walking rather than stop and get involved.
“There is a tendency to decide that no action is needed.” says a psychologist. “The first thoughts that pop into your mind often keep you from offering help. In order to take action, you have to work against them.” Here are some common thoughts that might prevent you from helping.
● Why should I be the one? I’m probably not the most competent（有能力的） person in this crowd. You might think someone older or with more medical knowledge should offer assistance.
● What if he doesn’t really need my help? The fear of embarrassment is powerful; no one wants to risk looking foolish in front of others.
● No one else looks concerned- this must not be a problem. We can follow the people around us, but most people tend to hold back their emotions in public.
“If you spot trouble and find yourself explaining inaction, force yourself to stop and evaluate the situation instead of walking on,” says the psychologist. “Then retry to involve other people; you don’t have to take on the entire responsibility of being helpful. Sometimes it’s just a matter of turning to the person next to you and saying, ‘It looks like we should do something.’ Or asking someone if an ambulance has been called and, if not, to call for one. Once you take action, most people will follow you.”
【小題1】Which is NOT the common thought that stops you from helping others?

A．I’m not the very person capable of setting the problem.

B．It looks like we should do something.

C．It must not be a problem as no one else is concerned.

D．He doesn’t really need my help.

【小題2】According to a study of by-standers, what will some people do when a man ahead falls down on the sidewalk?

A．They will call for help and then walk away.

B．They will stop and offer help.

C．They will turn away their eyes and go on walking.

D．They will laugh at him.

【小題3】We learn from the last paragraph that if we spot trouble,           ．

A．we should call the ambulance as soon as we can.

B．we should take on the whole responsibility and do something alone.

C．we should stop and evaluate the situation and try to make other people follow.

D．we should turn to other people and ask them to take on the responsibility

【小題4】In order to offer others your timely help, you need to        ．

A．a(chǎn)sk others for help and call the police

B．get along well with the passers-by who spot the trouble

C．go directly to the police station

D．work against the first thoughts that prevent you offering help

【小題5】The main purpose of the text is to tell readers        ．

A．to give others a hand

B．to be more competent

C．not to risk looking foolish

D．to stop and evaluate the situation

When Cathleen Gardiner’s twins were born 17 years ago, doctors told her that they were a pair in a million. One had Down syndrome(低能綜合癥), while the other did not. Here, Cathleen tells their touching story.
Since Sean was born 17 years ago, I have always thought that he is just as wonderful as his brother and sister. Though he had a disability(殘疾), we have never viewed him as a burden. He has always been a blessing. The doctors explained that though they were twins, they came from two different eggs. Lisa could walk at 11 months old, while Sean didn’t take his first steps till he was three. By two, Lisa was talking a lot, but Sean wasn’t able to speak until he was nearly four.
For the first five years of his life, Sean needed a great deal of care. Looking after him was my full-time job, though I also worked as a technical adviser in a computing company. We never treated them differently. We gave them the same toys and spoke to them in the same way. We encouraged Sean to keep up with Lisa, even though he never could, and we would help him develop his abilities. We sent them to the same primary school even after doctors advised us that Sean should go to a school for the disabled.
We had to explain to Lisa that he wouldn’t learn as quickly as she would. She told us that she’d help him with his school work. Having a non-disabled twin has really helped Sean develop. The love they share has given him a great deal of support. Now Sean and Lisa are both about to finish high school. I don’t think he would have done nearly as well today without Lisa’s help.
【小題1】At least how many children does Mrs. Gardiner have?

A．Two.

B．Three.

C．Four.

D．One.

【小題2】Mrs. Gardiner and her husband regarded Sean as _______.

A．a(chǎn) boy making others touched	B．a(chǎn) normal child without disabilities
C．a(chǎn) special gift	D．a(chǎn) burden of their family

【小題3】The third paragraph mainly tells us that _______.

A．the couple treated the twins equally

B．Cathleen did all she could to look after Sean

C．the couple didn’t follow the doctor’s advice

D．the couple encouraged Sean to grow up

【小題4】This passage tells us that _________.

A．love can do wonders	B．nobody is foolish or clever
C．being stupid doesn’t matter	D．a(chǎn)ll men are born equal

In March 1987, I started a new magazine called Creating Excellence. It was a very proud moment for me. I’d worked hard for over a year to create it, and the premiere issue (首次發(fā)刊) was a real success.
Shortly after we mailed 25,000 copies, I received one in the mail. But this one wasn’t as beautiful as the ones we’d sent out. It was marked in red ink correcting the grammatical errors (語(yǔ)法錯(cuò)誤) in it. A talented editor had read the issue carefully and found more errors than I could have imagined.
I felt abashed. A magazine called Creating Excellence should be perfect in its content (內(nèi)容). The stories were good, but the errors this woman had found showed that we were far from being excellent.
At first, I was upset with my editor for not having caught more mistakes, and also upset with the woman who seemed to have taken pleasure in pointing them out. Later, I was upset with myself for not having employed a better editor.
Then I realized that I had to face up to my mistakes. I called the woman who had shown me that we were not so excellent. I thanked her for taking the time to read our magazine so carefully. As painful as it was, I accepted responsibility for it.
Then I offered her the job of editing our publication. The result was a great improvement in it; we could now be very proud of our magazine.
From this I learnt that an upsetting moment could be an opportunity to see the truth, and accepting responsibility could help to prevent one making the same mistakes for a second time, and to make "excellence" a reality.
【小題1】From the first paragraph we learn that _____.

A．the author put little effort into his first magazine

B．the author’s job was selling magazines

C．the author was very satisfied with his work

D．the author experienced a total failure

【小題2】What does the underlined word "abashed" mean?

A．excited.

B．embarrassed.

C．interested.

D．exhausted.

【小題3】What do we learn about the woman who had found the errors in the magazine?

A．She was causing trouble on purpose.

B．She liked pointing out the errors of others.

C．She contributed a lot to the success of the premiere issue.

D．She ended up joining the magazine.

【小題4】What do we learn from this passage?

A．Pride is the biggest enemy of success.

B．Success is behind many failures.

C．Picking holes in something can help you find a job.

D．Accepting responsibility for one’s errors can lead to real excellence.