Spending as little as $5 a day on someone else could significantly boost happiness, the team at the University of British Columbia and Harvard Business School found on Thursday.
Their experiments on more than 630 Americans showed they were measurably happier when they spent money on others—even if they thought spending the money on themselves would make them happier.
“We wanted to test our theory that how people spend their money is at least as important as how much money they earn,” said Elizabeth Dunn, a psychologist at the University of British Columbia. They asked their 600 volunteers first to rate their general happiness, report their annual (yearly) income and detail their monthly spending including bills, gifts for themselves, girls for others and donations to charity.
“Regardless of how much income each person made, those who spent money on others reported greater happiness, while those who spent more on themselves did not,” Dunn said in a statement.
Dunn’s team also surveyed 16 employees at a company in Boston before and after they received an annual profit-sharing bonus of between $3,000 and $8,000. “Employees who devoted more of their bonus to pro-social spending experienced greater happiness after receiving the bonus and the manner in which they spent that bonus was a more important predictor of their happiness than the size of the bonus itself” they wrote in their report, published in the journal Science.
　　They gave their volunteers $5 or $20 and half got clear instructions on how to spend it. Those who spent the money on someone or something else reported feeling happier about it.
“These findings suggest that very minor alterations (changes) in spending allocations (shares)—as little as $5—may be enough to produce real gains in happiness on a given day，”Dunn said.
【小題1】 What is the general idea of the passage?

A．The more you earn, the greater happiness you will get.

B．Spending more money on yourself will make you happier.

C．Money can buy happiness, but only if you spend it on someone else.

D．You can spend only 5$ a day to get happiness.

【小題2】The underlined word “boost” in the first paragraph probably means_______.

A．help to find

B．help to bring

C．help to increase

D．help to get

【小題3】Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

A．Those who spend more money on others can get much more bonus.

B．People usually think spending money on themselves will make them happier.

C．Very small changes in spending your money may be enough to gain happiness.

D．Researchers think that how people spend their money is at least as important as how much money they earn.

【小題4】It can be inferred from the 6th paragraph that ______.

A．the volunteers not given 5$ or 20$ spent their own money on themselves.

B．those who spent the money on someone or something else felt happier about it.

C．the volunteers were given 5$ or 20$ as a reward for the experiment.

D．half of the volunteers could spend the money as they liked.

When an ant dies, other ants take it out of the nest, often within an hour after its death. This behavior interests scientists and they wonder how ants know for sure—and so soon—that another ant is dead.
One scientist recently came up with a way to explain this ant behaviour. Dong-Hwan Choe is a biologist, a scientist who studies animals and plants. He found that ants have a chemical on the outside of their bodies that signals to other ants, “I'm dead—take me away” when it is dead.
But there's a question to answer: As we know, if an ant is dead, it stops moving. But when an ant is sleeping or knocked unconscious, it is also not moving. However, other ants don't move the living ant out of the nest. How do they know this ant is not dead? Choe found that ants have another chemical on their bodies, which tells nearby ants something like, “Wait—I'm not dead yet” when it is not dead. Choe suspects that when an ant dies, the chemical that says, “Wait I'm not dead yet” quickly goes away. When other ants detect the “dead” chemical without the “not dead yet” chemical, they move away the body.
To test his theory , Choe and his team put different chemicals on ants. When the scientists used the “I'm dead” chemical, other ants quickly moved the treated ant away. When the scientists used the “Wait—I'm not dead yet” chemical, other ants left the treated ant alone. Choe believes this behavior shows that the “not dead yet” chemical overrides the “dead” chemical when picked up by other ants. And that when an ant dies, the “not dead yet” chemical fades away. Other nearby ants then detect the remaining “dead” chemical and remove the body from the nest.
Understanding this behavior can help scientists figure out how to stop ants from invading new places and causing problems.
【小題1】What is the function of the first paragraph?

A．Leading the following paragraphs.

B．Showing the main idea of the passage.

C．Introducing the background of the passage.

D．Giving a summary of the passage.

【小題2】Which of the following has the closest meaning to the underlined word “overrides” in the fourth paragraph?

A．is weaker than	B．is stronger than
C．is better than	D．is worse than

【小題3】What can we learn from the passage?

A．Living ants can also be taken away when they are not moving.

B．When an ant dies, it can tell others using a certain chemical.

C．A living ant can pretend to be dead using a special chemical.

D．Ants often use chemicals to communicate with each other.

【小題4】Which of the following descriptions about Dong-Hwan Choe is right?

A．Choe did this study in order to stop ants from invading new places.

B．Choe is a biologist who is only interested in animals, especially in ants.

C．Choe first came up with an idea to explain this ant behavior，and then did some tests to prove his theory.

D．Choe did the research on this ant behavior on his own

A super drug that could remove Alzheimer’s (老年癡呆癥)，heart disease and diabetes (糖尿病) and help people live to 100 is being developed by scientists. Their research is based on the identification of three genes that help prolong lives and prevent diseases which occur in old age. Medically controlling the proteins made by the “ longevity genes” will allow millions to live longer, predicts Dr Nir Barzilai.
Those whose DNA strongly features the three genes are 80 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer’s. The genes also fight against the deadly impact of smoking, poor diet, obesity and lack of exercise.
Already, several laboratories are working on a pill to imitate the benefits of the genes and Dr Barzilai thinks it could be tested within three years. The pill could remove some diseases that damage old age. “ The advantage of finding a gene that involves longevity is that we can develop a drug that will imitate exactly what this gene is doing,” he said.
Of the three longevity genes, two genes increase the production of so-called good cholesterol(膽固醇), which reduces the risk of heart disease. The third prevents diabetes. They were discovered by Dr Barzilai’s team while studying the DNA of 500 Ashkenazi Jews with an average age of 100. The chances of living that long are one in 10,000 but the group, which shared relatively few common ancestors, was 20 times more likely to hit the entury. Dr Barzilai said: “ 30 percent of them were obese or overweight and 30 percent smoked two acks of cigarettes a day for more than 40 years, however they can live to 100.”
But Andrew Ketteringham of the Alzheimer’s Society said: “Alzheimer’s disease, a most common disease, is likely to be caused by a combination of genetic disosition(遺傳傾向), lifestyles and life events. Many genes are probably involved.
【小題1】Some people are able to live to 100 years because of ______.

A．a(chǎn) magical medicine

B．three special genes

C．good living habits

D．longevity proteins

【小題2】Why does the discovery of the longevity genes mean a lot?

A．Because it can bring great benefits to scientific labs.

B．Because it can help people change their unhealthy genes

C．Because it helps produce a drug that can make people live longer.

D．Because it will help scientists build up a new branch of biology.

【小題3】From Paragraph 4 we can infer that ________.

A．longevity genes can create good cholesterol.

B．the volunteers share some common ancestors

C．bad habits are likely to have no effect on the volunteers

D．longevity genes protect the volunteers against bad habits

【小題4】What is Andrew Ketteringham’s attitude toward the study?

A．Positive

B．Negative

C．Critical

D．Cautious

A MENTORING (導(dǎo)師制) program is giving life changing opportunities to Banbury youth.
Young Inspirations was founded two years ago to provide mentoring sessions for students and unemployed young adults aged 11 to 21.
Alex Goldberg, the program's founder, said; "We set up Young Inspirations because we wanted to give young people experiences which will potentially be life changing and broaden their outlook.
"We try to create work experience opportunities that will really make a difference to our youth. For example, we've secured internships (實(shí)習(xí)) with world-famous firms such as Honda.
"At a time of funding cutbacks where schools are finding it more and more difficult to offer this kind of mentoring, it is extremely important that these opportunities are available both to help youth with their school work and grades and to give them opportunities which may help shape their futures. " Kieran Hepburn, 14, is one of a group of Banbury youth who has benefited from the program so far. In October the Banbury School pupil was accompanied by Young Inspirations staff to Paris where he was an observer at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) International Youth Forum (論壇).
The event was held for young people from around the world, to seek their views on how the future of youth and education should look. Kieran joined several hundred observers mostly in their 20s and was the only UK school pupil to attend the event. Kieran thinks the trip was a life changing experience. " Before we left I didn't quite know what to make of it but when we got there we didn't stop, it was amazing," he said, " We went to three or four hours of debates each day and then did something cultural each afternoon."
The main theme of the forum was how youth can drive change in political and public life. It dealt with issues such as drug abuse, violence and unemployment.
Kieran said: " It has really helped me to improve my confidence and social skills as well as my school grades and I was voted most improved pupil at school in August. "
The Young Inspirations mentoring sessions take place each Friday in Banbury. For details visit www.younginspirations.com.
【小題1】66.The Young Inspirations mentoring program aims to _____.

A．train staff for world-famous firms

B．provide youth with unique experiences

C．offer job opportunities to young adults

D．equip the unemployed with different skills

【小題2】67.According to Alex Goldberg, it is difficult for schools to offer the mentoring due to ______.

A．the shortage of money	B．the cultural differences
C．the effect of unemployment	D．the lack of support from firms

【小題3】68.According to the passage, the forum focused on how youth can ______.

A．build up their confidence at school

B．find work experience opportunities

C．improve their social skills for the future

D．play an active role in the change of society

【小題4】69.We can learn from the passage that _____.

A．the visit to the United Kingdom was amazing

B．the youth have found a way to solve their problems

C．Kieran has made great progress in many aspects

D．the mentoring sessions are held every day except Friday

【小題5】70.What would be the best title for the passage?

A．Alex Goldberg, Founder of Young Inspirations

B．Kieran, Banbury School Pupil to Paris

C．Young People Find a World of Opportunity

D．Debates Help Youth with Their Grades

Chinese writer Mo Yan’s Nobel Prize for Literature might ignite an explosion of global interest in Chinese literature and lead to more titles translated into English, European experts say.
“Hopefully, the award means more people will read Chinese literature and more works will get translated,” says Michel Hockx, professor of the Languages and Cultures of China and Inner Asia from University of London. “Many very good Chinese writers have been accepted globally for a long time already. Mo Yan is probably the most translated Chinese writer alive, with at least five of his novels made available in English over the past 20 years.”
Jonathan Ruppin, web editor of bookseller Foyles, says Mo’s win coincides with growing interest in Chinese literature and recognizes the talents of a distinctive and visionary（富于幻想的）writer. “We are very excited by the fact that English translations of more of his books should now become available,” Ruppin says. He made the comment after Mo became the first Chinese citizen to win the Nobel Prize for Literature in its century-long history.
As East-West cultural exchange has been booming, Chinese literature has been attracting growing attention in recent years. Hockx explains, “It’s mainly because there are many more opportunities for Chinese writers to visit other countries, to publish their works outside China and to interact with readers abroad. At the same time, more and more people globally are learning Chinese and taking an interest in the Chinese language and culture.”
University of Oxford lecturer in modern Chinese literature Margaret Hillenbrand says, “The obvious reason for the growing global presence of Chinese literature is the growing global presence of China itself. People have come to realize that there is a serious knowledge deficit （缺少）between China and its international counterparts — in particular, China knows incomparably（無比地）more about Europe and America than the other way round — and reading Chinese literature is an effective, simple means of solving that gap.”
【小題1】The underlined word “ignite” in Paragraph 1 probably means  “________”.

A．start out

B．burn up

C．set off

D．a(chǎn)ppeal to

【小題2】Chinese literature has been attracting growing attention mainly because ________.

A．Chinese writers have been writing more and more books in English

B．the Chinese language has become the most widely used language in the world

C．the Chinese government attaches great importance to literature

D．the cultural communication between China and western countries has developed

【小題3】 Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A．Chinese literature has spread with the development of China.

B．The Nobel Prize for Literature has a history of hundreds of years.

C．In the past, no Chinese writers were accepted outside China.

D．Foreigners know about China mainly by reading Mo Yan’s works.

【小題4】How do you understand the underlined sentence in the last paragraph?

A．China knows more about Europe and America than before.

B．China knows more about Europe and America than they know about China.

C．China, Europe and America know one another more than before.

D．Compared with America, China knows more about Europe.

Marry me! During the "Idol" finale, season 5 singer Ace Young proposed live to season 3 runner up Diana DeGarrno. She was genuinely surprised in one sense but the two have bonded closely since they met on Broadway during a production of“Hair." The first true“l(fā)dol' couple (though others have dated) have already set a wedding date on June  l  of 2013,
Ten years and still relevant. Season one winner Kelly Clarkson has survived a decade in the brutal music business with her dignity intact and enough chart-topping songs to generate a greatest hits album at the tender age of 30. Her career is as strong as ever. She sang the “Star Spangled Banner” at the Super Bowl. Her song “Stronger” was a No. I hit.  She was a mentor on an ABC summer series“Duets.” She became engaged to Reba McEntire's stepson in November. All in all, life is good for Clarkson and we as“Idol" fans couldn't be more proud.
Keep calm and Carrie on! Season four victor Carrie Underwood has now sold more albums than any other "Idol" with about 14 million to date. Her current album “Blown Away” has generated two top two hits in 2012: “Good Girl” and the title track. That makes 15 consecutive top 2 hits on the Billboard country chart over seven years dating back to "Jesus, Take the Wheel." She hosted the CMAs for a fifth year with Brad Paisley. Last month, she landed a role as lead in a remake of“The Sound of Music.” She toured to sold-out crowds again, hitting Gwinnett Arena earlier this month, where she thankecl "Idol" for getting her to where she's at, something, she certainly no longer needs to do but still does. Class act, that lady.
【小題1】What may the ldol probably be?

A．A popular Ainerican singer	B．A American year figure of
C．A popular American programme	D．A famous American avenue

【小題2】Who hit Gwinnett Arena of the following?

A．Carrie Underwood	B．Kelly Clarkson
C．Ace Yong	D．Diana DeGarmo

【小題3】 Who was the Idol winner of ten years ago?

A．Reba McEntire	B．Kelly Clarkson
C．Carrie Underwood	D．Not mentioned

【小題4】In which year was the Idol first held according, to the text?

A．In 2012

B．In 2007

C．ln 2008

D．In 2002

【小題5】Where can we probably read the news?

A．In business section	B．In advertisement section
C．In sports section	D．In entertainment section

SYDNEY 2005-01-01 08:33—Mother of two, Jillian Searle, had to choose between her children when she made a life-or-death decision.
Swept up by mountainous tsunami (海嘯) waves at a Thai resort ( 旅游勝地), she could not hold on to both her young sons and survive . Fighting to stay above the waters , she had to choose which one would have to take his chances in the swirling torrent (漩流).
“I knew I had to let go of one of them and I just thought I’d better let go of the one that’s the older,” she told Sky News television in a report broadcast on Thursday. She said she was accompanied by the two boys, Lachie, 5, and two-year-old Blake, and their father, Brad, who had watched the drama helplessly from their first-floor hotel room, when the waves struck. “And I was screaming, trying to find him, and we thought he was dead,” she told reporters on arrival back in Australia. Lachie was found alive about 2 hours later clinging to a door and, looked uninjured as his mother spoke to reporters.
British surfer (沖浪運(yùn)動(dòng)員) Martin Markwell is also a lucky man. He had always dreamed of catching that perfect wave –but when it finally came along, it was a nightmare. He was on his surfboard when he was swept up by a tsunami wave.
“It was really terrible because I was surfing, I was really surfing on a wave I wasn’t supposed to be on,” he said. “As an experienced surfer, when I saw the wave come I realized something was wrong, but I couldn’t escape because my surfboard was tied to my ankle.”
His wife Vicki and son Jake looked on in horror from a hotel balcony as he crashed towards the shore. Luckily , he stayed on top of his board until he reached the hotel , jumped off and got to safety as the ocean rolled back to feed a much larger tsunami wave on its way . The family regrouped and ran to safety just minutes before a giant tsunami wave 10 meters high.
【小題1】When the waves struck, the father Brad        .

A．reported the disaster to Sky News television

B．was watching a drama play on TV in the hotel

C．tried to find his son lost in the waters

D．watched things going on , unable to do anything

【小題2】The underlined word “him” refers to        .

A．a(chǎn)n old man

B．Lachie

C．Brad

D．Blake

【小題3】Which of the following is wrong ?

A．Lachie and Martin were both with their family members when the disaster happened.

B．Lachie and Martin both survived from the high waves when tsunami struck.

C．Lachie and Martin were both travelers from Europe on holiday in Thailand.

D．Lachie and Martin were both alive owing to their good luck.

【小題4】The best title of this news story would be         .

A．Narrow Escape	B．Disaster Caused by Tsunami
C．Exciting Surfing Experience	D．Struggle Against Tsunami

Answering the Community Needs of Our City The Silver City Council recognizes that citizens have certain needs. To better meet your needs, we have made several changes to community facilities in 2004. This chart shows how we have tried to make your life better.
Transport	☆Some facilities at Station Street Hospital have been upgraded.
☆Three stations for the suburbs have been added to the western train service. ☆20 new buses for the southern line were purchased in January. ☆50 percent of city bus-stops have been upgraded. ☆Buses to the eastern suburbs will run every 15 minutes.
	Education
	☆Textbooks will be free to all primary students in 2004 ! ☆Rental for private schools has been reduced. ☆Teachers report that the 'no hat - no play' rule has been successful.
Communication	Protection and Security
☆Broadband cable is now available to all parts of the city. ☆A(yù)ll of the new Government buildings are ' smart'-wired for better computer service!	☆Extra police now patrol (巡邏 ) the tourist areas. ☆50 new police officers graduated in July and have taken up duties in the city area.
Medical Facilities	Entertainment / Recreation
☆The new state-of-the-art Nightingale Hospital was opened in June. ☆To overcome a shortage of trained medical staff at Dover Hospital, 10 doctors have been   employed from overseas.	☆The John Street basketball courts have been re-surfaced ! ☆The new Central Community Building opened in May. ☆5,000 new fiction books were bought for the Silver City Library.

 
【小題1】The public notice is from _________.

A．the community	B．the local government
C．the citizens	D．a(chǎn) travel agency

【小題2】The notice is mainly about _________.

A．the work carried out by the people of Silver City

B．the facilities available in Silver City

C．some improvements in Silver City

D．information for interested tourists

【小題3】All the following are true EXCEPT that ___________.

A．both residents and tourists can enjoy more security now

B．Station Street Hospital had out-dated facilities before 2004

C．primary students had to pay for their textbooks in 2003

D．Dover Hospital is still short of trained medical staff

【小題4】Which of the following changes would tourists to Silver City be most happy with?

A．Travel books are provided in the new library.

B．Traveling by train is more convenient in Silver City.

C．Free medical treatment is available at Station Street Hospital.

D．There are more police officers on duty now.

A photographer takes a picture of the Chinese bronze rat head and rabbit head sculptures display on the preview of the auction（拍賣） of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berge’s art collection at the Grand Palais in Paris, France, Feb, 21, 2009. Chinese lawyers have asked the French court to stop auction house Christie’s putting two bronze relics（文物）looted (掠奪)from China
under the hammer, lawyers said Friday.
A Paris court on Monday ruled against stopping the sale of two
looted Chinese bronze sculptures which come up for auction at
Christie’s on Wednesday. Under the ruling of the Tribunal de Grande
Instance in Paris, the plaintiff（起訴人）, the Association for the
Protection of Chinese Art in Europe（APCAE）,was ordered to
pay compensation（賠償）to the defendant.
Ren Xiaohong, a lawyer for APCAE, told Xinhua that it was “of great significance” to file the lawsuit. “We hope to arouse public attention in Europe on the fate of numerous Chinese works stolen in the past, to help keep those relics well protected and collected,” Ren said.
The Qing Dynasty（1644—1911）relics, the heads of a bronze rabbit and a rat, were among an original set of 12 bronze animal heads that were once decorated at the imperial summer resort Yuanmingyuan. They were looted when the palace was burnt down by Anglo-French allied forces during the Second Opium War in 1860.
The pair became part of a collection of the late fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent. They have been put up for auction by his partner, Pierre Berge. The two items are expected to fetch between 16 million and 20 million euros.
So far, five of the 12 bronze animal heads have been returned to China, while the whereabouts of five others are unknown.
【小題1】The two bronze animal heads were displayed at the Grand Palais in Paris so that      .

A．they could be collected and well preserved

B．the photographers could take pictures

C．the public could see them in advance

D．they couldn’t be sold at auction

【小題2】The significance to stop the sale of two bronze animal heads is to     .

A．fetch between 16 million and 20 million euros

B．draw public attention to the Chinese works stolen in the past

C．make the world know more about history of the Qing Dynasty

D．find the other five bronze animal heads and return them to China

【小題3】Which of the following is NOT true?

A．The 12 bronze animal heads have been put up for auction.

B．The 2 bronze animal heads haven’t been returned to China.

C．The 12 bronze animal heads were used as imperial decoration.

D．Yuanmingyuan was once burnt down by Anglo-French allied forces.

【小題4】The passage is most probably taken from             .

A．a(chǎn) newspaper	B．a(chǎn)n advertisement
C．a(chǎn) history textbook	D．a(chǎn)n introduction of auction

A volcanic eruption in Iceland has sent ash across northern Europe. Airlines have stopped or changed the flights across the Atlantic Ocean, leaving hundreds of passengers stuck in airports.
Grimsvotn is one of the largest and most active volcanoes in Europe. What makes Grimsvotn different is that it lies under a huge glacier(冰川) of ice up to 12 meters thick. The hot volcano heats up the ice above it, which then forms a layer(層)of water between the glacier and the volcano. This layer of water puts pressure on the volcano, keeping it stable. As the water flows out from under the glacier, the pressure lifts. The lava from the volcano then comes up to the surface. This is exactly what happened today.
Now, airlines have to make changes to their flights so as not to fly through the clouds of volcanic ash. According to KLM, one of Europe’s biggest airlines, airplanes cannot go under the cloud or over it. Going through the cloud can result in ash getting stuck in the airplane’s engines, causing damage to the plane.
The eruption has also caused problems for animals in Iceland. The volcano left ash and sharp, glass-like rocks all over the countryside. Farmers are keeping their animals inside to stop them from eating ash-covered grass or the sharp object.
【小題1】What makes Grimsvotn different from other volcanoes?

A．It is below ice.	B．It lies under the sea.
C．It is the largest volcano.	D．Its lava affects the airlines.

【小題2】What keeps Grimsvotn still?

A．The slow flow of water.	B．The low water temperature.
C．The thick glacier.	D．The water pressure.

【小題3】Which of the following is the result of the volcanic eruption?

A．People stop traveling in Europe.

B．Airlines suffer from the loss of planes.

C．It becomes dangerous for animals to eat outside.

D．Farmers have lost many of their animals.

【小題4】This text is most probably taken from ________.

A．a(chǎn) research paper	B．a(chǎn) newspaper report
C．a(chǎn) class presentation	D．a(chǎn) geography textbook