A program developed by the Prime Minister David Cameron in Britain was run to measure the nation's well?being(幸福感)recently.

The Office for National Statistics(ONS) analysed responses from more than 2,000 people. The results showed that job security, personal health and relationships between family members were at the top three of most people's concerns.

Other key factors of a happy life were parents' sense of the security of their children's future. Parents are often concerned whether their children can have a good life and a nice place to live. People were more likely to consider having a job to be important to them than being paid a high salary.

Anastasia, a social policy analyst, said employment was central to people's sense of identity and well?being. “A job is about your life; it is not about your income,” she said, “It is about every aspect—having the motivation to get up in the morning, self?respect and being a role model for your children. Income is almost secondary to that. People's lives fall apart if they don't have a job. They are much more likely to be depressed if they are out of work, and there is a strong relationship between unemployment and family breakdown and health difficulties.”

The Prime Minister launched the program in an attempt to create a broader measure of Britain's success than the performance of the economy. Mr Cameron said governments had a role in helping people feel better and that the national well?being index should help wider society build a better life.

Paul Allin, director of the well?being project at the ONS, said the program would combine objective data, such as employment and life expectancy rates, with subjective(主观的) measures, such as job satisfaction and self?reported health, to give a more complete picture of national well?being. “We want to encourage people to tell us what matters to them,” he said, “The more responses we have to the debate, the more realistic a picture of the UK we will have.”

1.What is the purpose of David Cameron's program?

A. To help people live a happier life.

B. To tell people what is real happiness.

C. To find out people's attitude towards happiness.

D. To see if people are satisfied with the government.

2.According to the passage, the top three factors that affect most people's happiness are ________.

a.personal health

b.high salary

c.job security

d.relationships between family members

A. a,b,c B. a,c,d

C. b,c,d D. a,b,d

3.Which of the following is NOT the view of Anastasia on employment?

A. It requires people to get up in the morning.

B. It helps people keep his or her self?respect.

C. It makes people be an example to his or her children.

D. It brings enough money for people to live on.

4.What can we learn from the passage?

A. The program pushes the government to develop the economy.

B. More people are encouraged to take part in the program.

C. It's difficult to get a satisfying answer from the program.

D. Getting a high income is more important than having a job.

There is a story about a man who lost his legs and left arm in an accident. After the accident, only a finger and thumb on his right hand remained.

He was a brilliant, creative, and educated man. He had gained a lot of experience while traveling around the world, so he became very depressed after his accident. He was afraid that he would spend the rest of his life suffering and would no longer be able to spend his life in a meaningful way. Then, he realized that he still had partial function of his right hand and could still write even though it was very difficult. An idea occurred to him, “Why not write to other people who need encouragement?”

He wrote to the prison ministry about sending letters to the prisoners. The prison minister replied, “Writing to the prisoners is acceptable, but your letters will not be answered.”

Filled with excitement, the man knew he could write his letters. He began sending one-way messages of God’s love, hope, strength, and encouragement. He wrote twice a week, testing his strength and ability to the limit. He poured his heart and soul into his words and shared his experience, sense of humor, optimism, and faith.

It was difficult to write those letters, especially without hope of a reply. One day he received a letter from the prison ministry. It was a short note from the officer who monitored and checked the prison mail.

The letter said, “Please write on the best paper you can afford. Your letters are passed from room to room until they fall to pieces!”

No matter what circumstances life may present, we all have unique experiences, abilities, and God-given talents. We can discover ways to reach others who desperately need messages of encouragement and strength.

1.Before the man had the accident, he __________.

A. had toured around the world

B. had visited local prisons

C. had tried doing exercise to recover himself

D. had been friends with the prison minister

2.In order to live in a meaningful way, the man began to ________.

A. receive the school education

B. write to other people who needed encouragement

C. meet the people who were depressed

D. help other people who lost arms and legs

3.From the officer’s short note we are told that __________.

A. the man would be offered free paper to write letters on

B. some of the prisoners were not satisfied with his letters

C. the prisoners eagerly wanted to write back to the man

D. his letters were very popular among the prisoners

4.What can be the best title for the passage?

A. Stories about a Humorous Person

B. Popularity of Special Letters

C. Special Letters of Encouragement

D. Relationship between Writers and Prisoners

Imagine you got paid to go shopping,and could keep the things you bought with other people's money.Does this sound like a dream?Well,for some,like Amy Knott,from Chicago,this is their job.

Amy Knott is a mystery shopper.She is paid to visit a store,eat in a restaurant,go to a bank,stay in a hotel,get her hair cut,fill up her gas tank,or see a movie.She pretends to be an ordinary customer,but afterwards she writes a report about her experience,commenting on things like: How long did you wait in line?Was the flood hot?Did the cashier say "thank you"?Did the restroom have soap and tissue?This gives companies useful information about how they can improve their customer service.

So who can become a mystery shopper?You do not need any special qualifications or experience,but you need a good memory,an eye for detail,and good writing skills.When you apply for the job,instead of an interview,you will be asked to write about something like:"What was your best shopping experience?"

What is the pay like?For a 15-minute visit to a store,you might get $10 and the cost of what you buy.For a haircut,you might get $35 and the cost of the haircut.Most mystery shoppers do this job in their spare time,like Byron Jenner,who visits a restaurant on his lunch break every day and earns about $500 extra a month.But others, like Amy,make it their full-time career,and earn up to $40,000 a year.

"I love mystery shopping.I can't believe I actually get paid to have fun,"she says."For example,tonight my husband and I will go out,have a $150 dinner,go to stay at a luxury hotel,and I'll walk away with $300."

1.Amy Knott is paid to go shopping_______ .

A. to see whether the cashier says "thanks you"

B. to do a research for a company to improve its service

C. to comment on some things

D. to see whether the restroom has soap and tissue

2.Which of the following is Not the qualification for a mystery shopper?

A. A good memory. B. An eye for detail.

C. Good writing skills. D. Passing an interview.

3.How much does Byron Jenner earn as a mystery shopper a year?

A. $6,000. B. $40.000.

C. $420. D. $30,000.

The United States has all sorts of geography, from deserts to beaches, mountains to flatlands. These conditions help create all sorts of weather: hot, wet, dry, mild and so on. Sometimes all in one day!

1. But others have dry air, so the heat does not feel so bad. In winter, parts of the country get cold and snowy while others stay warm and sunny. This is the difference between, for example, New York City on the East Coast and Los Angeles on the West Coast. Yet even the East Coast has its warm places in winter, like Florida.

2. The Pacific coast has smaller temperature changes, and calmer conditions, than along the Atlantic. Weather in the central and northeastern parts of the country is affected by cold air from Canada and warm air from the Caribbean. 3. The hurricane season is, officially, from June to November. The weather service says the United States gets more severe weather than any other country.

You know, we do not mean to scare you with all this talk about bad weather. The country also has lots of really nice weather. If you ever plan a trip to the United States, just be sure to read the local weather reports. 4.

A. Conditions can change quickly in a short period of time.

B. That way you can get prepared for whatever the weather may bring.

C. To know about the local weather conditions.

D. Hurricanes are ocean storms that strike mainly in the Southeast.

E. The oceans affect weather along the coasts.

F. In summer, some areas get very hot and the air is very wet.

G. The winter is warm in Florida.

Would it surprise you to learn that, like animals, trees communicate with each other and pass on their wealth to the next generation?

UBC Professor Simard explains how trees are much more complex than most of us ever imagined. Although Charles Darwin thought that trees are competing for survival of the fittest, Simard shows just how wrong he was. In fact, the opposite is true: trees survive through their co-operation and support, passing around necessary nutrition “depending on who needs it”.

Nitrogen (氮) and carbon are shared through miles of underground fungi (真菌) networks, making sure that all trees in the forest ecological system give and receive just the right amount to keep them all healthy. This hidden system works in a very similar way to the networks of neurons (神经元) in our brains, and when one tree is destroyed, it affects all.

Simard talks about “mother trees”, usually the largest and oldest plants on which all other trees depend. She explains how dying trees pass on the wealth to the next generation, transporting important minerals to young trees so they may continue to grow. When humans cut down “mother trees” with no awareness of these highly complex “tree societies” or the networks on which they feed, we are reducing the chances of survival for the entire forest.

“We didn’t take any notice of it.” Simard says sadly. “Dying trees move nutrition into the young trees before dying, but we never give them a chance.” If we could put across the message to the forestry industry, we could make a huge difference towards our environmental protection efforts for the future.

1.What would be the best title for the passage?

A. Old Trees Communicate Like Humans

B. Young Trees Are In Need Of Protection

C. Trees Contribute To Our Society

D. Trees Are More Complex Than You Think

2.In Simard’s opinion, trees .

A. protect their own wealth B. depend on each other

C. compete for survival D. provide support for dying trees

3.We can learn from the passage that .

A. if “mother trees” are cut down, the survival for the entire forest will be affected

B. “mother trees” are usually of no use to other trees

C. Charles Darwin had the same thought as Simard

D. people know much about the complex “tree societies”

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