When asked about happiness, we usually think of someth.ng extraordinary, an absolute delight, which seems to get rarer the older we get.

For kids, happiness has a magical quality. Their delight at winning a race or getting a new bike is unreserved (毫无掩饰的).

In the teenage years the concept of happiness changes. Suddenly it's conditional on such things as excitement, love and popularity. I can still recall the excitement of being invited to dance with the most attractive boy at the school party.

In adulthood the things that bring deep joy—love, marriage, birth—also bring responsibility and the risk of loss. For adults, happiness is complicated(复杂的).

My definition of happiness is "the capacity for enjoyment". The more we can enjoy what we have, the happier we are. It's easy to overlook the pleasure we get from the company of friends, the freedom to live where we please, and even good health.

I experienced my little moments of pleasure yesterday. First I was overjoyed when I shut the last lunch-box and had the house to myself. Then I spent an uninterrupted morning writing, which 1 love. When the kids and my husband came home, 1 enjoyed their noise after the quiet of the day.

Psychologists tell us that to be happy we need a mix of enjoyable leisure time and satisfying work. I don't think that my grandmother, who raised 14 children, had much of either. She did have a network of close friends and family, and maybe this is what satisfied her.

We, however, with so many choices and such pressure to succeed in every area, have turned happiness into one more thing we've got to have. We're so self-conscious about our "right" to it that it's making us miserable. So we chase it and equal it with wealth and success, without noticing that the people who have those things aren't necessarily happier.

Happiness isn't about what happens to us―it's about how we see what happens to us. It's the skillful way of finding a positive for every negative. It's not wishing for what we don't have, but enjoying what we do possess.

51. As people grow older, they ______.

A. feel it harder to experience happiness

B. associate their happiness less with others

C. will take fewer risks in pursuing happiness

D. tend to believe responsibility means happiness

53. What can we learn about the author from Paragraphs 5 and 6?

A. She cans little about ha own health

B. She enjoys the freedom of trawling

C. She is easily pleased by things in daily life.

D. She prefers getting pleasure from housework

53. What can be inferred from Paragraph 7?

A. Psychologists think satisfying work is key to happiness

B. Psychologists* opinion is well proved by Grandma's case.

C. Grandma often found time for social gatherings

D. Grandma's happiness came from modest expectations of life,
54. People who equal happiness with wealth and success

A. consider pressure something blocking their way

B. stress their right to happiness too much

C. arc at a loss to make correct choices

D. arc more likely to be happy

55. What can be concluded from the passage?

A. Happiness lies between the positive and the negative.

B. Each nun is the master of his own fate

C. Success leads to happiness.

D. Hippy is he who is content.

I really hadn’t meant to yell at them. But that grey afternoon saw it just as my son and daughter were making a terrible mess on the floor in the kitchen.
With a tiresome report to write, I felt bothered at my desk. Suddenly, it occurred to me that my kids were at fault. A voice inside me insisted that I do something quickly.
“Ok, you two here, but what an awful thing you are attempting!” I was shouting angrily. I made for them, while it became evident that the boy wanted no part of me. “Get away from us!” he shouted back, there being an expression of support from his sister.
All of a sudden, I found the fault in myself. Quickly I shaped my hands into pincers and crawled towards them, “Crabby Daddy is here. Ha, Ha, Ha, he likes to yell at children, and then eat them!” My son continued to keep me away, but now he was laughing and crying at the same time. My mission to repair the damage caused by my yelling seemed to work well. Still, I regretted not having controlled myself first in a right way.
Need I let them know how badly they were acting by blaming? This is a lesson that serves myself. It only shows just how to get rid of something (ill-feelings, responsibility…) by blaming others. It’s not my “best self”.
We have to search for our “best self” when with our children. They don’t need perfect parents, but they do need parents who are always trying to get better. Here, I am reminded of the words of a great thinker. “When a man lives with God, his voice shall be as sweet as the murmur of the book…” Then, in our lifetime, couldn’t we always speak to our kids in such a sweet voice since most of us consider them as the most precious in the world? And before we reach this level, what should we do when we come across various difficult cases with our children?
【小题1】The author couldn’t help yelling at his kids this time probably because________.

A.the weather was so unpleasantB.he was tired of his boring work
C.the kids didn’t ask him to join themD.a Daddy has his right to do so
【小题2】Which of the following made the author aware of his fault?
A.No obvious reason.
B.The boy’s yelling back.
C.His self-awareness.
D.The girl’s shouting back.
【小题3】According to the passage, the author will _____ in another similar situation.
A.play a crab again like this time
B.apologize to kids in a sincere way
C.avoid blaming kids in a hurry
D.beat them up about such things
【小题4】What will the writer go on to write about in the next paragraph(s)?
A.How to behave ourselves properly when kids are at fault.
B.How to play with our children in a more interesting way.
C.How to deal with the housework with children around us.
D.How to persuade children to do what they are told to.
【小题5】What does “the boy wanted no part of me” in the third paragraph mean?
A.The boy was happy because I loved them.
B.The boy was curious because I wanted to help them.
C.The boy was very happy for I was angry.
D.The boy didn’t want me to join them.

I really hadn't meant to yell(吼叫)at them.But that grey afternoon saw it just as my son and daughter were making a terrible mess on the floor in the kitchen.

With a tiresome report to write,I felt bothered at my desk.Suddenly, it occurred to me that my kids were at fault.A voice inside me insisted that I do something quickly.

“OK,you two here.but what an awful thing you are attempting!” shouting angrily, I made for them, while it became evident that the boy wanted no part of me.“Get away from us!” he shouted back,there being expression of support from his sister.

All of a sudden,I found the fault in myself.Quickly I shaped my hands into pincers(螃蟹螯)and crawled towards them,“Crabby(似螃蟹的)Daddy is here Ha,Ha,Ha,he likes to yell at children,and then eat them!” My son continued to keep me away,but now he was laughing and crying at the same time.My mission to repair the damage caused by my yelling seemed to work well.Still,I regretted not having controlled myself first in a right way that my children could do after.

Need I let them know how badly they were acting by blaming? This is a lesson that serves myself.It only shows just how to get rid of something(ill-feelings,responsibility)by blaming others.It's not my “best self”.

We have to search for our “best self” when with our children.They don't need perfect parents,but they do need parents who are always trying to get better.Here,I'm reminded of the words of a great thinker,“When a man lives with God,his voice shall be as sweet as the murmur of the brook…” Then,in our lifetime,couldn't we always speak to our kids in such a sweet voice since,most of us consider them as the most precious in the world? And before we reach this level,what should we do when we come across various difficult cases with our children?  

1.The author couldn't help yelling at his kids this time probably because______.

A.the weather was so unpleasant

B.a Daddy has his right to do so

C.the kids didn't ask him to join them

D.he was tired of his boring work

2.Which of the following made the author aware of his fault?

A.No obvious reason.

B.The children’s reaction.

C.His self-control.

D.The mess made by the children.

3.According to the passage the author will                           in another similar situation.

A.play a crab again like this time

B.apologize to kids in a sincere way

C.avoid blaming kids in a hurry

D.beat them up about such things

4.What will the writer go on to write about in the next paragraph(s)?

A.How to behave ourselves properly when kids are at fault.

B.How to blame our children in a more interesting way.

C.How to deal with the terrible mess made by our kids.

D.How to persuade children to do what they are told to.

 

John Fisher, a builder, and his wife Elizabeth wanted more living space, so they left their small flat for an old 40-metter-high castle tower. They have spent five years turning it into a beautiful home with six floors, winning three architectural prizes.

“I love the space, and being private,” Elizabeth says. “You feel separated from the world. If I am in the kitchen, which is 25 meters above the ground floor, and the doorbell rings, I don’t have to answer it because visitors can’t see I am in!”

There are 142 steps to the top so if I go up and down five or six times a day, it’s very good exercise! But having to carry heavy things to the top is terrible, so I never buy more than two bags of shopping from the supermarket at a time. Apart from that, it’s a brilliant place to live.

“When we first saw the place, I asked my father’s advice about buying it, because we couldn’t decide. After paying for it, we were a bit worried because it looked awful. But we really loved it, and knew how we wanted it to look.”

“Living here can be difficult-yesterday I climbed a four-meter ladder to clean the windows. But  when you stand on the roof you can see all the way out to sea on a clear day, and that’s a wonderful experience. I am really glad we moved. ”

1.What is the writer trying to do in the text?

      A.describe how to turn an old tower into a house.

       B.recommend a particular builder

       C.describe what it is like to live in a tower

       D.explain how to win prizes for building work

2.From the text, a reader can find out

       A.Why visitors are not welcome at John and Elizabeth’s house.

       B.Why Elizabeth asked her father to buy the tower

       C.Why Elizabeth exercises every day

       D.Why John and Elizabeth left their flat.

3.Which of the following best describes Elizabeth’s feelings about the tower?

       A.she wanted it as soon as she saw it

       B.she likes most things about it

       C.she ha been worried since they paid for it

       D.she finds it unsuitable to live in

4.What problem does Elizabeth have with living in such a tall building?

      A.Her visitors find it hard to see if she is at home

       B.She feels separated from others

       C.She cannot bring home lots of shopping at once

       D.It is impossible to clean any of the windows.

5.How will John and Elizabeth advertise their tower if they sell it?

A

FOR SALE

Tall building, formerly a castle. High windows give a good view. Needs some improvement

 
 


B

FOR SALE

A house with a difference-a castle tower, turned into a lovely home. Wonderful view

 
 


C

FOR SALE

Prize-winning home, five years old. Six rooms, all with sea views

 
 


D

FOR SALE

Castle tower, turned into six small flats, close to supermarket.

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