Unhappy people glue(使粘牢) themselves to the television 30 percent more than happy people.

The finding, announced on Thursday,   1  from a survey of nearly 30,000 American adults conducted between 1975 and 2006 as part of the General Social Survey.

  2  happy people reported watching an   3   of 19 hours of television per week, unhappy people reported 25 hours a week. The results held even after   4  into account education, income, age and marital status.

In addition, happy individuals were more socially   5  , attended more religious services, voted more and    6  a newspaper more often than their less-chipper(没有精神的) counterparts.

The researchers are not sure, though, whether unhappiness   7  more television-watching or more viewing leads to unhappiness.

In fact, people say they like watching television: Past research has shown that when people watch television they   8   it. In these studies, participants reported that on a   9  from 0 (dislike) to 10 (greatly enjoy), TV-watching was nearly an 8.

But perhaps the high from watching television doesn't   10  .

"These conflicting data  11  that TV may provide viewers with short-run   12  , but at the expense of long-term malaise(精神欠爽)," said researcher John Robinson, a sociologist at the University of Maryland, College Park.

In this case, even the happiest campers could turn into Debbie-downers if they continue to   13  at the TV. The researchers suggest that over time, television-viewing  14   push out other activities that do have more lasting   15  . Exercise and sex come to mind, as do parties and other forms of socialization known to have psychological benefits.

Or, maybe television is simply a refuge(慰藉物) for people who are already   16  .

"TV is not judgmental 17  difficult, so people with   18  social skills or resources for other activities can engage in it," Robinson and UM colleague Steven Martin write in the December issue of the journal Social Indicators Research.

They add, "  19  , chronic unhappiness can be socially and personally debilitating(使人衰弱的) and can interfere with work and most social and personal activities, but even the unhappiest people can click a remote and be passively   20  by a TV."

The researchers say follow-up studies are needed to tease out the relationship between television and happiness.

(    ) 1. A. comes                     B. arrives              C. differs              D. results

(    ) 2. A. When                      B. As                    C. While               D. Therefore

(    ) 3. A. average            B. amount             C. number            D. effort

(    ) 4. A. speaking           B. talking             C. taking              D. getting

(    ) 5. A. active                      B. positive            C. crazy                D. cozy

(    ) 6. A. look                 B. read                 C. see                   D. take

(    ) 7. A. builds up          B. cuts down         C. leads to            D. tends to

(    ) 8. A. hate                 B. enjoy                      C. adopt                      D. adapt

(    ) 9. A. fashion                    B. group               C. scale                D. rate

(    ) 10. A. last                B. decrease           C. widen               D. disappear

(    ) 11. A. report                    B. suggest             C. improve           D. admit

(    ) 12. A. excitement             B. pleasure            C. suffering          D. sadness

(    ) 13. A. glare                     B. look                 C. stare                 D. fix

(    ) 14. A. should            B. must                C. could                      D. need

(    ) 15. A. comforts         B. laughter          C. pressures          D. benefits

(    ) 16. A. tired                      B. lonely              C. bored                      D. unhappy

(    ) 17. A. and                B. neither             C. nor                  D. but

(    ) 18. A. few                B. little                 C. many                      D. quantity

(    ) 19. A. Therefore              B. Furthermore     C. However          D. Yet

(    ) 20. A. controlled              B. transformed      C. persuaded         D. entertained

 A few days ago I asked my sons’ governess(女家庭教师)Julia to come into my study. “Be seated, Julia, ”I said, “Let’s settle our accounts. I guess you most likely need some money, but maybe you’re too polite to mention it. Now then, we agreed on thirty dollars a month...”

  “Forty.”

  “No, thirty. I made a note of it. I always pay our governess thirty. Well, um, you’ve been here two months, so...”

  “Two months and five days.”

  “Exactly two months. I made a special note of it. That means you have sixty dollars coming to you. Take off nine Sundays... you know you didn’t work with Tom on Sundays, you only took walks. And three holidays... ”Julia was biting her finger nail nervously, her face red, but - not a word.

  “Three holidays, therefore take off twelve dollars. Four days Tom was sick and there were no lessons, as you were occupied only with Dick. Three days you had a toothache and my wife gave you permission not to work after lunch. Twelve and seven - nineteen. Take nineteen off ... that leaves. hmm.... forty one dollars. Correct?”

  Julia’s left eye reddened with tears welling up. Her chin trembled; she coughed nervously and blew her nose, but - still not a word.

  “Around New Year’s Day you broke a teacup and a saucer; take off two dollars. The cup cost more, it was a treasure of the family, but- forget it. When didn’t I take a loss! Then, due to your neglect (疏忽), Tom climbed a tree and tore his jacket; take away ten. Also due to your carelessness the maid stole Dick’s shoes. You ought to watch everything! You get paid for it. So, that means five more dollars off. The tenth of January I gave ten dollars.”

  “You didn’t. ”sobbed Julia.

  “But I made a note of it.”

  “Well... if you say so.”

  “Take twenty seven from forty one -that leaves fourteen.”

  Both her eyes were filled with tears. Beads of sweat stood on the thin pretty little nose. Poor girl!

  “Only once was I given any money,” she whispered, her voice trembling, “and that was by your wife. Three dollars, nothing more.”

  “Really? You see now, and I didn’t know that! Take three from fourteen.. leaves eleven. Here’s your money, my dear. Three, three, three, one and one. Here it is !”

  I handed her eleven dollars. She took them and pocketed them.

  “Merci (法语: 谢谢),”she whispered.

  I jumped to my feet and started pacing the room. I was overcome with anger. “For what, this - ‘merci’?” I asked.

  “For the money. ”

  “But you know I’ve cheated you - robbed you ! I have actually stolen from you ! Why this‘merci’?”

  “In my other places they didn’t give me anything at all.”

  “They didn’t give you anything? No wonder! I played a little joke on you, a cruel lesson, just to teach you... I m going to give you all the eighty dollars! Here they are in the envelope all ready for you... Is it really possible to be so spineless (懦弱)?Why didn’t you protest? Why were you silent? Is it possible in this world to be without teeth and claws(爪)—to be such a fool?”

  Embarrassed, she smiled. And I could read her expression,“It is possible.”

  I asked her pardon for the cruel lesson and, to her great surprise, gave her the eighty dollars. She murmured her little“merci”several times and went out. I looked after her and thought,“How easy it is to crush the weak in this world !”

While talking to Julia, the wrier expected from her ________.

  A. a protest           B. gratitude

  C. obedience           D. an explanation

What shocked the writer was Julia’s ________.

  A. nervousness in front of her boss

  B. acceptance of injustice

  C. shyness when talking about money

  D. reluctance to express herself

The writer said, “Is it possible in this world to be without teeth and claws?” He was actually telling the governess ________.

  A. to be more aggressive

  B. to be more careful in her work

  C. to protect her right

  D. to live independently

At the end of the story, the writer said,“ How easy it is to crush the weak in this world!”to show ________.

  A. his understanding of Julia’s anxiety

  B. his worry about Julia’s future

  C. his concern on the living condition of working - class people

  D. his sympathy for the mental state of those exploited

The English, as a race, are very different from all other nationalities, including their closest neighbors, the French, Belgians and Dutch. It is claimed (声言) that living on an island  36  from the rest of Europe has much to do with it. Whatever the  37  are, it may be fairly stated that the Englishman has  38  many attitudes and habits which make them  39 from other nationalities.
Broadly speaking, the Englishman is a  40  , shy and reserved person who is fully relaxed only among people he  41  well. In the  42  of strangers or foreigners he often seems embarrassed. You have only to walk around a city any morning or evening to  43  the truth of this. Serious-looking businessmen and women sit  44  their newspapers or have a light sleep in a corner with no one speaking.  45 , to do so would seem most unusual to many foreigners. An Englishman pretending to be giving 46  to overseas visitors, once suggested, “On entering a railway carriage, shake hands with all the passengers”. Obviously , he was not being  47  . There is an unwritten  48 clearly understood code (规则) of behaviour which, if  49  , makes the person immediately suspect(怀疑).
In many parts of the world it is quite  50  to show openly their enthusiasm, emotion, excitement, etc. The Englishman is somewhat  51  . Of course, an Englishman lacks no deep feelings, in fact , no less deeply than any other nationality, but he tends to display his 52  far less. This is reflected in his use of  53 . Imagine a man making a comment on the great  54  of a young girl. A more emotional man might  55  her as “extremely beautiful,” “precious”, however, an Englishman might just say, “Um, she is all right.” The girl who heard this should not be angry because "not bad" and " all right" very often have the same meaning as "first class" " excellent" and this unique style of language use is common in England.

【小题1】
A.divided B.separatedC.partedD.broke
【小题2】
A.problemsB.arrangements C.reasonsD.differences
【小题3】
A.developedB.gotC.createdD.made
【小题4】
A.differB.separateC.sufferD.vary
【小题5】
A.noisyB.rude C.nobleD.quiet
【小题6】
A.recognizesB.knowsC.sees D.likes
【小题7】
A.frontB.absenceC.lackD.presence
【小题8】
A.look at B.find out C.tell D.keep
【小题9】
A.publishingB.sellingC.readingD.showing
【小题10】
A.In other words B.On the contrary
C.On the wholeD.In fact
【小题11】
A.advice B.performances C.speeches D.way
【小题12】
A.funnyB.greatC.seriousD.careful
【小题13】
A.as well as B.orC.andD.but
【小题14】
A.brokenB.madeC.explainedD.followed
【小题15】
A.enough B.rightC.normalD.impossible
【小题16】
A.proudB.kind C.hard D.different
【小题17】
A.feelingsB.talentsC.giftsD.behaviors
【小题18】
A.action B.language C.time D.life
【小题19】
A.speech B.mark C.beautyD.intelligence
【小题20】
A.speakB.describe C.take D.treat

Become a confident speaker. How to improve your English speaking skills and make you able to communicate more easily and effectively? The following tips will help you to become a more confident speaker.
Practice where you can and when you can. And practice is good — whether you speak to someone who is a native English speaker or not.
It’s important to build up your confidence. If possible, use the simple sentence structure that you know is correct, so that you can concentrate on getting your message across.
Try to experiment with the English you know. Apply (应用) words and phrases you know to new situations. Native English speakers are likely to correct you if you use the wrong word. They usually don’t mind if you use wrong grammar.
Try to respond to what people say to you. You can often get clues to what people think by looking at their body language. Respond to them in a natural way.
Never translate everything into your own language. It takes you much time and you’ll find it difficult to find an English answer right away. You don’t know how to do well. The more you want to act well, the more slowly you act. This will make you hesitant.
If you forget a word, do what native English speakers do all the time, and say things that ‘fill’ the conversation. This is better than remaining completely silent. Try using ‘um’, ‘er’, if you forget the word.
Don’t speak too fast! It’s important to use a natural rhythm (节奏) in speaking English, but if you speak too fast it will be difficult for people to understand you.
Try to relax when you speak, and you’ll find that your mouth does most of the pronunciation work for you. Speak English at a normal speed.
Final tips: Try to become less hesitant. Don’t be shy to speak — the more you do it, the more confident you’ll become. Remember to be polite — use “please” and “thank you” if you ask someone to do something for you.
【小题1】What is the text mainly about?

A.Good ways of studying English well.
B.Suggestions on becoming a confident speaker.
C.Things to pay attention to when speaking English.
D.How to correct your mistakes as you speak English.
【小题2】How many tips does the author offer in this text?
A.9.B.10.C.11.D.12.
【小题3】In this passage, the underlined word “hesitant” in the sixth paragraph means “________”.
A.sure about what to do
B.fast to make a good decision
C.successful in answering questions
D.uncertain about how to express yourself
【小题4】This text is most probably written for ________.
A.English beginnersB.native English speakers
C.English teachersD.language experts

A few days ago I asked my sons’ governess(女家庭教师)Julia to come into my study. “Be seated, Julia, ” I said, “Let’s settle our accounts. I guess you most likely need some money, but maybe you’re too polite to mention it. Now then, we agreed on thirty dollars a month...”

? “Forty.”

? “No, thirty. I made a note of it. I always pay our governess thirty. Well, um, you’ve been here two months, so...”

? “Two months and five days.”

? “Exactly two months. I made a special note of it. That means you have sixty dollars coming to you. Take off nine Sundays... you know you didn’t work with Tom on Sundays, you only took walks. And three holidays... ”Julia was biting her finger nail nervously, her face red, but - not a word.

? “Three holidays, therefore take off twelve dollars. Four days Tom was sick and there were no lessons, as you were occupied only with Dick. Three days you had a toothache and my wife gave you permission not to work after lunch. Twelve and seven - nineteen. Take nineteen off ... that leaves. hmm.... forty one dollars. Correct?

? Julia’s left eye reddened with tears welling up. Her chin trembled; she coughed nervously and blew her nose, but-still not a word.

? “Around New Year’s Day you broke a teacup and a saucer; take off two dollars. The cup cost more, it was a treasure of the family, but- forget it. When didn’t I take a loss! Then, due to your neglect(疏忽), Tom climbed a tree and tore his jacket; take away ten. Also due to your carelessness the maid stole Dick’s shoes. You ought to watch everything! You get paid for it. So, that means five more dollars off. The tenth of January I gave ten dollars.”

? “You didn’t. ”sobbed Julia.

? “But I made a note of it.”

? “Well... if you say so.”

? “Take twenty seven from forty one -that leaves fourteen.”

? Both her eyes were filled with tears. Beads of sweat stood on the thin pretty little nose. Poor girl!

? “Only once was I given any money,” she whispered, her voice trembling, “and that was by your wife. Three dollars, nothing more.”

? “Really? You see now, and I didn’t know that! Take three from fourteen.. leaves eleven. Here’s your money, my dear. Three, three, three, one and one. Here it is!”

? I handed her eleven dollars. She took them and pocketed them.

? “Merci(法语: 谢谢),” she whispered.

? I jumped to my feet and started pacing the room. I was overcome with anger. “For what, this - ‘merci’?” I asked.

? “For the money.”

? “But you know I’ve cheated you - robbed you! I have actually stolen from you! Why this‘merci’?

? “In my other places they didn’t give me anything at all.”

? “They didn’t give you anything? No wonder! I played a little joke on you, a cruel lesson, just to teach you... I m going to give you all the eighty dollars! Here they are in the envelope all ready for you... Is it really possible to be so spineless(懦弱)? Why didn’t you protest? Why were you silent? Is it possible in this world to be without teeth and claws(爪)-to be such a fool?”

? Embarrassed, she smiled. And I could read her expression,“It is possible.”

? I asked her pardon for the cruel lesson and, to her great surprise, gave her the eighty dollars. She murmured her little“merci”several times and went out. I looked after her and thought,“How easy it is to crush the weak in this world!”

1.While talking to Julia, the writer expected from her________.

A. a protest   B. gratitude ? C. obedience   D. an explanation

2.What shocked the writer was Julia’s ________.

A. nervousness in front of her boss???????

B. acceptance of injustice

C. shyness when talking about money?????

D. unwillingness to express herself

3.The writer said, “Is it possible in this world to be without teeth and claws?” He was actually telling the governess ________.

A. to be more aggressive??????? B. to be more careful in her work

C. to protect her right?????????? D. to live independently

4.At the end of the story, the writer said,“ How easy it is to crush the weak in this world!” to show ________.

A. his understanding of Julia’s anxiety

B. his worry about Julia’s future

C. his concern on the living condition of working-class people

D. his sympathy for the mental state of those exploited

5.From the story, we can tell that Julia’s employer was________.

A. greedy but honest?????   B. ill-tempered but warm-hearted

C. strict but forgiving??????? D. none of the above

 

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