Invention is a creative process. An open and curious mind enables one to see beyond what is known. Seeing a new possibility, a new connection or relationship can spark(引发) an invention. Inventive thinking frequently involves combining concepts or elements from different fields that would not normally be put together. Sometimes inventors skip over the boundaries between separate fields. Ways of thinking, materials, processes or tools from one field are used as no one else has imagined in a different field.
Play can lead to invention. Childhood curiosity like playing in a sand box, imagination can develop one’s play nature—an inner need according to Carl Jung. Inventors feel the need to play with things that interest them, and to explore, and this internal drive brings about interesting creations.
Inventing can also be an obsession(痴迷). Inventors often imagine a new idea, seeing it in their mind’s eye. New ideas can arise when the conscious mind turns away from the subject or problem; or when the focus is on something else; or even while relaxing or sleeping. An unusual idea may come all of a sudden! For example, after years of working to figure out the general theory of relativity, the solution came to Einstein suddenly in a dream “like a giant die making an unforgettable impress, a huge map of the universe summarized itself in one clear vision”.
Invention can also be accidental. Insight(洞察力) is also an important element of invention. It may begin with questions or doubt. It may begin by recognizing something unusual. It may be useful and it could open a new way for exploration. For example, the odd metallic color of plastic made by accidentally adding too much catalyst(催化剂) led scientists to explore its metal-like properties(性能). They then invented electrically conductive plastic and light emitting(散发) plastic—an invention that won the Nobel Prize in 2000 and has led to new kind of lighting, display screens, wallpaper and much more.
Title:    1  

完形填空（共20小题；每小题1分，满分20分）

It happened when I was a little girl. I can remember neither the beginning nor the end, but whenever I   36   it, tears flow down my face.

When I was young, my family led a(n)  37  life in the country. As you can imagine, many country roads are difficult to walk on. One   38   we were visiting some relatives and the   39  was very bad. It began to   40   on our way back home. Dad carried me on his   41  . Mom gave her overcoat to my   42  . We walked together through the rain for more than an hour.

I was fat at that time and Dad must be   43   to hold me for such a long time. He almost   44   down many times. In hope of   45   my father’s burden, I tried to carry myself,   46   I achieved nothing since I was just a little kid.

When we arrived home, the inside of our house was   47   with rain water. The rain had come   48    our leaky（有裂缝的）roof and water was everywhere.

Mom put bowls all around the house to try to   49  the rain. Then she put me and my elder brother to   50  , carefully placing us on the remaining   51   place. I fell asleep soon. When I opened my eyes, I found Dad and Mom were   52   in chairs, both having caught bad colds.

    This is my very earliest   53  . Though the evening has long passed, and now we live a happy life, I won’t forget the rain we   54  together. The rain, that evening, and especially my parents’  55  , will stay in my mind forever.

A．deal with   B．think of       C．lead to    D．suffer from

A．hard    B．unhappy  C．interesting  D．rich

A．morning B．noon C．afternoon    D．evening

A．food    B．drink    C．traffic  D．weather

A．blow    B．thunder  C．rain D．snow

A．arm B．back C．bike D．car

A．brother B．sister   C．friend   D．relative

A．worried B．tired    C．angry    D．lazy

A．fell    B．looked   C．turned   D．ran

A．taking  B．moving   C．lifting  D．reducing

A．so  B．and  C．but  D．instead

A．buried  B．covered  C．mixed    D．crowded

A．under   B．over C．in   D．through

A．catch   B．welcome  C．greet    D．expect

A．ground  B．floor    C．bed  D．ceiling

A．dry B．clean    C．beautiful    D．warm

A．quarreling  B．sleeping C．laughing D．eating

A．visit   B．excitement   C．experience   D．memory

A．got back    B．got away C．went through D．went by

A．wishes  B．words    C．love D．education

认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。

注意：每个空格只填1个单词。请将答案写在答题纸相应题号的横线上。

Mirriam Websters online dictionary defines happy as: enjoying good health and satisfaction. Sounds nice, doesn’t it? I know a secret that can lead to happiness. Now you may ask, what secret is that? It’s a well-known secret, in fact. Perform a random(随意的) act of kindness per day.

Positive psychology is the scientific study of the strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to grow. According to University of Pennsylvania’s website, positive psychology has three central concerns: positive emotions, positive individual character, and positive systems. Understanding positive emotion includes the study of satisfaction with the past, happiness at present, and hope for the future. Understanding positive individual character consists of the study of the strengths and virtues, such as love, courage, creativity, curiosity, self-knowledge, self-control, and wisdom. Understanding positive systems needs the study of meaning and purpose as well as the strengths that help the growth of better communities, such as responsibility, leadership, teamwork, purpose, and tolerance(忍耐力).

Positive psychology focuses on strengths as well as weaknesses, on building the best things in life as well as repairing the worst. It asserts(断言) that human goodness and excellence is just as real as sadness and illness, and that life consists more than seeking the answers to problems. All these things can be summed up in one concept: giving can equal a meaningful life, i.e. happiness.

But you are probably wondering how. Well, let’s examine the research, shall we? A 1996 study showed that wealth is only weakly related to happiness both within and across nations, particularly when income is above the poverty level. So money does not mean happiness. In 2000, a different study showed that activities that make people happy in some way—such as shopping, good food and making money—do not lead to satisfaction in the long term, indicating that these have quick diminishing returns(收益递减).

However, on the other hand, we also know that people who witness others perform good deeds experience an emotion which drives them to perform their own good deeds. Making a contribution to the lives of other people may help to extend our own lives.

This is why I make a point of trying to do something nice every day. Sometimes I tip much larger than I need to. Sometimes I just smile at someone who looks like they really need it. A random act of kindness is an act that receives just as much as it gives. You’ll be happier. They’ll be happier. And you’ll live longer. So, please, perform a random act of kindness each day.

If you exhibit positive characteristics such as honesty and helpfulness, the chances are that you will be thought as a good-looking person, for a new study has found that the perception （认知） of physical attractiveness is influenced by a person's personality．
The study, which was led by Gary W．Lewandowski, has found that people who exhibit negative characteristics, such as unfairness and rudeness, appear to be less physically attractive to observers．In the study, the participants viewed photographs of opposite-sex individuals and rated them for attractiveness before and after being provided with information about their personalities．
After personality information was received, participants also rated the probability of each individual' s becoming a friend and a dating partner．Information on personality was found to significantly change the probability, showing that cognitive （认知的） processes modify （修改） judgments of attractiveness．
"Thinking a person as having a desirable personality makes the person more suitable in general as a close relationship partner of any kind," said Lewandowski．
The findings show that a positive personality leads to greater expectation of becoming friends, which leads to greater expectation of becoming romantic partners and, finally, to being viewed as more physically attractive．The findings remained consistent regardless of how "attractive" the individual was formerly thought to be or of the participants' current relationship status．
"This research provides a positive outcome by reminding people that personality goes a long way toward determining your attractiveness; it can even change people's impressions of how good-looking you are," said Lewandowski．
【小题1】In the study the participants were required to _____．

I live in the land of Disney, Hollywood and year - round sun．You may think People ,n such an attractive, fun - filled place are happier than others．If so you have some mistaken ideas about the nature of happiness．
Many intelligent people still think fun equals happiness．The truth is that fun and happiness have little or nothing in common．Fun is what we experience during an act．Happiness is what we experience after an act．It is a deep, long-lasting emotion．
Going to an amusement park or a ball game, watching a movie or television are fun activities that help us relax, temporally forget our problems and maybe even laugh．But they do not bring happiness, because their positive effects end when the fun ends．
I have often thought that if Hollywood stars have a role to play, it is to teach us that happiness has nothing to do with fun．They have constant access to exciting parties, fancy cars, expensive homes, everything that spells "happiness" But in memoir（回忆录） after memoir, they expose Ac unhappiness hidden beneath all their fun: depression, alcoholism, drug addiction, broken marriages and loneliness．
Ask a bachelor why he resists marriage even though he finds dating to be less and less satisfying．If he is honest, he will tell you that he is afraid of making a commitment．For commitment is in fact quite painful．The single life is filled with fun, adventure and excitement．Marriage has such moments, but they are not its most distinguishing features．
Similarly, couples that choose not to have children are deciding in favor of painless fun over painful happiness．They can dine out whenever they want and sleep as late as they want．Couples with babies are lucky to get a whole night' s sleep．I don't know any parent who would choose the word fun to describe raising children．
Understanding and accepting that true happiness has nothing to do with fun is one of the most liberating realizations we can ever come to．It liberates time: now we can devote more hours to activities that can truly increase our happiness．It liberates money: buying that new car or those fancy clothes that will do nothing to increase our happiness now seems pointless．And it frees us from envy: we now understand that all those rich and famous people we were so sure are happy because they are always having so much fun actually may not be happy at all．
【小题1】What is the passage mainly about?