From good reading we can derive pleasure, companionship, experience, and instruction. A good book may absorb our attention so completely that for the time being we forget our surroundings and even our identity. Reading good books is one of the greatest pleasures in life. It increases our contentment when we are cheerful, and lessens our troubles when we are sad. Whatever may be our main purpose in reading, our contact with good books should never fail to give us enjoyment and satisfaction.
With a good book in our hands we need never be lonely. Whether the characters portrayed are taken from real life or are purely imaginary, they may become our companions and friends. In the pages of books we can walk with the wise and the good of all lands and all times. The people we meet in books may delight us either because they resemble human friends whom we hold dear or because they present unfamiliar types whom we are glad to welcome as new acquaintances. Our human friends sometimes may bore us, but the friends we make in books need never weary us with their company. By turning the page we can dismiss them without any fear of hurting their feelings. When human friends desert us, good books are always ready to give us friendship, sympathy, and encouragement. One of the most valuable gifts bestowed by books is experience. Few of us can travel far from home or have a wide range of experiences, but all of us can lead varied lives through the pages of books. Whether we wish to escape from the seemingly dull realities of everyday life or whether we long to visit some far-off place, a book will help us when nothing else can. To travel by book we need no bank account to pay our way; no airship or ocean liner or stream-lined train to transport us; no passport to enter the land of our heart's desire. Through books we may get the thrill of hazardous adventure without danger. We can climb lofty mountains, brave the perils of an Antarctic winter, or cross the scorching sands of the desert, all without hardship. In books we may visit the studios of Hollywood; we may mingle with the gay throngs of the Paris boulevards; we may join the picturesque peasants in an Alpine village or the kindly natives on a South Sea island. Indeed, through books the whole world is ours for the asking. The possibilities of our literary experiences are almost unlimited. The beauties of nature, the enjoyment of music, the treasures of art, the triumphs of architecture, the marvels of engineering, are all open to the wonder and enjoyment of those who read.
【小题1】Why is it that we sometimes forget our surroundings and even our identity while reading?

Complete the following passage by using the words in the box．Each word can only be used once．Note that there is one word more than you need.

In a study of the university of Minnesota, twins (some raised together and others who had grown up apart) were tested for a wide range of personality traits (特征)．In terms of happiness－     as the ability to enjoy life－twins who are separated soon after birth were much less alike than twins raised together．But when it comes to unhappiness, the twins raised apart－some without contact for as long as 64 years－were as   as those who had grown up together.

Why is unhappiness less influenced by    ? When we are happy, we are more responsive to people and keep up better than when we are feeling sad．

This doesn’t mean, however, that some people are born to be sad and that’s that．Unhappiness may be related to genes, but this inherited trait can be influenced by    choice．You can increase your happiness through your own actions.

In a whole  of experiments by psychologists John Reich and Alex Zautra at Arizona State University, they asked students to select their favorite activities from a list of everyday pleasures－things like going to a movie, talking with friends and playing cards.

Then the researchers  some of the students in the experiment to increase the number of favorite activities the participated in for one month (the participants in the study     as controls (对照组) and did not vary their activity level)．Result: Those who did more of the things they enjoyed were happier than those who didn’t．The conclusion, then, is that the pleasure we get from life is    ours to control.

Complete the following passage by using the words in the box．Each word can only be used once．Note that there is one word more than you need.

In a study of the university of Minnesota, twins (some raised together and others who had grown up apart) were tested for a wide range of personality traits (特征)．In terms of happiness－  1.   as the ability to enjoy life－twins who are separated soon after birth were much less alike than twins raised together．But when it comes to unhappiness, the twins raised apart－some without contact for as long as 64 years－were as  2. as those who had grown up together.

Why is unhappiness less influenced by   3. ? When we are happy, we are more responsive to people and keep up 4. better than when we are feeling sad．

This doesn’t mean, however, that some people are born to be sad and that’s that．Unhappiness may be related to genes, but this inherited trait can be influenced by  5.  choice．You can increase your happiness through your own actions.

In a whole6.  of experiments by psychologists John Reich and Alex Zautra at Arizona State University, they asked students to select their favorite activities from a list of everyday pleasures－things like going to a movie, talking with friends and playing cards.

Then the researchers 7.  some of the students in the experiment to increase the number of favorite activities the participated in for one month (the participants in the study  8.   as controls (对照组) and did not vary their activity level)．Result: Those who did more of the things they enjoyed were happier than those who didn’t．The conclusion, then, is that the pleasure we get from life is  9.  ours to control.

This is the age of the quick action. We have instant satisfaction, fast food, speed reading, mobile phones; even the stress management books have titles like “Stress Management in 60 Seconds”.

Canadian Classics Professor Margaret Visser points out that the perception that we have “no time” is one of the most strict concepts of Western culture. Visser says that “no time” is used as an excuse and also as a spur(刺激); it both stimulates us and forces us, just as a concept such as ‘honour’ did for the ancient Greeks. According to Visser, the feeling that Westerners have “no time” is abstract, quantitative, amoral(非道德性的), unarguable, bringing pressure on each person as an individual. At the same time, the “no time” excuse escapes censure by claiming to be a condition created entirely out of our good fortune.

Life offers “so many pleasures, so many choices”.

The fact that women now work outside the home has contributed to the “no time” trend. But more important, Visser says, is the fact that feeling rushed has become an important component(成分) of our economy. Marketing of “time-saving” products causes people to buy more and work longer. So we eat out or buy prepared food to save time. The fax-it-to-my-car technology only contributes to the constant hurry. In our rushed and exhausted state, even the obligation(义务) to sit down to casual meal with family seems like a pressure. In comparison with the decision to act on a sudden whimz (一时的兴致) to consume a microwave mug of soup， the act of eating together and not getting up from the table until everyone else has finished seems an incredibly time-consuming event. Being in one’s own personal hurry in the West is somehow “free and preferable”

The word “censure” in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to “             ”

       A．examination     B．force C．blame       D．pressure

Which of the following doesn’t contribute to feeling rushed?

       A．Marketing of time-saving products.

       B．The fax-it-to-me-car technology.

       C．Eating together and not getting up until everybody has finished

       D．Longer working hours.

We can learn from the passage that “no time” trend ___________.

       A．brings pressure on the individual

       B．is very desirable to the individual

       C．is not harmful if you have no control of events

       D．has caused heart diseases and psychological problems