The Happiest Cities On Earth

If you’re looking for a cheery destination for your next vacation, consider these four spots and get ready to take notes on how to really live the good life.

Singapore

    With one of the highest population densities（密度）in the world and residents known for being workaholics, it’s hard to imagine the city-state of Singapore having one of the happiest populations on earth. And yet in a recent survey, 95% of them said they were either very happy or quite happy.

They give their city high marks for cleanliness and safety—subways are pristine (洁净的) and unfailingly arrive on time, and police are seen as helpful and good at their jobs. What’s more, they feel they can count on their neighbours—all 5.1 million of them.

Arhus, Denmark

The residents of Arhus cheerfully part with 68% of their income in taxes, knowing that in return they will be guaranteed free healthcare, free daycare, and a top-notch (第一流的) education for their children.

An energetic city of 300,000 with a lively cultural scene and a diverse number of religions represented, the sense of equality (the range in incomes is narrow), as well as easy access to the nearby sea and surrounding countryside, make Arhus seem more like a small town.

San Luis Obispo, CA

According to a 2008 Gallup-Healthways study, people who live in San Luis Obispo are more likely than residents of other U.S. cities to smile and experience joy and are less likely to experience pain or depression. About 64,000 of the 260,000 people in the greater metropolitan area (都市区), located halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, volunteer at over 11,000 non-profit organizations.

Few journeys to work are longer than 10 minutes (one reason its members rank in the upper third for job satisfaction), so “it’s easy to be involved,” resident Pierre Rademaker said. Business signs are unobtrusive (不显眼的) by law, fewer than 11% of residents smoke—the lower rate in the U.S.—there are lots of bike lanes, and the city’s plaza draws crowds of people for free concerts on summer Fridays. What’s not to love?

Monterrey, Mexico

The people of Monterrey don’t enjoy high household incomes or access to good healthcare. Instead, there’s a profound sense of gratitude for the new political freedom enjoyed since the oppressive Institutional Revolutionary Party lost power in 2000—the first time in nearly a century—as well as an emphasis on social life over work.

Another reason Monterrey residents may be so happy is their faith in God and family, and their ability to tough it out through bad times.

“We laugh at sickness, poverty and even death,” says Basanez, a political scientist who lives in Monterrey. “We even have a holiday to celebrate death. November 2, the Day of the Dead, is one of the biggest holidays of the year.”

1.According to the passage, what do the residents in the four cities have in common?

A. All the residents can make great fortunes by working hard.

B. The residents there are mostly educators. 

C. All the residents enjoy enough material wealth.

D. The majority of the residents are satisfied with their current life.

2.According to the passage, we can infer that _______.

A. the people of Singapore expect their neighbours to come to their help when necessary

B. the people of Monterrey even observe one’s death on a special day of a year

C. the residents of Arhus happily pay 68% of their income for their children’s education fee

D. the people who live in San Luis Obispo have job satisfaction because they can enjoy good working conditions

3.According to the passage which of the following statements is NOT TRUE?

A. The people of Monterrey didn’t enjoy political freedom until 2000.

B. The residents in Singapore feel happy because of its low population density.

C. The people of San Luis Obispo can enjoy free concerts in summer.

D. Arhus is handy to the seaside and countryside.

4.What can we learn from the underlined part “the sense of equality”?

A. The residents of Arhus have no racial discrimination.

B. Arhus is considered as a family sharing everything with each other.

C. There is no wide gap between the rich and the poor in Arhus.

D. The residents of Arhus can depend on their neighbours to help.

阅读下列材料，从所给的六个选项 ( A、B、C、D、E和F ) 中，选出符合各小题要求的最佳选项。选项中有一项多余选项。

The following five young people are all searching for their universities. After the description of these people, there is some information about six universities A — F for you to choose the most suitable one for each of them. There is one extra paragraph about one university which you do not need to use.

Bobby is tired of working indoors and wouldn’t like to be too far away from his girlfriend who studies at Simmons. Also he considers gaining better chance for future career.

Maria wants to learn modern science and she prefers to stay neither by the ocean nor in the

northeast.

Andrew wishes to study business in a non-state-run university, which he thinks is of better

quality and if the employment status of its graduates is ideal, that’s better.

Lucy enjoys taking her further education in a women-only university with a variety major for her to choose.

Scott is in search for a university located in a nice place, with better living conditions. The most important is that he hopes to play the computer conveniently for fun.

A．SIMMONS  The College of Arts and Sciences and Modern Studies. Simmons educates women to achieve their work and life goals. More than 40 majors. Lies in the heart of Boston, US. News &World Report ranks Simmons among the top state universities in the North and among the best values.  617-521-2051  www.simmons.edu.

B．PAUL SMITH’S COLLEGE   The College of Nature. Experience a different kind of classroom: 15,300 acres of forests, lakes and streams, a hotel and a restaurant, 99% placement upon graduation. Two-and-four-year degree programs.  PO Box 265Paul Smith,  NY 12970800-421-2605

   www.paulsmith.edu.

C．ST. MARY’S UNIVERSITY  Located in the mid-west of the U.S. Personal attention. Powerful programs. Experience the technology of today at our co-educational university. One Camino Santa Utah  78228-8503 800-FOR-STMU   www.stmarytx.edu.

D．NORTHERN UNIVERSITY  A famous private university with 3,200 students in the Colleges of Arts & Sciences, Business and Engineering. Medicine and Law among the top ten by U.S. News & World Report Old Union  232 CA 94305-3005 650-723-2091  www.stanford.edu.

E．UNIVERSITY OF PHOENIX   Adult education course. Earn an online degree with University of Phoenix today. 100% online, fast and convenient. Learn why most working professionals choose University of Phoenix Online.  www.Phoenixun.edu.

F．PETER’S COLLEGE   Experienced professors are available. Equipped with a lot of modern

 facilities, two students a dormitory, two computers, power never fails, PO.356 Peter. 16753800-333-12-2135   www.peterun.edu.

阅读下面短文，从短文后所给各题的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

I grew up in a tiny Baltimore row house in a faraway mountain area.My parents  1the necessities of life   2they couldn’t give much more.If I asked my father   3a pair of jeans,he would say,“If you want them,make the money and buy them   4.”He wasn’t being mean;he just couldn’t   5them.From age 12 on,I did part-time jobs after school.

When I   6from high school,I joined the navy.Soon I was in a boot camp(新兵训练营) at Parris Island,S.C.,where I learned that life in the navy centered around completing daily   7.These could be anything from cleaning the camp to conducting mock(模拟的) battles.Completing these tasks successfully   8discipline,team-work and responsibility.It didn’t  9whether you were black,white or Asian;everyone worked together for the  10of the company.

I went   11to graduate from the U.S.Naval Academy and later became an officer in the navy.The part of my job I   12most was the consueling(咨询) meetings I   13with the family members of the men and women in my   14,trying to help them deal with the long periods of   15.These proved popular and word of them spread.   16I was being asked to give encouraging   17to business groups,educators and kids across the country.

But I consider the boot camp my first real  18,and my life is still guided by the  19lessons I learned there.It taught me discipline,friendship and the pride related to setting a task every day and working hard to   20it.

1.A.provided        B.got               C.made              D.bought

2.A.while           B.but               C.so                    D.or

3.A.about           B.with              C.for               D.of

4.A.themselves      B.ourselves         C.yourself          D.myself

5.A.pay             B.find              C.produce           D.afford

6.A.came            B.returned          C.escaped           D.graduated

7.A.drills          B.tasks             C.exercises         D.reports

8.A.included            B.asked             C.required          D.met

9.A.matter          B.mean              C.exist             D.work

10.A.good           B.boss              C.rest              D.right

11.A.out                B.on                    C.away              D.off

12.A.took           B.hated             C.enjoyed           D.did

13.A.ended          B.began             C.continued         D.held

14.A.charge         B.situation         C.position          D.choice

15.A.lessons            B.meetings          C.training          D.separation

16.A.Long before                            B.Before long

C.As usual                              D.Once again

17.A.performances                           B.descriptions

C.speeches                              D.gifts

18.A.vacation           B.place             C.job               D.travel

19.A.important      B.bitter                C.normal                D.difficult

20.A.gain               B.achieve               C.show              D.match

James Stallman Rockefeller, the oldest-known U. S. Olympic medal winner and the former head of the bank that became Citigroup, died Tuesday. He was 102. Records of the U. S. Olympic Committee show that Rockefeller was the oldest American medal winner. He was the captain of Yale University’s eight-man rowing team with coxswain that won gold at the 1924 Paris Olympics - beating the Canadian team by less than 16 seconds. The oars from the winning race and the gold medal were prominently displayed in Rockefeller’s house. “I think he was really proud of that - probably more than the bank career,” said his grandson.

Rockefeller suffered a stroke on Thursday, said his grandson, who lived with him at his Greenwich home for two years, attributed his long life to a regimented（严密组织的） lifestyle: breakfast at eight a. m. , lunch at 1 p. m. , cocktails at 6 p. m. and dinner promptly at 7 p. m. . He liked plain food, without sauces or cheese, and plenty of fresh vegetables, including those grown in the garden of his estate. Rockefeller was in good health until shortly before he died. He drove his car up until last year and would review documents from the various charities and businesses he helped lead.

Rockefeller, born on June 8, 1902, was a grandson of William Rockefeller, who founded Standard Oil with his brother, John D. Rockefeller. He graduated from Yale in 1924 and served in the Airborne Command during World War II. He started at the bank, and then called the National City Bank, in 1930, following his uncle and grandfather, who were leaders of the bank. He became president in 1952, chairman in 1959 and retired in 1967. In 1955, under Rockefeller’s leadership, the bank merged with the First National Bank of New York to form Citigroup. Rockefeller also was a director of numerous companies, including Pan American Airways, Northern Pacific Railroad, NCR and Monsanto, and served on the boards of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and the American Museum of Natural History.

Rockefeller and his wife. Nancy Carnegie Rockefeller, had four children. His wife died in 1994.

1.

Rockefeller lost his wife when he was____   ___.

2.

We can learn from the passage that ____   ___.

3.

What we can infer from the passage is that ______.

My father came to the United States as a Ukrainian immigrant (移民) when he was 14 years old. Unable to speak English but willing to do anything to succeed, he learned the language, became a barber, and opened up his own business in a small town. He put my sister and me through college during a time when most people thought that women didn’t need an education and that they should be satisfied with getting married and having children. He gave us values and ambition. But this story didn’t really start until my father was 60 years old.

    I was preparing to get married and my father was attempting to practice the polke, a must at any Ukrainian wedding. But he just couldn’t do it! He had lost mobility in his leg and was diagnosed with a brain tumor (肿瘤). After surgery, this energetic, hard-working man was forced to retire as a result of significant paralysis (瘫痪) in his right arm and leg. My dad had always worked two jobs and spent his spare time working around the house. Now that kind of life came to a sudden stop. Yet never once did he complain. He bought rubber balls and spent his days trying to regain his hand mobility by squeezing those balls over and over.

    After his last operation, he chatted with me pleasantly in the hospital room until a nurse flew into the room, waving her finger at me, and yelling, “You’d better tell your father to stay in bed. He is paralyzed and will never walk again. He needs to stop trying to get out of bed and accept the fact that he can’t walk now or ever. I am sick of picking him up and you’d better warn him to stay put!” My father smiled. He spent a great deal of time on the floor that year, but he eventually got up and walked.

    My father lived nineteen more years after that operation. He bought himself a motor scooter (小型摩托车) and spent years zipping around the streets of Philadelphia. He was proud, free, and always smiling.

1. In what way was the author’s father different from most other people in his times?

    A. He succeeded in migrating to the U.S.

    B. He learned the new language easily and quickly.

    C. He achieved his life goal by working as a barber.

    D. He had his daughters educated.

2. The underlined word “polke” in Paragraph 2 probably refers to        .

    A. a song           B. a dance          C. a musical instrument     D. a tool for painting

3.The author’s father used the rubber balls to         .

    A. kill his too much spare time         B. relieve himself from work pressure

    C. get his hand’s function back            D. recover from his operation

4. Which of the following can be used to describe the author’s father?

    A. Perfect.         B. Strong-minded.           C. Creative.            D. Impractical.

5. What can we learn from the text?

    A. Love can do wonders.             B. Failure is the mother of success.

    C. A father’s love is most valuable.       D. Never give up on your life.