Do you want to live with a strong sense of peacefulness, happiness, goodness, and self-respect? The collection of happiness actions broadly categorized as “honor” help you create this life of good feelings.

Here’s an example to show how honorable actions create happiness.

Say a store clerk fails to charge us for an item. If we keep silent, and profit from the clerk’s mistake, we would drive home with a sense of sneaky excitement. Later we might tell our family or friends about our good fortune. On the other hand, if we tell the clerk about the uncharged item, the clerk would be grateful and thank us for our honesty. We would leave the store with a quiet sense of honor that we might never share with another soul.

Then, what is it to do with our sense of happiness?

In the first case, where we don’t tell the clerk, a couple of things would happen. Deep down inside we would know ourselves as a type of thief. In the process, we would lose some peace of mind and self-respect. We would also demonstrate that we cannot be trusted, since we advertise our dishonor by telling our family and friends. We damage our own reputations by telling others. In contrast, bringing the error to the clerk’s attention causes different things to happen. Immediately the clerk knows us to be honorable. Upon leaving the store, we feel honorable and our self-respect is increased. Whenever we take honorable action we gain the deep internal rewards of goodness and a sense of nobility.

There is a beautiful positive cycle that is created by living a life of honorable thoughts that lead to honorable actions. Honorable actions lead us to a happier existence. And it’s easy to think and act honorably again when we’re happy. While the positive cycle can be difficult to start, once it’s started, it’s easy to continue. Keeping on doing good deeds brings us peace of mind, which is important for our happiness.

1. According to the passage, the positive action in the example contributes to our _____.

A. self-respect　　　　 　　　 B. financial rewards

C. advertising ability　 　　　　 D. friendly relationship

2. The author thinks that keeping silent about the uncharged item is equal to _____.

A. lying　　 　　 B. stealing　 　　　 C. cheating　 　　　 D. advertising

3. The phrase “bringing the error to the clerk’s attention” (in Para.5 ) means ______.

A. telling the truth to the clerk　　 　 B. offering advice to the clerk

C. asking the clerk to be more attentive　 　 D. reminding the clerk of the charged item

4. How will we feel if we let the clerk know her mistake?

A. We’ll be very excited　　　　 　　 B. We’ll feel unfortunate.

C. We’ll have a sense of honor　 　 D. We’ll feel sorry for the clerk

5. Which of the following can be the best title of this passage?

A. How to Live Truthfully　　　　 　　 B. Importance of Peacefulness

C. Ways of Gaining Self-respect　 　 D. Happiness through Honorable Actions.

　　　 Steve Jobs, the former chief executive of Apple, announced his resignation as head of Apple on Aug．24, 2011．The following is the letter from Steve Jobs to the Apple board．

　　　 To the Apple Board of Directors and the Apple Community:

　　　 I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know．Unfortunately, that day has come．

　　　 I hereby resign as CEO of Apple．I would like to serve, if the Board sees fit, as Chairman of the Board, director and Apple employee．

　　　 As far as my successor（继任者）goes, I strongly recommend that we execute（执行）our succession plan and name Tim Cook as CEO of Apple．

　　　 I believe Apple’s brightest and most innovative（创意改革的）days are ahead of it．And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role．

　　　 I have made some of the best friends of my life at Apple, and I thank you all for the many years of being able to work alongside you．

　　　 Steve

　　　 Tim Cook, the newly appointed CEO of Apple, sent an email to the troops after Steve Jobs stepped down．Below is the full text of the email．

Team:

　　　 I am looking forward to the amazing opportunity of serving as CEO of the most innovative company in the world．Joining Apple was the best decision I’ve ever made and it’s been the privilege of a lifetime to work for Apple and Steve for over 13 years．I share Steve’s optimism for Apple’s bright future．

　　　 Steve has been an incredible leader and mentor to me, as well as to the entire executive team and our amazing employees．We are really looking forward to Steve’s ongoing guidance and inspiration as our Chairman．

　　　 I want you to be confident that Apple is not going to change．I cherish and celebrate Apple’s unique principles and values．Steve built a company and culture that is unlike any other in the world and we are going to stay true to that — it is in our DNA．We are going to continue to make the best products in the world that delight our customers and make our employees incredibly proud of what they do．

　　　 I love Apple and I am looking forward to diving into my new role．All of the incredible support from the Board, the executive team and many of you has been inspiring．I am confident our best years lie ahead of us and that together we will continue to make Apple the magical place that it is．

Tim

　　　 Cook, 50, once served in IBM and Compaq before he joined Apple in 1998．He was promoted to the chief operating officer in 2007 and has been the real CEO responsible for most of Apple’s day-to-day operations during Job’s medical leaves．

It’s believed that the replacement will not affect Apple’s business at least in short term, but it is unclear whether Apple’s innovation and operational efficiencies will continue unabated．

41．Which of the following is conveyed in Steve Jobs’ letter to the Apple board?

　　　 A．He announced his resignation and the Apple’s succession plan．

　　　 B．He recalled his best years of working alongside his best friends at Apple．

　　　 C．He expressed his expectation of Apple’s new successor Tim Cook．

　　　 D．He showed his regret for being unable to meet his duties as CEO．

42．What message does Cook mainly intend to communicate in his email to the team?

　　　 A．Joining Apple is a best decision． B．Unique guidance makes Apple a success．

　　　 C．Apple isn’t going to change． D．Optimism brings Apple a bright future．

43．It can be inferred from the passage that 　　　　　．

　　　 A．Cook has been in charge of Apple’s daily operations since 2007

　　　 B．Cook is proud of his promotion and regards it as a lifetime honor

　　　 C．Steve Jobs refused to provide ongoing guidance because of his health problem

　　　 D．Steve Jobs and Tim Cook share the same belief in Apple’s future

44．According to Tim Cook, what makes Apple the magical place that it is?

　　　 A．Apple’s unique culture, principles and values．

　　　 B．Apple’s best quality products in the world．

　　　 C．Apple’s successful sales promotion strategies．

　　　 D．Apple’s great efforts to satisfy its employees．

45．The public seem to take a（n） 　　　　　 attitude towards Apple’s future in the long run．

　　　 A．supportive 　　　　　　 B．uncertain 　　　　　　　 C．pessimistic 　　　　　 D．optimistic