Researchers found that people become happier and experience less worry after they reach the age of fifty．In fact, they say by the age of eighty-five, people are happier with their life than they were when they were eighteen years old．

       The findings came from a survey of more than 340,000 adults in the United States．The Gallup（民意调查） Organization questioned them by telephone in 2008．At that time, the people were between the ages of eighteen and eighty-five．

       The researchers asked questions about emotions like happiness, sadness and worry．They also asked about mental or emotional stress．

       Arthur Stone at Stony Brook University in New York led the study．His team found that levels of stress were highest among adults between the ages of twenty-two and twenty-five．The findings showed that stress levels dropped sharply after people reached their fifties．Happiness was highest among the youngest adults and those in their early seventies．The people least likely to report feeling negative emotions were those in their seventies and eighties．

       Researchers say they do not know why happiness increases as people get older．One theory is that, as people grow older, they grow more thankful for what they have and have better control of their emotions．They also spend less time thinking about bad experiences．

       Professor Stone says the emotional patterns could be linked to changes in how people see the world, or maybe even changes in brain chemistry．

       The researchers also considered possible influences like having young children, being unemployed or being single．But they found that influences like these did not affect the levels of happiness and well-being related to age．

       The study also showed that men and women have similar emotional patterns as they grow older．However, women at all ages reported more sadness, stress and worry than men．

What can be the best title of the text?

       A．Happiness Varies with Ages    B．Experience More, Worry Less

       C．The Older, the Wiser       D．Being Young, Being Happy

We can learn from the research that _________．

       A．only when people get older will they feel happier

       B．stress levels among the youngest are the highest

       C．older people tend to be grateful

       D．older people usually have no worries

According to the research, when people get older, _________．

       A．they miss the old days     B．they are physically weak

       C．they have better self-control    D．they are more emotional

What would the author probably talk about next?

       A．What influences happiness．  B．How to live better．

       C．How to keep happier．   D．Why women are less happier．

The author is intended to _________．

       A．advise how to reduce stress

       B．introduce a scientific finding

       C．describe how to do research

       D．talk about human emotions

The London 20120lympics are being praised as a sporting and logistical(后勤)success，but the influence on economy is far less certain．Some London tourist attractions，businesses and hotels reported that their business actually fell during the Games．But as Olly Barratt reports from London，the overall UK economy is looking for long-term results．

Showing an Olympic-sized party like this cost the UK almost l 5 billion dollars．But while spectators went to east London’S Olympic Park，central London has been much quieter than。normal． Arthur lRason，a central London stallholder，said，“Am I taking less? Yeah，I’m taking less．There’S no question about it．”

Restaurants were among businesses that reported lower takings than normal at this time of year．And one tourism trade association says a survey of its members found the Games had  had a negative influence all over the UK．But during the recent recession(不景气)，British officials still insist the Games were worth it．Boris Johnson，Mayor of London said，“I think it’S been an amazing display of what you can do if you plan and you work for years and years on a project．

And I think it’s a great advertisement for British engineering and British industry．"    The government hopes the Games will be a great help to the British brand worldwide，and they are also an opportunity to sweet-talk potential investors from all over the world．And a fall in takings for some attractions should not have come as a surprise．

1.Where is the London’S Olympic Park located?

A．Central London．                       B．East London．

C．West London．                         D．Outside London．

2.Mayor of London thinks the Games’effect on British economy is——．

A．positive                               B．disappointing

C．negative                              D．uncertain

3.What can we learn from the text?

A．The British government did badly in organizing the Games．

B．Businesses in central London were improved during the Games．

C．Most British businessmen thought poorly of the London Games．

D．Most British officials were worried about the future of British economy．

第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中选出最佳选项

Sydney is Australia’s most exciting city. The history of Australia begins here. In 1788 Captain Arthur Phillips arrived is Sydney with 11 ships and 1,024 passengers (including 770 prisoners) from Britain. Today there are 2.5 million people in Sydney. It is the biggest city in Australia, and one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

There are over 20 fine beaches close to Sydney. Its warm summer climate and cool winter have made it a favorite city for immigrants(移民) from overseas. There are three things that made Sydney famous –its beautiful harbor, the Sydney Harbor Bridge, and the Sydney Opera House.

But there are many more interesting things in Sydney: beautiful shops and restaurants, for example, rows of interesting old houses built everywhere in the 19th century. Summer or winter, day or night, Sydney is an outdoor city.

Some Americans think it is very British. Some British visitors think it is like America. There is some truth in both these opinions, because Sydney takes from both the Old World-Europe, and the New World – America, and makes it into something that is neither British nor America but truly Australian.

1.  The climate in Sydney is_____

A. hot in summer and cold in winter   B. warm all the year round

C. neither too hot nor too cold        D. cool all through the year

2  In 1788 Captain Arthur Phillips arrived in Sydney     .

A. with some ships and more than 1,000 passengers

B. with 11 ships and only 700 prisoners

C. with 1,024 passengers besides 700 prisoners

D. with only more than ten ships and some helpers

3.  What made Sydney famous?

A. Three things---the beautiful harbor, the Sydney Harbor Bridge and the Sydney Opera House.

B. Immigrants from Britain, the beautiful Harbor and ships.

C. Beautiful shops, modern restaurants and interesting old houses and seas.

D. The Sydney Opera House, interesting old houses and interesting restaurants.

4. The writer thinks Sydney          .

A. is like America         B. is very British

C. is neither British nor American but truly Australian

D. takes from Europe

假设你是李华，你班来自美国的交流学生Arthur患病住院已有三周，请你用英文给他写封信，主要内容包括：  

—询问病情，表示关切

—介绍班级近期活动、学习等情况

—表达祝愿

注意：1. 词数120左右；

      2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；

      3. 信的格式已给出，不计入总词数。

Dear Arthur,

    ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

                                                          Yours,

                                                           Lihua

The expression “keeping up with the Joneses” was first used in 1913 by a young American Arthur Momand. He told this story about himself: he began earning $125 a week at the age of 23. That was a lot of money in those days. Young Momand was very proud of his riches. He got married and moved with his wife to Long Island, outside New York City.
But just moving there was not enough. For when Momand and his wife saw that their neighbors belonged to a country club they too joined a club. And when he saw that rich people were expected to ride horses, Momand went horseback riding every day. Momand and his wife also hired a servant and gave grand parties for their new neighbors.
It was like a race, but one could never finish this race because one was always trying to keep up. Momand and his wife could not do that.
The race ended for them when they could no longer pay for their new way of life. They moved back to an inexpensive New York City apartment.
Momand later said that his experience had been a cruel awakening for him. However, he was able to see the funny side of it. He looked around him and noticed that many people do things just to keep up with their neighbors.
He decided that this would make good stories for many papers across the country. He called it “Keeping up with the Joneses”, because “Jones” is a very common American name. “Keeping up with the Joneses” came to mean keeping up with the people around you. Momand’s stories appeared in different newspapers for over 28 years.
People never seem to tire of keeping up with the Joneses. That is one reason why they read the “right” books, go to the “right” universities and eat in the “right” restaurants. But no matter what one does, Mr. Jones always seems to be ahead.
【小题1】The writer of this passage means to tell us ___________.