Only in that way ______ ready for the challenges and opportunities in life.

Only in that way _______ ready for the challenges and opportunities in life.

Do you want to live with a strong sense of peacefulness, happiness, goodness, and self-respect ? The collection of happiness actions broadly categorized (分类) 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 thanks 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 actions．Honorable thoughts 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.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

3.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

In July 1994 Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, was struck by 21 pieces of a comet（彗星）. When the fragment（碎片）landed in the southern part of the giant planet, the explosions were watched by scientists here on earth. But what if our own planet was hit by a comet?

       The year is 2094. It has been announced that a comet is heading towards the Earth. Most of it will miss our planet, but two fragments will probably hit the southern part of the Earth. The news has caused panic.

       On 17 July, a fragment four kilometers wide enters the Earth’s atmosphere with a huge explosion. About half of the fragment is destroyed. But the major part survives and hits the South Atlantic at 200 times the speed of sound. The sea boils and an enormous wave is created and spreads. The wall of water rushes towards southern Africa at 800 kilometers an hour. Cities on the African coast are totally destroyed and millions of people are drowned. The wave moves into the Indian Ocean and heads towards Asia.

       Millions of people are already dead in the southern part of the Earth, but the north won’t escape for long. Tons of broken pieces are thrown into the atmosphere by the explosions. As the sun is hidden by clouds of dust, temperatures around the world fall to almost zero. Crops are ruined. Wars break out as countries fight for food. A year later civilization has collapsed. No more than 10 million people have survived.

       Could it really happen? In fact, it has already happened more than once in the history of the Earth. The dinosaurs（恐龙）were on the Earth for over 160 million years. Then 65 million years ago they suddenly disappeared. Many scientists believe that the Earth was hit by a space fragment. The dinosaurs couldn’t survive in the cold climate that followed and they became extinct. Will we meet the same end?

1. Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the author’s description of the disaster in 2094?

The whole mankind becomes extinct.

All the coastal cities in African are destroyed.

The whole world becomes extremely cold.

The visit of the comet results in wars.

2.Why does the author mention dinosaurs at the end of the passage?

A. Because they could only live in the warm climate.

B. Because they once dominated the Earth.

C. Because dinosaurs and humans never live in the same age.

D. Because their extinction indicates future disasters

3. In writing the passage, the author intends to __________.

A. give an accurate description of the possible disaster in the future

B. warn of a possible disaster in the future

C. tell the historical development of the Earth

D. prove that humans will sooner or later be destroyed

4.It can be concluded that the passage is most probably part of a(n) __________.

A. horror story                                                      B. news report

C. article of popular science                                     D. research paper

A popular saying goes, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” However, that’s not really true. Words have the power to build us up or tear us down. It doesn’t matter if the words come from someone’s else or ourselves --- the positive and negative effects are just as lasting.

We all talk to ourselves sometimes. We’re usually too embarrassed to admit it, though. In fact, we really shouldn’t be because more and more experts believe talking to ourselves out loud is a healthy habit.

This “self-talk” helps us motivate ourselves, remember things, solve problems, and calm ourselves down. Be aware, though, that as much as 77% of self-talk tends to be negative. So in order to stay positive, we should only speak words of encouragement to ourselves. We should also be quick to give ourselves a pat on the back. The next time you finish a project, do well in a test, or finally clean your room, join me in saying “Good job!”

Often, words come out of our mouths without us thinking about the effect they will have. But we should be aware that our words cause certain responses in others. For example, when returning an item to a store, we might use warm, friendly language during the exchange. And the clear will probably respond in a similar manner. Or harsh and critical language will most likely cause the clerk to be defensive.

Words possess power because of their lasting effect. Many of us regret something we once said. And we remember unkind words said to us! Before speaking, we should always ask ourselves: Is it loving? Is it needed? If what we want to say doesn’t pass this test, then it’s better left unsaid.

Words possess power: both positive and negative. Those around us receive encouragement when we speak positively. We can offer hope, build self-esteem and motivate others to do their best. Negative words destroy all those things. Will we use our words to hurt or to heal? The choice is ours.

1.The main idea of the first paragraph is that ________.

    A．words have a lasting effect on us

    B．inspiring words give us confidence

    C．negative words may let us down

    D．not sticks and stones but words will hurt us

2.There is no sense for us to feel embarrassed when we talk to ourselves because _______.

    A．almost everybody has the habit of talking to themselves

    B．talking to ourselves always gives us courage

    C．we can benefit from talking to ourselves

    D．it does no harm to have “self-talk” when we are alone

3.The underlined part in the third paragraph means that we should also timely _______.

    A．remind ourselves                 B．praise ourselves

    C．make ourselves relaxed           D．give ourselves amusement

4.The author would probably hold the view that ___________.

    A．encouraging words are sure to lead to kind offers

    B．negative words may stimulate us to make more progress

    C．people tend to remember friendly words

    D．it is better to think twice before talking to others