题型：阅读选择 题类： 难易度：普通
北京市顺义区2024年中考一模英语试题
When Helen Keller was nineteen months old, a brief illness made her both deaf and blind. With such limitations, how could Keller ever be expected to find happiness?
Because happiness has been considered a personal concept, it is difficult to define（定义）. Many people throughout history have tried. Greek scientist and philosopher Aristotle wrote, "Happiness depends upon ourselves," which is not a definition but an observation that individuals are responsible for their own happiness. Roman statesman and philosopher Lucius Seneca wrote of a particular quality of happiness, saying, "True happiness is to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future."
Is there a scientific basis（基础）for happiness? Researcher suggests happiness is a matter of perspective: "Truly happy individuals construe life events and daily situations in ways that seem to maintain their happiness, while unhappy individuals construe（理解）experiences in ways that seem to reinforce unhappiness". Basically, this means the way you choose to remember events and situations affects your happiness.
Some research concludes happiness is made up of three parts: pleasure, engagement and meaning. Pleasure involves things that give physical and emotional joy, such as playing a sport or seeing beautiful art. Engagement involves positive interactions（互动）with other people, such as studying or working with people whose company you enjoy. Meaning relates to feeling that your work is useful and important to others.
Even with scientific rationalization（合理化）, questions remain. For example, are younger people happier than older people? In fact, the opposite seems to be true. This may be because younger people tend to experience higher levels of negative emotions, such as anxiety and anger. The young also have less control over their lives because they lack both independence and the ability to make many of their own decisions.
Perhaps the most important question is whether you can change how happy you are. Studies of identical twins suggest that genetics forms about half of your happiness level. Your quality of life influences about 10 percent of your happiness. That means about 40 percent of your happiness is determined by your choices and actions.
From this explanation we can see that one way you can make yourself happier is to set goals. Keller had a definition of happiness in keeping with this idea. She felt happiness did not come from simply trying to satisfy your own desires but rather by contributing your time and skills to improve the world in some way.
Even if you are unable to achieve a goal that makes the world better in some small way, simply trying will likely give your life meaning and, at the same time, happiness.
Face the Stress
Have you had a headache during a test? Have you ever been so worried about something that you have a headache or even can't sleep at night? If so, then you know what stress is. Stress is what you feel when you are worried about something. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}You may feel angry, sad, scared, or afraid—all of which give you a stomachache or a headache.
{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Some kinds of stress are beneficial and others are not. Good stress might happen when you're called to answer questions in class or when you have to give a speech. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} For example, you may do a better job in your test if the stress pushes you to prepare better before the test.
On the other hand, bad stress can happen if the stress lasts too long. You may not feel well if your parents are fighting, if a family member is sick, if you're having problems at school, or if anything else makes you unhappy every day. That kind of stress isn't going to help you. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}
{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Make sure you keep yourself in mind: Sleep, exercise, leisure, and food. If you get enough sleep and eat healthily, and if you exercise and leave and leave time for fun, you'll probably feel less stressed.
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A. This worry in your mind can make your body feel bad. B. However, there are different kinds of stress. C. This kind of stress can help you to get things better done. D. And it can actually make you sick. E. The best way to face the stress is to have a balanced life. |
Many people often meet such a difficult situation. It's that they don't know the way in new places, and they are too shy to ask people the way.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}
First, we must know some useful expressions, such as "Could you please. . . " "Excuse me" and "Thanks a lot". For example, when we want to ask a stranger the way, we should say "Excuse me" first. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}"Could you please. . . " is often used while asking for the direction. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}It's also polite to shake hands with the strangers.
Second, we often need to take some useful things with us. They usually include pens, special maps. phones and so on. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}We can write down the keywords about the place and then we can show them to the strangers who we want to ask for help. Of course, the phones can help us find our correct way. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Then we can show the pictures about it to the strangers when asking for directions.
A. Sometimes a pen can help us get to the right place. B. In the USA. people also use it in many different situations. C. Here are some tips on how to ask somebody the way politely. D. After we know how to get to the place, we should say "Thanks" to others. E. Before we go to a strange place, we can download some pictures about it. F. It might seem more difficult to speak politely than directly. |
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