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.
Second–hand Bookshops
Bookworm This shop has second-hand books for all tastes, but customers will have to visit in person and look around as Bookworm doesn't have a website. The best books here are about medicine and traveling. Opening times: 8:30 am ~ 4:30 pm. |
Westwood's There's no space to sit down in this tiny back street bookshop, and the owner is often too busy to talk. On the first floor are children's books. And on the second floor are books for adults. Books can be ordered from the shop's website. Opening times: 8:00 am ~ 5:00 pm. |
Holt Although the books here are a little expensive, the fun of Holt is its lively atmosphere (氛围). It's in an old railway station, where customers can enjoy afternoon tea and cakes in the waiting room. No online service is available. Opening times: 9:00 am ~ 3:30 pm. |
Scrimshaw's Scrimshaw's has many books showing the works of great painters. Most of them are in excellent condition. Scrimshaw's has comfortable sofas and freshly made coffee. And a large number of school textbooks are on sale every October. Scrimshaw's also has online ordering service. Opening times: 9:30 am~6:30 pm. |
Sometimes it can be very difficult to predict(预测) the result of your exams, whether you are in a secondary school or even a university. This is probably because exams are one of the most anxious things in education for students. Whether a student is confident in their abilities or not,exams can be often both predictable(可预测的) and unpredictable. If the worst does happen, failing the exams can be one of the most disappointed experiences for students, especially when they were not expecting to fail their exams.
One way to deal with exam failure is to talk to people. Talk to your family, talk to your friends, discuss with them what you can do to get good grades. One thing you must remember is that failing your exams is not the end of the world. Exam failure is one of the many difficulties you'll have to overcome(克服) in your life, and there are always possibilities to learn from failure. After all, I' m sure most of you have heard of a famous saying, "Failure makes you stronger". Actually, it is really true. It gives you an understanding of what it means to fail, to lose, to receive a negative result that you may not have expected to get. In addition, from failure, you can learn why you fail. Then, next time, you can avoid this mistake, and can get better grades.
Information Card
The students' most anxious thing | {#blank#}1{#/blank#} |
The students' most disappointed experience | {#blank#}2{#/blank#} |
One way to deal with exam failure | {#blank#}3{#/blank#} |
A famous saying about failure | {#blank#}4{#/blank#} |
The thing you can learn from failure | {#blank#}5{#/blank#} |
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