It is a hot summer day， and you feel thirsty. A friend gives you a glass of cold lemonade. How do you feel when you see the glass? Will you describe your feeling as happiness or as pleasure? I believe you will say it is a feeling of pleasure. There is a connection between these two kinds of feelings，and sometimes one causes the other， but they are not the same. Pleasure is more dependent on the five senses while happiness is independent of them.

When you are happy，unpleasant events usually do not disturb you. When you are unhappy，you feel as if everything is against you. You may compensate for it by eating chocolate and sweets because this gives you pleasure，yet you still stay unhappy. A person may smoke cigarettes because it gives him pleasure，yet this does not make him happier，especially if he knows the fact that it is not good for his health.

The physical world is always in a changing state. At each moment a new thing is being created，changed， transformed and then destroyed. This is the normal state of things and no one can change it. If we stay still in a certain state， we are sure to experience unhappiness sooner or later. On the other hand，if we adapt to the environment，nothing can influence our moods. Then outer events have nothing to do with our inner joy of mind.

The room of the mind is filled with worry or fear. If you are free of thinking about them，the room will be empty，and then you will see what is happening and experience it. When your mind stays quiet，you will see that happiness comes from the inside.

【小题1】What does the underlined phrase “compensate for”in Paragraph 2 most probably mean?

A．Making a suitable payment.

B．Dealing with.

C．Providing with a balancing effect.

D．Solving the problems.

【小题2】According to the passage，in which of the following situations can you feel happy?

A．A friend gives you a glass of cold lemonade when you feel thirsty.

B．You eat chocolate and sweets when you feel as if everything is against you.

C．Smoke cigarettes even though you know the fact that it is not good for your health.

D．You are free from worry or fear when your mind stays quiet.

【小题3】We can learn from the passage________.

A．happiness is more dependent on the five senses

B．pleasure sometimes arouses happiness

C．you feel happy when nothing around you stays still in a certain state

D．you feel unhappy because you have to adapt to the environment

【小题4】Which can be the best title for the passage?

A．Pleasure Leads to Happiness

B．Happiness Changes Us

C．Happiness Is Within Us

D．Stay a Quiet Mind

   In the United States alone,over 100 million cell-phones are thrown away each year.Cell-phones are part of a growing mountain of electronic waste like computers and personal digital assistants.The electronic waste stream is increasing three times taster than traditional garbage as a whole.

Electronic devices contain valuable metals such as gold and silver.A Swiss study reported that while the weight of electronic goods represented by precious metals was relatively small in comparison to total waste,the concentration（含量）of gold and other precious metals was higher in So-called e-waste than in naturally occurring minerals.

Electronic wastes also contain many poisonous metals.Even when the machines are recycled and the harmful metals removed,the recycling process often is carried out in poor countries,in practically uncontrolled ways which allow many poisonous substances to escape into the environment.

Creating products out of raw materials creates much more waste material,up to 100 times more,than the material contained in the finished products.Consider again the cell-phone,and imagine the mines that produced those metals,the factories needed to make the box and packaging（包装）it came in.Many wastes produced in the producing process are harmful as well.

The U.S Environmental Protection Agency notes that most waste is dangerous in that"the production, distribution,and use of products-as well as management of the resulting waste-all result in greenhouse gas release." Individuals can reduce their contribution by creating less waste at the start-for instance,buying reusable products and recycling.

In many countries the concept of extended producer responsibility is being considered or has been put in place as an incentive（动机）for reducing waste.If producers are required to take back packaging they use to sell their products,would they reduce the packaging in the first place?

Governments' incentive to require producers to take responsibility for the packaging they produce is usually based on money.Why,they ask,should cities or towns be responsible for paying to deal with the bubble wrap（气泡垫）that encased your television?

From the governments' point of view,a primary goal of laws requiring extended producer responsibility is to transfer both the costs and the physical responsibility of waste management from the government and tax-payers back to the producers.

【小题1】By mentioning the Swiss study,the author intends to tell us that .

A．the weight of e-goods is rather small

B．natural minerals contain more precious metals

C．E-waste deserves to be made good use of

D．the percentage of precious metals is heavy in e-waste

【小题2】The responsibility of c-waste treatment should be extended .

A．from producers to governments

B．from governments to producers

C．from individuals to distributors

D．from distributors to governments

【小题3】What docs the passage mainly talk about?

A．The increase in e-waste.	B．The creation of e-waste.
C．The seriousness of e-waste.	D．The management of e-waste.

   Across Britain, burnt toast will be served to mothers in bed this morning as older sons and daughters rush to deliver their supermarket bunches of flowers. But, according to a new study, we should be placing a higher value on motherhood all year.
Mothers have long known that their home workload was just as heavy as paid work. Now, the new study has shown that if they were paid for their parental labours, they would earn as much as $ 172,000 a year.
The study looked at the range of jobs mothers do, as well as the hours they are working, to determine the figure. This would make their yearly income $ 30,000 more than the Prime Minister earns.
By analysing the numbers, it found the average mother works 119 hours a week, 40 of which would usually be paid at a standard rate and 79 hours as overtime. After questioning 1,000 mothers with children under 18, it found that, on most days, mums started their routine work at 7am and finished at around 11pm.
To calculate just how much mothers would earn from that labour, it suggested some of the roles that mums could take on, including housekeeper, part-time lawyer, personal trainer and entertainer. Being a part-time lawyer, at £ 48.98 an hour, would prove to be the most profitable of the “mum jobs”, with psychologist (心理学家) a close second.
It also asked mothers about the challenges they face, with 80 percent making emotional demand as the hardest thing about motherhood.
Over a third of .mums felt they needed more training and around half said they missed going out with friends.
The study shows mothers matter all year long and not just on Mother’s Day. The emotional, physical and mental energy mothers devote to their, children can be never-ending, but children are also sources of great joy and happiness. Investing (投入) in time for parenting and raising relationships is money well spent.
【小题1】How much would a mother earn a year if working as the Prime Minister?

A．£ 30,000.	B．£ 142,000.
C．£ 172,000.	D．£ 202,000.

【小题2】The biggest challenge for most mothers is from .

A．emotional demand	B．low pay for work
C．heavy workload	D．lack of training

【小题3】What is stressed in the last paragraph?

A．Mothers’ importance shows in family all year long.

B．The sacrifices mothers make are huge but worthwhile.

C．Mothers’ devotion to children can hardly be calculated.

D．Investing time in parenting would bring a financial return.

【小题4】What can we conclude from the study?

A．Mothers，working hours should be largely reduced.

B．Mothers should balance their time for work and rest.

C．Mothers’ labour is of a higher value than it is realised.

D．Mothers should be freed from housework for social life.

   What’s your opinion on spicy food? Some people cannot handle even the smallest amount of chili peppers in their dinner while others can’t get enough of them.

Scientists have long been puzzled by why some people love the chili while others loathe it. Plenty of research has been done on the subject, dating as far back as the 1970s. Previous results showed that a love of chilies is related to childhood experiences, and that cultural influences affect our taste too. But the latest study has found that a person’s love of spicy food may be linked to his or her personality (性格) more than anything else, CBC News reported.

“We have always assumed that liking drives intake — we eat what we like and we like what we eat. But no one has actually directly bothered to connect personality with intake of chili peppers,” said Professor John E. Hayes from Pennsylvania State University, who led the study.

But before you look at the study, you should first know that “spicy” is not a taste, unlike sour, sweet, bitter and salty taste. It is, in fact, a burning feeling that you feel on the surface of your tongue. This got scientists thinking that maybe a love of spicy food is brought about by people’s longing for thrill, something they usually get from watching action movies or riding a roller coaster.

In the study, 97 participants, both male and female, were asked to fill out questionnaires about their personality, for example, whether they like new experiences or tend to avoid risks. They were then given a glass of water with capsaicin (辣椒素), the plant chemical that makes a chili burn, mixed into it.

By comparing the answers to the questionnaire and what participants said they felt about the spicy water, researchers found that those who tended to enjoy action movies or take risks were about six times more likely to enjoy the spicy water.

Interestingly, we used to believe that the reason why some people can withstand (耐受) spicy food is that their tongues have become less sensitive to it. However, this latest study has found otherwise. “It’s not that it doesn’t burn as badly, but that you actually learn to like the burning feeling,” Hayes explained.

【小题1】What’s the meaning of the underlined word “loathe” in the second paragraph?

A．Dislike.	B．Fear.
C．Put up with.	D．Adapt to.

【小题2】What did Professor John

A．Hayes and his team discover from their study?

B．What we eat actually helps to develop our personality.

C．Males are more likely to enjoy spicy food than females.

D．Those trying to avoid risks tend to be less interested in spicy food.

E．People are wrong to treat " spicy" as a kind of taste rather than a feeling.

【小题3】Why do some people like spicy food according to the recent study?

A．Because their taste has become less sensitive.

B．Because they love the burning feeling.

C．Because they want to challenge themselves.

D．Because the more they try spicy food, the less it burns.

【小题4】What’s the main idea of the passage?

A．What one likes to eat mainly depends on one’s personality.

B．Whether one enjoys spicy food depends largely on one’s personality.

C．One’s personal experiences have nothing to do with their taste.

D．Different people have different taste.

   Cellphones, tablets, and computers are keeping children and teenagers awake at night-even when they' re not in use, according to new research. A study published on Monday in JAMA Pediatrics says that media devices are causing kids to sleep less and reducing the quality of sleep that they get. This leads to trouble of staying awake the next day.

Researchers analyzed hundreds of studies of children and teens aged 6-19. The scientists found a strong and consistent association between the use of technology at bedtime and poor sleeping. The reason is not just that kids are staying up too late with their devices. Using a computer can overstimulate the mind and emotions, the researchers say. A smartphone or tablet also gives off a light that affects the body's natural timing. These factors contribute to poor quality sleep. And many kids could be at risk. According to the study,72% of all children and 89% of adolescents have at least one device in their sleep environment. Most of these devices are used near bedtime.

"The harmful association between screen-based devices and kids' sleep is a major public health concern," the study concludes. In their conclusion, the researchers urge parents to understand the damaging influence of device use before sleep.

【小题1】What do the researchers disagree with?

A．Children even in dreams can be influenced by media devices.

B．Most adolescents like to play media devices before sleep.

C．Using media devices on bed makes kids sleep difficultly.

D．Using media devices can not excite the mind and emotions.

【小题2】How does a smartphone affect a child's sleep?

A．By making noises.

B．By giving off a light.

C．By attracting a kid's attention.

D．By sending out electronic waves.

【小题3】What can we learn from the second paragraph?

A．Media devices anytime put kids in danger.

B．Adolescents are more easily affected than children by phones.

C．Using technology at bedtime causes poor sleeping.

D．Media devices affect kid's performance at school.

【小题4】Whom does this article most probably writes to？

A．Scientists.	B．Parents.
C．Children.	D．Producers.