Comfort is comforting, but it might narrow our experience at work — and beyond.
In our modern world, discomfort is considered a terrible thing. If not terrible, it’s at least a thing of the past. Dishwashers, washing machines, computers, remote controls—yes, they add convenience, but also a level of comfort our forefathers did not enjoy.
As pain of any kind discourages happiness, we tend to reason anything that prevents us to feel good must be bad. And that’s also particularly true for our careers. Success makes us feel great, not terrible. Such a view, however, is a matter of personal opinion. And it may blind us to hidden opportunities.
Artists throughout history have tried to experience suffering, instinctively(本能地) if not consciously(有意识地), to produce works that explore the darker hidden sides of the human condition. This was done, in part, because pain is a reality of life for everybody in some form at some time. Pain is something everybody can relate to. And pain makes a person very real. For such artists, to deny pain would be to block the creative thinking, which drives them to explore and express. In fact, Germans have a term(术语) for this, “Weltschmerz”, which means “suffering from the world.” Writers, from Lord Byron to Kurt Vonnegut, have used the term to describe the psychological pain along life’s roller-coaster journey. It was not to be avoided; it was to be understood and employed.
So I believe that discomfort is good for us. Or, put another way, it tells us that something needs to be attended to. It develops us by forcing us to view our circumstances(环境) through a wholly different view. Because we’re attracted by safety and security, we do our best to create pleasant comfort zones for ourselves and our loved ones through the cars we drive, the houses we live in, and the places we work. But by resisting discomfort, we deny ourselves an important opportunity: the chance to shake ourselves out of our predictable perspectives(视角) and allow ourselves to make knowledgeable observations that we could not possibly have made before. Discomfort gives us fresh eyes.
【小题1】Which of the following is NOT a reason why artists throughout history have been exploring sufferings?

A．Pain is a mirror that can reflect the life of everybody.

B．Pain is something that no one can escape from.

C．Pain can strengthen the feeling of existence of a person.

D．Pain can help them to avoid the creative thinking.

【小题2】The term “Weltschmerz” couldn’t be used to describe something like __________.

A．social inequality

B．great achievements

C．racial discrimination(歧视)

D．mass killings

【小题3】The author believes that by challenging discomfort, one may _________.

A．lose an important chance to make a big fortune

B．feel upset and fail to think calmly

C．control the situation properly when things go wrong

D．judge and think about the world in a new particular way

【小题4】By writing this passage, the author tries to __________.

A．explain why discomfort is good for us

B．criticize(批评) a world full of comfort

C．persuade people to lead a life full of discomfort

D．blame those who enjoy an easy life

   From the modern London Eye to the historic Tower of London, below are London's most visited tourist attractions. Many of London's top attractions are free, making them affordable places to learn about some culture. Whether you prefer history or modern art, you'll find it at one of these must-visit spots.
British Museum
The world-famous British Museum exhibits the works of man from prehistoric to modern times, from around the world. The most interesting and exciting parts include the Rosetta Stone, the Parthenon sculptures (雕塑) and the mummies in the Ancient Egypt collection. Some exhibitions require tickets.
National Gallery
The greatest and most beautiful building of Trafalgar Square, London's National Gallery is a vast space filled with Western European paintings from the 13th to the 19th centuries. In this impressive art gallery you can find works by masters such as Van Gogh, da Vinci, Botticelli, Constable, Renoir, Titian and Stubbs. Some exhibitions require tickets.
Tate Modern
Sitting on the banks of the Thames is the Tate Modern, Britain's national museum of modern and contemporary (当代的) art. Its unique shape is due to it being a power station before. The gallery's restaurants offer wonderful views across the city. Some exhibitions require tickets.
Coca-Cola London Eye
The Coca-Cola London Eye is a major feature of London's skyline. It has some of London's best views from its 32 capsules, each weighing 10 tonnes and holding up to 25 people. Climb aboard for a breathtaking experience, with an unforgettable view of more than 55 of London's most famous landmarks — all in just 30 minutes!
Madame Tussauds
At Madame Tussauds, you'll come face-to-face with some of the world's most famous faces. From Shakespeare to Lady Gaga you'll meet influential figures from show business, sport, politics and even royalty. Strike a pose with Usain Bolt, get close to One Direction or receive a once-in-a-lifetime audience with Her Majesty the Queen.
【小题1】What do the British Museum and the National Gallery have in common?

A．Both have chargeable exhibitions.

B．Both are on the banks of the Thames.

C．Both have vast spaces and special shapes.

D．Both exhibit modern and contemporary art.

【小题2】If visitors want to get a better view of London's famous landmarks, they should visit _____.

A．the Tate Modern

B．the British Museum

C．the National Gallery

D．the Coca-Cola London Eye

【小题3】In Madame Tussauds, visitors can _____.

A．enjoy Shakespeare's works

B．talk to some famous people

C．watch Lady Gaga's performance

D．see figures of many influential people

   Some authors have made some predictions (预测) about what our modern life could become. Here are four books that, somehow, managed to predict the future.

They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?

This novel was published in 1935. It’s about a dance marathon competition. Competitors who last the longest can get prize money. It’s just like reality TV shows. In reality shows, people voluntarily do things that are physically and mentally tiring or embarrassing.

Neuromancer

William Gibson’s 1984 novel, Neuromancer, not only gave birth to the cyberpunk genre, but it also predicted cyberspace (网络空间) and the Internet. In 1984, there was already a network, but only several universities used it. Gibson predicted the rise of technological addiction and people’s need to be online.

Earth

In 1990, Brin published the novel where the story takes place in the year 2038. A black hole has fallen into the Earth’s core. Scientists have a year to fix it, or the earth may be destroyed. And Brin correctly predicted the World Wide Web (Web) that was invented a year after the book was published. In Earth, the characters don’t think they would find any Earth-like planets. In reality, we have found several Earth-like planets.

Childhood’s End

Childhood’s End is about an invasion (入侵) of Earth by aliens called the Overlords. They help advance human technology. One of those technologies they introduce is a type of virtual reality that is like a movie. The author also predicted that in the early 2000s, people might watch TV for three hours a day.

【小题1】Which of the following books predicts a new kind of TV shows?

A．They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?	B．Childhood’s End
C．Neuromancer	D．Earth

【小题2】What was predicted by Neuromancer?

A．A special way of communication.	B．People’s eagerness for new things.
C．People’s need for the Internet.	D．The invention of the computer.

【小题3】What do we know about the novel Earth?

A．It is about the exploration of the Earth-like planets.

B．One opinion of its characters has been proven wrong.

C．Only it made predictions about aliens.

D．It was written after the Web was invented.

   The writer Margaret Mitchell, who wrote under the name Peggy Mitchell is best known for writing Gone with the Wind, first published in 1936.Her book and the movie based on it, tell a story of love and survival during the American Civil War. Visitors to the Margaret Mitchell House in Atlanta, Georgia, can go where she lived when she started writing the story and learn more about her life.

Our first stop at the Margaret Mitchell House is an exhibit area telling about the writer's life. She was born in Atlanta in 1900.She started writing stories when she was a child. She once worked as a reporter for The Atlanta Journal newspaper. One photograph of Ms. Mitchell shows her talking to a group of young college boys. She was only about one and a half meters tall. The young men towered over her, but she seemed very happy and sure of herself. The tour guide explains, "Now in this picture Peggy is interviewing some boys from Georgia Tech, asking them such questions as 'Would you really marry a woman who works？' And today it'd be ‘Would you marry one who doesn't work？’"

The Margaret Mitchell House is a building that once contained several apartments. Now we enter the first floor apartment where Ms. Mitchell lived with her husband, John Marsh. They made fun of the small apartment by calling it "The Dump".

Around 1926, Margaret Mitchell stopped working as a reporter and was at home healing after an injury. Her husband brought her books to read from the library. She read so many books that he bought her a typewriter and said it was time for her to write her own book. Our guide says Gone with the Wind became a huge success. Margaret Mitchell received the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for the book. In 1939 the film version was released. It won ten Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

【小题1】The book Gone with the Wind was ________.

A．first published in a newspaper

B．awarded ten Academy Awards

C．written in "The Dump"

D．adapted from a movie

【小题2】Which of the following can replace "towered over" underlined in Paragraph 2?

A．Were very pleased with.

B．Showed great respect for.

C．Were much taller than.

D．Showed little interest in.

【小题3】Why did Ms. Mitchell stop working as a reporter according to the passage?

A．Because she got an award for her book.

B．Because she was injured then.

C．Because her husband didn't like it.

D．Because she wanted to write books.

【小题4】Which is the best title for the passage?

A．Gone with the Wind: A Huge Success

B．Margaret Mitchell: A Great Female Writer

C．An Introduction of the Margaret Mitchell House

D．A Trip to Know Margaret Mitchell

   Tang Dynasty poets sang for about three centuries in different tones. There were many famous poets living in the Tang period such as Li Bai, Du Fu, Bai Juyi and Li Shangyin. Quan Tangshi edited in the Qing Dynasty is a collection of about 48, 900 poems that were written by over 2, 200 poets. But it doesn't cover all the poems of the Tang Dynasty.

During the Tang Dynasty, poems were recited when lovers walked under the moonlight. Poems were also recited when soldiers fought on the battlefield. People recited them in the open air or at temple fairs.

In the Tang Dynasty scholars（学者）had to be poets. Their readers were not only people of high social position but also common people. Poets recited poems；women singers sang poems and other ranks of people, including old women and children, read Tang poems. This atmosphere affected foreigners who visited the country at that time. As a result, Tang poetry was introduced to some adjacent countries, like Japan and Vietnam.

Tang poetry is a most brilliant page in the history of ancient Chinese literature. It's a miracle（奇迹）in the cultural history of mankind. The Tang Dynasty was a powerful empire with a vast territory. It inherited（继承）Chinese civilization that went back to ancient times, and was combined with the best of other cultures and adopted the benefits of other nations in the world. Tang poetry wasn’t the only spiritual wealth created by people of the Tang Dynasty. Philosophy, handwriting, painting, music and dance all gained new peaks of development. Tang poetry, however, was the jewel in the crown and the greatest achievement in the Tang Dynasty.

【小题1】It can be learned from Paragraph 1 that ________.

A．there were more than 48, 900 poems written in the Tang Dynasty

B．in total there were four famous poets in the Tang Dynasty

C．only people of the Tang Dynasty created poems

D．in the Tang Dynasty most common people were poets

【小题2】The underlined word "adjacent" in Paragraph 3 probably means ________.

A．neighboring	B．strong
C．poor	D．western

【小题3】What does the author really want to tell us in Paragraph 3?

A．In the Tang Dynasty all poets were scholars.

B．In the Tang Dynasty poems were quite popular.

C．Many foreigners came to the east during the Tang Dynasty.

D．In the Tang Dynasty many poems were sung by women singers.

【小题4】What can we know from Paragraph 4？

A．The reasons for the poets to create poems in the Tang Dynasty.

B．Tang poetry, the greatest spiritual wealth in ancient China.

C．The significance and influence of Tang poetry.

D．The editors of Tang poetry in the Qing Dynasty.