A newly-published study has shown that loneliness can spread from one person to another，like a disease. Researchers used information from the Framingham Heart Study，which began in 1948. The Framingham Heart Study gathers information about physical and mental health，personal behavior and diet. At first，the study involved（使参加）about 5,000 people in the American state of Massachusetts. Now more than 12,000 individuals（个人）are taking part.

Information from the Framingham Heart Study showed earlier that happiness can spread from person to person. So can behavior like littering and the ability to stop smoking.

Psychologist John Cacioppo，at the University of Chicago，led the recent study. He and other researchers tried to show how often people felt lonely. They found that the feeling of loneliness spread through social groups.

Having a social connection with a lonely person increased the chances that another individual would feel lonely. In fact，a friend of a lonely person was 52% more likely to develop feelings of loneliness. A friend of that person was 25%more likely. The researchers said this shows that a person could indirectly be affected by someone’s loneliness.

The effect was the strongest among friends. Neighbors were the second most affected group. The effect was weaker on husbands and wives，and brothers and sisters. The researchers also found that loneliness spread more easily among women than men.

The New York Times newspaper reported that，on average，people experience feelings of loneliness about 48 days a year. It also found that every additional（额外的）friend can decrease loneliness by about five percent，or two and a half fewer lonely days.

Loneliness has been linked to health problems like depression（抑郁症）and sleeping difficulties. The researchers believe that knowing the causes of loneliness could help reduce it.

The study suggested that people can take steps to stop the spread of loneliness. They can do this by helping individuals they know who may be experiencing loneliness. The result can be helpful to the whole social group.

【小题1】As for the Framingham Heart Study we can learn that __________.

A．it was only conducted in 1948	B．it involves more than 12, 000 people
C．it was founded by John Cacioppo	D．it showed that any behavior could spread

【小题2】From the passage, we can learn that __________.

A．the behavior of littering doesn’t spread

B．a lonely person won’t have friends

C．everyone may be affected by others’ loneliness

D．lonely people don’t know the causes of their loneliness

【小题3】Which statement about the spread of loneliness is TRUE?

A．The spreading effect is the second strongest among friends.

B．No spreading effect is found on husbands and wives.

C．Women are more likely to be affected than men.

D．Brothers are more easily to be affected than neighbors.

【小题4】What is the main idea of the passage？

A．Action should be taken to help lonely people.	B．People feel lonely for many reasons.
C．Ways to fight against loneliness.	D．Lonely people can affect others.

The associates I hired in my bicycle and lawn mower shop like myself were never perfect; however, they were excellent. Working with them as they improved taught me new ways to show forgiveness, understanding, and patience.
One day the placement officer asked me to interview a young man who was having trouble finding a job. He told me that David was a little shy, did not talk much and was afraid to go on with interviews. He requested that I give David an interview just for practice. He plainly told David that I had no positions open at the time and the interview was just for practice.
When David came in for the interview, he hardly said a word. I told him what we did at the bicycle shop and showed him around. I told David to keep showing up because the number one thing an employer wanted in an associate was dependability.
David was very quiet (he was evaluated as a slow learner in school). Every ten days or so, for weeks after the interview, David walked into the bicycle shop and stood by the front door. He never said a word, just stood by the door.
One day, shortly before Christmas, a large truck came to the shop, packed with 250 new bicycles. It had to be unloaded right away or the driver would leave.
It was raining. Some of my workers (without physical limitations) chose not to brave the weather to get into work, so I was short­handed. It seemed everything was going wrong and on top of it, David came in the front door and just stood there. I looked at him and shouted, “Well, all right! Fill out a time card and help me unload this truck！”
David worked for my bicycle shop for eighteen years. He came to work every day thirty minutes early. He could talk; however, he rarely chose to. He drove my truck and made deliveries. The customers would praise David, saying, “He doesn't talk, but he really shows you how to operate a lawn mower！”
【小题1】The author gave David an interview to ________.

A．give him some practice

B．show sympathy for him

C．find a person who is reliable

D．find a part­time worker in need

【小题2】The author finally hired David because ________.

A．He realized David was dependable

B．there were no other workers in the shop then

C．he needed someone who was willing to work then

D．David kept showing up

【小题3】We can infer from the last paragraph that ________.

A．the author prefers David to be more outgoing

B．the author feels lucky to hire David

C．David has had his character changed through work

D．some customers just play jokes on David

So many of us hold on to little complaints that may have come from an argument ，a misunderstanding，the way we were raised，or some other painful events. Stubbornly，we wait for someone else to reach out to us — believing this is the only way we can forgive orrekindlea friendship or family relationship.
A friend of mine，recently told me that she hadn't spoken to her son in almost three years. She said that she and her son had had a disagreement about his wife and that she wouldn't speak to him again unless he called first. When I suggested that she be the one to reach out，she said，“ I can't do that. He’s the one who should apologize. ” After a little gentle encouragement，however，she did de­cide to be the first one to reach out. To her amazement，her son was grateful for her willingness to call and offered an apology of his own. As is usually the case，when someone takes the chance and rea­ches out，everyone wins.
Whenever we hold on to our anger, we turn“ small stuff”问题）”into  really“ big stuff” in our minds. We start to believe that our positions are more important than our happiness. They are not. If you want to be a more peaceful person you must understand that being right is almost never more important than allowing yourself to be happy. The way to be happy is to let go，and reach out. Let other people be right. This doesn't mean that you're wrong. Everything will be fine. You'll experience the peace of letting go，as well as the joy of letting others be right.
You'11 also notice that，as you reach out and let others be “right”，they will become less defen­sive and more loving toward you. They might even reach back. But，if for some reason they don't， that's okay too. You '11 have the inner satisfaction of knowing that you have done your part to create a more loving world，and certainly you'11 be more peaceful yourself.
【小题1】The underlined word “ rekindle” in Paragraph 1 probably means “    ”.

A．recover	B．develop
C．accept	D．replace

【小题2】In the author's opinion, we hold on to our anger often because we think  .

A．we can turn small issues into big ones

B．our positions are higher than others

C．our own opinions matter most

D．others will be less defensive

【小题3】The best thing to do after a quarrel is to .

A．let go of our own rights

B．realize that you are wrong.

C．expect others to give in

D．apologize to others first.

【小题4】What is the main idea of the passage?

A．People should keep peaceful when facing small stuff.

B．Reaching out and apologizing wins one peace and happiness.

C．We should tell apart small and big stuff in our daily life.

D．It's necessary to enjoy our friendship and family relationship.

   “Are you happy？”I asked my brother，Ian，one day.

“Yes. No. It depends on what you mean，”he said.

“Then tell me，”I said，“when was the last time you think you were happy？”

“April，1967，”he said.

It served me right for putting a serious question to someone who has joked his way through life. But Ian’s answer reminded me that when we think about happiness，we usually think of something extraordinary，a pinnacle（顶点）of delight. And those pinnacles seem to get rarer as we get older.

For a child，happiness is simple，such as playing with friends. In the teenage years，the concept of happiness changes. Suddenly it’s conditional on such things as excitement，love and popularity. For adults，happiness is complicated—love，marriage，responsibility and the risk of loss.

My dictionary defines happiness as“luck”or“fortune”，but I think a better definition of happiness is“the capacity（能力）for enjoyment”. The more we can enjoy what we have，the happier we are. It’s easy to overlook the pleasure we get from loving and being loved，the company of friends，the freedom to live where we please，and even good health.

I added up my little moments of pleasure yesterday. First I had my breakfast and enjoyed myself in the house. Then I spent an uninterrupted morning writing，which I love. When the kids came home，I enjoyed their noise after the quiet of the day.

You never know where happiness will turn up next. When I asked friends what makes them happy，some mentioned seemingly unimportant moments.“I hate shopping，”one friend said.“But there’s a shop assistant who always chats and really cheers me up.”Another friend loves the telephone.“Every time it rings，I know someone is thinking about me.”We all experience moments like these. Too few of us think of them as happiness.

Happiness isn’t about what happens to us；it’s about how we think of what happens to us. It’s not wishing for what we don’t have， but enjoying what we do have.

【小题1】It is widely thought that as one grows older，getting happiness seems to be________.

A．out of the question

B．quite easy

C．a romantic dream

D．more and more difficult

【小题2】The writer feels it is a pity that we sometimes________.

A．don’t have our own houses to live in

B．ignore the happiness that we have

C．don’t know how to get happiness

D．don’t notice others can cheer us up

【小题3】The writer thinks the key to happiness lies in________.

A．getting something extraordinary

B．being able to enjoy what we have

C．living a simple life

D．pursuing things we don’t have

【小题4】What’s the best title for the passage?

A．My Happiness	B．Are You Happy?
C．What Is Happiness?	D．Do What You Like