____ a few things you’d like for Christmas and I will go shopping now.

Years ago, a cigarette commercial asked if you were smoking more, but enjoying it less. That describes the way many of us live today. We are doing more, but enjoying it less. And when that doesn’t work, we compound the problem. In our frantic search for satisfaction, we try stuffing still more into our days, never realizing that we are taking the wrong approach.

The truth is simple; so simple it is hard to believe. Satisfaction lies with less, not with more. Yet, we pursue the myth that this thing, or that activity, will somehow provide the satisfaction we so desperately seek.

Arthur Lindman, in his devastating book, “The Harried Leisure Class,” described the futility of pursuing more. His research focused on what people did with their leisure time. He found that as income rose, people bought more things to occupy their leisure time. But, ironically, the more things they bought, the less they valued any one of them. Carried to an extreme, he predicted massive boredom in the midst of tremendous variety. That was more than twenty years ago, and his prediction seems more accurate every year.

Lindman, of course, is not the first to discover this. The writer of Ecclesiastes expressed the same thought thousands of years ago. It is better, he wrote, to have less, but enjoy it more.

If you would like to enjoy life more, I challenge you to experiment with me. How could you simplify your life? What could you drop? What could you do without? What could you stop pursuing? What few things could you concentrate on?

The more I learn, the more I realize that fullness of life does not depend on things. The more I give up, the more I seem to gain. But words will never convince you. You must try it for yourself.

Arthur Lindman predicted twenty years ago that ______.

A. more things brought more value   B. the more people had, the less they valued them

C. people didn’t like to pursue more   D. massive boredom came from less variety

What does the article suggest to make our life happier?

A. To enjoy more things.             B. To buy more things.

C. To sell things we do not need.       D. To get rid of useless things.

The passage is probably written to ___________.

A. introduce Arthur Lindman and his book       B. tell the readers what is satisfaction

C. introduce how to simplify people’s life         D. persuade people to simplify their life

       认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容回答问题。

       American pilot Frank Webb first flew a glider at the age of 14, made his first flight alone on his．16th birthday and got his commercial pilot's licensee （执照）on his 18th birthday．

       After serving in the US Navy for 20 years, being a Boeing flight instructor, and working with Alaska Airlines for more than three years, Webb signed a contract with Shenzhen Airlines last May to captain domestic routes in China．As an experienced pilot, he still feels the same nervousness as he felt on his first fight.

       Captain Webb said that the "Sept．11" incident did not have a direct influence on his decision to move to China to work．"Safety is in fact tighter in the United States and I am not worried about a terrorist attack," he said．"The main reason I came to China was that my children will have a chance to see the world and experience international living．"

       Webb has not experienced any in-flight emergencies（紧急情况） during his term in China although he said the weather here was generally more changeable than in the United States．"The weather changes tend to be great from north to south．We may be flying in a snow storm in Harbin, and then later that same day we may be flying through a tropical rain shower approaching Shenzhen," Webb said．

       While Webb had more flexibility（灵活性） to deal with the weather in the United States, he said air traffic control in China was more strict and allowed fewer deviations（偏离）．

       Speaking of planes often being late in China, Webb said that in America, being late was one of the few things that would get him in trouble．"In China, on the other hand, it seems there are many things that can get you in trouble with the boss, but being late is not one of them．" Webb does everything in his power to keep his flights on schedule．

       "They provide really excellent service during flights．Western flight attendants just serve passengers．But the Chinese attendants will also check on the crew to see if we need anything," Webb said．

Why did Webb sign a contract with Shenzhen Airlines? （no more than 20 words）

What is "glider " （in Paragraph 1）? （no more than 5 words）

What in the flight Webb met in China increased his difficulty? （no more than 5 words）

Is Webb's flight often late? Why? （no more than 20 words）

What can you learn from Webb's words in the last paragraph? （no more than 10 words）

Americans are proud of their variety- and individuality, yet they love and respect few things more than a uniform. whether it is the uniform of an elevator operator or the uniform of a five-star general. Why are uniforms so popular in the United States?

     Among the arguments for uniforms, one of the first is that in the eyes of most people they look more professional than civilian (百姓的) clothes. People have become conditioned to expect superior quality from a man who wears a uniform. The television repairman who wears uniform tends to inspire more trust than one who appears in civilian clothes. Faith in the skill of a garage mechanic is increased by a uniform. What easier way is there for a nurse, a policeman, a barber, or a waiter to lose professional identity (身份) than to step out of uniform ?

     Uniforms also have many practical benefits. They save on other clothes.  They save on laundry bills.  They are tax- deductible ( 可减税的). They are often more comfortable and more durable than civilian clothes.

     Primary among the arguments against uniforms is their lack of variety and the consequent loss of individuality experienced by people who must wear them. Though there are many types of uniforms, the wearer of any particular type is generally stuck with it, without change, until retirement. When people look alike, they tend to think, speak, and act similarly, on the job at least.

     Uniforms also give rise to some practical problems. Though they are long-lasting, often their initial expense is greater than the cost of civilian clothes. Some uniforms are also expensive to maintain, requiring professional dry cleaning rather than the home laundering possible with many types of civilian clothes.

【小题1】It is surprising that Americans who worship variety and individuality ___________.

A. still judge a man by his clothes     

B. hold the uniform in such high regard

    C. enjoy having a professional identity

    D. will respect an elevator operator as much as a general in uniform

【小题2】 The chief function of a uniform is to ___________.

    A. provide practical benefits to the wearer

    B. make the wearer catch the public eye

    C. inspire the wearer's confidence in himself

    D. provide the wearer with a professional identity

【小题3】 According to the passage, people wearing uniforms _____________.

    A. are usually helpful             B. have little or no individual freedom

    C. tend to lose their individuality   D. enjoy greater popularity

【小题4】The best title for this passage would be ____________.

    A. Uniforms and Society

      B. The Importance of Wearing a Uniform

      C. Practical Benefits of Wearing a Uniform

      D. Advantages and Disadvantages of Uniforms

Kate said “Hello” to Mr. Patel as she entered. She picked up a wire basket and walked towards the back of the store __1__ the rice was kept. The room was quite large and divided by three long aisles(过道), with rows of shelves full of __2__. Besides her and Patel there were only two boys in the store. They were both wearing __3__ overcoats. They looked rather __4__ because the overcoats were too big for them. “__5__”， she heard one of them whisper to __6__. She walked on to the next aisle and found the __7__ she was looking for. Then she heard something else. It __8__ like a box dropping on the floor. She looked through the small open space __9__ goods on the shelf and saw one of the boys picking up a box. But __10__ putting it in the basket, he dropped __11__ into the inside pocket of his overcoat. Kate looked back and __12__  see Mr Patel at the door checking through a list. Then she looked through the __13__ in the shelf again. The boys still had their backs to her. They were putting something __14__ into their inside pockets and then one of them said, “Let's get out of here.” They moved away from her.

When she got to the door the two boys were __15__ her. She watched them __16__ for the few things in their __17__. They had both __18__ their overcoats. Mr Patel did not seem to know what they had done. He even __19__ at them as they were about to __20__. Now Kate decided to stop them.

1. A. which  B. that     C. there  D. where

2. A．books  B. baskets  C. goods  D. magazines

3. A. dirty    B. long    C. grey  D. tight

4. A. strange  B. young  C. nervous  D. excited

5. A. Look up      B. Listen to me

C. Watch out     D. Put it down

6. A. him  B. her  C. the boy  D. the other

7. A. book  B. rice  C. bag  D. magazine

8. A. looked  B. heard  C. showed  D. sounded

9. A. between  B. of  C. around  D. at

10. A. instead of     B. before

C. without       D. as if

11. A. something   B. it

C. one        D. that

12. A. would  B. should  C. might  D. could

13. A. spot  B. space  C. goods  D. books

14. A. important  B. new  C.  else  D. extra

15. A. next to  B. beside  C. in front of  D. behind

16. A. paying  B. looking  C. asking  D. reaching

17. A. hands  B. pockets  C. box  D. basket

18. A. thrown  B. stolen  C. buttoned  D. hidden

19. A. shouted  B. smiled  C. looked  D. laughed

20. A. leave  B. pay  C. speak  D. apologize