Teenagers at one German school are learning how to achieve happiness alongside other traditional   35   such as maths and languages.

The class sits in a circle with their eyes shut and they count from one to ten: someone starts, the   36   voice comes from the far right, a third from the other side.

The aim of the game is to   37   for an opportunity to shout out the   38   without clashing (相撞) with another voice or leaving a pause. On the first try,  39   of the young Germans try to be first, while a few are too shy to join in. But by the fifth   40   , they develop a rhythm (节奏) . The message gives other people space but also claims your own. This is a requirement for social well-being.

Unlike schools in other nations, German schools do not usually have school sports teams or seek to build school spirit. Many teens admit they are   41   and confused, but school is not usually the place to find relief.

The Willy Hellpach School in Heidelberg is the first in the nation to develop a happiness   42   It is   43   for 17-19years old students to prepare for university entrance exams. "The course isn't there to make you happy," Ernst Fritz-Schubert, the school principal, warned pupils, "   44   rather to help you discover the ways to become happy. "

Cooking a meal together will be one of the class   45   , along with improving body language under the   46   of two professional actresses.

The course is taught for three periods a week. Despite the happy subject, the pupils themselves insist it is no laughing matter.

"In the first period, we had to each say something   47   about another member of the class and about ourselves. No laughing at people or teasing," said Fanny, 17.

The message is that self-esteem (自尊) improves   48   too.

Research by the school shows it is not the first to start happiness classes and they also exist at some US universities, but are mainly based on positive thinking, using   49   from studies of depression.

"That would be too one-sided for us. We want to show how decent (好的) food or exercise can help too," the principal said.

1.A. subjects         B. objects             C. customs                   D. habits

2.A. sweet         B. next               C. last               D. loud

3.A. look            B. see                C. find              D. listen

4.A. name         B. person            C. number                  D. treasure

5.A. all               B. few                C. most                      D. none

6.A. round                   B. limit                C. sheet           D. zone

7.A. happy                   B. lonely              C. curious           D. pleased

8.A. movement              B. class                C. course          D. approach

9.A. intended        B. made                   C. managed                  D. applied

10.A. and                   B. but                C. so              D. or

11.A. tests           B. exams              C. exercises         D. homework

12.A. guidance     B. lookout            C. permission      D. cooperation

13.A. backward              B. positive             C. negative          D. rude

14.A. atmosphere            B. achievement       C. happiness       D. score

15.A. inspections     B. instructions          C. motives         D. findings

 

One day, Wilson was walking quietly along the road when someone hit him hard on the back of his neck. He looked behind him, and saw a young man whom he had never seen before.

“How dare you hit me like that?” shouted Wilson.

The young man said he had mistaken Wilson for a friend of his and that he thought Wilson was making a lot of noise about nothing.

This insult(侮辱) made Wilson even angrier, of course, and he at once decided to bring the young man before a judge.

Now , the judge who heard the case was a friend of the young man’s father’s, and, although he pretended to be quite fair, he was thinking about what he could do to protect the young man from being punished while at the same time not to be appearing unfair.

Finally he said to Wilson, “I understand your feelings in this matter very well. Would you be satisfied if I let you hit the young man as he hit you?”

Wilson said he would not be. The young man had insulted him and should be properly punished.

“Well, then,” said the judge to the young man, “I order you to pay ten coins to Wilson.”

Ten coins was very little for such a crime, but the young man did not have it with him, so the judge allowed him to go and get it.

Wilson waited for him to return with the money. He waited an hour, and then two hours, while the judge took care of other business.

When it was nearly time for the court to close, Wilson chose a moment when the judge was especially busy, came up quietly and hit him hard on the back of the neck. Then he said to him, “I am sorry, but I can’t wait any longer. When the young man comes back, tell him that I have passed my right to the ten coins on to you.”

1.Why did the young man hit Wilson from behind?

A．Wilson had hit him before.

B．He had mistaken Wilson for a friend of his.

C．Wilson was a stranger there.

D．Wilson made a lot of noise when he was walking.

2.The judge thought about how to protect the young man because      .

A．he thought it a small matter

B．as a judge, he should be fair

C．he thought the man too young to be punished

D．the young man was his friend’s son

3.According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?

A．The young man was ordered to hit himself as hard as he had done on Wilson.

B．Wilson was allowed to do more insulting on the young man.

C．Wilson was allowed to hit the young man as hard as he had done.

D．The young man was ordered to hand a lot of money to Wilson.

4.The judge allowed the young man to go home, hoping      .

A．he would not return any more             B．he could escape from there

C．he would return in two hours              D．he would get the money

 

Two traveling angels (天使) stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family. The family was rude and refused to let the angels stay in the guest room. Instead the angels were given a space in the cold basement. As they made their bed on the hard floor，the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it. When the younger angel asked why, the older angel replied: “Things aren’t always what they seem.”

The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor, but very hospitable(好客的)farmer and his wife. After sharing what little food they had，the couple let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good night’s rest. When the sun came up the next morning，the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears. Their only cow, whose milk had been their only income, lay dead in the field.

The younger angel was very angry and asked the older angel, “How could this happen?” “Why did you not watch out for the cow? The first man had everything, yet you watched over his house,” she accused. “The second family had little but was willing to share everything, and you did not help.”

“Things aren’t always what they seem,” the older angel replied. “When we stayed in the basement，I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall. Since the owner was so greedy and unwilling to share his good fortune，I asked God if I could seal(封口) the wall so he wouldn’t find it. Then last night as we slept in the farmer’s bed，the angel of death(死神) came for his wife. I asked God if the angel could take the cow instead. Things aren’t always what they seem.”

1.The underlined part “the pair” in the second paragraph two refers to　　　  .

A. the poor couple         B. the rich couple           C. the angels           D. the guests

2.The younger angel was very angry because 　　　　.

A. the older angel killed the farmer’s cow           

B. the older angel treated the two families unfairly

C. the wealthy man gave them a bad place to live 

D. the angel of death took the cow away

3.Why did the older angel let the farmer’s cow die?

A. Because God wanted the older angel to take the cow.

B. Because she wanted to teach the younger angel a lesson.

C. Because she was sympathetic to the rich.

D. Because she wanted to save the farmer’s wife. 

4.The story tries to tell the reader that 　　　　.

A. sometimes things are not what they seem    

B. angels are always ready to help the poor

C. angels are always ready to help the rich 

D. the young should always learn from the old

 

About ten years ago, a young and very successful businessman named Josh was traveling down a Chicago neighborhood street. He was going a bit too fast in his shiny, black, 12 cylinder Jaguar XKE, which was only two months old.

He was watching for kids rushing out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no child came out, but a brick sailed out and - WHUMP!  - it hit the Jaguar's shiny black side door! SCREECH ... ! ! ! ! Immediately Josh stopped the car, jumped out, seized the kid and pushed him up against a parked car. He shouted at the kid, "What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing?!" "That's my new Jaguar, that brick you threw is gonna cost you a lot of money. Why did you throw it?"

"Please, mister, please...I'm sorry! I didn't know what else to do!" begged the youngster. "I threw the brick because no one else would stop!" tears were streaming down the boy's face as he pointed around the parked car.  "It's my brother, mister," he said. "He rolled off the curb (路沿) and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up. " Sobbing, the boy asked the businessman, "Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me. "

Moved by the words, the young businessman lifted the young man back into the wheelchair and took out his handkerchief and wiped the scrapers and cuts, checking to see that everything was going to be OK. He then watched the younger brother push him down the sidewalk toward their home.

It was a long walk back to the black, shining, 12 cylinder Jaguar XKE -- a long and slow walk. Josh never did fix the side door of his Jaguar. He kept the dent (凹痕) to remind him not to go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at him to get his attention. Feel for the bricks of life coming you.

1.The boy threw a brick at the businessman's car because ________.

A. he wanted to ask for some money

B. he wanted to get help from the driver

C. the businessman drove at a high speed

D. he hated the brand-new car very much

2.What can we learn from the passage?

A. Josh would accept the money from the kids.

B. The two kids were Josh's neighbors.

C. Josh's new car broke down easily.

D. Josh was a kind-hearted man.

3.According to the passage, the last sentence means ________.

A. trying to be more understanding seeing others in trouble

B. trying to get ready for the trouble in your future life

C. driving fast in a neighborhood street is dangerous

D. protecting oneself from being hurt

 

All parents know that one of their most important tasks is to prepare their children for an independent life, but any parent can tell you that it’s hard to let go of your children. That balance between keeping your children safe and allowing them to learn from their own mistakes can be heartbreaking. Years of experience means that parents often do know best, but on the other hand, the young, being less bound by tradition, are often more creative, more able to find new solutions to old problems. Revolutions are led by the young.

Good teachers make the growth of critical (批判性的) thinking easier in their students, only to find that this can lead to a questioning of the teachers’ basic beliefs. Schools encourage parents to become involved, but are often embarrassed when parents have reservations about some of the educational methods being used. Governments encourage unimportant groups to empower themselves in order to participate fully in the development process. And they are often surprised when the new leaders of these groups turn around and attack the policies of that same government. The rebellions (叛逆的)young and the newly unimportant groups are important in social development. They are not necessarily representatives of those they want to represent or not realistic in their demands, but their voices must be heard.

Good parents know that just forbidding particular behaviors does not prevent their children from finding ways to engage in these forbidden activities. Indeed, sometimes the forbidden fruit is more inviting, just because it is not accepted by authority. Parents must work with their children to educate them on the facts, know as much as possible about the lives of their children, provide a good example, encourage more wholesome activities but also support their children when they don’t follow what is expected of them. But the most important point is that they also need to learn how to let go.

1.By saying “Revolutions are led by the young”, the author indicates that young people are more_____.

A．creative                              B．realistic

C．conventional                           D．heartbreaking

2. From the second paragraph we know         .

A．teachers’ basic beliefs should be questioned by students

B．schools encourage parents to question their education methods

C．the government is satisfied with the new leaders’ attack on the policies

D．the voice of the rebellious young should be heard by the government

3. In order to educate children well, parents should          .

A．forbid particular behaviors in their daily life

B．know them well and set a good example to them

C．educate them with facts and expect much of them

D．know as much as possible as their children

4.  From the passage we can learn that the author prefers         .

A．free parenting                         B．traditional parenting

C．smart parenting                         D．critical parenting

5. What is the best title of the passage?

A．Letting Go – for Children’s Independent Life

B．Parents’ Tasks – in Children’s Development

C．Way of Growth – for the Young Groups

D．Teaching Methods – for Teachers and Schools