A letter to Edward，a columnist

Dear Mr. Expert,

    I grew up in an unhappy and abusive(虐待) home. I always promised myself that I’d get out as soon as possible. Now, at age 20, I have a good job and a nice house, and I’m really proud of the independence I've achieved.

    Here’s the problem: several of my friends who still live with their parents wish they had places like mine—so much so that they make mine theirs.

      It started out with a couple of them spending the weekends with me. But now they seem to take it for granted that they can show up any time they like. They bring boyfriends over, talk on the phone and stay out forever.

    I enjoy having my friends here sometimes—it makes the place feel comfortable and warm—but this is my home, not a party house. I was old enough to move out on my own, so why can’t I seem to ask my friends to respect my privacy(隐私)?

                                                                                                                    Joan

Edward’s reply to Joan

Dear Joan,

　　If your family didn’t pay attention to your needs when you were a child, you probably have trouble letting others know your needs now.

　　And if you’ve gathered your friends around you to rebuild a happy family atmosphere(气氛), you may fear that saying no will bring back the kind of conflict（冲突）you grew up with—or destroy the nice atmosphere you now enjoy. You need to understand that in true friendship it’s okay to put your own needs first from time to time.

      Be clear about the message you want to send. For example, “I really love your company（陪伴） but I also need some privacy. So please call before you come over. ”

                                                                                                                    Edward

59. We can learn from the first letter that Joan ___________.

  A. takes pride in her friends                       

B. lives away from her parents

  C. knows Mr. Expert quite well              

D. hates her parents very much

60. We can infer from the first letter that __________.

　 A. Joan thinks her friends more important than her privacy

   B. Joan doesn’t like the parties at all

   C. Joan’s friends visit her more often than expected

   D. Joan dislikes the boyfriends her friends bring over

61. In Mr. Expert’s opinion, the reason why Joan can’t tell her friends her feelings is that _________.

　 A. she is afraid of hurting her friends 

B. she does not understand true friendship

   C. her family experience stops her from doing so

D. she does not put her needs first

62. The second letter suggests that Mr. Expert __________.

　 A. is concerned about Joan’s problem

B. warns Joan not to quarrel with her friends

   C. encourages Joan to be brave enough

   D. advises Joan on how to refuse people

I live in Hollywood. You may think people in such an attractive, fun-filled place are happier than others. If so, you have some mistaken ideas about the nature of happiness.
　　Many intelligent people still equate happiness with fun. The truth is that fun and happiness have little or nothing in common. Fun is what we experience during an act. Happiness is what we experience after an act. It is a deeper, more abiding emotion.
　　Going to an amusement park or ball game, watching a movie or television, are fun activities that help us relax, temporarily forget our problems and maybe even laugh. But they do not bring happiness, because their positive effects end when the fun ends.
I have often thought that if Hollywood stars have a role to play, it is to teach us that happiness has nothing to do with fun. These rich, beautiful individuals have constant access to glamorous parties, fancy cars, expensive homes, everything that spells “happiness”.
But in memoir（回忆录） after memoir, celebrities reveal the unhappiness hidden beneath all their fun: depression, alcoholism, drug addiction, broken marriages, troubled children and profound loneliness.
The way people stick to the belief that a fun-filled, pain-free life equates happiness actually reduces their chances of ever obtaining real happiness. If fun and pleasure are equated with happiness, then pain must be equated with unhappiness. But, in fact, the opposite is true: More times than not, things that lead to happiness involve some pain.
As a result, many people avoid the very endeavors that are the source of true happiness. They fear the pain inevitably brought by such things as marriage, raising children, professional achievement, religious commitment, civic or charitable work, and self-improvement.
【小题1】What does the author want to tell us? He wants to tell us             .

A．he lives in Hollywood, so he feels not happy

B．the true meaning of happiness

C．in fact, famous people are not very happy

D．happiness is not equal to fun

【小题2】What is many intelligent people’s viewpoint about happiness?

A．Happiness just means having fun.	B．Happiness is not equal to fun.
C．Happiness means doing what you like.	D．Happiness means being rich.

【小题3】What does the underlined word “equate” in the second paragraph mean? It means    .

A．compare	B．think
C．similar or connected	D．match

【小题4】According to the passage, the author may agree        .

A．amusement park can bring us happiness

B．fun will bring some happiness to us

C．pain will bring us happiness

D．efforts can bring us happiness

A child's birthday party doesn't have to be a hassle; it can be a basket of fun, according to Beth Anaclerio, an Evaston mother of two, ages 4 and 18 months.

　　"Having a party at home usually requires a lot of running around on the part of the parents, and often the birthday boy or girl gets lost in wild excitement. But it really doesn't have to be that way," said Anaclerio. Last summer, Anaclerio and her friend Jill Garlisle, a Northbrook mother of a 2-year-old, founded a home party-planning business called "A Party in a Basket." Their goal is to help parents and children share in the fun part of party planning, like choosing the subject or making a cake, while they take care of everything.

　　Drawing on their experiences as mothers, they have created（制作）10 ready-to-use, home party packages. Everything a family needs to plan a party, except the cake and ice cream, is delivered to the home in a large basket.

　　"Our parties are aimed for children 2 to 10."Anaclerio said, "and they're very interactive（互动）and creative in that they build a sense of drama based on a subject. For example, at the Soda Shoppe party the guests become waiters and waitresses and build wonderful ice cream creations."

　　The standard ＄200 package for eight children includes a basket filled with invitations, gifts, games and prizes, paper goods, a party planner and the like. For more information, call Anaclerio at 708-864-6584 or Carlisle at 708-205-9141.

72. The main purpose of writing this text is ____.

　　A. to share information about party planning

　　B. to introduce the joys of a birthday party

　　C. to announce a business plan

　　D. to sell a service

73. The most important idea behind the kind of party planning described here is that ____.

　　A. it brings parents and children closer together

　　B. guests play a part in the preparation of a party

　　C. parents are spared the trouble of sending invitations

　　D. it provides a subject of conversation

74. What does the underlined word "hassle"（Paragraph 1） probably mean？

　　A. a party designed by specialists

　　B. a plan requiring careful thought

　　C. a situation causing difficulty or trouble

　　D. a demand made by guests

75. Which of the following is most likely to be a party planner？

　

The week after Jane's birthday, Barbara and Mary were away. Jane decided to have a late birthday party. She telephoned several friends. She asked some to bring records, some to bring food and others to bring something to drink. She rang another friend to see if she could borrow his record player. She herself bought some food and drink to get the party going. She took up all the carpets (地毯) so that they could dance. She did not know whether Barbara and Mary would have approved (赞成), but as long as she was careful, she was sure that they would not mind. She warned the two people in the flat above and invited them down. ?

         “Oh, ” said Jane, surprised. “What's all this about? ”

The first guests arrived soon after eight. The music was soon playing loudly and they started dancing. Some of Jane's friends brought other friends with them. As more and more people arrived,the noise increased. People started shouting at each other, so they turned the music up. This made it more difficult to hear each other above the music, so they shouted more loudly. At half past ten the bell rang. “Turn down the music!” someone shouted. “Someone probably called the police.” When Jane opened the door, there was a policeman standing there. She started to apologize, “I'm sorry about all the noise, officer. But you see, it was my birthday last week and I'm having a party.” “Never mind about that, miss. We're here because of something much more important.”

         “Well, there's been a report of burglary (盗窃行为). We think the thief may have come to your party, pretending to be a friend of someone here. ”

1.When did Jane have the party?

A. On her birthday.                                        B. After her birthday.

C. Before Barbara and Mary left.                D. As soon as she telephone her friends. 

2.Why did people shout at each other at the party?

A. They got rather angry with each other. 

B. They were very glad to make new friends.

C. They became too excited while dancing.

D. They couldn't hear each other because of the music.

3.What reason did Jane think the policeman came for?

A. They made too much noise.                    　　

B. A thief was among the guests.  

C. He had some important things to do.   

D. He was interested in birthday parties.

 

Mr. Harris used to work in Dover, but then he changed his work, and he and his wife moved to another town. They did not have many friends there, but they soon met a lot of interesting people, and after a few weeks, they often went to dinner or to parties at other people's houses.
Then Mrs. Harris said to her husband, "We've been to a lot of other people's houses, and now we must invite them to our house, mustn't we?"
"Yes, certainly," answered her husband, "A big party will be the easiest thing, won't it? Then we can start to invite people to dinner in small numbers next month."
So Mrs. Harris said, "Yes, I'll invite all our friends here to a big party on 5th December."
"How many will that be?" Mr. Harris asked. "Don't invite too many."
Mrs. Harris was beginning to write the invitations when her husband saw that she was writing, "Party: 6:30 to 8:30 p.m."
"That isn't very nice, is it?" he said. "You're telling our guests that they must go at 8:30." So Mrs. Harris just wrote "Party: 6:30 p.m."
A lot of guests came, and they all had a good time, so they did not go home at 8:30. In fact they were still there at mid-night when the door bell rang and a policeman arrived. He said, "You must stop making a noise, because someone has complained(抱怨)."
Mr. Harris said he did not want to quarrel with the policeman, so everyone went home. They were sorry to have to go.
When Mr. and Mrs. Harris were alone again, she said to him. "That was a surprise, wasn't it? Who complained about the noise?"
"I did," Mr. Harris answered in a tired voice.
【小题1】Why did Mr. Harris and his wife move to another town?

A．Mr. Harris changed his work.

B．They wanted to make some new friends.

C．They wanted to meet a lot of interesting people.

D．They enjoyed going to parties and visiting other people's houses.

【小题2】What made Mr. and Mrs. Harris hold a party at their house?

A．It was easy to hold a big party at home.

B．They could ask people to dinner in small numbers.

C．They had gone to other people's parties many times.

D．They liked making friends with others.

【小题3】How long would Mrs. Harris like the party to last?

A．From the morning till night.	B．About two hours.
C．About fourteen hours.	D．Till midnight

【小题4】When did the party end that evening?

A．At about 8:30.

B．About twelve o'clock..

C．When the policeman talked with Mr. Harris on the phone.

D．When someone telephoned the police station.

【小题5】Why did Mr. Harris telephoned the policeman about the noise?

A．Because someone rang his door bell many times at mid-night.

B．He did not want his friends to stay late that night.

C．His friends had a good time that night and also feel tired.

D．Because he hated the noise.