Happiness and sadness are states of being states of being that define the way we view the world. It is often said that some people by nature have a sunny character. Now scientists may have discovered why.
Some people may be hard-wired for happiness, while others are genetically negative, as
scientists have suggested in a study published in late February, in a British journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
Earlier research had already established that the gene known as 5-HTTLPR plays a key role in
determining how the neurotransmitter (神經傳遞素) serotonin (血清素) works within the brain. Serotonin, a hormone (荷爾蒙), passes chemical messages between nerve cells. It has been closely linked to mood. Several anti-depressant (抗抑郁) drugs regulate serotonin levels. Scientists had also identified three variants of the gene. Two so-called "short" variants were linked to a higher risk of depression and suicide attempts. Unlike the two "short" variants, the "long" variant of 5-HTTLPR showed a clear dislike of negative images, such as fierce animals, and a clear liking for positive ones, such as flowers.
Researchers from the University of Essex in Britain, led by Elaine Fox, showed participants a
series of images. The images were divided into three kinds: negative ones aimed at inspiring fear or stress such as a spider or person about to commit suicide, pleasant ones and neutral ones.
“The participants who had the long variant of the 5-HTTLPR gene showed a clear dislike of negative material alongside a careful attention for positive material,” the researchers found. They paid close attention to the pretty pictures, and ignored the frightening ones. On the other hand, the short variant groups had the opposite reaction.
In January, the Australian government organized "happiness workshops", teaching government
staff how to be happy. The department that held the "happiness workshops" said unhappy staff weren't productive staff. Australian political opposition parties have argued that the "happiness workshops" are probably a waste of money and couldn't increase productivity as intended. However, whether the workshop will have a happy or disappointing result, we will have to wait and see.
67．Form the third paragraph, we know that .
A．affected by 5-HTTLPR, the neurotransmitter serotonin works within the blood
B．there are 5 variants of 5-HTTLPR genes which control people’s moods
C．how the neurotransmitter serotonin works is greatly determined by 5-HTTLPR
D．5-HTTLPR receives chemical messages from verve cells
68．What does “It” in the sentence “It has been closely linked to mood.” in the 3rd paragraph refer to?
A．Serotonin. B．A nerve cell. C．5-HTTLPR. D．The brain.
69．If a person had the long variant of 5-HTTLPR, he or she would probably .
A．like the images of spiders B．prefer the images of crocodiles
C．enjoy an image of green tress D．suffer from depression very often
70．What can we infer from the passage?
A．People’s moods can change a little bit under the influence of certain drugs.
B．Researchers showed participants of the research two kinds of images.
C．A person possesses one long and one short variant of 5-HTTLPR at the same time.
D．The author firmly believes that “happiness workshops” will not change people’s moods.
陽光試卷單元測試卷系列答案科目：高中英語 來源：廣西南寧二中2009-2010學年高一下學期期末考試英語試題 題型：閱讀理解
It is true that a smile means the same thing in any language. So does laughter or crying. There are also a number of clear similarities in the way different animals show the same feeling. Dogs, tigers and humans, for example, often show their teeth when they are angry. This is probably because such behavior patterns are inherited (遺傳) rather than learned.
Fear is another emotion that is shown in much the same
way all over the world. In Chinese and in English literature, a phrase like “he went pale and begin to tremble (顫抖)”suggests that the man is either very afraid or he has just got a very big shock. However, “he opened his eyes wide” is used to suggest anger in Chinese whereas in English it means surprise. In Chinese surprise can be described in a phrase like “they stretched out（伸出）their tongues”! Sticking out your tongue in English is an insulting（侮辱）or expresses disgust.
Even in the same culture, people differ in ability to understand and express feelings. Experiments in America have shown that women are usually better than men at recognizing fear, anger, love and happiness on people’s faces. Disgust, contempt (蔑視) and suffering seem to be the most difficult emotions for people everywhere either to recognize or to express. Other studies show that older people usually find it easier to recognize or understand body language than younger people do. And psychologists (心理學家) such as E.G. Beier have also shown that some people often give the completely impression of how they feel. For example, they try to show love but in fact communicate dislike. Or when they want to show interest, they give the impression that they don’t care. This can happen even among close friends and members of the same family. In other words, what we think we are communicating through language, voice, face and body movements may be the exact opposite of what for people understand.
71．According to the passage, even in different cultures the most easily recognized emotion is .
A．anger B．dislike C．happiness D．surprise
72．Experiments show that easier understanding of words and gestures has something to do with your .
A．age and sex B．love and cultural differences
C．impressions about the speaker D．emotional state
73．When we communicate with people, .
A．we know exactly what they mean while they express their emotions
B．we sometimes misunderstand each other
C．we usually mislead them by expressing the opposite of our feeling
D．it seems much mere difficult to understand body language than language
74．Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
A．When we communicate our real emotions, we many cause misunderstanding to others.
B．Different people in different cultures may have different ways to understand one gesture.
C．Some people are likely to hide their real feelings and express them in the opposite way.
D．What we say does always mean the same thing as the gestures we make.
75．The underlined word “disgust” in Paragraph 2 probably means “ ” in this passage.
A．strong dislike B．friendliness C．love D．sickness
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科目：高中英語 來源：2013屆湖北省部分重點中學高三上學期期中聯考英語試卷（帶解析） 題型：閱讀理解
Human wants seem endless. When a starving man gets a meal, he begins to think about an overcoat; when a manager gets a new sports car, he dreams of country clubs and pleasure boats dance into view.
The many wants of mankind might be regarded as making up several levels. When there is money enough to satisfy one level of wants, another level appears.
The first and most basic level of wants is food. Once this want is satisfied, a second level of wants appears: clothing and some sort of shelter. By the end of World War II these wants were satisfied for a great majority of Americans. Then a third level appeared. It included such items as cars and new houses.
By 1957 or 1958 this third level of wants was fairly well satisfied. Then in the late 1950s a fourth level of wants appeared: the “life-enriching” level. While the other levels mean physical satisfaction—the feeding, comfort, safety and transportation of the human body—this level means mental needs for recognition, achievement and happiness. It includes a variety of goods and services many of which could be called “luxury” items. Among them are vacation trips, the best medical care and entertainment. Also included here are fancy foods and the latest styles in clothing.
On the fourth level, a greater percentage of consumers spending goes to services, while on the first three levels more is spent on goods. Will consumers raise their sights to a fifth level of wants as their income increases, or will they continue to demand luxuries and personal services on the fourth level?
A fifth level probably would be wants that can be achieved by community action. Consumers may be spending more on taxes and crime. After filling our stomachs, our garages, and our minds, we now may seek to ensure the health and safety to enjoy more fully the good things on the first three levels.
【小題1】According to the passage, man will begin to think about such needs as housing and clothing only when _______
| A．he has saved up enough money |
| B．he has grown dissatisfied with his simple shelter |
| C．he has satisfied his hunger |
| D．he has learned to build houses |
| A．were very rich |
| B．were very poor |
| C．Had the good things on the first three levels |
| D．didn’t own cars |
| A．A successful career | B．A comfortable house |
| C．A good service | D．A family car |
| A．would be a little better than the fourth level |
| B．may be a lot more desirable than the first four |
| C．can be the last and most satisfying level |
| D．will come true if the government takes actions |
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科目：高中英語 來源：2011-2012學年陜西省高陵縣第三中學高一下學期期末考試英語試卷（帶解析） 題型：閱讀理解
Linda Evans was my best friend—like the sister I never had. We did everything together: piano lessons, movies, swimming, horseback riding.
When I was 13, my family moved away. Linda and I kept in touch through letters, and we saw each other on special time—like my wedding (婚禮) and Linda’s. Soon we were busy with children and moving to new homes, and we wrote less often. One day a card that I sent came back, stamped “Address (地址) Unknown. ” I had no idea how to find Linda.
Over the years, I missed Linda very much. I wanted to share (分享) happiness of my children and then grandchildren. And I needed to share my sadness when my brother and then mother died. There was an empty place in my heart that only a friend like Linda could fill.
One day I was reading a newspaper when I noticed a photo of a young woman who looked very much like Linda and whose last name was Wagman — Linda’s married name. “There must be thousands of Wagmans,” I thought, but J still wrote to her.
She called as soon as she got my letter. “Mrs Tobin!” she said excitedly, “Linda Evans Wagman is my mother. ”
Minutes later I heard a voice that I knew very much, even after 40 years, laughed and cried and caught up on each other’s lives. Now the empty place in my heart is filled. And there’s one thing that Linda and I know for sure: We won’t lose each other again!
【小題1】The writer went to piano lessons with Linda Evans _______.
| A．at the age of 13 |
| B．before she got married |
| C．after they moved to new homes |
| D．before the writer’s family moved away |
| A．got married |
| B．had little time to do so |
| C．didn’t like writing letters |
| D．could see each other on special time |
| A．was in trouble |
| B．didn’t know Linda’s address |
| C．received the card that she sent |
| D．didn’t have a friend like Linda to share her happiness or sadness |
| A．for about 40 years |
| B．for about 27 years |
| C．since they got married |
| D．since the writer’s family moved away |
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科目：高中英語 來源：福建省上杭一中2009-2010學年高一下學期期中考試英語試題 題型：閱讀理解
第三部分：閱讀理解(共20小題, 滿分40分)
The 4th of July is the most important holiday in the United States, for it reminds us of the famous day in 1776. When the Americans declared their independence, congress made the declaration in Philadelphia, and that night in the city there were joyful celebrations which soon became natio
nwide. Even since, the 4th of July has been marked in the American calendar as Independence Day, and there are parades and festivities of all kinds.
The Declaration of Independence drawn up by Thomas Jefferson is one of the most important documents ever published, and it dropped like a bombshell（意外事件） on the western world. Here is a sentence which shook the ruling classes of Europe, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed ( 賦予)by their Creator with certain unalienable(不可剝奪的) rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
1. When did the Americans declare their independence?
A. The fourth of July, 1776.. B. The fourth of June, 1794.
C. The first of July, 1767. D. The first of June, 1756
2. By whom was The Declaration of Independence drawn up?
A. George Washington. B. Benjamin Franklin.
C. Thomas Jefferson D. Abraham Lincoln.
3. Which of the following most generally summarizes the Declaration of Independence?
A. Equality. B. Liberty
C. The pursuit of happiness. D. All of the above.
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科目：高中英語 來源：河北省正定中學2010屆高三下學期第一次模擬英語試題 題型：閱讀理解
C
The way people hold to the belief that a fun-filled, painfree life equals happiness actually reduces their chances of ever getting real happiness．If fun and pleasure are equal to happiness then pain must be equal to unhappiness．But in fact, the opposite is true: more often than not things that lead to happiness is connected with some pain．
As a result, many people avoid the very attempts（嘗試）that are the source of true happiness They fear the pain brought by such things as marriage, raising children, professional achievement, religious commitment（承擔的義務），self-improvement．
Ask a bachelor（單身漢）why he refuses marriages even though he finds dating to be less and less satisfying, if he’s honest he will tell you afraid of making a commitment．For commitment is in fact painful．The single life is filled with fun, adventure, excitement．Marriage has such moments, but they are not its most unusual features．
Couples with baby children are lucky to get a whole night’s sleep or a three-day vacation．I don’t know any parent who would choose the word fun to describe raising children．But couples who decide not to have children never know the joys of watching a child grow up or of playing with a grandchild．
Understanding and accepting that true happiness has noting to do with fun is one of the most liberating realizations．It liberates（解放）time; now we can devote more hours to activities that can increase our happiness．It liberates money: buying that new car or those fancy clothes that will do nothing to increase our happiness now seems pointless．And it liberates us from envy: we now understand that all those who are always having so much fun actually may not be happy at all．
48．Raising children, in the author’s opinion, is________．
A．a duty we should have to perform B．a thankless job
C．a source of pain that can’t be avoided D．a rewarding task
49．To understand what true happiness is one must________．
A．have as much fun as possible during ones lifetime
B．make every effort to free oneself from pain
C．put up with pain in all conditions
D．be able to tell happiness from fun
50．What is the writer trying to tell us?
A．One must know how to get happiness
B．Happiness often goes hand in hand with pain
C．It is important to make commitments
D．Pain usually leads to happiness
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