Hello, children and parents. Thank you all for coming to this meeting. I'd like to start by confirming that we will receive some money from the government for our school trip to Indonesia. We will receive approximately $1,300 per child, which will reduce the overall cost to you. Now that we are sure to get the money, it is time to do some serious planning. We are sure that the trip will be very exciting for the children, especially if they have not traveled overseas before. There are many benefits to having some exposure to different places and cultures. Your children will be able to learn a lot about other people and cultures on this trip. Leanne is with us tonight. Leanne, where are you? Put up your hand, Leanne, so that the people can see who you are. Thank you. Leanne went on the trip last year and will be happy to tell you .of her experiences and answer any questions you might have. We will hear from her a bit later in the meeting. We only have five months to organize the trip. From past experience I can tell you that the time will go very quickly! So we need to start organizing the trip. This is the agenda for tonight's meeting: * Passport: when and how to apply for one * Schedule: what places we will visit * Health matters: what precautions you need to take, plus any special needs that your child may have * Studying: description of the school and type of lessons your child will attend * Money: paying for the trip, plus how much money your child should take * Hotel: where we will be staying *Clothing and personal items: what your children should take with them Are there any other items that you would like to place on the agenda? We can learn from the text that _ A) Leanne knows very well about the coming trip and will go with the group B) the students are able to attend some lessons during their trip C) the students' going on the trip will cost nothing D) the speaker is likely to come from the government
B
(Question)
It might not come as a surprise that China fell behind Western countries in a recent UN report on global happiness. China was only ranked 112th happiest country out of 156 in the UN's World Happiness Report in April. The happiest country, it seems, is Denmark, closely followed by three more northern European countries- Finland, Norway, and the Netherlands. But apart from income and lifestyle differences, there are also cultural reasons for this divide. They show that Chinese people and Westerners have different perceptions of happiness. According to a survey conducted by CCTV, income levels most affected Chinese people's sense of well- being (55.5 percent), followed by health (48.9 percent) and quality of marriage or love life (32 percent). It seems that all these criteria are lagging in China, and that the obvious explanation for greater happiness in the West is higher incomes. But not so, says Professor John Helliwell, an American economist at the University of British Columbia and coauthor of the UN report. According to Helliwell, low-income individuals may experience an initial jump in happiness when their money increases, but this feeling decreases as they adapt to their new circumstances. He stresses the example of the US, where, despite GDP figures rising consistently for the past 50 years, happiness has been steadily declining. This is because people desire more than money and material wealth. "To be happy, we need to feel connection, trust and meaningful relationships," explains Helliwell. Dr Deborah Swallow, a UK expert on cultural diversity however, believes there are some differences in the perceptions of happiness in the West and China. "For North Americans and Europeans, happiness tends to be defined in terms of personal achievement, and is best predicted by self-esteem" she says. "For East Asians, happiness tends to be defined in terms of interpersonal connectedness, and is best predicted by how well involved the self is in a social network." Living standards are not necessarily the last... Which of the following statements is true? A) In china, people in the highly developed areas are not necessarily happier than people in the poorer area. B) In East Asian, happiness has much to do with personal factors. C) People's opinions of happiness is completely different between the West and the East. D) In general, people in West are happier than people in East.
(Answer)
A
Ques: In the old days, children were familiar with birth and death as part of life. This is perhaps the first generation of American youngsters who have never been close by during the birth of a baby and have never experienced the death of a family member. Nowadays when people grow old, we often send them to nursing homes. When they get sick, we send them to a hospital, where children are forbidden to visit terminally ill patients - even when those patients are their parents. This deprives the dying patient of significant family members during the last few days of his and it deprives the children of an experience of death, which is an important learning experience. Some of my colleagues and I once interviewed and followed about 500 terminally ill patients in order to find out what they could teach us and how we could be of more benefit, not just to them but to the members of their families as well. We were most impressed by the fact that even those patients who were not told of their serious illness were aware of its possible result. It is important for family members, and doctors and nurses to understand these patients' communications in order to truly understand their needs, fears and fantasies. Most of our patients welcomed another human being with whom they could talk openly, honestly, and frankly about their trouble. Many of them shared with us their great need to be informed, to be kept up-to-date on their medical condition and to be told when the end was near. We found out that patients who had been dealt with openly and frankly were better able to deal with the coming of death and finally to reach a true stage of acceptance prior to death. The elders in America today _ . A) were often absent when a family member was born or dying B) were quite unfamiliar with birth and death C) usually saw the birth or death of a family member D) had often experienced the fear of death as part of life
Ans: C
Ques: A nobleman and a merchant once met in an inn. For their lunch they both ordered soup. When it was brought, the nobleman took a spoonful, but the soup was so hot that he burned his mouth and tears came to his eyes. The merchant asked him why he was weeping. The nobleman was ashamed to admit that he had burned his mouth and answered, "Sir, I once had a brother who committed a great crime, for which he was hanged. I was thinking of his death, and that made me weep." The merchant believed this story and began to eat his soup. He too burned his mouth, so that he had tears in his eyes. The nobleman noticed it and asked the merchant, "Sir, why do you weep?" The merchant, who now saw that the nobleman had deceived him, answered, "My lord(="master)," I am weeping because you were not hanged together with your brother." The nobleman did not tell the truth because he _ . A) felt ashamed B) was in an inn C) was angry D) was a nobleman
Ans:
A