Secrets of happy people (P4)

I. Pre-reading

Discussion:

What do you think are some of the secrets to being happy?

II. Reading

Read the article and choose the best answer to each question below:

1. What is the main purpose of the article?

A. To inform readers of the benefits of being happy.

B. To explain why our happiness depends on our own actions.

C. To point out the things we do that prevent us from being happy.

D. To discuss some typical characteristics of happy people.

2. The underlined word “suppressing” in the third paragraph is closest in meaning to ____.

A. speaking of             B. holding back  

C. thinking about       D. taking no notice of

3. According to the article, to be a happy person, it is important for us to ____.

A. set goals and achieve as much as we can

B. avoid recalling the past

C. do exercise in our spare time

D. spend more time on social networking sites

4. According to the article, meditation is helpful mainly because ____.

A. it increases our creativity

B. it makes us less afraid of the unknown

C. it helps us relax and thus reduce our stress

D. it allows us to relate our past experiences to the present

Key:

1. C。由第一段的“The Huffington Post released a list of seven mistakes we need to let go of in order to become happier people. Let’s take a look.”可以推知C为正确答案。

2. B。前面一句提到“Crying is the body’s emotional response to outside triggers”，在困难的日子里，哭泣是身体对于外界刺激的一种情感反应，通过____它，你可能就会损害你的身心健康。根据上下文句意，可知B为最佳选项，suppress表示“压制”。

3. C。由第四点可知C为正确答案。由第一点处的“Those who put a lot of pressure on themselves to be happy feel more lonely”可知A不对；由第三点的“a recent University of Michigan study found that the more time participants spent on social networking sites, the less happy they felt”可知B不对；由第五点的“participants reported a higher sense of physiological (生理的) comfort when they looked back on the past”可知D不对。

4. C。由最后一段的“Setting aside time for meditation allows your body to relax, cultivates an attitude of gratitude and lowers your stress level”可知Ｃ为正确答案。

III. After reading

What mistakes mentioned in the article have you made in the past? What can you do in the future to be happier?

Sleeping the day away (P5)

I. Pre-reading

How many hours do you often sleep at night? 

If you don’t sleep well at night, it’s likely that you take naps during the day. How do you usually feel after waking up from a nap?

II. Reading

Read the article and choose the best answer:

1. What is the healthiest amount of sleep for the majority of people according to the article?

A. About six or seven hours.

B. About seven and a half to eight hours.

C. About nine and a half to 10 hours.

D. About 10 hours.

2. Why can taking a power nap in the middle of the day be beneficial?

A. Because it takes little time but always works well.

B. Because it is good for our body’s biorhythms.

C. Because it refreshes people and thus improves their productivity.

D. Because it can be used as a replacement for a good night’s sleep.

3. The underlined phrase “interfere with” in the second-to-last paragraph probably means ____.

A. speed up

B. slow down

C. have a positive effect on

D. prevent from working effectively

4. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the article?

A. The best time to take a power nap is after lunch.

B. The naps you take during the day are all considered to be “power naps”.

C. If you sleep well at night, it is unnecessary to take a power nap in the daytime.

D. The longer time you take a power nap, the more energetic you will feel when you wake up.

Key:

1. B。由第二段的首句可知B为正确答案。

2. C。由第四段的“Research shows that a nap in the middle of the day – even a brief one as short as five or 10 minutes – can clear your mind and leave you with increased energy and improved productivity (工作效率), according to Forbes.”可知C为正确答案。

3. D。由该段后面的“The brain gets used to going to bed at roughly the same time each night and getting up at the same time each day, and you don’t want to disturb this routine.”可知interfere with your body’s biorhythms在这里相当于disturb this routine，选项里D项与disturb意义相近。

4. C。由倒数第二段的“However, as refreshing as it might be, if you are getting adequate sleep at night, taking a power nap isn’t such a wise choice.”可知C为正确答案。

III. Language study

1. The best time to take a power nap is in the mid-afternoon, when your energy level tends to dip.

本句中when引导非限制性定语从句，修饰先行词in the mid-afternoon。

2. However, as refreshing as it might be, if you are getting adequate sleep at night, taking a power nap isn’t such a wise choice.

本句中as refreshing as it might be为让步状语从句，该结构中第一个as也可以省略，意思一样，相当于although it might be refreshing。又如：Unaccustomed as I am to public speaking [=although I am unaccustomed to public speaking], I'd like to say a few words now.

3. “Twenty minutes of power nap during the day is not like a tablet which will definitely work,” said Rahul Mukherjee …

本句的主语为Twenty minutes of power nap during the day，这里把20分钟的打盹看成一个整体，所以谓语动词用单数形式。

Using your voice (P6)

I. Fast reading

Read the article quickly and do your best to summarize it.

Key: It’s about how Mrs Flowers positively influenced the author.

II. Specific reading

Read the article again and choose the best answer:

1. Mrs Flowers preferred the author to send what she bought home mainly because ____.

A. she knew the author better than Bailey

B. she wanted to have a chat with the author

C. she wanted to invite the author over for some snacks

D. she wanted to help the author with her written tasks

2. According to the article, the author ____.

A. didn’t work hard in school

B. was not active enough in class

C. liked to talk with her classmates in class

D. got along well with her teachers and classmates

3. On the way back home, Mrs Flowers ____.

A. tried to persuade the author to talk with her

B. recommended some popular books to the author

C. encouraged the author to interact more with others

D. convinced the author of the importance of reading

4. We can infer from the article that Mrs Flowers ____.

A. is a kind-hearted and humorous teacher

B. attaches more importance to written English than oral English

C. believes reading literary works aloud helps people to understand them better

D. thinks reading classic literary works helps people to communicate better

Key:

1. B。由第三段的“I’ve been meaning to talk to her, anyway.”可知B为正确答案。

2. B。由第四段的“I hear you’re working very well in school, Marguerite, but only in written assignments. The teachers report that they have trouble getting you to talk in class.”可知作者虽然学习用功，成绩好，但是上课发言不够积极主动，所以B为正确答案。

3. C。由第五、六段Mrs Flowers强调语言的重要性可知她是在鼓励作者与他人有更多的交流与互动，所以C为正确答案。

4. C。在第五、六段Mrs Flowers强调了语言的重要性，又由第七段“She said she was going to give me some books and that I must not only read them, but read them aloud.”可以推知C为正确答案。其他选项文中推断不出来。

III. After reading

Writing:

         In the excerpt from “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” that we read in class, Marguerite meets Mrs Flowers, a woman she describes as “one of the few gentlewomen I have ever known, [who] has remained throughout my life the measure of what a human being can be”. Mrs Flowers introduces Maya to the world of books, thus changing her life forever.

Your task:

Choose someone from your life who has had a great impact on you. This could be a family member, friend, teacher or anyone else who has had a positive impact on your life.

Paragraph 1: Describe this person – his or her physical characteristics, habits, occupation and so on.

Paragraph 2: Describe your relationship with him or her. What activities do you do together? What experiences have you shared? Has this person done anything specifically helpful for you?

Paragraph 3: Explain why he/she is so important to you -- what impact has this person had on your life? How has this person positively influenced you? Refer to specific instances from your life to illustrate what this person means to you and why he/she has had such a positive impact on your life.