apartment. But instead of ever feeling fulfilled, I felt anxious and adrift. Eventually, I decided to go to graduate school for positive psychology to learn what truly makes people happy.
And what's the difference between being happy and having meaning in life? Many psychologists define happiness as a state of comfort and ease, feeling good in the moment. Meaning, though, is deeper. The renowned psychologist Martin Seligman says meaning comes from belonging to and serving something beyond yourself and from developing the best within you. Our culture is obsessed(痴迷于) with happiness, but I came to see that seeking meaning is the more fulfilling path.
There are four pillars(支柱) of a meaningful life.
The first pillar is belonging. Belonging comes from being in relationships where you're valued for who you are intrinsically(本质地) and where you value others as well. For many people, belonging is the most essential source of meaning.
For others, the key to meaning is the second pillar: purpose. Finding your purpose is not the same thing as finding that job that makes you happy. A hospital custodian told me her purpose is healing sick people. Many parents tell me, “My purpose is raising my children.” The key to purpose is using your strengths to serve others. Without something worthwhile to do, people flounder.
The third pillar of meaning is also about stepping beyond yourself, but in a completely different way: transcendence(超然). Transcendent experiences can change you. Transcendent states are those rare moments when you're lifted above the hustle and bustle of daily life, your sense of self fades away, and you feel connected to a higher reality. For me, I'm a writer, and it happens through writing. Sometimes I get so in the zone that I lose all sense of time and place.
The fourth pillar is storytelling, the story you tell yourself about yourself. Creating a narrative from the events of your life brings clarity. It helps you understand how you became you. But we don't always realize that we're the authors of our stories and can change the way we're telling them. Your life isn't just a list of events. You can edit, interpret and retell your story, even as you're constrained by the facts.
That's the power of meaning. Happiness comes and goes. But when life is really good and when things are really bad, having meaning gives you something to hold on to.
( )58. What can we infer from the first two paragraphs? A. Life can be fulfilled by landing ideal jobs. B. Life dilemma is easy for us to get out of. C. Happiness is the core values in our culture. D. Happiness is what most people pursue.
( )59. From the four pillars of a meaningful life, we can know that ________． A. nothing is as essential a source of meaning as belonging B. purpose is less about what you want than what you give C. transcendent fades easily and rarely makes us cheerful D. the way of telling stories guarantees a meaningful life ( )60. The passage aims to tell us that ________． A. meaning is more important than happiness B. seeking meaning does more good than bad C. chasing happiness can make people unhappy D. meaning has deeper psychological significance
C
In 2015 a paper published in a science magazine reported on the personality types of people living in various London districts. Extroverts(外向的人), the researchers who wrote it had discovered, favored Richmond. Those who were most open to experience gathered in Hackney. People in Barnet scored lower than average on emotional stability.
What this study did not address was whether someone's
home range reflects their personality traits or imposes them. In other words, is what is going on “nature” or “nurture”(培育)? However, in a piece of research just published, Dr. Holtmann of Otago University, in New Zealand, and his colleagues have filled that_gap—at least, they have filled it for dunnocks.
The dunnock is a European bird. It has, though, been introduced to New Zealand and its population has boomed there. It is a well-studied species, and, in particular, some being measurably bolder(更大胆的) and more tolerant of potential threats, such as nearby human beings, than others.The team's research area was the Botanic Garden in Dunedin. This is open to the public, but some areas are more frequented by visitors than others. Dunnocks have small territories, so it was possible to measure the amount of human disturbance in a given territory with reasonable precision. And, by wrapping each of the dunnocks in the garden with colour-coded bands it was possible to identify individuals by sight. Altogether, the researchers looked at 99 of them.
They worked out a bird's level of threat tolerance by the simple method of walking towards it, and then measuring how close one could get before the bird flew away. They did this several times for each bird every breeding season, and repeated the process over the course of three seasons.
A particular bird's flight distance (ie, how closely it could be approached before it departed) was, they found, consistent within a breeding season. From season to season most birds got a little bolder—probably as they learnt more about the world and what they could safely get away with. But this increase in boldness with age was small compared with the different starting points of bold and shy birds when they first arrived in a territory. It did not, therefore, much affect the fact that, on average, birds' flight distances were inversely correlated(负相关) with the level of human disturbance in their territories. This was a consequence of disturbed territories being settled by bold birds, and undisturbed territories by shy ones.
In the case of dunnocks, then, nature wins over nurture. Dr. Holtmann was able to show that personalities match circumstances, rather than being created by them. Dunnocks can recognize which places suit them best, and choose to settle in them shortly after they are fully fledged(羽翼丰满). Most likely, that is happening in London districts, too.
( )61. What does the underlined words “that gap” in the second paragraph refer to? A. What the paper published in 2015 failed to handle. B. Why extroverts favour certain areas in London district. C. How Dr. Holtmann involved dunnocks in his study. D. What the former and latter study have in common.
( )62. From Paragraph 3, we can know that dunnocks ________． A. are native to New Zealand B. have distinct personalities
C. are bolder than human beings D. can be easily identified by its color
( )63. What conclusion did Dr. Holtmann draw from his study?
A. It's nurture rather than nature that matters in the case of dunnocks' behaviour. B. Birds' flight distances were in proportion to human disturbance in their territories. C. Dunnocks choose their habitats wisely in the first place rather than adapt to them. D. Bold birds and shy birds alike settle in undisturbed territories in the botanic garden. ( )64. What is the author's purpose in writing the passage? A. To argue that circumstances cultivate certain personalities. B. To entertain readers with some funny facts about dunnocks. C. To present the finding of a scientific research about dunnocks. D. To confirm the assumption that personalities match circumstances.
D
I'm sitting at home working, minding my business, and the mobile rings. It's DC Lyle from Wandsworth police station. He says that my name was given to Crimestoppers anonymously as a potential witness to the ‘Putney Pusher’ incident. Remember that madman who pushed a woman into the path of a bus on Putney Bridge while out for his morning jog? Well, six months on and they still haven't found him—and DC Lyle wants to meet.
I say I couldn't possibly help as I wasn't a witness. DC Lyle says he still needs to meet. I reaffirm there really was no point, I could be of no value; I wasn't there. DC Lyle insists, and in doing so mentions that he has my email address, and that he tried to see me at my office yesterday(I wasn't in). What? Somebody gave the police my office address, email address and phone number. Who? Feeling invaded and annoyed, I tell DC Lyle he could come at 10 a．m. the next day. I put the phone down, and only_then_the_penny_dropped. I was a suspect.
I must know. Who was the person who put my name forward? They obviously know me, but not well enough to call me first and let me know they were going to report me to the police. Or perhaps they do know me well and have it in for me. That's for another day.
I frantically search for the video footage of the incident online. The images are grainy. Squint(眯眼看) the eyes and even I can see some resemblance. I look at the Pusher's jogging gear. Not premium, I might be OK. He's got fat calves. Result. Mine are sculpted (my best feature). The Pusher's got obvious moobs. Oh dear. I carry some permanent holiday weight, I admit it. All it would take is a bored jury and a half-decent prosecution barrister, and none of this would be beyond reasonable doubt.
I need evidence proving my innocence, so I fire up the iCal to see what my movements were on 5 May. There is nothing in the diary. This is not going well.
After a fitful night I wake early. 9：45 a．m. arrives. The door buzzer goes. It's DC Lyle and his sidekick. Of course they're early, sneaky bastards. Look relaxed, Joel. Keep yourself together. DC Lyle and DC Sidekick show me their badges. I show them how extremely nice and friendly I am. Once installed on my sofa (I didn't offer tea) they hit me with it—I am indeed a suspect.
“Someone put you forward as the person that did this, and we're here to investigate whether you did. Where were you on the morning of 5 May between the hours of 7：30 and 8：00 a．m.？”
I have nothing. I live alone, work from home most days, no diary events, no witnesses as to my whereabouts. Sweats. “Wait，” I say. “Almost every morning of the working week I go to Pret A Manger to have a coffee at or about the time of incident.” But did I that day? Even if I did, what if it was a day when they gave me a coffee ‘on the house’ as they often did, me being a regular 'n' all. There might not be credit card records. More sweats.
I get the computer. American Express login. Search for May 2017 expense calendar(消费明细). Double click. Get in: 5 May 2017—Pret A Manger, ￡1.95.
I'm in the clear. DC Lyle peers over my shoulder at the screen. He's satisfied I'm not the Putney Pusher. The Pret evidence is helpful, but he also says I'm taller than the real Pusher. Skinnier, too. I tell him that's because I've been jogging a lot recently.
( )65. Why did DC Lyle call “me” and insist on a meet? A. Police thought “I” was the Putney Pusher. B. The woman charged me with the incident. C. Someone reported me to the police station. D. “I” accidentally knew who the suspect was.
( )66. The underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 means ________． A. money was wasted on answering the phone call B. money should be paid to get rid of my suspicion C. something serious would follow for days to come D. something puzzling wasn't understood until then
( )67. The sentence “I have to clear my name, and reclaim ownership of my identity.” should be placed at the end of ________．
A. Para.2 B. Para.3 C. Para.4 D. Para.6
( )68. What “I” found of the incident indicates that ________． A. “I” wouldn't be suspected without putting on holiday weight B. “I” am exactly the man who the police have been hunting for C. it is reasonable for DC Lyle to arrest “me” to finish his job D. it is unfavorable for “me” not to have a habit of writing diaries ( )69. What can we learn from “my” meeting with DC Lyle? A. Being extremely friendly makes me more suspicious. B. The expense calendar provides relief to my suspicion. C. DC Lyle doesn't assume I am the Pusher in advance. D. Recent jogging is a key to my tall and skinny feature. ( )70. What is the best title for the Passage? A. A false alarm B. The Pusher at large C. My identity crisis D. Careless policemen
第四部分 任务型阅读(共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分) 请认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。 注意：每个空格只填1个单词。
Ownership used to be about as straightforward as writing a cheque. If you bought something, you owned it. If you broke it, you fixed it. If you no longer wanted it, you sold it or threw it away. Some firms found ways of squeezing out more profit in the after-sale services, using authorized repair shops, and strategies such as selling cheap printers and expensive ink, which, however, did not challenge the nature of ownership.
In the digital age ownership has become more ambiguous. Since the arrival of smart phones, consumers are forced to accept that they do not control the software in their devices; they are only licensed to use it. But as more digital devices are springing up, who owns and who controls which objects is becoming a problem. Buyers should be aware that some of their most basic property rights are under threat.
Needless to say, manufacturers seeking to restrict what owners do with increasingly complex technology have good reasons to protect their copyright, ensure that their machines do not malfunction(发生故障), maintain environmental standards and prevent hacking. Sometimes companies use their control over a product's software for the owners' benefit. When Hurricane Irma hit Florida this month, Tesla, a start-up for electric vehicles, remotely upgraded the software controlling the batteries of some models to give owners more range to escape the storm.
The more digital strings(数字串) are attached to goods, the more the balance of control tilts(倾斜) towards producers and away from owners. Already this has given rise to controversy(争议) over owners' property rights. Items from smart phones to washing machines have become increasingly hard to fix, meaning that they are thrown away instead of being repaired. Privacy is also at risk. Users were alarmed when it came out that iRobot, a robotic vacuum cleaner, not only cleans the floor but creates a digital map of the home's interior that can then be sold on to advertisers though the manufacturer says it has no intention of doing so.
Such issues should remind people how desperately they ought to protect their property rights. In America this idea has already taken root in the “right to repair” movement. In France appliance-makers must tell buyers how long a device is likely to last—a sign of how repairable it is.
Regulators should encourage competition by, for instance, insisting that independent repair shops have the same access to product information, spare parts and repair tools as manufacturer-owned ones.
Ownership is not about to go away, but its meaning is changing. Devices, by and large, are sold on the basis that they empower(授权) people to do what they want. To the extent they are controlled by somebody else, that freedom is compromised.
第五部分 书面表达(满分25分)
81. 请阅读下面短文，并按照要求用英语写一篇150词左右的文章。