對幸福的追求

重慶 章登軍

本文是一篇議論文。 作者結合自己的生活體驗，分析了幸福的根源，并介紹了讓自己幸福、快樂的各種方法，還舉例說明了人們不快樂的原因。

Despite the countless differences between people's characters and careers, or their likes and their dislikes, it seems that we are all connected in this wonderful life by one thing, namely, seeking happiness.

Happiness means, naturally, different things to different people. For myself, happiness means horse riding, Cadbury's Creme Eggs and spending time with my friends. Some people are at their happiest at home, while others find their happiness through travelling far-off foreign lands. Happiness can be as simple as a surprise bunch of fresh flowers or a really strong coffee, just when you need it most. Sometimes, happiness comes from spending time with loved ones; for others, it's having a wellearned quiet night at home, with nothing but a comfortable bed for company.

Since it comes in so many shapes and sizes, it's sometimes easy to take happiness for granted. It is especially true if it's been “one of those days”. Maybe you overslept, missed the bus and had to walk to school in the rain, only to be told that you were late. Or perhaps, because of work, you had to cancel plans with friends, despite looking forward to seeing them for ages. Forgotten keys, delayed flights, an argument with your parents, illness and injury are all very frustrating, and understandably guaranteed to make you feel unhappy.

Luckily, there are a few simple, scientifically proven ways to make the glass seem half-full again.To start with, things like trying out cycling or walking instead of driving to work and listening to music are great moodboosters（情緒助推器）. Volunteering and getting involved in a charity are two ways in which you can become happier through helping others. Last, but certainly not least, try hugging your way to happiness; it's been suggested that we humans need a minimum （最少的） of five hugs a day. If you've been having a bad day, there's nothing better than a good old bear hug.

1. What would be the main idea of paragraph 2?

A. Happiness comes from different things.

B. Fresh flowers can give you a surprise.

C. Some people enjoy themselves at home.

D. It is pleasant to spend time with close friends.

2. The underlined part “one of those days” may refer to a day when_______ .

A. it is easy to be happy

B. you go to work on time

C. you have a coffee at home

D. you tend to be sad at your life

3. To tell us that people are easy to take happiness for granted, the writer_______ .

A. performs an experiment

B. provides some examples

C. tells an interesting story

D. brings up some problems

4. Where does the text probably come from?

A. A scientific report. B. An advertisement.

C. A guidebook. D. A novel.

Difficult sentence

Maybe you overslept, missed the bus and had to walk to school in the rain, only to be told that you were late. 也許你睡過頭了，錯過了公共汽車，不得不在雨中步行去學校，結果被告知你遲到了。

【點石成金】句中的“only to be told”為動詞不定式作結果狀語，常表示出乎意料的事或事與愿違的結果。