Eat, drink and be merry. That’s what Spring Festival is all about. But there are millions of people, too, who love to let happiness go up in smoke.
Offering cigarettes to guests is a traditional Chinese way of showing respect for them. A cup of tea and cigarettes are perhaps the most common way of welcoming a guest in China, especially during festive occasions.
No wonder, 40 percent of the people surveyed recently said they would smoke at least twice the usual number of cigarettes during the Spring Festival because of all those gatherings and parties. Only 20 percent of the respondents said they would refuse a cigarette when offered one. Why can’t the others do the same? Because they could be seen as being rude, said more than half of the respondents. Fifteen percent feared they could be taken as “someone who cannot get along well with others”.
The Think tank Research Center for Health Development and sohu.com survey shows 61 percent Chinese think offering a cigarette is useful for socializing, and 52 percent have offered cigarettes to others. The study surveyed 3,800 people, 64 percent of them men.
One third of those surveyed were smokers, out of which 57 percent said they couldn’t give up smoking because of the offering and accepting culture. “People have accepted offering cigarettes as an effective way of making friends,” research center director Wu Yiqun says.
China has more than 350 million smokers, catering to the tobacco market that is worth 500 billion yuan. “The survey shows we still have a lot of work to do,” Wu says. “Since Beijing is trying to make the Olympic Games smoke free, it is time to let people know that offering a cigarette is a bad habit and it should be given up immediately.”
【小题1】The passage is written with the purpose of________.| A．telling us a custom about the Chinese Spring Festival |
| B．introducing a way to make friends with Chinese |
| C．stopping smoking during the Beijing Olympic |
| D．telling us that offering cigarettes is a bad habit |
| A．the fact that smokers are greatly increasing during the festival |
| B．the reason why refusing cigarettes is acceptable |
| C．the fact that many people have to smoke more cigarettes during the festival |
| D．it is rude to attend parties without smoking cigarettes |
| A．the tobacco market is not developing smoothly |
| B．the writer thinks that smoking wastes a lot of money |
| C．smoking is helpful to the tobacco market |
| D．the tobacco market attracts too many smokers |
| A．people will be free to smoke during the Beijing Olympic Games |
| B．only a few smokers still have the habit of offering cigarettes |
| C．offering cigarettes is the most effective way for socializing |
| D．some nonsmokers will even accept the offered cigarettes |
These are common remarks one may hear at various sporting events. At the time they are made, they may seem innocent enough. But let’s not kid ourselves. They have been known to influence behavior in such a way as to lead to real bloodshed. Volumes have been written about the way words affect us. It has been shown that words having certain connotations (含义) may cause us to react in ways quite foreign to what we consider to be our usual humanistic behavior. I see the term “opponent” as one of those words. Perhaps the time has come to delete it from sports terms.
The dictionary meaning of the term “opponent” is “adversary” “enemy”; “one who opposes your interests.” Thus, when a player meets an opponent, he or she may tend to treat that opponent as an enemy. At such times, winning may dominate one’s intellect, and every action, no matter how gross, may be considered justifiable. I recall an incident in a handball game when a referee refused a player’s request for a time out for a glove change because he did not consider them wet enough. The player proceeded to rub his gloves across his wet T-shirt and then exclaimed. “Are they wet enough now?”
In the heat of battle, players have been observed to throw themselves across the court without considering the consequences that such a move might have on anyone in their way. I have also witnessed a player reacting to his opponent’s international and illegal blocking by deliberately hitting him with the ball as hard as he could during the course of play. Off the court, they are good friends. Does that make any sense? It certainly gives proof of a court attitude which departs from normal behavior.
Therefore, I believe it is time we elevated (提升) the game to the level where it belongs there by setting an example to the rest of the sporting world. Replacing the term “opponent” with “associate” could be an ideal way to start.
The dictionary meaning of the term “associate” is “colleague”; “friend”; “companion.” Reflect a moment! You may soon see and possibly feel the difference in your reaction to the term “associate” rather than “opponent.”
【小题1】Which of the following statements best expresses the author’s view?
| A．Aggressive behavior in sports can have serious consequences. |
| B．The words people use can influence their behavior. |
| C．Unpleasant words in sports are often used by foreign athletes. |
| D．Unfair judgments by referees will lead to violence on the sports field. |
| A．are too eager to win |
| B．are usually short-tempered and easily offended |
| C．cannot afford to be polite in fierce competition |
| D．treat their rivals as enemies |
| A．He refused to continue the game. |
| B．He angrily hit the referee with a ball. |
| C．He claimed that the referee was unfair. |
| D．He wet his gloves by rubbing them across his T-shirt. |
| A．deliberately throw the ball at anyone illegally blocking their way |
| B．keep on screaming and shouting throughout the game |
| C．lie down on the ground as an act of protest |
| D．kick the ball across the court with force |
| A．calling on players to use clean language on the court |
| B．raising the referee’s sense of responsibility |
| C．changing the attitude of players on the sports field |
| D．regulating the relationship between players and referees |
It is natural to compare ourselves to others and to get caught in a mental comparison loop, and yet this seldom is beneficial. You may have heard the expression “Comparison is the thief of joy.” To me, this is true as I have found it is quite difficult to compare myself to others and feel joy at the same time.
Comparison not only robs us of joy, but it can also fuel self-criticism and a lack of self-acceptance. Typically, comparison leads to perceiving others as superior to you in some way and feeling inadequate or inferior. “I am not as successful, competent, attractive as they are.” Why don’t I have what they have? We use comparison as an avenue for self-criticism, “What’s wrong with me? I must be an inadequate loser.” This hinders self-acceptance.
Comparison is deceptive (误导的). It tells us that if we meet the expectations, lose weight, get a promotion, or buy the house, we will feel better, calmer, more self-assured, and stop comparing ourselves. This may be temporarily true, yet, a comparison is an internal process that is ultimately based on our thoughts and sense of self, not external circumstances. We can always find something else to compare, another expectation we tell ourselves we are not meeting.
To stop comparing ourselves to others, we have to recognize that the comparison game is unwinnable (and exhausting) and stop playing. To shift from being guided by comparison to being guided by your values. Values are antidotes to comparison. Reflecting upon and being aware of your values, and aligning (使一致) behaviors and decisions with your values, highlights and reinforces what is truly important to you and can solidify your sense of self-identity and self-acceptance.
This does not mean we ignore things that we may want to change. It means these changes and goals are based on values not comparison to others, and not relevant to self-acceptance, we accept ourselves regardless.
Behaviors and decisions are a matter of personal choice, not a means to measure up to others or a requirement for acceptance. Self-acceptance isn’t about fixing anything about yourself, it is about affirming who you are, today.
【小题1】What is the negative effect of comparison?| A．It results in criticism from other people. |
| B．It harms our confidence and dignity. |
| C．It makes us give up working hard. |
| D．It hinders our roads to success. |
| A．Because it is an internal process depending on our expectations. |
| B．Because there are so many things waiting for us to compare. |
| C．Because we set high standard for ourselves all the time. |
| D．Because we never stop comparing despite temporary satisfaction. |
| A．Solutions. | B．Necessities. | C．Reasons. | D．Suggestions. |
| A．Comparison reduce our values | B．Accept your own behaviors and decisions |
| C．Stop trying to measure up to others | D．Why is it unnecessary to compare? |
“I think I’m nothing more than a dead fish.” “I don’t want to do anything.” “I’m so beat and so sad.”…The young generation in our country used to enjoy their “happy culture” but now they have become “beat and sad” slowly and secretly. Some people even called it “the beat culture”. The “Beat” youths don’t want to do anything. They have no purpose, no desire and they are totally depressed so that they only want to live an aimless life. The “Ge You slouch (葛优瘫)” and the song I feel like having been drained are the examples.
Many media concern themselves about this phenomenon and try to persuade the youths into embracing positive and healthy feelings and encourage them to work hard to get rid of decadence. This is really a kind gesture. However, we don’t have to worry too much about this “beat culture.” In fact, it’s not a negative thing. “Beat” never means despair, but a way of self-mockery(自嘲)and pressure relief.
In general, the youths in China are not “beat”. According to a recent international research, the youths in China hold positive attitude towards the future. 29% of the Chinese interviewees believe they will live and work in peace in China because “as long as you work hard, you can have your own day”. Around 93% of the Chinese interviewees believe the future is promising because of medicine industry, renewable energy sources and computer. Compared with Chinese youngsters, youths in developed countries are more pessimistic (悲观的).
Of course there are some social reasons for the appearing of “the Beat Culture”. As urbanization develops rapidly, youths living in big cities are facing new challenges that their forefathers have never met before. Loneliness and feelings of insignificance and powerlessness are easy to get hold of the young people. Without proper care, they could threaten our mentality and cause many social problems. These problems probably need our attention more.
【小题1】“The Beat culture” includes the following examples except that _______| A．the young generation don’t feel like doing anything. |
| B．the young generation consider themselves dead fish. |
| C．the young generation in big cities are facing new challenges. |
| D．the young generation enjoy the song I feel like having been drained. |
| A．loneliness | B．laziness |
| C．sufferings | D．pessimism |
| A．Most people believe that with hard work, people can have their own day. |
| B．These days, young people suffer much more loneliness than their parents. |
| C．Chinese youths are more negative than young people in developed countries. |
| D．Social development does bring some pressure to the younger generation. |
| A．The Chinese youths are not the beat generation. |
| B．How does “the Beat Culture” affect the Chinese youth. |
| C．“The Beat Culture” is positive to Chinese youngsters. |
| D．“The Beat culture” is popular among the Chinese youngsters. |
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