B

I entered St. Thomas’ Hospital as a medical student at the age of 18 and spent five years there. I was an unsatisfied student I had always wanted to be a writer and in the evening, I wrote and read. Before long, I wrote a novel, called Liza of Lambeth. I sent it to a publisher and it was accepted. It came out during my last year at the hospital and had something of success. It was of course an accident, but naturally I didn’t know that. I felt I could afford to give up medicine and make writing my profession. So, three days after I graduated from the school of medicine, I set out for Spain to write another book. Looking back now, I realize I was taking a fearful risk. It never even happened to me.

The next ten years was very hard, and I earned 100 pounds a year. Then I had a bit of luck. The manager of the Court Theatre put on a play that failed and the next play he arranged to put on was not ready, and he was at his wit’s end. He read a play of mine and, though he did not much like it, he thought it might just run for six weeks till the play he had in mind could be produced. It ran for 15 months. Within a short while I had four plays running in London at the same time. Nothing of the kind had even happened before. I was the talk of the town. One of the students at St. Thomas’ Hospital asked the famous surgeon(外科医生) with whom I had worked whether he remembered me. “Yes, I remember him quite well,” he said. “One of our failures, I’m afraid.”

29. The writer thought he was an unsatisfied student because    ▲    .

A. he didn’t like the hospital he worked in      B. he didn’t enjoy the work in the hospital

C. he thought he could be a famous doctor      D. he didn’t want to earn so little money

30. Which of the following is TRUE?

A. The writer succeeded as a doctor during his stay in the hospital.

B. The writer set out for Spain to write another book soon after he graduated.

C. The writer lived a happy life after he graduated from the school of medicine.

D. The writer became a famous surgeon after he graduated from the school of medicine.

31. What does the underlined part “and he was at his wit’s end” mean in the passsage?

A. He didn’t know what to do.               B. He didn’t realize what would happen.

C. He was successful at that time.            D. He was ready to help others.

C

Next time you’re unhappy or complaining about your life, don’t turn to a cheerful comedy. You might find a tear-jerking tragedy(催人泪下的悲剧) is just the thing you need to brighten your day.

A team of researchers at Ohio State University, US, has found sad movies can make people happier, Science Daily reported last month.

Many people find tragedies make them realize how good their own lives are, the study showed.

“People seem to use tragedies as a way to reflect on the important relationships in their own lives,” said Silvia Knobloch-Westerwick, leader of the study. “Tragic stories often focus on themes of eternal(永恒的) love, and this leads viewers to think about their loved ones and count their good and helpful things.”

In the study, researchers gathered 361 college students and showed them the 2007 movie, Atonement. The movie is about two lovers who are separated(分离) and finally die during World War II. Before and after the movie, the students were asked questions measuring(衡量) how happy they were with their lives. Researchers also asked them before, after and three times during the movie to measure various emotions, including sadness.

Researchers found that the sadder students felt while watching the movie, the more likely they were to think about real people they had close relationships with in life. This increased their happiness after watching the movie.

Knobloch-Westerwick explained that negative(消极的) moods make people more thoughtful.

“Positive(积极的) emotions show that everything is fine, you don’t have to worry, you don’t have to think about problems in your life,” she said. “But negative emotions, like sadness, make you think more critically about your situation. So seeing a tragic movie may make you sad, but that will make you to think more about your own close relationships and appreciate them more.”

The link between watching a tragic story and feeling better has long been recognized. The ancient Greeks even had a word for the feeling of happiness after seeing something sad that led to the modern English word “catharsis (宣泄)”.

The study also showed that relationships are a very important source of happiness in our lives, so it is no surprise that thinking about your loved ones makes you happier, researchers said.

32. Which of the following about the study of Ohio State University is NOT true?

A. Only sadness is measured in the study.

B. Students’ emotions are measured by asking questions.

C. The study shows relationships are a source of happiness.

D. Those who felt sadder when watching the movie were more likely to be happier after that.

33. Why are ancient Greeks mentioned in the passage?

A. To introduce the meaning of the word “Catharsis”.

B. To explain the importance of knowing how to become happier.

C. To prove that they were of high intelligence and guessed its meaning.

D. To tell readers the relationship between tragedies and happiness was found long ago.