单选题 How often one hears children wishing they were grown up, and old people wishing they were young again. Each age has its pleasures and its pains, and the happiest person is the one who enjoys what each age gives him without wasting his time in useless regrets.
Youth is a time when there are few tasks to make life difficult. If a child has good parents, he is fed, looked after and loved. It is impossible that he will again in his life be given so much without having to do anything in return. In addition, life is always presenting new things to the child -- things that have lost their interest for older people. But a child has his pains: he is not so free to do what he wishes to do; he is continually being told not to do things, or being punished for what he has done wrong.
When the young man starts to earn his own living, he can no longer expect others to pay for his food, his clothes, and his room, but has to work if he wants to live comfortably. If he breaks the laws of society as he used to break the laws of his parents, he may go to prison. If, however, he works hard, keeps out of trouble and has good health, he can have the great happiness of building up his position in society.

单选题 People can experience happiness if they ______.

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】细节题。文章第一段末句提到the happiest person is the one who enjoys what each age gives him…，因此B项相符。A项与此句不符。第一段中同时提到Each age has its pleasures and its pains，C、D两项均与此句不符。

单选题 When people were young, they used to ______.

单选题 The pains of children lie in the fact that ______.

单选题 Children are usually happy because ______.

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】推断题。文中第二段提到life is always presenting new things to the child--things that have lost their interest for older people，D项与此句相符。A项错误理解了该句，老人是对事物失去兴趣，而非对孩子们；C项也与此句不符。B项与第二段末句不符。

单选题 The author presents the passage in a(n) ______ fashion.

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】主旨题。本题要求学生对作者的写作意图、口吻有准确的理解。文章第一段已有明确的观点：每一个年龄段都有欢乐和烦恼，一个幸福的人应该珍惜现在，不把时间浪费在无谓的惋惜之中。下文则具体阐述了各年龄段的欢乐和烦恼，因此C项为最佳选择。