complaints were the common language in my circle. We all were dissatisfied with something. Back in Illinois, my friends complained about the train to Chicago and how it's never on time; my friends in bigger cities complained about the expensive rent and strange smells on the subway.

　　Complaining allows us to accept the imperfect without having to take action. We all have great ideas about what life would be like if only we had this, or did that, or lived there. Perhaps complaining helps bridge the large space between these perfect selves and reality.

　　There's also this: I really didn't want to change most of the things I complained about. Complaining was helpful on those days when happiness required too much energy. But it also made me lose sight of something. I was born and grew up in Nebraska and have lived most of my life in one of the plains states. When I went to the coasts, I was surprised by how unattractive big­city living can be.

　　Complaining may offer relief, but so does acceptance. There is no perfect place. There is no perfect life. There will always be something to complain about. By focusing on (关注) my complaints, I risked missing out on important moments of happiness. Now, I look up into the night sky and see all the stars. And I know that I have nothing to complain about.

　　语篇解读：本文是一篇议论文。作者曾是一个爱抱怨的人，然而她最终意识到抱怨不会带来任何改变还会使她错过许多美好的时刻。

　　5．What do we know about the author?

　　A．She likes driving in the countryside.

　　B．She is very picky about her hair.

　　C．She is a well educated woman.

　　D．She often goes out for dinner.

　　解析：选C　细节理解题。根据第一段中的"I was getting my university degree"和"I am a university teacher"可知，作者是一个受过良好教育的人。

　　6．After complaining, the author probably________.

　　A．had a deeper understanding of reality

　　B．tried to make herself more perfect

　　C．got sadder about her situation

　　D．remained unchanged

　　解析：选D　推理判断题。根据第三段中的"Complaining allows us to accept the imperfect without having to take action."和第四段中的"I really didn't want to change most of the things I complained about"可推测，作者抱怨过后基本不作出任何改变。

7．What does the underlined word "something" in Paragraph 4 refer to?