There exist cruel wars, fighting and sadness in the world today, so it’s not only necessary, but also essential to have a good sense of humor just to help us go through difficult times in our lives. Putting a smile on someone’s face when you know they are feeling depressed, as the saying goes, makes me feel good and warms my heart.
How would you feel if you could not joke around with your wife, husband, child, co-worker neighbor, close friend, or even just someone that you are standing in line with at your corner store? I am always saying things that make others smile or laugh, even if I don’t know the person I’m joking around with. My Grandma always found humor in everything she did, even if it was the hardest job anyone could imagine. This not only relieves stress in any situation, but also is a common manner to speak to others that are around you.
I know of a few people that don’t have a funny bone in their bodies, as they say. Everyone around them could be rolling on the floor after hearing a great joke and they would sit there without the slightest smile on their face. They don’t get the joke that makes others laugh. I am busting a gut while they just sit there, looking at me as if I were from outer space. How can people not get a really funny joke?
Laughing is essential to keep your stress levels under control. Without humor we would find ourselves with a lot of psychological problems, or on a lot of medications to keep us from going crazy. There is too much sadness in this present world. It drives people crazy. We all need to find a way to avoid the sadness and bring a little light into our lives. Therefore, I believe our best medicine is to get together and tell some jokes and have some fun laughing together.According to the author, humor is useful in the aspect that ____________.
| A．it can pick up people’s spirits |
| B．it can help people get on well with others |
| C．it can help get rid of the cruelty in the world |
| D．it makes people more confident |
The author answers the question in the second paragraph with ___________.
| A．facts and descriptions | B．evidence and argument |
| C．examples and conclusion | D．stories and persuasion |
The underlined phrase “busting a gut” in the 3rd paragraph can be replaced by .
| A．keeping silent | B．speaking loud |
| C．laughing hard | D．explaining carefully |
In writing the passage, the author mainly intends to __________.
| A．talk about his own understanding of humor |
| B．encourage people to be humorous in daily life |
| C．introduce a practical way to get through daily life |
| D．convince people of the power of being optimistic about life |
What is the author’s attitude towards the present world?
| A．Indifferent | B．Positive | C．Satisfied | D．Critical |
Everyone has got two personalities-the one that is shown to the world and the other that is secret and real. You don't show your secret personality when you're awake because you can control your behavior, but when you're asleep, your sleeping position shows the real you. In a normal night, of course, people frequently change their position. The important position is the one that you go to sleep in.
If you go to sleep on your back, you're a very open person. You normally trust people and you are easily influenced by fashion or new ideas. You don't like to upset people, so you never express your real feelings. You're quite shy and you aren't very confident.
If you sleep on your stomach, you are a rather secretive（不外露） person. You worry a lot and you're always easily upset. You're very stubborn（顽固）, but you aren't very ambitious. You usually live for today not tomorrow. This means that you enjoy having a good time.
If you sleep curled up， you are probably a very nervous person. You have a low opinion of yourself and so you're often defensive. You're shy and you don't normally like meeting people. You prefer to be on your own. You're easily hurt.
If you sleep on your side, you have usually got a well-balanced personality. You know your strengths and weaknesses. You're usually careful. You have a confident personality. You sometimes feel anxious, but you don't often get depressed. You always say what you think even if it annoys people.According to the writer, you naturally show your secret and real personality _______.
| A．only in a normal night |
| B．only when you go to sleep |
| C．only when you refuse to show yourself to the world. |
| D．only when you change sleeping position |
Which is NOT mentioned in the second paragraph about a person’s personality?
| A．He or she is always open with others. |
| B．He or she always likes new ideas earlier than others. |
| C．He or she is always easily upset. |
| D．He or she tends to believe in others. |
Point out which sentence is used to show the personality of a person who is used to sleeping on his or her stomach.
| A．He or she is careful not to offend others. |
| B．He or she doesn’t want to stick to his or her opinion. |
| C．He or she always wants to get ahead. |
| D．He or she likes to have a good time. |
Maybe you don’t want to make friends with a person who sleeps curled up. Why?
| A．He or she would rather be alone than communicate with you. |
| B．He or she is rarely ready to help you. |
| C．He or she prefers staying at home to going out. |
| D．He or she wouldn’t like to get help from you. |
It appears that the writer tends to think highly of the person who sleeps on one side because ________.
| A．He or she always shows sympathy for people. |
| B．He or she is confident, but not stubborn. |
| C．He or she has more strengths than weaknesses. |
| D．He or she often considers annoying people. |
Students who say they never or hardly ever used dictionaries often speak English well but usually write poorly, because they make many mistakes.
The students who use dictionaries most do not learn especially well either. The ones who look up every new word do not read fast. Therefore they do not have time to read much. Those who use small two-language dictionaries have the worst problems. Their dictionaries often give only one or two words as translations of English. But one English word often has many translations in a foreign language and one foreign word has many translations in English.
The most successful students are those who use large college edition dictionaries with about 100,000 words but do not use them too often. When they are reading, these students first try to get the general idea and understand new words from the context. Then they reread and use the dictionary to look up only key words that they still do not understand. They use dictionaries more for writing. If they are not sure how to spell a word, or divide it into syllables (音节), they always use a dictionary. Also, if they think a noun might have an unusual plural form, they check these in a dictionar
y. The writer thinks that .
| A．choose a good dictionary, and you’ll be successful in learning English |
| B．dictionaries are not necessary to the students who learn English |
| C．it is very important for students to use good dictionaries properly |
| D．using dictionaries very often can’t help to improve writing |
According to the passage, which of the following is wrong?
| A．Dictionaries have little effect on learning to speak English. |
| B．Whatever new words you meet while reading, never use dictionaries. |
| C．Small two-language dictionaries have serious defects (缺陷). |
| D．Reading something for the first time, you’d better not use dictionaries. |
When in the reading does the writer advise students to use a good dictionary?
| A．At the beginning of the reading |
B．At the end of the readi ng |
| C．During the first reading |
| D．After the first reading |
This passage mainly tells us .
| A．students shouldn’t use small two-language dictionaries |
| B．what were the defects of small two-language dictionaries |
| C．why students should use large college edition dictionaries |
| D．what dictionary students should choose and how to use it |
Which is not mentioned in this passage?
| A．How to make good use of a dictionary. |
B．When to use a dic tionary. |
| C．How to improve spoken English. |
| D．How to practise reading fast. |
When you want to go shopping, decide how much money you can spend on new clothes． Think about the kind of clothes you really need． Then look for those clothes you really need． Then look for those clothes on sale．
There are labels(标签) ins
ide all new clothes． The labels tell you how to take care of your clothes． The label for a shirt may tell you to wash it in warm water． A sweater l
abel may tell you to wash in cold water． The label on a coat may say “dry clean only”, for washing may ruin this coat． If you do as the directions (说明)on the label, you can keep your clothes looking their best for a long time．
Many clothes today must be dry cleaned． Dry cleaning is expensive． When buying new clothes, check to see if they will need to be dry cleaned． You will save money if you buy clothes that can be washed．
You can save money if you buy clothes that are well made． Well-made clothes last longer． They look good even after they have been washed many times． Clothes that cost more money are not necessarily(不一定) better made． They do not always fit better． Sometimes less expensive clothes look and fit better than more expensive clothes．If you want to save money, you had better buy clothes that __ ．
| A．don’t fit you | B．don’t last long |
| C．need to be dry cleaned | D．can be washed |
The labels inside the clothes tell you______．
| A．how to keep them looking their best | B．how to save money |
| C．whether they fit you or not | D．where to get them dry cleaned |
The first thing for you to do before you buy clothes is __ ．
A．to look for well-made clothes |
| B．to see how much money you can spend on it |
| C．to know how to wash them |
| D．to read the labels inside them |
We learn from the passage that cheaper clothes __ ．
| A．are always worse made | B．must be dry cleaned |
| C．can not be washed | D．can sometimes fit you b etter |
The best title for the passage should be __ ．
| A．Buy Less Expensive Clothes |
| B．Taking Enough Money When Shopping |
| C．Being a Clever Clothes Shopper |
| D．Choosing the Labels inside New Clothes |
Many teenagers(青少年) feel that the most important people in their lives are their friends．They believe that their family members don’t know them as well as their friends do．In large families, it is quite often for brothers and sisters to fight with each other and then they can only go to their friends for some ideas．
It is very important for teenagers to have one good friend or a group of friends．Even when they are not with their friends, they usually spend a lot of time talking among themselves on the phone．This communication is very important in children’s growing up, because friends can discuss something．These things are difficult to tell their family members．
However, parents often try to choose their children’s friends for them．Some parents may even stop their children from meeting their good friends．Have you ever thought of the following questions?
Who chooses your friends?
Do you choose your friends or your friends choose you?
Have you got a good friend your parents don’t like?
Your answers are welcome． Many teenagers think that ____ can understand them better．
| A．friends | B．brothers | C．sisters | D．parents |
When teenagers have something difficult to tell their parent
s, they usually____．
| A．stay alone at home | B．fight with their parents |
| C．discuss it with their friends | D．go to their brothers and sisters for help |
The sentence (句子) “Your answers are welcome．” means _______．
| A．You are welcome to discuss the questions with us |
| B．We’ve got no idea, so your answers are welcome |
| C．Your answers are always right |
| D．You can give us all the right answers |
Which of the following is the writer’s attitude(态度)?
| A．Parents should choose friends for their children． |
| B．Children should choose everything they like． |
| C．Parents should understand their children better． |
| D．Teenagers should only go to their friends for help． |
Part of the purpose of this
passage is to ___.
| A．give information for the parents to make their own judgment (判断) |
| B．give advice to children who want to choose their friends |
| C．help parents to find better friends for their children |
| D．get some information from many readers |
The playwright George Bernard Shaw once said humorously, “England and America are two nations divided by a common language. If he were writing today, he might add ‘divided by a common technology--- e-mail’”.
Two completely different styles of e-mail have formed on either side of the Atlantic-Euromail and Amerimail. Americail is informal and chatty. It’s likely to begin with a “Hi” and end with a “Bye”. The chances of Amerimail containing a smiley face or an “xoxo” are disturbingly high. We Americans are unwilling to dive into the meat of an e-mail. We feel we have to first inform recipients (收信人) about our vacation on the island which was really excellent except the jellyfish were biting and the kids caught a cold, so we had to skip the whale watching trip, but about that investors’ meeting in New York. Amerimail is a bundle of contradictions, casual and yet direct, respectful yet over proud. In other words, Amerimail is America.
Euromail is stiff and cold often beginning with a formal “Dear Mr. X” and ending with a simple “Sincerely”. You won’t find any mention of kids or the weather or jellyfish in Euromail. It’s all business. It’s also slow. Your correspondent might take days even weeks to answer a message. Euromail is exactly like the Europeans themselves.
Recently about 100 managers were asked on both sides of the Atlantic whether they noticed differences in e-mail styles. Most said yes. Here are a few of their observations:
“Americans tend to write (e-mail) exactly as they speak.”
“Why don’t you just call me instead of writing five e-mails back and forth?”
“Europeans are less interested in checking e-mail”.
“In general, Americans are much more responsive to e-mail—they respond faster and provide more information.”
So which is better, Euromail or Amerimail? I realized it’s not popular these days to suggest we have anything to learn from Europeans, but I’m fed up with an inbox filled with casual, barely meaningful e-mails from friends and colleagues. If the alternative is a few earnestly written, carefully worded bits of Euromail, then I say, “Bring it on.” What did George Bernard Shaw mean by saying “England and America are two nations divided by a common language”?
| A．There is not much difference between British English and American English. |
| B．Both England and America speak the common language, so they are much the same. |
| C．Either England or America is a divided nation, though they share a common language. |
| D．There is sharp difference between England and America despite their common language. |
Which of the following is most likely to be the “meat” of an Amerimail?
| A．The jellyfish were biting. |
| B．We had an excellent vacation on the island. |
| C．We had to skip the whale watching trip. |
| D．We were to attend the investors’ meeting in New York. |
On receiving an e-mail, Europeans tend to __________.
| A．respond to it immediately and earnestly |
| B．take more time than Americans to respond to it |
| C．respond by calling up their correspondent |
| D．never respond to it all |
What are characteristics of Amerimail?
| A．Informal and chatty | B．Casual and indirect |
| C．Stiff and cold | D．Formal and direc60 |
We can conclude from the passage that __________.
| A．the different e-mail styles do much harm to the relationship between the two sides on Atlantic |
| B．Amerimail is more appreciated by the writer for being informative and casually written |
| C．Euromail always impresses the writer as something more pleasant to read |
| D．the writer doesn’t favor either e-mail style as both have their own shortcomings |