There is an English saying :“laughter is best medicine .”Until recently ,few people took the saying seriously .Now however ,doctors have begun to look into laughter and the effects it has on the human body .They have found that laughter really can improve people’s health .
Tests were carried out to study the effects of laughter on the body .People watched funny films while doctors checked their hearts ,blood pressure ,breathing and muscles .It was found that laughter had similar effects to physical exercise .It increases blood pressure ,the heart beating and breathing ; it also works several groups of muscles in the face ,the stomach ,and even the feet .If laughter exercises the body ,it must be beneficial .
Other tests have shown that laughter appears to be able to reduce the effect of pain on the body .In one experiment doctors produced pain in groups of students who listened to different radio programmes .The group that tolerated(忍耐)the pain for the longest time was the groups which listened to a funny programme .The reason why laughter can reduce pain seems to be that it helps to produce a kind of chemicals in the brain which diminish both stress and pain .
As a result of these discoveries ,some doctors in the United States now hold laughter clinics ,in which they help to improve their patients’ condition by encouraging them to laugh .They have found that even if their patients do not really feel like laughing ,making them smile is enough to produce beneficial effects similar to those caused by laughter .Doctors have proved the following EXCEPT that .
A.smiling does good to health |
B.laughter can be tolerated |
C.there is a way to reduce pain |
D.laughter can work the muscles in the feet |
The main idea of the passage is .
A. laughter and physical exercise have similar effects on the human body
B smile can produce the same effects as laughter
C. pain can be reduced by laughter
D. laughter is the best medicine The students who tolerated the pain for the longest time .
A.listened to different radio programmes |
B.could produce a kind of chemical |
C.don’t have stress of pain |
D.listened to a funny programme |
The underlined word “diminish” is similar to .
A.test | B.stop | C.reduce | D.increase |
Doctors hold laughter clinics _________.
A.to give better condition to their patients |
B.in order to improve patients’ health |
C.to make patients smile |
D.to prove smile and laughter have the same effect |
第二部分:阅读理解 (共 25小题;第一节每小题 2分,第二节每小题 1分;满分 45分)
第一节:阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项 (A. B. C 和D)中.选出最佳选项.
A
When it comes to friends, I desire those who will share my happiness, who possess wings of their own and who will fly with me. I seek friends whose qualities illuminate(照亮) me and train me up for love. It is for these people that I reserve the glowing hours, too good not to share.
When I was in the eighth grade, I had a friend. We were shy and "too serious" about our studies when it was becoming fashionable with our classmates to learn acceptable social behaviors. We said little at school. but she would come to my house and we would sit down with pencils and paper. And one of us would say: "Let's start with a train whistle today." We would sit quietly together and write separate poems or stories that grew out of a train whistle. Then we would read them aloud. At the end of that school year, we, too, were changing into social creatures and the stories and poems
stopped.
When I lived for a time in London, I had a friend. He was in despair(失望) and I was in despair.But our friendship was based on the idea in each of us that we would be sorry later if we did not explore this great city because we had felt bad at the time. We met every Sunday for five weeks and found many excellent things. We walked until our despairs disappeared and then we parted. Wegave London to each other.
For almost four years I have had remarkable friend whose imagination illuminates mine. We write long letters in which we often discover our strangest selves. pach of us appears, sometimes in a funny way. in the other's dreams. She and I agree that,at certain times, we seem to be parts of the same mind. In my most interesting moments. I often think: "Yes, I must tell.. .."We have never met.
It is such comforting companions I wish to keep. One bright hour with their kind is worth more to me than the lifetime services of a psychologist, who will only fill up the healing(愈合的) silence necessary to those darkest moments in which I would rather be my own best friend.
41.In Paragraph 3, "We gave London to each other" probably means____
A. our exploration of London was a memorable gifi to both of us
B. we were unwilling to tear ourselves away from London
C. our unpleasant feeling about London disappeared
D. we parted with each other in London
42.According to Paragraph 4, the author and her friend_______
A. call each other regularly B. have similar personalities
C. enjoy writing to each other D. Iove to discover new things
43.In the darkest moments, the author would prefer to_______
A. seek professional help B. be left alone
C. stay with her best friend D. break the silence
44.What is the best title for the passage?
A. Unforgettable ExperiencesB. Remarkable Imagination
C. Lifelong Friendship D. Noble Companions
E
Governments and health officials around the world continued to take steps Tuesday against the outbreak of swine flu that has killed scores of people in Mexico and spread to the U.S., Europe and possibly Asia.
By early Tuesday, the swine flu outbreak in Mexico had caused in 152 deaths and more than 1,600 illnesses. So far, at least 113 cases have been proved worldwide, including 64 in the United States; six in Canada; 11 in New Zealand and two each in Spain the United Kingdom and Israel. None has yet resulted in death.
The World Health Organization on Monday raised its alert level from three to four on its six-level scale. The move means the U.N. agency has determined that the virus can transmit
from human to human.
"In this age of global travel, where people move around in airplanes so quickly, there is no region to which this virus could not spread," said Fukuda, assistant director-general of the WHO.
Governments around the world struggled to prevent further outbreak. Some, like China and Russia, banned pork imports from the United States and Mexico. U.S. President Barack Obama said the outbreak was a cause for concern, not for alarm. The government urged travelers to avoid non-essential travel to Mexico.
The latest WHO report listed only seven proved swine flu deaths in Mexico but it was not clear why there was the discrepency.
Mexico City has closed all schools until at least May 6 to help curb(control) the spread of swine flu and ordered 35,00 public venues to close or serve only takeaway meals. In addition, bars, clubs, movie theaters, pool halls, gyms, sport centers and convention halls have been told to close until May 5. Armed police officers are also guarding hospitals in Mexico City while roads and schools in the city of 20 million people are deserted. Officials also have talked about shutting down the bus and subway systems.
57.How many people were found catching swine flu in Spain?
A. 2. B. 11. C. 6. D. 64.
58.When learning the outbreak of swine flu, the WHO was ____.
A. calm B. nervous C. shocked D. careful
59. Fukuda’s words suggest that _____.
A. he likes travel by air
B. global travel hasn’t been affected
C.this virus can spread quickly because of global travel
D. planes must be forbidden to take to prevent swine flu
60.The last paragraph mainly tells us _____.
A. Mexico has taken measures to control swine flu
B. Mexico City is too dangerous to live in
C. the normal life in Mexico has been changed
D. people in Mexico are badly in need of help
D
The Danish capital is a year-round destination. Here are some of the city's best annual events.
Roskilde Festival (July)
The Danes love the outdoors and they love rock music; the Roskilde Festival is where they combine these passions for a weekend of drunken celebration. The four-day event is held about 30 minutes from the city completely, which means you can either go in for the full festival experience, or you can travel from the city to the festival each day.
There are also day tickets if you don't have the power for the whole collection of facts.
Kulturnatten (October)
For something a little more high brow there's the Night of Culture. For one night only some 300 venues in the city stage theater performances, art exhibitions, concerts and poetry readings.
Father Christmas Congress (July)
One of the more bizarre fixtures in Copenhagen's calendar, the event is held in July—the slow season for Santas—at the Bakken amusement park, some 20 minutes north of the city. The most interesting of the event is a procession of Santas from all over the world along Strøget. Parents should be prepared for some embarrassed questions from the kids.
Tivoli Gardens (November/December)
These pleasure gardens make for a great day out any time of the year but to see them at their most attractive, visit from mid-November through December, when they are transformed into a fairy tale of lanterns and Christmas markets. There's also outdoor skating, a Christmas entertainment and the very Danish 'Nissekøbing' village, home to more than 100 mechanical fairies.
53. If you are free in October, you can go to _____.
A. Roskilde Festival B. Kulturnatten
C. Father Christmas Congress D. Tivoli Gardens
54. Roskilde Festival is a festival _____.
A. where many famous singers in Denmark gather
B. which is only held in the center of a city
C. that lasts about half an hour per day
D. that the Danas can enjoy
55. How does the author think of the procession of Santas?
A. Astonishing. B. Funny. C. Worth seeing. D. Full of encouragement.
56. The passage is probably written for _____.
A. guides B. tourists C. businessmen D. Writers
C
Planting trees around poultry farms can improve air and water quality -- and relations with neighbors. Research has shown that just three rows of trees near poultry houses can reduce the release of dust and ammonia(氨). They can also reduce the strong smell of ammonia gas.
The trees take dust, ammonia and odors in their leaves. They also provide shade from the sun, so they reduce cooling costs in summer. And they act as a windbreak, so they reduce heating costs in winter. Trees can also improve water quality around farms by removing pollutions from soil and groundwater.
Several years ago, people were objecting to the odor of poultry farms on the Delmarva Peninsula in the eastern United States. Delmarva is where the states of Delaware, Maryland and Virginia come together. Two thousand farms there can each house an average of seventy-five thousand chickens.
Traditionally the farms used windows to provide fresh air in the chicken houses. Farmers rarely planted trees or tall crops around the buildings, so there would be no barrier to the airflow. But then farms began to use new ventilation systems. Instead of windows, the new systems used tunnel fans to circulate air. The fans directed airflow from the poultry houses toward the homes of neighbors.
Researchers began dealing with the problem in two thousand. They found that over a period of six years, planting three rows of trees reduced total dust and ammonia by more than half. And they found that smells were reduced by eighteen percent.
Farmers may think trees will take too long to grow and be effective. But some trees can grow quickly. At least one-third of the Delmarva farms have planted trees, technically known as vegetative environmental buffers. The idea offers a way to cut pollution, save money and energy, and make the neighbors happy.
49. The second paragraph mainly tells us ______.
A. planting trees as much as possible
B. the advantages of trees
C. how to reduce heating costs
D. why trees are received
50. The word “odor” in paragraph 3 means ______.
A. plant B. smell C. height D. water
51. The farms on the Delmarva Peninsula used to use ______ in chicken houses to provide fresh air.
A. trees B. tunnel fans C. windows D. poles
52. It can be learned from the last two paragraphs that ______.
A. three rows of trees are really good to the environment
B. researches began to realize the problem in 2000
C. most farmers show interest in planting trees
D. the trees growing quickly can be cut off in a few years
B
Our listener question this week comes from Abdullahi Farah, who wants to know about the life and work of Doctor Benjamin Carson.
Doctor Carson is an internationally recognized doctor at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. He has been the director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at the hospital for twenty-five years. At the age of thirty-three, he became one of the youngest doctors in the United States to hold that position. And he was the first African-American to have that position at Johns Hopkins Hospital.
Ben Carson is known for his work as a brain surgeon for children. For example, in nineteen eighty-seven, he led a team of seventy doctors and nurses in an operation to separate two babies joined at the head. Earlier attempts by other surgeons on other babies had failed. Doctor Carson successfully performed the operation. Both babies were able to survive independently.
Doctor Carson has written four books. His first book, "Gifted Hands," tells the story of his life. Benjamin Carson was born in nineteen fifty-one in Detroit, Michigan.
As a boy, Ben was not a good student. In fact, he was the worst in his class. When his mother learned of his failing grades she asked her sons to read two library books every week. She limited the amount of time they watched television. And she told them to respect every person.
Ben Carson soon became the top student in his class. He went on to study at Yale University, one of the best universities in the country, and later to medical school at the University of Michigan.
Doctor Carson has received many awards and honors. Last year he received the nation's highest civilian honor. Former President George W. Bush presented Benjamin Carson with the Presidential Medal of Freedom at a ceremony at the White House.
45. The passage is probably taken from _____.
A. a radio B. a magazine C. TV D. a paper
46. What does the word “surgeons” in paragraph 3 mean?
A. nurses B. doctors C. hospitals D. points
47. Benjamin Carson’s change in study was largely because of ______
A. his hard work B. his teacher
C. his mother D. his father
48. What’s the aim to write the passage?
A. To call on us to learn from Benjamin Carson.
B. To praise Benjamin Carson for his achievements.
C. To show us how Benjamin Carson succeeded
D. To introduce Benjamin Carson’s life and work