Dr. Wiseman started the “laugh lab” project in September 2001. It is the largest study of humor. Participants are invited to log on the laugh lab website, give a few personal details, tell their favorite jokes and judge the jokes told by other people.
Their project will last for a year, and the organizers hope to finally discover the world’s funniest joke. But there is also a serious purpose. The researchers want to know what people from different nations and cultures find funny. And they want to find out the differences between male’s and female’s sense of humor. The idea is that if we want to understand each other, we have to find out what makes us laugh.
This is a subject that has long interested psychologists (心理学家) and philosophers (哲学家). Most of the time, people are not completely honest. We do things that society expects us to and say things that help us get what we want. But laughing cannot be controlled. When we laugh, we tell the truth about ourselves.
By December 2001 over 10,000 jokes had been submitted (公认的). This gave the scientists enough evidence to make early conclusions. It seems that men and women do have different senses of humor, for example.
“Our findings show the major differences in the ways in which males and females use humor,” said Dr Wiseman. “Males use humor to appear superior (高傲的，有优越感的) to others, while women are more skilled in languages and prefer word play.”
Researchers also found that there really is such a thing as a national sense of humor. The British enjoy what is usually called “toilet humor”. But the French like their jokes short and sharp, “You’re a high priced lawyer. Will you answer two questions for $ 500?” “Yes. What’s the second question?”
The Germans are famous for not having a sense of humor. But the survey found that German participants were more likely to find submitted jokes funny than any other nationality. Perhaps that proves the point. Is this joke funny? I don’t know, but let’s say yes, just to be safe.
Dr Wiseman and his workmates also submitted jokes created by computer. But none of those who took part in the survey found any of them amusing. Perhaps this is relief (安慰). Computers already seem like they can do everything. But at least they should leave the funny things to us.The scientist started the “laugh lab” project ________.
| A．to find the funniest joke in European countries |
| B．to know what funny people are from different nations and cultures |
| C．to find out the differences between the male’s and female’s sense of humor |
| D．to get more personal details about participants |
The writer gave the examples of the British, the French and the Germans_____.
| A．to show that the French people have a better sense of humor |
| B．to prove the British people have a sense of “toilet humor” |
| C．to show people from different nations have different senses of humor |
| D．to prove that the Germans have no sense of humor |
Which statement is true according to the passage?
| A．The jokes by computer are less funny than those by humans. |
| B．The Germans cannot find the submitted jokes amusing. |
| C．Males are better at word play compared with women. |
| D．Females like to use humor to show that they are superior. |
While income worry is a rather common problem of the aged, loneliness is another problem that aged parents may face. Of all the reasons that explain their loneliness, a large geographical distance between parents and their children is the major one. This phenomenon is commonly known as “Empty Nest Syndrome”.
In order to find better chances outside their countries, many young people have gone abroad, leaving their parents behind with no clear idea of when they will return home. Their parents spend countless lonely days and nights, taking care of themselves, in the hope that someday their children will come back to stay with them. The fact that most of these young people have gone to Europeanized or Americanized societies makes it unlikely that they will hold as tightly to the value of duty as they would have if they had not left their countries. Whatever the case, it has been noted that the values they hold do not necessarily match what they actually do. This geographical and cultural distance also prevents the grown-up children from providing response in time for their aged parents living by themselves.
The situation in which grown-up children live far away from their aged parents has been described as “distant parent phenomenon（现象）”, which is common both in developed countries and in developing countries. Our society has not yet been well prepared for “Empty Nest Syndrome”（空巢综合症）. According to the passage, the loneliness of aged parents is mainly caused by ________.
| A．their earlier experience of living alone |
| B．the poor living conditions in their native countries |
| C．the common worry that they have not saved much money |
| D．the distance between where parents live and where their children live |
Many young people have gone abroad, leaving their aged parents behind, to ________.
| A．realize their dreams in foreign countries |
| B．seek a better place for their aged parents |
| C．live in the countries with more money |
| D．continue their studies abroad |
If young people go abroad, ________.
| A．they do not hold to the value of duty at all |
| B．they can give some help to their parents back home |
| C．they cannot do what they should for their parents |
| D．they believe what they actually do is right |
From the last paragraph, we can infer that ________.
| A．the situations in the developed and developing countries are different |
| B．“Empty Nest Syndrome” has arrived unexpectedly in our society |
| C．children will become independent as soon as they go abroad |
| D．the aged parents are not fully prepared for “Empty Nest Syndrome” |
The society discussed in the passage is most probably ________.
| A．France | B．America |
| C．China | D．Britain |
If English means endless new words, difficult grammar and sometimes strange pronunciation, you are wrong. Haven’t you noticed that you have become smarter since you started to learn a language?
According to a new study by a British university, learning a second language can lead to an increase in your brain power. Researchers found that learning other languages changes grey matter(（中枢神经系统的）灰白质). This is the area of the brain which processes(加工,处理) information. It is similar to the way that exercise builds muscles.
The study also found the effect is greater when the younger people learn a second language.
A team led by Dr Andrea Mechelli, from University of London, took a group of Britons who only spoke English. They were compared with a group of “early bilinguals（双语者）” who had learnt a second language before the age of five, as well as a number of later learners.
Scans showed that grey matter density(密度) in the brain was greater in bilinguals than in people without a second language. But the longer a person waited before mastering a new language, the smaller the difference.
“Our findings suggest that the structure of the brain is changed by the experience of learning a second language,” said the scientists.
It means that the change itself increases the ability to learn.
Professor Dylan Vaughan Jones of the University of Wales has researched the link between bilingualism and maths skills. “Having two languages gives you two windows on the world and makes the brain more flexible,” he said. “You are actually going beyond language and have a better understanding of different ideas.”
The findings were matched in a study of native Italian speakers who had learned English as a second language between the ages of 2 and 34. Reading, writing, and comprehension were all tested. The results showed that the younger they started to learn, the better. “Studying a language means you get an entrance to another world,” explained the scientists.The main subject talked about in this passage is ________.
| A．science on learning a second language |
| B．language learning and the increase in one’s brain power. |
| C．man’s ability of learning a second language |
| D．language learning and the study of maths |
In the second paragraph, the writer mentions exercise in order to _____.
| A．say language is also a kind of physical labour |
| B．prove that one needs more practice when he or she is learning a language |
| C．make people believe language learning helps grey matter work well |
| D．to show the importance of using the language when you learn it. |
What change can we get during the experience of learning a second language?
| A．The increase of the ability to learn. |
| B．The development of muscles. |
| C．The improvement of strange pronunciation. |
| D．A worse understanding of different ideas. |
We may know from the scientific findings that _______.
| A．there is no difference between a later second language learner and one who doesn’t know a second language |
| B．the experience of learning a second language has a bad effect on people’s brain |
| C．the ability of learning a second language is changing all the time |
| D．the earlier you start to learn a second language, the higher the grey matter density is |
In the last two paragraphs, the author wants to tell us that ______.
| A．learning a second language is the same as studying maths |
| B．Italian is the best choice for you as a second language |
| C．early learning of a second language helps you a great deal in studying other subjects |
| D．you’d better start to learn a second language between 2 and 34 |
Compassion is a desire within us to help others. With effort, we can translate compassion into action. An experience last weekend showed me this is true. I work part-time in a supermarket across from a building for the elderly. These old people are our main customers, and it’s not hard to lose patience over their slowness. But last Sunday, one aged gentleman appeared to teach me a valuable lesson. This untidy man walked up to my register（收款机）with a box of biscuits. He said he was out of cash, had just moved into his room, and had nothing in his cupboards. He asked if we could let him have the food on trust. He promised to repay me the next day.
I couldn’t help staring at him, I wondered what kind of person he had been ten or twenty years before, and what he would be like if luck had gone his way. I had a hurt in my heart for this kind of human soul, all alone in the world, I told him that I was sorry, but store rules didn’t allow me to do so. I felt stupid and unkind saying this, but I valued my job.
Just then, another man, standing behind the first, spoke up. If anything, he looked more pitiable（可怜的）. “Charge it to me” was all he said.
What I had been feeling was pity. Pity is soft and safe and easy. Compassion, on the other hand, is caring in action. I thanked the second man but told him that was not allowed either, then I reached into my pocket and paid for the biscuits myself. I reached into my pocket because these two men had reached into my heart and taught me compassion.The aged gentleman who wanted to buy the biscuits ________.
| A．promised to obey the store rules |
| B．forgot to take any money with him |
| C．hoped to have the food first and pay later |
| D．could not afford anything more expensive |
Which of the following best describes the old gentleman?
| A．Kind and lucky. |
| B．Poor and lonely. |
| C．Friendly and helpful. |
| D．Hurt and disappointed. |
The writer acted upon the store rules because ________.
| A．he wanted to keep his present job |
| B．he felt no pity for the old gentleman |
| C．he considered the old man dishonest |
| D．he expected someone else to pay for the old man |
What does the writer learn from his experience?
| A．wealth is more important than anything else. |
| B．Helping others is easier said than done. |
| C．experience is better gained through practice. |
| D．Obeying the rules means more than compassion. |
How would the old men feel at the end of the story?
| A．Sad and disappointed. | B．Happy and lucky. |
| C．Depressed and unlucky. | D．Surprised and grateful. |
In the famous fairy tale, Snow White eats the Queen’s apple and falls victim to a curse; in Shakespeare’s novel, Romeo drinks the poison and dies; some ancient Chinese emperors took pills that contained mercury, believing that it would make them immortal, but they died afterward.
Poison has long been an important ingredient in literature and history, and it seems to always be associated with evil, danger and death. But how much do you really know about poison?
An exhibition, The Power of Poison, opened last month at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, intended to give the audience a more vivid understanding of poison. The exhibition will continue until August, reported The New York Times.
The museum tour starts in a rainforest setting, where you can see live examples of some of the most poisonous animals: caterpillars, frogs and spiders. Golden poison frogs, for instance, aren’t much bigger than a coin, but their skin is covered in a poison that can cut off the signaling power of your nerves, and a single frog has enough venom to kill 10 grown humans.
The exhibition also features interactive activities. In an iPad-based game, visitors are presented with three puzzling illnesses and asked to identify the poisons based on symptoms. In one case, for example, a pet dog is found sick in a backyard and visitors have to figure out whether it was the toad (蟾蜍), the leaky batteries in the trash or the dirty pond water that did it.
''Poisons can be bad for some things,'' Michael Novacek, senior vice president of the museum, told NBC News. ''Yet they can also be good for others.''
This is what visitors learn from the last part of the exhibition, which displays how poisons can be used favorably by humans, including for medical treatment.
The blood toxins of vampire bats, for example, can prevent blood from clotting (凝结), which may protect against strokes. A poisonous chemical found in the yew tree is effective against cancer, which is what led to the invention of a cancer-fighting drug called Taxol. One chemical in the venom of Gila monsters can lower the blood sugar of its victims, so it has been used to treat diabetes.
The benefits from natural poisons are not limited to just medicine. Believe it or not, many substances that we regularly take in – chili, coffee and chocolate, etc. – owe their special flavors or stimulating effects to chemicals that plants make to poison insects. By mentioning Snow White and Romeo at the beginning of the story, the author intends to________.
| A．draw readers’ attention to the topic of the article |
| B．show that poison is always linked with evil and death |
| C．show that poison has long been involved in literature |
| D．get readers to think of more examples of the use of poison in stories |
What is the main purpose of the exhibition The Power of Poison?
| A．To inform people about which animals are the most poisonous. |
| B．To teach people how to handle poisonous animals. |
| C．To give people more in-depth knowledge about poison. |
| D．To show how poison has been used for medical treatment. |
Which of the following statements about the exhibition is TRUE according to the article?
| A．The exhibition will lead visitors to a real rainforest. |
| B．Those who visit the exhibition can join in some iPad-based interactive games. |
| C．Golden poison frogs are the most poisonous animals on display. |
| D．Visitors can listen to lectures on recent studies of poisonous animals. |
Everyone has heard of the San Andreas fault（断层）, which constantly threatens California and the West Coast with earthquakes. But how many people know about the equally serious New Madrid fault in Missouri?
Between December of 1811 and February of 1812, three major earthquakes occurred, all centered around the town of New Madrid, Missouri, on the Mississippi River. Property damage was severe. Buildings were almost all destroyed. Whole forests fell at once, and huge cracks（裂缝） opened in the ground.
The Mississippi River completely changed character, developing sudden fast-moving currents. Several times it changed its course, and once it appeared to run backwards. Few people were killed in the New Madrid earthquake, simply because few people lived in this area in 1811; but the severity of the quake is shown by the fact that the shock waves rang bells in church towers in Charleston, South Carolina, on the coast. Buildings shook in New York City, and clocks were stopped in Washington, D.C.
Scientists now know that America’s two major faults are different. The San Andreas fault is a horizontal (水平的) boundary between two major land masses that are slowly moving in opposite directions. California earthquakes result when the movement of these two masses suddenly leans (倾斜) forward.
The New Madrid fault, on the other hand, is a vertical（垂直的）fault; at some point, millions of years ago, rock was pushed up toward the surface, probably by volcanoes under the surface. Suddenly, the volcanoes cooled and the rock collapsed, leaving huge cracks. Even now, the rock continues to settle downwards, and sudden sinking motions start earthquakes in the region. The fault itself, a large crack in this layer of rock, with dozens of other cracks that split off from it, extends from northeast Arkansas through Missouri and into southern Illinois.
Scientists who have studied the New Madrid fault say there have been numerous smaller quakes in the area since 1811; these smaller quakes indicate large ones are probably coming, but the scientists say they have no method of predicting when it will occur. The New Madrid fault is _______.
| A．responsible for forming the Mississippi River |
| B．a fault in the flat position |
| C．a fault caused by rocks moving directly upward |
| D．a worse fault than the San Andreas fault |
Which of the following is NOT true about the New Madrid fault?
A. Not many people were killed in the quakes in 1811.
B. Bells were rung in church towers in Charleston to inform the coming quakes.
C. The quakes stopped the clocks in Washington, D.C.
D. The quakes were caused by sudden sinking motion. It can be concluded from the passage that _______.
| A．it is probably as dangerous to live in Missouri as in California. |
| B．the New Madrid fault will eventually develop a mountain range in Missouri |
| C．in the future California will become an island |
| D．California will be broken into small pieces by an eventual earthquake |
The author suggests that________.
| A．earthquakes occur only around fault areas |
| B．horizontal faults are more dangerous than vertical ones |
| C．vertical faults are more dangerous than horizontal ones |
| D．faults are cracks on the earth’s surface caused by past movements of the earth’s land masses |