TheUKhasawellrespectedhighered-优题课

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There is an English saying, “Laughter is the 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 heart, blood pressure, breathing and muscles. It was found that laughter has similar effects to physical exercise. It increases blood pressure, makes the heart beat quicker and makes people breathe deeper; 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 group which listened to a funny programme. The reason why laughter can reduce pain seems to be that it helps to produce a kind of chemical in the brain which diminishes 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.
63. According to the passage, which of the following statements is WRONG?
A. Laughter is good for health.
B. Laughter can make you become old quickly.
C. Laughter helps to reduce pain.
D. Laughter, just like physical exercise, is good for our body.
64. The underlined word “diminishes” in the third paragraph means “ ”.
A. delays B. prevents
C. increases D. reduces
65. Why do doctors hold laughter clinics?
A. Because they want to earn more money.
B. Because they think they will help the patients recover from illnesses.
C. Because they want to improve their patients’ health.
D. Because they want their patients to laugh more.
66. What would be the best title for this passage?
A. Both laughter and physical exercise are good for health.
B. Laughter clinics can help patients improve their condition.
C. Laughter can reduce the effect of pain.
D. Laughter is the best medicine.

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Education is not an end, but a means to an end. In other words, we do not educate children only for the purpose of educating them. Our purpose is to fit them for life.
In some modern countries it has for some time been fashionable to think that by free education for all — one can solve all the problems of society and build a perfect nation. But we can already see that free education for all is not enough; we find in such countries a far larger number of people with university degree; they refuse to do what they think “low” work; and, in fact, work with hands is thought to be dirty and shameful in such countries. But we have only to think a moment to understand that the work of a completely uneducated farmer is far more important than that of a professor; we can live without education, but we die if we have no food. If no one cleaned our streets and took the rubbish away from our houses, we should get terrible diseases in our towns.
In fact, when we say that all of us must be educated to fit us for life, it means that we must be educated in such a way that, firstly, each of us can do whatever work suited to his brains and ability and, secondly, that we can realize that all jobs are necessary to society, and that is very bad to be ashamed of one’s work. Only such a type of education can be considered valuable to society.
60. The writer of the passage thinks that _______.
A. education can settle most of the world’s problems
B. free education for all probably leads to a perfect world
C. free education won’t help to solve problems
D. all the social problems can’t be solved by education
61. The writer wants to prove that _______.
A. our society needs all kinds of jobs
B. our society needs free education for all
C. a farmer is more important than a professor
D. work with hands is the most important
62. The purpose of education is _______.
A. to choose officials for the country
B. to prepare children mainly for their future work
C. to let everyone receive education fit for him
D. to build a perfect world

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第三节阅读理解（共两部分，满分40分）
第一部分（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）
阅读下列短文，从每题的所给的所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。
One day I got a duck from a friend who lived two miles south of my house. I brought the duck home in a bag. It was obvious that the duck missed his family very much upon his arrival. Left to himself, he would at once turn his head homeward. I tried to shut him together with other ducks for several days, but with no use at all. There seemed to be but one thought in the mind of him, and that was home.
So I decided to let him out, but I kept about fifty yards behind him. I followed, thinking he would soon lose his way and came back. But he seemed to have an exact map of the country in his mind. Soon he met a dog. He paused and looked at the animal for a moment, and then turned to the right along a road which led to a railroad station. He had now gone about half the distance, and was getting tired. A little pool of water by the roadside caught his eye. Into it he bathed, drank, and rested for a few moments, and then started homeward again. For a while, he realized that he had got into the wrong direction, and turned his face southward again. Finally we came in sight of the home path, which led up to the farmhouse.
It was now nearly night and I had no time to watch the experiment further. But as he neared the path he seemed suddenly to see some familiar things, and rushed at the top of his speed. I followed close behind. Into the house yard he rushed with uplifted wings as if he was eagerly telling his partners the story of his adventures.
56. What does the author think about the duck?
A. Interesting and careful.
B. Curious and enthusiastic.
C. Intelligent and determined.
D. Brave and experienced.
57. As soon as the duck arrived at a new place, he seemed________.
A. glad B. nervous C. tired D. homesick
58.The underlined part “the experiment” in the last paragraph refers to “__________”.
A. if the duck had the ability to get on well with other ducks.
B. if the duck was born with a good sense of direction.
C. if the duck could discover the author.
D. if the duck could find his way home.
59. What’s the purpose of the writer’s writing the text?
A. To share us a duck’s interesting trip.
B. To present his opinions about a duck’s remarkable experience.
C. To express his curiosity about a duck’s interesting trip.
D. To examine why a duck would like to rush on it’s own.

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Fatimah Bamun dropped out of Balizenda Primary School in the first grade, when her father refused to buy her pencils and paper. Only after her teachers said to him that his daughter showed unusual promise(有希望) did he change his mind. Today, Fatimah, 14, tall and slender, studies math in a dirt-floored fourth-grade classroom.
Whether she will reach the fifth grade is another matter. Fatimah is facing the realities of a school with no toilet, no water, no hope of privacy (隐私) other than the shadow of a bush, and no girlfriends with whom to share feelings. Fatimah is the only girl of the 23 students in her class. In fact, in a school of 178 students, she is one of the only three girls who have made it past the third grade.
“I have no friend in the class,” she said. “Most of my friends have dropped out to get married. So during the break, I just sit in the classroom and read.”
Her father, however, now says he is fully behind her. “The people from the government are all the time telling us to send our daughters to school, and I am listening to these people,” he said.
But in many cases, parents don’t listen. Parents think that if the girls stay home, they can help with the harvesting, fetch the water and collect the firewood. So they take them out of school.
In a region where poverty, tradition and ignorance make about 24 million girls not even have an elementary school education. There are many other barriers (障碍) that prevent girls going to school, such as the lack of school toilets and water.
The issue is not only equality. The World Bank thinks that if women in sub-Saharan Africa had equal education, land and other wealth, the region’s economy could improve greatly. There is a connection between growth in Africa and sex equality. It is of great importance but still ignored by so many people.
68. The author’s purpose in writing the passage is to _______.
A. find the cause of Africa’s poverty
B. describe the poor education conditions of African girls
C. prove the inequality in African society
D. reform the present schooling systems in Africa
69. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
A. Fatimah is a girl who shows signs of success for the future.
B. Fatimah’s father is now giving a lot of support to her.
C. Fatimah is the only girl who has made it past the fifth grade in her school.
D. Fatimah has no friends at school because they most of them have dropped out to get married.
70. It can be inferred from the passage that _______.
A. most African girls are treated equally in society
B. African governments don’t care whether girls go to school or not
C. most African girls would rather get married than go to school
D. African girls can’t enjoy equal chances for education

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A clique(小圈子,派系) is a group of friends who hang out together and act in similar ways. Cliques are common feature of the teen years. Members of a clique usually have certain things in common. For example, they might all be good students. Membership in a clique is limited. Not everyone who wants to belong can join.
Cliques can have a positive or negative influence. Because most teens have a strong need to belong, they want to feel that they fit into a group. Cliques can help them meet this need. Sometimes teens feel unsure of themselves, and they use a clique to gain approval of what they wear or how they act.
Cliques can become harmful, however, if they pressure members to behave the same way as the group that may damage their health. Cliques may discourage members from making their own decisions, giving their own opinions, or having other friends who aren’t accepted by the clique. Cliques may even pressure members to act in ways that go against their own values and beliefs, such as lying to parents or teachers. Cliques can also hurt people outside the group. For example, members might make fun of a teen who isn’t in the clique.
If you find yourself under this type of pressure from a clique, here are some actions you can take to improve your situation.
● Suggest other activities. Offer ideas that don’t involve hurting others or putting anyone at risk.
● Find new friends. If staying in the clique is becoming a negative experience, you will be better off with new friends.
65. Why do teens want to be a member of a clique?
A. Because it is popular with teens.
B. Because it meets teens’ need of belonging.
C. Because it is where teens can be themselves.
D. Because it provides an opportunity for them to be away from their parents.
66. Why can cliques be harmful?
A. Because kids in there don’t have independent thinking.
B. Because kids in there are not allowed to have their own opinions.
C. Because kids in there sometimes are pressured.
D. Because kids in there are forced to lie to their parents.
67. What is the writer’s attitude toward the clique?
A. He is very supportive to it. B. He is strongly against it.
C. He is not against it, though he doesn’t like it.
D. He is not against it. However, he has some worry about it.