My favorite English teacher could draw humor out of the driest material. It wasn’t forced on us either. He took Samuel Johnson’s dictionary, Addison’s essays, and many other literary wonders from the eighteenth century and made them hilarious, even at eight o’clock in the morning. The thing that amazed me most was that the first time I read these works on my own, some of them seemed dead, but the second time, after his explanation, I couldn’t believe that I hadn’t seen the humor. The stories and poems and plays were suddenly filled with allusions(典故) and irony and hilarious moments. I learned more from him than from any other teacher.
My least favorite English teacher also made people laugh. Some students found him to be wonderfully funny. Many others did not. He assigned journals over a six-week period, to be written every day. At the end of the six weeks I had a notebook full of bits and pieces about my ideas, short stories, reactions to what we had read, and so on. Our teacher announced that we would be grading each other’s journals. Mine was passed to Joe, that class clown, who always behaved in a funny or silly way. He saw it fit to make a joke of and said, “This writing isn’t fit to line the bottom of a birdcage.” Our teacher laughed at that funny remark. It hurt me so much that the anger from it has driven my writing and teaching ever since.
So what makes the difference? Humor is one of the most powerful tools teachers or writers have. It can build up students and classes and make them excited about literature and writing, or it can tear them apart. It is true that humor is either productive or counter-productive and self-defeating. The passage mainly discusses ________.
| A．teaching | B．literature | C．humor | D．knowledge |
The underlined word “hilarious” in Paragraph 1 probably means ________.
| A．funny | B．tiring | C．inspiring | D．brilliant |
The English teacher the writer disliked most ________.
| A．was not able to make students laugh |
| B．hurt his student’s feelings |
| C．didn’t let his students do the grading |
| D．had no sense of humor |
Warning: reading too much Cinderella to your daughter may damage her emotional health in later life. A paper to be developed at the international congress of cognitive psychotherapy(认知心理疗法) in Gothenburg suggests a link between the attitudes of women abused by their parents and early exposure to the wrong sort of fairy tales. It says girls who identified with Cinderella, Rapunzel and Beauty in Beauty and the Beast were more likely to say in destructive relationships as adults.
The theory was developed by Susan Darker Smith, a psychotherapist at the University of Derby. She interviewed 67 female abuse survivors and found that 61 put up with severe abuse because they believed they could change their partners with patience, composition and love
. The same view was taken by male survivors who had been abused as children. Hardly any of the women in a control group, who had not experienced abuse, thought they could change their partners in this way.
The same view was taken by male survivors who had been abused as children. These women and men said they would leave a relationship rather than put up with abuse from a partner. Ms Darker Smith found the abused women were much more likely to identify with Cinderella and other submissive female characters in fairytales, who were later rescued by a stranger prince or hero.
Although most girls heard the stories, damage appeared to be done to those who adopted the characters as role models. “They believe if their love is strong enough they can change their parents’ behaviors,” she said.” Overexposure in children to stories that emphasize the transformational qualities of love may make women believe they can change their partners.” For example, they might never have understood the obvious flaw in the story of Rapunzel, who remained locked in a high tower until rescued by a knight on a white horse, who broke the door down. “The question,” said Ms Darker Smith, “is why she did not break the door down herself.”The passage is especially intended for _________.
| A．parents with young daughters |
B．girls who like reading  fairy stories |
| C．girls who think they can change their partners |
| D．parents with grown-up daughters |
Cinderella, Rapunzel and Beauty in Beauty and the Beast are similar in that _________.
| A．They all married some princes |
| B．They all changed their partners with love |
| C．They were all abused by their partners |
| D．They all put up with abuse |
Which of the following statements is true of the women in a control group?
| A．They don’t believe in fairy tales. |
| B．They don’t believe in the transformational qualities of love. |
| C．They have also experienced abuse. |
| D．They survived abuse. |
What does the underlined word “submissive”in the 3rd paragraph probably mean?
| A．kind-hearted | B．passive | C．gentle | D．easy-going |
The Best Rice Cookers
☆☆☆☆Tefal Automatic 2W3 Classic Rice Cooker
One of the largest rice cookers on the market, with a 2-litre capacity （容量）（up to 12 servings）．It looks "rather utilitarian", but gives "the least sticky results" and its removable power cord means it can be taken outdoors or to the table．It comes with eight recipes and once cooking is completed it automatically switches to "keep-warm mode"．Price; $29．99．Call 0800-616413 for stockists．
☆☆☆ Keiswood Rice Cooker and Steamer RC310
A "stylish looking machine with a heavy glass lid and a steam tray for steaming fish and vegetables．It cooks up to ten portions of rice（l．8-litre capacity）, and produces "good results" although the rice tends to get sticky on the bottom layer．It keeps the rice warm once cooking is completed, but the power cord is not removable．Price:$34．99．Ca
ll 01705-392333 for stockists．
☆☆☆Zojurushi Rice Cooker / Warmer NDAQ – N10W
This cooker has a one – litre capacity (five portions of rice) and keeps rice warm for up to 12 hours after cooking. The lid has a clip – lock and is sealed so cooking is pressurized. It cooks rice “perfectly”, though “at a price”. Price: $ 109.90. Call 0181 – 9982100 for stockists.
☆☆☆Magimix – 2 – Tier Steamer
A double – layer steamer with two large stainless – steel steam baskets. Rice is cooked in a heat – proff dish which is inserted in the bottom tier (层). It is “perfectly done” in just 20 minutes, with “no stickiness or scorching (烧焦).” The rice can also be kept warm on half power. Price: $ 89.95. Call 04183 – 427411 for stockiest.
☆☆☆Lakeland Ltd Microwave Multi – Steamer (Raf 4241)
A four – portion steamer which takes just ten mantes in the microwave to cook four “fluffy” portions of rice. It is alos suitable for vegetables, noodles and pasta and is “great for smallest quantities”. Price: $ 5.95. Call 015394 – 88100 to order.
☆☆Hinari Steam Supreme
A double – layer steamer which comes with an additional rice bowl and lid. Its main drawbacks are “time and capacity”; the rice bowl can only hold two portions and this takes 55 minutes to cool. The instructions are also confusing. “Good as a general steamer, mediocre as a rice cooker”. Price: $ 19.99. Call Alba Ltd on 0181 – 7873111 for stockiest.Which of the following is unlikely to be considered by a housewife who hates washing sticky cookers?
| A．Tefal Automatic 2003 Classic Rice Cooker |
| B．Kenwood Rice Cooker and Steamer RC 310 |
| C．magimix 2 – Tier Steamer |
| D．Lakeland Ltd Microwave Multi – Steamer (Ref 4241) |
may not be so popular with customers as others because it is time – consuming, low in cap
acity and vague in instructions.
| A．Zojurushi Rice Cooker / Warmer NDAQ – N10W |
| B．Lakeland Ltd Microwave Multi – Steamer (Ref4241) |
| C．Hinari Steam Supreme |
| D．Kenwood Rice Cooker and Steamer RC 310 |
The phrase “at a price” describing Zojurushi Rice Cooker / Warmer NDAQ – N10W implies that its price is .
| A．low | B．high | C．above average | D．reasonable |
The temperature of the sun is over 5000 degrees Fahrenheit at the surface, but it rises to perhaps more than 16 million degrees at the center．The sun is so much h
otter than die earth that matter can exist only as a gas, except at the core．In the core of the sun, the pressures are so great against the gases that, despite the high temperature, there may be a small solid core．However, no one really knows, since the center of the sun can never be directly observed．
Solar astronomers do know that the sun is divided into five layers or zones．Starting at the outside and going down into the sun, the zones are the corona, chromosphere, photosphere, convection zone and finally the core．The first three zones are regarded as the sun's atmosphere．
But since the sun has no solid surface, it is hard to tell where the atmosphere ends and the main
body of the sun begins．
The sun's outermost layer begins about 10000 miles above the visible surface and goes outward for mllions of miles．This is the only part of the sun that can be seen during an eclipse（日食） such as the one in February 1979．At any other time, the corona can be seen only when special instruments are used on cameras and telescopes to shut out the glare of the sun's rays．
The corona is a brilliant, pearly white, filmy light, about as bright as the full moon．Its beautiful rays are a sensational sight during an eclipse．The corona's rays flash out in a brilliant fan that has wispy spikelike（一束束穗状） rays near the sun's north and south poles．The corona is thickest at the sun's equator．
The corona rays are made up of gases streaming outward at tremendous speeds sad reaching a temperature of more than 2 million degrees Fahrenheit．The rays of gas thin out as they reach the space around the planets．By the time the sun's corona rays reach the Earth, they are weak and invisible．Matter on the aim can exist only in fee form of gas because of the sun's ___．
| A．size | B．age | C．location | D．temperature |
All of the following are parts of the sun's atmosphere EXCEPT the ___．
| A．corona | B．chromosphere | C．photosphere | D．core |
According to the passage, as the corona ra5,'s reach -die plaasts, they become ___．
| A．hotter | B．clearer | C．thinner | D．stronger |
Which of 'die following do the paragraphs following the passage most likely discuss?
| A．The remaining layers of the sun． |
| B．The evolution of the sun to its present form． |
| C．The eclipse of February 1979． |
| D．All the above． |
Many people like the feeling of the gentle wind in spring. Many like to see the falling leaves dancing in the wind in autumn. But sometimes, when the wind becomes a storm, it can be very destructive (毁灭性的).
A series of such storms struck the US last month and caused very serious damage and human pain.
Every year, major storms cause many problems around the world. There is nothing people can do to stop these powerful forces of nature. But new techniques are helping scientists to predict how, when, and where big storms will happen. The more exact scientists’ warnings are, the better people can prepare for the storms.
Predictions are improving. “We’ve gotten better over the years, especially the last few years,” says Phil Klotzback, a scientist at an American university. How is a storm formed? Even if scientists know where a storm will happen, winds can suddenly change, carrying the storm to a new direction. “For a hurricane to happen, conditions have to be just right,” Klotzback says.
First, the ocean water needs to be warm enough so that it evaporates and rises into the air. As it rises, the air containing drops of water cools and turns back into liquid. This process gives off heat. This produces energy like an engine that causes winds to increase. It drives the formation of a hurricane.
If wind speeds reach 40 miles per hour, the system is called a “ tropical storm”, and it gets a name. At 75 miles per hour, it becomes a hurricane. Hurricanes that hit the US start when a thunderstorm forms off the coast Africa. Storms also develop over tropical waters in other parts of the world.
On average, 60 or 70 storms form off Africa every year. About 10 of them get names. There are usually about six hurricanes. Two tend to be very big, with winds of 115 miles per hour or a bit higher.
The hurricane season lasts from June to November. Ninety percent of all hurricanes hit in August, September and October.According to the text, hurricanes usually ________.
| A．form off the coast of Africa and America |
| B．hit parts of the world in summer and autumn |
| C．cause sea winds to rise and blow over the sea |
| D．strike the US but cause no damage |
The underlined word “evaporates” (in Paragraph 5) probably means “________ .”
| A．begins to move | B．gets lost | C．becomes hot | D．changes into a gas |
Which of the following about the information of a hurricane is the correct order?
a. The ocean water evaporates and goes into the air.
b. Heat creates energy and causes winds to increase.
c. The vapor cools.
d. The ocean water is warm enough.
e. The vapor changes back into liquid.
f. This course gives out heat.
| A．a, d, e, b, c, f | B．a, b, c, f, d, e | C．d, a, c, e, f, b | D．d, a, b, c, e, f |
Robert Frost was at heart a mean-spirited human being, not the kind of man one would expect to write poetry. He was born in San Francisco. Frost entered Dartmouth University in 1893, but dropped out, and switched to Harvard, which he attended for two years. He started a brief teaching career, where he was inspired to become a poet by some of his students’ work. Frost stopped teaching and became a farmer. During this time he wrote numerous poems, and a couple of short stories. While he was a farmer he started to think seriously about becoming a famous poet.
In almost all of his poems, Frost wrote in the first person. The first widely-read poem that he published was called My Butterfly. At first his audience was very small, but with his Collected Poems he became famous. Robert Frost received almost all the awards that there were for poetry. His poetry describes the forces of nature, and the violence and deep emotional(情感的) needs of human beings, which reflect the experiences of his childhood.
Robert Frost will always be known as one of the best poets in history. His way of putting emotion and violence into words is remarkable(非同寻常的). His talent for poetry is natural-born and he had discovered this when he started to farm. Even though he treated his wife and children terribly, he still became one of the best-known poets of his and our day.We can learn from the passage that ________.
| A．Robert Frost had been a famous writer before he started teaching |
| B．Robert Frost wrote his poems mostly in the first person |
| C．Robert Frost was very famous at the beginning of his writing career |
| D．Robert Frost began to write poems when he was a teacher |
According to the passage, Robert Frost was famous for ________.
| A．his teaching career | B．his life experiences |
| C．showing strong feeling in his poems | D．his interest in poems |
The last paragraph of the passage mainly tells us ________.
| A．why Robert Frost stopped farming |
| B．why Robert Frost was so famous |
| C．about his masterpieces(杰作) |
| D．about the way he treated his wife and children |
From the passage we know that ________.
| A．Robert Frost’s most famous poem is My Butterfly |
| B．Robert Frost began to write when he was in college |
| C．Robert Frost gave up studying at Dartmouth University |
| D．his poetry showed the violence of war and his childhood |