The power of humor and laugher is numerous. They entertain us and make us feel good. But, above all, we have discovered that humor and laughter are the best medicine. They relieve pain, reduce stress and anxiety, and are anti-aging and longevity facilitators（促进者）.
They are extremely necessary for helping us to find and maintain a balance between life and work. However, they are slipping away from us. We have become far too serious. The only ones who still enjoy humor, laughter, fun and play to the fullest are young children. Children tend to laugh an average of 200 times a day. For adults, however, it is a totally different story.
In the 1950s people laughed on average 18 times a day. Today, we are lucky if we average between 4-6 times a day.
As a matter of fact, a recent study found that people laugh 6 more times in the presence of one person but 30 more times in a group of people. You can get a chuckle(咯咯笑) from jokes you get on the Internet, but it is not the same as belly jiggling laughter (a deep laugh) you get when you interact with others.
Socializing(交际) with friends and relatives was much looked forward to. However, this is no longer the case. In fact, the majority of people can hardly find time, nor do they have the inclination towards socializing outside home. They turn to electronic media such as television, computers, the Internet, videos, CDs, and audio equipment, which can provide them with instant self-entertainment at the push of a button.
The workplace does not fare(进展) much better. Due to the pressures to produce more in the same or fewer hours available and to compete, for example, in a manufacturing field with cheaper labor elsewhere in the world, humor and laughter in the workplace have gradually eroded（逐渐毁坏） away.
I have developed a real appreciation, perhaps closer to a strong desire for the power of humor and laughter. This encouraged me to write my first book titled “The Power of Humor” and subsequently my second book titled “Kids Say the Goggonest Things” based on the natural humor, laughter, play and fun that kids experience and they freely share with parents, grandparents and teachers.
From writing about humor and laughter, people start to ask me to speak up for them. To date, I have developed a number of humor-laughter topics that I use in my keynote presentations. You are invited to subscribe to my free monthly e-magazine “The Humormeister’s Forum” by clicking on the Free Humor E-zine navigation button on the website.According to the author, laughter is leaving us partly because ________.
| A．the pace of change in our lives is becoming faster |
| B．we fail to reflect on fun times in our lives |
| C．we treat everything in a serious way |
| D．humor of situations lies beneath |
The fourth paragraph mainly tells us that ________.
| A．researchers have made a new discovery about the effect of laughter |
| B．people laugh more heartily when spending time with others |
| C．we can entertain ourselves with the help of the Internet |
| D．getting a deep laugh nowadays is difficult |
The underlined word “inclination” in Paragraph 5 most probably means “________”.
| A．destination | B．tendency | C．attitude | D．approach |
Which of the following articles can we most probably find in “The Humormeister’s Forum”?
| A．The power of honesty. |
| B．Don’t be your own worst enemy. |
| C．Live life purposefully: The relationship within. |
| D．Funny Christmas stories to share with your loved ones. |
You want to know about my staying in America, right? Well, to tell you the truth, it is really an eye-opening experience study here.
In China, I had English classes five times a week since fifth grade. However, I didn’t know how different textbook English could be from everyday English until I came to Hotchkiss School, Connecticut.
When I first studied English, I was told to say, “I am fine.” when people say “How are you?” But in the US, I found that people say, “I am good.” or “I’m tired.”
One day, someone greeted me with “What’s up?” It made me confused. I thought for a moment and then smiled because I didn’t know what to say.
Since then, I have discovered more and more differences between Chinese and US cultures.
To my surprise, US girls spend a lot of time in the burning sun to get a tan. However, in China, girls try every possible way to get their skin paler, or “whiter.” I also surprised by how hard-working US students are. In China, schoolwork is almost everything, so we study hard and that’s it. But here, a “good” student gets good grades, does a l
ot for the public and plays sports or music.
The kids here are so talented, I am starting to be sorry that I gave up playing the piano at an early age and that I have never thought about sports. What does the word “tan” in the sixth paragraph mean in Chinese?
| A．晒黑 | B．晒白 | C．能量 | D．保护 |
A good US student spends his/her time ________.
| A．only in doing homework |
| B．only on sports |
| C．only on music |
| D．on studies, sports or music and public work |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．The writer is now in US. |
| B．American girls love to have white skin. |
| C．American girls love to have brown skin. |
| D．US students are talented and hard-working. |
Which is the best title for the passage?
| A．My Own Travel in the US |
| B．My Studying in the US |
| C．My Opinion about the US |
| D．My Studying in China |
Someday a stranger will read your e-mail without your permission or scan the websites you’ve visited. Or perhaps someone will casually glance through your credit card purchases or cell phone bills to find out your shopping preferences or calling habits.
In fact，it’s likely some of these things have already happened to you．Who would watch you without your permission? It might be a girlfriend，a marketing company, a boss，a policeman or a criminal. Whoever it is，they will see you in a way you never intended to be seen — the 21st century equa
l to being caught naked (裸露的).
Psychologists tell us boundaries are healthy, though it's important to reveal (透露) yourself to friends，family and lovers in stages, at 
appropriate times. Actually few boundaries remain. The digital breadcrumbs (面包屑) you leave everywhere make it easy for strangers to reconstruct who you are，where you are and what you like. In some cases，a simple Google search can reveal what you think. Like it or not, increasingly we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret.
The key question is: Does that matter? For many Americans, the answer apparently is “no”.
When opinion polls (民意调查) ask Americans about privacy, most say they are concerned about losing it. A survey found a majority of people are pessimistic (悲观的) about privacy, with 60 percent of respondents saying they feel their privacy is “slipping away, and that bothers me.”
But people say one thing and d
o another. Only a small part of Americans change any behaviors in an effort to protect their privacy. Few people turn down a discount at tollbooths (收费亭) to avoid using the EZ — Pass system that can track (跟踪) automobile movements. And few turn down supermarket loyalty cards. Privacy economist Alessandro Acquits has run a series of tests that reveal people will submit personal information like Social Security numbers just to get their hands on a pitiful 50-cents-off coupon (优惠券).
But privacy does matter — at least sometimes. It’s like health; when you 
have it, you don’t n
otice it
. Only when it’s gone do you wish you’d done more to protect it... What would psychologists advise on the relationships between friends?
| A．There should be a distance even between friends. |
| B．There should be fewer quarrels between friends. |
| C．Friends should always be faithful to each other. |
| D．Friends should open their hearts to each other. |
.. Why does the author say “we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret”?
| A．There are always people who are curious about others’ affairs. |
B．Many search engines profit by revealing people’s identities. |
| C．People leave traces around when using modem technology. |
| D．Modem society has finally developed into an open society. |
.. What do most Americans do to protect privacy?
| A．They change behaviors that might disclose their identity. |
| B．They talk a lot but hardly do anything about it. |
| C．They rely more and more on electronic equipment. |
| D．They use various loyalty cards for business deals. |
.．We can infer from Paragraph 2 that _________.
| A．criminals are easily caught on the spot with advanced technology |
| B．people tend to be more frank with each other in the information age |
| C．in the 21st century people try every means to look into others’ secrets |
| D．people’s personal information is easily accessed without their knowledge |
.．According to the passage，privacy is like health in that _________.
| A．its importance is rarely understood | B．it is something that can easily be lost |
| C．people will make every effort to keep it | D．people don’t treasure it until they lose it |
Bexley Middle School eighth-graders won the grand prize at the 2009 National Engineers Week Future City Competition (TM) on Feb. 18 in Washington, D.C. They competed with 37 other schools across the country.
The students qualified for the national competition by winning a regional competition on Jan. 17 in Columbus. By winning the national event, the students earned an all-expenses paid trip to Space Camp in Huntsville, Ala., according to a Bexley school district news report.
Future City aims to stir (激发) interest in science, technology, engineering and math among young people. Bexley team members were Tom Krajnak, Abby Sharp, Wyatt Peery, Elizabeth Maher, Aaron Hutchinson and Truman Haycock. They work in teams under the guidance of a teacher, Margaret Englehardt, and a volunteer engineer, Mark Sherman, design and build a city of tomorrow. Mayor John Brennan presented the students during a recent Bexley City Council meeting. Each team in the Future City competition plans its city using Sim City software and creates a model to show a physical representation of one section of the city. Team members must write both an essay about the yearly theme and an abstract about their city. They also must make a presentation to judges.
Focusing on eco-responsibility, the Bexley team built “Novo-Mondum,” an Icelandic city in the year 2171. Krajnak said the team’s project included a new water system for each resident unit and a 500-word essay on using bacteria to purify water. “We used our essay and abstract (摘要) to build a model,” he said. “It was hard to organize which building would go where, what each building does and how to make it look good.”
Englehardt said her students did a good job answering impromptu (即席) questions during the regional competition. “They can think on their feet,” she said. Principal Harley Williams said the school is very proud of the students’ performance... From the passage we can learn that the grand prize winners will _________.
A．receive scholarship for further studies  |
| B．get a free trip to Space Camp in Huntsville |
| C．earn a large sum of money for their designs |
| D．be admitted to universities without exams |
.The goal of the Future City competition is to _________.
| A．make the Sim City software popular |
| B．test the students’ knowledge of city planning |
| C．select future engineers from young students |
| D．make students become interested in engineering |
. Each team must do the following EXCEPT _________.
| A．write brief abstracts describing their city |
| B．present and defend their designs before judges |
| C．build a future city in Iceland by themselves |
| D．create model cities using the Sim City software |
. According to Margaret Engl
ehardt, the students _________.
| A．always stand still in the competition |
| B．react very quickly to the questions |
| C．prepare for the questions in advance |
| D．take pride in the advisers’ performance |
What should you think about when trying to find your career? You are probably better at some school subjects than others. These may show strengths that you can use in your work. A boy who is good at mathematics can use that in an engineering career. A girl who spells well and likes English may be good at office work. So it is important to know the subjects you do well in at school. On the other hand, you may not have any specially strong subjects but your records show a general satisfactory standard. Although not all subjects can be used directly in a job, they may have indirect value. A knowledge of history is not required for most jobs but if history is one of your good subjects you will have learned to remember facts and details. This is an ability that can be useful in many jobs.
Your school may have taught you skills, such as typing or technical drawing, which you can use in your work. 
You may be good at metalwork or cookery and look for a job where you can improve these skills. If you have had a part-time job on Saturdays or in the summer, think what you gained from it. If nothing else, you may have learned how to get to work on time, to follow instructions and to get on with older workers. You may have learned to give correct change in a shop, for example. Just as important, you may become interested in a particular industry or career you see from the inside in a part-time job.
Facing your weak points is also part of knowing yourself. You may be all thumbs when you handle tools; perhaps you are a poor speller or cannot add up a column of fi
gures. It is better to face any weakness than to pretend they do not exist. Your school record, for example, may not be too good, yet it is an important part of your background. You should not be apologetic (认错的) about it but instead recognize that you will have a chance of a fresh start at work.. What is the passage mainly about?
| A．The importance of working hard at school. |
| B．Choosing a career according to one’s strengths. |
| C．How to face one’s weakness. |
| D．The value of school work. |
. The writer thinks that a student with a part-time job is probably _________.
| A．a good way to find out his weak points |
| B．one of the best ways of earning extra money |
| C．of great use for his work in the future |
| D．a waste of time he could have spent on study |
. From the passage we learn that if a student’s school performance is not good, he _________.
| A．should pay more attention to learning skills and developing abilities |
| B．will be regretful about his bad results |
C．may also do well in his future work |
| D．should restart his study in school |
. The underlined phrase “be all thumbs” (in Para. 3) probably means “_________”.
| A．be clumsy (笨拙) at doing things | B．be skillful in doing things |
| C．be not interested in certain things | D．be easily bored in doing things |
. From the last paragraph we know one should _________.
| A．make full use of one’s own weak points | B．study harder for a new school record |
| C．apologize for one’s own school record | D．face one’s own weak points bravely |
John James Audubon was born in 1785 and died in 1851, but his name is still talked about every day. Audubon was a scientist who loved nature. He wanted to show people the importance of nature in their lives. He was especially interested in birds, and painted many beautiful pictures of them.
In1950, the National Audubon Society was formed by people who were also interested in birds and wanted to continue Audubon’s nature studies. Even now, when people think of the Audubon’s Society, they usually think of birds. But the Society does other things besides watching birds.
The members of the Society try to improve the environment as much as they can. They let the public know about the laws that are needed. They have helped to pass many laws that protect birds and animals, and people, too. They teach young people how to protect their environment. They try to make their own communities (社区) cleaner, better places to live in.
John James Audubon knew that nature was important. He did not know how important his work would become.“ His name is still talked about every day.” means “_________”.
| A．People seldom speak of his name. |
| B．He is still remembered by people |
| C．His name is very important |
| D．Pay attention to his name, please. |
The National Audubon Society was founded by _________.
| A．Audubon’s supporters | B．Audubon himself |
| C．the scientists | D．the painters of birds |
People often think of birds when the Audubon Society is told about because ____________.
| A．some birds had joined the Society |
| B．the Society did a lot in protecting birds. |
| C．the Society had no interest in birds |
| D．all the members of the Society were painters of birds |
What do you think is the best title for the article?
| A．Audubon and the National Audubon Society |
| B．How to Protect Birds |
| C．How to Keep Our Environment Clean |
| D．The Greatest Society |