A culture’s values can be mirrored by its humor. Humor has been evaluated by many great minds such as Thomas Hobbes, who, in “On Nature”, disliked humor, “Laughter is nothing else but sudden glory arising from sudden thought of feeling far better than others.” He thought humor to be a negative quality of human narrow-mindedness.
However, Mordechai Gordon, Ph. D of Education, insists, “Humor allows us to view the world from an angle that is amusing rather than serious.” I agree with Gordon. Learning to look at the world through humor is important.
In the United States, every four years an election occurs. Without humor as a way to express their feelings, how else would Americans keep from clawing their eyes out and going the way of lemming? Television shows like “The Daily Show” have become important parts of American culture. They are mothering the masses by metaphorically(隐喻地) airplane-ing politics into our mouths. They make politics fun.
Of course, politics is only one type of humor. Social humor helps people through the twists and turns of the human condition. American pop culture promotes an unhealthy self- image. On the topic of self-image, Hari Kondabolu stands out. He has a joke about the popular musical group “The Pussycat Dolls”, describing their hit song “Don't Cha” as a negative representation of women. He points out an obvious offence in American culture.
A study from Loyola University of Maryland has shown that humor is one determining factor for selecting a mating partner. Amongst other things, mates look for an outstanding funny bone in a potential partner.
Of course, humor is not always used for good purposes. Humor can be linked to vulgarity (粗俗)and racism, but, like everything else, it has potential to unite human beings by allowing us to laugh at ourselves, our failures and our connection with one another.
Though 1ife may seem tough and depressing at times, all I have to do is look in the mirror at my increased wrinkles(皱纹) to know that there is a comedy out there that even Chaplin wasn’t aware of.
With that in mind, remember to laugh with humanity and sometimes at humanity. Hobbes believes that humor__________.
| A．was for people to view the world from another angle |
| B．resulted in narrow-mindedness of human beings |
| C．had the power to mirror personal glory and national values |
| D．was only a way to laugh at others to make oneself feel better |
The fourth paragraph is developed mainly__________.
| A．by comparison | B．by process | C．by example | D．by classification |
What can we learn from the last two paragraphs?
| A．The author is determined to face life with a sense of humor. |
| B．The author feels helpless and sad about getting older. |
| C．Never be the one who laughs at other people. |
| D．Chaplin wasn’t aware of being laughed at. |
Have you got some paper, a pair of scissors and, above all, a desire to decorate your house? Then, we have the perfect holiday artwork for you: Make Star Wars snowflakes (雪花). Remembered as a cherished form of work in classrooms before the holidays, paper snowflakes have drawn many people's attention again.
The designer, Anthony Herrera, just recently released his 2013 collection. "The Star Wars snowflake designs began as just doing designs of characters that I and my daughter wanted to make three years ago," Herrera told us in an email. "The second year I introduced vehicles, and this year I decided to push further by designing battle scenes."
Sometimes, he feels a bit bored with his job. With each year, the designs have got more detailed and various, but the process of creating them remained the same: sketching figures on paper with a pencil until a symmetrical (对称）pattern comes out, then scanning the designs and cut them with scissors. However, he says he has plenty of ideas for new flakes next year, so no two will ever be the same. Hopefully with Star Wars: Episode VII coming in 2015 he'll have even more work in the future.
Check out your favorite finished versions of Herrera’s flakes (from both 2013 and previous years) and download the pictures beneath them and then get down to creating your own work. A warning: Most designs aren't for the casual flake-maker, so patience you must have. Making paper snowflakes draws many people's attention probably because ______.
| A．it is a traditional form of decoration | B．it is a course of artwork in school |
| C．it is a way of killing time in holiday | D．it is designed by Anthony Herrera |
From the text, we know that Herrera ______.
| A．can make snowflakes with his daughter's help |
| B．made more complicated designs before 2013 |
| C．introduced paper vehicles in 2011 |
| D．will make a great variety of detailed paper flakes |
Herrera is fed up with the job sometimes because ______
| A．he has to design detailed and different patterns |
| B．he has to follow the fixed process of paper cutting |
| C．he spends much time designing, scanning and cutting |
| D．he has few ideas for what the next designs will be like |
By writing the last paragraph, the author tries to ______.
| A．offer us more information about Herrera’s paper cutting |
| B．tell us how to download picture of snowflakes |
| C．instruct people to be a real creative artist |
| D．remind us of being patient with Herrera’s designs |
Many people cannot start their day without first having a cup of coffee or tea．These drinks help them think clearly and feel more awake．This is because of caffeine，which helps to give a jump start to the nervous system．Now，a report says it may also boost long-term memory．
Mike Yassa is a neurobiology professor．He and other researchers wanted to know if caffeine could improve a person’s memory．He explains，“After you learn anything，it takes some time for that memory to strengthen．And over the first 24 hours is actually where most of the forgetting happens．So that is where we wanted to intervene with caffeine and see if we can help reduce this forgetting．”
They took 160 caffeine-free people and showed them pictures of everyday objects. These people were asked if the objects could be found inside the house， or outdoors．Then some of the subjects were given a caffeine pill．The others were given a placebo—a pill containing nothing. 24 hours later，the subjects were shown the exact same images from the day before．They were also shown images with slight differences，and some completely new images. Both groups correctly identified the exact same and completely new pictures．But those who took the caffeine pill were better at spottingthe pictures that were slightly different．
Professor Yassa says their answers helped to show the effects of caffeine on memory. And we find that if they are on caffeine they are much more likely to make the right decision．”
The amount of caffeine the researchers used in the study was similar to one cup of strong coffee．The researchers did not see any improvement to memory from smaller doses of caffeine or when it was given an hour before viewing the images．What is the focus of the text?
| A．Caffeine can make people addicted． |
| B．Caffeine can make people energetic. |
| C．Caffeine can improve long—term memory． |
| D．Caffeine can make people feel comfortable． |
What does the third paragraph mainly talk about?
| A．How the experiment was conducted． |
| B．Who took part in the experiment． |
| C．Which group of subjects did better． |
| D．What was used in the experiment． |
In which section of a magazine can we read this text?
| A．Culture． | B．Technology． | C．Health. | D．Education. |
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．Most forgetting occurs within the first 24 hours． |
| B．Forgetting can be positively affected by caffeine． |
| C．The subjects were given different pills． |
| D．Yassa was disappointed with the result． |
What can we learn from the last paragraph?
| A．More caffeine means better memory． |
| B．Smaller doses of caffeine doesn’t work． |
| C．The time to take cafieine doesn’t matter． |
| D．Caffeine is taken before the experiment． |
This the best time and this the worst time；this is the time of great material richness and this is the time of desert of soul．Everyone seems to be rushing around for something but they have never fulfilled they dream．Everyone tries to seek happiness but it seems to be nowhere to be found．
When asked“what on earth can make you happy?”，most modern man would give similar replies such as becoming extremely wealthy，or getting promoted in work and then becoming very wealthy．When asked“what will you do with your wealth?”，they would make a long list of things they have been longing for．However haven’t you noticed the multibillionaires are not as happy as we common guys suppose them to be?Haven’t you noticed that the multibillionaire celebrities don’t even enjoy the fundamental freedom of going shopping with their own families without being followed by annoying paparazzi?
If we hinge our happiness on such big issues，we are bound to be unhappy all through our life, because those big issues might just occur to us once in a blue moon.
As Socrates once put it，“He is the richest who is content with the least，for content is the wealth of nature”．But how can we “be content with the least”?If you pay due attention，our life is loaded with little joys，sometime too little to be noticeable．Stop once in a while in your rush to your destination，look around and you will see that there are always little things worth cheering for. You got an“A”in a test．Good!You listened to all inspiring lecture．Great!You offered a helping hand to someone who had a flat tire! Amazing! Your dream girl／boy greeted you with a sweet smile!Fantastic!And so on and so forth!Let’s cheer for the little joys in life!
Please keep in mind that never should we wait to be happy!What is the best title of the text?
| A．Money means happiness． | B．Happiness is all around us． |
| C．Dreams make our life rich． | D．Satisfaction is unacceptable． |
According to the text，which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．Money doesn’t necessarily bring happiness． |
| B．Desire for wealth makes people unhappy． |
| C．Great occasions are worth celebrating． |
| D．We should ignore little joys in our life． |
What does the underlined phrase in the third paragraph probably mean?
| A．Rarely． | B．Regularly． | C．Normally． | D．Frequently． |
According to Socrates，people who are“content with the least”are ___________.
| A．greedy | B．ambitious | C．optimistic | D．reliable |
In the fourth paragraph，the author suggests that we should ___________.
| A．set up great goals in life | B．make full use of opportunities |
| C．enjoy even moment in life | D．seek significant issues in life |
How to apologize properly is much more difficult than we think. Provided you want to teach your children to apologize, you must be good at saying sorry yourself, especially to your own children. But how you say it can be quite tricky.
If you say to your children “I’m sorry I got angry with you, but …” what follows that “but” can make the apology ineffective: “I had a bad day” or “your noise was giving me a headache ” leaves the person feeling that he should be apologizing for his bad behavior in expecting an apology.
Another method by which people appear to apologize without actually doing so is to say “I’m sorry you’re upset”; this suggests that you are somehow at fault for allowing yourself to get upset by what the other person has done.
Then there is the general, all covering apology, which avoids the necessity of identifying a specific act that was particularly hurtful or insulting, and which the person who is apologizing should promise never to do again. Saying “I’m useless as a parent” does not make any sense.
These false apologies are used by people who believe saying sorry shows weakness. Parents who wish to teach their children to apologize should see it as a sign of strength, and therefore not voice these false apologies.
But even when presented with examples of really being sorry, children still need help to become aware of the complexities of saying sorry. A three-year-old might need help in understanding that other children feel pain just as he does, and that hitting a playmate over the head with a heavy toy requires an apology. A six-year-old might need reminding that spoiling other children’s expectations can require an apology. A 12-year-old might need to be shown that taking the biscuit without asking permission is acceptable, but that borrowing a parent’s clothes without permission is not. If a mother adds “but” to an apology,________.
| A．the child may feel that he owes her an apology |
| B．she knows that the child has been hurt |
| C．the child may find the apology easier to accept |
| D．she feels that she should have apologized |
According to the author, saying “I’m sorry you’re upset” most probably means “_______”.
| A．You have good reason to get upset |
| B．I apologize for hurting your feelings |
| C．I’m aware you’re upset , but I’m not to blame |
| D．I’m at fault for making you upset |
We learn from the last paragraph that iiS teaching children to say sorry
A. the complexities involved should be ignored
B. parents need to set them a good example
C. their ages should be taken into account
D parents should be patient and tolerantIt can be inferred from the passage that apologizing properly is
| A． to say sorry in a general way |
| B． a way to improve your relationships |
| C． a sign of social progress and social harmony |
| D．not as simple as it seems |
The cash machine is 47 years old, but where was the birthplace of this world-beating invention? New York? Tokyo? No. The first ever cash machine was born in Enfield Town, north London. It was a Scottish inventor, John shepherd Barron, who realized the concept of a self-service machine that could be used 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to withdraw cash from one’s own bank account. It struck the inventor while he was in the bath. He hit upon the idea of a chocolate bar dispenser, replacing chocolate with cash.
On September 2 in 1969, America’s first automatic teller machine (ATM) appeared in public, giving out cash to customers at Chemical Bank, New York. It was only able to give out cash, but in 1971, an ATM that could handle many functions, including depositing(存款) money, was introduced. Today there are over one million ATMs around the world, with a new one added every five minutes. It is reported that Americans over the age of 18 use their ATM card six to eight times a mouth. Not surprisingly, ATMs get their busiest workouts on Fridays. In the 1990s, banks began charging fees to use ATMs, a profitable move for them and an annoying one for consumers.
Consumers were also faced with an increase in ATM crimes. Robbers preyed(抢夺) on people using money machines in poorly lit or otherwise unsafe locations, and criminals also thought up ways to steal customers’ PINs (personal identification numbers), even setting up fake money machines to capture the information. In response, city and state governments passed laws such as New York’s ATM Safety Act in 1996, which required banks to install such things as surveillance cameras (监控摄像头), reflective mirrors and locked entryways for their ATMs.What does the underlined word, “It”, in the first paragraph, probably refer to?
| A．The opening time of the bank. |
| B．The concept of an ATM. |
| C．Ordinary banking service. |
| D．The act of withdrawing cash. |
Which of the following is true about ATM?
| A．It appeared earlier than the chocolate bar dispenser. |
| B．It was invented by a Scottish man in 1971. |
| C．It was at first free of charge for its consumers. |
| D．It was originally designed to deposit money. |
What can we learn from the text? "
| A． Americans under the age of 18 are not allowed to have an ATM card. |
| B． People are more likely to turn to ATMs for banking service on Fridays. |
| C． Criminals usually choose unsafe locations to steal customers' PINs. |
| D． The ATM crime rate in New York is much lower than that in other state |
Which of the following might be the best title for the text?
| A． How to Operate on an ATM |
| B． What is Waiting for ATMs in the Future? |
| C． The First ATM Opened for Business |
| D．The Unknown Truth about ATM |