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．”1 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 only a way to laugh at others to make oneself feel better |
| B．resulted in narrow-mindedness of human beings |
| C．had the power to mirror personal glory and national values |
| D．was for people to view the world from another angle |
What is the author’s attitude towards political humor?
| A．Worried | B．Disappointed |
| C．Curious | D．Appreciative |
The fourth paragraph is developed mainly__________．
| A．by example | B．by process |
| C．by comparison | D．by classification |
What can we learn from the last two paragraphs?
| A．Chaplin wasn’t aware of being laughed at |
| B．The author feels helpless and sad about getting older |
| C．Never be the one who laughs at other people |
| D．The author is determined to face life with a sense of humor． |
Imagine your body is like the house you live in．Every day, your family creates rubbish．The rubbish builds up until it is put out for the weekly garbage collection．
Now, say you put three bags of garbage out．but because one of the collectors was away sick, only two bags are collected．You take the leftover bag inside to be put out again next week．The following week you put on another three bags．plus the leftover bag from last week．But again, only two bags are collected．Imagine this cycle is repeated over the following weeks．
This is a simple description of what happens to your body when your kidneys （肾脏）don't work efficiently．Your body is nol thoroughly emptied of waste products．Other areas of the bodv such as blood pressure and red blood cell production are affected and the insidious process that may lead to kidney failure begins．
It's not uncommon for people to lose up to 90% of their kidney function before deveoping any symptoms．There may be no warning signs. This makes early detection （诊查）difficult．
Kidney's main job is to remote toxins（毒素） and unwanted water from our blood．Every day our kidneys clean an average of 200 litres of blood．Kidney failure may be a gradual and silent process, going unnoticed because there is no apparent pain．
Research shows that more than 35% of the patients requiring dialysis （透析）do not see a kidney specialist before they have to do so．Some risk factors for kidney disease such as age and genetic make up are out of our control; however, some changes in lifestyle may help prevent kidney damage．Two major risk factors for kidney disease, diabetes （糖尿病）and high blood pressure, have been on the rise over the last few decades．Both conditions are chiefly affected by being overweight and not getting enough exercises, which are the potential risk factors for the kidney disease．
66．The author gives the example of the house we live in to indicate that ______．
A．it doesn't matter much if the waste in our body is not emptied in time
B．our body will not produce any waste if our kidneys work efficiently
C．it's important for our body to empty the waste in time every day
D．it's safe and harmless for our body to keep some waste
67．The underlined word “insidious” in Paragrap 3 means .
A．smooth and safe B．apparent and fast
C．gradual and unnoticed D．long and painful
68．We can infer that when we find some symptoms related to our kidneys, .
A．the kidney failure begins
B．the kidneys can still work properly
C．we have lost about 10% of kidney function
D．the kidneys may have been seriously damaged
69．How many risk factors of kidney disease are mentioned in the passage?
A．Six. B．Five. C．Four. D．Two.
70．Which of the following helps prevent kidney damage most effectively?
A．Go to see a kidney specialist shortly before dialysis starts.
B．Take enough exercise and make early detection of kidney disease.
C．Try to keep low blood pressure and a stable lifestyle.
D．Go to hospital whenever you find any warning signs.
When I was an education official in Palo Alto, California．Polly Tyner, the president of our school board, wrote a letter that was printed in the Palo Alto Times．Polly's son, Jim．had great difficulty in school．He was classified as educationally disabled and required a great deal of patience on the part of his parents and teachers．But Jim was a happy kid with a great smile that lit up the room．His parents acknowledged his academic difficulties, but always tried to help him see his strengths so that he could walk with pride．Shortly after Jim finished high school, he was killed in a motorcycle accident．After his death, his mother submitted（提交）this letter to the newspaper．
Today we buried our 20-year-old son. He was killed instantly in a motorcycle accident on Friday night. How I wish I had known when I talked to him last that it would be the last time. If I had only known I would have said, “Jim, I love you and I’m very proud of you.”
I would have taken the time to count the many blessings he brought to the lives of the many who loved him. I would have taken the time to appreciate his beautiful smile, the sound of his laughter, his genuine love of people.
When you put all the good qualities on the scale and try to balance all the irritating phenomena such as the radio which was always too loud, the haircut that wasn’t to our liking, the dirty socks under the bed, etc., your angry feelings won’t amount to much.
I won’t get another chance to tell my son all that I would have wanted him to hear, but, other parents, you do have a chance. Tell your young people what you would want them to hear if you knew it would be your last conversation. The last time I talked to Jim was the day he died. He called me to say, “Hi, Mom! I just called to say I love you. Got to go to work. Bye.” He gave me something to treasure forever.
If there is any purpose at all for Jim’s death, maybe it is to make others appreciate more of life and to have people, especially family members, take the time to let each other know just how much we care.
61．According to the passage, we know that _______．
A．Jim kept to himself B．Jim did very well in his studies
C．Jim’s parents were patient with him D．Jim failed to finish his high school
62．Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?
A．Many people in the school loved him.
B．Jim’s smile cheered up his family.
C．Jim was killed in a motorcycle accident at the age of 20.
D．Jim wanted to be a motorcyclist after his graduation.
63．The underlined word “irritating” in Paragraph 4 means _______．
A．annoying B．aggressive C．impatient D．thrilling
64．By writing the letter printed in the Palo Alto Times, the author intends to _______．
A．mourn her son’s sudden death in a traffic accident
B．remind people to be cautious of motorcycles
C．advise people to take the chance to express their love in time
D．apreciate more of life than ever before
65．What can be the best title of the passage?
A．Love your Family． B．Do it Today．
C．Walk with Pride． D．Appreciate Smiles．
Sep．30
I moved into the dormitory today—an ugly building and near a busy main road too．My room is small but quite pleasant．I must get some posters for the walls, though．I met a few fellow students at supper （the food was awful!）They all look much younger than me．They are, of course!
Oct．07
Lectures began last Monday．So far they haven't been very interesting （except for the man who lectures on drama．He's first class）．Personally, I'd much rather go to the library and read, but I have to attend ten lectures a week．Those are the "rules"! Well, at least you meet people there．
Oct．12
I realiy don't like life in the dormitory at all．The food is bad and the students are noisy．They stay up half the night and play games just outside my room．When on earth do they sleep? When do they work? Besides, I don't like my room．It's just like living in a box! It looks even smaller now, with the posters on the wall．I am wondering how long it will he before I can feel as comfortable as I did living in my high school dormitory．
Oct．26
I tried to explain some of my problems to my supervisor today．She listened—but that was about all．"You have to go to lectures, you know, Ann," she lold me．''And the dormitory is cheap and convenient．" "Cheap and convenient"! Well．il isn't "cheap" if you can't eat the food and it isn't "convenient" if you can't sleep at night!
Oct．30
I can’t believe it ! Three other students—I met them at a lecture and they' re all about my own age—have invited me to share a flat with them．It's in an old house and it has its own kitchen, so we can cook for ourselves．And my room—righy at the top of the house—is fantastic!
Nov．10
I moved into my new room last Sunday．I feel really happy．Life is going to be so much more fun from now on!
56．The above writing is diary entries of .
A．a high school student's spring semester
B．a high school student's fall semester
C．a college student's spring semester
D．a college student's fall semester
57．Which of the following is NOT the reason why the writer disliked the first dormitory?
A．It was messy． B．It was small．
C．It was noisy． D．The food was bad．
58．Which of the following statements about the writer's teachers and lectures is RIGHT?
A．She benefited a lot from the talk with the supervisor．
B．She didn't like any of the lectures there．
C．She liked the lectures by the drama teacher．
D．She found all the lectures were interesting．
59．The event happening on Oct．30 can be thought of as a ___.
A．nightmare B．turning point C．lesson D．disappointment
60．The writer likes the new room very much because ______．
A．she will have some seniors help with the studies
B．she won't have to bear terrible dormitory foods
C．she won't have to go a long way to attend lectures
D．she will pay less rent than she did living in the dorm
What kind of life do you want? And what would you do if you were born with an illness like Cystic Fibrosis (囊胞性纤维症)?Charley was such a man．He was born with Cystic Fibrosis, a serious disease of the muscles．Without properly functioning muscles, eventually you’re unable to breathe．However,Charley was fortunate to have many care- givers, including his wife who helped him a lot．He became an engineer and helped plan structures that would allow streets and buildings to give better access to the disabled．Charley couldn’t live without a wheelchair, and could only use one hand to move it．His speech was also difficult to understand．However, Charley had a sharp mind．He could see, hear, use a few fingers and think, and that was enough to allow him to make an important contribution to his city．He made those around him more aware of their physical health．
In the movie JackandJillvs．theWorld, Jill is a 25-year-old girl who has just arrived in New York City．She has Cystic Fibrosis, but she doesn’t let it control her life．She’s happy, in fact! She meets a young man, Jack, and changes his life forever．One day she has to tell him about her illness．He’s angry and disappointed, but later he realizes that it’s their relationship that matters．They decide to be together, and live as happily as possible．
Charley’s story is true．Jack and Jill’s story is made up．How do you want to live your life? Use your imagination, and enjoy your life and all its wonders．Create your picture of a happy life．
45．The writer uses the two questions at the beginning of the passage to _____．
A．test the readers’ attitude about life B．draw the readers’ attention to the topic
C．invite the readers to answer them D．tell readers how to make a living
46．About Charley, which of the following is TRUE?
A．He is a father of two boys．
B．He can live well without wheelchair．
C．He is a lucky because many people give him care．
D．He can speak as others do．
47．From the passage, we can infer that _____．
A．health is the origin of happiness
B．the attitude to life decides your happiness
C．Cystic Fibrosis a serious disease of the muscles
D．Charley’s story is made up
48．The film JackandJill vs．theWorld is set in _____．
A．three young people B．New York City
C．Paris D．a place that we don’t know
When I was going home to India last year, I called up my mother to ask if she wanted anything from China．
When India had not opened up its markets to the world, I carried suitcase loads of dark glasses and jeans．Thankfully, we can get all these anywhere in India now．
Still, her answer surprised me: “Green tea．”
As long as I can remember she didn’t even drink Indian tea ．
I dutifully bought a big packet of Longjing and headed home to hear the story．My mother and her brother, both regular newspaper readers, believed that Chinese green tea was the wonder drug for all illnesses．
At the turn of the century, China was not really familiar to the average Indian．It was a strange country．
How things change! And how soon!
Now every town of any size seems to have a “China Market”．And everyone is talking about China．
The govemment of Indin has planned to send a team to China to see how things are done．A minister once said that India must open the doors for more foreign investment(投资)and such a step would “work wonders as it did for China”．
But it’s a two-way street．I just heard about a thousand Shenzhen office workers who have gone to Bangalore to train in software．Meanwhile, all the Indian IT majors are setting up a strong presence in China．
No wonder that trade, which was only in the millions just ten years ago, is expected to hit about US $15 billion for last year and US $20 billion by 2008, a goal set by both governments．
No wonder, my colleague wrote some weeks ago about this being the Sino-Indian(中印)century as the two countries started on January 1 the Sino-Indian Friendship Year．
But what is still a wonder to me is my mother drinking Chinese tea．
41．According to the passage, the author left _____ for ______．
A．India; China B．China; India
C．China; Longjing D．India; Shenzhen
42．The reason why the writer’s mother asked for Chinese green tea is that_____．
A．she had a son working in China B．she believed it had a curing effect
C．she enjoyed Chinese products D．she was tired of Indian tea
43．The underlined part “it’s a two-way street” in Paragraph 10 probably means ____．
A．The exchanges between Indian and China benefit both．
B．China and India have different traffic rules．
C．Tea trade works wonders in both India and China．
D．Chinese produces are popular in both China and India．
44．It can be inferred from the passage that _______．
A．the author was concerned for his mother’s health
B．the author was in favor of drinking Chinese green tea
C．the author was surprised at China’s recent development
D．the author was curious about the growth of India’s IT industry