Wanted,SomeoneforaKissWe’reloo-优题课

With all the wars, fighting and sadness in the world today, it's not only necessary, but also essential to have a good sense of humor just to help us get through each and every day of our lives. Putting a smile on someone's face when you know they are feeling down in the dumps ( 处于沮丧中), as the saying goes, makes me feel good and warms my heart.
How would you feel if you could not joke around with your wife, husband, child, co-worker neighbor, close friend, or even just someone that you are standing in line with at your comer store? I am always saying things that make others smile or laugh, even if I don't know the person I'm joking around with.My Grandma always found humor in everything she did, even if it was the hardest job anyone could imagine.This not only relieves stress in any situation, but also is common courtesy (礼貌) to speak to others that are around you.
I know of a few people that don’t have a funny bone in their bodies, as they say.Everyone around them could be rolling on the floor after hearing a great joke and they would sit there without the slightest smile on their face.They don't get the joke that makes others laugh. I am busting a gut while they just sit there, looking at me as if I were from outer space. How can people not get a really funny joke?
Laughing is essential to keep your stress levels under control. Without humor we would find ourselves with a lot of psychological problems, or on a lot of medications to keep us from going crazy. There is too much sadness in this present world. It drives people crazy. We all need to find a way to bypass the sadness and bring a little light into our lives. So, I believe our best medicine is to get together and tell some jokes and have some fun laughing together.
According to the author, humor is useful in the aspect that ____________.

A．it makes people more confident

B．it can pick up people' s spirits

C．it can help get rid of the cruelty in the world

D．it can help people get on well with others

The phrase “busting a gut" in the third paragraph can be replaced by __________.

A．explaining carefully	B．speaking loud
C．keeping silent	D．laughing hard

In writing the passage, the author mainly intends to __________.

A．talk about his own understanding of humor

B．encourage people to be humorous in daily life

C．introduce a practical way to get through daily life

D．convince people of the power of being optimistic about life

What is the author' s attitude towards the present world?

A．Positive.	B．Critical.
C．Satisfied.	D．Indifferent.

Imagine a mass of floating waste is two times the size of the state of Texas. Texas has a land area of more than 678 000 square kilometers. So it might be difficult to imagine anything twice as big.
All together, this mass of waste flowing in the North Pacific Ocean is known as the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch. It weighs about 3 500 000 tons. The waste includes bags，bottles and containers—plastic products of all kinds.
The eastern part of the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch is about l 600 kilometers west of California. The western part is west of the Hawaiian Islands and east of Japan. The area has been described as a kind of oceanic desert，with light winds and slow moving water currents. The water moves so slow that garbage from all over the world collects there.
In recent years，there have been growing concerns about the floating garbage and its effect on sea creatures and human health. Scientists say thousands of animals get trapped in the floating waste，resulting in death or injury. Even more die from a lack of food or water after swallowing pieces of plastic. The trash can also make animals feel full，lessening their desire to eat or drink.
The floating garbage also can have harmful effects on people. There is an increased threat of infection of disease from polluted waste，and from eating fish that swallowed waste. Divers can also get trapped in the plastic.
Its existence first gained public attention in l997. That was when racing boat captain and oceanographer Charles Moore and his crew sailed into the garbage while returning from a racing event. Five years earlier，another oceanographer learned of the trash after a shipment of rubber duckies got lost at sea. Many of those toys are now part of the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch.
In August，2009，a team from the University of California，San Diego became the latest group to travel to it. They were shocked by the amount of waste they saw. They gathered hundreds of sea creatures and water samples to measure the garbage patch’s effect on ocean environment.
What do we know about the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch?

A．It is made up of various kinds of plastic products.

B．It is a solid mass of floating waste materials.

C．It lies l60 000 kilometers east of California.

D．It is described as a kind of oceanic desert.

Why do people pay attention to the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch?

A．Because it may prevent the flow of ocean water.

B．Because the polluted plastic articles will move up the food chain.

C．Because it may be from an island in the pacific.

D．Because ships may be trapped in the floating waste.

Which column can you find the passage on a newspaper?

A．Sports and entertainment.	B．Media and culture.
C．Environment and society.	D．Science and technology.

The purpose of writing this passage is to____________.

A．warn people of the danger to travel in the pacific

B．analyze what caused the waste patch in the pacific

C．give advice on how to recycle waste in the ocean

D．introduce the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch

I was working a double shift at the Southwest Airlines ticket counter． It was about 9:00 PM on Christmas Eve, and I was feeling really miserable inside． When it was time for me to call the next person to the counter,, I looked out to see the sweetest-looking old man standing with a walking stick．He walked very slowly over to the counter and in the faintest voice told me that he had to go to New Orleans． I tried to explain to him that there were no more flights that night and that he would have to go in the morning． He looked so confused and very worded． I tried to find out more information by asking if he had a reservation or if he remembered when he was supposed to travel, but he seemed to become more confused with each question． He just kept saying, "She said I have to go to New Orleans．"
After much time, I was able to at least find out that this old man had been dropped off at the road on Christmas Eve by his sister-in-law and told to go to New Orleans, where he had family． She had given him some cash and told him just to go inside and buy a ticket． When I asked if he could come back tomorrow, he said that she was gone and that he had no place to stay． He then said he would wait at the airport until tomorrow． Naturally, I felt a little ashamed． Here I was feeling very sorry for myself about being alone on Christmas, when this angel named Clarence MacDonald was sent to me to remind me of what being alone really meant． It broke my heart．
Immediately, our Customer Service agent helped to book him a seat for the earliest flight the next morning． When I stepped around the counter to ask him if he was all right, I saw that his leg was wrapped in a bandage． He had been standing on it that whole time, holding a plastic bag full of clothes．I called for a wheelchair． He said that he had just had bypass surgery（分流手术）and an artery was taken from his leg． I never really had a situation like this, and I wasn't sure what I could do． I went back to ask my supervisors（主管）if we could find a place for him to stay． They both said yes, and they obtained a hotel voucher(收据) for Mr． MacDonald for one night and a meal ticket for dinner and breakfast．
The moment he left, he said, "Thank you," bending his head and starting to cry． I cried too．When I went back to thank my supervisor, she just smiled and said, "I love stories like that． He is your Christmas Man．"
The writer's first impression of the old man was that he was．

A．gentle-looking and weak

B．tired out and worded

C．confused and very sick

D．sad and anxious

On hearing the old man say that he would wait at the airport the whole night, the writer felt a bit ashamed because．

A．she felt sorry that she couldn't do the old man a favor

B．she realized that someone was even more miserable than she felt

C．it took her a long time to find out how helpless the old man was

D．the old man was like an angel in the writer's eyes

The writer called for a wheelchair for the old man because．

A．the old man had broken his leg when he was dropped off at the road

B．the old man could spend the whole night on it at the airport

C．the old man was carrying a whole lot of clothes

D．the old man had had surgery just before and was very weak by then

By calling the old man the writer's Christmas Man, the writer's supervisor implied that．

A．the old man had told the writer a love story on Christmas

B．the old man had caused a lot of trouble for the writer on Christmas

C．the old man was the best gift the writer could have received on Christmas

D．the old man was the only customer the writer had served on Christmas

Sometimes it is difficult to talk to taxi drivers. They must give all their attention to the road as they work out the shortest way to the place where you are going. However, passengers from Wangfujing were in surprise when they took a taxi. The driver just would not stop talking - in English.
Organized by the Cultural and Education Section of the British Embassy, “Dare to Speak” examines if Chinese people will speak English in “real-life” situations.
Matthew Knowles, an acting student from South Carolina at Beijing Film Academy, acted the part as the “driver”. He collected six passengers on Saturday morning, most of whom were female white-collar （白领）workers.
“Of course they were surprised at first, wondering why I’m driving a taxi, and wondering whether this is a real taxi, but then most of them were pretty willing to speak,” he said. Knowles said he was also surprised by his “passengers”. “Apart from my first ‘passenger’, who could speak very little English, all the rest spoke English very well, and it was fun to communicate with them,” he said, adding that some “passengers” were quite talkative.
The “foreign taxi driver” project was just one of the “Dare to Speak” activities, which have been going on since the end of October. Other projects included a foreign store owner near a high school in Beijing, a cook in a Shanghai university canteen. They were testing the willingness of Chinese people, especially students and white-collar workers, to speak to foreigners in English.
Rong Xin, senior manager of IELTS （雅思） with the British Embassy, said they hoped to let IELTS takers in China know that communication is the ultimate goal of IELTS.
“We hope that more and more IELTS takers in China can realize the importance of communicating in English in real life, instead of just getting high test scores,” she said.
Why did Matthew Knowles drive a taxi?

A．He took part in the project “Dear to speak”

B．He played the role of a taxi driver in a film.

C．He enjoyed chatting with people in English.

D．He wanted to improve his Chinese while driving.

The Chinese may meet and talk to _______ in “Dear to speak” projects.

A．a white-collar worker	B．a foreign store owner
C．a restaurant manager	D．a high school student

The underlined word ultimate is closest in meaning to ________.

A．most difficult	B．most common
C．most famous	D．most important

The purpose of the project “Dear to Speak” is to _______ .

A．attract more foreigners to start business in China

B．draw Chinese people’s attention to IELT

C．remind language learners of the goal of learning

D．give more chances for English learners in China

Early risers are most likely to be healthy, wealthy and wise, according to the old saying. But those who are early to bed and early to rise do not always have advantages, researchers say. They have found that night owls（夜猫子） are generally brighter and wealthier than those who are able to get up early in the morning.
Experts from the University of Madrid carried out tests on around 1,000 teenagers and found that those who preferred to stay up late showed the kind of intelligence to find good jobs and earn much money. Larks or “morning people”, however, often get better exam results, possibly because lessons are held at the wrong time of day for night owls.
The researchers examined the habits and body clocks of the young people to determine whether they liked to stay up late and sleep later in the morning, or preferred to go to bed early and were at their best state in the morning. School performance and problem solving ability, were judged and test grades in the major subjects were also taken into consideration.
Jim Horne, professor of psychophysiology at Loughborough University, said: “Evening types tend（倾向） to be the more creative types, the poets, artists and inventors, while the morning types are considered to be civil servants and accountants（会计）. ”
The researchers from the University of Madrid found _______.

A．morning people will probably find good jobs and earn a lot

B．morning people show higher intelligence from an early age

C．night owls may earn more money than morning people

D．night owls might be healthier than morning people

Early risers often do well in exams possibly because_______.

A．they go to bed by 10p.m. regularly

B．they make full preparations before exam

C．lessons are held at the right time for them

D．they have longer time to prepare for their lessons

The research may include questions about the following EXCEPT_______.

A．favorite sports

B．grades in main subjects

C．living habits and body clocks

D．school performance

In Jim Horne’ opinion, Larks may choose to be _______ in the future.

A．inventors	B．artists
C．poets	D．civil servants