When my mother was alive, she used to tell me again and again about the value of just being nice. “Never underestimate（低估）the power of a smile,” she would say. I fear she would be very disappointed looking at the world today. A lot of people don’t smile and when it comes to service today, they’re just not nice. Now don’t give me wrong, not all service workers but a good many.
I was on the phone the other day with a computer help desk. First a man, then later a woman, who couldn’t have been ruder. And this to a customer, who didn’t know his way around a PC. But no matter, I could tell they thought I was a bother, The woman, in fact, seemed to be chewing gum as she unemotionally clicked off a series of commands for me to perform.
The next day I heard from a friend of mine who got a performance review without his boss once looking up at him. Not once.
You see it everywhere. Gone are the days when people cared about you. It’s a sign of the time, I suspect. But that makes me sad — for them and for us all. People who aren’t happy, who don’t smile, who don’t kid, who don’t joke or make light of even bad situations, make for an even worse situation.
And it spreads like a cancer. Someone’s rude to you, you’re rude to them and to the next fellow you meet, and on and on. Smiles are contagious（易感染的）but so annoyances. The boss who can’t be bothered with his workers. The celebrity who can’t be bothered with her annoying fans.
You know, my mom used to judge presidential candidates by how they smiled. I would say, “But mom, you don’t know if that smile is real.”
“Oh, yes I do,” she would tell me. “I can feel it.”
It’s in their eyes, she would say. And it’s in their smile. The rest just kind of falls into place.Why did the writer mention his phone call?
| A．To prove his mother is wrong. |
| B．To show many people aren’t nice. |
| C．To tell us he knows little about computer. |
| D．To share his funny experience with us. |
What is the author’s attitude towards the boss of his friend?
| A．Opposed. | B．Doubtful. |
| C．Respectful. | D．Supportive. |
When someone is rude to you, you’re advised to ________.
| A．be rude to the next person |
| B．be nice to the people you meet |
| C．become one just like him or her |
| D．make for a worse situation |
What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．The power of a smile |
| B．Don’t judge a person by his look |
| C．The effect of rudeness |
| D．Feel a person in his eyes |
How can you find out what is going on inside a person' s body without opening the patient up? Regular X-rays can show a lot. CAT scans can show even more. They can give three-dimensional(三维) view of body organs(器官).
What is a CAT scan? CAT stands for Computerized Axial Tomography(层面X线照相术). It is a special X-ray machine that gets a 360 - degree picture of a small area of a patient's body.
Doctors use X-rays to study and examine diseases and injuries within the body. X-rays can find foreign objects inside the body or to take pictures of some organs inside if special things as dyes or special liquids are added to the organs to be X-rayed.
A CAT scanner, however, uses a beam(光束) of X-rays to give a cross-sectional view of a particular part of the body. A fine beam of X-rays is scanned across the body and circled around the patient from many different angles(角度). A computer analyzes(分析) the information from each angle and produces a clear cross-sectional picture on the screen. This picture is then photographed for later use. Several cross-sections, taken one after another, can give a clear "photo" of the entire body or of any body organs. The newest CAT scanners can even give a clear picture of active, moving organs just as a fast-action camera can "stop the action" giving clear pictures of what appear only mistily(模糊) to the eye. And because of the 360 - degree pictures, CAT scans show 3-dimensional views of organs in a manner that was once only seen during surgery or autopsy (examining a dead body). According to the first two paragraphs, doctors can see the inside of a patient's body by ______.
| A．giving the patient an operation |
| B．checking body organs |
| C．getting a 360-degree picture of a small area of a patient's body |
| D．examining the CAT |
From the last paragraph, we can infer that ______.
| A．the newest pictures become more misty |
| B．many pictures can be taken at the same time |
| C．the information about the scanned patient is not highly valued |
| D．some pictures of the scanned parts of the body are developed for further examinations in the future |
The best title of this passage might be ______.
| A．Modern X-ray | B．Three-dimensional View |
| C．Fast - moving Camera | D．CAT Scan |
American magician David Blaine left the glass box in which he had lived for 44 days without food on October 19. 2003. Hundreds of people came to watch the end of his starvation experiment, which has become one of London’s main tourist attractions.
Looking thinner and darker, 30 year-old Blaine was taken out of his box over the River Thames（泰晤士河）and immediately went to hospital. He was then slowly reintroduced to food, a process (过程)doctors say could be life threatening. He had been drinking only water since September 5.
A native of Brooklyn, New York, Blaine first became known as a street magician in the early 1990s. He soon found himself doing magic tricks in bars for the likes of American actor Leonardo DiCaprio and his super model friends.
Over the last decade Blaine has become famous with a combination of breathtaking magic and clever tricks aimed at getting a lot of attention.
In 1999, he was buried in a coffin (棺材) for one week and, in 2000, he spent 62 hours in a giant block of ice. Last year he stood on top of a 25-meter pillar(柱子) in the center of New York for 35 hours before jumping into a pile of boxes.
“I think a lot of people are unable to accept that they’re able to do what they can do,” he said. “They don’t realize we can survive. The human being is an amazing creation.”
But he seems to have suffered from spending so long in the glass box. He said that at times he was unable to see, had serious back pains and lost his sense of taste.It is _ __ for David Blaine to eat food after such a long starvation.
| A．pleasant | B．delicious | C．dangerous | D．important |
Having spent such a long time in the glass box, he suffered the following EXCEPT that _ ___.
| A．he had become blind | B．he had serious back pains |
| C．he lost his sense of taste | D．he was in weak health |
Which of the following can best describe David Blaine?
| A．Serious | B．Adventurous | C．Mad | D．Crazy |
Which of the following is NOT true of David Blaine?
| A．Blaine immediately went to hospital after he was taken out of his box. |
| B．Blaine was born and brought up in England. |
| C．In Blaine’s opinion, people can create a wonder. |
| D．Blaine didn’t have any food for 44 days. |
Everyone has got two personalities—the one that is shown to the world and the other that is secret and real．You don't show your secret personality when you're awake because you can control your behaviour，but when you're asleep， your sleeping position shows the real you．In a normal night，of course，people frequently change their position．The important position is the one that you go to sleep in．
If you go to sleep on your back，you're a very open person．You normally trust people and you are easily influenced by fashion or new ideas．You don't like to upset people，so you never express your real feelings．You're quite shy and you aren't very confident．
If you sleep on your stomach，you are a rather secretive（不坦率的）person．You worry a lot and you're always easily upset．You're very stubborn（顽固的），but you aren't very ambitious．You usually live for today not for tomorrow．This means that you enjoy having a good time．
If you sleep curled up（卷曲），you are probably a very nervous person．You have a low opinion of yourself and so you're often defensive．You're shy and you don't normally like meeting people．You prefer to be on your own．You're easily hurt．
If you sleep on your side，you have usually got a well-balanced personality．You know your strengths and weaknesses．You're usually careful． You have a confident personality．You sometimes feel anxious，but you don't often get depressed．You always say what you think even if it annoys people．According to the writer，you naturally show your secret and real personality _____.
| A．only in a normal night |
| B．only when you go to sleep |
| C．only when you refuse to show yourself to the world |
| D．only when you change sleeping position |
Which is NOT mentioned in the second paragraph about a person's personality？
| A．He or she is always open with others． |
| B．He or she always likes new ideas earlier than others． |
| C．He or she is always easily upset． |
| D．He or she tends to believe in others． |
Point out which sentence is used to show the personality of a person who is used to sleeping on his or her stomach？
| A．He or she is careful not to offend others． |
| B．He or she doesn't want to stick to his or her opinion． |
| C．He or she can't be successful in any business． |
| D．He or she likes to bring others happiness． |
Maybe you don't want to make friends with a person who sleeps curled up．Why？
| A．He or she would rather be alone than communicate with you． |
| B．He or she is rarely ready to help you． |
| C．He or she prefers staying at home to going out． |
| D．He or she wouldn't like to get help from you． |
It appears that the writer tends to think highly of the person who sleeps on one side because ______ ．
| A．he or she always shows sympathy for people |
| B．he or she is confident，but not stubborn |
| C．he or she has more strengths than weaknesses |
| D．he or she often considers annoying people |
Tests administered（实施）to most elementary and high-school students in the United States exert（发挥）an unfavorable influence on science and math teaching， according to a new ＄1 million study performed for the National Science Foundation．And because schools with high minority enrollments（入学）generally place a greater reliance（相信）on scores from these tests， the study finds，there tends to be “a gap in instructional emphases between high and low minority classrooms that differs from our national concern for the quality of education．”
George F．Madaus and his colleagues at Boston College analyzed not only the six most widely used national standardized tests， but also the tests designed to accompany（go with）the four most commonly used science and math texts in fourth-grade，eighth-grade，and high-school classrooms．Though curriculum（teaching program）experts argue that schools should place greater emphasis on problem solving and reasoning， the new study shows that the tests focus on lower-level skills—primarily mechanical memorization of routine formulas（公式）．
Researchers surveyed more than 2，200 math and science instructors，interviewing in depth some 300 teachers and administrators．Especially in schools with high minority enrollments，teachers reported feeling pressured to help students perform well on these tests．Some states judge schools and some schools determine teacher assignments（工作安排）based on students' test scores．
“With so much worry，”Madaus says，“teachers feel forced to focus their instruction on drilling what the tests will measure—at the expense of the more valuable，higher-level skills．” The author of this article states that ____ _ ．
| A．the tests don't affect teaching in most elementary and high schools |
| B．the science and math teaching is influenced by the present tests |
| C．no study is performed on tests for the National Science Foundation |
| D．the United States exerts a strong influence on science and math teaching |
It can be inferred that in high minority classrooms ____ _ ．
| A．the students can not get high score from the tests |
| B．scores from the tests are not important |
| C．instructional emphases are unfavourable |
| D．teaching doesn't focus on the quality of education |
According to the second paragraph，the study has discovered that ____ _ ．
| A．emphasis of teaching is on problem solving and reasoning |
| B．curriculum is good for national standardized tests |
| C．the tests mainly center around the memorization of some formulas |
| D．routine formulas are not useful for students to memorize |
According to Madaus' opinion，teachers are forced to ____ _ ．
| A．evaluate（评估）students' skills every year |
| B．suffer so much worry on the texts |
| C．teach what will be tested |
| D．focus their instruction on useful drillings |
阅读短文，完成问题。
Happiness and sadness are states of being that define the way we view the world. It is often said that some people by nature have a sunny character. Now scientists may have discovered why.
Some people may be born for happiness, while others are genetically negative, scientists have suggested in a study published late February in a British journal.
Earlier research had already established that the gene known as 5-HTTLPR plays a key role in determining how the neurotransmitter (神经传递素) serotonin (含于血液中的复合胺) works within the brain. Serotonin, a hormone (荷尔蒙), passes chemical messages between nerve cells. It has been closely linked to mood. Several anti-depressant (抗抑郁) drugs regulate serotonin levels. Scientists had also identified three variants (变体) of the gene. Two so-called "short" variants were linked to a higher risk of depression and suicide attempts. Unlike the two "short" variants, the "long" variant of 5-HTTLPR showed a clear dislike of negative images, such as fierce animals, and a clear liking for positive ones, such as flowers.
Researchers from the University of Essex in Britain, led by Elaine Fox, showed participants a series of images. The images were divided into three kinds: negative ones aimed at inspiring fear or stress such as a spider or person about to commit suicide, pleasant ones and neutral (中性的) ones. The participants who had the long variant of the 5-HTTLPR gene "showed a clear dislike of negative material alongside a careful attention for positive material," the researchers found. They paid close attention to the pretty pictures, and ignored the frightening ones. On the other hand, the short variant groups had the opposite reaction.
In January, the Australian government organized "happiness workshops", teaching government staff how to be happy. The department that held the "happiness workshops" said unhappy staff weren't productive staff. Australian political opposition parties have argued that the "happiness workshops" are probably a waste of money and couldn't increase productivity as intended. However, whether the workshop will have a happy or disappointing result, we will have to wait and see.
1. For the passage,by what means can we view the world?
A. Happiness and sadness. B. Happiness and curiosity.
C. Sadness and amazement. D. Disappointment and sadness.
2. What is most important in the role of deciding how the the neurotransmitter serotonin works within the brain?
A. The gene known as 5-HTTLPR. B. Three variants.
C. Neurotransmitter serotonin . D. A hormone.
3 Which of the following sentences is WRONG?
A. Serotonin, a hormone within the brain., passes chemical messages between nerve cells, which has been closely linked to mood.
B. Scientists identified the two "short" variants, and the "long" variant of 5-HTTLPR which showed a clear hatred of negative images, such as fierce animals.
C. Scientists identified three variants of the gene. Two so-called "long" variants were linked to a higher risk of depression and murder attempts.
D. In terms of researchers’ research, the images were divided into three kinds: negative ones, pleasant ones and neutral ones.
4. Why did the Australian government organize “Happiness workshops”?
A. To enrich staff’s free life.
B. To teach staff the ways to be happy.
C. To prove the result of the researchers’ research.
D. To test who weren’t productive staff.
5. What is the 
result of setting up “Happiness workshops” according to the last paragraph?
A. A waste of money.
B. No effect on increasing productivity.
C. A disappointing result .
D. An uncertain result.