Many years ago, Norman Cousins was seriously ill. He was given six months to live. His chance for recovery was 1 in 500.
He could see the worry, depression and anger in his life contributed to his disease. He wondered, If illness can be caused by negativity (消极性), can health be created by positivity (积极性)?” He decided to make an experiment of himself.
Laughing was one of the most positive activities he knew. He watched all the funny movies he could find. He read funny stories. He asked his friends to call him whenever they said, heard or did something interesting.
His pain was so great that he could not sleep. Laughing for 10 solid minutes, he found, relieved the pain for several hours so he could sleep. He fully recovered from his illness and lived another 20 happy and healthy years.
Laughing is necessary to our health. If were not well, laughing helps us get well; if we are well, laughing helps us stay that way. So, if you like laughing, do it as often as you can.
Use whatever makes you laughmovies, books, jokes or friends. The people around you may think youre strange, but sooner or later theyll join in even if they dont know what youre laughing about.Cousins decided to try to laugh a lot ______.
| A．in order to be happy |
| B．in order to cure his disease |
| C．because he could not live for long |
| D．because his disease couldnt be cured |
The text mainly tells us ______.
| A．how to be happy |
| B．laughing is good for our health |
| C．about Cousins miserable life |
| D．funny stories make our life different |
Which of the following is TRUE about his illness?
| A．There was little possibility to cure his disease. |
| B．He had been happy before he was ill. |
| C．His disease resulted from his hard work. |
| D．His disease made him sleepy all the time. |
From Cousins story, we can know that ______.
| A．doctors believed that his disease could be cured by laughing |
| B．he was sure that positivity could cure his disease |
| C．laughing regularly contributed to his disease |
| D．his life was changed after he was ill |
Unexpectedly, I lost my white iPhon5s in Midtown on Friday night,. It had a blue green cover on it. There are many pictures of my son on it, and I’m heartbroken，Please return, no questions asked. Reward.Reply to: -2652255359@craigslist.org
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Reply to:comm-encbq-2652113885 @craigslist.orgWho posted the lost and found information?
| A．A mother | B．A kind woman |
| C．A heartbroken girl | D．A parent |
If you want to send your kids to the babysitter’s home, you can find one in______.
| A．Ad 1 | B．Ad 2 |
| C．Ad 3 | D．Ad 4 |
What do we know about Tina?
| A．She can speak two languages. |
| B．She lives alone now. |
| C．She takes care of children over 3. |
| D．She used to be a teacher’s assistant. |
An applicant accepted by Ad 5 will have to.
| A．be able to speak two languages |
| B．be a college graduate |
| C．work every weekend |
| D．look after two children |
As we know, many teen celebrities(名人) feel and think that having a slimmer figure can do great good to them. But, does size really matter? Are teenage fans trying hard to become like their celebrity idols(偶像)? Do celebrities really have the power to influence people, especially teenagers?
For the longest time, many parents blame teen idols for influencing the way their kids act. Have you noticed how teens idolize the celebrities these days? Even, their personal affairs are being followed by kids these days. Take for example the case of Lindsay Lohan of Mary Kate Ashley. They are definitely famous teen stars. But, since they are trying to project an image to satisfy a lot of people in show business, their health and body suffer. Many kids are aware of this problem. But they are easily influenced by these celebrities to exercise and eat less.
It is a fact that the media, and especially famous teen celebrities, can influence people powerfully. But teenagers are easily influenced because teenage years are the period when our personality and identity developments take place. Teens watching TV shows and reading magazines are easily pulled into the dieting and harmful eating habits because the media have some ways to pull these acts. They use thin models and celebrities to endorse(做广告宣传) products or to star in an up-and –coming shows or movies. With fierce competition, celebrities are forced to eat less and do extreme exercise routines to get the roles or offers that come their way.
Living in today’s time and generation is a bit disturbing to a lot of parents. Media, especially as well as the celebrities, have a very powerful influence to drive teenagers to good or bad. It’s good that we can control ourselves to avoid bad things from happening. If not, parents should really be aware and guide their teens to determine what’s in ad what’s out.From the passage we can find Lindsay Lohan.
| A．lives an unhealthy lifestyle |
| B．lives a rich and happy life |
| C．doesn’t get any exercise |
| D．sets a good example for teenagers |
According to the writer, why are teenagers easily influenced by some TV shows?
| A．They are tired of school. |
| B．Their celebrity idols appear in many TV shows. |
| C．They’re in their development period. |
| D．They have nothing to do in their spare time |
Many celebrities have to be on diet .
| A．to keep healthy to face competition |
| B．to survive under pressure |
| C．to keep a slim size |
| D．to satisfy their teenage fans |
What’s the title of the passage?
| A．Parents’ responsibilities. |
| B．Advice on self-control. |
| C．Bad influences of celebrities. |
| D．Media’s bad influences. |
Maybe you don’t think animals have certain mental powers which human beings do not have. But the truth is that some of them have instincts, and besides this, I am sure they can feel certain things we humans cannot. A personal experience showed me this.
Some years ago, I had a dog named Howard. From the time when he was a puppy, he was timid, so we named him Howard, sounding like “coward”! He was especially afraid of thunderstorms. At the first flash of lightning or crash of thunder, he would run whining into his house and hide under a table.
I often went for a walk with Howard. Once, as we were walking along a road, it began to rain. I quickly ran to a bus stop for shelter. The bus stop had a roof supported by metal poles. Soon after I had got there, Howard caught my trousers in his teeth and tried to pull me away. At first I was puzzled and a little angry at his behavior. But I decided to humor him and walked away from the shelter into the rain and started to go home.
When I was about two hundred metres from the shelter, there came a flash of lightning and soon after, there was thunder which nearly deafened me. Howard stopped walking and began whining. Thinking he was afraid, I bent to pick him up. As I straightened up, I glanced at the bus shelter we had just left. I was shocked to see that two of the poles were bent and the roof was lying on the ground, broken. The shelter had been struck by the bolt of lightning!The author named his dog Howard mainly because of_______.
| A．his timid characteristic |
| B．one of the author’s friends Howard |
| C．his loud sound |
| D．his strange behaviors |
The reason why the author was puzzled and angry with the dog was that.
| A．Howard had a strange behavior |
| B．Howard should be afraid of the metal poles |
| C．Howard should know the approaching of the terrible lightning |
| D．Howard bit his trousers in his teeth |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．Dogs are cleverer and better than men. |
| B．Dogs are usually afraid of thunderstorms. |
| C．Some animals can feel certain things humans cannot. |
| D．Dogs are naturally born heroes. |
What can be inferred about the bus shelter from the passage?
| A．It was about 200 meters from the author’s home. |
| B．It was destroyed in a rainy day. |
| C．Its roof was supported by wood poles. |
| D．It could produce blinding flash of lightning. |
A troubled young man in Connecticut laid his hands on the kinds of guns that no civilian should ever have and shot 20 children and 6 adults . It was a tragedy that “ broke the hearts of America ” , as President Barack Obama said . The obvious way to prevent the next such massacre is gun control . And , yes , we need it now . Voters need to be loud , politicians need to be brave , and the gun lobby needs to be defeated . Perhaps Barack Obama , no longer up for election , will no longer be chicken .
But American violence doesn’t just come from the weapons we buy and the gun shows we frequent . It’s much deeper than that . This is also the country that supplies three-quarters of the world’s arms trade . These are weapon sales authorized by our government and by a Democratic President . International weapon sales by America between 2010 and 2011 tripled . The same Democratic President continues a policy of targeted ( often poorly ) assassinations in Pakistan .
This country also supplies most of the world’s violent entertainment . America leads the world in massacres in life , and in film too . The most popular movie this week , “ SKyfall , ” is a load of fun ; but every emotional climax involves a shooting , sometimes with small guns sometimes with large ones . Firearms have long been identified with manliness in popular culture . Ever more they are identified with womanliness , too . The most popular culture . Every more they are identified with womanliness , too . The most popular video game this week is “ Halo 4 ; ” the most popular novel is Tom Clancy’s “ Treat Vector ; ” the second and s\third best-selling works of nonfiction are “ Killing Kennedy ” and “ Killing Lincoln , ” respectively . Every author , and every creator , should have the right to make what they want . Still , every civilian has a right to choose what to see and what to buy .
Violence is sometimes essential to art , and often to foreign policy , too . But the cruel killing in Newtown , the worst single event in this country in eleven years and three months , should lead to a moment of deep reflection . It’s time to talk about guns ; but it’s also time to talk about a lot more .What does the underlined word “ massacre ” in paragraph 1 probably mean ?
| A．Awful accident | B．Serious condition |
| C．Mass killing | D．Great destruction |
The author lists some examples of violent entertainment EXCEPT __________ .
| A．movies | B．books |
| C．songs | D．games |
Which of the following would the author probably agree with ?
| A．Gun control is the only solution to violence in America . |
| B．Arms trade can benefit our society if limited to a certain degree . |
| C．Readers should be given the right to choose what they want . |
| D．Violence in art should share the blame for the killing in America . |
The best title for the passage would probably be __________ .
| A．The Roots of Violent Movies |
| B．America’s Culture of Violence |
| C．Bloody Killing Shocked America |
| D．Divide on Gun Control in America |
When we talk about superstitious（迷信的）beliefs , the beliefs associated with Friday the 13th , no doubt , deserve a special mention . In fact , such is the fear associated with this date that people just can’t seem to stick to their daily routine on this day . The data from Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute suggests that somewhere around 17 to 21 million Americans are affected by the fear associated with this day , i.e. the combination of Friday and 13 . Even worse , the financial losses caused on this day amounts to as much as US$800 million every year .
As we flipped through the pages of history , we realized that Friday the 13th bears the brunt of bad luck associated with number 13 , the unluckiest number , and Friday , the unluckiest day of the week . Number 13 has always been considered unlucky , mainly as a result of it being associated with various occurrences in mythology . While some associate it with the instance of Norse mythology , in which the god of joy and gladness – Balter , was killed in a dishonest manner by Loki – the god of discord and mischief , who was the 13th guest , others associate it with the Last Supper , in which the 13th guest was Judas , who betrayed Jesus to his enemies for 30 pieces of silver .
Similarly , Friday has also been a sign of bad luck to many people , with incidents like Jesus being crucified（在十字架上钉死）on this unfaithful day , contributing to this belief . It is also widely believed that Cain killed Able on this very day of the week . The fear of Friday the 13th is known as friggatriskaidekaphobia and paraskevidekatriaphobia , the former combining the words frigga , meaning Friday , and triskaidekaphobia , meaning the phobia of number 13 . Over the period , the belief that Friday the 13th is an unlucky day has just become one of the most widely accepted superstitions , which consequently causes much blind panic and unreasonable fear in the world .What does Friday the 13th refer to according to passage ?
| A．The 13th Friday of a year . |
| B．The fear of the number 13 on Fridays . |
| C．A fixed date of a year that can bring bad luck . |
| D．The 13th day of a month falling on a Friday . |
We can learn from the passage that __________ .
| A．superstition is more popular among the uneducated |
| B．religion is an important contributing factor to superstition |
| C．Numbers are believed to bring people bad luck in history |
| D．The belief of Friday the 13th is based on folk stories |
What will the author most probably talk about next ?
| A．Arguments for and against the belief of Friday the 13th |
| B．Reasons why Friday the 13th is widely accepted |
| C．Stories about the bad luck brought by Friday the 13th |
| D．Appropriate attitude towards Friday the 13th |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．The psychology of superstition |
| B．The history of a common superstition |
| C．The origins of Friday the 13th |
| D．Influences of Friday the 13th |