Many people say that laughter is the best medicine. Scientists begin to agree with this. They are studying laughter seriously and finding it is really good. One minute of laughter is the same as forty-five minutes of relaxation(放松). Many doctors around the world believe that laughter helps us get better when we are sick.
Of course, there are many kinds of laughter. We may change the way we laugh in different situations(情形). But we all have a laugh that is special to us. How do you usually laugh?What do many people think of laughter?
A. They think it’s bad for our health
B. They think it’s the best medicine
C. They think it’s not the best medicineLaughter is good because________.
A. scientists think so
B. everybody says so
C. everyone is happyOne minute of laughter equals(等于) forty-five minutes of_____
A. rest B. exercise C. playingMany doctors believe that laughter can help us____ when we are ill.
A. feel worse B. get better C. get sad According to(根据) the passage,______.
A. people laugh in the same way
B. we need to laugh forty-five minutes every day
C. everyone has his own way of laughing
Influenza， or flu（流感）， is a type of virus． It spreads from one person to another quickly． When someone who has the flu coughs or sneezes， little droplets from their lungs （肺） spread out into the air．Anyone nearby can get sick． Even a person who touches something with the virus and then touches his or her mouth， eyes， or nose， can become infected（感染）．
The outbreak of the 1918 influenza infected about 500 million people worldwide． It killed from 20 million to 50 million people． It was first seen in Europe， the United States， and parts of Asia．It then spread quickly around the world． Many people who became sick were young， healthy adults．At the time， no treatments worked in the prevention of the spread of the killer flu． People were ordered to wear masks． Schools， theaters and other public places were closed．
When the first wave（波＞in the spring of 1918 hit， it didn't seem serious． People who were infected felt the usual flu symptoms（症状）， which are chills， fevers， and feeling tired． Those who got sick generally got better after several days． Not many died． However， a second， highly contagious（传染的）wave of influenza appeared in the fall of that same year． Victims died shortly after they were infected ﹣ within hours or days． Their skin turned blue and their lungs were filled with liquid（液体），making it very difficult to breathe．
By the summer of 1919， the flu pandemic（大流行病） came to an end． Sick people had either got well or died． Almost 90 years later， in 2008， researchers announced they'd discovered why the 1918 flu was so deadly． The flu virus inflamed （使…恶化）the lungs， causing them to fill with liquid．
Since 1918， there have been several other influenza pandemics， although none has been quite as deadly．
（1）What information about the 1918 flu is mentioned in the passage？
A． The reason why it was so deadly．
B． The reason why it ended．
C． The change it caused to medical research．
D． The place in which it was last seen．
（2）All the people that were infected with the 1918 flu ．
A． had blue skin that led to their death
B． had touched someone with the virus
C． died as their lungs were filled with liquid
D． had the virus in their bodies that made them sick
（3）Which of the following statements about the 1918 flu is TRUE according to the passage？
A． Wearing a mask was the best way to treat it．
B． A younger person had a lower risk of being infected with it．
C． People expected the coming of its second wave， but couldn't stop it．
D． It was deadlier than any other influenza pandemic in modern history．
With so much free time on our hands during lockdown， many of us have entertained the idea of knowing more about the world． Learning a foreign language is a good choice． Here are a few examples， in order of time it takes people to learn them．
Latin languages （about 600 hours）
The popular Latin languages ﹣ Italian， French， Spanish and Portuguese ﹣ require about 600 hours to learn． Of these， Spanish and Italian are the easiest for English speakers to learn． They are followed by Portuguese and finally French．
Latin languages share many words with English．However，those shared words look or sound similar， but have different meanings over time．
Greek （1，100 hours）
Modern Greek is maybe the easiest language to learn that uses a different alphabet（字母表）．It is also a language that has contributed many words to English． Indeed， the president of Greece once gave two speeches at an international meeting that included just Greek loan words（外来词） as well as the unavoidable basic English．
Japanese （2， 200 hours）
Counting objects in Japanese depends on whether they are long and thin （like "roads"）， small and round （like "apples"）， thin and flat （like "sheets of paper"）， and hundreds more examples．
What Japanese you speak also depends on your gender（性别）． There's a "rough" language for men and a more "ladylike" language for women， but you must understand both．
Chinese （2， 200 hours）
Each Chinese written word is hardly understandable when spoken between a Mandarin （普通话） speaker in Beijing and a Cantonese speaker in Guangdong． If you think that's strange， consider our number system： the symbol "2" is widely understood but it's pronounced "two" in English and "duex" in French．
（1）For an English speaker， which of the following is the easiest to learn？
A． Japanese．
B． French．
C． Greek．
D． Italian．
（2）What can we learn from the passage？
A． The same word in two languages always has the same meaning．
B． The English language and the Greek language use the same alphabet．
C． Objects are counted differently in Japanese according to their shapes．
D． A Mandarin speaker and a Cantonese speaker write Chinese differently．
（3）The purpose of this passage is to tell English speakers ．
A． how to learn some foreign languages
B． why they must learn a foreign language
C． some information on the difficulty of foreign languages
D． not to choose an Asian language to learn as it is too hard
"Four great inventions" in ancient China are important symbols of the country. Now China has "new four great inventions"， high﹣speed trains， mobile payment， bike sharing and online shopping. They are changing people's lives in China and maybe all over the world.
High﹣speed trains
By the end of 2016， China had the world's largest high﹣speed railway network. More than 2，500 high﹣speed trains are running across China each day.
Lin Jinlong， an overseas student from Cambodia， shared his experience of traveling by Chinese high﹣speed train from Beijing to Tianjin. The two cities are over 100 km away， but the trip took only about half an hour. "That was amazing!" Lin said.
Mobile payment
Mobile payment has become a part of Chinese people's everyday life. It makes their lives much more convenient. "My wallet is not in use any longer. I can buy almost anything I want simply with my mobile phone，" said Lin. "Even vegetable sellers are using mobile payment."
Bike sharing
Bike sharing is not new itself， but the bike sharing in China is special﹣it allows users to pick a bike anywhere in the city and leave it anywhere at the end of their journey. It's really convenient， cheap and green. A bike sharing company called Mobike has even brought the service to other countries.
Online shopping
You are out if you have never shopped online. Now you can buy almost everything from websites like Taobao and JD， and get what you've bought within days. China's online shopping makes many foreigners feel both excited and amazed.
（1）Do "new four great inventions" only change people's lives in China？
（2）When did China have the world's largest high﹣speed railway network？
（3）Why does Lin say his wallet is no longer in use？
（4）What does the writer think of bike sharing？
（5）Where can you buy almost everything if you shop online？
"We all have suffered from the air pollution. If we don't call for an end to the firecrackers （鞭炮）， the environment will get worse and worse in the future. " said Zhang Wei. He put up a notice in his neighborhood. In the notice， he called on more people to set off（引爆） fewer firecrackers during this year's Spring Festival.
Lots of parents agreed with Zhang Wei. They said that they hated the noise of firecrackers. The noise often wake up their babies easily. And the babies really needed a quiet place to have enough sleep.
More Chinese are looking forward to celebrating the holiday in greener ways. Many people decide not to set off firecrackers. They decided not to waste food. They think that the new ways are fashionable（时尚的）.
"My family didn't buy firecrackers this year. Instead， we gave the money away to a charity. It's good for the environment and the charity the Internet user "Fighter" wrote on the Blog.
In my opinion， it's very important for us to celebrate our traditional festival﹣the Spring Festival. But it's more important to reduce air pollution and protect our environment. We had better express our cheerful feeling and best wishes in greener ways. We need more people like Zhang Wei or "Fighter" who uses electronic ways like QQ， Wechat or Blog. I believe more and more people will join them and our environment will get better and better.
（1）Where did Zhang Wei put up a notice？
A. In his office.
B. In the street.
C. In his neighbor hood.
D. In his house.
（2）What did many parents think of Zhang Wei's idea？
A. It was bad.
B. It was good.
C. It was not successful.
D. It was not useful.
（3）Which of the following is fashionable according to the passage？
A. Eating a lot of food.
B. Making more money.
C. Celebrating in a greener way.
D. Setting off more firecrackers.
（4）What's the best title of the passage？
A. Don't Waste Food
B. The Spring Festival Goes Green
C. Firecrackers and Noise
D. The Christmas Holiday
Four years ago， my mother gave birth to a brother for me when I was 10. I have learned a lot from getting along with him.
After he was born， I almost became a babysitter. I had to amuse him after school. I would make faces and sing to him when he was crying. Sometimes I even carried him everywhere in our yard to cheer him up while my parents were busy. What I liked to do best was to feed him when looking after him. How cute he was as he tasted his favorite food! My parents often praised me happily. As an elder brother， you've made contributions to looking after your younger brother.
I have got happiness from looking after my brother. When I was young， I was the only child in my family. I could get what I wanted from my parents. I was a "Little Emperor" in my family.
But now， as long as I get something good， I want to give it to my brother first. I remembered the year when he was three， he was fond of Rubik cubes（魔方）. I bought one for him with my lucky money as a birthday present. When he got it， he was so happy that he laughed， hugged me and kissed me.
Thanks for spending these years together with my family. It has taught me how to be responsible and unselfish. Not only should I look after myself， but also I should pay attention to my family.
（1）When did the writer's mother gave birth to a brother for him？
A. 3 years ago.
B. 4 years ago.
C. 8 years ago.
D. 10 years ago.
（2）What does the underlined word "amuse" in the second paragraph mean？
A. 令……开心
B. 令……生气
C. 令……讨厌
D. 开……玩笑
（3）Which of the following is NOT TRUE when looking after his younger brother？
A. He fed him.
B. He told stories to him.
C. He made faces and sang to him.
D. He carried him everywhere in the yard.
（4）What might you learn the passage？
A. Be responsible.
B. Be unselfish.
C. Be responsible and confident.
D. Be responsible and unselfish.