The power of humor and laughter is numerous. They entertain us and make us feel good. But, above all, we have discovered that humor and laughter are the best medicine. They relieve pain, reduce stress and anxiety, and are anti-aging and longevity facilitators.
They are extremely necessary for helping us to find and maintain a balance between life and work. However, they are slipping away from us. We have become far too serious. The only ones who still enjoy humor, laughter, fun and play to the fullest are young children. Children tend to laugh an average of 200 times a day. For adults, however, it is a totally different story.
In the 1950s people laughed on average 18 times a day. Today, we are lucky if we average between 4-6 times a day.
As a matter of fact, a recent study found that people laugh 6 more times in the presence of one person but 30 more times in a group of people. You can get a chuckle(咯咯笑) from jokes you get on the Internet, but it is not the same as belly jiggling laughter (a deep laugh) you get when you interact with others.
Socializing with friends and relatives was much looked forward to. However, this is no longer the case. In fact, the majority of people can hardly find time, nor do they have the inclination towards socializing outside home. They turn to electronic media such as television, computers, the Internet, videos, CDs, and audio equipment, which can provide them with instant self-entertainment at the push of a button.
The workplace does not fare(进展) much better. Due to the pressures to produce more in the same or fewer hours available and to compete, for example, in a manufacturing field with cheaper labor elsewhere in the world, humor and laughter in the workplace have gradually eroded（逐渐毁坏） away.
I have developed a real appreciation, perhaps closer to a strong desire for the power of humor and laughter. This encouraged me to write my first book titled “The Power of Humor” and subsequently my second book titled “Kids Say the Goggonest Things” based on the natural humor, laughter, play and fun that kids experience and they freely share with parents, grandparents and teachers.
From writing about humor and laughter, people start to ask me to speak up for them. To date, I have developed a number of humor-laughter topics that I use in my keynote presentations. You are invited to subscribe to my free monthly e-magazine “The Humormeister’s Forum” by clicking on the Free Humor E-zine navigation button on the website. According to the author, laughter is leaving us partly because ________.
| A．we treat everything in a serious way |
| B．it relieves pain, reduces stress and anxiety |
| C．we fail to maintain balance between life and work |
| D．the pace of change in our lives is becoming faster |
The fourth paragraph mainly tells us that ________.
| A．getting a deep laugh nowadays is difficult |
| B．we can entertain ourselves with the help of the Internet |
| C．people laugh more heartily when spending time with others |
| D．researchers have made a new discovery about the effect of laughter |
The underlined word “inclination” in Paragraph 5 most probably means “________”.
| A．destination | B．tendency |
| C．attitude | D．approach |
Which of the following articles can we most probably find in “The Humormeister’s Forum”?
| A．The power of honesty. |
| B．Don’t be your own worst enemy. |
| C．Live life purposefully: The relationship within. |
| D．Funny Christmas stories to share with your loved ones. |
【原创】On Sunday, Samsung used the 2015 installment of Mobile World Congress to announce the latest models of its Galaxy line of smartphones: the S6 and S6 Edge, aiming to retake its throne.
Both devices take the Galaxy line in a completely new direction. The most apparent change is the noticeable lack of plastic formerly synonymous with Samsung smartphones. With the S6 lineup, Samsung chose to go with a combination of metal and a glass housing.
The S6 Edge features a curved display on both edges of the screen. A fingerprint sensor sits below the home button. The user only needs to place a finger on the button and wait for the scan to complete. The change makes the experience nearly identical to that of Apple’s Touch ID.
Sure to disappoint Samsung loyalists, the South Korean company rejected two features long used to mock(嘲弄)Apple’s AAPL 0.49% iPhone: expandable storage and a replaceable battery. Looking beyond the changes in appearance are a faster processor, higher-quality camera, curved display, and wireless charging capabilities.
The new feature called Samsung Pay is very appealing and will bring users more convenience.
And it has a leg up on Apple Pay, which is limited to working only at retail locations and outlets with the necessary equipment to process NFC payments. With Samsung Pay, users won’t be caught in the middle of a spat between competing payment platforms. So go right ahead.
Another thing: Each year when Samsung would announce the latest Galaxy device, it would announce some software-based features that served little purpose. With this year’s release, Samsung cut the fat. Any unnecessary menus were left out.
For years, Samsung’s flagship phones have been long on features, but short on follow-through. The new Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge appear to lay the groundwork for a lineup of devices that are quite the opposite. What is the main idea of this passage?
| A．The competition between Samsung and Apple. |
| B．The introduction of the latest models of Samsung. |
| C．The development of Samsung company. |
| D．The similarity between Apple and Samsung. |
Which is NOT the new feature of the S6 and S6 Edge?
| A．An emergency battery | B．A faster processor. |
| C．Samsung Pay. | D．Higher-quality camera. |
According to the passage, we can know Apple ______.
| A．has a replaceable battery |
| B．has Touch ID |
| C．uses plastics as material |
| D．has no payment function |
In which aspect may Samsung’s latest models disappoint its users?
| A．It is more expensive than expected. |
| B．Mobile payment function is inconvenient. |
| C．It has more useless software. |
| D．Its storage can’t be expanded any longer. |
What can we know from the last paragraph?
| A．Samsung is longer in shape. |
| B．Samsung is good at creating new models. |
| C．Samsung has an advantage of function. |
| D．Samsung is always following trends. |
Like many other parts of our lives today, education has become a global enterprise. In microcosm(微观世界), my school is proof of just how global. Monkseaton High School is an ordinary state-funded school of 850 students in the unfashionable part of northeastern England. Over the past seven years it has sent 12 students to American universities --- two of them to Harvard. Monkseaton has, in turn, attracted students from other countries, including Germany and Latvia. Monkseaton now almost routinely receives inquiries from students in Eastern European countries. Obviously, learning English is a big draw, but his pattern of student movement was unheard of five years ago.
The brain drain is a universal phenomenon, and countries that don’t face up to the new reality will be losing some of their most precious resources. The northeast of England is its poorest region, and has experienced a severe loss of highly qualified professionals-to-be. Some of the most able 18-year-olds are going to other parts of Britain, even to other countries. What is happening here is happening to Britain as a whole. Most noticeably, there is a growing trend of British students taking degrees in American universities. This year the number will break the psychological barrier of 1,000 students for the first time.
And what is happening at the secondary-school level is happening to higher education. Wherever they come from, today’s students have a very different perspective on education from their parents. Because of television, the Internet and their travels, these students see the world as a much smaller place than their parents once did. They are more confident in accepting the challenge of moving from one country to another, from one culture to another; in many cases they can even apply to schools over the Internet. Students are also more aware of the overall cost of education and are looking for value for money. Plus, for many, education linked to travel is a better option than education at home.Why does the author say education has become a global enterprise?
| A．Monkseaton High School used to be a very unfashionable school in the Northeast England. |
| B．Monkseaton High School is now one of the state-funded middle schools in England. |
| C．Monkseaton High School has sent two top students to the Harvard University in U.S. |
| D．There is now an extensive exchange of students among different countries. |
What can we infer about northeast England from the passage?
| A．It is one of the poorest regions in England. |
| B．It has experienced a severe loss of professionals. |
| C．It will face a more serious brain drain in the near future. |
| D．It is losing its young talents to other parts of the world. |
According to the passage, students today have different perspective from their parents on the following EXCEPT that _________________.
| A．education linked to travel is much better than education at home |
| B．overall cost of education should be considered against money value |
| C．moving from one culture to another is a welcomed challenge |
| D．the Internet is more popular and easier to access in the near future |
The students today tend to see the world as a much smaller place NOT because __________.
| A．they are having more exposure to the television programs |
| B．they are having easier access to the Internet |
| C．they are having frequent travels to the other parts of the world |
| D．they are having better communication with their parents |
The purpose of the author in writing this passage is to __________.
| A．tell us the benefit of globalization of education |
| B．analyze the causes for students’ moving trend in Great Britain |
| C．criticize the universal phenomenon of brain drain worldwide |
| D．draw attention to students’ moving from one country to another |
【改编】Australian scientists say an organic compound used by Indian women to paint dots or bindi on their foreheads could hold the key to a breakthrough in cancer treatment. Rose Bengal (玫瑰红)was first used in the early 1900s as a dye for food, textiles and cosmetics. But now it is proving to be a useful weapon in the fight against skin cancer.
Television advertisements constantly warn of the dangers of overexposure to the fierce sun. Among them is the possibility of the disease melanoma(黑瘤), a type of skin cancer. More than 1,200 Australians die every year from the disease.
Initial trials of a solution of Rose Bengal injected into some melanoma cells have had a 75 percent success rate in controlling the disease. Professor John Thompson, the director of the Melanoma Unit at the University of Sydney, says this organic dye could become a powerful cancer-fighting treatment.
“We believe it works by getting into the tumor(肿块) cells and causing them to self-destruct. But the exact mechanism by which it works is not totally clear. It’s not useful for people who have a primary melanoma. The treatment of primary melanoma is surgical excision(切除),”he said. “It’s useful to inject tumors for people who have recurrences; when the primary treatment has failed and when recurrence in the area, or at more distant sites has occurred.”
About 90 percent of Australians who develop melanoma survive thanks to early diagnosis and treatment. If left untreated, however, the disease can be fatal.
Convincing younger people in Australia about the dangers of overexposure to the sun is a battle campaigners are constantly waging.
Veronica Manock, a 21-year-old student, had two major operations to remove a cancerous tumor from her leg.
“I’ve had a lot of friends who just said ‘I thought it was just, you know, I’ll get a mole(痣) cut out and that’s it’, whereas I don’t think people realize how much danger they’re putting themselves into and how easy it is to stop something like this happening to you just from doing little things,”said Marock.
Other researchers in Australia are investigating genetic treatments to skin cancer. There is a pressing need for such research to produce effective treatments. Australians, the majority of whom are fair-skinned(浅肤色的), are four times more likely to develop a melanoma than people in Canada, the United States or Great Britain.Which can be the best title of the passage?
| A．Rose Bengal—the cause of skin cancer. |
| B．Rose Bengal—a tool to fight against skin cancer. |
| C．Skin cancer—the first killer. |
| D．Melanoma—the threat to health. |
What does the underlined word “fatal” mean?
| A．Curable. | B．Serious. | C．Deadly. | D．Self-healing. |
From what Veronica Manock said , we can know _______.
| A．people haven’t realized overexposure to the sun is dangerous |
| B．mole on the leg is dangerous. |
| C．people can do nothing to protect themselves from melanoma |
| D．nothing can be done to deal with the disease. |
Who are likely to develop a melanoma?
| A．Englishmen. | B．Canadians. |
| C．Americans. | D．Australians. |
In which section of a newspaper does the passage possibly appear?
| A．Economy. | B．Agriculture. | C．Health. | D．Fashion. |
【改编】Shirley Temple(1928—2014)，an American actress，was considered among the most successful child stars in the history of film．Born by an ambitious mother，Temple first appeared in a film at the age of three，and at six she starred in Stand Up and Cheer (1934)．Known and recognized for her ability to sing and tap dance in several films，Temple became a famous figure in 1934．At the end of that year she was given a special Academy Award “in grateful recognition of her outstanding contribution．’’
During the Great Depression of the l930s，Temple was celebrated by an adoring public．At the height of her popularity，from l935 to 1938，Temple was the biggest box-office attraction in Hollywood．Temple made a number of films as a teenager，but her appeal had faded，and the films were not successful．In l949, Temple departed elegantly from Hollywood．
Two decades later，she reappeared into the spotlight by announcing her qualification as a candidate for Congress．She lost the election，but Temple displayed her determination and went on to enjoy a long and successful：career with the United Nations and the State Department．
After retirement，she reposed that she was at peace with her life and proud of her accomplishments in two of the nation’s most influential areas．“If I had to do it all over again．’’Shirley Temple once declared，‘‘I wouldn’t change anything．’’What made Shirley world famous?
| A．Her determination and strong will. |
| B．Her attractive appearance. |
| C．Her ability in politics. |
| D．Her ability to singand tap dance. |
What caused Temple to lose her appeal as an actor?
| A．The appearance of new stars. |
| B．Not mentioned. |
| C．The Great Depression |
| D．The disappearance of her beauty. |
When did Temple return to the spotlight?
| A．In her forties. | B．In her twenties. |
| C．In her thirties. | D．In her fifties. |
From the last paragraph we can infer Temple _____.
| A．regretted she was involved in politics |
| B．was disappointed at leaving the stage so early |
| C．wanted to lead a different life |
| D．was satisfied with her choices. |
How do you find Shirley Temple?
| A．Beautiful and kind-hearted. | B．Out-going and adventurous. |
| C．Tough-minded and gifted. | D．Humorous and charming. |
Having experienced a shocking electrical accident, which caused him to become both blind and deaf, James Francos world became completely dark and quiet for almost ten years. The loss of sight and hearing threw him into such sorrow that he tried a few times to put an end to his life. His family, especially his wife, did their best to tend and comfort him and finally he regained the will to live.
One hot summer afternoon, he was taking a walk with a stick near his house when a thunderstorm started all at once. He stood under a large tree to avoid getting wet, but he was struck by the lightning. Witnesses thought he was dead but he woke up 20 minutes later, lying face down in muddy water. He was trembling badly, but when he opened his eyes, he could hardly believe what he saw: a tree and a muddy road. When Mrs. Franco came running up to him, shouting to their neighbors to call for help, he could see her and hear her voice for the first time in nearly ten years.
The news of James regaining his sight and hearing quickly spread and many doctors came to examine him. Most of them said that he regained his sight and hearing from the shock he got from the lightning. However, none of them could give a compellent answer as to why this should happen. The only reasonable explanation given by one doctor was that, since James lost his sight and hearing as a result of a sudden shock, perhaps, the only way for him to regain them was by another sudden shock. 【改编】What did James has experience ced make him both blond and deaf？
| A．A shocking electrical accident. |
| B．A traffic accident. |
| C．A fire accident. |
| D．A medical accident. |
【改编】When was James sheltering from the rain under a tree?
| A．When he was struck by the lightning. |
| B．When he went home. |
| C．When he want to kill himself. |
| D．When he lost his sight. |
【改编】 Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
| A．A Lucky Experience |
| B．The Grateful man |
| C．How Brave a boy |
| D．What A Sudden Shock |