Patients and doctors alike have long believed in the healing (治疗) power of humor．It is claimed that humor not only affects patients’ moods，but can actually help them recover faster.
Several studies seem to support this．Patients in better spirits are known to have higher immune cell counts．Some have even claimed to have healed themselves of serious illnesses by reading comics and watching comedies.
Despite all this，many researchers are not convinceD． They point out the fact that many sufferings have been known to disappear naturally，with or without a daily dose of laughter．They also say that while optimism in general does seem to be related to better health，it is hard to tell which comes first.
Humor in times of stress，however，clearly makes us feel better．On one level，it takes our minds off our troubles and relaxes us．On another，it releases powerful endorphins，a chemical produced by your body that reduces pain．
There are cases where the appreciation of a good joke is indeed directly related to a person’s health．It can show，for example，whether a person has suffered damage to one particular area of the brain: the right frontal lobe (额叶)．
Scientists confirmed this by having people read jokes and asking them to choose the funniest endings from a list．Subjects with normal brains usually chose endings that were based on a relatively complex synthesis (综合) of ideas．Subjects with specifically located brain damage，however，responded only to slapstick (闹剧) endings，which did not depend on a particular context．When pressed，the brain-damaged subjects saw the logic in the correct endings．They simply did not find them funny.
Of course，humor is largely an individual matter．Next time your friend does not get one of your jokes，there is no need to accuse him of being a lamebrain．However，you might suggest that he lighten up—for the health of it．
We can infer from the passage that ________.
| A．all researchers have agreed on the healing power of humor |
| B．people seldom accuse their friends of not understanding jokes |
| C．the author holds a positive attitude to the healing power of humor |
| D．reading comics will surely become a popular way of treating diseases |
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．Many researchers are not convinced of the healing power of humor. |
| B．Patients in bad moods are known to have higher immune cell counts． |
| C．Optimism in general does seem to be related to better health. |
| D．People should try their best to cheer up for their good health. |
Scientists had some people read jokes and asked them to choose the funniest endings from a list to confirm that ________.
| A．the brain-damaged people are different from those with normal brains |
| B．a person with a normal brain usually responds to slapstick endings |
| C．a person suffering certain brain damage doesn’t appreciate a good joke |
| D．humor takes our minds off our troubles by releasing powerful endorphins |
Which would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Which comes first，humor or health? |
| B．Humor can cure different illnesses |
| C．People need humor in times of stress |
| D．Humor contributes to good health |
Mom was right！If you say thank you，for even the smallest gift or slightest show of kindness，you’ll feel happy.
Gratitude(感谢)，says Robert A．Emmons，a professor of psychology at the University of California，is an important element of happiness.In his recent book，Thanks！，Emmons uses the first major study on gratitude to prove mom’s point.In acknowledging and developing this muchignored expression of thankfulness，he explains how people have benefited—even improved their health.
As one of the leading scholars of the positive psychology movement，he admits gratitude may be difficult to express.He advises you to begin by admitting that life is good and full of events and elements that make daily existence a wonder.Second，recognize that the source of life’s goodness is more than just you.That source may be your mom，a friend，partner，child，colleague at work or play，or any combination of these.
Gratitude is always otherdirected，notes Emmons.You can be pleased or angry with yourself and feel guilty about doing something wrong，but you can never be grateful to or for yourself.
Expressing gratitude shouldn’t be a reaction；it should be a state of mind.To feel grateful when life is a breeze and you have more than you need is easy.To feel grateful in time of crisis—anger，hatred and bitterness—is easier.Also，too many people are aware of life’s blessings only after these are lost.The voices expressing gratitude from his studies of individuals are many.
It’s crisis and chaos—danger，disease，disability and death—that bring many individuals to realize just how dependent they are on others.Yet it’s the way each of us begins life and ends it.It’s too bad that so many people waste those decades in between labouring under the illusion(幻觉) they are selfsufficient，says Emmons.
To enable and embrace gratitude，Emmons encourages the readers of Thanks! to keep a gratitude diary.He even provides easytofollow directions on how to practise and develop gratitude.
I’m not a reader or advocate of selfhelp books，but I am thankful for the reference I found in a newspaper article to the research Emmons was conducting on gratitude involving organ donors and recipients(接受者)．The chance discovery led me to this book.
Mom implied that kindness seems to find its way back to the giver because life really is all about giving，receiving and repaying.So I’ll pay attention to her professional advice and say：Thank you，professor Emmons.What is the text mainly discussed?
| A．There are many ways of being thankful. |
| B．Gratitude is important to happiness. |
| C．Mom is great for her being thankful. |
| D．Being thankful will keep you fit. |
The author mentions Robert A．Emmons’book Thanks! in order to prove that ________.
A．Professor Emmons supports mom’s study on psychology
B．mom is as great a psychologist as Professor Emmons
C．Professor Emmons is a famous psychologist
D．mom is right about her viewpoint on gratitudeIt will be easier for you to feel grateful when ______.
| A．you live a comfortable life |
| B．you receive gifts on your birthday |
| C．you get help during your hard times |
| D．you are congratulated on your success |
What is the opinion of Professor Emmons?
| A．It is enough to thank others orally. |
| B．Whether you are thankful is always up to you. |
| C．Remember to be thankful anytime and anywhere. |
| D．It is easier to be thankful for yourself than for others. |
Businesses are witnessing a difficult time，which has in turn produced influence on consumers’ desire to go green.However，shoppers are still laying stress on environmental concerns.
Two thirds of customers say that environmental considerations inform their purchases to the same degree as they did a year ago，while more than a quarter say that they are now even better aware of the environmental effect on what they buy.
This may help to influence how shops store goods on their shelves.And the companies should still make efforts to become more environmentally friendly.Two out of three people think it is important to buy from environmentally responsible companies，with about one in seven saying that they had even decided to take their custom elsewhere if they felt a company’s environmental reputation was not good enough.
Harry Morrison，chief executive(主管)of the Carbon Trust，sympathizes：“I understand this situation where survival is very important now.But from environmental considerations，the clock is ticking—we don’t have much time.In addition，cutting carbon has an immediate effect as costs drop and a mediumterm benefit for the brand.”
Larger companies have an extra motivation to look at reducing their carbon footprint，as new rules next year will require businesses to buy carbon allowances to make up for their emissions(排放)．Those that have taken early action will have a head start.More than two thirds of consumers are not clear about which companies are environmentally responsible.This suggests that firms that are able to relay clearly their message to the public will be in a pole position to attract shoppers.
The Carbon Trust believes that it can help by informing customers about the good work companies are doing.“When companies are granted(授予) the standard，they can use a logo(标识) in all their marketing which makes it clear that they are working towards cutting emissions，” Mr.Morrison said. (2010·福建，C)What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．Businesses are finding ways to send their message to the shoppers. |
| B．Companies will soon get information about cutting carbon emissions. |
| C．Firms are making efforts to encourage customers to keep goods at home. |
| D．Firms are urged to cut carbon emissions by shoppers’ environmental awareness. |
The underlined word “inform” in Paragraph 2 probably means “________”．
| A．affect | B．change | C．disturb | D．reject |
According to Harry Morrison，businesses ________.
| A．will benefit from cutting carbon emissions |
| B．should buy carbon allowances for shoppers |
| C．are required to make up for their carbon emissions |
| D．have encouraged shoppers to take their custom elsewhere |
We can learn from the passage that businesses will________.
| A．have a strong desire to reduce costs |
| B．use the same logo in their marketing |
| C．gain advantages by taking early action |
| D．attract more shoppers by storing goods |
Rocky Lyons was five years old when his mother，Kelly，was driving along the country road with him.He was asleep on the front seat of their truck，with his feet resting on her lap.As his mom drove carefully down the winding country road，she turned onto a narrow bridge.The truck hit a rock and slid off the road.She attempted to bring it back up onto the road by pressing hard on the gas pedal(踏板) and turning the steering wheel(方向盘) to the left.But Rocky’s foot got caught between her leg and the steering wheel and she lost control of the truck.
The truck fell into a 20foot ravine(峡谷)．When it hit bottom，Rocky woke up.“What happened，Mama？” he asked.“Our wheels are pointing toward the sky.”
Kelly was seriously wounded and blinded by blood.“I’ll get you out，Mama，”announced Rocky，who had surprisingly escaped injury.He climbed out from under Kelly，slid through the open window and tried to yank his mother out.But she didn’t move.
“Just let me sleep，” begged Kelly，who was out of consciousness.Rocky insisted，“Mom，you can’t go to sleep.”
Rocky managed to push Kelly out of the truck and told her he’d climb up to the road and stop a car to get help.Fearing that no one would be able to see her little boy in the dark，Kelly refused to let him go alone.Instead they slowly moved up to the road.The pain was so great that Kelly wanted to give up，but Rocky wouldn’t let her.
Rocky kept repeating the inspirational phrase，“I know you can，I know you can.”When they finally reached the road，Rocky broke into tears seeing his mother’s torn face clearly for the first time.Waving his arms and shouting, “Please stop！” the boy stopped a truck.His mother was sent to hospital.
It took 8 hours to rebuild Kelly’s face.She looks quite different today—“I used to have a straight long nose，thin lips and high cheekbones；now I’ve got a flat cheeks and much bigger lips”—but she has few scars and has recovered from her injuries.
Rocky’s heroics were big news.Everyone was surprised at this little boy’s power.“It’s not like I wanted it to happen，” the boy explained.“I just did what anyone would have done.” “If it weren’t for Rocky，I’d have died，” said his mother.According to the text，Rocky and Kelly ________.
| A．were lost on a country road |
| B．were involved in a truck accident |
| C．had limited time to find their way |
| D．knew little of what happened to them |
When he woke up，Rocky ________.
| A．found the truck was turned over |
| B．found his mother had fallen asleep |
| C．was stuck against the door of the truck |
| D．was frightened by his mother’s blood |
The underlined word “yank” in Paragraph 3 most probably means “________”．
| A．pull | B．drive |
| C．follow | D．carry |
What is the best title for the text?
| A．A Boy and His Mother |
| B．How to Behave Well? |
| C．Nothing Is Lost |
| D．I Think You Can |
Plants may not have eyes and ears，but they can recognize their siblings (兄弟姐妹)，and researchers at the University of Delaware have discovered how.The ID system lies in the roots and the chemical signals they secrete (分泌)．
Canadian researchers published that sea rocket，a common seashore plant，can recognize its siblings.Susan Dudley observed that when siblings are grown next to each other in the soil，they “play nice” and don’t send out more roots to compete.However，the moment one of the plants is thrown in with strangers，it begins competing with them by rapidly growing more roots to take up the water and mineral nutrients in the soil.
After reading Dudley’s study，Bais decided to find the method behind the sibling recognition.Working in his laboratory，Bais and his doctoral student Meredith Biedrzycki set up a study with wild populations of Arabidopsis thaliana.In a series of experiments，young seedlings were exposed to liquid media containing the root secretions from siblings，from strangers，or only their own secretions.The length of the longest lateral (侧面的) root was measured.The exposure of plants to the root secretions of strangers induced (引诱) greater lateral root formation than exposure of plants to sibling secretions.Strangers planted next to each other are often shorter，because so much of their energy is directed at root growth.Because siblings aren’t competing against each other，their roots are often much shallower (浅的)．
Biedrzycki did the painstaking laboratory research，observing more than 3,000 plants involved in the study every day for seven continuous days and documenting the root patterns.“Arabidopsis roots are nearly translucent (半透明的) when they are young and were also twisted when I removed them from plates，”Biedrzycki notes.“This manuscript (手稿) is very important for my research since the focus of my thesis project is understanding the biochemical ways behind root secretions.”
The research also may have implications for the home gardener.“Often we’ll put plants in the ground next to each other and when they don’t do well，we blame the local garden center where we bought them or we attribute their failure to a germ，”Bais says.“But maybe there’s more to it than that.”Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?
| A．A Great Biology Researcher |
| B．Plants Recognize Their Siblings |
| C．Plants’ Roots and Secretions |
| D．A Research on Plants |
What encouraged Bais to study the sibling recognition?
| A．Sea rocket. |
| B．Plants’ sensing system. |
| C．Biedrzycki’s thesis project. |
| D．Dudley’s study. |
What does the underlined word “painstaking” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?
| A．Important. | B．Adventurous. |
| C．Careful. | D．Hardworking. |
What can we infer from the last paragraph?
| A．The local garden center should be blamed when plants can’t grow well. |
| B．The local garden center often sells low quality seeds to customers. |
| C．Plants in the home garden can’t grow well because of the germ and seeds. |
| D．Competing against strangers，plants in the home garden can’t grow well. |
Alomada Racraotion and Fork Deportment (ARFD)
(510)7477529
TEEN TRIP TO
THE LELAND HIGH SNOW PLAY
FOR Teens Currently in 6th to 12th Grades
LELAND HIGH SNOW PLAYClass #8389
Friday，December 9 (NonPublic School Holiday)
8∶00 a．m.to 7∶00 p．m.
Cost per person：$50 ($60 after January 22)—Includes：Lunch，Admission and Transportation
With a 4,000 sq.ft.day use lodge，the Leland High Snow Play has a huge supply of tubes to choose from，along with awesome tows(拖车) that will tow you up to the top of the hill！Our varied terrains(地形) have something for everyone，while the lodge provides a snack bar，video games，pool tables，five indoor restrooms，a warm fire，and a sun deck with plenty of tables and chairs over looking the play area outside.
Additional liability(责任) form required for the trip.
Be sure to bring warm clothing and prepare for the cold，but dress in layers in case it warms up.Wear dry boots，socks，and sunscreen.If possible，bring a mobile phone in case of emergency，as well as money for snacks and a light dinner；or bring your own food and drinks.Meet at The Underground (Veteran’s Building2203 Central Avenue)—don’t be late!
Do not bring electronic or fragile items during the trip.The ARFD is not responsible for your personal belongings or money.
Refunds are issued only if the ARFD cancels this trip due to weather conditions.
Click here to download the registration form and “Leland High Snow Play Liability Form”．
•Register in person，or mail the completed form to Leland High Snow Play，Inc.Send the liability form and payment to the ARFD Office,2226 Santa Clara Avenue，Alameda.
•Fax the registration and liability form accepted with VISA，(510)7477566.
•Online registrations available at www.arpdeplay.com. Make sure you bring your completed liability form on the trip.According to the text，the cost doesn’t include ________.
| A．lunch | B．drinks |
| C．admission | D．transportation |
The purpose of the text is to ________.
| A．introduce a famous tour agency |
| B．explain the details of a school activity |
| C．urge teenagers to climb a snowy mountain |
| D．advertise a trip to the Leland High Snow Play |
Teenagers who want to take part in the activity need to ________.
| A．wear some warm clothes |
| B．climb the hill themselves |
| C．pay for tows individually |
| D．wear hats to protect themselves from the sun |
From the text it can be inferred that ________.
| A．the activity is very dangerous |
| B．the weather there is changeable |
| C．the trip will involve outdoor activities only |
| D．12yearold children are not allowed to take the trip |