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 |
A study into character, intelligence and usefulness shows dogs are better pets than cats—but only by a whisker.
Staff at New Scientist magazine first listed the areas where cats fared better. These included having bigger brains—compared to their body size. Cats’brains also contain 1.4 million more cells, devoted to complex functions such as memory and attention, than dogs. Cats’second point was given for being more popular, with 204 million living in the top ten cat-owning nations compared to 173 million dogs in the ten countries where dogs are favored. Cats also get more attention from humans, with purrs （呼噜声）and miaows easily to be noticed. Although dogs can vary their barks, they cannot match the attention-seeking of cats. It is a similar story when it comes to senses. Cats can see in lower light than dogs and have a far wider hearing range and a sharper sense of smell. They are also said to be’greener’pets because their smaller appetites mean less area of land required to farm their food.
But in the other six categories examined—many of which related to getting on with humans dogs had the edge.
Dogs have a longer shared history with humans, maybe as long as 135,000 years. Cats are relative newcomers to our homes. Similarly, dogs have a greater ability to bond with their masters. Even four-month-old puppies choose a human companion over another dog. Dogs scored a third point for their better powers of understanding and following human gestures. One study found that a dog called Rico had mastered the meaning of more than 200 words. The ability to perform roles such as being a guide dog for the blind meant dogs were rated better than cats when it came to their problem-solving abilities. And they are easier to train.
With the scores tied at five-all, the deciding point fell on usefulness—with dogs coming out on top.
Dogs, studies show, help cut human stress, while taking them for walks keeps their owners fit and helps them meet new people. New Scientist says: “Dogs can hunt and guard. They can sniff out drugs and bombs; they guide blind and deaf people, find someone buried in ruins, and possibly even predict earthquakes.”
And in a conclusion certain to set off argument, it adds: “Cats are good if you have rodents （啮齿类动物）.”
48．Which of the following is not cats’ advantage?
A．Better at grasping their owners’ instructions.
B．Having relatively larger brains.
C．Affecting the environment less.
D．More likely to drawing attention.
49．The underlined phrase “by a whisker”（paragraph 1）probably means “_________”.
A．quite considerably B．just a little bit
C．most significantly D．in some aspects
50．We can learn the fact from the passage that________ .
A．Dogs are far from satisfactory in terms of their ability to catch rodents
B．Dogs can better help people who have problems with their sight and hearing
C．Comparatively speaking, cats have a better interaction with humans
D．Dogs beat cats when it comes to their senses of sight, heating and smell
51．Which would be the best title for the passage?
A．Cats beat Dogs B．Fight like Cat and Dog
C．Cats versus Dogs D．Cats away, Dogs Play
About H1N1
2009 H1N1 viruses are not spread by food. You cannot get infected with H1N1 virus from eating pork or pork products. Eating properly handled and cooked pork products is safe.
Spread of H1N1 virus is thought to occur in the same way that seasonal flu does, Viruses are transmitted mainly through droplets（小滴）from coughing or sneezing of an infected person. Keeping a safe distance is recommended. Studies have also shown that flu virus can survive on object surfaces for 2 to 8 hours. Sometimes viruses can be spread when a person touches something like the surface of a desk that is polluted with droplets, and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth before washing their hands.
The symptoms of H1N1 flu virus in people include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose and body aches. Severe illnesses and death have occurred as a result of illness associated with this virus.
Protect-Yourself Tips
1．CDC recommends a yearly seasonal flu vaccine as the first and most important step in protecting against seasonal influenza.
2．If you get seasonal or novel H1N1 flu, anti-viral drugs can treat the flu.
3．For treatment, anti-viral drugs work best if started within the first 2 days of symptoms.
4．Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
5．Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze.
6．Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.
7．Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
8．If you are sick with flu-like illness, CDC recommends that you stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone except to get medical care or for other necessities.
9．Follow public health advice, and avoid crowds.
10．Be prepared in case you get sick and need to stay home for a week or so; a supply of OTC medicines, tissues and other related items might could be useful and help avoid the need to make trips out in public.
To stay well during flu season, click 2009 H1N1 Flu （Swine Flu） and You for other helpful advice and information.
44．In order to keep fit during flu season, we should keep in mind that________
A．pork is not a medium of spreading and we can eat it however it is prepared
B．touching objects polluted by virus is the major cause of getting infected
C．droplets of an infected person definitely get people infected
D．the period of the virus staying alive on the surfaces can be up to eight hours
45．What should you do if you get H1N1 flu according to the passage?
A．Take a H1N1 flu vaccine immediately.
B．Use antiviral drugs quickly.
C．Stay home for at least 24 hours.
D．Prepare some OTC medicines.
46．Where will you probably read this passage?
A．In a daily-life newspaper. B．In a popular magazine.
C．On a disease-prevention website. D．In a medical handbook.
47．The abbreviation CDC most possibly stands for ________
A．Centers for Disease Control B．Citizens' Defense Corps
C．Control Data Corp D．Civil Defense Council
第二部分：阅读理解（共25小题：每小题2分，满分50分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的选项中，选出最佳选项。
“Sam” the koala, the most famous survivor of Australia's worst-ever wildfires, is healing well thanks to the efforts of caretakers at a rescue—and she even has a new boyfriend, “Bob”
Sam, who captured hearts around the world after she was photographed drinking from a firefighter's water bottle, has also won the affection of "Bob", another koala whose paws were scorched, caretaker Lynn Raymond said Thursday.
Neither koala is likely to be healthy enough for release for at least four months, and both are being comforted by caretakers for their scorched paws every few hours.
Global interest in the fate of Sam has been intense since a photograph of firefighter David Tree offering her a bottle of water in a burned-out forest was splashed across the Internet, in newspapers and on television broadcasts. The telephone at the shelter has rung continually with callers eager for update on the creature's condition.
“It's crazy,” Raymond said with a laugh. "（But） everybody has been absolutely wonderful."
Sam was found moving on scorched paws by a fire patrol Sunday. Tree then held out a bottle of water for her to drink, which she eagerly accepted, holding Tree's hand as he poured water into her mouth.
After suffering second-and-third-degree burns to her paws, Sam has been sharing a cage with Bob, who took an immediate interest in her when she arrived on Sunday.
Both Sam and Bob were given painkillers when they first arrived, but they're off the drugs now. The two are still receiving antibiotics（抗生素）and have their bandages changed regularly to avoid infections.
The koalas are likely to be in the shelter at least four months, depending on how quickly their burns heal.
41．What is Sam well-known for?
A．Her falling in love with Bob. B．Her taking part in fighting the fire.
C．Her saving a firefighter. D．Her drinking a firefighter's water.
42．How do people show their concern about Sam?
A．They call the shelter to learn about her latest condition.
B．They take care of her via the media.
C．They donate bottles of water or money for her.
D．They send many photos of her to the Internet.
43．From the passage we know that Bob and Sam________
A．are taking some drugs other than painkillers
B．are still under treatment
C．have completely healed from the treatment
D．are free of infections
China’s graduates will find it harder than ever to get jobs in the coming years, as China’s economy slows down and unemployment rises.
Experts say a chronic（长期的）over-supply of graduates and a shortage of “high end” jobs had already been causing difficulties, but the mass lay-offs and business closures （倒闭）in recent months have made the situation even worse.
Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao has told students that the problem of graduate employment is “at the top of the government’s agenda(议事日程) .”
Six and half million graduates in China will be looking for a job over the next year.
The government says it is going to try to create nine million jobs for them and for those from previous years who are still unemployed. That will not be easy though. Economic development in China is expected by some to fall below the figure of 8%.
There are three problems for the new graduates to deal with. Firstly, the economic slowdown here means there are fewer jobs available. Secondly, widespread redundancies（冗余） mean there are more experienced people than there might have been in previous years, trying to secure the same jobs as them. Thirdly, there are many graduates from previous years who are still jobless.
Cao Shanshan, studying exhibition planning and management at Shanghai Business School, said everyone thought it would be easy for her to get a job when she graduated, because Shanghai will host the World Expo in 2010. But even though she has had dozens of interviews at job fairs, she has not managed to land the kind of job she wanted. “I’ve ended up with an intern（实习）job,” she says, “which has nothing to do with my major.” She says she is earning about $230 a month, more than many of her classmates who have had to take jobs that give them half that, but far less than she had hoped for. “I might go back to school to study for a master’s degree because it’s so hard,” she says. “Hopefully, finding a job will be easier with a higher qualification.”
78. What does the passage mainly discuss?
A. The government will create more jobs for the graduates.
B. It is difficult for the graduates to find a job
C. Cao Shanshan doesn’t find an ideal job.
D. To find a good job easily, graduates must go back to school for master’s degrees .
79. The underlined word “That” in the text refers to ________________.
A. Developing the economy B. Reducing the number of graduates
C. Looking for jobs D. Creating nine million jobs for graduates
80. According to the text, the possible reasons for the problem of graduate employment are the following EXCEPT that __________________.
A. too many graduates appear every year and there are not enough “high end” jobs
B. a great number of workers have been out of employment and a lot of business has closed
C. the expectation to find a satisfying job from graduates is too high
D. China’s economy slows down because of the global economic crisis.
What science fiction once told of other worlds far away, is now a fact. Astronomers prove the existence of another solar system like ours with some planets in the constellation Andromeda(仙女座) .
Geoffrey Marcy is a professor of astronomy and physics at San Francisco State University and says, “What we have found now, for the first time ever, is indeed a fully-grown system of planets around the star Upsilon Andromeda, in which there are three planets, one close in, one at a middle distance, and one farther out.” The star is slightly larger than our sun. The planets are huge, like our Jupiter (木星)
Marcy’s partner in this research, Debra Fischer, describes the solar system, “Here’s the inner planet that goes around every 46 days, the middle planet that goes around every 242 days, and then the outer planet that goes around every three and a half to four years.”
Astronomically, it’s not far away, 44 light years. The sun of that solar system, Upsilon Andromeda, is so near and bright that it can be seen by using no equipment during summer and fall.
For twelve years astronomers searched the skies in the belief that if our sun has planets around it, surely others do, too. Geoffery Marcy says, “And then starting three and a half years ago, we began finding for the first time planets singly, one planet here around one star.”
“When I look up at the stars now at night, I can imagine easily that every one of them has planets around them,” says Debra Fischer.
It was the tremble in the star that led Marcy to discover the planets. “The star rocks around due to the gravity of the planet much like a dog owner gets pulled around by a little dog.”
Can they support life? We don’t know, because present technology is not advanced enough to determine what the planets are made of. That, Marcy says, is astronomy’s next challenge.
75. Which of the following can best show the relationship between Andromeda (A), Upsilon Andromeda system (U) and the three mentioned planets (P) ?
 |
 |
 |
 |
A B C D
76. What led to Marcy’s discovery of the planets?
A. That he found a dog owner was pulled by his dog.
B. The tremble of Upsilon Andromeda
C. That any planet has gravity
D. That he believes any star has its planets
77. We can infer from the text that scientists are _______________
A. to find out whether the planets can support life
B. to find means to communicate with the living beings on the planets
C. to find means to travel to the planets
D. soon to be able to find another planet for life to live on