BStudies show that laughter is something that makes you feel calm or relaxed for

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B
Studies show that laughter is something that makes you feel calm or relaxed for both physical and psychological wounds though it may seem futile to laugh in the face of pain and fear.
When Dan Rather interviewed comedian Bill Cosby just one week after his son, Ennis, was killed, Cosby said, “I think it is time for me to tell people that we have to laugh. You can turn painful situations around through laughter. If you can find humor in anything, you can survive it.”
Call it a flashlight for dark times: laughter just seems to adjust attitude better than anything else. Inspirational speaker Steve Rizzo recalls a TV interview with an injured firefighter a few days after 9.11．The man had fallen more than 30 stories in one of the towers and had broken a leg. Everyone was crying, and the reporter asked, “How is it that you’ve come out of this alive?” He looked at her and without missing a beat, said, “Look, lady, I’m from New York and I’m a firefighter; that’ all you need to know.”
“Everyone laughed and though the laughter was only a couple of seconds,” says Rizzo. “Sometimes that’s all you need to catch your second breath. Laughter gives you that couple of seconds. You’re sending a message to your brain, and the message is: If you can still laugh even a little among the pain, you are going to be OK.”
Of course, there is a difference between laughing off a serious situation and laughing off the fear that results. The firefighter was doing the latter, states Rizzo, the author of Becoming a Humorous Being, and so should we. “If there is anything we have learnt from 9.11, it’s how precious life really is,” she says. “We have to send a message that our spirit won’t die. One important thing that unites us is our ability to laugh.”
60．The writer uses the examples of the comedian and the firefighter to show              .
A．laughter is a good way to get rid of pain and fear
B．laughter is the best way to cure psychological wounds
C．it is your attitude that decides whether you can survive the pain or not
D．laughing off a serious situation is different from laughing off the fear that results
61．We can infer from the passage that Steve Rizzo is                        .
A．a reporter   B．a soldier       C．a firefighter  D．a doctor
62．The underlined word futile in the first paragraph means                .
A．hopeless B．useless   C．careless D．worthless
63．From the passage, we can know that Americans are                 .
A．really inspired after 9.11     B．hardly united after 9.11
C．nearly surprised by 9.11     D．greatly hurt by 9.11

答案

60---63 AABD

解析

60．逻辑推断题。根据文章第一段Studies show that laughter is something that makes you feel calm or relaxed for both physical and psychological wounds though it may seem futile to laugh in the face of pain and fear.可以看出这是文章的主旨，下面的两个例子都是围绕着这个主旨展开的，所有推断出A选项“笑能够摆脱痛苦和恐惧”最符合题意。所以选A。
61．细节推理题。根据文章states Rizzo, the author of Becoming a Humorous Being可以看出Steve Rizzo是一个作者，所有a reporter最符合他的身份。所以选A。
62．词汇推测题。从文章第一段though it may seem futile to laugh in the face of pain and fear，再结合上下文可知，笑能够给生理和心理以放松，虽然有时候看起来在面对痛苦和恐惧可能会失去作用。可知道futile解释为useless符合题意。所以选B。
63．主旨推测题。根据文章最后段可以推测出美国人受到了9.11的严重的伤害。所以应该选D。

举一反三

The journey two divers made some time ago to the deepest point on the earth makes us realize how much of the world still remains to be studied. The two men went down seven miles to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean inside a small steel ball to find out if there are any ocean currents(水流) or signs of life.
It was necessary to set out early, so that the ball would come to the surface in daylight, and be easily found by the mother ship which would be waiting for it. The divers began preparations early in the morning and soon afterwards, when all was ready, the steel ball disappeared under the surface of the water.
The divers felt as if they were going down steps as they passed through warm and cold layers (层) of water. In time the temperature dropped to the freezing point. They kept in touch with the mother ship by telephone telling how they felt. Then, at a depth of 3,000 feet, the telephone stopped working and they were quite cut off from the outside world. All went well until some four hours later at 30,000 feet, the men were frightened by a loud, cracking noise. Even the smallest hole in the ball would have meant instant death. Luckily, though, it was only one of the outer windows that had broken. Soon afterwards, the ball touched the soft ocean floor raising a big cloud of "dust" made up of small dead sea creatures. Here, powerful lights lit up the dark water and the men were surprised to see fish swimming just above them quite untroubled by the great water pressure. But they did not dare to leave the lights on for long, as the heat from them made the water boil. Quite unexpectedly, the telephone began working again and the faint but clear voices of the divers were heard on the mother ship seven miles away. After a stay of thirty minutes the men began their journey up, arriving three hours later, cold and wet through, but none was worse for their experience.
65. The purpose of the divers" journey to the deepest point on the earth was to find
A. if there are water currents, and life in the great depths
B. if people can stand the severe cold in the great depths
C. if there are steps in the great depths
D. if the telephone works well in the great depths
66. The divers set out early in the morning so that                .
A. they could return to the surface during the day
B. they could see at the bottom of the ocean
C. they could avoid the cold at night
D. they could stay long at the bottom
67. As the divers went down to the ocean floor, the telephone              .
A. kept working all the time
B. stopped working at a depth of 3,000 feet and began working again after they reached the bottom
C. stopped working at a depth of 3,000 feet and began working again at 30,000 feet
D. stopped working at a depth of 3,000 feet and began working again when they returned to the same depth
68. On the ocean floor, the divers found that               .
A. there was no life but some small dead sea creatures
B. fish were swimming as freely as they do near the surface
C. fish were not swimming freely in the dark water
D. fish were not swimming freely under the high water pressure

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Monarch butterflies（黑脉金斑蝶）are a common summer sight in the northern United States and Canada . These large orange and black insects（昆虫）brighten parks and gardens as they fly lightly among the flowers . What makes monarchs particularly interesting is that they migrate（迁飞）—all the way to California or Mexico and back . They are thought to be the only insect that does this.
Every year in the late summer monarchs begin their journey to the south. Those heading for Mexico go first for the Louisiana-Mississippi area, then fly across the Gulf of Mexico into Texas. Once in Mexico, they settle themselves in one of about fifteen places in a mountain forest filled with fir trees. Each place provides a winter home for millions of monarchs. The butterflies are so many that they often cover entire trees. When spring comes, they begin their long journey north.
The question is often asked whether every butterfly makes the round-trip journey every year. And the answer is no. The average monarch lives about nine months. So one flying north might lay eggs in Louisiana and then die. The eggs of that generation may be found in Kentucky; the eggs of the next generation may end up in Wisconsin or Michigan. The last generation of the season, about the fourth , will make their way back to Mexico and restart the journey.
Scientists learn about monarchs’ migration by catching and making marks on the insects. By recatching a monarch with such a mark and noticing where it came from , the next scientist can get to know things like the butterfly’s age and its routing（路线）.
64. One of the places where monarchs spend the winter is       .
A. the Gulf of Mexico                 B. an area in Mississippi
C. a forest in Mexico                D. a plain in Texas
65. The routing of monarchs’ migration can be learned       .
A. by collecting their eggs in the mountains
B. by examining the marks made on them
C. by comparing their different ages
D. by counting the dead ones in the forests
66. What is the subject discussed in the passage?
A. Life and death of monarchs         B. Scientists’ interest in monarchs.
C. Winter home of monarchs.               D. Migration of monarchs.

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In communities north of Denver, residents are pitching in to help teachers and administrators as the Vrain school District tries to solve a $13.8 million budget shortage blamed on mismanagement. “We’re worried about our teachers and principals, and we really don’t want to lose them because of this,” one parent said. “If we can help ease their financial burden, we will.”
Teachers are grateful, but I know it may be years before the district is solvent (有综合能力的). They feel really good about the parent support, but they realize it’s impossible for them to solve this problem.
The 22,000-student district discovered the shortage last month. “It’s extraordinary. Nobody would have imagined something happening like this at this level,” said State Treasurer Mike Coffman.

Coffman and district officials last week agreed on a state emergency plan freeing up a $9.8 million loan that enabled the payroll (工资单) to be met for 2,700 teachers and staff in time for the holidays.
District officials also took $1.7 million from student-activity accounts of its 38 schools.
At Coffman’s request, the District Attorney has begun investigating the district’s finances. Coffman says he wants to know whether district officials hid the budget shortage until after the November election, when voters approved a $212 million bond issue for schools.
In Frederick, students’ parents are buying classroom supplies and offering to pay for groceries and utilities to keep first-year teachers and principals in their jobs.
Some $36,000 has been raised in donations from Safeway. A Chevrolet dealership donated $10,000 and forgave the district’s $10,750 bill for renting the driver educating cars. IBM contributed 4,500 packs of paper.
“We employ thousands of people in this community,” said Mitch Carson, a hospital chief executive, who helped raise funds. “We have children in the school, and we see how they could be affected.”
At Creek High School, three students started a website that displays newspaper articles, district information and an email forum. “Rumors about what’s happening to the district are moving at lighting speed,” said a student. “We wanted to know the truth, and spread that around instead.”
46. What has happened to the Vrain School District?
A. A huge financial problem has arisen.
B. Many schools there are mismanaged.
C. Lots of teachers in the district are planning to quit.
D. Many administrative personnel have been laid off.（A）
47. How did the residents in the Vrain School District respond to the budget shortage?
A. They felt somewhat helpless about it.
B. They accused those responsible for it.
C. They made their efforts to help solve it.
D. They demanded a thorough investigation.（C）
48. In the view of State Treasurer Mike Coffman, the educational budget shortage is ________.
A. unavoidable B. unbelievable C. insolvable D. invisible（B）
49. Why did Coffman request an investigation?
A. To see if the financial problem was covered up on purpose
B. To find out how serious the consequence of the case would be.
C. To make sure that the school principals were innocent.
D. To stop the voters approving the $212 million bond issue.（A）
50. Three high school students started a website in order to ________.
A. attract greater public attention to their needs
B. appeal to the public for contributions and donations
C. expose officials who neglected their duties
D. keep people properly informed of the crisis

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B
A 17-year-old boy, caught sending text messages in class, was recently sent to the vice principal"s office at Millwood High School in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The vice principal, Steve Gallagher, told the boy he needed to focus on the teacher, not his cellphone. The boy listened politely and nodded, and that"s when Mr. Gallagher noticed the student"s fingers moving on his lap. He was texting while being scolded for texting. “It was a subconscious act,” says Mr. Gallagher, who took the phone away. “Young people today are connected socially from the moment they open their eyes in the morning until they close their eyes at night. It"s compulsive.”
A study this year by psychology students at Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Ga., found that the more time young people spend on Facebook, the more likely they are to have lower grades and weaker study habits. Heavy Facebook users show signs of being more socialable, but they are also more likely to be anxious, hostile or depressed. (Doctors, meanwhile, are now blaming addictions to "night texting" for disturbing the sleep patterns of teens.)
Almost a quarter of today"s teens check Facebook more than 10 times a day, according to a 2009 survey by Common Sense Media, a nonprofit group that monitors media"s impact on families. Will these young people get rid of this habit once they enter the work force, or will employers come to see texting and "social-network checking" as accepted parts of the workday?
Think back. When today"s older workers were in their 20s, they might have taken a break on the job to call friends and make after-work plans. In those earlier eras, companies discouraged non-business-related calls, and someone who made personal calls all day risked being fired. It was impossible to imagine the constant back-and-forth texting that defines interactions among young people today.
Educators are also being asked by parents, students and educational strategists to reconsider their rules. “In past generations, students got in trouble for passing notes in class. Now students are adept at texting with their phones still in their pockets,” says 40-year-old Mr. Gallagher, the vice principal, “and they"re able to communicate with someone one floor down and three rows over. Students are just fundamentally different today. They will take suspensions rather than give up their phones.”
46. The underlined word “a subconscious act” refers to an act __________.
A. on purpose     B. without realization        C. in secret         D. with care
47. Young people addicted to the use of Facebook _________.
A. are good at dealing with the social relationships and concentrate on their study
B. have high spirits and positive attitudes towards their life and work
C. have been influenced mentally in the aspects of behaviors and habits
D. are always in bad mood and have poor performance in every respect
48. Through the situation of today’s older workers in their 20s, it can be inferred that ___________.
A. the employers will not accept young people’s sending text messages
B. a cellphone is a must for today’s older workers instead of young people
C. the employers prefer older workers to young people
D. the employers will find it hard to control the interaction among young people
49. Mr. Gallagher reminds us that the students in the past and those today _________.
A. like to break rules and have the same means of sending messages
B. are always the big problem for the educators and their parents
C. like sending text messages but those today do it in a more secret and skillful way
D. cannot live without a cellphone
50. What’s the best title of the passage?
A. Teenagers and Cellphones                       B. Teenagers’ Texting Addiction
C. Employers and Teenagers                        D. Teenagers’ Education

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完形填空(共20分)
It’s a question anyone might ask in the future: Should your household robot be cool? Or practical? For Sony Corporation, robots ought to be entertaining. The company’s 41 robot, SDR—4 X, can sing and dance.
But for automaker Honda Motor Co Ltd, such 42 should perform useful tasks for their 43 masters.
“It is in the end a machine, a 44 ,” said Masato Hirose, Honda’s chief engineer.
Sony’s chief researcher Toshi Doi said robots performing such tasks as 45for ill or disabled people would not necessarily need a human 46 .
“The attractiveness of the SDR—4 X is its 47”, he said.
“It has feelings. It has instincts(直觉).” Drawing from its 48of 60,000 words, an SDR—4 X robot 49 last week that it can ask a 50 in a high voice: “Please 51still for a minute while I memorize your face.”
It also 52 off its ability to walk on uneven(不平的)floors, and come to its owner when it’s 53. While Honda’s robot is 54 used mainly for entertainment, it is 55 that one day it will be a useful companion. So its robot have been 56to be 120cm tall – more than twice the height of the SDR—4 X. Hirose said 120cm is the 57a robot that moves around a home should be.
“If you are going to have something that can move with 58 in a human surroundings(环境), then it is better to 59 the robot like a human,” he said.
Hirose said that he hopes the robot will be 60 enough so that he can buy one for himself and let it get him a beer.
41. A. earliest           B. latest            C. coolest                            D. smallest
42. A. matters          B. people          C. machines              D. inventions
43. A. human            B. own               C. creative                 D. all
44. A. tool                  B. robot             C. toy                          D. slave
45. A. looking            B. working        C. leaving                   D. caring
46. A. form                B. character     C. job                           D. ability
47. A. appearance   B. purpose        C. personality           D. material
48. A. storage           B. use                C. making                   creation
49. A. said                  B. announced C. showed                  D. imaged
50. A. friend              B. partner                  C. servant                  D. guest
51. A. hold                 B. lie                   C. take                        D. make
52. A. left                            B. showed        C. put                          D. dropped
53.A. tired                 B. called            C. controlled             D. made
54.A. also                   B. still                C. again                      D. even
55. A. sure                 B. hoped           C. reported                D. described
56. A. expected        B. raised           C. proved                   D. designed
57 A. cheapest         B. dearest                  C. smallest                D. biggest
58. A. ease                B. care               C. difficulty                D. foot
59. A. buy                   B. use                C. invest                     D. design
60. A. useful              B. smart            C. cheap                     D. small

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