There exist cruel wars, fighting and sadness in the world today, so it’s not only necessary, but also essential to have a good sense of humor just to help us go through difficult times in our lives. Putting a smile on someone’s face when you know they are feeling depressed, as the saying goes, makes me feel good and warms my heart.
How would you feel if you could not joke around with wife, husband, child, co-worker, neighbor, close friend, or even just someone that you are standing in line with at your corner store? I am always saying things that make others smile or laugh, even if I don’t know the person I’m joking around with. My Grandma always found humor in everything she did, even if it was the hardest job anyone could imagine. This not only relieves stress in any situation, but also is a common manner to speak to others that are around you.
I know of a few people that don’t have a funny bone in their bodies, as they say. Everyone around them could be rolling on the floor after hearing a great joke and they would sit there without the slightest smile on their faces. They don’t get the joke that makes others laugh. I am, busting a gut while they just sit there, looking at me as if I were from outer space. How can people not get a really funny joke?
Laughing is essential to keep your stress levels under control. Without humor, we would find ourselves with a lot of psychological problems, or on a lot of medications to keep us from going crazy. There is too much sadness and bring a little light into our lives.
Therefore, I believe our best medicine is to get together and tell some jokes and have some fun laughing together.
1. According to the passage, humor is necessary and essential because ______.| A．it can pick up people’s spirit |
| B．it can help people get on well with others |
| C．it can help get rid of the cruelty in the world |
| D．it makes people more confident |
| A．the writer is funny and polite |
| B．family members should play tricks on each other |
| C．the writer’s grandma is humorous |
| D．we should relieve stress in any situation |
| A．keeping silent | B．speaking loud |
| C．laughing hard | D．explaining carefully |
| A．talk about his own understanding of humor |
| B．encourage people to be humorous in daily life |
| C．introduce a practical way to get through daily life |
| D．convince people of the power of being optimistic about life |
| A．Indifferent | B．Positive |
| C．Satisfied | D．Critical |
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【推荐1】I'd spent decades telling my girls that their bodies were a means to a long and satisfactory life, not objects to be admired because of how they look. I told them that good health and the energy to enjoy life should be their ultimate goals, not fitting into society's preconceived ideas of what is beautiful.
This year I'm sixty years old. I appear much older than before. This aging body of mine is not the one I expected to have. Looking at the old, fat, wrinkled woman in the mirror, I begin to complain about it. I've actually spent a lifetime focusing on my flaws, constantly complaining about my less-than-perfect self. As I was complaining yet again, my younger daughter told me, “Mom, stop. Stop putting yourself down. This is the body you live in now. It's beautiful because it's yours.” If I'm unwilling to accept my aging self with grace and dignity, how can I possibly expect my girls to do the same when they face these same physical changes?
And then, I learned that a friend of mine, the same age as me, died. At her funeral, her three heartbroken daughters spoke of their mother's devotion, wisdom, and compassion. They never said a single word about her appearance though her body had melted away during her last months. It didn't matter. I left that funeral desperate to hold my own girls in my arms, to kiss them and tell them how much they mean to me , and to promise that I will do better, be better—for them as well as for myself.
And so, to honour the memory of my dear friend and to set a good example to my beloved girls, I promise to love my aging body, and celebrate the gift of being alive.
1. What can we learn about the author from the first two paragraphs?| A．She forgot to listen to her own advice. | B．She was more of a talker than a doer. |
| C．She was unaware of her words’ effects. | D．She was unwilling to accept others’ advice. |
| A．Advantages. | B．Imperfections. | C．Appearances. | D．Treasures. |
| A．Action speaks louder than words. | B．Lies can never change facts. |
| C．Beauty comes from the depths of the soul. | D．Whatever is worth doing is worth doing well. |
| A．Running through Life | B．Rebuilding Your Life |
| C．Remembering to Respect Others | D．Finding Beauty in Ourselves |
【推荐2】I wandered into the small store where I usually buy milk, when the store owner received a call from a customer. The customer and his wife had shopped there several months earlier.
He noticed that his wife really liked one thing in the store, so he wanted to buy it as a surprise.
But the customer was in Tennessee, far away from the store which was in Maine. What’s more, he had been to the store several months earlier, and it was difficult to believe that the store owner would remember him, or what he was looking for.
The store owner took a few close-up photos with her camera, and e-mailed them to the customer on the computer. The customer looked at the photos, decided which one he wanted. They talked and discussed a price over the phone. She took care of the credit card transaction（交易）online, and promised the gift would be shipped out that afternoon.
The store owner was really smart. She was willing to push herself to find new ways to make the transaction actually happen. And it did work. However, it was the first time she had ever done it.
I was amazed that the store owner discovered a creative solution that could lead to a new way of doing business. I was impressed by what she did—so easily, but how difficult it is for many of us to make that leap （飞跃，跳跃）. I’m not just talking about technology, but about learning how to adapt to change.
Most people hate or fear change unless they get to know exactly what change needs to be made. However, we should realize that challenge and opportunity go hand in hand.
1. According to the passage，which of the following is TRUE?| A．The owner often did business by using her camera. |
| B．The owner and the customer discussed the price on the computer. |
| C．The gift was sent out by train that afternoon. |
| D．The customer had ever been to the store before. |
| A．she was a successful businesswoman |
| B．she managed to find a new way when facing change |
| C．she was always ready to help others |
| D．she told the writer how to run a store |
a. taking a few close-up photos with her camera
b. taking care of the credit card transaction online
c. talking about the price of the gift with the customer
d. e-mailing the photos to the customer on the computer
| A．bcda | B．bacd |
| C．abcd | D．adcb |
| A．Confident. | B．Humorous. |
| C．Honest. | D．Creative. |
【推荐3】Do you have a dream, something you always see yourself doing? Perhaps you see yourself as a lawyer, businessman, or even a scientist. Whatever it is, don’t let it die.
A dream is a wonderful thing. It can give you hope for your future and encourage you to try when all odds are against you.
However, there are dream killers that want to kill your dream. They may tell you that it is impossible for you, that you are not smart enough or that it’s never been done before. However, many times the biggest dream killer is yourself.
Don’t let fear, doubt or lack of finances prevent you from fulfilling（实现） your dream. Talk back to these killers, “I can and fulfill my dream.” You may have to do this every day. The more often you talk to your heart that you can do it, the more safely your dream will be held within you.
It is very important to take steps towards fulfilling your dream. For me, in order to fulfill my dream of one-day owning my own magazine, I needed to go back to school and finish my college degree. For you, it may be something different. You know deep inside what the voice of your dream calls for. Don’t be afraid and just do it. Try not to let too much time go by. Time is another one of those dream killers.
Think about the words of a song by Yolanda Adams, “Keep the dream alive. Don’t let it die. If something deep inside keeps inspiring you to try, don’t stop. And never give up. Don’t ever give up on you. Sometimes, life can place a stumbling block in your way. But you have to keep the faith.”
When you dream, dream big and never give up. Your dream is just yours. Never let anyone tell you that your dream can’t happen -- it can! Keep seeing yourself do what’s never been done before. As you continue to feed your dream and protect it, not only will you keep it alive, but it will come true.
1. What does the underlined words “all odds are against you” in Parragraph 2 mean?| A．You are in hopeless situation. |
| B．You find everything seems strange. |
| C．You are not feeling quite well. |
| D．You have all your friends against you. |
| A．Getting his own book published | B．Owing a colledge degree |
| C．Becoming a writer | D．Publishing his own magazine |
| A．It takes money to fulfill our dream. |
| B．The first step is to know our dream. |
| C．It is important for us to take action. |
| D．We should not listen to the call of our heart. |
| A．to support his main point |
| B．to make his writing interesting |
| C．to show they share the same view |
| D．to mean Yolanda Adams is popular |
【推荐1】Wikipedia (维基百科) started in 2001 and has quickly gone from having just a few pages to having millions of pages with all kinds of information. It is even an ad-free website as it receives money from donations (捐赠).
Wikipedia is one of the most useful sites for students across the world. But because Wikipedia allows the public to freely edit (编辑) pages, should teachers allow their students to use the site to help them with their studies?
History teacher Luca Signore said, “I think it has good information and it is great for a starting point as you can quickly find information. I use it myself. However, it still gets edited by people who are not experts. You have no way of knowing whether something is completely true for certain.”
Students agree that Wikipedia may be the easiest site to get information from and it is especially helpful in history classes. Junior Alison Snyder believes, “You can use it for general background information, but as much as I’d like to, we shouldn’t be able to cite (引用) Wikipedia.”
Teachers should be able to allow students to use the site on a regular basis as the site is an amazing tool for students to quickly and easily get information for a class. However, it is clear that students shouldn’t be allowed to cite sources as some of the information might be a little bit incorrect.
Junior Maxine Moss agrees. “Yes, students should be able to use it on a regular basis because it is probably the easiest site to find information, but it is hard to tell if certain things are totally true.”
It is agreed that students should be allowed to use the website to get information as pages are, for the most part, fairly correct. However, citing items is a totally different story as the pages used on Wikipedia could have incorrect information and there are so many other sources out there with similar information from experts on certain subject matters.
1. What is good about Wikipedia according to Paragraph 1?| A．it can be freely edited. | B．It was created by teachers. |
| C．It has no advertisements. | D．It provides free information. |
| A．He seldom uses Wikipedia. |
| B．He is against people editing Wikipedia. |
| C．He doesn’t allow his students to use Wikipedia. |
| D．He believes Wikipedia should be used in certain ways. |
| A．Wikipedia is full of little mistakes. |
| B．Wikipedia is more trouble than help. |
| C．Wikipedia is helpful to some degree. |
| D．Wikipedia is not proper for students. |
| A．It is risky. | B．It is boring. |
| C．It is a wise choice. | D．It is OK for beginners. |
【推荐2】Star Wars fans would be familiar with the good relationship between humans and droids (机器人) in the movies. In the movie Solo: A Star Wars Story, Lando Calrissian risked his life to rescue his co-pilot, a female droid L3-37. In real life, a humanoid robot, Sophia, has recently been granted (给予) citizenship in Saudi Arabia. Increasingly, people are ready to see robots as resembling humans. Given this phenomenon, I believ it is necessary to consider giving robots certain rights humans enjoy.
Experts have argued that since robots have now acquired human-like qualities, it is appropriate to consider if they should have rights just as humans. Sophia has a human like face and utilizes artificial intelligence to respond to speech and express emotions. For such a lifelike being that is potentially capable of expressing emotions, does it not deserve the right to be loved and respected?
Robots should also be given legal and moral protection as harming a robot may be similar to harming humans. Since people tend to form attachments to social robots, it becomes possible for companies to control the hardware and software to exploit this emotional attachment. There is a danger that data that is stored in the robot could be uploaded to the cloud. There would then possibly be situations in which the government or private sector retrieves (检索数据) the information stored in a robotic toy or social robot. With these uncertainties, it is clear why robots should be protected, just as humans.
An even more irresistible reason to grant human rights to the robots is the protection of societal values. We should stop a young child from kicking or tearing a toy robot apart because it resembles a real life. Giving robots certain rights will ensure that societal standards are set.
Still, many have roundly argued that no matter how sophisticated (老练的) they may be, robots are still machines. It is therefore quite ridiculous to treat them as living beings and grant them rights. However, with the advancement in technology, it is a matter of time before robots are fully anthropomorphized (赋予人的特征), and we would have to consider granting them rights.
In conclusion, deciding whether robots deserve human rights is by no means an easy task, but now is the time to start the conversation on this and seriously consider the possibility.
1. Why does the author mention the two examples in the first paragraph?| A．To remind readers of the importance of robots. |
| B．To discuss the necessity of rescuing robots. |
| C．To set readers thinking about an issue about robots. |
| D．To describe the relationship between humans and robots. |
| A．Robots should be legally and morally protected. |
| B．There is possible information risk. |
| C．Humans are doing harm to robots. |
| D．Robots should be given more emotional attachment. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Favorable. |
| C．Negative. | D．Uncaring. |
(①=Para. 1 ②=Para. 2 ③=Para. 3 ④=Para. 4 ⑤=Para. 5 ⑥=Para. 6)
| A．①—②③④⑤—⑥ | B．①②—③④⑤—⑥ |
| C．①—②③—④⑤⑥ | D．①—②③④—⑤⑥ |
【推荐3】Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) needs to prove its worth through rigorous clinical trials, according to the head of one of China’s largest herbal remedy companies, as a contentious new law to boost the $40bn sector comes into effect.
Traditional Chinese Medicine is estimated by analysts to account for a third of sales in China’s $117bn pharmaceutical (药学) market, the world’s second largest. But most of those sales are of relatively cheap over-the-counter drugs, with many Chinese hospital doctors unwilling to prescribe TCM remedies because of the lack of evidence for their effectiveness.
China’s first law promising equal status for TCM and western medicine in the country’s state-dominated healthcare system comes into effect this weekend. Provisions include encouragement for hospitals to set up TCM centres, and a licensing system for practitioners (从业者). “This law is very important for securing the status of TCM,” said Wu Yiling, chairman of Yiling Pharmaceutical, a company that makes herbal remedies based on traditional recipes in the northern province of Hebei.
Listed in Shenzhen, Wu Yiling has a market capitalization of RMB 20.7bn ($3bn). Mr Wu, the son of a herbal practitioner, controls a family fortune of $1.6bn, according to the Hurun Rich List.
Mr Wu is both a supporter of the nature of Qi—the mystical energy force that provides the basis for much of TCM theory—and the clinical trials vital to western pharmaceutical companies. “TCM needs to develop using modern research methods,” he said.
For instance, researchers from Peking and Cardiff Universities tested the health benefits of Yiling’s herbal medicine Yangzheng Xiaoji, publishing papers in the International Journal of Oncology that showed the drug can slow the growth of cancer tumours. “The theory and recipe is TCM, but in practice the evaluation of our medicines is carried out according to western evidence-based methods,” Mr Wu said.
Analysts say such tests can help gain support from doubtful hospital doctors and boost prescriptions. “Doctors need strong evidence that drugs definitely work,” said Serena Shao, healthcare analyst at brokerage CLSA. “Some of these companies are currently doing clinical trials, and getting proof that their drugs have the same efficacy (功效) as chemical drugs. That’s the way to go.” she added.
The TCM law has been greeted with doubt from China’s western-schooled medical establishment, which points to a lack of rigorous training for TCM doctors, and a recent series of shocking events involving herbal injections believed to have been harmful. “Officials will try and encourage TCM, but also will be very cautious about what kinds of TCM they use in hospitals,” added Ms Shao.
1. Why does Traditional Chinese Medicine need to prove its worth through rigorous clinical trials?| A．Because Chinese medicine is all cheap over-the-counter drugs |
| B．Because Chinese medicine market is the world’s second largest one. |
| C．Because Chinese government wants to boost the law of Chinese medicine. |
| D．Because doctors are unwilling to prescribe TCM remedies lacking evidence of effectiveness. |
| A．Articles of law. | B．Ways of supplying. |
| C．Methods of motivation | D．Approaches to inspiring. |
| A．is a herbal practitioner, controlling a family fortune |
| B．has a company in Shenzhen that has a market capitalization of $3bn |
| C．lets his company evaluate herbal medicines with western evidence-based methods |
| D．thinks that if we need to develop TCM, we should use Chinese traditional research methods |
| A．western doctors deny the effectiveness of TCM |
| B．TCM hasn’t been recognized in the western medicine |
| C．there is a lack of rigorous training for TCM doctors |
| D．a recent series of shocking events has destroyed Chinese medicine |
