【推荐1】I have heard having a good sense of humour often helps in breaking the ice. Also people remember you because of your humour. But I think I don’t have a very good sense of humour. Could you suggest how to build on this?

—Radha Karnik

This is a great question that is unfortunately difficult to answer. I can only give you my views on this topic, which may or may not be correct. I know that my sense of humour developed over time.

When I was younger I was not funny at all; now I can easily make people laugh. At the same time, sometimes I say things that I think are very funny but others do not. Improving humour, I believe, is an ongoing process.

Now, there are various forms of humour and everyone has their own style. Overall, I believe being fluent in a language is very important for being funny. The way we play around with words adds the “funny” tag to a normal sentence.

Also, seeing irony(讽刺) is very important. I think humour is often the link between two unrelated things.

In my experience, laughing frequently and appreciating other people’s jokes are very important. Within these, finding humor in everyday normal situations is the key.

I often notice what is going on around me and say funny things in my head and laugh to myself. That serves almost as practice for when I am in a group. I watch comedy shows and movies and I am sure that has some effect on helping me improve my sense of humour.

And last, having confidence that you are funny is important. There will always be someone funnier than you, which is fine. Just work on building your own style.

Remember, if you are trying to be funny in order to break the ice at a business function, be careful.

In those situations, humour has to be mild and politically correct.

Yours,

Brad

1. What’s RAdha Karnik’s problem?

A．He doesn’t have friends.	B．He doesn’t know the functions of humour.
C．He doesn’t understand others’ humour.	D．He doesn’t have a good sense of humour.

2. By telling his own experience, Brad tried to make Radha Karnik believe that ________.

A．laughter is the best medicine	B．laughter and humour go hand in hand
C．a sense of humour can be developed	D．a sense of humour helps imipress others

3. Which of the following would Brad agree with?

A．Everyone knows how to appreciate others’ jokes.

B．Everyone has their own style of humour.

C．Everyone is as funny as others.

D．Everyone needs to laugh to themselves each day.

【推荐1】Since graduating from middle school, this year’s new 9th-grade class is adapting to(适应) the challenges of high school, a difficult process for many students. Some of the challenges the students must get used to are the increasing difficulty of schoolwork the amount of homework, and many other things.

“It’s a bit harder than middle school, but we have already expected that,” David Palacios, 9th-grade student, said.

Adaptation is also influenced by stories the freshmen hear before entering. These stories create a negative idea of high school, as they are usually bad stories about classes, teachers, or other topics.

“Stories I’ve heard of high school are exaggerated (夸张的),” Palacios said.

The school is fighting against student fear by providing information about high school, even before they enter. This year, the 9th-grade class entered school on August 8, one day earlier than other high school students. This was done to help the freshmen relieve(减轻) stress.

“In general, they adapt well, because since middle school they have been given some information on what high school is,” Ana Isabel Garcia, high school advisor, said.

The changes faced in 9th grade are more challenging than those found in middle school. However, after experiencing the first two months of 9th grade, many 9th graders agree that 9th grade is not as hard as they thought it would be.

High school is harder than other grades as it’s the final step students take before they enter the real world. Students must see the important role high school plays as it teaches them many skills that will help them improve their future.

1. What did Palacios think of the freshman challenges?

A．They were hard to fight off.

B．They would disappear soon.

C．They happened as expected.

D．They mostly focused on grades.

2. Why did Palacios’ school require the 9th graders to enter school on August 8?

A．To show them around the campus.

B．To help them deal with their anxiety.

C．To let them make friends more quickly.

D．To prevent them from hearing bad stories about high school.

3. Where is the text most likely from?

A．A news report.	B．A travel brochure.
C．A personal diary.	D．A class schedule.

【推荐2】When I was six, my mother placed me in a boarding home. For the next nine years, I never slept in a room that contained less than 30 other kids in it. So, when I was promoted to senior at the high school for my final year there, I had the greatest pleasure of rooming with just one other classmate, and the added feature of a semi-private bathroom.

We seniors also had the feature of walking around the campus in special hats, we called senior bonnets. So all the other kids would know we were the highest in the high school. As seniors, we frequently went on field trips outside the campus, including city museums, city hall, colleges and theatres. The highlight was a senior class trip to Washington, D.C., where we sat in on a session of Congress, visited the monument and many other government sites around the city.

Another benefit of being seniors was that many of us on athletic and other extra-curricular teams were elected to high ranking for the year. I had the honor and pleasure of being chosen captain of our state championship swim team, while my roommate was voted president of the drama club.

Graduation services were on a sunny day in June. Each of us had looked forward to this moment for ten years. Now we were going out on our own to complete freedom, and we should have been flooded with joy. However, to my surprise, I found myself crying, something I hadn’t done for years. I noticed many of my classmates usually proud of their macho guy(大男子气概) attitudes, were also wiping away tears. We knew we would never be together again as we were on that graduation day. Our senior year ended with deep feelings of sadness for our loss, as well as joy for our emerging into a new world beyond the school campus.

1. What made the author feel most pleasant after becoming a senior for his last year?

A．He needn’t study in a boarding home from then on.

B．There would be at least 30 classmates in his class.

C．His best friend would share a room with him.

D．He would share a room with only one classmate.

2. Why did the author and his classmates wear senior bonnets at campus?

A．He could prove that they were from rich families.

B．They would be respected by the girls in his class.

C．Students of the lower grades would know their grades.

D．They would look fashionable and attractive.

3. According to the author, what was the best activity for the seniors?

A．Walking around the campus in special hats.

B．Making a senior class trip to Washington, D. C.

C．Going on field trips outside the campus.

D．Joining athletic and other extra-curricular teams.

4. The author and his classmates can’t help crying at graduation services as_______.

A．their parents had marriage problems and were faced with divorce then

B．they were not admitted to their dreaming universities

C．he would say goodbye to his school and he would face new challenges

D．the headmaster gave a moving speech at the meeting

【推荐3】Students and Technology in the Classroom
I love my blackberry—it’s my little connection to the larger world that can go anywhere with me . I also love my laptop computer ，as it holds all of my writing and thought .Despite this love of technology ,I know that there are times when I need to move away from these device and truly communication with others.On occasion ,I teach a course called History Matters for a group of higher education managers. My goals for the class include a full discussion of historical themes and ideas .Because I want students to thoroughly study the material and exchange their ideas with each other in the classroom ,I have a rule —no laptop ,ipads ,phones ,etc .When students were told my rule in advance of the class, some of them were not happy .
Most students assume that year reasons for this rule include unpleasant experiences in the past with students misusing technology . There’s a bit of truth to that.Some students assume that I am anti-technology . There’s no truth in that at all . I love technology and try to keep up with it so I relate to my students.
The real reason why I ask students to leave technology at the door is that I think there are very few places in which we can have deep conversions and truly ____complex ideas. Interruptions by technology often break concentration and allow for too much dependence on outside information for ideas . I want students to think differently and make connections between the course the material and the class discussion .
I’ve been teaching my history class in this way for many years and the educations reflect student satisfaction with the environment that I create .Students realize that with deep conversation and challenge , they learn at a level that helps them keep the course material beyond the classroom .
I’m not saying that I won’t ever change my mind about technology use in my history class, but until I hear a really good reason for the change ,I’m sticking to my plan. a few hours of technology-free dialogue is just too give up.
1. some of the students in the history class were unhappy with____

A．the course material	B．others’ misuse of technology
C．discussion topics	D．the author’s class regulator

2. the underlined word “engage ”in para.4 probably means ____

A．explore

B．accept

C．change

D．reject

3. according to the author ,the use of technology in the classroom may ____

A．keep students from doing independent thinking

B．encourage students to have in-depth conversations

C．help students to better understand complex themes

D．affect students’ concentration on course evaluation

4. it can be inferred from the last paragraph that the author ____

A．is quite stubborn

B．will give up teaching history

C．will change his teaching plan soon

D．values technology-free dialogues in his class

【推荐1】In today’s society, language plays a key role in defining gender (性别) by vocabulary, and also their non-verbal vocabulary. Each one of these different types of ways of communicating is obviously different between men and women.

Many different studies show that men tend to talk much more than women. It has also been proven that women tend to speak faster than men; this is due to the fact that women tend to be interrupted more often than men are, and also have the ability to speak more clearly, precisely and quickly than men. In one study it was found that women spoke for an average of three minutes describing a painting, as opposed to the thirteen-minute average it took men to describe it.

Men and women also tend to have a very different non-verbal way of communicating, which can also make it very hard for one another to understand what the opposite sex is trying to say. Men’s body language is much more reserved when talking to women. Men tend not to make as much eye contact, and they generally stay farther away from women when talking to them. Men avoid other people’s body space while talking, and they also tend to sit back when talking. All of these have given off the impression of disinterest or boredom. Women are by far better listeners and much more enjoyable to talk with and they tend to raise more topics for conversation.

Women also make it clearer whether or not the conversation is going somewhere or just stuck in neutral(中立). After learning about our styles of communicating with each other, I have decided that although men have not quite mastered communicating, what fun would it be if we all spoke the same “language”? The little games men and women play with each other while conversing would be lost. The question everyone asks himself or herself after talking with someone of the opposite sex, “I wonder if there’s something there?” would no longer exist.

1. What does the underlined word “this” in Paragraph 2 refer to?

A．The differences between men’s and women’s languages.

B．The different speed of men’s and women’s speech.

C．The ability of men’s and women’s spoken language.

D．The non-verbal vocabulary of men and women.

2. In what way do men and women differ according to the third paragraph?

A．Speed of understanding.	B．Understanding of speech roles.
C．Politeness of communication.	D．Application of body language.

3. What is the author’s attitude to the differences between men’s and women’s communication?

A．Cautious.

B．Favorable.

C．Uncertain.

D．Skeptical.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Women, born excellent talkers	B．Men’s and women’s social roles
C．Vocabulary and communication	D．Opposite gender, different languages

【推荐2】A doctor walked into an operating room where an operation was being performed. Everything seemed to be going well, but the doctor noticed that no one was wearing a face mask. He was surprised—wearing a face mask is a basic hospital procedure. But he didn’t say anything. The operation was a success, but a few days later the patient came down with a fever. It turned out that she had contracted a serious infection, probably because the doctors and nurses hadn’t followed a simple rule.

Atul Gawande was interested in that story and carried out a research on the importance of a checklist to boost hospital services. Gawande is a doctor himself, and in his research he suggests that if surgeons run through a simple checklist before every operation, then lives will be saved. And he’s got the numbers to prove it. In 2001, an experiment at an American hospital required doctors to use a five-point checklist before they carried out specific procedures. The checklist was just a list of routine things doctor should normally do without thinking—wearing latex gloves, washing their hands before and after every patient, and so on. By making sure that the checklist was followed, there were almost no infections during the 27 months of the experiment, and they estimate that around eight lives were saved. When the checklist was tested again in hospitals in Michigan, infections went down by 66 percent.

In his study, Gawande looks at other professions, too, to support his argument that checklists reduce accidents and improve success rates. He points out that people like engineers and pilots use checklists all the time, and he comes up with some good examples. Just imagine that an airplane crashed because the pilot had failed to follow basic procedures. Suppose a skyscraper collapsed because the engineers hadn’t remembered to do some important calculations. People would demand that officials look into these events immediately.

Gawande’s study finding is really interesting and received much public attention. It reminds us that sometimes the easiest way to avoid making mistakes is to follow a very simple set of rules. It’s relevant for all of us, not just for doctors.

1. The function of the first paragraph in this text is to ________.

A．introduce the origin of the idea for Gawande’s study

B．explain the importance of the basic hospital procedure

C．explore the causes of infections among patients in hospitals

D．emphasize the urgency of providing relevant training to doctors

2. What are the two experiments in paragraph 2 intended to prove?

A．Young medical staff need follow the checklists.

B．Checklists are necessary for hospitals in particular.

C．Hospitals are required to maintain good management.

D．Medical infections can be reduced by observing a set of rules.

3. What can we learn from paragraph 3?

A．Air crashes hardly occurred with the basic procedures.

B．Gawande intends to promote his idea to other professions.

C．High buildings may collapse due to engineers’ miscalculations.

D．People think it a must for a pilot or engineer to use their checklists.

4. What is the author’s attitude toward Gawande’s study?

A．Unclear.

B．Dismissive.

C．Approving.

D．Doubtful.

【推荐3】Does just thinking about stepping inside a gym make you feel exhausted? If so, here's some good news. One of the world's largest studies on physical activity has found that doing household chores（家务事）can be just as effective as running or working out when it comes to cutting your risk of heart disease and extending your life.

A team of researchers discovered that people enjoyed the same health benefits whether they were going to the gym, walking to work or doing household chores. Indeed, performing 30 minutes of any kind of physical activity five days a week could reduce your risk of dying from any causes by 28% and your rate of heart disease by 20%.

And, again, the positive effects were the same whether someone was working out, walking or doing chores such as mopping the floor or gardening.

“Walking for at least 30 minutes most days of the week has a massive benefit, and high levels of physical activity is associated with even lower risk of illness," lead researcher Scott Lear said about the findings. “By including low and middle-income countries in this study, we were able to determine the benefit of activities such as having an active job or even doing household chores,” Lear said. He noted that 1 in 4 people worldwide do not get 30 minutes of exercise a day, five times a week.

Interestingly enough, the Canadian study found no ceiling on the benefits of exercise and "no risks associated with extremely high levels of physical activity", defined as more than 2,500 minutes, or more than 41 hours per week. Lear said that those who spent more than 750 minutes walking quickly each week lowered their risk of premature death by 36%.

1. What can we infer about the study from paragraph1?

A．Women should do more housework than men.

B．Doing housework may help to live long and healthy.

C．People with heart disease had better do less housework.

D．Doing housework makes people feel less tired than going to gym.

2. What does Scott Lear say about his findings on health?

A．Sitting long will take the health away.

B．The exercises will make life meaningful.

C．It's a good idea to walk less than 30 minutes a day.

D．High levels of physical activity can reduce disease risk.

3. What is the study in the text mainly supported by?

A．Statistics.	B．Voices.
C．Examples.	D．Experiments.

4. Which is the best title for the text?

A．Exercise Moves for Better Strength and Balance

B．Risks From High Levels of Physical Activity

C．Household Chores May Be a Secret to Living Longer

D．The Two Factors Determine the Benefit of Activities

【推荐1】Food sometimes gets poisoned with harmful things. A person who eats such food can get an illness called food poisoning. Food poisoning is usually not serious, but some types are deadly. The symptoms of food poisoning usually begin within hours of eating the poisoned food. Fever is one of the most common symptoms.

Certain microorganisms (微生物)cause most types of food poisoning. Bacteria and other microorganisms can poison eggs, meat, vegetables, and many other foods. After entering the body, these tiny living things release poisons that make people sick.

Some chemicals can also cause food poisoning. They are often added to food while it is being grown, processed, or prepared. For example, many farmers spray chemicals on crops to kill weeds and insects. Some people may have a bad reaction to those chemicals when they eat the crops.

Some plants and animals contain natural poisons that are harmful to people. These include certain kinds of seafood, grains, nuts, seeds, beans, and mushrooms. ,

When people handle food properly, the risk of food poisoning is very small. Microorganisms multiply rapidly in dirty places and in warm temperatures. This means that people should never touch food with dirty hands or put food on unwashed surfaces. Food should be kept in a refrigerator to stop microorganisms from growing. Meat needs to be cooked thoroughly to kill any dangerous microorganisms. People should also wash food covered with chemicals before eating it. Finally, people should not eat wild mushrooms or other foods that grow in the wild. Some of these foods may contain natural materials that are poisonous to humans. In addition, some types of fish can be poisonous.

Most people recover from food poisoning after a few days of resting and drinking extra water. If people eat natural poisons, they must go to the hospital right away to have their stomachs emptied.

1. What is one of the most common symptoms of food poisoning?

A．Headache.	B．Nose bleed.
C．Fever.	D．Stomachache.

2. Which of the following statement is true?

A．Farmers spray chemicals on crops to make people sick.

B．The danger of food poisoning is very small if people handle food improperly.

C．Some mushrooms contain poisons which can kill weeds and insects.

D．Food poisoning can be caused by certain microorganisms.

3. What does the underlined word "multiply'" in Paragraph 5 refer to?

A．reproduce	B．overcome
C．deliver	D．digest

4. According to the passage, which may be a cause that a person must have his stomach emptied immediately?

A．He has a bad reaction to chemicals on crops.

B．He touches food with dirty hands.

C．He eats wild mushrooms containing natural poisons.

D．He eats meat which wasn't cooked thoroughly.

【推荐2】

Noticeboard
A	Computer problems? Experienced IT engineer will sort out problems with home computers. Phone “the Computer Doctor” now for a free estimate — 09651 325693.
B	Drummer WANTED for recently formed band. Must have ability. and experience. We play mostly indie rock. Many songs already written. Some performances in local pubs in Nov / Dee. Send details and sound samples to: newband @ hotmail. com.
C	Babysitter wanted for 2-year-old tin — occasional (偶尔的) weekday evening for up to six hours. Would be suitable for a student with some experience. £ 4.50 an hour. Phone Jan on 719 873 466.
D	Los!!! Small grey cat missing in the Lees Hall area. She's frightened of dogs and teenage boys. If you see her, please, please phone: 09651 324472. We really miss her!
E	Room to let. Two students looking for one more to share house. Own room with single bed, wardrobe, desk and chair. Near university campus and shopping centre. £ 250 per month + bills (including WIFI). Non-smokers only. Phone Luka on 719 533 857.

1. What number should you call if you want to get help installing (安装) some new software?

A．09651 325693

B．719 873 466

C．09651 324472

D．719 533 857

2. In which notice can you find somewhere to live?

A．Notice B.

B． Notice C.

C． Notice D.

D． Notice E.

3. Which of the followings is true?

A．The band is looking for a drummer to play classical music.

B．The babysitter will be required to work on weekends only.

C．The lost cat is scared of some other animals and people.

D．The room to let is unfurnished.

【推荐3】Futurologists(未来学家)predict that life will probably be very different in 2050 in all the fields of activity，from entertainment to technology.First of all，it seems that TV channels will have disappeared by 2050.Instead，people will choose a programme from a “menu”(菜单)and a computer will send the programme directly to the television.Today，we can use the World Wide Web to read newspaper stories and see pictures on a computer thousands of kilometres away.By 2050，music，films，programmes，newspapers and books will come to us by computer.We will also be able to see，smell and touch the things that we see on television.

In transport，cars will run on new，clean “gas” and they will go very fast.Cars will have computers to control the speed of the car and there won't be any accidents.Today，many cars have computers that tell drivers exactly where they are.By 2050，the computer will control the car and drive it to where you want to go.Space planes will fly all over the world and people will fly from Los Angeles to Tokyo in just two hours.

In technology，robots will have replaced people in factories.Many factories already use robots.Big companies prefer robots — they do not ask for pay rises or go on strike，and they work 24 hours a day.By 2050，we will see robots everywhere — in factories，schools，offices，hospitals，shops and homes.

Last but not least，medicine technology will have conquered many diseases.By 2050，we will be able to help blind and deaf people see again and hear again.Scientists will be able to produce clones of people and decide how they look，how they behave and how much intelligence they have.

1. What is NOT true about television by 2050 according to this passage?

A．One will be able to smell the food on television.

B．One can have a try of the food he or she sees on television.

C．There will be no channels for us to choose programmes.

D．Televisions will be completely controlled by computers.

2. What can be the development of transport that benefits people most by 2050?

A．Cars will go at a very high speed on their own.

B．Space planes will fly all over the world in a short time.

C．There will be less pollution and no car accidents.

D．Computers will tell people where they are going.

3. It can be implied in the passage that by 2050         ．

A．people will live more healthily and longer

B．computers will control the speed of cars

C．people can read newspapers through a computer

D．there will be no people working in factories

4. What is the author's attitude towards people's life in future?

A．Doubtful.	B．Sad.
C．Happy.	D．Worried.