Tears are good for your eyes. In fact, without them, your eyes wouldn’t even be able to move. Some people say tears help us in other ways, too. Maybe you know someone who likes to watch sad movies in order to “have a good cry”. It hasn’t been proven, but tears may be good not only for your eyes but also for your emotional health as well.
We generally only notice tears when we cry, but we have them in our eyes all the time. Tears affect how we see the world while at the same time protecting our eyes from it. Without this liquid covering them, our eyes would be at risk of infection. In addition, we need tears in order to see. The cornea (角膜) of the eye does not have a perfectly smooth surface. Tears fill in the holes in the cornea and make it smooth so that we can see clearly. Without tears, the world would look very strange to us.
There are three types of tears, and they are called basal, reflex, and emotional tears. These three types are different not only in purpose but also in composition.
Tom Lutz, the author of Crying: The Natural and Cultural History of Tears, writes, “Throughout history, and in every culture, ... everyone everywhere cries at some time.” Even men and women who say they never cry can usually remember crying as children. Most of us probably think it’s normal for men or women to cry at certain times, and at such times, we may even encourage them to cry. For example, it’s no surprise when someone cries during a sad movie, and we often expect people to cry when a family member dies. However, we don’t always take this view of tears. Sometimes adults who cry — or even children who do — lose the respect of others. For example, what would you think of an adult who cried over losing a card game? Most people are aware of the social rules about when, where, and why it’s OK to cry. These rules generally differ for children and adults, and often for men and women. They depend on things such as family, culture, and religion, and they change over time.
Some people think it’s not just OK to cry but actually healthy to let the tears flow. Doctors in Greece over 2,500 years ago thought that tears came from the brain and that everyone needed to let them out. Today, many people still believe in getting tears out. They say that through crying, we get rid of emotions we have stored up, which is good for our mental health. Some people report that they feel better after crying. This could be because of the chemicals in emotional tears. One chemical is a type of endorphin, a painkiller that the body naturally produces. Emotional tears increase the amount of endorphin that gets to the brain because tears flow from the eye into the nose and pass to the brain that way. This painkiller may make a person less aware of sad or angry feelings, and that could explain why someone feels better after “a good cry”.
1. When do we have tears in our eyes?
2. How do tears help us see clearly?
3. How many kinds of tears do we have?
4. Please list at least two things that are related to the social rules of crying.
5. In which country did doctors over 2,500 years ago believe that tears came from the brain?
3 . 
Over eight million people live in London and it has about 26 million visitors each year. So what can you see in three days? Here are some must-see places.
DAY 1
THE RIVER THAMES is the heart of the city. There are 104 bridges—London Bridge and Tower Bridge are the most famous. Cross the new Millennium Bridge on foot. It’s London’s first bridge in 100 years.
SHAKESPEARE’S GLOBE THEATER was built in 1997! (A) In the summer you can see plays there. (B) You can shout during a performance just like in Shakespeare’s time! (C) Shakespeare is one of the greatest writers in the world. (D)Take an umbrella—there’s no roof!
TATE MODERN is the world’s largest modern art gallery. Located in an old power station, it’s a fantastic place to visit. However, don’t miss the British Museum with its collection of over 8 million objects. Follow the museum’s three-hour guide of the highlights.
DAY 2
THE HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT and BIG BEN are London’s landmarks, so don’t forget your camera. You can go inside and watch the politicians in the two chambers (会议厅) — the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Big Ben, which has four faces, sits at the top of the clock tower in the Houses of the Parliament. So no matter where you stand, you can read the face of the clock.
The King’s or the Queen’s official London home is BUCKINGHAM PALACE. It’s got 775 rooms! About 50,000 guests a year come to parties and events-sorry, invitation only! But you can see the Changing of the Guard.
THE LONDON EYE is the world’s largest sightseeing wheel and the most popular UK tourist attraction with about 3.5 million visitors a year. You can often see distances of 40 kilometers.
DAY 3
London’s cathedral, ST PAUL’S is 108 meters tall and over 300 years old. The entrance ticket isn’t cheap, but the cathedral is impressive, and the dome has got amazing views. At 309 meters tall, the new Shard building is the second tallest building in Europe. You can’t miss it!
Where’s the best place to go when it’s sunny or to relax? One of London’s many large parks such as HYDE PARK, KENSINGTON GARDENS or REGENT’S PARK. There isn’t time for LONDON ZOO, but it’s in Regent’s Park.
The best place for shopping is CAMDEN MARKET. You can find vintage (优质的) clothes, jewelry, great food and all sorts of things. Or go to Harrod’s, the world-famous department store. It’s got over 330different departments and an unbelievable Food Hall.
1. When was Shakespeare’s Globe Theater built?| A．In 1699. | B．In 1837. | C．In 1997. | D．In 2000. |
| A．On the bank of the River Thames. | B．In an old power station. |
| C．On Tower Bridge. | D．In Regent’s Park. |
| A．Businessmen. | B．Scholars. | C．Police officers. | D．Politicians. |
| A．The Millennium Bridge is the first bridge on the River Thames. |
| B．You can only attend the King’s or the Queen’s parties with an invitation. |
| C．St. Paul’s Cathedral in London is over 300 years old. |
| D．For many people Camden Market is the best shopping place in London. |
| A．In the summer you can see plays there. |
| B．You can shout during a performance just like in Shakespeare’s time! |
| C．Shakespeare is one of the greatest writers in the world. |
| D．Take an umbrella—there’s no roof! |
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DJ: Hello. A lot of you have probably just got your A-levels and you’re looking forward to going to university. But more and more young people are deciding to take a gap year before they start their degrees. Today I’m talking to a group of young people who’ve all decided to take a year out before they go to university. What are they going to do? Rosie? What are your plans?
Rosie: I’m going to work in a department store.
DJ: Why do you want to do that?
Rosie: Two reasons really. I’m going to study Management at university and this will give me the chance to find out what it’s like to work in a big organization. And I’ll also be able to earn some money.
DJ: What about you, Christopher?
Christopher: I’m going to do community work with a conservation group. I think it’ll be good to do something really useful. And I’ll meet a lot of interesting people, I’m sure.
DJ: Will you get paid for it?
Christopher: Well, we won’t get rich doing it, but we’ll be all right. We’ll get about £20 a week plus food and accommodation.
DJ: Helen, what are you going to do?
Helen: I’m going to travel around Europe.
DJ: Are you going to work there?
Helen: I hope so, or I’ll have to come home again. I might try and get a job—you know—in a hotel or something like that.
DJ: Why do you want to do it?
Helen: Well, mainly because it’ll be a change. After all, I’ve been at school for 13 years. I just want to do something different. It’ll give me new experiences and I’ll need to be more independent.
Note: A-levels英国普通中等教育证书考试高级水平课程, 也是英国学生的大学入学考试。
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缺词: 在缺词处加一个漏字符号 (^), 并写出该词;
多词: 把多余的词用斜线 (\) 划掉;
错词: 在错词下划一横线, 并写出改正后的词。(答案写在答题纸上)
| 例如: One of my favorite writers are Charlotte Bronte. She was born in the early nineteenth is century when women had far fewer opportunities ^ they have now. She lived in a than  small village in Yorkshire and she took great pleasure in walking on the moors wherenear her home. |
A concert violinist went to New York City to play at Carnegie Hall. It was his one visit to the city, so he got lost on the way from his hotel to the concert. After wandering up or down several streets, he decided to ask for directions. “Excuse me,” he said to a woman on the corner. “How do I get to Carnegie Hall?” The woman looked at the man hold his violin case and answered, “Practice, practice, practice.”
In this old joke, “get to Carnegie Hall” has two meanings: (1) arrive at the building called Carnegie Hall; (2) reach the top of the music profession, symbolized by Carnegie Hall. To perform at Carnegie Hall is a honor for any musician. It’s the highlight of his or her career. It true takes a lot of practice and hard work to be good enough to play at Carnegie Hall.
Carnegie Hall was built by Andrew Carnegie, one of the richest men of his time. It opened in May of 1891. It’s famous for its superb acoustics (音响设计), which make it a wonderful place to both perform and listen to music-all type of music. The famous Russian composer Tchaikovsky played there, and so do the Beatles.
Since the opening night over 100 years ago, many prominent classical, jazz, and pop musicians performed at Carnegie Hall. No matter what they arrived on the night of their performances such as by subway, taxi, or on foot, they all got to there by dedication to their art, talent-and practice, practice, practice.
What does the phrase “call it a day” mean in Chinese in this sentence?
