Why do we laugh and get amusement from so many different things，from puns (雙關(guān)語) to pratfalls? Why are some things funny to some people and not to others? How is that while a successful joke can cause pleasure，a sick one can cause serious harm?
Over the centuries，various scholars have attempted to produce a universally agreed-upon theory of humor．Plato and Aristotle introduced the superiority(優(yōu)越感) theory，the idea that people laugh at the misfortune of others．Their theory seems to explain teasing，but it doesn’t work well for knock-knock jokes．Sigmund Freud argued for his relief theory，the concept that humor is a way for people to release psychological tension and reveal their inner fears and desires．His theory works well for dirty jokes，less well for most puns．
The majority of humor expels today agree with the incongruity theory，the idea that humor arises when there’s a gap between what people expect to happen and what actually happens．Incongruity has a lot going for it — jokes with unexpected funny lines，for example，fit well．But scientists have found that in comedy，unexpectedness is overvalued．
With the goal of developing a new，more satisfactory explanation，I produced “the gentle violation(違背)theory”，the idea that humor arises when something seems wrong or threatening，but is actually OK or safe．A dirty joke，for example，trades on moral or social violations，but it’s only going to get a laugh if the person listening is open enough to consider the subject OK to talk about．Similarly，puns can be seen as linguistic violations that still make grammatical sense．
And while most humor theories have struggled to account for tickling (撓癢癢)，or just avoided the phenomenon altogether，my theory accounts for even this kind of laughter．Tickling involves violating someone’s physical space in a gentle way．People can’t tickle themselves — because it isn’t a violation．
小題1:What is the author’s attitude towards Plato and Aristotle’s theory?

A．Critical．

B．Approving

C．uncaring

D．Unclear

小題2:According to Sigmund Freud’s theory，we can infer that __________ .

A．people will laugh when they see others suffer

B．telling dirty jokes is a relief of one’s nervous feelings ’

C．unexpectedness can explain how humor works

D．tickling doesn’t involve psychological tension

小題3:According to the author，why are some things funny to some people but not to others?

A．Because the sense of humor varies greatly from person to person．

B．Because people have different expectations for the same thing．

C．Because some people lack the sense of safety deep in their heart．

D．Because people’s understanding of violation is different．

小題4:What is the author’s main purpose of writing this passage?

A．To draw people’s attention to the research of humor．

B．To criticize people’s misconceptions about humor．

C．To explain what exactly causes people to laugh．

D．To prove the sense of humor can be developed．

These days, people who do manual work often receive far more money than people who work in offices. People who work in offices are frequently referred to as “white-collar workers” for the simple reason that they       wear a collar and tie to go to work. Such is human nature, that a great many people are often         to sacrifice higher pay for the privilege of becoming white-collar workers. This can give rise to curious situations, as it did in the case of Alfred Bloggs who worked as a（an）      for the Ellesmere Corporation.
When he got married, Alf was too embarrassed to say anything to his wife about his job. He     told her that he worked for the Corporation. Every morning, he left home     in a smart black suit. He then changed into overalls and    the next eight hours as a dustman. Before returning home at night, he took a shower and changed back into his suit. Alf did this for over two years and his fellow dustmen kept his        . Alf's wife has never discovered that she married a dustman and she never will, for Alf has just found       job. He will soon be working in an office. He will earn much less than he used to, but he feels that his rise in      is well worth the loss of money. From now on, he will wear a suit all day and others will call him 'Mr. Bloggs'        'Alf'.

小題1:	A．eventually B．occasionally C．usually D．a(chǎn)pparently

小題2:	A．excited B．willing C．interested D．lucky

小題3:	A．official B．manager C．salesman D．dustman

小題4:	A．hopefully B．probably C．simply D．politely

小題5:	A．wore B．put C．tried D．dressed

小題6:	A．took B．spent C．cost D．wasted

小題7:	A．mistake B．secret C．memory D．reputation

小題8:	A．a(chǎn)nother B．one C．the other D．other

小題9:	A．status B．look C．direction D．statue

小題10:

A．in spite of B．regardless of C．instead of D．in case of

Sixteen years ago I learned this lesson in the back of a New York City taxi cab. Here’s what happened. I hopped in a taxi, and we took off for Grand Central Station. We were driving in the right lane when, all of a sudden, a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car’s back end by just inches!
The driver of the other car, who almost caused a big accident, started yelling bad words at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean he was friendly. So, I said, “Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!” And this is when my taxi driver told me what I now call “The Law of the Garbage Truck. ”
Many people are like garbage （rubbish） trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it. And if you let them, they’ll dump it on you. When someone wants to dump on you, don’t take it personally. You just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. You’ll be happy with what you did.
I started thinking, how often do I let Garbage Trucks run right over me? And how often do I take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets? It was that day I said, “I’m not going to do anymore.”
Successful people do not let Garbage Trucks take over their day. What about you? If you let more garbage trucks pass you by, you’ll be happier. Life’s too short to wake up in the morning with regrets. So, Love the people who treat you right. Forget about the ones who don’t.
小題1:What happened one day when the author was taking a taxi?

A．The taxi almost hit another car.

B．The taxi driver was injured.

C．The author scolded the driver of the other car.

D．The author learned a lesson from the driver of the garbage truck.

小題2:How did the taxi driver respond to the behavior of the driver of the black car?

A．He yelled back at the driver.

B．He sent the driver to the hospital.

C．He was friendly towards the driver.

D．He dumped some garbage in front of his car.

小題3:What does the taxi driver think of people according to Paragraph 3?

A．Many people like to drive garbage trucks.

B．Many people dump garbage wherever they like.

C．Many people are warm-hearted to make others happy.

D．Many people tend to be very much depressed.

小題4:What can we infer from Paragraph 4?

A．The author used to have a lot of garbage trucks.

B．The author used to complain a lot.

C．The author used to have a lot of money.

D．The author used to be a good manager.

小題5:According to the passage, what should you do if people “dump garbage” on you?

A．Ignore them and go on with our own work.

B．Try our best to persuade them not to do that again.

C．Tell them to dump the garbage in the right place.

D．Take over their work and carry the garbage to somewhere else.

My sister Jodie and I are always traveling for work. As jewelry designers, we need to go to a lot of shows. We can’t pack lightly and usually bring about four suitcases filled with our work.
Most of our stuff is made from heavy materials and metals. So part of the routine for us when we fly is getting stopped by security. Our jewelry sets off the alarms, and we’ve become accustomed to arriving early to go through private screenings. Most of the time, it’s not troublesome.
However, on our recent trip to a Paris trade show, we were stopped at security and asked to empty our bags. One of the agents walked over to another agent and they started whispering to each other. Both gentlemen came back, and one of them then told us that it seemed that we were carrying a very dangerous object.
My sister and I just said, “Huh?” Of course, we were a little concerned, thinking that maybe someone put something dangerous in one of our bags when we weren’t looking.
One of the agents then started to unpack our bags. I kept asking what he was looking for and then the object in question finally appeared. It was our Cosima necklace. It’s a piece of jewelry, with large, metal triangular spikes.
My sister and I looked at each other and breathed a huge sigh of relief. We started laughing and explained to the two male agents that it was just a necklace from our collection, not a weapon of mass destruction. They thought we were lying, and one agent kept repeating that he believed it was a weapon.
I tried to explain that we were jewelry designers going to a trade show, and this was simply a piece from our collection. But the agents didn’t buy it. Then a few women guards came over to assist. One of the women guards was holding an earring up to her ear and another was trying on a ring. Apparently, they liked our stuff.
It was only at this point that the male guards gave up. And I think they also got tired of listening to a bunch of women talk about jewelry. They let us through.
We took the names of the women agents and sent them a piece of jewelry when we got back to say thanks.
小題1:When the object in question finally appeared, the writer and her sister felt _______.

A．a(chǎn)nxious

B．relieved

C．excited

D．frightened

小題2:The writer and her sister were stopped by the agents because ________.

A．their suitcases were too heavy

B．the agents wanted to play a joke on them

C．they were suspected to carry dangerous objects

D．the agents wanted to admire the jewelry inside the suitcases

小題3:The underlined word “buy” in Paragraph 7 probably means ________.

A．doubt

B．believe

C．purchase

D．understand

小題4:The writer sent the women agents a piece of jewelry in order to ________.

A．persuade them to buy her jewelry later

B．get help from them next time

C．show them her talent in designing jewelry

D．show them her gratitude for their assistance

小題5:According to this passage, which of the following statements is NOT true?

A．Someone put something dangerous in one of the writer’s bags.

B．The male agents didn’t believe the writer at first.

C．The female agents liked the jewelry.

D．The writer is always travelling on business.

The adderis the only poisonous snake nativeto Britain. Adders have the most highly developed poison injecting mechanism of all snakes, but they are not aggressive animals. Adders will only use their poison as a last means of defence, usually if caught or trodden on. No one has died from adder bites in Britain for over 20 years. By far the most common smake in Britain is the adder. In Scotland, in fact, there are no other snakes at all. The adder is also the only British sanke with a poisonous bite. It can be found almost anywhere, but prefers sunny hillsides and rough open country, including high gournd. In Ireland there are no snakes at all.
Most people regard snake bites as a fatal misfortune, but not all bites are serious, and very few are fatal . Sometimes attempts at emergency treatment turn out to be more dangerous than the bite itself, with amateurs heroically, but mistakenly, trying do-it-yourself surgery and other unnecessary measures.
All snakes have small teeth, so it follows tha tall snakes can bite, but only te bite of the adder presents any danger. British snakes are shy animals and are far more frightened of you than you could possibly be of them. The adder will attack only if it feels threatened, as can happen if you take it by surprise and step on it accidentally, or if you try to catch it or pick it up, which it dislikes intensely. If it hears you coming, it will normally get out of the way as quickly as it can, but adders cannot move  very rapidly and may attack before moving if you are very close.
The effect of a bite varies considerably. It depends upon severa things, one of which is the boidy-wight of the person bitten. The bigger the person, the less harmful the bite is likely to be, which is why children suffer far more seriously from snake bites in Britain ,and thought these bites can make some pepe very ill, there are probably just as many cases of bites having little or no effect, as there are of serious illness.
小題1:What does the underlined phrase “ trodden on” probably mean?

A．Found out

B．Heard from

C．Stepped on.

D．Robbed of.

小題2:Where are adders to be found?

A．In fertile fields in Scotland.

B．On wild land throughout Britain.

C．In many parts of Britain and Ireland.

D．Everywhere in Britian except Scotland

小題3:What should you do if you are with someone who is bitten by an adder?

A．Catch the biting adder at onece.

B．Don’t worry about the bitten person.

C．Don’t try to treat the bite by yourself.

D．Operate on the person as soon as possible.

小題4:What’s the best title of the passage?

A．Poisonous Snakes	B．Adders in Britain
C．Take Care oif Sake Bites	D．Protec Endangered Adders

Honey Sweet Cake(Prep. Time: 12 mins.) Ingredients Strawberries in syrup(糖漿), 1 package(unfrozen) Heavy cream, 1 cup Corn flour, 2 tablespoons Process Mix the strawberries, cream and corn flour in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat for about 8～10 minutes, while constantly mixing until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and refrigerate for two hours. Fill the frozen mixture in cake, and serve.

Rosy Cake(Prep. Time: 10 mins.) Ingredients Sugar, cup Water, 1 cup Corn flour, 3 tablespoons Strawberries, 2～3 cups Process Take a large saucepan and mix all the ingredients. Cook until the mixture thickens over medium heat. Let it cool naturally and completely. Fill up your cake with the mixture, and serve.

Triangle Sweet(Prep. Time: 15 mins.) Ingredients Sugar, cup Whipping cream, cup Unflavoured gelatin(明膠), 1 tablespoon Cold water, 2 tablespoons Boiled water, 3 tablespoons Strawberries crushed, 2 cups Process Add sugar to the crushed strawberries and set them aside. In cold water, soften gelatin, and once it is softened, add boiling water. Stir(攪動) until the gelatin dissolves(溶解)．Add the dissolved gelatin mixture to the strawberries and let it cool. Now whip(攪打) the cream till it becomes stiff. When the strawberry mixture is of syrup thickness, add the whipped cream to it. Refrigerate until it sets. Fill it into your cake, and serve.

Flaming Maple(Prep. Time: 10 mins.) Ingredients Fresh lemon juice, 1 tablespoons Honey, 2 tablespoons Maple syrup, 2 tablespoons Strawberries, ripe, 2 pints Process Make a fruit butter of half of the strawberries. Add honey, lemon juice, and maple syrup until it forms a smooth sauce. Add the remaining strawberries. Fill the mixture in the cake, and serve.

小題1:Which of the following ingredients (is) are used in all the recipes?

A．Heavy cream.	B．Sugar syrup.
C．Corn flour.	D．Strawberries.

小題2:Chefs needn't freeze the ingredients when preparing ________．
① Honey Sweet Cake ② Rosy Cake ③Triangle Sweet    ④Flaming Maple

A．①②

B．②③

C．①④

D．②④

小題3:Which of the following is TRUE?

A．Triangle Sweet takes the longest time to prepare.

B．Strawberries used in the recipes aren't all fresh.

C．Most strawberries are used when making a Rosy Cake.

D．Honey Sweet Cake is the best choice for busy mothers.

小題4:In how many recipes should chefs thicken the mixture by heating?

A．Only one.

B．Two.

C．Three.

D．Four.

Handshaking, though a European practice is often seen in big cities of China. Nobody knows exactly when the practice started in Europe. It is said that long long ago in Europe when people met, they showed their unarmed(無武器的) hands to each other as a sign of friendship. As time went on and trade in cities grew rapidly, people in cities began to clap each other's hands to make a deal or to reach an agreement. This practice was later changed into shaking hands among friends on meeting or leaving each other. "Let's shake (hands) on it" sometimes means agreement reached.
Do the Europeans shake hands wherever they go and with whomever they meet? No. Sometimes the Chinese abroad reach out their hands too often to be polite. It is really very impolite to give your hand when the other party, especially when it is a woman, shows little interest in shaking hands with you and when the meeting does not mean anything to him or-her. Even if, for politeness, he holds out his unwilling hand in answer to your uninvited hand, just touch it slightly. There is generally a misunderstanding(誤解) among the Chinese that westerners are usually open and straightforward, while the Chinese are rather reserved(保守的) in manner. But in fact some people in western countries are more reserved than some Chinese today. So it is a good idea to shake hands with a westerner only when he shows interest in further relations with you.
小題1:In the old days in Europe, people put out their unarmed hands to each other ______.

A．to make a deal	B．to greet each other
C．to show friendliness	D．to reach an agreement

小題2:The first paragraph mainly tells us ______.

A．where handshaking was first practised

B．how handshaking came about

C．a(chǎn)bout the relationship between handshaking and trade

D．a(chǎn)bout the practice of handshaking both in Europe and in China

小題3: According to the text, which of the following statements is true?

A．Westerners are more reserved than the Chinese.

B．Westerners are unwilling to shake hands.

C．We should make a judgement before shaking hands.

D．We shouldn't shake hands with European women.

小題4:The main purpose of the text is ______.

A．to tell us some differences between the East and the West

B．to offer us some important facts about handshaking

C．to introduce us to some different customs in the West

D．to give us some advice before we travel abroad

Dear Alcohol,
You've been around forever. I can remember all the pain you've caused for me.
Do you remember the night you almost took my father's life? I do. He loves you. Sometimes I think he loves you more than he loves me. He's addicted to you, to the way you promise to rid him of his problems only to cause more of them. You just sat back and laughed as his car went spinning through the street, crashing into two other cars. He wasn't the only one hurt by you that night.
Do you remember the night of my first high school party? You were there. My friends were intrigued by you. They treated you as if they were never going to see you again, drinking all of you that they could. I spent two hours that night helping my friends who had fallen completely. "I'm so embarrassed," they said as I held their hair back so that they could vomit (嘔吐). "I'm sorry," they said when I called taxies for them, walking them out and paying the driver in advance. "This won't happen again," they said as they were sent to the hospital to have their stomachs pumped. Two 15-year-old girls slept in hospital beds that night thanks to you.
Do you remember the night when you took advantage of my 17-year-old neighbor who had to drive to pick up his sister from her dance lessons? Do you know how we all felt when he hit another car and killed the two people in the other car? He died the next morning too. His sister walked home from her dance lesson, and passed police cars and a crowd of people gathering on the sidewalk just two blocks away from the dance studio. She didn't realize her brother was in the midst of it all. She never saw him again. And it's all your fault.
I wish you'd walk out of my life forever. I don't want anything to do with you. Look at all the pain you've caused. Sure, you've made people happy too from time to time. But the damage you've caused in the lives of millions is inexcusable. Stop luring (引誘) in the people I love. Stop hurting me, please.
Sincerely,
Anonymous
小題1:What is author's purpose in writing to alcohol?

A．To introduce Mr. Alcohol to the readers

B．To describe the harm alcohol did to his family.

C．To show how much alcohol can hurt people.

D．To show the great fun that alcohol can bring to people's life.

小題2:What did alcohol do to the author's father?

A．It made him crash into two other cars and killed his life.

B．It made him drink too much and he had to get his stomach pumped.

C．It made him kill two other people when driving.

D．It made him get into a car accident and badly injure himself.

小題3:The underlined phrase "were intrigued by" is closest in meaning to ______.

A．were familiar with	B．were interested in
C．were disappointed with	D．were satisfied with

小題4:What is the tone of the article?

A．Critical.

B．Doubtful.

C．Unconcerned.

D．Humorous.

When I settled in Chicago，my new city seemed so big and unfriendly. Then I had a         problem and had to go to hospital for a        check-up.
It seemed a small        compared to the one I was about to face, but things started to go    right from the beginning. Not having a car or        the city, I was depending on a couple of buses to get me from A to B.        I’d left myself plenty of time, soon it was        I was going to be late, as I had mistakenly got on a bus that was taking me in the       direction.
I      the bus and stood on the pavement(人行道) not knowing what to do, I looked into the eyes of a        , who was trying to get past me.      , instead of moving on, she stopped to ask if I was        . After I explained my        to her, she pointed to a bus stop across the street, where a bus would take me back into the city to my        . Sitting there waiting, I felt        that someone had been willing to help.       , hearing a horn （喇叭）nearby, I looked up to see a car with my new friend       at me to get in. She had returned to offer me a       to the hospital.
Such unexpected         from a stranger was a lovely gift to receive. As I climbed out of the car at the hospital and turned to thank her, she smiled and told me not to lose       , for all things are possible.

小題1:	A．social B．traveling C．physical D．housing

小題2:	A．former B．medical C．scientific D．final

小題3:	A．challenge B．chance C．success D．mistake

小題4:	A．a(chǎn)head B．fast C．easy D．wrong

小題5:	A．a(chǎn)ppreciating B．knowing C．visiting D．leaving

小題6:	A．Since B．Although C．Once D．Unless

小題7:	A．necessary B．strange C．important D．obvious

小題8:	A．right B．same C．opposite D．general

小題9:	A．got off B．ran into C．looked at D．waited for

小題10:

A．gentleman B．stranger C．friend D．driver

小題11:

A．Surprisingly B．Especially C．Normally D．Probably

小題12:

A．OK B．dangerous C．nervous D．excited

小題13:

A．a(chǎn)im B．idea C．situation D．excuse

小題14:

A．station B．direction C．a(chǎn)partment D．a(chǎn)ppointment

小題15:

A．disappointed B．certain C．grateful D．a(chǎn)fraid

小題16:

A．Perhaps B．Without doubt C．Right away D．Then

小題17:

A．waving(招手) B．shouting C．staring(盯著) D．laughing

小題18:

A．bike B．guidance C．drive D．suggestion

小題19:

A．kindness B．news C．a(chǎn)ppearance D．results

小題20:

A．hope B．power C．support D．heart

It’s great fun to explore new places—it feels like an adventure，even when you know you’re not the first to have been there. But make sure not to get lost or waste time going round in circles.
　　● Do the map reading if you’re being driven somewhere. It’ll be easier if you keep turning the map so it follows the direction you’re traveling in. Keep looking ahead so that you can give the driver lots of warning before having to make a turn or you’ll have to move to the back seat.
　　● Get a group of friends together and go exploring. You'll need a good map, a compass , a raincoat, a cell phone to call for help in case you get lost, and a bit of spare cash for emergencies . Tell someone where you’re going before you set out and let them know what time you expect to be back. The test is in not getting lost, not in seeing how fast you can go, so always stick together, waiting for slower friends to catch up.
　　● See if your school or a club organizes orienteering activities, in which you need a map and a compass to find your way. This can be done as a sport, with teams trying to find the way from A to B (and B to C, etc.)in the fastest time, or simply as a spare-time activity. Either way, it’s not only good fun, but a great way to keep fit.
小題1:Sitting beside the driver, you should___________.

A．direct the driver when necessary

B．look ahead to see where there’s a turn

C．move to the back seat if feeling uncomfortable

D．keep looking at the map to find a place to go to

小題2:Why do you need to tell someone your exploration plan before setting out?

A．To get information when in danger.

B．To be saved in case of an accident.

C．To share the fun with him/her in exploration.

D．To tell him/her what’s going on with the group members.

小題3:Orienteering activities can______________.

A．make people work fast

B．help people stay healthy

C．help people organize other activities

D．make people get prepared for sports

小題4:The text mainly talks about____________.

A．the fun of exploration

B．what to bring for exploration

C．the way to use a map in exploration

D．how to prevent getting lost in exploration