The power of humor and laughter is numerous. They entertain us and make us feel good. But, above all, we have discovered that humor and laughter are the best medicine. They relieve pain, reduce stress and anxiety, and are anti-aging and longevity facilitators.

They are extremely necessary for helping us to find and maintain a balance between life and work. However, they are slipping away from us. We have become far too serious. The only ones who still enjoy humor, laughter, fun and play to the fullest are young children. Children tend to laugh an average of 200 times a day. For adults, however, it is a totally different story.

In the 1950s people laughed on average 18 times a day. Today, we are lucky if we average between 4-6 times a day.

As a matter of fact, a recent study found that people laugh 6 more times in the presence of one person but 30 more times in a group of people. You can get a chuckle(咯咯笑) from jokes you get on the Internet, but it is not the same as belly jiggling laughter (a deep laugh) you get when you interact with others.

Socializing with friends and relatives was much looked forward to. However, this is no longer the case. In fact, the majority of people can hardly find time, nor do they have the inclination towards socializing outside home. They turn to electronic media such as television, computers, the Internet, videos, CDs, and audio equipment, which can provide them with instant self-entertainment at the push of a button.

The workplace does not fare(進(jìn)展) much better. Due to the pressures to produce more in the same or fewer hours available and to compete, for example, in a manufacturing field with cheaper labor elsewhere in the world, humor and laughter in the workplace have gradually eroded（逐漸毀壞） away.

I have developed a real appreciation, perhaps closer to a strong desire for the power of humor and laughter. This encouraged me to write my first book titled “The Power of Humor” and subsequently my second book titled “Kids Say the Goggonest Things” based on the natural humor, laughter, play and fun that kids experience and they freely share with parents, grandparents and teachers.

From writing about humor and laughter, people start to ask me to speak up for them. To date, I have developed a number of humor-laughter topics that I use in my keynote presentations. You are invited to subscribe to my free monthly e-magazine “The Humormeister’s Forum” by clicking on the Free Humor E-zine navigation button on the website.

1. According to the author, laughter is leaving us partly because ________.

A. we treat everything in a serious way

B. it relieves pain, reduces stress and anxiety

C. we fail to maintain balance between life and work

D. the pace of change in our lives is becoming faster

2.The fourth paragraph mainly tells us that ________.

A. getting a deep laugh nowadays is difficult

B. we can entertain ourselves with the help of the Internet

C. people laugh more heartily when spending time with others

D. researchers have made a new discovery about the effect of laughter

3. The underlined word “inclination” in Paragraph 5 most probably means “________”.

A. destination B. tendency

C. attitude D. approach

4.Which of the following articles can we most probably find in “The Humormeister’s Forum”?

A. The power of honesty.

B. Don’t be your own worst enemy.

C. Live life purposefully: The relationship within.

D. Funny Christmas stories to share with your loved ones.

短文改錯(cuò)(共10小題；每小題1分，滿分10分)

假定英語課上老師要求同桌之間交換修改作文，請你修改你同桌寫的以下作文。文中共有10處錯(cuò)誤，每句中最多有兩處。錯(cuò)誤涉及一個(gè)單詞的增加、刪除或修改。

增加：在缺詞處加一個(gè)漏字符號(Λ)，并在其下面寫出該加的詞。

刪除：把多余的詞用斜線(＼)劃掉。

修改：在錯(cuò)的詞下劃一橫線，并在該詞下面寫出修改后的詞。

注意：

1．每處錯(cuò)誤及其修改均僅限一詞；

2．只允許修改10處，多者(從第11處起)不計(jì)分。

Dear Alice,

I have just got a good news to tell you. I win a national prize for painting last week. My father was so pleasing that he suggested I go to England for a holiday. I’d like to staying there for half a month, visiting place of interest and practicing my English as well. We’ve been written to each other for nearly a year now. I have often dreamed of talk face to face with you . I imagine you’ll be at vacation yourself by that time. Perhaps you will go out do some sightseeing together.

Best, Lily

-- Shall I go and buy more fruit for the party?

-- No, I have already bought 3 baskets. That ____ be enough.

A. can B. should C. may D. Might

-- Mommy, I’d like some more chocolate.

-- Sorry, there is ____ left.

A. none B. some C. a little D. Few

The patient in hospital is ready to accept ____ help she can get.

A. wherever B. whatever C. however D. whenever

I strongly recommended that more phrases ____ use of in his composition.

A. would be made B. can be made

C. are made D. be made

Since the first Earth Day in 1970, Americans have gotten a lot “greener” toward the environment . “We didn’t know at that time that there even was an environment, let alone that there was a problem with it, ”says Bruce Anderson, president of Earth Day USA.

But what began as nothing important in public affairs has grown into a social movement . Business people, political leaders, university professors, and especially millions of grass-roots Americans are taking part in the movement. “The understanding has increased many, many times, ”says Gaylord Nelson, the former governor from Wisconsin, who thought up the first Earth Day.

According to US government reports , emissions (排放) from cars and trucks have dropped from 10. 3 million tons a year to 5. 5 tons . The number of cities producing CO beyond the standard has been reduced from 40 to 9 . Although serious problems still remain and need to be dealt with , the world is a safer and healthier place . A kind of “Green thinking ” has become part of practices .

Great improvement has been achieved . In 1988 there were only 600 recycling programs , today in 1995 there are about 6, 600 . Advanced lights , motors , and building designs have helped save a lot of energy and therefore prevented pollution .

Twenty –five years ago , there were hardly any education programs for environment . Today , it’s hard to find a public school , university , or law school that does not have such a kind of program . ” Until we do that , nothing else will change! ” say Bruce Anderson .

1.According to Anderson , before 1970, Americans had little idea about ___

A. the social movement

B. recycling techniques

C. environmental problems

D. the importance of Earth Day

2. Where does the support for environmental protection mainly come from?

A. University professors

B. The business circle

C. Government officials

D. The grass –roots level

3.What have Americans achieved in environmental protection ?

A. They have reduced pollution through effective measures .

B. They have settled their environmental problems

C. They have lowered their CO levels in forty cities.

D. They have cut car emissions to the lowest

4.What is especially important for environmental protection according to the last paragraph ?

A. Planning B. Education

C. Green living D. CO reduction

閱讀下面短文，從短文后各題所給的四個(gè)選項(xiàng)（A、B、C和D）中，選出可以填入空白處的最佳選項(xiàng)，并在答題卡上將該項(xiàng)涂黑。

My kids and I were heading into the supermarket over the weekend. On the way ,we spotted a man holding a piece of paper that said, “ _____ my job. Family to Feed.”

At this store, a _____ like this is not normal. My 10-year-old noticed him and make a ______ on how bad it must be to have to stand _______ in the cold wind.

In the store, I asked each of my kids to _____ something they thought our “friend” there would ______. They got apples, a sandwich and a bottle of juice. Then my 17-year-old suggested giving him a _______. I thought about it. We were _____ on cash ourselves, but… well, sometimes _____ from our need instead of our abundance is _____ what we need to do! All the kids _____ something they could do away with for the week.

When we handed him the bag of ____, he lit up and thanked us with _____ eyes. When I handed him the gift card, saying he could use it for ______his family might need, he burst into tears.

This has been a wonderful _____ for our family. For days the kids have been looking for others we can _____! Things would have played out so _____ if I had simply said, “No, we really don’t have ______ to give more.” Stepping out not only helped a brother in _____, it also gave my kids the ______ taste of helping others. It’ll go a long way with them.

1.A. Lost B. Changed C. Quit D. Finished

2.A. condition B. place C. sight D. show

3.A. suggestion B. decision C. comment D. call

4.A. angrily B. proudly C. by D. outside

5.A. draw B. pick C. arrange D. say

6.A. appreciate B. supply C. order D. discover

7.A. gift card B. job C. hot meal D. dollar

8.A. easy B. soft C. low D. loose

9.A. saving B. giving C. spending D. begging

10.A. yet B. just C. still D. even

11.A. expected B. shared C. ignored D. declared

12.A . food B. medicine C. toys D. clothes

13.A. sleepy B. sharp C. curious D. watery

14.A. whoever B. whichever C. whatever D. whenever

15.A. example B. experience C. message D. adventure

16.A. rely on B. help C. learn from D. respect

17.A. suddenly B. vividly C. perfectly D. differently

18.A. time B. money C. patience D. power

19.A. need B. love C. fear D. memory

20.A. strong B. strange C. sweet D. simple

Computer programmer David Jones earns $35,000 a year designing new computer games. Yet he cannot find a bank ready to let him have a credit card(信用卡)．Instead he has been told to wait another two years until he is 18.The 16-year-old works for a small firm in Liverpool where the problem of most young people of his age is finding a job. David’s firm releases(推出)two new games for the fast growing computer market each month.

But David’s biggest headache is what to do with his money. Even though he earns a lot，he cannot drive a car，take out a mortgage(抵押貸款)，or get credit cards. David got his job with the Liverpool-based company four months ago，a year after leaving school with six O-levels and working for a time in a computer shop.“I got the job because the people who run the firm knew I had already written some programs”，he said. David spends some of his money on records and clothes and gives his mother 50 pounds a week. But most of his spare time is spent working.

“Unfortunately，computing was not part of our studies at school”，he said，“But I had been studying it in books and magazines for four years in my spare time. I knew what I wanted to do and never considered staying on at school. Most people in this business are fairly young，anyway”．David added，“I would like to earn a million and I suppose early retirement is a possibility. You never know when the market might disappear.”

1.In what way is David different from people of his age?

A．He often goes out with friends.

B．He lives with his mother.

C．He has a handsome income.

D．He graduated with six O-levels.

2.What is one of the problems that David is facing now?

A．He is too young to get a credit card.

B．He has no time to learn driving.

C．He has very little spare time.

D．He will soon lose his job.

3.David was able to get the job in the company because _____.

A．He had done well in all his exams.

B．He had written some computer programs.

C．He was good at playing computer games.

D．He had learnt to use computers at school.

4.Why did David decide to leave school and start working?

A．He received lots of job offers.

B．He was eager to help his mother.

C．He lost interest in school studies.

D．He wanted to earn his own living.

七選五填空（共5小題；每小題2分，滿分10分）

根據(jù)短文內(nèi)容，從短文后的選項(xiàng)中選出能填入空白處的最佳選項(xiàng)。選項(xiàng)中有兩項(xiàng)為多余選項(xiàng)。

Children have gentle minds. To find the best way to teach children to share and care is easy. Kids are naturally attracted to animals. 1. Also we can show them the cow eating grass on a farm.

Making them have a look at the animals that are dying out and rare pictures from newspapers is another exciting way to make them love animals. The effects of pollution are difficult for them to understand. 2. There are great pictures of animals like cute rabbits and gorillas.

3. Tell them they are our friends, so we can’t hurt them. Take them to the conservation park and show them a monkey or a rare bird. Show them the types of penguins. Teach your children that animals can feel pain but cannot express themselves like us. 4. If you have pets at home, let them accompany your children deal with them well.

One could call an ambulance for injured dogs or nurse a sick animal back to health. Taking a nature walk is liked by kids and also the best way to get along with the family. Kids love to see some newborn dogs and the mother nursing them. 5. .

A. Emotions are well understood by children and they may have the same feeling.

B. Children all like small animals, but they don’ t consider them as their friends.

C. Teach them never to throw stones to hit animals.

D. This can make children know how to care others.

E. One could teach them to be kind to ants and show them how they carry food to save for the rainy day.

F. Parents should protect the environment first.

G. Therefore one could tell them that the environment should be (kept ) clean.