A lot of us lose life’s tough battles by starting a frontal(正面的) attack — when a touch of humor might well enable us to win. Consider the case of a young friend of mine, who
36  a traffic jam on his way to work shortly   37  receiving an ultimatum(最后通牒) about being late for work. Although there was a good reason for Sam’s being late — serious illness at home — he decided that this by-now-familiar excuse wouldn’t   38  any longer. His supervisor(主管) was probably already pacing up and down preparing a dismissal
39  .
Yes, the boss was. When Sam entered the office at 9:35, it was as   40  as a locker room(更衣室)— everyone was hard at work. Sam’s supervisor   41  him. Suddenly, Sam forced a grin (露齒笑) and   42  out his hand. “How do you do!” he said. “I’m Sam Maynard. I’m    43  a job, which, I understand, became available just 35 minutes ago. Does the early bird get the worm?”
The room burst into   44  . The supervisor clamped off(忍住) a smile and walked back to his office. Sam Maynard had   45  his job — with the only tool that could win, a laugh.
Humor is a most effective, yet   46   ignored, means of handling the difficult situations in our lives. It can be used for patching up differences, apologizing, saying “no”, criticizing, getting the other fellow to do what you want   47  his losing face. For some jobs, it’s the only tool that can succeed. It is a way to discuss subjects so sensitive that serious dialogue may start a quarrel.
36. A. hit                         B. struck                           C. beat                              D. made
37. A. since                         B. when                            C. before                             D. after
38. A. benefit                     B. matter                                      C. work                                D. affect 
39. A. debate                     B. speech                                     C. excuse                             D. argument
40. A. noisy                         B. quiet                                C. clean                                D. messy
41. A. shouted at              B. put up with                    C. looked forward to        D. came up to
42. A. stretched                B. gave                                 C. handed                            D. expanded
43. A. searching for          B. preparing for                 C. applying for          D. answering for
44. A. laughing                   B. laugh                               C. laughters                        D. laughter
45. A. lost                            B. saved                               C. got                                   D. found
46. A. frequently               B. occasionally                   C. never                               D. regularly
47. A. despite                     B. with                                 C. without                           D. by

The Three Gorges Dam

“Walls of stone to hold back clouds and rain”

Mao Zedong wrote a poem in which he           (夢想) “walls of stone to         (阻止) clouds and rain till a       (光滑的，平坦的) lake       (上升) in the narrow gorges”. Now his dream has           (實現). The        (水力) of the Yangtze River, which is the world’s third longest river, has been           (利用) by the Three Gorges Dam.

The Three Gorges Dam, which is the biggest                 (建筑工程)in China since the building of the Great Wall and the Grand Canal, has been built                  (控制泛濫)and

      hydro-electric power        (為……提供)the central region of China. The dam is nearly 200 metres      (高)and 1.5 kilometres      (寬). It is the largest              (水力發(fā)電站)

and dam in the world and has cost more than any other construction project in history.

Sun Yat-sen, who was the leader of the 1911 Revolution, first       (建議，提出)the idea of a dam across the Yangtze River in 1919. Three quarters of China’s energy is         (產生)by burning coal. In 1993, China used 1.2 billion tons of coal for heating and                  (發(fā)電). Unfortunately, burning coal      (導致，引起) serious air pollution and increases             (全球變暖). The dam will generate electricity           (相當于)about 40 million tons of coal without causing so much air pollution.

The reservoir has        (淹沒)2 cities, 11 counties, 140 towns and more than 4,000 villages. More than a million people who lived in the region have moved from their homes. Now they’re                         (過著幸福的新生活)in different areas.

The Three Gorges area is one of the most beautiful areas of China and the project has flooded some of China’s most famous                 (歷史遺跡),       (包括)the Qu Yuan Temple, the Han Watchtower and the Moya Cliff carvings. About 800 historical relics have been      (淹沒). Some of them are being          (遷移)and some are being put into museums.

A lot of us lose life’s tough battles by starting a frontal(正面的) attack — when a touch of humor might well enable us to win. Consider the case of a young friend of mine, who

  36   a traffic jam on his way to work shortly   37   receiving an ultimatum(最后通牒) about being late for work. Although there was a good reason for Sam’s being late — serious illness at home — he decided that this by-now-familiar excuse wouldn’t   38   any longer. His supervisor(主管) was probably already pacing up and down preparing a dismissal

  39  .

Yes, the boss was. When Sam entered the office at 9:35, it was as   40   as a locker room(更衣室)— everyone was hard at work. Sam’s supervisor   41   him. Suddenly, Sam forced a grin (露齒笑) and   42   out his hand. “How do you do!” he said. “I’m Sam Maynard. I’m    43   a job, which, I understand, became available just 35 minutes ago. Does the early bird get the worm?”

The room burst into   44  . The supervisor clamped off(忍住) a smile and walked back to his office. Sam Maynard had   45   his job — with the only tool that could win, a laugh.

Humor is a most effective, yet   46   ignored, means of handling the difficult situations in our lives. It can be used for patching up differences, apologizing, saying “no”, criticizing, getting the other fellow to do what you want   47   his losing face. For some jobs, it’s the only tool that can succeed. It is a way to discuss subjects so sensitive that serious dialogue may start a quarrel.

36. A. hit                           B. struck                            C. beat                               D. made

37. A. since                         B. when                             C. before                             D. after

38. A. benefit                     B. matter                                      C. work                                D. affect 

39. A. debate                     B. speech                                      C. excuse                             D. argument

40. A. noisy                         B. quiet                                C. clean                                D. messy

41. A. shouted at              B. put up with                    C. looked forward to        D. came up to

42. A. stretched                B. gave                                 C. handed                            D. expanded

43. A. searching for          B. preparing for                 C. applying for          D. answering for

44. A. laughing                   B. laugh                               C. laughters                        D. laughter

45. A. lost                            B. saved                               C. got                                   D. found

46. A. frequently               B. occasionally                   C. never                               D. regularly

47. A. despite                     B. with                                 C. without                           D. by

C.

Here are two letters from our readers expressing their concern about school assessment (評價):

(l)

Students should be allowed to study without worrying about grades (學習成績). Fortunately, most educators realize that students have different interests and abilities. However, grade-based assessment is still very common. Grades often hold back creativity. Competing for better grades causes many students to turn down opportunities to go in for music, drama and sports. Grades are also an unfair measure of a student’s ability. I do not demand, as some extremists do, that grades should no longer be recorded. However, I do believe that less importance should be placed on. grades. I hope that someday grades will become optional(可選擇的) at Village High School.

Magdalena Smith, President

Drama Club

(2)

Let’s face the facts about grades. Grades perform three basic functions( 功能). First, grades get students to work at their highest level of competence  (能力 ). Second, they act as an encouragement for hard-working students and as a warming to those who are not. Finally, grades are an effective standard by which to measure students' achievement. Good grades help students to get jobs and to get into university.

I've spoken with a number of students who have jobs, and most of them say that they were hired mainly because of their grades. My grades helped me get a part-time job and will help me into university next year. I think grades are extremely important at Village High School.

Simon Harper, Member,

Science Club

64. Simon Harper writes from the viewpoint of someone who      

A. insists grades should become optional in the near future

B. believe in the advantages of assessment based on grades

C. is concerned about improving students' creativity

D. supports using students' interests to measure their abilities

65. Magdalena Smith thinks it is important for       .

A. educators to assess the students by grades

B. educators to pay more attention to grades

C. students to compete for better grades

D. students to take part in music, drama, and sports

66. According to the letters, which of the following is TRUE about Village High School?

A. Grades are effective in every way.    

B. Grades hold back students' creativity. .

C. Grades bring about unnecessary worries.

D. Grades are still in use at present.    .

67. What are the two letters mainly about?

A. The role that grades should play in assessing students.

B. The importance of art and music in students' life.

C. The need to have a standard measure for students' success.

D. The reasons why grades shouldn't be used to assess students.