Patients and doctors alike have long believed in the healing (治療) power of humor. It is claimed that humor not only affects patients’ moods, but can actually help them recover faster.

Several studies seem to support this. Patients in better spirits are known to have higher immune cell counts. Some have even claimed to have healed themselves of serious illnesses by reading comics and watching comedies.

Despite all this, many researchers are not convinced. They point out the fact that many sufferings have been known to disappear naturally, with or without a daily dose of laughter. They also say that while optimism in general does seem to be related to better health, it is hard to tell which comes first.

Humor in times of stress, however, clearly makes us feel better. On one level, it takes our minds off our troubles and relaxes us. On another, it releases powerful endorphins, a chemical produced by your body that reduces pain.

There are cases where the appreciation of a good joke is indeed directly related to a person’s health. It can show, for example, whether a person has suffered damage to one particular area of the brain: the right frontal lobe (額葉).

Scientists confirmed this by having people read jokes and asking them to choose the funniest endings from a list. Subjects with normal brains usually chose endings that were based on a relatively complex synthesis (綜合) of ideas. Subjects with specifically located brain damage, however, responded only to slapstick (鬧劇) endings, which did not depend on a particular context. When pressed, the brain-damaged subjects saw the logic in the correct endings. They simply did not find them funny.

Of course, humor is largely an individual matter. Next time your friend does not get one of your jokes, there is no need to accuse him of being a lamebrain. However, you might suggest that he lighten up—for the health of it.

63. We can infer from the passage that ________.

A. all researchers have agreed on the healing power of humor

B. people seldom accuse their friends of not understanding jokes

C. the author holds a positive attitude to the healing power of humor

D. reading comics will surely become a popular way of treating diseases

64. Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A. Many researchers are not convinced of the healing power of humor.

B. Patients in bad moods are known to have higher immune cell counts.

C. Optimism in general does seem to be related to better health.

D. People should try their best to cheer up for their good health.

65. Scientists had some people read jokes and asked them to choose the funniest endings from a list to confirm that ________.

A. the brain-damaged people are different from those with normal brains

B. a person with a normal brain usually responds to slapstick endings

C. a person suffering certain brain damage doesn’t appreciate a good joke

D. humor takes our minds off our troubles by releasing powerful endorphins

66. Which would be the best title for the passage?

A. Which comes first, humor or health?             B. Humor can cure different illnesses

C. People need humor in times of stress         D. Humor contributes to good health

Few people would question the value of taking part in sports for young people．With proper training，supervision，protective equipment and techniques，and an proper emphasis on winning，sports can develop a healthy body and spirit and a life-long interest in being active and fit .Without such measures，childhood sports can lead to injuries and even paralysis or death．

Even in the best conditions，no activity can be risk—free．But most serious hazards are preventable．Cyclists and football players can reduce their risks by wearing helmets；hockey players by wearing masks；basketball and tennis players by wearing eye guards；baseball players by wearing batting helmets．

Besides，risks to individual players can often be found，and thus prevented，through a properly performed medical exam before a child plays．For accidents that may not be preventable，having an emergency plan and first-aid equipment，and someone trained to use the equipment，can be lifesaving．

Still，each year，according to the American College of Sports Medicine，more than 775,000 children under 14 are treated in emergency rooms for sports injuries，nearly half of them preventable．An estimated 300,000 athletes experience exercise—related head illnesses each year，and almost all of them should have been avoided．

Further，from half to three—fourths of sports-related concussions（腦震蕩） are never even diagnosed；the injured are often sent back in to play too soon and put at risk of another more serious brain—damaging concussion．To help reduce these risks, the National Center for Sports Safety, with the National Athletic Trainers’ Association, offers a three-hour online safety course for coaches for $28 at www.SportsSafety.org.

68．Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A．All the accidents can be prevented．B．All the accidents cannot be prevented．

C．Lives can be saved so long as there is proper equipment．

D．Lives cannot be saved even if there is proper equipment．

69．What does the underlined word “hazards”(in paragraph 2)mean?

A．mistakes          B．diseases           C．dangers            D．situations

70．It is implied in the passage that         ．

A．prevention of injuries is not paid enough attention to

B．children under 14 are more easily hurt in sports

C．most head illnesses are related with exercise

D．none of the head illnesses should have happened

71．What can coaches mainly learn from the online safety course?

A．How to cure brain-damaging concussion．

B．How to diagnose brain-damaging concussion．

C．How to predict the possibility of brain damage．

D．How to deal with the injured properly．

If U．S．software companies don't pay more attention to quality, they could kiss their business good-bye．Both India and Brazil are developing a world-class software industry．Their weapon is quality and one of their jobs is to attract the top U．S．quality specialists whose voices are not listened to in their country．

      Already, of the world's 12 software houses that have earned the highest rating in the world, seven are in India．That's largely because they have used new methods rejected by American software specialists．For example, for decades, quality specialists, W．Edwards Deming and J．M．Juran had urged U．S．software companies to change their attitudes to quality．But their quality call mainly fell on deaf ears in the U．S -- but not in Japan．By the 1970s and 1980s, Japan was grabbing market share with better, cheaper products．They used Deming's and Juran's ideas to bring down the cost of good quality to as little as 5% of total production costs．In U．S．factories, the cost of quality then was 10 times as high: 50%．In software, it still is．

      Watts S．Humphrey spent 27 years at IBM heading up software production and then quality assurance．But his advice was seldom paid attention to．He retired from IBM in 1986．In 1987, he worked out a system for assessing(evaluating) and improving software quality．It has proved its value time and again．For example, in 1990 the cost of quality at Raytheon Electronics Systems was almost 60% of total software production costs．It fell to 15% in 1996 and has since further dropped to below 10%．

Like Deming and Juran, Humphrey seems to be winning more praises overseas than at home．The Indian government and several companies have just founded the Watts Humphrey Software Quality Institute at the Software Technology Park in Chennai, India．Let's hope that U．S．lead in software will not be eaten up by its quality problems．

72．What country has more highest-rating companies in the world than any other country has?

A．India．                  B．The US．             C．Brazil．                 D．Germany．

73．Which of the following statements about Humphrey is true?

A．He is now still an IBM employer．B．He has worked for IBM for 37 years．   

C．India honors him highly．

D．The US pays much attention to his quality advice．

74．By what means did Japan grab its large market share by the 1970s and the 1980s?    

A．Its advertising was most successful．

B．Its products were cheaper in price and better in quality．

C．The US hardware industry was lagging behind

D．Japan hired a lot of Indian software specialists．

75． What is the writer worrying about?

A．Many US software specialists are working for Japan．

B．The quality problem has become a worldwide problem．   

C．India and Japan are joining hands to compete with the US．

D．The US will no longer be the first software player in the world

A

For most pregnant women, exercise is the last thing on their minds. After all, keeping slim while you’re expecting isn’t exactly the top priority— rather, it’s making sure your baby gets enough nutrients to grow. But in a small new study, researchers at the University of Auckland in New Zealand report that a mother’s regular aerobic exercise may be good for a growing fetus’ health — and may even help a baby get a healthier start in life.

The finding is a bit surprising, because exercise is known to lower the risk of insulin resistance（胰島素抵抗），a condition eventually leading to diabetes（糖尿病）. Although insulin resistance is a detriment in healthy adults, it turns out to be helpful for proper fetal（胎兒）development. In pregnant women, this condition means nutrients get shunted to the growing baby.

The question is: could a mother’s exercise put her developing baby’s food supply at risk? Past studies looking at the effect of exercise on birth weight have been inconclusive, and none have really investigated the influence of exercise on the mother’s sensitivity to insulin. So the University of Auckland’s Dr. Paul Hoffman and his team decided to study 84 first-time mothers, who were of normal weight on average, and track any effects aerobic exercise(有氧運(yùn)動(dòng)) might have on their insulin sensitivity and, ultimately, on their babies’ birth weight. Researchers asked some women to exercise on a stationary bicycle for at least 40 minutes per session, up to five times each week, starting in the 20th week of pregnancy; the other women were not specifically asked to exercise. When the two groups and their babies were compared, the team found that women who bicycled regularly gave birth to babies who were on average 150g lighter than those born to the non-exercising mothers. In both groups, however, the babies were of healthy weight, and there was no difference in the mothers’ weights.

Generally speaking, babies on the lower end of the normal weight range are considered healthier and less prone to developing diabetes and obesity than heavier ones, so this was an encouraging result. Even more reassuring was that regular exercise did not seem to affect the flow of nutrients to the growing babies in the womb.

41. According to the new study, a pregnant woman’s regular exercise may _______.

  A. bring benefits to a baby’s growth

  B. lower the risk of insulin resistance

  C. put her baby’s food supply at risk

  D. help her keep slim and healthy

42. What does the underlined word “detriment” mean in the second paragraph?

  A. Something that brings good.

  B. Something that brings damage.

  C. Something that brings obstacles.

  D. Something that brings development.

43. What is the purpose of the experiment carried out by Dr. Paul Hoffman?

  A. To investigate the influence of exercise on pregnant women.

  B. To find out what aerobic exercise can benefit a baby’s growth.

  C. To make sure of the effects exercise may have on babies’ birth weight

  D. To compare the differences between mothers who exercise and who don’t

44. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

  A. Lighter babies are generally believed to be healthier than heavier ones.

  B. Non­－exercising mothers will definitely give birth to heavier babies.

  C. No studies have looked at the effect of exercise on birth weight before.

  D. Some women studied were asked to exercise regularly while some don’t.

45. Which of the following may be the best title for the passage?

  A. All mothers should take aerobic exercise.

  B. Moms who exercise give birth to lighter babies。

  C. Exercise reduces the risk of insulin resistance.

  D. Heavier babies are more likely to develop diabetes.

 Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS)-also called “second-hand smoke” and “passive smoking” contains over 4 000 chemicals, including over 50 known carcinogens (致癌物) and many poisonous things. No safe level of ETS exposure has been proved. Nor is there any expectation that further research will identify such a level.

Several recent reviews have confirmed the serious risks to health and life associated with passive smoking. Long time exposure to second-hand smoke has been proved as a cause of many of the same diseases caused by active smoking, including lung cancer, cardiovascular (心臟血管的) disease, and childhood disease.

Living with a smoker has been shown to increase the risk of coronary heart disease (冠心病) among non-smokers by 25-30% (a recent study indicates that this figure may actually be higher). There is also growing evidence that passive smoking is causally linked to stroke in non-smokers, although further research is needed to estimate the risk.

Second-hand smoke is especially dangerous for young children and infants, being associated with sudden infant death, pneumonia, bronchitis (支氣管炎), asthma (哮喘) and respiratory symptoms as well as middle ear disease. ETS exposure in pregnant women can cause lower birth weight, foetal (胎兒的) death and preterm delivery.

Most of the adverse health outcomes brought about by ETS show that the risk increases steadily with increasing exposure. The level of individual risk is lower compared to active smoking. Nevertheless, the fact that large numbers of people are exposed results in a substantial burden of disease.

    Action on smoke-free environments would not only protect people from the harm of ETS exposure but also contribute to the reduction of tobacco consumption in the whole population. The health effects of reduced passive and active smoking would include reduced illness and death from major disease types-in particular lung cancer, coronary heart disease, and stroke-and increased life expectancy.

51. Which of the following statements is true? _______

  A. Although ETS contains many harmful things, it is not unsafe.

  B. The fact that second-hand smoke is safe has been recently found.

  C. It is expected that further research will be done to test the level of ETS.

  D. By far the safe level of ETS has not been found and will not in the future.

52. Cardiovascular disease can be caused by _______.

   A. long time passive smoking    B. accidental active smoking

   B. occasional passive smoking   D. short term active smoking

53. According to the article, the statements about the risk of coronary heart disease are wrong EXCEPT that________

A. if you smoke, the risk of this disease will increase by 25-30%. 

B. the non-smokers exposed to smoke will increase the risk of this disease by 25-30%.

C. for the smokers, the risk of getting this disease is higher than that of the non-smokers.

D. the non-smokers exposed to smoke will be more easily to get this disease than the smokers.

54. What does the underlined word “delivery” mean? ________.

   A. Transferring to another     B. Giving birth   C. Throwing away   D. Giving out

55. What’s the author’s main purpose in writing this passage? ______

   A. To introduce what is ETS.

   B. To tell the readers how to avoid ETS.

   C. To call for the action against ETS.

   D. To warn the readers against smoking. 

 Dieters are often advised to stop drinking alcohol to avoid the extra calories lurking in a glass of wine or a favorite cocktail. But new research suggests that women who regularly consume moderate amounts of alcohol are less likely to gain weight than nondrinkers and are at lower risk for obesity (fatness).

The findings, reported this week in the Archives of Internal Medicine, are based on a study of 19,220 United States women aged 30 to 40 who fall into the “normal weight” based on their body mass index. Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston tracked the women’s drinking habits over 13 years. About 60 percent of the women were light or regular drinkers, while about 40 percent reported drinking no alcohol.

Over the course of the study, 41 percent of the women became overweight. Although alcohol is packed with calories, the nondrinkers in the study actually gained more weight over time: nine pounds, on average, compared with an average gain of about three pounds among regular moderate drinkers. The risk of becoming overweight was almost 30 percent lower for women who consumed one or two alcohol drinks a day, compared with nondrinkers.

The findings are certain to be confusing for women who continue to receive conflicting messages about the health benefits and risks of alcohol. Although moderate drinking is associated with better heart health, regular drinking also increases breast cancer risk.

The trend toward less weight gain among drinkers doesn’t appear to hold true for men. A 2003 study of British men showed that regular drinkers gained more weight than nondrinkers. Studies suggest that drinking alcohol has different effects on eating habits among men and women. Men typically add alcohol to their daily caloric intake, whereas women are more likely to substitute（替代）alcohol for food. In addition, there may be differences in how men and women metabolize（代謝）alcohol. Metabolic studies show that after men drink alcohol, they experience little if any metabolic change. But alcohol appears to slightly speed up a woman’s metabolism.

The findings don’t mean women should rush to drink alcohol to lose weight. Other research shows that once a person is already overweight, her alcohol metabolism is more efficient, and so an overweight woman may gain more weight from alcohol than a lean woman. The data do, however, suggest that for many women facing weight problems, the extra calories are probably not coming from alcoholic drinks.

41. According to the study, which of the following regular drinker is less likely to gain weight than nondrinkers?

     A                 B                 C                  D

42. That men regular drinkers gained more weight than women regular drinkers is due to the following except ______.

 A. Women are more likely to substitute alcohol for food.

 B. Men drink alcohol much faster than women.

C. Men and women metabolize alcohol differently.

D. Men have different effects on eating habits with women.

  43. The underlined word whereas may probably mean _______.

A. so that   B. in order that    C. but       D. and then

  44. What do the findings really mean in this passage?

A. Women should try to drink alcohol to lose weight.

B. To advise to stop drinking alcohol to avoid the extra calories

C. The extra calories may not come from alcoholic drinks for many women..

D. There may be differences in how men and women metabolize.

45. What can a dieter probably do before reading this passage?

  A. Rush to drink alcohol to lose weight B. Add alcohol to his or her daily caloric intake.

  C. Face the weight problems alone.    D. Try to stop drinking any alcohol or wine.

  In many corners of the world, mass malnutrition is a deadly threat to people’s life.  It is plainly defined as a state of insufficiency of food for the population, where the majority of the people do not obtain enough food calories (卡路里) to meet the lowest needs for support of physical work and for maintenance of health.  Compared with wars or natural disasters like earthquake or flood, mass malnutrition is rather an unnoticeable health killer, which escapes enough public attention.

   In Latin America, as in other places, the frightening protein-shortage disease kwashiorkor has been said to take toll of thousands of children, greatly affecting the area’s child population and leaves many more children in terribly poor health.  The reason for the problem might lie in the traditional diets in the area which are not balanced in nutrition.  Here people keep their eating pattern year after year without the knowledge of what these eating habits are doing to themselves and to future generations.

   In these poor areas, in stead of thoroughly altering the local people’s long-term habits, the best way might be to find food substitutes which could meet nutritional needs.  Mixtures of vegetable proteins, like soybeans and peanuts could provide cheap and useful protein where meat, eggs and milk are not within economic reach of large groups in population.

    Efforts could also be made to increase the agricultural productivity in some areas, where mass production of vegetable protein crops could bring life-saving nutrition to local people.  Being used wrongly, large areas of land now are devoted to luxurious entertainment constructions, such as golf course or riding field, which are targeted at a small number of rich people.  But isn’t a large area of productive planting land more acceptable and down-to-earth a choice to these countries suffering from mass malnutrition right now?

(Note: Answer the questions or complete the statements in NO MORE THAN 10  WORDS）

81. What is mass malnutrition?

82. What does the underlined word “take toll of” probably mean?

83. People can most effectively solve the mass malnutrition problem in some developing areas by ________

84. It would be wise to use large areas of planting land for ______.

Sadness is unpleasant, and in a society where personal happiness is prized above all else, there is little tolerance for falling in despair. Especially now we’ve got drugs for getting rid of sad feelings — whether it’s after losing a job, the break-up of a relationship or the death of a loved one. So it’s no surprise that more and more people are taking them.

But is this really such a good idea? A growing number of voices from the world of mental health research are saying it isn’t. They fear that the increasing tendency to treat normal sadness as a disease is playing fast and loose. Sadness, they argue, serves a useful purpose—and if we lose it, we lose out. Yet many psychiatrists insist not. Sadness has a nasty habit of turning into depression they warn. Even when people are sad for good reason, they should take drugs to make themselves feel better.

So who is right? Is sadness something we cannot live without or something horrible never to touch?

There are lots of ideas about why feeling sad should become part of human life. It may be a kind of self-protection, as other primates (靈長(zhǎng)類) also show signs of sadness. A losing monkey that doesn’t show sadness after it loses a fight may be seen as continuing to challenge the winning monkey — and that could result in death.

In humans sadness has a further function: we may display sadness as a form of communication. By acting sad, we tell other community members that we need support.

Then there is the idea that creativity is connected to dark moods. There are plenty of great artists, writers and musicians who have suffered from depression or disorder. Scientists found that people with signs of depression performed better at a creative task, and negative moods make people think deeply over the unhappy experience, which allows creative processes to come to the front. There is also evidence that too much happiness can be bad for your career. A doctor found that people who scored 8 out of 10 on a happiness test were more successful in income and education than 9s or 10s. The happiest people lose their willingness to make changes to their lives that may benefit them.

53．The underlined word “this ” refers to ________.

     A．taking medicine              B．falling in despair           

       C．losing a job            D．feeling sad

54． The author believes sadness is ________.

     A．a(chǎn) good thing for people’s health          B．something horrible never to touch

       C．a(chǎn) necessary function of humans’        D．a(chǎn)lways to be treated as depression

55．Some animals show their sadness in order to ________.

     A．cheat their enemy                B．protect themselves 

       C．comfort the loser                D．challenge the winner

56．We can infer from the last paragraph that ________.

      A．people with great creativity tend to be happier   

       B．unhappy experiences contribute to a greater career

       C．too much happiness can be bad for your career

       D．the happiest people are the most successful ones

Games originally are entertainment. Contemporary games are very realistic and for this reason they are a source of great experience for the player and develop the imagination. Games are entertainment and even more than that. The statistics （統(tǒng)計(jì)） of the New York University led by Green claim that the player preferring active games get improvement of some types of brain activity. In particular, game players deal with problems of simultaneously （同時(shí)地） tracking several moving objects at the average level of 30% better than people who do not play active computer video games. The “gaming” violent experience may not be the cause of violent behavior in reality. None of the playing experience will become the priority in making important decisions concerning problems in real life. A game is an abstraction （虛擬物）. A player gets abstract tasks and acts according to abstract rules.

Games are also the possibility to be however a person wants to he and to rest from the outside world for some time. But what if a person gets so much excited with the game scenes that he becomes violent in reality? Then, it proves that the games cause people to become violent in reality. But a psychologically healthy person will never confuse these two different worlds. A game is virtual world with visual images very similar to human. These images represent by themselves nothing but playing obstacles （障礙）. A game may potentially give the opportunity to “destroy the obstacles” that may not be destroyed according to the rules but it is more about personal choice whether to do it or not. This leads us to the conclusion that violence is not a consequence but the cause. People who are originally trended to violence may get into a temper by games and perform violence in the “real world”. But in this case violence in games is a simple justification （理由） of the violent nature of the player.

49．The passage is          .

       A．a(chǎn) story             B．a(chǎn) descriptive writing

       C．a(chǎn)n argumentative writing D．a(chǎn) scientific essay

50．In the first paragraph the author used the statistics to prove that         .

       A．games can provide experience for the players

       B．games can help develop player’s imagination

       C．games can cause violent behavior

       D．game are more than entertainment

51．What is the author’s attitude towards the “computer games”?[

       A．“Violent games” can lead to the performance of violence in the real world.

       B．Violence is not a consequence of the “computer games” but the cause.

       C．Games are just entertainment and nothing more.

       D．The virtual world and the real world are just the same.

52．The best title for this passage is         .

       A．Violent games cause violence  B．Games: good or bad?

       C．The cause of violence      D．The consequence of games

Scientists estimate that more than 60 percent of cancer deaths in the United States are preventable through lifestyle changes. Although there is no certain way to avoid all cancers, reducing individual risk factors greatly decreases the likelihood of getting many forms of this dangerous disease.

The American Chemical Society estimates that smoking causes nearly 30 percent of all cancer deaths in the United States — that is, about 166,000 cancer deaths each year. All cancer deaths caused by tobacco smoking could be prevented completely by not smoking and not using smokeless tobacco. For those who already smoke, quitting will reduce the risk of developing cancer. Studies show that after about ten years of not smoking, a past smoker’s risk lowers to about the level of those who have never smoked.

After quitting smoking, eating a healthy diet is the best way to lower the risk of cancer. Certain foods have been found to protect against cancer. Among these foods are cabbages, tomatoes, soy products, and foods high in vitamins A, C, and E. In addition, green and possibly black teas contain compounds that protect the body from cancer-causing substance.

To lower cancer risk, diets should include little or no red meat. Other foods to avoid or consume in moderation (適度地) include sugar, fat from animal products, and salt. Added fats and oils should come from vegetables, such as olives or corn, rather than from animal sources. Carbohydrates (碳水化合物) should come from whole grains, such as brown rice and whole wheat bread, rather than from processed foods, such as white rice and white bread.

The risk of cancer of the esophagus (食道) increases with heavy alcohol consumption, and many studies suggest that consuming alcoholic drinks increases the risk of breast cancer as well. Studies show that limiting intake to two drinks a day for men, and one drink per day for women, reduces cancer risk.

Low levels of physical activity have been implicated (牽連) in some cancer. Moderate activity for 30 minutes a day enhances the immune system, shortens the time food takes to move through the intestines (腸), and changes body composition and hormone levels. Researchers are studying how these effects might lower cancer risk.   

58. Which of the following is true according to the author?

A. A person drinking tea regularly will not be likely to suffer from cancer.

B. Once a smoker has stopped smoking, there is almost no chance for cancers.

C. A balanced diet is absolutely effective in preventing one from getting cancer.

D. Those having quitted smoking for 10 years and non-smokers have less cancer risk.

59. What kind of people increase their chances of getting cancers?

A. Those whose foods contain less sugar, animal fat, and salt.

B. Those who are not moderate in drinking, smoking or eating.

C. Those who have only one or two drinks regularly per day.

D. Those whose diet contains little red meat and a lot of vegetables.

60. Which do you think is the best title for this passage?

A. The relation between food and disease.    B. Causes of different kinds cancers.

C. Tips on lifestyle for cancer prevention.   D. Ways to remain more healthy.

61. We can infer from the last paragraph that _______.

A. food’s staying in body too long might have something to do with cancer

B. the reasons why physical activity lowers cancer risk are clear

C. the more you exercise, the lower cancer risk you will take

D. plenty of physical exercise is most important for remaining healthy