Next time you hear a funny joke you’d better not laugh too hard. According to a paper published by the British Medical Journal, laughter isn’t always the best medicine. Sometimes it can even be harmful. Professor Robin Ferner from the University of Birmingham, one of the authors of the study, found that bad things could happen to people who laughed too much. He says: “We found people with heartbeat problems which had stopped their heart, we found people who had fainted(昏倒), and we found people who’d dislocated their jaws or burst their lungs.”
It seems that laughing can be no laughing matter. But it’s not all doom and gloom. Professor Ferner says there are benefits to laughing when you want to lose weight, for example. Yes, that’s right: laugh and be slimmer! Professor Ferner explains that: “You use energy when you laugh, you move your diaphragm(横膈膜), you expand your lungs, and both those things can be helpful.”
According to the research, laughing for a quarter of an hour can burn up to 40 calories, and if you laughed all day you’d use up about 2,000 calories, which is what most people consume in a day. But don’t do that or you might end up with a painful jaw. Ouch! Or you might find people looking at you in a funny way.
But I don’t want to finish this article leaving you feeling desperate. Laughter comes naturally for most of us. Babies begin to laugh at around 3-6 months. So give in to your sense of humour and keep smiling. Life is short anyway.
1.Laughing too much may cause the following harmful results EXCEPT_________.
A. heart stopB. diaphragm movement
C. lung burstD. jaw dislocation
2.The underlined phrase “doom and gloom” in Paragraph 2 probably means_______.
A. hopelessB. funny
C. painfulD. nervous
3.How many calories can you use if you laugh for half a day?
A. About 40.B. About 1,000.
C. About 2,000.D. About 2,040.
4.What is the author’s attitude towards laughing in the last paragraph?
A. Uninterested. B. Disapproving.
C. Worried. D. Favorable.
Every week in China, millions of people will sit in front of their TVs watching teenagers compete for the title Character Hero, which is a Chinese-style spelling bee(拼写大赛). In this challenge, young competitors must write Chinese characters by hand. To prepare for the competition, the competitors usually spend months studying dictionaries.
Perhaps the show’s popularity should not be a surprise. Along with gunpowder and paper, many Chinese people consider the creation of Chinese calligraphy(书法)to be one of their primary contributions to civilization. Unfortunately, all over the country, Chinese people are forgetting how to write their own language without computerized help. Software on smart phones and computers allows users to type in the basic sound of the word using the Latin alphabet. The correct character is chosen from a list. The result? It’s possible to recognize characters without remembering how to write them.
But there’s still hope for the paint brush. China’s Education Ministry wants children to spend more time learning how to write.
In one Beijing primary school we visited, students practice calligraphy every day inside a specially decorated classroom with traditional Chinese paintings hanging on the walls. Soft music plays as a group of six-year-olds dip brush pens into black ink. They look up at the blackboard often to study their teacher’s examples before carefully attempting to reproduce those characters on thin rice paper. “If adults can survive without using handwriting, why bother to teach it now?” we ask the calligraphy teacher, Shen Bin. “The ability to write characters is part of Chinese tradition and culture,” she reasons. “Students must learn now so they don’t forget when they grow up.” says the teacher.
1.What can we learn about the Character Hero?
A. It’s open to people of all ages and all walks.
B. It’s the most-viewed TV programs in China.
C. It aims to spread Chinese culture to the world.
D. It draws great public attention across the country.
2.Why are Chinese people forgetting how to write the characters?
A. Chinese people don’t refer to dictionaries very often.
B. Chinese people no longer use brush pens or practice calligraphy.
C. Chinese people are using the Latin alphabet instead of the characters.
D. Chinese people needn’t write by hand as often with the help of technology.
3.According to Shen Bin, being able to write characters by hand is_________.
A. necessary for adults to survive in China
B. a requirement made by the Education Ministry
C. helpful to keep Chinese tradition and culture alive
D. an ability to be developed only when you are students
4.Where does this text probably come from?
A. A news report.B. A science report.
C. An advertisement.D. Children’s literature.
Restaurants in the USA
Steve’s Pizza
So many pizza chains compete for the attention of tourists in South Beach, but ask a Miami Beach local where to get the best pizza and they’ll tell you about Steve’s. This is New York–style pizza, handmade with care and good ingredients(成份). New branches of Steve’s are opening elsewhere in Miami, all in non-tourist areas.
Opening hours: 11am-3am
Cattleman’s Steakhouse
This place is 20 miles east of the city, but local folks would probably drive 200 miles to eat here. The food is good, and the scenery is even better. Come early and wander around the grounds of Indian Cliffs Ranch, where you’ll see everything from rabbits to buffalo (水牛), then catch the sunset either before or after your meal.
Opening hours: 5pm-10pm
Absolute Baking & Cafe
The screen door is always swinging open at this town hot spot with giant breakfasts. Try the green chili on eggs – it’s made from scratch, as are the organic(有机的) breads. Lunch includes salads, big sandwiches and local grass-fed beef burgers. Don’t miss a square of soft, fresh carrot cake.
Opening hours: 7am-2pm
Walt’s Wharf
Everybody’s favorite for fresh fish (some drive in from LA), Walt’s packs them in on weekends. You can’t make reservations for dinner (though they’re accepted for lunch), but it’s worth the wait for the tree fire–grilled seafood and steaks in the many-windowed ground floor or upstairs in captain’s chairs.
Opening hours: 11am-3:30pm
1.The new branches of Steve’s Pizza are mainly intended for_________.
A. New YorkersB. tourists
C.the localsD. foreigners
2.Cattleman’s Steakhouse offers the wonderful _________as well as good food.
A. wine B. view C. discount D. service
3.Which restaurant serves both breakfast and lunch?
A. Steve’s Pizza.
B. Walt’s Wharf.
C. Absolute Baking & Café.
D. Cattleman’s Steakhouse.
假定你是某校高三学生李华，下面的通知引起了你的注意。请根据通知内容和要求向学校写一封申请信。
VOLUNTEERS WANTED
The 2016 International Horticultural Exposition（世界园艺博览会）will be held in Tangshan．Volunteers are wanted to offer service to visitors from all over the world．
REQUIREMENTS:
1．Fluency in English
2．Excellence in personality
3．Good knowledge of Tangshan
If interested, please send your application in English to the Office of the Principal before Friday．
注意：
1．词数100左右：
2．可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯：
3．开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
（请在答题卡上作答）
Dear Sir or Madam,
I'm glad that the 2016 International Horticultural Exposition will be held in Tangshan．
Looking forward to your reply．
Li Hua
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处，每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1．每处错误及其修改均限一词。
2．只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
第一节短文改错
It was a year ago when Joshua got a bike for Christmas, but he rode it every day． One morning, he suddenly found the bike gone． Ran to his front yard, he saw a man loading it into his car． He shouted, but the man drive off． As a devoted Christian, he told his dad he real forgave the thief． What's more, he wanted the thief know he was forgiven． So the next day, he posted the message on a poster-board and put it in the front yard． "To the person who stole my bike: You hurt my feeling． But I am a Christian and I forgive him!" When he left for home the next morning, at the end of the driveway, the bike was back with new brakes．
Do you believe fate can bring together people who are far apart? Here is a true story．
As he posed for a holiday photo on the beach, six-year-old Nick Wheeler paid no attention to the little girl 1. （make） sandcastles a few yards away． It was only when he showed his fiancee Aimee Maiden the phot0 20 years later that she pointed at 2. five-year-old in a swimsuit and cried 3. （surprise）: "That's me!”
4. the picture was taken in 1994, the pair lived hundreds of miles apart, yet fate determined that they 5. （meet） and fall in love at sixth-form college, 11 years later． After their college years, Mr．Wheeler joined the army 6. Miss Maiden trained as a teacher．
They moved in together three years ago and got engaged last year． They hosted a party, where they showed off the photo 7. their friends and family． The couple married on Saturday at Gulval Church in Mousehole, 20 years 8. me photo was taken and just a 9. （minute） walk from the same spot．
They are heading to Florida for _ 10._ honeymoon and plan to frame the treasured picture as soon as they get back．
