B

Have you ever been laughed at by others? Being laughed at is a common fear. But a study found that this fear is not the same around the world. It dif?fers from culture to culture.

People in Finland were the least likely to believe that people laughing in their presence were making fun of them. Less than ten per cent of Finns in the study said they would think that, compared to eighty per cent of people in Thailand.

Some people in the study said they felt unsure of themselves in social situ?ations but hid their feelings of insecurity(不安全).Others said they avoided social situations where they had been laughed at before. The study found that people in Turkmenistan and Cambodia were more likely to be in the first group. They would hide their feelings of insecurity if they were around other people's laughter. But people in Iraq, Egypt and Jordan were more likely to try to avoid such situations if they felt they had been laughed at before.

Shy people often avoid situations that would force them into close contact with other people. They worry that something they say or do will make other people laugh at them. But some people worry much more than others. They may have gelotophobia. Gelos is a Greek word. It means laughter. Phobia means fear. This fear of laughter can be truly sad for those who live with it. It can affect how they lead their lives.

In the study, a team from the University of Zurich led more than ninety researchers from around the world. They wanted to understand the difference between normal shyness and true gelotophobia. Another purpose of the study was to compare the levels of fear of being laughed at in different cultures. The researchers surveyed more than twenty-two thousand people in forty-two dif?ferent languages. The findings appeared in the scientific journal Humour.

6.The author asked a question in the first paragraph in order to____________________ .

A. show his/her doubt                     B.  introduce the topic

C.  ask for the answer                    D.  entertain readers

7. Paragraph 3 mainly tells us______________ .

  A.     people in different cultures show different fears of being laughed at

B.     people in Egypt think people laughing at them are making fun of them

C.     people always try to avoid situations where they may be looked down on

D.     many people usually try to hide their feelings when being laughed at in strange places

8. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

  A.     People in Thailand like making fun of others.

B.     People in Iraq, Egypt and Cambodia often avoided people's laughter.

C.     The study found that people of Finland always made other people laugh.

D.     Some people hid their feelings of insecurity if they felt unsure of themselves.

9.According to the passage, shy people often________________ .

  A.     live their life with great fear

B.     fear that they may hurt others

C.     worry much more than others

D.     avoid getting in touch with others

10. What is the last paragraph mainly about?

A. The results of the study.                B.  The introduction to the study.

C. The influence of the study.               D.  The importance of the study.

A euphemism is a word or expression that is used when people want to find a polite or less direct way of talking about difficult or embarrassing topics like death or the bodily functions. Most people , for example , would find it very difficult to say in plain language that they have arranged for their sick old dogs to be killed. They would soften the pain by saying: we had Ruby put down or we had Ruby put to sleep. Many people prefer to call someone plain than ugly, or cuddly rather than fat.

Euphemism is an important part of every language, but it seems that English has an ever-growing number of them. The non-native speaker not only has to make sense of the euphemisms he hears, but also he has to learn which euphemisms are appropriate in any particu?lar situations. He might be aware that his American friend needs to use the toilet when she asks where the bathroom (or restroom, or comfort station) is, but he is less likely to guess that his English friend has the same need when he says he has to see a man about a dog. He might have learned, for example, that in the family way-is a euphemism for pregnant. If, however, he says to his boss, "Congratulations! I hear your wife is in the family way," he would be using an expression that is too familiar for the circumstances.

Schools are full of euphemisms. At Frankfurt In?ternational School, for example, the special lessons giv?en to students who are having difficulties in their school subjects are called Study Centre (in the middle school) and Academic Workshop (in the high school). Teachers rightly do not want to upset students or parents by being too frank or straightforward, and usually choose a softer word or expression to convey the same message.

5.    According to the passage, people use euphemisms in order to   .

A.    make themselves understood

B.    attract attention

C.    to sound straightforward

D.    avoid embarrassment

6.    A person who is described as plain and cuddly is in

fact  .

A. tall and handsome       B.  ugly and fat

C.   ugly but tall  D.  pretty and slim

7.    When an English lady says she has to see a man about a dog, she might want to     .

A.    go to the toilet

B.    see an ugly friend

C.    have her old dog killed

D.    see a pregnant woman

8.    The main purpose of Paragraph 2 is to .

A.    stress that euphemism is an important part of ev?ery language

B.    inform readers that English has an ever-growing number of euphemisms

C.    warn English learners to be careful about the meaning and use of euphemisms

D.    suggest non-native speakers use euphemisms as often as possible

Elizabeth Freeman was born about 1742 to African American parents who were slaves.  At the age of six months she was acquired, along with her sister, by John Ashley, a wealthy Massachusetts slaveholder. She became known as "Mumbet" or "Mum Bett".

For nearly 30 years Mumbet served the Ashley family. One day, Ashley's wife tried to strike Mumbet's sister with a spade. Mumbet protected her sister and took the blow instead. Furious, she left the house and refused to come back. When the Ashleys tried to make her return, Mumbet consulted a lawyer, Theodore Sedgewick. With his help, Mumbet sued (起诉)for her freedom.

While serving the Ashleys, Mumbet had listened to many discussions of the new Massachusetts constitu?tion. If the constitution said that all people were free and equal, then she thought it should apply to her. Eventually, Mumbet won her freedom―the first slave in Massachusetts to do so under the new constitution.

Strangely enough , after the trial , the Ashleys asked Mumbet to come back and work for them as a paid employee. She declined and instead went to work for Sedgewick. Mumbet died in 1829, but her legacy lived on in her many descendants (后裔).One of her great?grandchildren was W. E. B. Du Bois, one of the found?ers of the NAACP, and an important writer and spokes?person for African American civil rights.

Mumbet's tombstone still stands in the Massachu?setts cemetery where she was buried. It reads, in part: "She was born a slave and remained a slave for nearly thirty years. She could neither read nor write, yet in her own sphere she had no superior or equal."

1.    What do we know about Mumbet according to Para?graph 1?

A.    She was born a slave.

B.    She was a slaveholder.

C.    She had a famous sister.

D.    She was born into a rich family.

2.    Why did Mumbet run away from the Ashleys?

A.    She found an employer.

B.    She wanted to be a lawyer.

C.    She was hit and got angry.

D.    She had to take care of her sister.

3.    What did Mumbet learn from discussions about the new constitution?

A.    She should always obey her owners' orders.

B.    She should be as free and equal as whites.

C.    How to be a good servant.

D.    How to apply for a job.

4.    What did Mumbet do after the trial?

A.    She chose to work for a lawyer.

B.    She found the NAACP.

C.    She continued to serve the Ashleys.

D.    She went to live with her grandchildren.

阅读理解

A

Many cities around the world today are heavily polluted. Careless methods of production and lack of consumer demand for environment-friendly products have contributed to the pollution problem. One re?sult is that millions of tons of glass, paper, plastic,

and metal containers are produced, and these are difficult to get rid of.

However , today , more and more consumers are choosing " green" and demanding that the products they buy should be safe for the environment. Before they buy a product, they ask questions like these: "Will this shampoo damage the environment?" "Can this metal container be reused or can it only be used once?"

A recent study showed that two out of five adults now consider the envi?ronmental safety of a product before they buy it. This means that companies must now change the way they make and sell their products to make sure that they are "green", that is* friendly to the environment.

Only a few years ago, it was impossible to find green products in super?markets ,but now there are hundreds. Some supermarket products carry labels to show that the product is green. Some companies have made the manufactur-ing(生产)of clean and safe products their main selling point and emphasize it in their advertising.

The concern for a safer and cleaner environment is making companies rethink how they do business. No longer will the public accept the old attitude of "Buy it, use it, throw it away, and forget it". The public pressure is on, and gradually business is cleaning up its act.

1.     It is clear from the passage that the driving force (动力)behind green prod?ucts is .

 

A.     public caring for the environment

B.     rapid development of companies

C.     new ways of doing business

D.     rapid growth of supermarkets

2.     The underlined word "it" in Paragraph 4 refers to " ".

 

A.     the selling point

B.     the company's products

C.     a great demand for healthful goods

D.     the manufacturing of green products

3.     What would be the best title of the passage?

 

A.     Business and people

B.     Shopping habits are changing

C.     Business goes green

D.     Supermarkets and green products

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