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

Yes, the boss was, Sam entered the office at 9:35. The place was as quiet as a locker room(更衣室); everyone was hard at work. Sam’s supervisor came up to him. Suddenly, Sam forced a grin and stretched out his hand. “How do you do!” he said. “I’m Sam Maynard. I’m applying for a job. Which, I understand, became available just 35 minutes ago. Does the early bird get the worm?”

The room exploded in laughter. The supervisor clamped off a smile and walked back to his office. Sam Maynard had saved his job—with the only tool that could win, a laugh.

Humor is a most effective, yet frequently neglected(忽略), 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 without 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 dialog may start a quarrel. For example, many believe that comedians(喜剧演员) on television are doing more today for racial and religious tolerance(忍受力) than people in any other forum.

Why was Sam late for his job?

A. Because he was ill.

B. Because he got up late.

C. Because he was caught in a traffic jam.

D. He was busy applying for a new job.

The main idea of this passage is ________.

A. Sam Maynard saved his job with humor

B. humor is important in our lives

C. early bird gets the worm

D. humor can solve racial discriminations

The phrase “clamped off” in Paragraph 3 means ________.

A. tried to hold back    B. tried to set    C. charged   D. gave out

Which of the following statements can we infer from the passage?

A. Many lose life’s battles for they are lacking in a sense of humor.

B. It wasn’t the first time that Sam came late for his work.

C. Sam was supposed to come to his office at 8:30.

D. Humor is the most effective way of solving problems.

I get off the bus and walk a few blocks. I stop when I get to a garage-like place and walk to the metal door with brown paint. I turn the knob(把手)and walk in. A thousand eyes look at me as I take my place at the end of the long line. When I finally get up to the window, I hand the officer my ID. “I’m here to visit Mr C. Yes, I’m his daughter.”
I learn that line by heart. The officer hands me a piece of paper with my name as the visitor and my father’s as the prisoner. It tells me which floor to go to. As I get on the elevator, a rush of excitement runs through me. Then I go to the eighth floor, look around and see the faces I see here every Sunday and Thursday.
There he is. I stand on tiptoe(脚尖)to get a better view since I can hardly see him. He doesn’t look like my father. He’s got a beard now and he looks a lot weaker. He’s the dad that I see through a window. My dad who is separated from the world. The only place he now knows is his room in the prison. When I look deep into his eyes, I see emptiness and pain.
It’s difficult to hear him through the thick glass and over everyone else who is trying to talk. We try to carry on a normal conversation about simple things including my day and what I’m doing in school, but we mostly talk about how we can’t wait until he gets out. After an hour my time is up. We say our good-byes and love-yous.
I get on the bus to go home. My favorite place is where my father is—prison. I know, how can prison be anyone’s favorite place? But it is because my father is there. It’ll no longer be my favorite place once he gets out, though—home will be.
【小题1】The author goes to the prison_________.

I get off the bus and walk a few blocks. I stop when I get to a garage-like place and walk to the metal door with brown paint. I turn the knob(把手)and walk in. A thousand eyes look at me as I take my place at the end of the long line. When I finally get up to the window, I hand the officer my ID. “I’m here to visit Mr C. Yes, I’m his daughter.”

I learn that line by heart. The officer hands me a piece of paper with my name as the visitor and my father’s as the prisoner. It tells me which floor to go to. As I get on the elevator, a rush of excitement runs through me. Then I go to the eighth floor, look around and see the faces I see here every Sunday and Thursday.

There he is. I stand on tiptoe(脚尖)to get a better view since I can hardly see him. He doesn’t look like my father. He’s got a beard now and he looks a lot weaker. He’s the dad that I see through a window. My dad who is separated from the world. The only place he now knows is his room in the prison. When I look deep into his eyes, I see emptiness and pain.

It’s difficult to hear him through the thick glass and over everyone else who is trying to talk. We try to carry on a normal conversation about simple things including my day and what I’m doing in school, but we mostly talk about how we can’t wait until he gets out. After an hour my time is up. We say our good-byes and love-yous.

I get on the bus to go home. My favorite place is where my father is—prison. I know, how can prison be anyone’s favorite place? But it is because my father is there. It’ll no longer be my favorite place once he gets out, though—home will be.

1.The author goes to the prison_________.

A．to talk with the officer                    B．to visit her father

C．to get a piece of paper from the officer       D．to pay a visit to her favorite place

2.It can be inferred from the passage that the author’s father is ____________.

A．working there for a long time              B．just in prison for a short while

C．still healthy and strong in prison            D．seldom keeping in touch with people outside

3.What does the author mainly talk of with her father?

A．Her behavior in school.                   B．Simple things in everyday life.

C．Difficulty and trouble in her life.            D．The feeling of expecting him home.

4.What can we know from the passage?

A．The author’s father will never go home.     B．The author meets her father once a week.

C．The author’s favorite place will change.     D．The author hates her father.

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 hit a traffic jam on his way to work shortly after receiving an ultimatum(最后通牒) about being late on the job. Although there was a good reason for Sam’s a being late—serious illness at home—he decided that this by-now-familiar excuse wouldn’t work any longer. His supervisor was probably already pacing up and down preparing a dismissal speech.
Yes, the boss was, Sam entered the office at 9:35. The place was as quiet as a locker room(更衣室); everyone was hard at work. Sam’s supervisor came up to him. Suddenly, Sam forced a grin and stretched out his hand. “How do you do!” he said. “I’m Sam Maynard. I’m applying for a job. Which, I understand, became available just 35 minutes ago. Does the early bird get the worm?”
The room exploded in laughter. The supervisor clamped off a smile and walked back to his office. Sam Maynard had saved his job—with the only tool that could win, a laugh.
Humor is a most effective, yet frequently neglected(忽略), 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 without 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 dialog may start a quarrel. For example, many believe that comedians(喜剧演员) on television are doing more today for racial and religious tolerance(忍受力) than people in any other forum.

1. 1.

   Why was Sam late for his job?

   1. A.
      Because he was ill.
   2. B.
      Because he got up late.
   3. C.
      Because he was caught in a traffic jam.
   4. D.
      He was busy applying for a new job.
2. 2.

   The main idea of this passage is ________.

   1. A.
      Sam Maynard saved his job with humor
   2. B.
      humor is important in our lives
   3. C.
      early bird gets the worm
   4. D.
      humor can solve racial discriminations
3. 3.

   The phrase “clamped off” in Paragraph 3 means ________.

   1. A.
      tried to hold back
   2. B.
      tried to set
   3. C.
      charged
   4. D.
      gave out
4. 4.

   Which of the following statements can we infer from the passage?

   1. A.
      Many lose life’s battles for they are lacking in a sense of humor.
   2. B.
      It wasn’t the first time that Sam came late for his work.
   3. C.
      Sam was supposed to come to his office at 8:30.
   4. D.
      Humor is the most effective way of solving problems.

 (08·湖北A篇)

Margaret, married with two small children, has been working for the last seven years as a night cleaner, cleaning offices in a big building.

She trained as a nurse, but had to give it up when her elder child became seriously ill.“I would have liked to go back to it, but the shifts（工作班次） are all wrong for me, as I have to be home to get the children up and off to school.”

So she works as a cleaner instead, from 9 p.m.till 6 a.m.five nights a week for just ￡90, before tax and insurance.“It’s better than it was last year, but I still think that people who work ‘unsocial hours’ should get a bit extra.”

The hours she’ s chosen to work mean that she sees plenty of the children, but very little of her husband.However, she doesn’t think that puts any pressure on their relationship.

Her work isn’t physically very hard, but it’s not exactly pleasant, either.“I do get angry with people who leave their offices like a place for raising pigs.If they realized people like me have to do it, perhaps they’d be a bit more careful.”

The fact that she’s working all night doesn’t worry Margaret at all.Unlike some dark buildings at night, the building where she works is fully lit, and the women work in groups of three.“Since I’ve got to be here, I try to enjoy myself—and I usually do, because of the other girls.We all have a good laugh, so the time never drags.”

Another challenge Margaret has to face is the reaction of other people when she tells them what she does for a living.“They think you’re a cleaner because you don’t know how to read and write,” said Margaret.“I used to think what my parents would say if they knew what I’d been doing, but I don’t think that way any more.I don’t dislike the work though I can’t say I’m mad about it.”

61.Margaret quit her job as a nurse because _______.

      A.she wanted to earn more money to support her family

B.she had suffered a lot of mental pressure

C.she needed the right time to look after her children

D.she felt tired of taking care of patients

62.Margaret gets angry with people who work in the office because _______.

A.they never clean their offices                       B.they look down upon cleaners

C.they never do their work carefully                D.they always make a mess in their offices

63.When at work, Margaret feels _______.

A.light-hearted because of her fellow workers

B.happy because the building is fully lit

C.tired because of the heavy workload

D.bored because time passes slowly

64.The underlined part in the last paragraph implies that Margaret’s parents would _______.

      A.help care for her children                            B.regret what they had said

C.show sympathy for her                               D.feel disappointed in her