第三部分阅读理解(共10小题；每小题2分,满分20分)

How many times have you laughed today? Have you ever wondered what makes you laugh? In the whole animal kingdom, only we humans are capable (有能力的) of laughter. On average, we laugh about 17 times a day.

Laughter is a spontaneous reaction of the body to some-thing funny or pleasant. Have you noticed that when you laugh, many parts of your body respond (反应)? Your face changes expression, your breathing changes, and muscles throughout your body are affected.

An interesting story dates back to 1962. In a school in Tanganyika, in Africa, a group of schoolgirls started laughing uncontrollably over a joke. This laughter became epidemic (传染的), jumping from one person to the next, spreading across communities, and lasting for six months! So strong was the "laughter epidemic" that schools had to shut down till it ended.

How we laugh remains a mystery. Whatever the reasons, laughter, as the saying goes, "is the best medicine." In fact, science has proven that being happy and laughing can not only keep us healthy and fit but help deal with serious illnesses.

Laughing exercises all the important muscles, and keeps you fit. People have started forming laughter clubs that use laughter to treat illnesses. They meet at specific places at fixed times and laugh together. Laughter spreads, so this exercise works best in groups; once one person starts laughing, others automatically (自动地) join in.

56. The underlined word "spontaneous" in the second paragraph probably means "______".

A. perfect            B. strange            C. natural         D. terrible

57. People have formed laughter clubs to ______.

A. kill time          B. relax         C. meet others        D. keep healthy

58. The best title for the passage would be ______.

A. A Laughter Epidemic

B. Laughter, What It Is, and What It Can Do

C. The Relationship Between Laughter and Health

D. How Laughter Helps Cure Disease

59. The passage is probably taken from a(n) ______.

A. ad         B. novel            C. magazine           D. medical book

In the dining room of my grandfather’s house stood a massive grandfather clock. Meals in that dining room were a time for three    36  to become one. The table was always spread with    37   containing love as the main ingredient (成分). And that grandfather clock stood like an old family friend, watching over the    38   that was a part of our lives.
As a child, the old clock fascinated me. I    39  and listened to it during meals. Even more wonderful to me was my grandfather’s ritual (老习惯). He wound (上发条) that clock with a(n)    40   key carefully each day. I remember watching   41   my grandfather took the key from his pocket and opened the hidden door in the clock. He inserted the key and wound — not too much, nor too    42  . He never let that clock wind down and    43 . He showed us grandchildren how to open the door and let us each take    44    winding the key.
After my grandfather died, it was days after the funeral    45  I remembered the clock! The tears    46   freely when I entered the dining room. The clock stood there quiet.
Some time later, my grandmother gave me the key. The old house was   47 . No laughter over the dinner table, no ticking or chiming of the    48   — all was still. I took the key in my shaking hand and    49   the clock door. All of a sudden, I was a    50   again, watching my grandfather with his silver-white hair and blue eyes. He was there,    51   at me, at the secret of the clock's magic, at the key that held so much power.
I stood there,    52   in thought for a long time. Then slowly and    53   I inserted the key and wound the clock. It sprang to life. Tick-tock, tick-tock, life and chimes were breathed into the dining room, into the house and into my    54  . With the movement of the hands of the clock, my grandfather    55   again.

第二节完形填空。（共20小题，每小题1.5分，满分30分）
阅读下列短文，掌握其大意，然后从36—55各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中选出最佳选项。
Christmas was an exciting season for my six-year-old son. For weeks, he’d been memorizing   36  for the “Winter Ceremony” in his kindergarten class. I went to  37  their rehearsal(排演).
As I waited, students were led into the room. Each class,  38  by their teacher, sat cross-legged on the floor. Then, each group, one by one  39  to perform their song. I didn’t expect anything other than fun.
My son’s class rose to sing “Christmas Love”. Those in the front row on the center stage held up large  40 , one by one, to spell out the  41  of the song. When the class sang: “C is for Christmas,” a child would hold up the letter C, then another would hold up “H” for happy, and on and on,  42  each child was holding up a letter, presenting the  43  message, “Christmas Love”.
The performance was going  44 , until suddenly we noticed her, a small, quiet girl in the  45  row holding the letter “M” upside down-totally  46  that her letter “M” appeared as a “W”. The audience began to laugh at this little girl’s  47 . But she had no idea that they were laughing at her, so she stood tall,  48  holding her “W”.  49  many teachers tried to quiet the children, the  50  continued until the last letter was raised, and we all saw it together. A  51  came over the audience and eyes began to  52 . In that instant we understood the  53  why we were there, and even though it was such a busy holiday, there was a(n)  54  for celebrating Christmas. When the  55  letter was held high, the message read loud and clear: “ CHRIST WAS LOVE”. And I believe that this is why Christmas is so important.
36. A. songs                  B. message                   C. texts                        D. performance
37. A. direct                 B. celebrate                  C. design                      D. attend
38. A. led                            B. accompanied             C. looked                            D. pulled
39. A. stood                  B. turned                      C. rose                         D. came
40. A. letters                 B. words                      C. names                    D. boards
41. A. topic                  B. title                         C. idea                         D. theme
42. A. when                  B. after                        C. until                        D. while
43. A. exact                  B. complete                  C. proper                      D. right
44. A. smoothly            B. happily                    C. heatedly                   D. joyfully
45. A. back                   B. middle                            C. left                          D. front
46. A. ignoring                B. unknown                  C. unaware                   D. recognizing
47. A. action                 B. play                         C. mistake                    D. joke
48. A. highly                B. proudly                    C. clearly                            D. bravely
49. A. Unless                B. As                           C. Although                  D. In spite of
50. A. performance        B. laughter                   C. audience                   D. message
51. A. fear                    B. worry                      C. pride                        D. silence
52. A. widen                 B. close                        C. rise                          D. wink
53. A. cause                  B. reason                      C. way                         D. place
54. A. purpose                     B. excuse                      C. reward                            D. song
55. A. seventh               B. middle                            C. last                         D. full

第二节：完形填空（共20小题，每小题1.5分，满分30分）
My brother-in-law lifted out a package in which was delicate lingerie（女式内衣）“Jan bought it 8 years ago   36   she never wore it. She was   37   it for a special occasion.” He put it with the other clothes we were taking to the mortician（殡仪员）. “Don't save anything for a special occasion. Every day when you're   38   is a special gift.” he said.
I remembered those words through the funeral（葬礼）and the days that followed when I helped with all the chores after Jan's sudden   39  . I thought about them on the plane returning to California. I'm   40   thinking about his words, and they've   41   my attitude towards life. I'm admiring the view   42   worrying about the weeds in the garden. I'm spending more time with my family and friends and   43   time in committee meetings.
Whenever possible, life should be an experience to   44  , not tolerate. I'm trying to recognize these moments and   45   them. “Someday” and “one of these days” are   46   from my vocabulary. If it's worth seeing or hearing or doing, I want to see and hear and do it now. I'm not sure what my sister would have done if she had known she wouldn't be here for the tomorrow that we all __47__ for granted. I think she would have gone out for her favorite Chinese food. She might have called a few former friends to apologize for past   48  . I'm guessing — I'll   49   know.
It's those little things left undone that would make me angry if I knew that my hours were __50__ . Angry because I   51   seeing good friends I was going to get in touch with — someday. Angry and __52__ that I didn't tell my husband and daughter often enough how much I truly love them.
I'm trying not to put off, or save anything that would add   53   and color to our lives. Every morning when I open my eyes, I tell myself it is   54  . Every day, every minute, every breath truly is a（n）  55   from God.
36. A. and                 B. so                     C. as                  D. but
37. A. buying                B. saving                 C. leaving              D. remaining
38. A. happy                B. healthy               C. alive                D. successful
39. A. separation             B. death                  C. disease               D. treatment
40. A. still                  B. also                   C. even                 D. therefore
41. A. changed               B. spoiled                 C. shaped                     D. held
42. A. beyond               B. besides                 C. without              D. over
43. A. most                 B. little                   C. more                 D. less
44. A. enjoy                B. share                  C. control              D. choose
45. A. ignore                B. value                 C. stress                 D. remember
46. A. disappearing           B. escaping               C. coming              D. leaving
47. A. find                  B. think                  C. take                 D. make
48. A. affairs                B. quarrels                C. hardships             D. memories
49. A. surely                 B. always                C. ever                       D. never
50. A. endless                B. abundant              C. valuable              D. limited
51. A. called off              B. gave off              C. put off                     D. took off
52. A. sorry                 B. disappointed           C. shameful             D. embarrassed
53. A. value                 B. laughter              C. imagination                 D. freedom
54. A. common               B. unforgettable                C. special               D. similar
55. A. offer                  B. promise                    C. smile                D. gift