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.

A little old couple walked slowly into McDonald ’ s on one cold winter evening. It seemed that

they didn' t come to the right place with the young families and young couples eating that night.

The little old man walked right up to the cash register, placed his order with no hesitation and then paid for their meal. The couple took a table near the back wall and started taking food off the tray. There was one hamburger, one order of French fries and one drink. The little old man unwrapped the plain hamburger and carefully cut it in half. He placed one half in front of his wife. Then he carefully counted out the French fries, divided them in two piles and neatly placed one pile in front of his wife. He took a sip at the drink and then set the cup down between them.

As the man began to eat his few bites of hamburger, the crowd began to get restless. You could tell what they were thinking, “That poor old couple. All they can afford is one meal for the two of them. ”

As the man began to eat his French fries, one young man stood and came over to the old couple ’ s table. He politely offered to buy another meal for the old couple to eat. The old man replied that they were just fine. They were used to sharing everything.

As the little old man finished eating and was wiping his face neatly with a napkin，the young man could stand it no longer. Again he came over to their table and offered to buy some food.

After being politely refused again，he finally asked a question of the little old lady，" Ma ’ am, why aren' t you eating? You said that you share everything. What is it that you are waiting for?"

She answered, "The teeth.,’

   According to the 1st paragraph, the old couple  .

A.  enjoyed the scene outside the McDonald' s

B.  didn, t look suitable for the surroundings

C.  loved being with young families and couples

D.  liked the food in McDonald' s

   The little old man cut the plain hamburger in half because  .

A.  he couldn' t finish eating it with one bite

B.  he was very careful with his food

C.  he ordered more than he could consume

D.  he wanted to share it with his wife

   The young man who offered to buy the old couple food was    .

A. impolite B. stubborn C. sympathetic  D. doubtful

   From the old lady' s answer, we know that   .

A. she was not interested in the food   B. the couple suffered a terrible toothache

C. the couple did share everything  D. she gave an irrelevant answer

On numerous drives throughout my childhood, my mother would suddenly pull over the car to examine a flower by the side of the road or rescue a beetle (甲虫) from certain tragedy while I, in my late teens and early twenties, sat impatiently in the car.

    Though Mother’s Day follows Earth Day, for me, they have always been related. My mom has been “green” since she became concerned about the environment. Part of this habit was born of thrift (节俭). Like her mother and her grandmother before her, Mom saves glass jars, empty cheese containers and re-uses her plastic bags.

    Mom creates a kind of give-and-take relationship with wildlife in her yard. She knows to pick the apples on her trees a little early to fend off the bears and that if she leaves the bird feeders out at night, it’s likely they’ll be knocked down by a family of raccoons (浣熊). Spiders that make their way into the house are captured (捕获) in a juice glass and set loose in the garden.

    I try to teach my children that looking out for the environment starts with being aware of the environment. On busy streets, we look for spent (开败的) dandelions (蒲公英) to parachute; we say hello to neighborhood cats and pick up plastic cups and paper bags. This teaching comes easily, I realize, because I was taught so well by example. Mom didn’t need to lecture; she didn’t need to beat a drum to change the world. She simply slowed down enough to enjoy living in it and with that joy came compassion and an instinct (本能) for preservation.

    I am slowing down and it isn’t because of the weight of my nearly forty years on the planet, it is out of my concern for the planet itself. I’ve begun to save glass jars and re-use packing envelopes. I pause in my daily tasks to watch the squirrels race each other through the palm (棕榈树) leaves above my porch (门廊).

    Last summer, in the company of my son and daughter, I planted tomatoes in my yard. With the heat of August around me, I ate the first while sitting on my low wall with dirt on my hands. Warm from the sun, it burst on my tongue with a sweetness I immediately wanted to share with my mom.

Why does the author say Earth Day is connected with Mother’s Day?

A. Because Mother’s Day falls shortly after Earth Day.

B. To stress that all the older women in her family are environmentalists.

C. To stress how much her mother cares about the environment.

D. Because on Mother’s Day her mother shows her how to be friend to nature.

According to the fourth paragraph, which of the following is the author’s mother NOT likely to do?

A. When she came across a lost dog, she helped it to find its shelter.

B. In spring, she spent some time watching the plants growing in the garden.

    C. She joined in the campaign to encourage the public to contribute actively towards a better environment.

    D. She walked to a nearby shop which was within ten minutes’ walk rather than drove there.

What can we conclude from the article?

A. The author’s mother is very patient with her children.

B. The author’s mother knows how to live in harmony with nature.

C. The author’s mother always took care of the wildlife that came into her yard.

D. The author’s mother used to remind her to slow down to protect the environment.

We can infer from the article that ______.

A. the author thinks that too many people now label themselves environmentalists   

B. the author’s mother knows how to get rid of the wildlife in her yard   

C. the author believes that only by learning to slow down, can we enjoy life

D. the author realizes that she should teach her children by example as well

What is the main idea of the last three paragraphs?

A. How the author taught her children to protect the environment.

B. How the author’s mother influenced the author.

C. What inspired the author to slow down and enjoy life.

D. How the author spent her time with her children.

A young executive was traveling down a neighborhood street．He was watching for kids rushing out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something．As his car passed，no children appeared．Instead，a brick smashed into his door! He slammed on the brakes(make his car stop)．The angry driver then jumped out of the car, caught the nearest kid and pushed him up against a parked car，shouting，“What was that all about and who are you?”

The young boy was apologetic．“Please，Mister．．．Please，I’m sorry…I didn’t know what else to do．I threw the brick because no one else would stop…”

With tears dripping down his face，the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car．“It’s my brother，”he said．“He fell out of his wheelchair and I can’t lift him up．”

    Now sobbing(crying silently)，the boy asked the executive，“Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He’s hurt and he’s too heavy for me．’’

   Moved beyond words，the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat．He hurriedly lifted the boy back into the wheelchair，then took out his fancy handkerchief and dabbed(a light touch) at the fresh scrapes and cuts．A quick look told him everything was going to be okay．“Thank you and may God bless you．”the grateful child told the stranger．

Shaken up for words，the man simply watched the little boy push his wheelchair—bound brother down the sidewalk toward their home．

   God whispers in our souls and speaks to our hearts．Sometimes when we don’t have time to listen，he has to throw a brick at us．Don’t go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention!

The executive slowed down because______.        .

A．he saw a boy throw a brick to his car         B．he saw a boy rush out from between cars

C．he was afraid some boys suddenly rushed out  D．a brick smashed into his door

The boy threw the brick to the car in order to_________.

A. disturb the driver on purpose    B．destroy the car of the stranger

C．ask someone to drive him home D．stop someone to help him

Knowing the reason why the boy threw the brick at his car the executive must feel       .

A．sympathized and excited   B．regretful and sympathized

C．ashamed and regretful     D．angry and regretful

After the boy’s brother feIl off his wheelchair,        .

A．the boy threw bricks at several cars  B．the boy tried to stop several cars

C．the boy’s brother was hurt seriously  D．the boy’s brother wanted to stop a car

From the last paragraph we can learn that         .

A．you shouldn’t drive so fast that someone throws at you

B．it is common to throw a brick at a car running too fast

C．you can’t go through your life without a brick throwing at you

D．you should pay more attention to others and help them

A new enemy is threatening Japanese traditions: leisure（闲暇）. As part of its attempt to increase imports, the government is trying to get people to work less and spend more. The workers are disgusted.
The figures support the western prejudice（偏见） that the Japanese are all work and no play. Trying to force workers away from their desks and machines, the government said last April that the country should cut down from its 2,100 hours average work year to 1,899 hours and a five-day week by 1992. Beginning in February, banks and stock markets will be closed on Saturdays, staff of civil service will be forced out of their offices two Saturdays a month. The government hopes that others will follow that practice.
But some persuasion will be needed. Small companies are very angry about it and they fear competitors may not cut hours. The unions are no happier: they have even advertised in newspapers arguing their case against the foreign pressure that is forcing leisure upon them. They say that shorter hours are a disguised（隐性的） pay cut. The industrialists, who have no objection to the government’s plans, admit that shorter hours will help them cut costs. Younger Japanese who are supposed to be acting against their hard-working parents, show no sign of wanting time off, either. But unlike older workers, they do spend money in their spare time. Not content with watching television, they dance, dress up, sit in cafes, go to pop concerts and generally drive the leisure-industry boom. Now that they know how to consume, maybe the West can teach them to relax and enjoy themselves, too.
【小题1】The purpose of getting the Japanese to have more spare time is that           .