Imagine this situation. You pass a group of people. The people are talking to each other. You cannot hear what they are saying. But suddenly they start laughing. What would you think? Would you think they were laughing at something funny that one of them said? Or -- be honest with yourself -- would you think they were laughing at you? Yes, you.
Being laughed at is a common fear. But a major study published in two thousand and nine found that this fear is not the same around the world. It differs 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 percent of Finns in the study said they would think that, compared to eighty percent of people in Thailand.
Some people in the study said they felt unsure of themselves in social situations but hid their feelings of insecurity. 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 a disorder called 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 different languages. The findings appeared in the scientific journal Humor.
【小题1】People in Finland don’t believe other people are making fun of them if _________________.

Imagine this situation. You pass a group of people. The people are talking to each other. You cannot hear what they are saying. But suddenly they start laughing. What would you think? Would you think they were laughing at something funny that one of them said? Or—be honest with yourself—would you think they were laughing at you? Yes, you.
Being laughed at is a common fear. But a major study published in two thousand and nine found that this fear is not the same around the world. It differs 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 percent of Finns in the study said they would think that, compared to eighty percent of people in Thailand.
Some people in the study said they felt unsure of themselves in social situations but hid their feelings of insecurity. 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 a disorder called 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 different languages. The findings appeared in the scientific journal Humor.
【小题1】People in Finland don’t believe other people are making fun of them if              .

Despite the great progress in medical science, human beings are constantly attacked by cancer, which means death. A woman named Bonnie suffered a __16__of discomforts caused by the treatment of cancer. She didn't regard cancer as a __17__ disease, but a laughing matter. She treated it in a humorous way. To put it in __18__way, she is teaching people that even though cancer isn't__19__， we can treat it in a humorous way.

Her second child was going to be born three months away __20__she was diagnosed with cancer. Suddenly, a __21__ mother turned into a helpess woman afraid for her own __22__.It was after she had had her baby__23__that she had an operation. __24__ came chemo(化疗)and her life seemed to be made up of fears and __25__. But the __26__moment in her life came after she lost all her hair and a free wig(假发)arrived. She __27__it on as her older son Kyler watched.

“That was when I decided how to __28__ it: crying over this bad wig or laughing about it. __29__ way would make __30__ remember it.” Bonnie said. She spent a lot of time looking for anything funny from cancer patients. She got a lot out of collecting__31__ stories. She started laughing a lot, finding it the perfect medicine. Using herself as a bald(光头)model, Bonnie__32__ to design her own greeting cards and calendars, making fun of the sufferings  of chemo. “To have joy, we badly __33__to laugh, ”she said.

Clearly, you can increase your confidence to__34__over any disease and trouble__35__ laughing.

16．A.set    B．series

C．way        D．pack

17．A.seriously         B．deadly

C．terribly  D．fearfully

18．A.another    B．the others

C．other     D．others

19．A.serious    B．painful

C．fun         D．fierce

20．A.before      B．until

C．while      D．when

21．A.sad  B．happy

C．fortunate      D．sick

22．A.son  B．illness

C．operation      D．life

23．A.made       B．attended

C．delivered      D．opened

24．A.Then        B．Later

25．A.failures    B．loneliness

C．wonders       D．tears

26．A.lowest      B．highest

C．great     D．ugly

27．A.wore        B．carried

C．tried       D．fastened

28．A.do with     B．deal with

C．go with  D．meet with

29．A.All     B．Any

C．Both      D．Either

30．A.myself      B．everyone

C．my son         D．my husband

31．A.detective         B．romantic

C．different        D．humorous

32．A.get down         B．set out

C．set about      D．set down

33．A.ought       B．need

C．want      D．long

34．A.get    B．think

C．run        D．take

35．A.in terms of      B．by means of

C．through the method of       D．by the way of

Every night，I watched for Miss Ellen's lights to go off. She lives next door and we are best friends，____I'm young and she's old. We both like dogs，cats and birds. Miss Ellen has another best friend，her ____，Imogene. Soon as her lights were off，I went into our kitchen and got a(n) ____ to say good­night to Imogene.

“Imogene？” I kept my voice ____ because Imogene is old and I didn't want to ____ her.

Imogene looked at me ____ I put the egg under  her. She seemed to ___ sitting on that egg. I guessed it must ____ her of good old times.

Every morning，I went to Miss Ellen's home to ____ her bread while she ate Imogene's egg.“ I should let you eat the egg too，but it's Imogene's ___ to me，”she said.

When Imogene stopped laying eggs last year，Miss Ellen became ____ and quiet. That was before I started ____ giving her one of Mom's every night.

One morning when I got to Miss Ellen's kitchen，something was ___.Miss Ellen seldom allowed Imogene in the house，but that day she was on the table. Miss Ellen was ____，holding two eggs in her hands.

“Can you ____ it？My Imogene laid this herself！It's not one of your mother's. Oh！Oh！”She ____and put her hand over her mouth.

I looked at her in ____.“You knew？”

“Yes. I'm sorry. To tell the truth，Imogene ____ that you come to visit her every day. She didn't want you to stop. So we decided to keep ____.”

It took a minute for me to ____.Then I figured it out. Both of them wanted me to come. I touched Imogene's head and smiled at Miss Ellen.

1.A. for                      B．yet                                  C．though                    D．because

2.A. dog                              B．cat                                   C．bird                     D．hen

3.A. egg                              B．apple                         C．cake                      D．drink

4.A. firm                     B．soft                                 C．loud                              D．pleasant

5.A. lose                             B．hurt                           C．keep                              D．frighten

6.A. unless                    B．since                           C．as                                    D．if

7.A. like                              B．consider                   C．regret                       D．mind

8.A. tell                      B．remind                           C．warn                        D．convince

9.A. mix                              B．cut                                  C．borrow                   D．share

10.A. promise                    B．choice                            C．gift                       D．job

11.A. sad                            B．calm                     C．boring                             D．strange

12.A. slowly                   B．secretly                           C．mainly                     D．simply

13.A. important           B．funny           C．wrong                        D．different

14.A. busy                     B．angry                     C．excited                      D．shocked

15.A. believe                     B．feel                                 C．make                            D．see

16.A. remembered          B．stopped                    C．smiled                            D．nodded

17.A. peace                  B．disappointment        C．surprise               D．confidence

18.A. hopes                  B．prefers                            C．suggests              D．loves

19.A. quiet                    B．happy                C．honest                      D．friendly

20.A. start                          B．understand          C．cry                            D．notice

Despite the great progress in medical science, human beings are constantly attacked by cancer, which means death. A woman named Bonnie suffered a   36  of discomforts caused by the treatment of cancer. She didn’t regard cancer as a   37  disease, but a laughing matter. She treated it in a humorous way. To put it in   38  way, she is teaching people that even though cancer isn't   39 , we can treat it in a humorous way.

Her second child was going to be born three months away   40  she was diagnosed with cancer. Suddenly, a   41  mother turned into a helpless woman afraid for her own   42 . It was after she had had her baby   43  that she had an operation.   44  came chemo（化疗）and her life seemed to be made up of fears and   45 . But the   46  moment in her life came after she lost all her hair and a free wig(假发) arrived. She   47  it on as her older son Kyler watched.

“That was when I decided how to   48  it: crying over this bad wig or laughing about it.   49  way would make   50  remember it.” Bonnie said. She spent a lot of time looking for anything funny from cancer patients. She got a lot out of collecting   51  stories. She started laughing a lot, finding it the perfect medicine. Using herself as a bald (光头) model, Bonnie   52   to design her own greeting cards and calendars, making fun of the sufferings of chemo.

"To have joy, we badly   53  to laugh," she said.

Clearly, you can increase your confidence to   54  over any disease and trouble   55   laughing.

1.                A．set            B．way            C．series    D．pack

2.                A．deadly         B．seriously        C．terribly   D．fearfully

3.                A．the other       B．another         C．other D．others

4.                A．serious         B．painful         C．fierce    D．fun

5.                A．before         B．when          C．while D．until

6.                A．happy          B．sad            C．fortunate D．sick

7.                A．son            B．illness          C．life D．operation

8.                A．made          B．delivered       C．attended  D．opened

9.                A．Here           B．Later           C．Thus D．Then

10.               A．failures         B．loneliness       C．tears D．wonders

11.               A．highest         B．lowest         C．great D．ugly

12.               A．wore          B．carried         C．fastened   D．tried

13.               A．deal with       B．do with         C．go with    D．meet with

14.               A．All            B．Any           C．Either D．Both

15.               A．myself         B．my son         C．everyone  D．my husband

16.A. detective  B romantic  C. humorous      D. different  

17.               A．set out         B．get down       C．set about  D．set down

18.               A．need          B．ought          C．want  D．long

19.               A．think          B．get            C．run   D．take

20.

A．in terms of                            B．by the way of

C．through the method of                   D．by means of