A lot of us lose life's tough battles by starting a frontal attack--when a touch of humor might well enable us to win. Consider the case of a young friend of mine, who was on his trapped way to work shortly after receiving an ultimatum(最后通牒) about the job. Although there was a good reason for Sam's 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, except that the supervisor had to clamp 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, 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 on television are doing more today for racial and religious tolerance than people in any other forum.
1. Why was Sam late for his job?
A. Because he was seriously ill at home.    B. Because he received an ultimatum.
C. Because he was caught in a traffic jam.   D. Because he was busy applying for a new job.
2. What is the main idea of this passage?
A. Sam Maynard saved his job with humor     B. Humor is important in our lives
C. Early bird can get the worm               D. Humor can solve racial discriminations
3. The phrase "clamp off" in Paragraph 3 means__________.
A. try to hold back    B. pretend to set      C. send off         D. give out
4. 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 lot of us lose life's tough battles by starting a frontal attack--when a touch of humor might well enable us to win. Consider the case of a young friend of mine, who was on his trapped way to work shortly after receiving an ultimatum(最后通牒) about the job. Although there was a good reason for Sam's 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, except that the supervisor had to clamp 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, 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 on television are doing more today for racial and religious tolerance than people in any other forum.

1. Why was Sam late for his job?

   A. Because he was seriously ill at home.    B. Because he received an ultimatum.

   C. Because he was caught in a traffic jam.   D. Because he was busy applying for a new job.

2. What is the main idea of this passage?

   A. Sam Maynard saved his job with humor     B. Humor is important in our lives

   C. Early bird can get the worm               D. Humor can solve racial discriminations

3. The phrase "clamp off" in Paragraph 3 means__________.

   A. try to hold back    B. pretend to set      C. send off         D. give out

4. 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.

Teary Joe was a boy with a special ability: he could cry in less than a second．If he  36 something or things became difficult, Joe would  37 a pitiful face．In this way he got everything he wanted,  38     no one could resist（抗拒） his sad face．

But one day, Joe met Pipo．Pipo was begging in the street for some  39 ．Pipo was very poor, but he always had the biggest_ 40 on his face．

Joe decided to help Pipo make some money．He went over to Pipo, took off his hat, and started crying with the most pitiful_  41 ．

In a few minutes, Joe's hat was full of coins, but when Joe offered all these to Pipo, Pipo  42      him down．

"I prefer  43 what I receive," answered Pipo with his usual smile．"It's much more fun making a（n）44 to get things．Today I've washed a dog,  45 a blind old lady to the park and helped a stranger to mind his bag．Maybe I haven't gotten what I've wanted, but I've done many  46 things．"

Joe walked  47 away．He had gotten everything he wanted, but he'd done  48  nothing of interest．He hadn't even  49  himself spending almost all his time crying．

That evening, Joe_  50 a delicious cake for his supper．When his mother  51 , Joe tried to cry, but_ 52 how joyful Pipo was, Joe couldn't do it．Instead, he had an idea．He tried to get the cake in another way． Joe spent the whole evening helping his mother water the Plants and   53 the rooms．

In the end there was no  54 ．But that wasn't so bad, because Joe  55 it had been much more fun doing all those than just crying to get a piece of cake．

1.                A．damaged       B．ignored         C．bought   D．disliked

2.                A．put on         B．put up          C．put down D．put off

3.                A．though         B．until           C．because  D．unless

4.                A．food           B．money         C．presents  D．suggestions

5.                A．smile          B．doubt          C．pity  D．dream

6.                A．exhibitions      B．agreements      C．resources D．expressions

7.                A．set            B．turned         C．calmed   D．settled

8.                A．inspecting       B．consulting       C．deserving D．asking

9.                A．effort          B．promise        C．excuse   D．difference

10.               A．accompanied    B．accompanying   C．companied D．companying

11.               A．useless         B．difficult         C．hopeful   D．meaningful

12.               A．lightly          B．sadly           C．carefully   D．cheerfully

13.               A．secretly        B．hardly          C．really D．eagerly

14.               A．enjoyed        B．missed         C．noticed   D．caught

15.               A．cooked         B．prepared       C．showed   D．wanted

16.               A．admitted       B．allowed        C．refused   D．decided

17.               A．understanding   B．suggesting      C．commenting    D．remembering

18.               A．visit           B．clean          C．check D．leave

19.               A．cake           B．chance         C．luck  D．choice

20.               A．regretted       B．argued         C．discovered D．suggested

 (10·天津D篇)

To err is human. To blame the other guy is even more human.

Common sense is not all that common.

Why tell the truth when you can come up with a good excuse?

These three popular misquotes(戏谑的引语)are meant to be jokes, and yet they tell us a lot about human nature .To err, or to make mistakes, is indeed a part of being human, but it seems that most people don’t want to accept the responsibility for the problem. Perhaps it is the natural thing to do .The original quote about human nature went like this:” To err is human, to forgive, divine(神圣的).”This saying mirrors an deal people should be forgiving of others’ mistakes. Instead, we tend to do the opposite –find someone else to pass the blame on to. However, taking responsibility for something that went wrong is a making of great maturity.

Common sense is what we call clear thought. Having common sense means having a good general plan that will make things work well, and it also means staying with the plan. Common sense tells you that you take an umbrella out into a rainstorm, but you leave the umbrella home when you hear a weather forecast for sunshine．Common sense does not seem to be common for large organizations, because there are so many things going on that one person cannot be in charge of everything. People say that in a large company,”the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing.”

And what is wrong with a society that thinks that making up a good excuse is like creating a work of art? One of the common problems with making excuses is that people, especially young people. get the idea that it’s okay not to be totally honest all the time. There is a corollary(直接推论)to that: if good excuse is “good”even if it isn’t honest, then where is the place of the truth?

51. According to tile passage, which of following seems the most human?

A. To search for truth．          B. To achieve one’s ideal

C. To make fun of others’mistakes．D. To criticize others for one’s own error.

52．According to the author, what is a sign of a man’s maturity?

A．Doing things his own way.

B．Bearing responsibility for his mistakes.

C．Making as few mistakes as possible．

D．Thinking seriously about his wrongdoing.

53．Which of the following is NOT based on common sense?

A．A man tries to take charge of everything in a large company.

B．A student goes out with an umbrella in stormy weather.

C．A company’s next move follows a good plan．

D．A lawyer acts on fine judgments．

54. What is the author’s opinion about a good excuse?

A. Making a good excuse is sometimes a better policy.

B. Inventing a good excuse needs creative ideas.

C. A good excuse is as rewarding as honesty.

D. Bitter truth is better than a good excuse.

55. What would be the best title for his passage?

A. A Mirror of Human Nature  B. To Blame or to Forgive

C. A Mark of Maturity   D. Truth or Excuse

Tabb doesn't look like a typical music teacher. But every weekday evening in the French Quarter New Orleans, he beats out the rhythm on his music stand as students play their chosen instruments.
“I'm doing my best to take young people away from harmful things,” said Tabb. His program,  "The Roots of Music”, offers free music education to more than 100 students. He struggles to keep young people on the straight and narrow in the city with the nation's highest murder rate(凶杀率).
Tabb chose to target 9­to14­year­olds with his program. “That's a very important time in your life,” he said. “If I catch them then, I can hold onto them for at least four or five years and guide them the way that will lead them to success.”
Students meet from 4 pm to 7 pm every weekday, all year round. They work with tutors(助教) on schoolwork, practice their music and eat a hot meal before heading home. With the money provided by some people, Tabb's group is able to provide bus transportation, instruments and food for free. He calls it his “no excuse” policy. “You have no excuse why you're not here,” Tabb said. Tabb owes the success in part to the nature of music. “You're always learning something new,”he said. “That's what keeps the kids coming back every day.”
But the program isn't only about fun. “Music is about discipline (纪律),”said Tabb. He insists on good behavior and keeps kids in order with threats of sit­ups(仰卧起坐), pushups(俯卧撑) or tasks like picking up grains of rice — but these measures aren't just punishment. Tabb wants young people to realize that music can help them build a better future. “I don't say that I'm saving lives,” he said. “I say I'm giving life — a whole different life of music.”
【小题1】The underlined phrase  "keep young people on the straight and narrow” may mean ________.