Not all think laughter is the best medicine, but it seems to help．So scientists carried on a new study of diabetes （糖尿病） patients who were given a good dose of humor for a year to prove it．

Researchers divide 20 high-risk diabetic patients into two groups．Both groups were given standard diabetes medicine．Group L viewed 30 minutes of humor of their choice, while Group C, the control group, did not．This went on for a year of treatments．

By two months into the study, the patients in the laughter group had lower level of the hormones epinephrine （肾上腺素）, considered to cause stress, which is known to be deadly．After the 12 months, HDL cholesterol rises 26 percent in Group L but only 3 percent in Group C．In another measure, C-reactive proteins, a maker of heart disease, drop 66 percent in the laughter group but only 26 percent in the control group．

“The best doctors believe that there is a physical good brought about by the positive emotion, happy laughter,” said study leader Lee Berk of Loma Linda University．And other research has found that humor makes us more hopeful．Still, more study is needed, Berk said．The research by Berk found that humor can bring about similar changes in body chemistry, which was proved in the new study．The research result will be presented this month at the meeting in the US．Research at the University of Maryland School of Medicine shows that laughter causes the inner lining of blood vessels to expand, increasing blood flow in a way thought to be healthy．

“Lifestyle choices have an important effect on health and these are choices which we and patients should pay attention to, rather than prevention and treatment,” Berk said in a statement this week．

1.Why did the scientists carry on the new research?

A．To find out if laughter was good to health．

B．To discover the best medicine to cure diabetes．

C．Because the number of diabetic patients is the largest in the world．

D．Because diabetic patients need more laughter than other patients．

2.After 12 months into the study, ___________．

A．C-reactive proteins increase 66 percent in Group C

B．the level of the hormones epinephrine stays the same in both groups

C．the level of the hormones epinephrine has dropped

D．C-reactive proteins reduced 66 percent in Group L

3.The underlined part “HDL cholesterol” in Paragraph 3 must be _______．

A．something bad to our health               B．something good to our health

C．a kind of wonderful medicine              D．a kind of dangerous disease

4.In what way does laughter benefit people’s health?

A．Blood is made thick by laughter．

B．Laughter makes blood vessels thin．

C．Laughter increases blood pressure．

D．Laughter makes blood flow fast．

5.According to Berk, we should _________．

A．choose lifestyles carefully

B．change our lifestyles

C．prevent our lifestyles in advance

D．pay less attention to the positive emotion

The possibility that pleasant smells might reduce pain has recently been suggested by new research. In a scientific study, doctors asked 20 men and 20 women to keep their hands in very hot water for as long as possible while breathing in different smells.

As people believe that strong smells can affect the senses, volunteers were asked not to eat or drink for eight hours before the experiment began. During the experiment, volunteers were asked to take in pleasant smells such as vanilla (香草), and unpleasant smells such as durians (榴莲). The volunteers kept their hands in the water until it became too hot for them. When they could not bear the pain any more, they took their hands out of the water.

Scientists are interested in whether the senses or smell is related to pain and whether men and women have the same senses. Now, the study has proved that for women, pleasant smells reduce pain. For men, there is no change.

Dr Finkelstein has been studying smells since 1999. He says that scientists already have data from 40 volunteers. He adds that this year, scientists will test another 60 volunteers and will be in a better position to explain the results.

One explanation is that women’s sense of smell developed long ago, and is linked to recognizing the smell of babies. Scientists used to believe that mothers recognized their children by sight only. Now, they have started to believe that the sense of smell also helps, but why pleasant smells do not reduce pain in men is a question still to be answered by scientists.

1.Before the experiment, volunteers ______.

A．are gathered and take a training

B．cannot eat or drink for several hours

C．must wash their hands carefully

D．will be interviewed by Dr Finkelstein

2.If both men and women are asked to keep their hands in hot water while taking in some pleasant smells, ______.

A．women may stand the pain of the hot water longer

B．men may keep their hands in the hot water longer

C．they will probably take their hands out at the same time

D．we are not quite sure who will take their hands out earlier

3.From the passage we learn that _________.

A．the reason why women are sensitive to smells is clear

B．the experiment for the sense of smell has come to an end

C．unpleasant smells affect men’s senses more than women’s

D．scientists have not totally explained the result of the study

4.Now scientists believe that _______.

A．mothers recognize their children only by sight

B．men’s sense of smell developed a long time ago

C．strong smells have a great influence on people’s senses

D．smells are helpful for mothers to spot their children

5.The writer wrote the passage in order to ________.

A．supply some entertainment to us

B．show women’s sharper senses than men’s

C．inform the readers of some knowledge

D．call for volunteers for the experiment

III  阅读理解（共25小题；每小题2分，满分50分）

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。                                 

It doesn't matter when or how much a person sleeps, but everyone needs some rest to stay alive. That's what all doctors thought, until they heard about Al Herpin. Al Herpin, it was said, never slept. Could this be true? The doctors decided to see this strange man themselves.

Al Herpin was 90 years old when the doctors came to his home in New Jersey. They thought for sure that he got some sleep of some kind. So they stayed with him and watched every movement he made. But they were surprised. Though they watched him hour after hour and day after day, they never saw Herpin sleeping. In fact, he did not even own a bed. He never needed one.

The only rest that Herpin sometimes got was sitting in a comfortable chair and reading newspapers. The doctors were puzzled by this strange continuous sleeplessness. They asked him many questions, hoping to find an answer. They found only one answer that might explain his condition. Herpin remembered some talk about his mother having been injured several days before he was born. But that was all. Was this the real reason? No one could be sure.

Al Herpin died at the age of 95. 

41.The main idea of this passage is that _______

A. everyone needs some sleep to stay alive

B. people can live longer by trying not to sleep

C. large numbers of people do not need sleep

D. a person was found who actually didn't need any sleep

42.The doctors came to visit Herpin, expecting ______

A. to find out whether his sleeplessness was really true

B. to find out why some old people didn't need any sleep

C. to find a way to free people from the need of sleeping

D. to cure him of his sleeplessness

43. After watching him closely, the doctors came to believe that Al Herpin ____

A. needed no sleep at all                     B. needed some kind of sleep   

C . was too old to need any sleep       D .often slept in a chair

44.One reason that might explain Herpin' s sleeplessness was ______

A. his mother's injury before he was born

B. his magnificent physical condition

C. that he had gradually got rid of the sleeping habit

D. that he hadn't got a bed

45.Al Herpin' s condition could be regarded as ______

A. a common one      B. very healthy      C. one that could be cured    D. a rare one

It doesn’t matter when and how much a person sleeps , but everyone needs some rest to stay alive. That’s what all doctors thought , until they heard about Herpin. Herpin, it was said , never slept. Could this be true? The doctors decided to see this strange man themselves.

Herpin was 90 years old when the doctors came to his home in New Jersey. They thought for sure that he got some sleep of some kind. So they stayed with him and watched every movement he made. But they were surprised. Though they watched him hour after hour and day after day, they never saw him sleeping. In fact, he did not even own a bed. He never needed one.

The only rest that Herpin sometimes got was sitting in a comfortable chair and reading newspapers. The doctors were puzzled by this strange continuous sleeplessness. They asked him many questions, hoping to find an answer. They found only one answer that might explain his condition. Herpin remembered some talk about his mother having been injured several days before he was born. But that was all. Was this the real reason? No one could be sure. Herpin died at the age of 94.

1.The main idea of this passage is that_____

A．large numbers of people do not need sleep

B．a person was found who actually didn’t need any sleep

C．everyone needs some sleep to stay alive

D．people can live longer by trying not to sleep

2.The doctors came to visit Herpin, expecting_____

A．to cure him of his sleeplessness

B．to find that his sleeplessness was not really true

C．to find out why some old people did not need any sleep

D．to find a way to free people from the need of sleeping

3.After watching him closely, the doctors came to believe that Herpin_____

A．needed some kind of sleep

B．was too old to need any sleep

C．needed no sleep at all

D．often sleep in a chair

4.One reason that might explain Herpin’s sleeplessness was _____

A．his mother’s injury before he was born

B．that he had gradually got rid of the sleeping habit

C．his magnificent physical condition

D．that he hadn’t got a bed

5.Herpin’s condition could be regarded as ______

A．a common one     B．one that could be cured                  C．very healthy D．a rare one

In the middle of the night, Peter's wife suddenly fell ill. She couldn't help crying, “Oh， my stomach! Get the  1 !”

Peter, awaking from a deep sleep, thought his wife was only having a   2  dream.

“Stop that noise,” he said to her. He turned over and tried to go to   3  again, but his wife still cried out, “Oh, help！help！ I'm sure I'm   4  .”

Peter got out of bed and started   5 , but he could not find him any clothes.

“Where is my shirt?” he asked. His wife was   6  ill to tell him, and she could only cry, “Oh, my   7   stomach!”

As soon as he had put his clothes   8 , he said, “Now, my dear, are you quite   9 that you need the doctor? Surely you can wait   10  morning, can’t you?”

“No, I can't. Go, go, go,” his wife shouted, “  11  you will find me dead   12  the morning.”

So Peter went out into the dark street. He had only gone a few meters   13  he heard his wife calling him again．

“I’m   14  again now, and I shall not want the doctor.” she said softly.

Hearing this, he started running as   15  as he could towards the doctor’s. When he arrived there, he knocked at the door loudly enough to wake   16  around.

The doctor put his sleepy head out of the bedroom window and said, “Er? Who’s there?”

“Oh, Doctor.” Peter called up to him, “I have very   17  news for you. My wife   18 ill with a terrible stomachache. I was on my way to bring you to her, but she called me back to say the trouble had suddenly  19  her. So you need not come. Go back to   20  now, and sleep well!”

1.                A．driver          B．nurse          C．doctor   D．child

2.                A．terrible         B．interesting      C．surprising D．wonderful

3.                A．bed           B．sleep           C．dream    D．hospital

4.                A．walking         B．dying           C．aching    D．sleeping

5.                A．dressing        B．wearing         C．raising    D．working

6.                A．very           B．so             C．too  D．quite

7.                A．good           B．bad            C．wrong    D．poor

8.                A．down          B．off             C．on   D．up

9.                A．surprised       B．afraid          C．certain   D．worried

10.               A．before         B．for            C．to    D．until

11.               A．and           B．but            C．so    D．or

12.               A．after           B．in             C．before    D．until

13.               A．after           B．when          C．before    D．while

14.               A．good          B．wrong          C．all right    D．right

15.               A．fast            B．slowly          C．hurriedly  D．happily

16.               A．everyone       B．someone       C．no one    D．doctors

17.               A．good          B．bad            C．necessary  D．ill

18.               A．fell            B．stayed         C．grew D．failed

19.               A．gone off        B．missed         C．pleased   D．left

20.               A．your home      B．your bedroom   C．your dream D．bed