Are you an optimist? Do you look at your glass and see it as half full? Do you believe that every cloud has a silver lining and that generally things turn out for the best? Do you believe that if something is meant to be, it will be? If you reply “yes” to all of these questions, then you are an optimist. You probably are enthusiastic, cheerful and outgoing. You may well be successful atwork and in love.

But you may be misguided because things don’t turn out for the best. You may believe that when one door closes another one opens (for example，you may fail to obtain a new job，another chance will come around soon), Wrong. When one door closes, another door slams in your face. That's bitter reality.

Now a book has been published which confirms what we pessimists(悲观者）have suspected all along. It's called The Positive Power of Defensive Pessimism. Its author argues that defensive pessimism can lead to positive results. Defensive pessimism is a strategy used to manage fear, anxiety and worry. Defensive pessimists prepare for things by setting low outcomes for themselves. They carefully consider everything that may go wrong and plan for ways to handle these problems. And this gives them a sense of control. Lawrence Sanno, a psychology professor, says, “What’s interesting about defensive pessimists is that they tend to be very successful people, so their low opinion of the situation’s outcomes is not realistic. They use it to motivate themselves to perform better. ”

So far, so good. This is not rocket science. Defensive pessimists prepare carefully and consider what might go wrong, whether at work, on a date or even in a sports game. It makes sense to have a back-up plan. There are many sayings in English urging caution. For example, “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket,” and “ Don’t count your chickens until they hatch. “ To have a confident and optimistic approach to life’s problems is good. But listen to what Woody Alien，the American comedian says, ”Confidence is what you have before you understand the problem.”

There are pros and cons to being an optimist and a pessimist. Don’t feel bad if you see the glass half empty. You are a realist. But lighten up and hook up with someone who sees the same glass half full.

1.What is the passage mainly about?

A．A book that has recently been published.

B．The dangers of being too optimistic.

C．The benefits of defensive pessimism.

D．How to become successful in life.

2.The underlined sentence “This is not rocket science” in paragraph 4 means     .

A．he cost is not so high                     B．there is no real proof

C．it’s not a dangerous thing to do            D．it is quite simple to understand

3.The writer would probably describe himself as          .

A．an optimist        B．a realist           C．a defeatist         D．a scientist

4.Which of the following English expressions would a defensive pessimist believe?

A．“Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.”

B．“Every cloud has a silver lining.”

C．“Whatever will be, will be.”

D．“The glass is half full not half empty.”

Teddy Bears have been a very popular children’s toy for many years. Most adults can remember their first stuffed（填充玩具）bear, and over the decades these toys have become nearly a symbol of their childhood. However, children are not the only ones with whom these toys have become popular, as many adults make it a habit to collect these toys as well.

The Teddy Bear first became popular during the early 20th century and was associated with then President Theodore Roosevelt. The story can date back to a hunting trip that President Roosevelt had taken where he was invited to be the one to shoot a black bear that had been tied to a tree. Being a crazy outdoors lover and hunter, Roosevelt refused to kill the animal because he believed that shooting the helpless bear was unsportsmanlike and wrong. This story quickly spread through newspapers across the country, and in the end inspired the introduction of a stuffed toy called “Teddy’s bear”.

These toys became popular soon after first introduced, and within ten years, they were being produced by dozens of companies around the world. Within a generation, these stuffed bears were “the” toy to have, and have always been within children’s toy boxes ever since.

They are most often mass-produced in factories in order to keep up with the high demand.  However, there are still companies that take great pride in their handmade designs; and while handmade teddy bears are often preferred, they are also generally more expensive than their mass-produced ones.

Today, these bears and other similar toys generate well over a billion dollars a year in profits for the companies that make them. Walk through just about any toy store in America and you will find dozens of different teddy bears lining the shelves.

1.According to the passage, we can know President Roosevelt ______.

A. didn’t like hunting                    

B. enjoy being special

C. was not brave enough               

D. was fair and respectable

2.Compared with mass-produced teddy bears, the handmade ones ______.

A. don’t sell well                        

B. are of high quality

C. are more expensive                 

D. are preferred by adults

3.From the last paragraph, the writer intends to show ______.

A. teddy bears are very popular       

B. toys are loved by many companies

C. producing toys can earn more money      

D. teddy bears are also enjoyed by adults

4.What is the passage mainly about?

A. History of the Teddy Bear.         

B. A popular toy — Teddy Bear.

C. Who made the first toy bear?            

D. Profits Teddy Bear have made.

Busy senior managers need no longer waste time in showering themselves－an Australian company has invented a suit that can be worn while they wash.

The suit has been specially designed so that it can be cleaned under the showerhead. There is no need for soaking (浸泡)，dry cleaning－or even soap.

The Japanese market has taken a liking to the “shower suit”，described as “revolutionary” by its owner Australian Wool Innovation (AWI)，which is the research and marketing body that represents Australian wool－growers. Orders have been placed for 170,000 of the woolen suits.

The suit could be worn in the shower，although it was probably better to hang it on a clothes hanger and carry it instead，AWI corporate affairs spokesman Stephen Feighan said.“The idea is that you hang it up and then...you give it a spray (喷雾)，and it’s dry the next morning，” Mr Feighan said.

A Japanese researcher working for AWI invented the suit by combining three technologies. The secret is the best lining (内衬)，which allows the suit to dry quickly.The shower suit attracted busy corporate people，particularly those who often traveled or stayed up late，Mr Feighan said.The airline industry was also interested.

Mr Feighan confessed he had not worn one of the suits yet，or tried to wash it in the shower，because they cut to fit Japanese figures.AWI believes that the shower suit will spread from the Japanese market through Europe and India. Mr Feighan hoped the suit，made from local wool，would be available in Australia in 12 to 18 months’ time.

1.What is the writing purpose of the article?

A．To introduce a newly－designed shower suit.

B．To help the white collars arrange their life more sensibly.

C．To provide suggestions on saving time in bath.

D．To praise AWI for its important achievement.

2.Which is true about the suit according to the passage?

A．It can spare the owner’s trouble of soaking，dry cleaning and applying soap.

B．It is of the quality of fast dry for its best cloth.

C．It is not suitable for hanging.

D．It has attracted more orders than any other suit.

3.The suit draws the attention from all the following groups EXCEPT________.

A．corporate people who are always on the go

B．people on occasional business trips

C．the airline industry

D．people burning the midnight oil

4.Which of the following has much to do with Mr Feighan?

A．The invention of the suit.

B．The try－on of the suit.

C．The combination of the three technologies on the suit.

D．The popularization of the suit and best wishes for it.

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

Since ancient times, people have known about its ability to reduce pain and high body temperature. More than 2000 years ago, the Greek doctor Hippocrates advised his patients to chew on the bark and leaves of the willow.
The tree contains a chemical called salicin（柳醇）. From salicin, researchers in the 1800s discovered how to make salicylic acid（酸）. And in 1897, a chemist named Felix Hoffmann at Friedrich Bayer and Company in Germany created acetyl salicylic acid. Later it became the active substance in a new medicine that Bayer called aspirin. The "a" came from acetyl. The "spir" came from the spirea plant, which also produces salicin. And the "in" Well, that is a common way to end medicine names.
In 1982, a British scientist shared the Nobel Prize in Medicine in part for discovering how aspirin works. Sir John Vane found that aspirin blocks the body from making natural substances called prostaglandins（前列腺素）.Prostaglandins have several effects on the body. Some cause pain and the expansion, or swelling（ 肿瘤; 膨胀）, of damaged tissue. Others protect the lining of the stomach and small intestine. Prostaglandins also make the heart, kidneys and blood vessels （血管）work well. But there is a problem. Aspirin works against all prostaglandins, good and bad. Scientists learned how aspirin interferes with an enzyme（酶）. One form of this enzyme makes the prostaglandin that causes pain and swelling. Another form of the enzyme creates a protective effect. So aspirin can reduce pain and swelling in damaged tissues. But it can also harm the inside of the stomach and small intestine（肠）.
【小题1】What sickness can the medicine from the willow deal with according to the passage?