Whether we find a joke funny or not largely depends on where we have been brought up．The sense of humour is mysteriously(神秘地)connected with national characteristics．A Frenchman ,for instance, might find it hard to laugh at Russian joke．In the same way, a Russian might fail to see anything amusing in a joke which would make an Englishman laugh to tears．

       Most funny stories are based on comic situations．In spite of national differences, certain funny situations have a worldwide request．No matter where you live, you would find it difficult not to laugh at, say ,Charlie Chaplin’s early films．However, a new type of humour, which stems largely from America, has recently come into fashion．It is called “sick humour”．Comedians base their jokes on tragic situations like violent (cause by force)death or serious accidents．Many people find this sort of joke distasteful．The following example of “sick humour” will enable you to judge for yourself．

A man who had broken his right leg was taken to hospital a few weeks before Christmas．From the moment he arrived there, he kept on pestering(纠缠) his doctor tell him when he would be able to go home．He was afraid of having to spend Christmas in hospital ．Though the doctor did his best, the patient’s recovery was slow．On Christmas day, however, the doctor consoled(安慰)him by telling him that his chances of being able to leave hospital in time for New Year celebrations were good．The man took heart and, sure enough , on New Year’s Eve he was able to hobble(跛行) along to a party．To compensate(补偿)for his unpleasant experiences in hospital , the man drank a little more than what was good for him．In the process, he enjoyed himself and kept telling everybody how much he hated hospitals．He was still mumbling something about hospitals at the end of the party when he slipped on a piece of ice and broke his left leg．

Whether you find “sick humour” funny or not will depend on ________．

       A．your having been brought up in America                           

B．the joke being related to a really comic situation

       C．your ability to see the funny side of an unpleasant event  

D．your ability to laugh until you cry

The man spent Christmas day feeling miserable because ________．

       A．the doctor had failed to cure him                 

B．he was not able to be with his friends

       C．being unable to walk, he did not enjoy the celebrations at the hospital

       D．he thought he might also miss the New Year’s Eve celebration

The point of the joke taken to explain “sick humour” is that ________．

       A．no sooner was the out of hospital than he had to go back in again．

       B．the man should not have said how much he hated hospitals

       C．the man would be unable to walk for the rest of his life  

D．the man had not got a leg to stand on

What can you learn from this story ?

       A．On New Year’s Eve, the man was able to walk properly to the party．

       B．At the party , he enjoyed himself but only drank a little．

       C．He had to go to hospital again though he hated it．

       D．The man got well soon because the doctor took good care of him．

Part Three: Reading Comprehension

I.  Fill in the blanks, using the proper forms of the words below.

( respect, watch, wander off, nest, worthwhile, discover, forest, where, argue, observe, work out, sleep, behave, entertainment, understand )

A PROTECTION OF AFRICAN WILDLIFE

It is 5:45 am and the sun is just rising over Gombe National Park in East Africa. Our group are all going to visit the chimps in the     1   . Jane has studied these animals for many years and helped people   2    how much they    3   like humans.     4    a family of chimps wake up is our first activity of the day. This means going back to a place   5  we left the chimp family    6   in a tree the night before. Everybody sits and waits while the animals in the group begin to wake up and move. Then we follow as the family begins to    7   into the forest. Most of the time, chimps either feed or clean each other as a way of showing love in their family. Jane warns us that everybody will be very tired and dirty by the afternoon and she is right. But the evening makes it all    8   . The mother chimp and her babies play in the tree and, after they come into her arms, we see them go to sleep together in their    9  for the night.

Nobody before has fully understand chimp behaviour. Jane spent many years   10   and recording their daily activities. She did not study at a university but she was determined to work with animals in their own environment. When she arrived at Gombe in 1960, it was unusual for a woman to live in the forest. Only after her mother came to help her for the first few months was she allowed to begin her project. Her work changed the way people think about chimps. For example, one thing she    11   was that chimps hunt and eat meat. Until then everyone had thought chimps ate only fruit and nuts. She actually observed chimps as a group hunting a monkey and then eating it. She also discovered how chimps communicate with each other and her study of their body language helped her   12   their social system

For forty years Jane Goodall has been helping the rest of the world understand and   13 the life of these animals. She has   14   for them to be left in the wild and not used for         15    or advertisements. She has set up special places where they can live safely. Her life is very busy but as she says:

“Once I stop, it all comes crowding in and I remember the chimps in laboratories. It’s terrible. It affects me when I watch the wild chimps. I say to myself, ‘Aren’t they lucky?’ And then think about small chimps in cages though they have done nothing wrong. Once you have seen that you can never forget…”

She has achieved everything she wanted to do: working with animals in their own environment, gaining a doctor’s degree for studies, showing that women can live in the forest as men can. She inspires those who want to cheer the achievements of women.  

Does Fame Drive You Crazy?

Although being famous might sound like a dream come true, today’s star, feeling like zoo animals, face pressures that few of us can imagine. They are at the center of much of the world’s attention. Paparazzi (狗仔队) camp outside their homes, cameras ready. Tabloids (小报) publish thrilling stories about their personal lives. Just imagine not being able to do anything without being photographed or interrupted for a signature.

According to psychologist Christina Villareal, celebrities — famous people — worry constantly about their public appearance. Eventually, they start to lose track of who they really are, seeing themselves the way their fans imagine them, not as the people they were before everyone knew their names. “Over time,” Villareal says, “they feel separated and alone.”

The phenomenon of tracking celebrities has been around for ages. In the 4th century B.C., painters followed

Alexander the Great into battle, hoping to picture his victories for his admirers. When Charles Dickens visited America in the 19th century, his sold-out readings attracted thousands of fans, leading him to complain (抱怨) about his lack of privacy. Tabloids of the 1920s and 1930s ran articles about film-stars in much the same way that modern tabloids and websites do.

Being a public figure today, however, is a lot more difficult than it used to be. Superstars cannot move about without worrying about photographers with modern cameras. When they say something silly or do something ridiculous, there is always the Internet to spread the news in minutes and keep their “story” alive forever.

If fame is so troublesome, why aren’t all celebrities running away from it? The answer is there are still ways to deal with it. Some stars stay calm by surrounding themselves with trusted friends and family or by escaping to remote places away from big cities. They focus not on how famous they are but on what they love to do or whatever made them famous in the first place.

Sometimes a few celebrities can get a little justice. Still, even stars who enjoy full justice often complain about how hard their lives are. They are tired of being famous already.

1.It can be learned from the passage that stars today___.

A．are often misunderstood by the public

B．can no longer have their privacy protected

C．spend too much on their public appearance

D．care little about how they have come into fame

2.What is the main idea of Paragraph 3?

A．Great heroes of the past were generally admired.

B．The problem faced by celebrities has a long history.

C．Well-known actors are usually targets of tabloids.

D．Works of popular writers often have a lot of readers.

3. What makes it much harder to be a celebrity today?

A．Availability of modern media.              B．Inadequate social recognition.

C．Lack of favorable chances.                D．Huge population of fans.

4.What is the author’s attitude toward modern celebrity?

A．Sincere.          B．Sceptical.          C．Disapproving.      D．Sympathetic.

请阅读下列应用文及其相关信息，并按照要求匹配信息。
下面是几条与节日有关的报道，首先请阅读这些报道的标题和插图：
（注意：如果选择E，则在答题卡上同时填涂A和B选项；如果选择F，则在答题卡上同时填涂C和D选项。）

A.		Father’s Day Shortchanged? Humble History, Fewer Gifts With Father’s Day 2011 here, find out how the holiday started, why Dad doesn’t mind being shortchanged on gifts, and more.
B.		Why Mother’s Day Horrified, Ruined Its Own Mother Born of war, Mother’s Day grew to horrify its own mother, whose fight to fix the holiday “cost her everything, financially and physically.”
C.		Valentine’s Day Facts: Gifts, History, and Love Science Where did Valentine’s Day come from? What does it cost? And why do we fall for it, year after year?
D.		Thanksgiving 2010 Myths and Facts Before the big dinner, debunk the myths—for starters, the first “real” Thanksgiving wasn’t until the 1800s—and get to the roots of Thanksgiving 2010.
E.		4th of July Facts: 1st Fests, Number of Fireworks, More How did Founding Fathers Celebrate 4th of July? How many 4th of July fireworks explode each year? Answers and more.
F.		Earth Day at 40: What Good Is It Now? After 40 years, outsourced activism is replacing traditional Earth Day activities, and green’s gone mainstream, experts say. So what’s the point?

根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项是多余选项。

Learning English online is an effective way to improve your English. But with any type of learning you need to be prepared. This passage will give you advice and tips on how to get the most out of your online lessons.

     1     

   This is an obvious point but also the most important one. A computer, a good Internet connection and a headset are what you will need to take classes online. A web camera is also pretty important. Make sure that your computer is turned on, that everything is plugged in correctly and that you have tested the connection. Doing this before the class means that you will be ready when the lesson starts

  Take the classes somewhere quiet.

       2     Trying to listen and participate(参与) in English classes is very difficult when there is noise around you. So find a quiet room and make sure that no one disturbs you while you are taking your lesson.

        3     

  When grammar or anything else is being taught, make sure that you understand it. You won’t need to practice it at this time; just make sure that everything is clear. If you don’t understand what is being taught, ask your teacher to explain it again. Your teacher will be more than happy to deal with whatever puzzles you.

  Practice speaking English.

  Every class is an opportunity to practice your English speaking with a native and qualified teacher. Try to allow the conversation to flow by listening and talking in a natural way.    4     The teacher should note the mistakes and correct them at a later time.

  Relax.

  Come to class feeling relaxed and excited.    5     Come into the class excited about learning English. You will be able to get more out of the class this way.

 A. Review after the lesson

 B. Make sure everything is ready.

 C. Understand what is being taught.

 D. Get away from everything that may be going on in your home

 E. Language learning should be enjoyable especially in online classes.

 F. You will meet many problems when you are learning English online.

 G. This is your chance to speak English without worrying about too many mistakes.