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.I. (人工智能) is just starting to become part of our lives, and books and movies have been talking about A.I. and robots for years. Mostly, in these books and movies,  the computers and robots turn out to be the enemies of  the human race. Here is a selection of some famous A.I.  movies..
2001: A Space Odyssey
In the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, HAL is one of the first computers to talk like a human.  HAL is very frightening because it speaks in a calm voice as it goes on a killing spree (疯狂杀戮). When the astronauts attempt to hide in a smaller spaceship and switch off the microphones,  HAL uses a camera to read their lips and understand what the astronauts are saying.
The Terminator
In The Terminator, a computer thinks that its deadly enemies are human beings.  As a result,  the computer launches missiles (导弹) to start international wars and then builds killer robots to destroy the human race.
The Matr/x
In The Matrix,  a computer takes over the world and uses human beings for energy.   The computer keeps people alive by making them think that they are still living normal lives. A few brave rebels (叛逆者) decide to fight against the computer.
Star War movies
In the Star War movies,  computerised robots are used as servants and soldiers. R2-D2, a small cylindrical (圆柱形的) robot, and C-3PO, a tall talking robot, help some humans defeat the evil ruler,  Darth Vader,  in a dangerous battle between the forces of good and evil.
1, In the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, the astronauts switch off the microphones to
A. prevent HAL hearing whom they axe calling
B. prevent HAL hearing what they are saying
C. force HAL to use a camera
D. force HAL to speak loudly
2. If you want to know how an intelligent computer uses human beings for energy, you should watch __
A. The Terminator.
B. 2001: A Space Odyssey'
C. Star War movies
D. The Matrix
3. R2-D2 and C-3PO stand for
A. the scientific forces
B. the natural forces
C. the good forces
D. the evil forces
4. What do the four movies have in common?
A. They all have the same ending.
B. They are about a similar theme.
C. They are all based on science fiction books.
D. They started heated discussions about A.I.

A butcher watching over his shop was really surprised when he saw a dog coming inside the shop. He went over to the dog and noticed it had a note in its mouth. He took the note and it read “Can I have 12 sausages and a leg of lamb, please. The dog has money in his mouth, as well.”
The butcher looked carefully and was surprised to find that there was really a ten-dollar note there. So he took the money and put the sausages and lamb in a bag, placing it in the dog’s mouth. The butcher was so impressed, and since it was about closing time, he decided to shut up shop and follow the dog.
So off he went. He followed the dog to a bus stop. The dog stopped and started looking at the timetable. The dog checked out the time, and then sat on one of the seats provided. Along came a bus. The dog walked around to the front, looked at the number, and went back to its seat. Another bus came. Again the dog went around to the front, looked at the number and climbed on. The butcher, by now, open-mouthed, followed it onto the bus.
The bus traveled through the town and out into the suburbs. Eventually the dog got up, and moved to the front of the bus. It stood on two back paws and pushed the button to stop the bus. Then it got off with groceries still in its mouth.
Well, the dog and the butcher were walking along the road, and then the dog turned into a house. It walked up the path, and dropped the groceries on the step. Then it walked back down the path, took a big run, and threw itself against the door. Then again, it threw himself against it. There’s no answer at the house. so the dog waited at the door.
The butcher watched as a big guy opened the door, and started shouting at it. The butcher ran up, and stopped the guy. “Why do you shout at the dog? It is really a genius.” The guy responded, “You call this clever? This is the second time this week that this stupid dog’s forgotten its key.”
【小题1】Which may be the best title of the passage?

A growing number of workers at Google Inc., Facebook Inc. and other employers are trading in their sit-down desks for standing ones, saying they feel more comfortable and energized. They also are motivated by medical reports saying that sitting for too long leads to increased health risks.
A standing desk sits high off the floor so a worker can either stand at it or sit on a high stool to use it. Officials at Palo Alto-based Facebook say a number of employees asked about standing desks after news articles were published about the health risks of sitting all day.
The stories cited medical studies that tied excessive sitting to increased obesity and other health problems because of factors including a drop in physical activity. A 2010 study by the American Cancer Society found that women who sat more than six hours a day were 37% more likely to die prematurely than women who sat for less than three hours, while the early-death rate for men was 18% higher. The American College of Cardiology released a study in January that found increased mortality (死亡率) among people who sat longer at home than those who didn't.
No one seems to compile statistics on the standing-desk trend. But anecdotal reports suggest Silicon Valley is embracing the movement.
Facebook officials say they have seen an upsurge in requests for standing desks to five to eight a week with a total of between 200 and 250 deployed (配置) at the company of more than 2,000 employees. Facebook also is trying out a treadmill station ─ where a worker can walk or run on a treadmill while tapping at a computer.
Google spokesman Jordan Newman said that 'many employees at Google opt for standing desks, and we offer them as part of our wellness program' though he said he didn't know the exact number.
Greg Hoy, 39 years old, asked for a standing desk shortly after joining Facebook seven months ago as a design recruiter. 'I don't get the 3 o'clock slump anymore,' he said. 'I feel active all day long.'
【小题1】The underlined word “motivated” in paragraph 1 can be replaced by          .

A traveler lost his way and got off the highway to see where he was. As he drove by, he saw rows and rows of pigpens and pigs running in fields. Suddenly, his eyes caught something really strange. It looked like a pig with a wooden leg.

   He drove up into the arm, where he met the farmer. “ Excuse me, ” the traveler said. “ I was just driving by and looking at all your pigs, and I just had to stop and ask about it. Tell me, is there really a pig out there with a wooden leg?” The farmer smiled. “ Oh, that would be old Caesar you saw. He’s the finest pig I’ve ever had ---and smart! Well, let me tell you a little about that pig.”

   “ One night a couple of years ago I got to drinking and I guess I had more than I should have. I fell down and knocked over a lamp. That started a fire in the house and old Caesar smelled the smoke. He came in the back door, got the wife and kid out, roused me up and got me out. There is no question about it ---- that night old Caesar saved all our lives. You know that I’m not going to forget it too easily.”

   “ Why,” the traveler said, “ this is amazing! I have never heard of a pig like this before! This is fantastic! But tell me, how did he get that wooden leg?”

   The farmer laughed and said, “ Well, when you have a pig so smart, you don’t want to eat him all at one time!”

1.The farmer thought the pig _______.

A. very fat    B. very clever    C. very kind    D. very strange

2.The passage indicates that _______.

A. the pig lost a leg in the fire

B. the farmer deeply thanked the pig

C. the pig had a very good keeper

D. the real leg had been eaten by the farmer

3.The author wants to _______.

A. report a piece of news

B. tell us a moving story

C. tell us a humorous story

D. have a joke with us