It is thought that crying is hardly an activity encouraged by society. Tear, whether they are of sorrow, anger, or joy, typically make Americans feel uncomfortable and embarrassed. The shedder of tears (落泪者) is likely to apologize, even when a great tragedy was the cause. The observer of tears is likely to do everything possible to put an end to the emotional tears. But judging from recent studies of crying behavior, both those responses to tears are often inappropriate and may even be counterproductive (适得其反).

Humans are the only animals clearly known to shed emotional tears. Since evolution has given rise to few purposeless physiological responses, it is logical to assume that crying has one or more functions that enhance (increase) survival.

Although some observers have suggested that crying is a way to ask for assistance form others (as a crying baby might from its mother), the shedding of tears is hardly necessary to get help. Vocal cries would have been quite enough, more likely than tears to gain attention. So, it appears, there must be something special about tears themselves.

Indeed, the new studies suggest that emotional tears may play a direct role in alleviating stress, University of Minnesota researchers who are studying the chemical composition of tears have recently isolated two important chemicals from emotional tears. Both chemicals are found only in tears that are shed in response to emotion. Tears shed because of exposure to cut onion would contain no such substance.

Other researchers are investigating the usefulness of tears as a means of diagnosing human ills and monitoring drugs. At Tulane University’s Teat Analysis Laboratory Dr. Peter Kastl and his colleagues report that they can use tears to detect drug abuse, to study the causes of “dry eye” syndrome（综合症）and the effects of eye surgery, and perhaps even to measure exposure to environmental pollutants.

What does the phrase “both those responses” in Paragraph 1 refer to ?

       A．Crying out of sorrow and shedding tears for happiness.

       B．The embarrassment and unpleasant sensation of the observers.

       C．The tear shedder’s apology and the observer’s effort to stop the crying.

       D．Linking illness with crying and finding the chemical composition of tears.

From the passage we can infer that        .

       A．it is unnatural for people to shed tears

       B．we can reduce our stress by shedding tears

       C．shedders of tears can’t get help by crying loudly

       D．unlike animals, humans can shed tears for survival

What does the passage mainly talk about?

       A．Roles of emotional tears. B．functions of shedding tears.

       C．Unwelcome shedders of tears. D．Research on the effects of tears.

                                     MEN VS. WOMEN

COMPARING NICKNAMES

　If Laura, Suzanne, Debra and Rose go out for lunch, they will call each other Laura, Suzanne, Debra and Rose.

　If Mike, Charlie, Bob and John go out, they will affectionately refer to each other as Fat Boy, Godzilla (怪兽), Peanut-Head and Scrappy.

EATING OUT

When the bill arrives, Mike, Charlie, Bob and John will each throw in $20, even though it’s only for $32.50. None of them will have anything smaller, and none will actually admit they want change back.

　When the girls get their bill, out come the pocket calculators.

MONEY

　A man will pay $2 for a $1 item he wants.

　A woman will pay $1 for a $2 item that she doesn’t want.

BATHROOMS

　A man has six items in his bathroom: a toothbrush, comb, shaving cream, razor, a bar of soap, and a towel from the Holiday Inn.

　The average number of items in the typical woman’s bathroom is 337... A man would not be able to identify most of these items.

ARGUMENTS

　A woman has the last word in any argument.

　Anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument.

CATS

Women love cats.

　Men say they love cats, but when women aren’t looking, men kick cats.

FUTURE

　A woman worries about the future until she gets a husband.

　A man never worries about the future until he gets a wife.

SUCCESS

　A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend.

　A successful woman is one who can find such a man.

MARRIAGE

　A woman marries a man expecting he will change, but he doesn’t.

　A man marries a woman expecting that she won’t change and she does.

DRESSING UP

A woman will dress up to go shopping, water the plants, empty the garbage, answer the phone, read a book, and get the mail.

　A man will only dress up for weddings and funerals.

NATURAL

　Men wake up as good-looking as they went to bed.

　Women somehow deteriorate (恶化) during the night.

OFFSPRING

　Ah, children. A woman knows all about her children. She knows about dentist appointments and romances, best friends, favorite foods, secret fears and hopes and dreams.

　A man is vaguely (含糊地) aware of some short people living in the house.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Any married man should forget his mistakes. There’s no sense in two people remembering the same thing.

63. This passage is_________________.

A. a story           B. an advertisement         C. a report          D. a humor

64. The purpose of this passage is________________.

A. to inform the readers of some secrets between men and women

B. to remind the readers of the big differences between men and women

C. to amuse the readers using some interesting examples

D. to show that men perform better than women in our daily life

65. When the girls get their bill, they take out the pocket calculators_________________.

A. to make sure they won’t be cheated by the servant    B. so that they can share the bill equally among them

C. because they want to know what time it is now        D. if they forget to bring their mobile phones

66. What does the underlined sentence mean?

A. A man doesn’t know what to do before he gets married.

B. A man is worried about his future job after he gets married.

C. Anything unexpected will probably happen to a man after he gets married.

D. It’s not easy for a man to find a good job as a woman thinks.

It is the first report that home-grown food has been contaminated by radioactivity, largely Iodine(碘)-131, since the ministry ordered radiation( powerful and harmful rays that are sent out from radioactive substances) tests on food and water at the end of March in 14 mainland regions including Beijing, Tianjin, and some coastal provinces.

Sample inspections conducted on Tuesday found low levels of radioactive iodine in spinach( a kind of green vegetables) planted in Beijing, Tianjin and Henan province --- about 1-3 becquerels per kilogram (Bq/kg), the statement said.

"The contamination level detected is too low to be harmful to public health," it said.

According to health experts, radioactive iodine can accumulate in humans once ingested in high concentrations and increases the risk of thyroid cancer. But it decays naturally within weeks.

Leafy vegetables grown in the open like spinach, lettuce and leek are among the first foods to be tainted by radioactive deposits.

Raw milk is also susceptible to radioactive contamination as livestock feed on grass.

Tests carried out in March showed spinach and milk taken from farms near Japan's nuclear-stricken area had exceeded(go beyond) government-set safety limits for radiation.

No cases of tainted water or milk have been reported in China but the ministry vowed to further strengthen monitoring.

Wang Zhongwen, a researcher at the China Institute of Atomic Energy's radiation safety department, told China Daily on Wednesday that currently China only had the means to conduct food radiation tests in a few regions.

The statement also said that recent rain in Beijing and Tianjin meant radioactive substances could have fallen on vegetables.

Chen Jicang, a vegetable dealer in Beijing, said on Wednesday that concerns are growing among consumers, businesses and governments across the world.

"We have yet to see any impact on our business from the radiation, but we will keep a close eye on how the issue develops," he said.

He added that most vegetables consumed in Beijing are produced locally, and he might switch to other varieties if spinach sales suffer.

Yang Guoshan, a researcher of radiation medical science at the Academy of Military Medical Sciences, said people could safely eat products that contain low levels of Iodine-131.

"The radiation level is so low that residents don't need to spend any extra effort on cleaning them," he said.

Gao Jie, a 52-year-old resident in Tianjin said she is deeply worried because spinach is a staple part of her family's diet.

"If spinach is radioactive, is there any possibility that other types of vegetables are safe?"

Trace levels of radioactive isotope cesium-137 and -134 were detected in the air in 21 provinces and regions on Wednesday, up from 17 on Tuesday, according to China's National Nuclear Emergency Coordination Committee.

1. What does the underlined word mean in para 1?

2.Why are the spinach and milk taken from nuclear-stricken area not safe?

3. Where do you think this passage comes from?

4. What is not mentioned in the passage?

5. What do you think is mainly talked about in the passage?