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 dialogue 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.
Humor is often the best way to keep a small misunderstanding from escalating into a big deal. Recently a neighbor of mine had a squabble with his wife as she drove him to the airport. Airborne, he felt miserable, and he knew she did, too. Two hours after she returned home, she received a long-distance phone call. “Person-to-person for Mrs. I. A. Pologize,” intoned the operator. “That’s spelled ‘P’ as in…” In a twinkling, the whole day changed from grim to lovely at both ends of the wire.
An English hostess with a quick wit was giving a formal dinner for eight distinguished guests whom she hoped to enlist in a major charity drive. Austerity（节俭）was a fashion in England at the time, and she had asked her children to serve the meal. She knew that anything could happen—and it did, just as her son, with the studied concentration of a tightrope walker, brought in a large roast turkey. He successfully elbowed the swinging dining-room door, but the backswing threw the bird onto the dining-room floor.
The boy stood rooted: guests stared at their plates. Moving only her head the hostess smiled at her son,” No harm, Daniel,” she said. “Just pick him up and take him back to the kitchen”… she enunciated clearly so he would think about what she was saying… “and bring in the other one.”
A wink and a one-liner instantly changed the dinner from a red-faced embarrassment to a conspiracy of fun.
【小题1】What is the main idea of the passage?

Many of us already know about several American superstitions（迷信）. Having a black cat cross your path, walking under a ladder, and breaking a mirror are all bad luck. In addition, there are many other superstitions that are worth knowing. Understanding them will keep you safe from evil spirits —if you believe in such things —and impress your American friends when you mention them.

Like the superstitions in other cultures, American superstitions often involve the things important in daily life, such as health, numbers, and marriage. For example, have you ever had a cough that would not go away? According to one American superstition, you should take a piece of your hair and put it between two slices of buttered bread. Next, feed this hair sandwich to a dog and say, “Eat well, you hound, may you be sick and I be sound.” This will trick the evil spirits and help your cough. It will also raise some eyebrows if you try it.

In American superstitions, the number three is very important. Often, Americas will say, “All things come in threes.” Three is lucky because it represents the traditional family: mother, father, and child. Therefore, gifts, letters, and guests will often arrive at your home in groups of three. However, it is also possible for bad events, like accidents and funerals, to come in threes as well.

Another time people pay attention to superstitions is when they get married. During a wedding, brides must wear or carry “something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue”. The old and borrowed things will bring luck to the person who gives them to the bride. The new and blue things will bring good fortune to the bride herself. The next time someone you know is getting married, be sure to recite this phrase.

As it would be unlucky to discuss one more superstition, we will wind things up here. Keep your fingers crossed, and stay lucky!

The passage is most probably entitled        .

    A. American’s Bad Luck                 B. Cross-culture and Superstitions

    C. American Superstitions               D. Daily Life in Superstitions

The underlined sentence in the second paragraph “It will also raise some eyebrows if you try it.” means        .

    A. when you try it, the dog will raise its eyebrows.

    B. you will make people surprised when you try this trick

    C. only if you raise your eyebrows can the trick work

    D. you will believe in the trick after you try it

In American’s view, the number three is a(n)         number.

    A. lucky                B. unlucky          C. special              D. ordinary

On the wedding, the bride often uses old and borrowed things so as to          .

    A. save some money for the wedding         

B. bring good luck to the people who give them to the bride

    C. give the good luck to the bride herself

    D. pass the bad luck to others

After reading the passage, we may feel it is written in a         tone.

    A. formal               B. serious          C. humorous         D. critical

第二节 语法填空(共10小题；每小题1．5分，满分15分)

阅读下面短文，按照句子结构的语法性和上下文连贯的要求，在空格处填人一个适当的词或使用括号中词语的正确形式填空，并将答案填写在答题卡标号为3l—40的相应位置上。

In today’s competitive world, the ability to work happily with other people is a good way of marking yourself out from everybody ___31_____. While teamwork may offer the chance to blame others ___32_____ your mistakes, you can never blame __33____ for your failings as a teammate. Get to know one another, so you can build up a group and combine your advantages. Find out each other’s values, weaknesses, and past __34________ (achieve).

Don’t shy away form disagreements __35____ work out how __36____ (deal) with them. Humor can be a good way, so have a laugh together.

Before getting down to business, it’s important to establish ground rules. First, make sure you all share the same idea of time. Will 9:30 am meetings take place at midday? Then, work out how you are going to make decisions. These are probably __37______ (well) made at a formal meeting and communicated by e-mail. You must also agree with your teammate __38______ will be responsible for making decisions. Even if you have decided __39______ decisions don’t have to be agreed on, it is important that every team member __40________(keep) active.

填入适当的单词

1.I have given you some          （具体的，明确的）examples.

2.They            (采用) different approaches to the problem.

3.This novel is             (典型的)of his early work.

4.He told me with            (悲伤)that his mother was ill.

5.His casual clothes were not               (适当的)for such a formal occasion.

6.Your room looks old. Why not           (改造，转换) it by painting it.

7.The lady has an expensive ring with a d          in the center.

8.My father has q         smoking.

9.There are many            （幸存者）from the fire for the timely rescue.

10.All the            (女性的)workers are from China.

The London Marathon is an annual event and of the thousands of runners who take part, many of them have a story to tell as to why they are running the 26.2 mile (42.2 km) course around London.
The men's race was won by Kenyan, Martin Lel, who finished the race in just two hours and five minutes, a personal best time for him. Irina Mikitenko was the winner of the women's race and this was astonishingly only her second race at marathon distance!
There was also a group of 24 runners who have competed in every single one of the 28 London marathons. Jeff Aston is one of them and at 60 years old, he finished in just over three and a half hours.
A lot of the non-competitive runners take part in the marathon to raise money for charity. Jeff estimates he has raised about ￡25,000 (350,000 RMB) over the 28 years he has been running.
Jane Tomlinson is a well-known name in the UK. She raised millions for charity doing long cycle rides, marathons and triathlons while struggling against terminal cancer, a battle she sadly lost last year. In honor of Jane, her husband and daughter took part in the marathon. They managed to raise ￡20,000 (280,000 RMB) for a charity set up in Jane's name.
Another astonishing one was blind runner Dave Heeley completing the marathon. As if that wasn't enough, this was his seventh marathon in seven days, as he took part in a special challenge which took him to seven countries.
【小题1】Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?

A．The London Marathon is held every year to raise money for charity.

B．Jane Tomlinson together with her husband took part in the marathon.

C．Dave Heeley is an inspiring marathon runner.

D．Kenyan, Martin Lel won the men's race just over three and a half hours.