Barbara Finch, from England, started a friendship with Elizabeth Martin from New Zealand when the two were just 14 years old. And they have been penfriends for the past seventy years.

“Seventy years is a long time and such a lot has happened,” says Barbara.“I've lost my husband and my son, and she's lost her husband and her daughter. With things like that, her friendship means a lot to me.”

The two started writing letters to each other in November 1947. At that time, Barbara was a pupil. In her school, there was an exchange (交换) teacher from New Zealand. She helped her students to find penfriends from her country. Among the many penfriends, Barbara and Elizabeth were the only pair to form a long-term friendship.

Now both 84, the pair continue to send weekly e-mails to tell each other about their daily lives. Barbara, who's a proud great-grandmother, has kept every single letter and card Elizabeth sent her over the years.

“We e-mail each other now rather than write letters, partly because it's quicker but mostly because there's no cost,” Barbara says.

The pair not only write to each other, but they also meet face to face. They have visited each other 15 times — Barbara flying to New Zealand 10 times and Elizabeth flying to England 5 times.

“Her family has become a second family to me. She says I am the sister she never had,”Barbara says.

1.What do Barbara and Elizabeth have in common?

A. They are both good at writing.

B. They both have two children.

C. They both lost their husband.

D. They were both teachers before.

2.What does Paragraph 3 mainly talk about?

A. What Barbara and Elizabeth wrote in their letters.

B. How Barbara and Elizabeth became penfriends.

C. The good things about making penfriends.

D. A teacher who influenced Barbara a lot.

3.Barbara and Elizabeth now e-mail each other instead of writing letters mostly because ________.

A. it is free B. it is popular

C. it saves time D. it saves paper

4.Which is the best title for the passage?

A. Old habits B. Good old days

C. A lifelong friendship D. Communication and friendship

Do you laugh every day? Most people _____ times a day. Scientists say that people laugh about 17 times a day. That is a lot of laughter.

In India, there are ______ laughter clubs. The people in these clubs get together every morning. First they stretch their hands above their heads. Then they pretend to laugh. Soon everyone is laughing naturally. People say they feel good after ______ together.

Scientists believe that laughter is good ______ you. Why For one thing, laughter is a good exercise. When you laugh, you exercise many muscles (肌肉) in your body.

Scientists say that one hundred laughs is the same as ten minutes of running. When you laugh, you also breathe deeply. This makes you feel ______ .

Why, do we laugh? That is a hard question ______. We know that people laugh ______ in a group. We don’ t laugh very often when we are alone. Many scientists believe that we use laughter to make friends with _____. Laughter helps us feel part of a group.

In English, people say that laughter is the best ______. Some think that laughter helps sick people get ______. Do you think so?

1.A. Laughs B. do C. does D. did

2.A. hundred of B. hundreds of C. hundred D. hundreds

3.A. laugh B. to laugh C. laughing D. laughed

4.A. for B. at C. with D. about

5.A. relaxed B. to relax C. relaxing D. relax

6.A. answered B. answering C. answer D. to answer

7.A. less than B. hardly C. never D. more often

8.A. another B. others C. other D. the other

9.A. magazine B. knowledge C. medicine D. friend

10.A. well B. good C. bad D. ill

I teach economics in a university three times a week. Last Monday, at the beginning of class, I asked my students how their weekend had been. One young man said that his weekend had not been so good. He had his wisdom teeth removed. Then he went on to ask me why I always seemed to be so cheerful.

His question reminded me of something I’d read somewhere before: Every morning when you get up, you have a choice about how you want to live that day. I said, “I choose to be cheerful.”

“Let me give you an example,” I continued. “Besides teaching here, I also teach at a college in Henderson, 17 miles down the freeway from where I live. One day a few weeks ago, I exited(离去) the freeway and turned onto College Drive. I only had to drive another quarter mile down the road to the college. But just then my car died. I tried to start it again, but the engine wouldn’t work. So I put my flashes on, took my books, and walked down the road to the college. As soon as I got there, I called AAA (汽车协会) and asked for a tow truck to meet me at my car after class. The secretary there asked me what had happened. “ Δ .” I replied, smiling.

“Your car breaks down but it is not a bad day. What do you mean?”

“My car could have broken down anywhere along the freeway. It didn’t,” I replied. “Instead, it broke down at the perfect place: off the freeway, within walking distance of here. I’m still able to teach my class, and I’ve been able to ask for the tow truck to meet me after class! If my car was meant to break down today, it couldn’t have been arranged in a more convenient way.”

I ended my story. In spite of the early hour, no one in my class seemed to be asleep. Somehow, my story had touched them.

1.The writer of the story is a __________.

A. traffic policeman B. university teacher

C. secretary at AAA D. college student

2.The writer ___________ when his car broke down that day.

A. complained for a long time B. called AAA for help at once

C. waited there for someone’s help D. walked to his workplace

3.Which of the following can be put in Δ ?

A. This is my lucky day.

B. There is something wrong with my car.

C. I’m just a little bit late for work.

D. It is wonderful that my car breaks down.

4.We can learn from the story that ___________ .

A. we should learn to be positive in times of trouble

B. it’s important to keep your car in good condition

C. teachers need special skills to give good lessons

D. personal experiences can touch a person’s heart

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