While most people consider that laughter is o...

While most people consider that laughter is one of the nature’s great treatments for a whole range of mental and physical diseases, it is still a serious scientific subject that researchers are trying to figure out.

“Laughter is social.” says Robert R. Provine, author of the book “Laughter: A Scientific Investigation”, who has been studying laughter for decades. “Almost all people laugh ‘ha-ha-ha’ basically the same way. Whether you speak Mandarin, French or English, everyone will understand laughter. There is a pattern generator(发生器) in our brain that produces this sound.

Laughing is also a good way of communicating. Babies laugh long before they speak. No one teaches them how to laugh. They just do it. People may laugh at a prank(恶作剧) on April Fools’ day. But surprisingly, only 10 to 15 percent of laughter is the result of someone making a joke. Laughter is mostly about social responses rather than reaction to a joke. Deaf people laugh without hearing and people on cell phones laugh without seeing, which shows that laughter isn’t dependent on a single sense but on social interactions.

And laughter is not just a human thing. Chimps tickle(挠痒) each other and even laugh when another chimp pretends to tickle them.

Jaak Panksepp studies rats that laugh when he tickles them. It turns out rats love to be tickled. They return again and again to the hands of researchers tickling them, Panksepp’s video shows.

By studying rats, scientists can figure out what’s going on in the brain during laughter. It has been found that laughter in rats produces a chemical that acts as an antidepressant(抗抑郁药) and anxiety-reducer. Scientists think the same thing probably happens in humans, too. This would give doctors a new chemical target in the brain in their effort to develop drugs that fight depression and anxiety in people.

Even so, laughter itself has not been proved to be the best medicine, experts said. “No study has shown that laughter produces a direct health benefit,” Provine said, “largely because it’s hard to separate laughter from just feeling good.”

1. Why does the writer say “laughter is mostly about social responses rather than reaction to a joke”?

A. because people can communicate with each other by laughing.

B. because laughter is the same sound in all the human’s languages.

C. because laughter is considered a basic language all people can learn.

D. because everyone can understand the meaning of the word laughter.

2.From the last two paragraphs we know that______.

A. laughter has no direct connection with good feelings

B. laughing every day can cure people of many diseases

C. the medical functions of laughter are still under experiment

D. scientists have learned what is happening in a human brain when he laughs

3. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

A. Laughter depends on many senses.

B. Laughter is a social response shared by all creatures.

C. If you speak different languages, you will laugh differently.

D. A new medicine has been developed based on the laughter research.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

For many people shopping is considered to be one of the favorite activities. For most of them it is just buying some new clothes or presents for close people. But there is another way for whom shopping is much more than just enjoyable activity, it is a real addiction that in many cases leads to a financial disaster, as well as it brings troubles to person’s life and family.

So why can shopping be so addictive? What are the possible signs to be aware of? And how is it possible to stop the need of spending?

“Some of the new evidence suggests that some people, maybe 10%-15%, may have a genetic preference to an addictive behavior, coupled with an environment in which the particular behavior is caused, but no one really knows why.” However, it is much better understood as to why “shopaholics” continue with their unhealthy and destructive behaviors. Individuals get pleasure from their addiction the same way as if they were under drugs.

And when is it really possible to determine whether simple shopping has crossed the border and has already turned into addiction?

Shopaholics go out and buy things much more often than other people do. They often buy things they do not need. Many shopping addicts go on shopping binges(放纵) all year long and may be forced to buy certain items, such as shoes, clothing or kitchen items. Some just will buy anything. Many times they will spend over their budget limits and get into deep financial trouble, spending well above their income. While someone else will think many times if they can afford this or that thing, shop addicts will not recognize the boundaries of a budget.

1.We can learn from the 3rd paragraph that　　　　 .

A. shopping addiction is mainly caused by genetic factors

B. shopping addicts are also addicted to drugs

C. the real cause of shopping addiction is known already

D. shopaholics can’t control their unhealthy and destructive behaviors

2.The last paragraph is mainly about　　　　 .

A. the destructive behaviors of shopaholics

B. the early signs of shopping addiction

C. the problems of shopaholics

D. the binge of shopaholics

3.What could be most probably discussed in the paragraph to follow the passage?

A. How to treat shopping addiction.

B. What really causes shopping addiction.

C. When shopping addiction takes place.

D. What kind of people can become shopping addicts.

4. It can be inferred from the passage that　　　　 .

A. shopping addiction can’t cause serious problems

B. shopping addicts only want enjoyable activities through buying

C. it’s not a good idea to let a shopping addict pay by credit cards

D. shopping addiction can spread among different people

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

One of the most difficult questions to answer is how much a job is worth. We naturally expect that a doctor’s salary will be higher than a bus conductor’s wage. But the question becomes much more difficult to answer when we compare, say, a miner with an engineer, or an unskilled man working on an oil-rig(钻油机) in the North Sea with a teacher in a secondary school. What the doctor, the engineer and teacher have is many years of training in order to obtain the necessary qualifications for their professions. We feel instinctively that these skills and these years, when they were studying instead of earning money, should be rewarded. At the same time we recognize that the work of the miner and the oil-rig laborer is both hard and dangerous, and that they must be highly paid for the risks they take.

Another factor we must take into consideration is how socially useful a man’s work is, regardless of the talents he may bring to it. Most people would agree that looking after the sick or teaching children is more important than, say, selling secondhand cars or improving the taste of toothpaste by adding a red stripe to it. Yet it is almost certain that the used car salesman earns more than the nurse, and that research chemist earns more than the school teacher.

Indeed, this whole question of just rewards can be turned on its head. You can argue that a man who does a job which brings him personal satisfaction is already receiving part of his reward in the form of a so-called “psychic(精神的) wage”, and that it is the man with the boring, repetitive job who needs more money to make up for the soul-destroying monotony(单调) of his work. It is significant that that those jobs which are traditionally regarded as “vocations” --- nursing, teaching and the Church, for example --- continue to be poorly paid, while others, such as those in the world of sport or entertainment, carry financial rewards out of all proportion to their social worth.

Although the amount of money that people earn is in reality largely determined by market forces, this should not prevent us from seeking some way to decide what is the right pay for the job. A starting point for such an investigation would be to try to decide the ratio which ought to exist between the highest and the lowest paid. The picture is made more complicate by two factors: firstly by the “social wage”, i.e, the welfare benefits which every citizen receives; and secondly, by the taxation system, which is often used as an instrument of social justice by taxing high incomes at a very high rate indeed. Allowing for these two things, most countries now regard a ratio of 7:1 as socially acceptable. If it is less, the highly-qualified people carrying heavy responsibilities become disillusioned, and might even end up by emigration(移民) (the so-called “brain-drain” is an evidence that this can happen). If it is more, the gap between rich and poor will be so great that it will lead social tensions and ultimately to violence.

1. The professional man, such as the doctor, should be well paid because ______.

A. he has spent several years learning how to do his job

B. his work involves much great intelligence than, say, a bus conductor’s

C. he has to work much harder than most other people

D. he knows more than other people about his subject

2. The “brain-drain” is an evidence that ______.

A. well-educated people are prepared to emigrate whenever they can get a better paid job

B. people with jobs or responsibility expect to be highly paid

C. high taxation is a useful and effective instrument of social justice

D. the poor are generally more patriotic(爱国的) than the rich

3. As far as rewarding people for their work is concerned, the writer, believes that ______.

A. we should pay for socially-useful work, regardless of the person’s talent

B. we should pay people according to their talents

C. market forces will determine how much a person is paid

D. qualified people should be the highest paid

4. The argument of the “psychic wage” is used to explain why ______.

A. people who do socially important work are not always well paid

B. people who do monotonous jobs are highly paid

C. you should not try to compare the pay of different professions

D. some professional people are paid more than others

高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

One of the most difficult questions to answer is how much a job is worth. We naturally expect that a doctor’s salary will be higher than a bus conductor’s wages. But the question becomes much more difficult to answer when we compare a miner with an engineer, or an unskilled man working on an oil-rig（钻探平台）with a teacher in a secondary school. What the doctor, the engineer and the teacher have in common is that they have devoted several years to studying in order to obtain the necessary qualifications for their professions. We feel instinctively that these skills and these years should be rewarded. At the same time we recognize that the work of the miner and the oil-rig laborer is both hard and dangerous, and that they must be highly paid for the risks they take.

　Another aspect we must take into consideration is how socially useful a man’s work is. Most people would agree that looking after the sick or teaching children is more important than, say, selling second-hand cars. Yet it is almost certain that the used-car salesman earns more than the nurse and the schoolteacher.

　Indeed, this whole question of just rewards can be turned on its head. You can argue that a man who does a job which brings him personal satisfaction is already receiving part of his reward in the form of a so-called “psychic（精神的）wage”, and that it is the man with the boring, repetitive job who needs more money to make up for the soul-destroying repetitiveness of his work. It is significant that the jobs like nursing and teaching continue to be poorly paid, while others, such as those in the world of sport or entertainment, carry financial rewards out of all proportion to their social worth.

Although the amount of money that people earn is largely determined by market forces, this should not prevent us from seeking some way to decide what is the right pay for the job. A starting point would be to try to decide the ratio（比率）which ought to exist between the highest and the lowest paid. The picture is made more complicated by two factors: firstly by the welfare benefits which every citizen receives, and secondly by the taxation system which is often used as an instrument of social justice by taxing high incomes at a very high rate indeed. Most countries now regard a ratio of 7:1 as socially acceptable. If it is less, the highly-qualified people carrying heavy responsibilities will become disappointed, and might even end up by leaving for another country. If it is more, the difference between rich and poor will be so great that it will lead to social unrest.

1.Why do people naturally expect that doctors should be well-paid?

A．Their work requires greater intelligence.

B．They are under constant pressure at work.

C．They work harder than most other people.

D．They have studied for years to get qualified.

2.In Paragraph 2 and 3, the author indicates that __________.

A．the talented should do more important work

B．unskilled jobs have less social responsibility

C．those with more socially useful jobs earn less

D．people want to pay more to important services

3.Which of the following statements would the author agree?

A．It’s difficult to define the social value of a job.

B．The market will decide what the right pay is for a job.

C．People should find a proper ratio between high and low pay.

D．Those receiving high salary should carry heavy responsibilities.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

One of the qualities that most people admire in others is the willingness to admit one’s mistakes. It is extremely hard sometimes to say a simple thing like “I was wrong about that, ”and it is even harder to say, “I was wrong, and you were right about that. ”

I had an experience recently with someone admitting to me that he had made a mistake fifteen years ago. He told me he had been the manager of a certain grocery store in the neighborhood where I grew up, and he asked me if I remembered the egg cartons （箱子）. Then he related an incident and I began to remember clearly the incident he was describing.

I was about eight years old at the time, and I had gone into the store with my mother to do the weekly grocery shopping. On that particular day, I must have found my way to the dairy food department where the incident took place.

There must have been a special sale on eggs that day because there was an impressive display of eggs in dozen and half-dozen cartons. The cartons were stacked three or four feet high. I must have stopped in front of a display to admire the stacks. Just then a woman came by pushing her grocery cart and knocked off the stacks of cartons. For some reason, I decided it was up to me to put the display back together, so I went to work.

The Manager heard the noise and came rushing over to see what had happened. When he appeared, I was on my knees inspecting （examining）some of the cartons to see if any of the eggs were broken, but to him it looked as though I was the criminal. He severely scolded me and wanted me to pay for any broken eggs. I protested my innocence and tried to explain, but it did no good. Even though I quickly forgot all about the incident, obviously the manager did not.

1.The author was ______ when he wrote this article.

A. about 8　　　　　 B. about 18

C. about 23　　　　 D. about 15

2.Who was to blame for knocking off the stacks of cartons?

A. The author.　　 B. The manager.

C. The woman.　　 D. The author’s mother.

3.When the manager scolded him the author _______.

A. was frightened and cried　　　 B. tried to explain

C. did not say anything　　　　　　 D. felt the manager was right

4.It can be inferred that the author _______.

A. regrets arguing with the manager for what he didn’t do

B. would like to tell people never to be fooled by an egg sale

C. has forgiven the manager for what he did to him fifteen years ago

D. expects the woman to say sorry to him for the mistake she made

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

One of the qualities that most people admire in others is the willingness to admit one’s mistakes.It is extremely hard sometimes to say a(n)_______thing like“I was wrong about that”,and it is even harder to say,“I was wrong,and you were right about that”.

And I had an experience recently with someone admitting to me that he had made _______fifteen years ago.He told me he had been the_______of a certain store in the neighborhood where I grew up,and he asked me_______I remembered the egg boxes.Then he told me_______and I began to remember vaguely what he was describing.

I was about eight years old at the time,and I had wandered into_______with my mother to do the weekly shopping.On that_______day.I must have found my way to the dairy food department_______the incident took place.There must have been a special sale on eggs that day because there was an impressive_______of eggs in dozen and half-dozen boxes.The boxes were piled three or four feet high.I must stopped in from of them to admire the________.just then________came by,pushing her grocery cart,________the boxes carelessly and left.For some reason,I________to put the display back together even though it was not my________so I began to work.

The manager heard the________and came rushing over to see what had happened.When he appeared,I was on my knees________some of the boxes to see if any of the eggs were________,but to him it looked as if I was the wrongdoer.He severely scolded me and wanted me________any broken eggs to make up to the loss.I tried to explain that I was looking at the boxes,but it________no good.Even though I didn’t regret for my decision and quickly forgot all about the incident,________the manager did not.

1.A. pleasant　　 B. enjoyable　　 C. simple　　 D. difficult

2.A. an discovery　　 B. a friend　　 C. an incident　　 D. a mistake

3.A. boss　　 B. cleaner　　 C. cashier　　 D. manager

4.A. if　　 B. how　　 C. why　　 D. when

5.A. a story　　 B. the department　　 C. an accident　　 D. an incident

6.A. the shop　　 B. the store　　 C. the supermarket　　 D. the grocery

7.A. usual　　 B. lucky　　 C. wonderful　　 D. particular

8.A. where　　 B. after　　 C. until　　 D. though

9.A. exhibits　　 B. storage　　 C. display　　 D. boxes

10.A. eggs　　 B. boxes　　 C. storage　　 D. sale

11.A. a woman　　 B. a customer　　 C. a manager　　 D. a stranger

12.A. knocked on　　 B. knocked over　　 C. knocked off　　 D. knocked at

13.A. declared　　 B. began　　 C. decided　　 D. started

14.A. fault　　 B. task　　 C. eggs　　 D. boxes

15.A. scream　　 B. alarm　　 C. noise　　 D. call

16.A. to check　　 B. checking　　 C. checked　　 D. having checked

17.A. bad　　 B. good　　 C. lost　　 D. broken

18.A. to pay off　　 B. to pay back　　 C. to pay for　　 D. to pay out

19.A. was　　 B. did　　 C. worked　　 D. had

20.A. obviously　　 B. frequently　　 C. unfortunately　　 D. unnecessarily

高三英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

One of the qualities that most people admire in others is the willingness to admit one's mistakes. It is extremely hard sometimes to say a simple thing like "I was wrong about that," and it is even harder to say, "I was wrong, and you were right about that."

I had an experience recently with someone admitting to me that he had made a mistake fifteen years ago. He told me he had been the manager of a certain grocery store in the neighbourhood where I grew up, and he asked me if I remembered the egg boxes. Then he related an incident and I began to remember vaguely the incident he was describing.

I was about eight years old at the time, and I had gone into the store with my mother to do the weekly grocery shopping. On that particular day, I must have found my way to the dairy food department where the incident took place.

There must have been a special sale on eggs that day because there was an impressive display of eggs in dozen and half-dozen boxes. The boxes were stacked three or four feet high. I must have stopped in front of a display to admire the stacks. Just then a woman came by pushing her grocery cart and knocked off the stacks of boxes. For some reason, I decided it was up to me to put the display back together, so I went to work.

The manager heard the noise and came rushing over to see what had happened. When he appeared, I was on my knees inspecting some of the boxes to see if any of the eggs were broken, but to him it looked as if I was the culprit (做错事的人). He severely scolded me and wanted me to pay for any broken eggs. I tried to explain it wasn’t me who had broken them, but it did no good. Even though I quickly forgot all about the incident, obviously the manager did not.

1..

. How old was the author when he wrote this article?

A. About 8.         B. About 18.        C. About 23.       D. About 15.

2..

Who was to blame for knocking off the stacks of boxes?

A. The author.      B. The manager.     C. A woman.      D. The author's mother.

3..

. Which of the following statements is not true?

A. The woman who knocked off the stacks of boxes was seriously criticized by the manager.

B. The author was severely criticized by the manager.

C. A woman carelessly knocked off the stacks of boxes.

D. It was the author who put the display back together.

4..

. The tone of the article expresses the author's ________.

A. regret for the mistake he made in the store

B. admiration for the manager's willingness to admit mistakes

C. anger against the woman who knocked off the stacks of boxes

D. anger to the manager for his wrong accusation

高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

One of the most striking findings of a newly research in the UK is that of the people interviewed, one in two believes that it is becoming more difficult to meet someone to start a family with.

Why are many finding it increasingly difficult to start close relationships? Does modern life really make it harder to fall in love? Or are we making it harder for ourselves? It is certainly the case today that contemporary couples benefit in different ways from relationships. Women no longer rely upon partners for money or status. A man doesn’t expect his wife to be in sole (唯一的) charge of running his household and raising his children.

But perhaps the knowledge that we can live perfectly well without a partnership means that it takes much more to persuade people to abandon their independence.

In theory, finding a partner should be much simpler these days. Only a few generations ago, your choice of soul mate was limited by geography, social convention and family tradition. Although it was never clear, many marriages were essentially arranged. Now those barriers have been broken down. You can approach a builder or a brain surgeon in any bar in any city on any given evening. When the world is your oyster (牡蛎), you surely have a better chance of finding a pearl.

But it seems that the old conventions have been replaced by the limitation of choice. The expectations of partners are raised to an unmanageable degree: good looks, impressive salary, kind to grandmother, and right socks. There is no room for error in the first impression.

We think that a relationship can be perfect. If it isn’t, it should be ended. We work to protect ourselves against future heartache and don’t put in the hard emotional labor needed to build a strong relationship. Twelve-hour work at the office makes relaxed after-hours dating difficult. The cost of housing and child-raising creates pressure to have a stable income and career before a life partnership.

1.What is a contemporary family like in the UK today?

A. Women are responsible for housework.

B. Men begin to depend on women.

C. Couples share the burdens.

D. It is difficult to take care of a family.

2.Why do people want to preserve their independence?

A. To ignore traditions.　　 B. To have more choices.

C. To avoid marriages.　　 D. To live alone happily.

3.What makes it hard for people to date?

A. Mental headache in dating.　　 B. Bad luck in finding a partner.

C. The pressure to survive.　　 D. The disbelief in life partners.

4.What is the author trying to inform us in this text?

A. Expectations and reality stand in the way of relationships.

B. People should spend more money on marriages.

C. Perfect marriages conflict with individual independence.

D. Independence is much more important than love.

高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

Bamboo (竹子) is one of nature’s (自然) most surprising plants. Many people call this plant a tree, but it is a kind of grass.

Like other kinds of grass, a bamboo plant may be cut very low to the ground, but it will grow back very quickly. A Japanese scientist reported one bamboo plant which grew 1.5 metres (4 feet) in 24 hours! Bamboo grows almost everywhere in the world except Europe. There are more than 1, 000 kinds of bamboo.

Not all bamboo looks the same. Some bamboo plants are very thin. They may only grow to be a few centimeters wide while others may grow to more than 30 centimetres (1 foot) across. This plant also comes in different colors, from yellow to black to green.

Bamboo has been used to make many things such as hats and kitchen tools. Because it is strong, bamboo is also used to build buildings.

Many Asian countries have used bamboo for hundreds of years. They often use bamboo for buildings and supporting new buildings and bridges while they are being built.

In Africa, poor farmers are taught how to find water using bamboo. These African countries need cheap way to find water because they have no money, and their crops often die from no rain and no water. Bamboo pipes help poor farmers bring water to their thirsty fields without spending a lot of money.

1.How is bamboo like grass?

A. It grows quickly.　　　　 B. It’s wood.

C. It is easy to cut　　　　 D. It is very thin

2.Though you can see bamboo everywhere, it doesn’t grow ______.

A. in China　　　　　　　　 B. in Europe

C. on mountains　　　　　　 D. in Africa

3.Why is bamboo used by African poor farmers?

A. Because it is cheap.

B. Because it has different colours .

C. Because it is strong.

D. Because it has been used by Asians.

4.Bamboo pipes can ______.

A. make money　　　　　　 B. be trees

C. grow quickly　　　　　 D. carry water

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

One of the most wonderful things about having a positive attitude is that it can touch many people, and it often exists in our everyday life.

Recently, I stopped by a store to get a newspaper and a bottle of drink. The young woman at the check-out counter said, “That’ll be three dollars in all please.” She then glanced down at the paper I was buying and said. “I’m sick and tired of all this negative stuff-on the front pages. I want to read some good news for a change.” She then said, “In fact, I think soemone should just publish a Good News newspaper--- a paper with wonderful, inspirational stories about people over-coming difficulty and doing good things for others. I’d buy one every day!” she then thanked me for coming in and said, “Maybe we’ll get lucky tomorrow; maybe we’ll get some good news.” And she laughed. She made my day.

The following day after my business appointments. I dropped by the same store again to pick up bottled water and a piece of newspaper, but a different young lady was behind the counter. As I checked out I said “Good afternoon” and handed her my money. She said nothing, not a word, not a smile or not a gesture. She just handed me my change and in a negative tone ordered “Next!”

It hit me right between the eyes: Two people, the same age; one made me feel great, and the other, well, made me feel that I had inconvenienced her by showing up.

Every morning you should ask yourself this important question. “Who do I want to be today? The Grouch(不高兴的人) or ‘The Good News Girl?’” Your answer will go a long way toward determining the joy and happiness that you will experience in your life.

53. What does the first salesgirl dislike according to her words?

A. Those who have bad manners.

B. The bad news in the newspaper.

C. The advertisements in the newspaper.

D. The bad news who break the laws.

54. After he had bought a newspaper on the first day the author _________.

A. was very lucky and excited that day

B. always remembered the girl’s word

C. read the news in the newspaper carefully

D. was in a pleasant mood the whole day

55. We learn from the passage that the salesgirl the author met the next day was ________.

A. humorous         B. enthusiastic       C. very cool         D. positive

56. What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 4 mean?

A. I was very surprised.                  B. I was especially angry.

C. I felt very unhappy.                   D. It hurt my heart badly.

高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析