She took the time to ask whether her students had eaten breakfast in the morning, or if they had enough warm clothes to wear in winter, or if there was someone there for them when they got home from school. My English teacher, Mrs Pincus, did all that and more for me, one of eight kids raised by a single mother.Mrs Pincus told me to come by or to call her if I needed to. She cared about me. She gave a skinny kid like me some extra support. I had always been something of a smart-mouth when I was young, but Mrs Pincus helped me channel my enthusiasm into something constructive. When she was out on maternity leave (产假) with her first child, a substitute teacher came in for English class. On the first day, this teacher had trouble controlling the classroom. I watched kids cutting up in front of her and got really mad. This was my favorite class; I loved learning Shakespeare.I knew the substitute would talk to Mrs Pincus and that she’d be disappointed. “We need to stop this!” I ually I was the one clowning around (胡闹), but the kids seemed to listen. I ended up standing in front of the room discussing Julius Caesar. Later, the substitute told Mrs Pincus about the skinny boy who taught the lesson. Mrs Pincus said she knew right away what had happened.“Without her even naming you, I knew it was you,” she told me. Her eyes shone with pride. Looking back, I think that was when the teacher in me started to emerge. Mrs Pincus retired this year after more than 30 years of teaching. I spoke at her retirement party. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. But because of this lady’s encouragement, I learned I belonged in the classroom, at the front of it.(321)1.Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?A.My English teacher helped me because she is a single mother.B.There are eight kids in my family except me.C.With a large family to supportlife was not easy to my mother.D.The substitute teacher scolded me because I made a lot of troubles.2.What does the underlined wordin the third paragraph probably mean?A.to changeB. a television station and its programsC. a passage for water (or other fluids) to flow throughD.to direct the flow of3.Why did the author shout in the classroom?A.Because he didn’t want to be punished by the substitute teacher.B.Because he liked the lesson and didn’t want to let Mrs Pincus down.C.Because he thought the substitute teacher was not good enough.D.Because he was the naughtiest boy.4.What is the author probably now?A. He is a teacher.B. He is a speaker.C. He is a writer.D. He has no job. Keys: CDBALaughing can do good to one’s health, according to researchers. And a great sense of humour, which creates laughter, can make a lot of difference especially when men are dating women.A lot of women consider a guy with a great sense of humour very attractive mainly because he makes the conversation a lot lighter and makes them laugh. But dating a man who is very serious makes the conversation heavy and very boring.Indeed, _____________. A lot of research and studies have proved that humour benefits the body. It improves the immune system, reduces stress, relaxes the muscles and lowers blood pressure. No wonder women feel so good being with a man with a great sense of humour!Men having a good sense of humour are always cheerful. To them, each day is sunny. Should dark clouds appear, they depend on laughter. They are confident that all problems will pass and instead of being discouraged, they move on with so much hope.Even if a man is not really that attractive physically, but with a great sense of humour, women are usually drawn to him. Why? Because women are more at ease with these types of men, as they make the women laugh and as a result, let them feel that they can open up almost anything; a man with a great sense of humourencourages the woman to be confident.Don’t feel it is too difficult for you to improve your sense of humour. No one is a born laughter-maker. Experts will give some advice for your consideration and practice in everyday life.(265)1. W hich can be the fittest sentence to be filled in the blank in Paragraph 3?A. mental health is more important.B. we need to laugh a lot.ughter is the best medicine.D. laughing regularly can make people live longer.2. What will a humourous man probably do when meeting with a difficulty?A. Waiting for others to solve the problemB. Laughing and paying no attentionC. Feeling discouraged and depressedD. Having a positive attitude and moving on3. What can be inferred from the fifth paragraph?A. Humourous men are very attractive because they make women feeleasier and happier and become confident.B. Women paid more attention to men’s physical beauty rather than inner beauty.C. Both men and women are shy when they are not attractive physically.D. Women can open up everything when they are dating with humourous men.4.What would the author probably discuss in the paragraph that follows?A. The difficulty people have in developing their sense of humour.B. The ways of improving men’s sense of humour.C. Experts’ attitude towards how to be a humourous man.D. The outcomeof a humourous man dating with a woman.Keys: CDABFrom the beginning of mankind, there have been numerous historical events that deserve both our admiration and public dispute(争论). Political leaders may not always make a right decision in a given situation. Therefore, depending on their personalities and intellectual capacities, the great leaders of the world are now beloved heroes of human history or disputed characters.Young people nowadays seem to have a very strange understanding of the historic events that have shaped the world we are now living in. They do not seem to thoroughly grasp the political, social or religious circumstances that have determined many of the actions of the past. In fact, they do not care too much about their history! The main reason for this is that in a world of computers and television, there are only a few young people who spare their time reading and analyzing the history of mankind. We cannot entirely blame them for this, as their parents are the ones to encourage them to take an interest in certain fields. If parents do nothing until a certain age, it will be too late as there is no chance to change the habits of a teenager.The only thing the young admire is the architectural achievements of our ancestors. Could it be due to the fact that these are real things, which they can see and touch evenin the present days? I believe this is a good reason for teenagers to start researching the history of the architectural achievements that past civilizations have left us. Just think about the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. They will most certainly attract the admiration of many generations to come. People say that nothing lasts forever, but these might!Well, at least there is something related to history that any teenager has heard of! The only thing we can do is to hope that the school and parents will eventually revive an interest in history in their children!(327)1. What factors shaped the world we live in?A. Political leadersB. Political, social or religious circumstancesC. Wise men and poor peopleD. historic events2. Which of the following is NOT the reason why young people care little about history?A. Young people prefer to watch TV rather than reading history books..B. Parents didn’t encourage their children to take an interest in history beforethey become teenagers.C. It’s too late for young people to have a chance to change their habits.D. Young people spend more time in surfing the Internet instead of reading and analyzing.3. Why did the author take the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World as an example?A. To prove that young people can be attracted by history and thus learn itB. To show how great the Seven Wonders of the Ancient WorldareC. To improve the tourism in those placesD. To show that the Seven Wonders are more interesting than TV and the Internet4. It can inferred from the text thatA. Young people don’t care too much about their history.B. Few young people are influenced by history.C. Schools and parents should encourage an interest in history.D. Young people will be the greatest leaders in human history.Keys: DCAC。