1、Starting out & Understanding ideas.阅读理解AYou probably laugh at something you find funny, but how much do you really know about jokes and humour？Readers Digest (RD) questioned several experts to give us some facts about them.RD：Whats the oldest joke in the world?“We cant know the oldest joke in the wo
2、rld because it would have existed earlier than writing，”says Christie Davies, professor of sociology at the University of Reading in the UK.The oldest joke book thats been found so far is the Greek Philogelos.It dates from the 19th century AD, although the jokes date from an earlier time.According t
3、o the psychologist Steve Wilson, director of National Humour Month (April in the US), it contains 265 jokes.RD：Do some people fail to develop a sense of humour?Rod Martin, professor of psychology at the Western University in Canada, believes that while everyone is born without a sense of humour, as
4、we develop, humour and laughter begin to appear.“Of course, some children are more serious, quiet and less likely to laugh frequently, but this doesnt mean they dont have a sense of humour.”And according to Steve Wilson, there are no adults who dont have a sense of humour.“Almost everyone is able to
5、 develop a sense of humour, and I teach people how，” he says.RD：Do people share a sense of humour unique to their own nation?Sense of humour does differ a lot by country, according to an author named Scott Weems.British humour is thought to be absurd (荒谬的) in nature, while American humour has an agg
6、ressive quality.According to a study, Germans are found to find everything funny.1What do we know about the oldest joke book?AIt remains unknown.BIt was written in Greek.CIt was found in the UK.DIt contains the oldest joke.2What does Rod Martin agree with about peoples sense of humour?ANobody is bor
7、n with a sense of humour.BSome adults lose it when they grow up.CChildhood is the best time to develop such an ability.DChildren have a poorer sense of humour than adults.3What kind of humour has an aggressive feature?ABritish humour.BGerman humour.CCanadian humour. DAmerican humour.4Where can you p
8、robably find the text?AIn a popular magazine. BIn a research paper.BWe all know that friends are special people whom we share our lives with, and who share their lives with us in return.But seeking friends and keeping the friendship going are never easy.According to a research recently published in
9、the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, the key is to use “wetalk”Led by University of California psychologist Megan Robbins and her colleagues, the researchers reviewed and analyzed 30 different studies involving over 5,000 participants.This largestever analysis of “wetalk” suggested that
10、 the frequent use of “we”and “us” is linked to happier and healthier relationships.The word “we” moves people from an individual position into a partnership, which makes us more interdependent.“The pronouns offer an insight into whether people see themselves as individuals or as part of a whole . Wo
11、rd use is a window into what people are thinking and feeling without asking them，” Robbins told Science Daily.Their research also found that “wetalk”is helpful in resolving conflicts.“The primary point is that interdependence may bring about supportive and relationshipcentered behaviors and positive
12、 perceptions (看法) of the partner especially important in times of stress and conflict，” said study author Alexander Karan.USbased magazine Psychology Today used the word “union” to describe the impact on a partner upon hearing “wetalk”Contrary to “wetalk”， there is “Italk”， which refers to the frequ
13、ent use of firstperson singular pronouns, such as “I”， “me”， and “mine”， when writing or speaking.Earlier this year, researchers from the University of Arizona, US, analyzed a set of data that came from 4,700 people in Germany and the US.They found that too much “Italk” is an accurate linguistic mar
14、ker for the likelihood that someone is feeling stressed or experiencing negative emotions.“If you are speaking in a personal context so youre speaking about something thats of relevance to you，” lead researcher Allison Tackman told The Independent.“But if youre communicating in a context thats more
15、impersonal, such as describing a picture, we did not see the relationship emerge.”As you can see from the two studies, too much “Italk” can make you feel depressed.But “wetalk” can encourage you to become more positive and create a ripple effect (连锁反应) of healthy interdependence with others.So next
16、time youre talking to a friend, try using more “wetalk”You may find yourself feeling more positive and the effect it will have on your friend will be positive as well.5According to Megan Robbins and her colleagues research, we can infer the following EXCEPT .Atoo much “Italk” certainly indicates pre
17、ssure or depressionBmore than 5,000 people were involved in their researchCthe more we use “we” and “us”， the happier we may feelD“wetalk” may help us build better teamwork in our work6What can be the benefit of “wetalk”？AWe may avoid arguments and conflicts with it.BIt may help promote friendship i
18、n our life.CIt can help produce a feeling of individualism.DWe can become more independent of others.7What does the underlined part in Paragraph 8 mean?AA person tends to use “Italk” too much if he is experienced.B“Italk” is an exact linguistic marker for peoples feelings.CIf a person uses “Italk” a
19、 lot, he is probably in a bad mood.DIt is possible that someone likes “Italk” when he is in an impersonal context.8What is the main idea of the passage?AUsing “wetalk” contributes to building good social relationships.BThe importance of choosing the word in our daily conversation.CUsing too much “It
20、alk” may lead you to become upset.DIntroduction to “wetalk” in our daily communication.CAs the days get shorter and the cold weather rolls in, we all want to curl up in a blanket and sleep until spring rolls around.But making time to get outside in the sun, even when its cold outside, could have big
21、ger mood benefits than you might realize.New research finds that sunlight exposure is by far the greatest weatherrelated factor determining mental health.In other words, more sunshine, more happiness.For the study, a psychologist, a physicist and a statistician from BYU teamed up to compare daily en
22、vironmental data from the universitys Physics and Astronomy Weather Station with emotional health data archived by day for 16,452 adult patients who were being treated at the universitys Counseling and Psychological Services.Other weather variables (可变因素) including temperature, pollution and rain we
23、re not found to have an impact on mental health.“We were surprised that many of the weather and pollution variables we included in the study were not significantly related to patients scores once we had accounted for sun time，”said Dr. Mark Beecher, a professor of psychology at the university and th
24、e studys lead author.Exposure to sunlight is a significant factor in seasonal affective disorder.Research has shown that the brain produces more of the feelgood neurotransmitter serotonin on sunny days than it does on darker days.Whats more, lack of sunlight is linked with lower vitamin D levels, wh
25、ich in turn has been correlated with depression and low energy.In addition to seeking professional help if you need it, taking a walk in the sun can help.Walking in nature is known to reduce stress, improve cognitive function, lighten the mood and even put the brain into a peaceful state.9According
26、to the new research, what can make people happier?ALess pollution.BFewer rainy days.CMore cold weather.DMore exposure to sunlight.10The underlined word “archived” in the second paragraph means “ ”Acomposed BdiscussedCrecorded Dadjusted11What did the researchers think of the findings of the research?
27、AThey were as expected.BThey were surprising.CThey needed professional proof.DThey were not inclusive enough.12What is the authors purpose in writing the text?ATo inform readers of a new study.BTo tell people a piece of good news.CTo introduce a new way to gain happiness.DTo explain the benefits of
28、walking in nature.阅读七选五There is an English saying：“ 1 ” Until recently, few people took the saying seriously.Now, however, doctors have begun to look into laughter and the effects it has on the human body. 2 Tests were carried out to study the effects of laughter on the body.People watched funny fil
29、ms while doctors checked their hearts, blood pressure, breathing and muscles.It was found that laughter has similar effects compared with physical exercise. 3 If laughter exercises the body, it must be beneficial.Other tests have shown that laughter appears to be able to reduce the effect of pain on
30、 the body.In one experiment doctors produced pain in groups of students who listened to different radio programs.The group that tolerated (忍耐) the pain for the longest time was the group which listened to a funny program. 4 5 They have found that even if their patients do not really feel like laughi
31、ng, making them smile is enough to produce beneficial effects similar to those caused by laughter.ALaughter can prolong ones life.BAs a result of these discoveries, some doctors in the United States now hold laughter clinics in which they help to improve their patients condition by encouraging them
32、to laugh.CThe reason why laughter can reduce pain seems to be that it helps to produce a kind of chemical in the brain which diminishes both stress and pain.DIt increases blood pressure, the heart beating and breathing; it also works several groups of muscles in the face, the stomach and even the fe
33、et.EAlthough laughter helps cure the disease, doctors still cannot put this theory into clinic practice.FLaughter is the best medicine.GThey have found that laughter can really improve peoples health.Starting out & Understanding ideas.阅读理解AYou probably laugh at something you find funny, but how much
34、 do you really know about jokes and humour？Readers Digest (RD) questioned several experts to give us some facts about them.RD：Whats the oldest joke in the world?“We cant know the oldest joke in the world because it would have existed earlier than writing，”says Christie Davies, professor of sociology
35、 at the University of Reading in the UK.The oldest joke book thats been found so far is the Greek Philogelos.It dates from the 19th century AD, although the jokes date from an earlier time.According to the psychologist Steve Wilson, director of National Humour Month (April in the US), it contains 26
36、5 jokes.RD：Do some people fail to develop a sense of humour?Rod Martin, professor of psychology at the Western University in Canada, believes that while everyone is born without a sense of humour, as we develop, humour and laughter begin to appear.“Of course, some children are more serious, quiet an
37、d less likely to laugh frequently, but this doesnt mean they dont have a sense of humour.”And according to Steve Wilson, there are no adults who dont have a sense of humour.“Almost everyone is able to develop a sense of humour, and I teach people how，” he says.RD：Do people share a sense of humour un
38、ique to their own nation?Sense of humour does differ a lot by country, according to an author named Scott Weems.British humour is thought to be absurd (荒谬的) in nature, while American humour has an aggressive quality.According to a study, Germans are found to find everything funny.语篇解读：本文是一则问卷调查。Read
39、ers Digest (RD)采访了一些专家，询问关于幽默的一些问题，并记录了专家们的观点。1What do we know about the oldest joke book?AIt remains unknown.BIt was written in Greek.CIt was found in the UK.DIt contains the oldest joke.解析：选B推理判断题。根据第三段中的The oldest joke book thats been found so far is the Greek Philogelos.可知，世界上第一本笑话类书籍是希腊的Philoge
40、los，因此推断这本书是用希腊语写的。2What does Rod Martin agree with about peoples sense of humour?ANobody is born with a sense of humour.BSome adults lose it when they grow up.CChildhood is the best time to develop such an ability.DChildren have a poorer sense of humour than adults.解析：选A细节理解题。根据倒数第三段中的Rod Martin, p
41、rofessor of psychology at the Western University in Canada, believes that while everyone is born without a sense of humour可知，Rod Martin认为人们出生的时候是没有幽默感的，幽默感是随着成长而逐渐形成的。3What kind of humour has an aggressive feature?ABritish humour.BGerman humour.CCanadian humour. DAmerican humour.解析：选D细节理解题。根据最后一段倒数第
42、二句可知，美国式幽默很有攻击性。4Where can you probably find the text?AIn a popular magazine. BIn a research paper.CIn a personal diary. DIn a textbook.解析：选A文章出处题。根据第一段内容可知，本文是一则问卷调查。Readers Digest采访了一些专家、询问关于幽默的一些问题，并作了记录，所以本文可能来自一本广受欢迎的杂志。BWe all know that friends are special people whom we share our lives with,
43、and who share their lives with us in return.But seeking friends and keeping the friendship going are never easy.According to a research recently published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, the key is to use “wetalk”Led by University of California psychologist Megan Robbins and her
44、 colleagues, the researchers reviewed and analyzed 30 different studies involving over 5,000 participants.This largestever analysis of “wetalk” suggested that the frequent use of “we”and “us” is linked to happier and healthier relationships.The word “we” moves people from an individual position into
45、 a partnership, which makes us more interdependent.“The pronouns offer an insight into whether people see themselves as individuals or as part of a whole . Word use is a window into what people are thinking and feeling without asking them，” Robbins told Science Daily.Their research also found that “
46、wetalk”is helpful in resolving conflicts.“The primary point is that interdependence may bring about supportive and relationshipcentered behaviors and positive perceptions (看法) of the partner especially important in times of stress and conflict，” said study author Alexander Karan.USbased magazine Psy
47、chology Today used the word “union” to describe the impact on a partner upon hearing “wetalk”Contrary to “wetalk”， there is “Italk”， which refers to the frequent use of firstperson singular pronouns, such as “I”， “me”， and “mine”， when writing or speaking.Earlier this year, researchers from the University of Arizona, US, analyzed a set of data that came from 4,700 people in Germany and the US.They found that too much “Italk” is an accurate linguistic marker for the likelihood that someone is feeling stressed or experiencing negative emotions.“If you are speaking in a personal context so yo
