Science can’t explain the power of pets，but many studies have shown that the company of pets can help lower blood pressure(血壓) and raise chances of recovering from a heart attack，reduce loneliness and spread all-round good cheer．
Any owner will tell you how much joy a pet brings．For some．a(chǎn)n animal provides more comfort than a husband／wife．A 2002 study by Karen Allen of the State University of New York measured stress(緊張)1evels and blood pressure in people－h(huán)alf of them pet owners－while they performed 5 minutes of mental arithmetic(算術)or held a hand in ice water．Subjects completed the tasks alone，with a husband／wife，a close friend or with a pet．People with pets did it best．Those tested with their animal friends had smaller change in blood pressure and returned most quickly to baseline heart rates．With pets in the room，people also made fewer math mistakes than when doing in front of other companions．It seems people feel more relaxed(放松)around pets，says Allen，who thinks it may be because pets don’t judge．
A study reported last fall suggests that having a pet dog not only raises your spirits but may also have an effect on your eating habits．Researchers at Northwestern Memorial Hospital spent a year studying 36 fat people and their equally fat dogs on diet-and-exercise programs；a separate group of 56 people without pets were put on a diet program．On average，people lost about 11 pounds，or 5％ of their body weight．Their dogs did even better，losing an average of 12 pounds，more than 15％of their body weight．Dog owners didn’t lose any more weight than those without dogs but，say researchers，got more exercise overall－mostly with their dogs--and found it worth doing．
【小題1】What does the text mainly discuss?

A．What pets bring to their owners．

B．How pets help people calm down．

C．People’s opinions of keeping pets．

D．Pet’s value in medical research．

【小題2】We 1earn from the text that a person with heart disease has a better chance of getting well if        ．

A．he has a pet companion

B．he has less stress of work

C．he often does mental arithmetic

D．he is taken care of by his family

【小題3】According to Allen，why did the people do better with pets around when facing stressful tasks?

A．They have lower blood pressure．

B．They become more patient．

C．They are less nervous．

D．They are in higher spirits．

【小題4】The research mentioned in the last paragraph reports that       ．

A．people with dogs did more exercise

B．dogs lost the same weight as people did

C．dogs liked exercise much more than people did

D．people without dogs found the program unhelpful

Science can't explain the power of pets, but many studies have shown that the company of pets can help lower blood pressure (血壓) and raise chances of recovering from a heart attack, reduce loneliness and spread all-round good cheer.
Any owner will tell you how much joy a pet brings. For some, an animal provides more comfort than a husband/wife. A 2002 study by Karen Allen of the State University of New York measured stress (緊張) levels and blood pressure in people— half of them pet owners —while they performed 5 minutes of mental arithmetic (算術) or held a hand in ice water. Subjects completed the tasks alone, with a husband/wife, a close friend or with a pet. People with pets did it best. Those tested with their animal friends had smaller change in blood pressure and returned most quickly to baseline heart rates. With pets in the room, people also made fewer math mistakes than when doing in front of other companions. It seems people feel more relaxed (放松)around pets, says Allen, who thinks it may be because pets don't judge.
A study reported last fall suggests that having a pet dog not only raises your spirits but may also have an effect on your eating habits. Researchers at Northwestern Memorial Hospital spent a year studying 36 fat people and their equally fat dogs on diet-and-exercise programs; a separate group of 56 people without pets were put on a diet program. On average, people lost about 11 pounds, or 5% of their body weight. Their dogs did even better, losing an average of 12 pounds, more than 15% of their body weight. Dog owners didn't lose any more weight than those without dogs but, say researchers, got more exercise overall-mostly with their dogs - and found it worth doing.
【小題1】What does the text mainly discuss?

A．What pets bring to their owners.	B．How pets help people calm down.
C．People's opinions of keeping pets.	D．Pet's value in medical research.

【小題2】We learn from the text that a person with heart disease has a better chance of getting well if_________ .

A．he has a pet companion	B．he has less stress of work
C．he often does mental arithmetic	D．he is taken care of by his family

【小題3】According to Allen, why did the people do better with pets around when facing stressful tasks?

A．They have lower blood pressure.	B．They become more patient.
C．They are less nervous.	D．They are in higher spirits.

【小題4】The research mentioned in the last paragraph reports that________ .

A．people with dogs did more exercise

B．dogs lost the same weight as people did

C．dogs liked exercise much more than people did

D．people without dogs found the program unhelpful

Chinese female film stars, like Gong Li and Zhang Ziyi, due to the charm of their films, have set a good image for Chinese women in the world. Compared with Chinese women, the image of Chinese men is not so good in the eyes of Western women, the Shanghai Evening Post reported.
In March 2006, Zhang Jiehai, a doctorate（博士學位） holder at the Sociology Institute of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, led a research team to investigate how Western women look at Chinese men. The survey shows that many Western women think Chinese men are mostly known for their care for the family. Chinese men, as the Western women say, are willing to spend money for women. As to their shortcomings, Western women think that Chinese men do not have good manners and that some Chinese men have the habit of spitting everywhere, keeping nails and hair long, picking their noses and ears in public places, and not cleaning their teeth thoroughly. These bad habits make many Western women think that Chinese men are unwilling to take care of their personal image.
The survey was carried out in two ways, by questionnaires and interviews. All the respondents（調查對象） agreed that Chinese men show much tender loving care for the family and that many Chinese men do know how to respect women. They open the door for women and carry their handbags for them. For some American women, the bad image of Chinese men in the world is largely because of Hollywood films. In many Hollywood films, Chinese men usually do not have a good image. But this has been changed by Hong Kong film star Chow Yun-Fat. After the Chinese film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was shown in cinemas in the United States in 2002, many Westerners began to change their impression of Chinese men.
【小題1】Which statement best expresses the main idea of the first paragraph?

A．Chinese female film stars enjoy as great fame as Chinese male film stars in the world.

B．Chinese male film stars do not perform well in their films in the eyes of Western women.

C．Chinese female film stars don’t like Western male film stars.

D．Chinese female film stars have set a good image for Chinese women.

【小題2】Which is NOT mentioned as the shortcoming of Chinese men in Paragraph 2?

A．Spitting everywhere.

B．Speaking too loudly in public places.

C．Not cleaning their teeth thoroughly.

D．Picking their noses and ears in public places.

【小題3】In some American women’s eyes, Chinese men’s images are bad because of ______.

A．Chinese female film stars

B．Chinese male film stars

C．Hollywood films

D．Film stars in Hong Kong

【小題4】What does the passage mainly deal with?

A．Chinese men in the eyes of Western women.

B．Foreign film stars and Chinese film stars.

C．Chinese women in the eyes of Western men.

D．Chinese film stars in Hollywood films.

Laughter Yoga (瑜伽) is a unique technique invented by Dr Kataria, a doctor from India, by which you can learn to “Laugh for No Reason”. You don’t even need a sense of humor, no funny jokes or comedy programs — just a willingness to laugh — and in the present climate everyone needs to laugh more.
Laughter Yoga is a combination of Laughter Exercises and Yogic Breathing, so that you increase the amount of oxygen in your body while being playful, resulting in you feeling healthier, energetic and alive. This actually changes the physical conditions of your body so that you start to feel happier.
Laughter Yoga is generally done in groups although it can be practiced alone. When you make eye contact with someone and you’re both willing to laugh, the laughter is increased. However, we do say that you can “Fake (假裝) it, fake it till you make it” because the body doesn’t know the difference between fake and true laughter; as long as you’re willing to laugh you’ll experience the same health benefits.
Laughter Yoga started in a park in Mumbai in 1995 with just 5 participants, and now there’re over 6,000 laughter clubs in 60 different countries — showing the willingness of the world to laugh together.
In the UK, Julie was one of the first people to train as a Laughter Leader with Dr Kataria in June 2002. In 2006 she was awarded Laughter Ambassador for her selfless service to promote Laughter Yoga.
“Yoga has been part of my life for 30 years but 7 years ago my life changed when I discovered Laughter Yoga. I believe laughter and yoga are both good for your health,” says Julie.
【小題1】Why do people practicing Laughter Yoga laugh a lot?

A．They have a sense of humor.	B．They are amused by jokes.
C．They are willing to laugh.	D．They can’t help laughing a lot.

【小題2】 What do we know about Julie from the passage?

A．She took up Laughter Yoga 30 years ago.

B．She helped make Laughter Yoga more popular.

C．She used to suffer from serious physical problems.

D．She was the first person to practise Laughter Yoga.

【小題3】The purpose of the passage is to _____.

A．persuade people to take up Laughter Yoga

B．tell people how to practise Laughter Yoga

C．describe the good effects of Laughter Yoga

D．introduce Laughter Yoga as a new event

More Americans are Googling themselves ------ and many are checking out their friends, co-workers and romantic interests, too.
In a report Sunday, the Pew Internet and American Life Project said 47 percent of U.S. adult Internet users have looked for information about themselves through Google or another search engine.
That is more than twice the 22 percent of users who did in 2002, but Pew senior research specialist Mary Madden was surprised the growth wasn't higher.
"Yes it's doubled, but many Internet users have never done this simple act of plugging their name with search engines," she said.
Americans under 50 and those with more education and income were more likely to self-Google because their jobs demand a certain online persona.
Meanwhile, Pew found that 53 percent of adult Internet users admit looking up information about someone else, not including celebrities.
Often, it's to find someone they have lost touch with. But looking up information about friends, relatives, colleagues and neighbors also was common.
Although men and women equally searched for online information about themselves, women were slightly more likely to look up information about someone they are dating.
In many cases, the search is done to find someone's contact information. But a third of those who have conducted searches on others have looked for public records, such as bankruptcies(破產(chǎn)) and divorce （離婚）proceedings. A similar number have searched for someone else's photo.
Few Internet users say they Google themselves regularly —— about three-quarters of self-searchers say they have done so only once or twice. And most who have done so consider what they find accurate.
Pew also found that teens were more likely than adults to restrict who can see their information at an online hangout(常去之處) like Facebook or News Corp's MySpace.
【小題1】The number of American adult Internet users______ Mary Madden.

A．frightened

B．pleased

C．disappointed

D．a(chǎn)nnoyed

【小題2】What does “ they” refer to in the seventh paragraph?

A．common people	B．scientists
C．a(chǎn)dults	D．53 percent adult Internet users

【小題3】How many people have checked others’ photos?

A．One- fifth

B．One-fourth

C．One- third

D．A half

【小題4】What is the best title of the passage?

A．Learn to Google Yourself	B．Googling Oneself Is Popular
C．New Performance Online	D．Don’t Google Yourself Online