Gallows humor（黑色幽默）seem like a mistake, or at least in poor taste. But psychologists say that gallows humor can be an important way to relieve stress. “Humor makes you feel in control and it can give you that feeling that everything is okay even when it's not,” says James M. Jones, a psychology professor at the University of Delaware.

Psychologists say that just because you're laughing doesn't mean you’re wasting time. Occasional teasing among colleagues, particularly if it revolves around things associated with the job, can boost creativity, departmental cohesiveness（凝聚力）and performance.

“There are a lot of stressors out there,” says Ed Dunkelblau, a psychologist with the Institute for Emotionally Intelligent Learning in Chicago. “But gallows humor is a way of making difficult things a little less difficult.”

This is true as long as the humor is used for the right purpose. The main point of it should be inspiring people --- not laughing at them. “Anything that would lift morale（士气）in terms of the company would be good humor,” says Thierry Guedj, a professor of business and psychology at Boston University. “Before you say or do anything, think about, ‘How is this helping my employees’ morale?’”

You want to give your employees and co-workers a sense of belonging, so don’t make observations that are aggressive. Most obviously, Dr Guedj says, don’t make comments about people’s physical appearance, or faith. If you have any doubt, it's appropriate, don't go through with it.

Or you can take aim at the one person you know won't be offended（冒犯）:Yourself. “If there's going to be a joke or story, it should be you,” Mr. Dunkelblau says. For example, if you're a marketing manager reviewing a failed campaign that you led, begin with a line like, “The guy who gave permission to this deal might just be looking for work next week.”

“People with the ability to laugh at themselves can give other people permission to laugh at themselves too,” Mr. Jones says. “And if you can laugh at yourself, you feel better about yourself.”

1.According to the text, gallows humor has the following functions EXCEPT ________.

A. improving performance

B. reducing pressure

C. leading to a big mistake

D. making people more creative

2.What is Ed Dunkelblau’s attitude towards gallows humor?

A. Negative.          B. Positive.         C. Uncertain.          D. Neutral.

3.Which of the following would Dr. Guedj most probably agree with?

A. Gallows humor allows people to laugh at others.

B. Gallows humor is the basic source of morale.

C. Anything that may lift morale can be called gallows humor.  

D. Gallows humor may sometimes be used for the wrong purpose.

4.When people use gallows humor, they should ________.

A. show a sense of belonging

B. observe who is aggressive

C. try to avoid irritating others

D. doubt about the result of humors

5.What can we infer from the text?

A. Laughing at ourselves can help relieve the stress of others.

B. People tend to laugh at others rather than themselves.

C. People who laugh at themselves are hard to be friends with.

D. People can’t avoid offending others with gallows humor.

Many drivers say the large digital billboards flashing ads every few seconds along Bay Area freeways are just too bright and too distracting. And they may be right.

A Swedish study published in the journal Traffic Injury Prevention concludes that digital billboards hold the gazes of drivers longer than two seconds. Previous studies have shown that anything that takes a driver’s eyes off the road for that length of time increases the risks of a crash. “This study proves what is common sense when it comes to digital billboards,” says Mary Tracy, president of Scenic America, a national nonprofit group that seeks to limit billboards. “Bright, constantly changing signs on the sides of roads are meant to attract and keep the attention of drivers, and this study confirms that this is exactly what they do.”

The Federal Highway Administration allowed digital signs for the first time in 2007 after concluding they did not pose a significant danger. But a follow-up report is pending (待定的) and could be released this year. California has no law banning the billboards, and is one of 39 states that allows them. “We would need to review more research, so it’s too early to call for a ban,” says Jonathan Adkins, executive director of the Governors Highway Safety Association. “There is a role for digital messaging, such as conveying urgent information and other safety messages.”

There are more than 1,800 digital billboards nationwide, more than double the number five years ago. While no data indicate an increase in accidents due to the Bay Area signs, many drivers are opposed to them.

“Monstrosities” is what Merlin Dorfman of San Jose calls them, while insurance agent David Whitlock says he has found them a major distraction. “They’re much too bright at night,” he says. “When the advertisement switches from a bright color to a darker one, your eyes cannot adjust fast enough, and you end up losing sight of the roadway.”

Officials with sign companies could not be reached for comment, but Bryan Parker, an executive vice president for Clear Channel Outdoor, told USA Today last year that “there’s no doubt in my mind that they are not a driving distraction.”

1.Which of the following is TRUE?

A. The brightness of digital billboards is harmful to people’s eyes.

B. The Federal Highway Administration banned digital signs in 2013.

C. There is evidence indicating an increase in accidents duo to digital billboards.

D. Digital billboards are used to convey messages.

2.What do we learn from the text?

A. Scenic America is an organization that is in favor of digital billboards.

B. Drivers in the Bay Area are against the digital billboards.

C. California has banned digital billboards.

D. There were about 1,800 digital billboards nationwide five years ago.

3.What is Bryan Parker’s attitude towards digital billboards?

A. Supportive.          B. Indifferent.

C. Opposed.           D. Uncertain.

4.What is the main idea of the text?

A. Studies have shown digital billboards pose a danger to drivers.

B. People’s eyes cannot adjust fast enough to the brightness of digital billboards.

C. A study says flashing digital billboards are too distracting.

D. Experts doubt it is necessary to limit digital billboards.

5.We are most likely to find the text in the ________ section of a magazine.

A. international culture                   B. traffic and safety

C. fashion and travel                     D. personal health

[1]Some people's ears produce wax like busy little bees. This can be a problem even though earwax appears to serve an important purpose. Experts say it protects and cleans the ear. It traps dirt and other matter and keeps insects out. Doctors think it might also help protect against infections. And the waxy oil keeps ears from getting too dry.

[2]So earwax is good. It even has a medical name: cerumen. And there are two kinds. Most people of European or African ancestry have the "wet" kind: thick and sticky. East Asians commonly have ___________.But you can have too much of a good thing.

[3]The glands(腺体) in the ear canal that produce the wax make too much in some people. Earwax normally falls out of the ear or gets washed away. But extra wax can harden and form a blockage that interferes with sound waves and reduces hearing. People can also cause a blockage when they try to clean out their ears，but only push the wax deeper inside. Earwax removal is sometimes necessary. But you have to use a safe method or you could do a lot of damage.

[4]Experts at N.I.H., the National Institutes of Health, suggest some ways to treat excessive earwax yourself. One way to remove wax is known as irrigation. With the head upright, take hold of the outer part of the ear. Gently pull upward to straighten the ear canal. Use an injector device to gently direct water against the wall of the ear canal. Then turn the head to the side to let the water out.

[5]The experts at N.I.H. say you may have to repeat this process a few times. Use water that is body temperature. If the water is cooler or warmer, it could make you feel dizzy. Never try irrigation if the eardrum is broken. It could lead to infection and other problems.

[6]After the earwax is gone, gently dry the ear. But if irrigation fails, the best thing to do is to go to a

 health care provider for professional assistance.

1.What’s the purpose of the passage? (No more than 10 words)

___________________________________________________________________.

2.What’s the bad effect of too much earwax on our hearing? (No more than 15 words)

____________________________________________________________________.

3.Fill in the blank in Paragraph 2 with proper words. （No more than 3 words）

____________________________________________________________________.

4.What does the underlined word “this process” (Line 1, Paragraph 5) probably refer to?

(No more than 2 words）

____________________________________________________________________.

5.Will you use freezing water when trying to remove earwax? Why or why not?

(No more than 10 words)

____________________________________________________________________.

前不久，中央电视台记者奔赴全国各地以“什么是幸福？”为主题进行随机采访，采访对象的回答各种各样，不尽相同。作为一位高三的学生，请你根据以下的提示，以What is Happiness 为题，写一篇英语短文。

提示:

1. 不同的人对“什么是幸福？”的回答各不相同。

2. 你认为追求自己人生目标的过程就是一种幸福。

3. 因为幸福来自于乐观的态度，努力后的成就和简朴健康的生活。

注意:

1. 词数120左右。（开头已给出，不计入总词数。）

2. 不要逐句翻译，围绕以上提示，适当发挥，行文连贯。

—I really can’t thank you enough

—         ．

A．With pleasure                                          B．I’m glad to have been of help

C．No problem                                              D．That’s the most I could do

At our factory there are a few machines similar to ______ described in this magazine.

A. them              B. these                      C. those                                D. ones

He had planned to make a compromise，but         he changed his mind at the last minute．

A．therefore                     B．otherwise                      C．anyhow                         D．somehow

—Are you still mad at her?

—Not really, but I can’t ______ that her remarks hurt me.

A．deny                               B．refuse                            C．reject                             D．decline

Only after Mary read her essay the second time            the spelling mistake.

A. did she notice.                B. she notice.

C. does she notice              D. she has noticed

There are a small number of people involved, possibly ______twenty.

A. as few as                          B. as little as                         C. as many as                       D. as much as