课时作业(十八) [必修4 Unit 3 A taste of English humour]

[限时：30分钟]

Ⅰ.完形填空

Born in America, I spoke English, not Chinese, the language of my ancestors. When I was three, my parents flashed cards with Chinese __1__ at my face, but I pushed them aside. My mom believed I would learn when I was ready. But the __2__ never came.

On a Chinese New Year's Eve, my uncle spoke to me in Chinese, but all I could do was __3__ at him, confused, scratching my head. “Still can't speak Chinese？” He __4__ me, “You can't even buy a fish in Chinatown.”

“Hey, this is America, not China. I'll get some right now with or without Chinese，” I replied and turned to my mom for __5__.

“Remember to ask for fresh fish, Xin Xian Yu，” she said，handing over a $20 bill. I __6__ the words, running downstairs into the streets of Chinatown.

I found the fish __7__ surrounded in a sea of customers. “I'd like to buy some fresh fish，” I shouted to the fisherman. But he __8__ my English words and turned to serve the next customer.The laugh of the people behind increased with their impatience. With every __9__， the breath of the dragons (龙) on my back grew stronger—my blood boiling—__10__ me to cry out. “Xian Sheng Yu, please.” “Very Xian Sheng，” I repeated.The crowd erupted into laughter. My face turned __11__ and I ran back home __12__， except for the $20 bill I held tightly in my pocket.

Should I laugh or cry? They' re Chinese. I'm Chinese. I should feel right at __13__. Instead, I was the joke, a disgrace (丢脸)to the language.

Sometimes, I laugh at my fish __14__， but, in the end, the joke is on me. Every laugh is a culture __15__； every laugh is my heritage (传统) fading away.

1．A.custom B．games

C．characters D．language

2．A.success B．study C．time D．attempt 3．A.aim B．joke C．nod D．stare 4．A.cared about B．laughed at C．argued with D．asked after 5．A.decision B．permission C．information D．preparation 6．A.repeated B．reviewed

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C．spelled D．kept

7．A.farm B．stand C．pond D．market

8．A.guessed B．forgot C．doubted D．ignored 9．A.second B．effort C．desire D．movement 10．A.forcing B．allowing C．persuading D．leading

11．A.bright B．blank C．pale D．red 12．A.open－mouthed B．tongue－tied C．empty－handed D．broken－hearted 13．A.service B．home C．risk D．root 14．A.trade B．deed

C．challenge D．incident

15．A.thrown B．lost C．divided D．reflected Ⅱ.阅读理解

A

Bill Gates and the president of General Motors have met for lunch, and Bill is going on and on about computer technology. “If automotive technology had kept pace with computer technology over the past few decades, you would now be driving a V－32 instead of a V－8, and it would have a top speed of 10,000 miles per hour，” says Gates.“Or, you could have an economy car that weighs 30 pounds and gets a thousand miles to a gallon of gas. In either case, the sticker price of a new car would be less than $50. Why haven't you guys kept up？”

The president of GM smiles and says, “Because the federal government won't let us build cars that crash four times a day.”

Why is that funny (or not funny, as the case may be)? Human beings love to laugh, and the average adult laughs 17 times a day. Humans love to laugh so much that there are actually industries built around laughter. Jokes, sitcoms and comedians are all designed to get us laughing, because laughing feels good. For us it seems so natural, but the funny thing is that humans are one of the only species that laughs. Laughter is actually a complex response that involves many of the same skills used in solving problems.

Laughter is a great thing－that's why we've all heard the saying, “Laughter is the best medicine.” There is strong evidence that laughter can actually improve health and help fight disease. In this article, we'll look at laughter－what it is, what happens in our brains when we laugh, what makes us laugh and how it can make us healthier and happier. You'll also learn that there's a tremendous amount that no one understands yet.

16. What's the best title of the passage? A．Laughter

B．The joke between Gates and the president of General Motors C．Why do we laugh? D．Laughter and health

17．Which one is NOT true according to the passage?

A．Computer technology has developed quickly during the past few decades. B．Automotive technology has developed as fast as computer technology according to Bill Gates. C．The president of GM thinks it is impossible to build cars worth less than 50 dollars.

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D．If cars were less than 50 dollars, a large number of accidents would happen per day. 18．From the passage we can know that________. A．Humans laugh because it can fight disease

B．Humans have gained skills to laugh since they are born C．humans are one of the only species that can laugh D．laughing can make humans feel bad

19．The underlined word “sitcoms” in Paragraph 3 means “________”． A．situation comedies B．tragedies C．body languages D．fictions

20．This passage is most probably an ________. A．introduction of an article about Microsoft B．introduction of an article about laughter C．article about laughter

D．introduction of an article about General Motors

B

I had the meanest mother in the world. While other kids ate candy for breakfast, I had to have cereal (谷类食物), eggs or toast. While others had Cokes and candy for lunch, I had to eat a sandwich. As you can guess, my supper was different from other kids' too. But_at_least_I_wasn't_alone_in_my_sufferings. My sister and two brothers had the same mean mother as I did.

My mother insisted upon knowing where we were at all times. She had to know who our friends were and where we were going. She insisted if we said we'd be gone an hour, then we be gone one hour or less—not one hour and one minute. And she always insisted upon us telling the truth. Now you can see how mean she was.

The worst is yet to come. We had to be in bed by nine each night and up at eight the next morning. We had to wash dishes, make beds, and learn to cook. We had to wear clean clothes and take a bath, while the other kids always wore their clothes for days. I believe she laid awake at night thinking up mean things to do to us.

Through the years, things didn't improve a bit. We could not lie in bed，“sick”like our friends did, and miss school. Our marks in school had to be up to par(达到标准水平). Our friends' report cards had beautiful colors on them, black for passing, red for failing. My mother, being as different as she was, would settle for nothing less than ugly black marks.

As the years rolled by, we were one by one put to shame. We were graduated from high school. With our mother behind us, talking, hitting and demanding respect, none of us was allowed the pleasure of being a drop－out.

My mother was a complete failure as a mother. Out of four children, a couple of us attained some higher education. And whom do we have to blame for the terrible way we turned out? You're right, our mean mother. She forced us to grow up into educated and honest adults.

Now I am trying to raise my three children. I am filled with pride when my children call me mean. Because, you see, I had the meanest mother in the world.

21. What does the sentence “But at least I wasn't alone in my sufferings.” mean? A．The author's mother was only mean to her. B．The author was alone when she was a child.

C．The author's mother was mean to her sister, brothers and her. D．The author wasn't alone because of suffering. 22. According to the passage, the author's mother will ask her children to do all the following

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