The joke was so funny that we （).

B．Several students played a practical joke on Professor Smith,so he became furious.

C．Several students played a practical joke on Professor Smith;he became furious.

D．Several students played a practical joke on Professor Smith, he became furious.

Passage Five

Jim was intelligent, but he hated hard work. He said, "You work hard, and make a lot of money, and then the government takes most of it. I want easy work that gives me lots of money and that the government doesn't know about".

So he became a thief--but he did not do the stealing himself. He got others to do it. They were much less intelligent than he was, so he arranged everything and told them what to do.

One day they were looking for rich families to rob, and Jim sent one of them to a large beautiful house just outside the town.

It was evening, and when the man looked through one of the windows, he saw a young man and a girl playing on a piano.

When he went back to Jim, he said, "That family can't have much money. Two people were playing on the same piano there."

52. What Jim said can be said to be______.

A. an excuse

B. a lie

C. a joke

D. a truth

.

［A］ Thus a joke is laughed at for its own sake, even though there is an independent value in laughter, which lightens our lives by taking us momentarily outside ourselves. Why should not something similar be said of works of art, many of which aspire to be amusing in just the way that good jokes are？

［B］ All discussion of the value of art tends, therefore, to turn from the outset in the direction of criticism: Can there be genuine critical evaluation of art, a genuine distinction between that which deserves our attention and that which does not？ (And, once again, the question may be extended to objects of natural beauty.)

［C］ Art is held to be a form. of education, perhaps an education of the emotions. In this case, it becomes an open question whether there might not be some more effective means to the same result. Alternatively, one may attribute a negative value to art, as Plato did in his Republic, arguing that art has a corrupting or diseducative effect on those exposed to it.

［D］ Artistic appreciation, a purely personal matter, calls for appropriate means of expression. Yet, it is before anything a process of “cultivation”, during which a certain part of one’s “inner self” is “dug out” and some knowledeg of the outside world becomes its match.

［E］ If I am amused it is for a reason, and this reason lies in the object of my amusement. We thus begin to think in terms of a distinction between good and bad reasons for laughter. Amusement at the wrong things may seem to us to show corruption of mind, cruelty, or bad taste; and when it does so, we speak of the object as not truly amusing, and feel that we have reason on our side.

［F］ Such thinkers and writers believe that art is not only an end in itself but also a sufficient justification of itself. They also hold that in order to understand art as it should be understood, it is necessary to put aside all interests other than an interest in the work itself.

.

［A］ Thus a joke is laughed at for its own sake, even though there is an independent value in laughter, which lightens our lives by taking us momentarily outside ourselves. Why should not something similar be said of works of art, many of which aspire to be amusing in just the way that good jokes are？

［B］ All discussion of the value of art tends, therefore, to turn from the outset in the direction of criticism: Can there be genuine critical evaluation of art, a genuine distinction between that which deserves our attention and that which does not？ (And, once again, the question may be extended to objects of natural beauty.)

［C］ Art is held to be a form. of education, perhaps an education of the emotions. In this case, it becomes an open question whether there might not be some more effective means to the same result. Alternatively, one may attribute a negative value to art, as Plato did in his Republic, arguing that art has a corrupting or diseducative effect on those exposed to it.

［D］ Artistic appreciation, a purely personal matter, calls for appropriate means of expression. Yet, it is before anything a process of “cultivation”, during which a certain part of one’s “inner self” is “dug out” and some knowledeg of the outside world becomes its match.

［E］ If I am amused it is for a reason, and this reason lies in the object of my amusement. We thus begin to think in terms of a distinction between good and bad reasons for laughter. Amusement at the wrong things may seem to us to show corruption of mind, cruelty, or bad taste; and when it does so, we speak of the object as not truly amusing, and feel that we have reason on our side.

［F］ Such thinkers and writers believe that art is not only an end in itself but also a sufficient justification of itself. They also hold that in order to understand art as it should be understood, it is necessary to put aside all interests other than an interest in the work itself.

.

［A］ Thus a joke is laughed at for its own sake, even though there is an independent value in laughter, which lightens our lives by taking us momentarily outside ourselves. Why should not something similar be said of works of art, many of which aspire to be amusing in just the way that good jokes are？

［B］ All discussion of the value of art tends, therefore, to turn from the outset in the direction of criticism: Can there be genuine critical evaluation of art, a genuine distinction between that which deserves our attention and that which does not？ (And, once again, the question may be extended to objects of natural beauty.)

［C］ Art is held to be a form. of education, perhaps an education of the emotions. In this case, it becomes an open question whether there might not be some more effective means to the same result. Alternatively, one may attribute a negative value to art, as Plato did in his Republic, arguing that art has a corrupting or diseducative effect on those exposed to it.

［D］ Artistic appreciation, a purely personal matter, calls for appropriate means of expression. Yet, it is before anything a process of “cultivation”, during which a certain part of one’s “inner self” is “dug out” and some knowledeg of the outside world becomes its match.

［E］ If I am amused it is for a reason, and this reason lies in the object of my amusement. We thus begin to think in terms of a distinction between good and bad reasons for laughter. Amusement at the wrong things may seem to us to show corruption of mind, cruelty, or bad taste; and when it does so, we speak of the object as not truly amusing, and feel that we have reason on our side.

［F］ Such thinkers and writers believe that art is not only an end in itself but also a sufficient justification of itself. They also hold that in order to understand art as it should be understood, it is necessary to put aside all interests other than an interest in the work itself.

.

［A］ Thus a joke is laughed at for its own sake, even though there is an independent value in laughter, which lightens our lives by taking us momentarily outside ourselves. Why should not something similar be said of works of art, many of which aspire to be amusing in just the way that good jokes are？

［B］ All discussion of the value of art tends, therefore, to turn from the outset in the direction of criticism: Can there be genuine critical evaluation of art, a genuine distinction between that which deserves our attention and that which does not？ (And, once again, the question may be extended to objects of natural beauty.)

［C］ Art is held to be a form. of education, perhaps an education of the emotions. In this case, it becomes an open question whether there might not be some more effective means to the same result. Alternatively, one may attribute a negative value to art, as Plato did in his Republic, arguing that art has a corrupting or diseducative effect on those exposed to it.

［D］ Artistic appreciation, a purely personal matter, calls for appropriate means of expression. Yet, it is before anything a process of “cultivation”, during which a certain part of one’s “inner self” is “dug out” and some knowledeg of the outside world becomes its match.

［E］ If I am amused it is for a reason, and this reason lies in the object of my amusement. We thus begin to think in terms of a distinction between good and bad reasons for laughter. Amusement at the wrong things may seem to us to show corruption of mind, cruelty, or bad taste; and when it does so, we speak of the object as not truly amusing, and feel that we have reason on our side.

［F］ Such thinkers and writers believe that art is not only an end in itself but also a sufficient justification of itself. They also hold that in order to understand art as it should be understood, it is necessary to put aside all interests other than an interest in the work itself.

.

［A］ Thus a joke is laughed at for its own sake, even though there is an independent value in laughter, which lightens our lives by taking us momentarily outside ourselves. Why should not something similar be said of works of art, many of which aspire to be amusing in just the way that good jokes are？

［B］ All discussion of the value of art tends, therefore, to turn from the outset in the direction of criticism: Can there be genuine critical evaluation of art, a genuine distinction between that which deserves our attention and that which does not？ (And, once again, the question may be extended to objects of natural beauty.)

［C］ Art is held to be a form. of education, perhaps an education of the emotions. In this case, it becomes an open question whether there might not be some more effective means to the same result. Alternatively, one may attribute a negative value to art, as Plato did in his Republic, arguing that art has a corrupting or diseducative effect on those exposed to it.

［D］ Artistic appreciation, a purely personal matter, calls for appropriate means of expression. Yet, it is before anything a process of “cultivation”, during which a certain part of one’s “inner self” is “dug out” and some knowledeg of the outside world becomes its match.

［E］ If I am amused it is for a reason, and this reason lies in the object of my amusement. We thus begin to think in terms of a distinction between good and bad reasons for laughter. Amusement at the wrong things may seem to us to show corruption of mind, cruelty, or bad taste; and when it does so, we speak of the object as not truly amusing, and feel that we have reason on our side.

［F］ Such thinkers and writers believe that art is not only an end in itself but also a sufficient justification of itself. They also hold that in order to understand art as it should be understood, it is necessary to put aside all interests other than an interest in the work itself.

The British Summer

Britain is well known for its rainy climate. People joke that even in the summer time the country never gets any sun and that the skies stay disappointingly grey even during the months of July and August. Last summer though, it was so hot that people could hardly believe it. British people weren't used to such high temperatures, so every day on the news there were stories about people struggling to work in such unusual weather conditions. Radio and television programmers also reminded everyone to drink more water and not to stay too long in the sun.

When the sun comes out, British people tend to spend time in their garden if they have one. It’s common to invite friends and neighbours around for a barbecue, where everyone sits outside and eats food like grilled meat (烤肉)and salads. There's always a back-up plan in case of rain though, and the meal sometimes has to be cooked in the kitchen and eaten indoors. People also spend a lot of time in parks during the summer, having picnics or playing sports. In every green area, there’s always at least one ice cream van, a kind of car that plays children’s music and sells ice creams. Towns like Blackpool and Brighton are popular for their beaches and amusement arcades(游乐场).People go there to swim, sunbathe and eat fish and chips. The water can be quite cold, though, and that’s why quite a lot of people prefer to go abroad for their summer holiday instead. Popular destinations include Spain, Germany and France: all countries that promise a lot of sunshine!

1、There is little sunshine in Britain in summer.()

A. True

B. False

C. Not Given

2、British people like to tell jokes about each other.()

A. True

B. False

C. Not Given

3、It was unusually hot last summer in Britain.()

A. True

B. False

C. Not Given

4、British people enjoyed the high temperatures of last summer.()

A. True

B. False

C. Not Given

5、The media advised people to enjoy the sunshine.()

A. True

B. False

C. Not Given

6、Most British people have a garden of their own.()

A. True

B. False

C. Not Given

7、People having a barbecue often have a plan against the rain.()

A. True

B. False

C. Not Given

8、Children like the music from the ice cream vans.()

A. True

B. False

C. Not Given

9、Blackpool and Brighton are known for their beaches.()

A. True

B. False

C. Not Given

10、People go to Spain in summer to enjoy the cooler sea water.()

A. True

B. False

C. Not Given

But when he called the billing agency，nobody laughed. Someone，who's also named Joe Ryan，using Ryan's Social Security number，had indeed been admitted for surgery. He figured clearing this up would take a just few phone calls.

Two years later，Ryan continues to suffer from the damage to his credit rating and still doesn't know if his medical record has been cleared of wrong information.

Joe Ryan was the victim of a little-known but frightening type of consumer cheating that is on the rise：medical identity theft，which involves using your name to get drugs，expensive medical treatment and even cheating insurance payments.

As Ryan discovered，money isn't the half of it. When someone steals your name to receive health care，his medical history becomes part of your record-and setting the record straight can be extremely difficult. That's because，in part，the information is handed out among dozens of caregivers，from doctors to medicine stores to insurance companies and labs.

“I wanted to help straighten this out，”says Ryan，“so I went to the hospital，and they had a three-inch-thick record for me，but they wouldn't let me see it. I showed them my ID，and they said that's not Joe Ryan's signature. Well，of course not!They had this other guy's signature. ”

Ryan had fallen into a victim's Catch-22：If your record doesn't appear to be yours，you may not have the right to read it，much less change it.

Ryan's next step was a visit to the police department. But the police said that there was not much they could do，that the local law enforcement has little experience with medical ID theft，and cases like this can end up being considered a civil matter.

The billing agency sent Joe Ryan a notice to______.

A．play a joke on him for medical treatment

B．inform. him of the payment for his surgery

C．clear up the wrong information in his medical record

D．correct the mistakes about payment for his surgery