When friends come to visit us in the evening, they spend their time telling us they are in a hurry and looking at their watches. It isn’t that our friends are all very busy, it is just that we haven’t got a television. People think that we are very strange. “But what do you do in the evening?”，they are always asking. The answer is very simple. Both my wife and I have hobbies. We certainly don’t spend our evenings staring at the walls. My wife enjoys cooking and painting and often attends evening classes in foreign languages. This is particularly useful as we often go abroad for our holidays. I collect stamps and I’m always busy with my collection. Both of us enjoy listening to the music and playing chess together.
Sometimes there are power cuts and we have no electricity in the house. This does not worry us, we just light candles and carry on with what we were doing before. Our friends, however, are lost---no television!---So they don’t know what to do. On such evenings our house is very full ---they all come to us. They all have a good time. Instead of sitting in silence in front of the television, everybody talks and plays games.
57. The couple have not got a television, because     .
A. they are not rich enough         
B. they are strange people
C. they enjoy spending evenings in their own ways
D. they don’t know what to do when there are power cuts
58. Both of them are interested in     .
A. learning languages  B. traveling 
C. staying home alone                D. watching people play games
59.At night when there is no electricity, the couple       .
A. have to stare at the walls B. can do nothing but sit in silence
C. will have many visitors  D. have to go out for candles
60. The best title for this passage is _____.
A. What is the function of television?     B. Candle! But No Electricity!
C. Different Friends, Different Hobbies.   D. We Go Without Televisions!

When friends come to visit us in the evening, they spend their time telling us they are in a hurry and looking at their watches. It isn’t that our friends are all very busy, it is just that we haven’t got a television. People think that we are very strange. “But what do you do in the evening?”，they are always asking. The answer is very simple. Both my wife and I have hobbies. We certainly don’t spend our evenings staring at the walls. My wife enjoys cooking and painting and often attends evening classes in foreign languages. This is particularly useful as we often go abroad for our holidays. I collect stamps and I’m always busy with my collection. Both of us enjoy listening to the music and playing chess together.

   Sometimes there are power cuts and we have no electricity in the house. This does not worry us, we just light candles and carry on with what we were doing before. Our friends, however, are lost---no television!---So they don’t know what to do. On such evenings our house is very full ---they all come to us. They all have a good time. Instead of sitting in silence in front of the television, everybody talks and plays games.

The couple have not got a television, because     .

      A. they are not rich enough         

       B. they are strange people

      C. they enjoy spending evenings in their own ways

      D. they don’t know what to do when there are power cuts

Both of them are interested in     .

       A. learning languages  B. traveling 

       C. staying home alone                D. watching people play games

At night when there is no electricity, the couple       .

       A. have to stare at the walls B. can do nothing but sit in silence

       C. will have many visitors  D. have to go out for candles

The best title for this passage is _____.

       A. Why Do We Need a Television?      B. Candle! But No Electricity!

       C. Different Friends, Different Hobbies.  D. We Go Without Televisions!

We’re always being sent contributions（稿件） for our popular laughter, The Best Medicine Section. Some of the jokes are obvious winners. Some of the jokes are ancient,  which are unfit for public consumption or just don’t make the grade（符合要求）. And then there are the rest: the jokes that get our editor scratching his chin and wondering, “Is this one good enough to print? ” Now you can help him choose. We’ve picked five jokes from the “Maybe” pile. Vote for the one you think is the best. The top-rated joke as of July 20, 2012 will be published in the magazine—and net its author $150.

(1)

A boy goes to a bookshop with his birthday money and chooses a book titled Advice to Young Mothers. “Why would you want this book? ” the assistant asks him.

“Because I collect moths（飛蛾）. ” the boy explains.

Derek Blew, Lane Cove, NSW

(2)

Father: “So you want to be my son-in-law? ”

Young man: “Actually I don’t, but I want to marry your daughter and I don’t see how I can avoid it. ”

Kimberley McEwan, southland, NZ

(3)

How many politicians does it take to change a light bulb（燈泡）?

None. They only promised they would do it.

Lisa Bluthal, Umina Beach, NSW

(4)

A couple of country boys driving a semitrailer（半拖車） down the highway come to a bridge with a sign saying: “Clearance 3. 1 metres. ” They stop, take out a tape measure and find the truck is 3. 5 metres high. “I don’t see any police around, ” one says. “Let’s go for it. ”

Loretta Fonseca, Otago, NZ

(5)

There are only two people who really know how to run this country. Sadly, one is cutting hair and the other is driving a taxi.

James White, Belmont, NSW

Click here for Poll Archives（投票檔案）.

71. The writer’s purpose in writing the passage is to________ .

A. ask readers to judge which joke is the best

B. provide readers with some jokes for entertainment

C. collect contributions for a magazine

D. show us laughter is the best medicine

72. What do the underlined words (in the first paragraph) mean?

A. Jokes which are obvious winners.

B. Jokes which don’t make the grade.

C. Laughter and The Best Medicine Section.

D. Jokes that the editor isn’t sure of printing.

73. We can learn from the first joke that________ .

A. the book is very popular with readers

B. the assistant is very embarrassed

C. the boy misunderstands the title of the book

D. the boy wants to buy the book for his mother

74. What can we infer from the jokes?

A. The young man doesn’t want to marry the girl. (Joke 2)

B. Politicians seldom keep their promises. (Joke 3)

C. The boys often break traffic rules. (Joke 4)

D. People in that country live a happy life. (Joke 5)

75. The passage can most probably be found________ .

A. on the Internet                                                    B. in a newspaper

C. in a story book                                                    D. in a magazine

Jim Lehrer hosts The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer on PBS ( Public Broadcasting Service) and has written 18 novels, two memoirs (回憶錄), and three plays. And in his spare time…

What He's Working On

Oh, Johnny (Random House, $ 25), his hovel about a young Marine in 1944. "On his way to war, Johnny met the most beautiful and wonderful girl he'd ever seen. It changed his life. "

Where He's Surfing

"I'm on the computer all day long for nay job, checking the telegraphs, reading the news, send the news eBay because I collect bus memorabilia (值得紀(jì)念的東西): toy buses, bus stop signs, and bus driver caps. I've bought quite a bit."

What He's Watching

"I love all the Mystery Series on PBS, including Poirot. My wife and I just love those people. I’m a huge fan of The Sopranos. These are serious stories about high school football in small-town Texas and the challenges these kids have. It's very exciting. "

What He t s Listening To

"I'm always amazed when people say they have 3,000 songs on their iPod, 1 like music, but it’s not a part of my life. 1 am always listening to books on tape, I'm about to begin American Lion, Jon Meacham’s biography (傳記) of Andrew Jackson. "

What He's Reading

"At present, I am reading Home, which is set in small-town Iowa. Marilynn Robinson writes about the simple things that are the most complicated of all within the human spirit. Her characters are so alive and real. Not long ago, 1 just finished The Spies of Warsaw, Alan Furst's terrific novel set in pre-World WarⅡ."

60. What job does Jim Lehrer do?

A. A TV host.                 B. A novelist.          C. A reporter.          D. A play - writer.

61. Why does Jim Lehrer spend much time on Google?

A. To collect information for his novel.             B. To collect bus memorabilia.

C. To better carry out his job.                D. To read his favorite novels.

62. In his spare time, Jim Lehrer does all the following things EXCEPT ________.

A. surf eBay for his hobby                                B. watch exciting TV series

C. listen to music on his iPod                     D. work on his own novel

63. Which of the following books is based on a real person?

A. Oh, Johnny.      B. American Lion.         C. Home.         D. The Spies of Warsaw.

Jim Lehrer hosts The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer on PBS ( Public Broadcasting Service) and has written 18 novels, two memoirs (回憶錄), and three plays. And in his spare time…
What He's Working On
Oh, Johnny (Random House, $ 25), his hovel about a young Marine in 1944. "On his way to war, Johnny met the most beautiful and wonderful girl he'd ever seen. It changed his life. "
Where He's Surfing
"I'm on the computer all day long for nay job, checking the telegraphs, reading the news, send the news eBay because I collect bus memorabilia (值得紀(jì)念的東西): toy buses, bus stop signs, and bus driver caps. I've bought quite a bit."
What He's Watching
"I love all the Mystery Series on PBS, including Poirot. My wife and I just love those people. I’m a huge fan of The Sopranos. These are serious stories about high school football in small-town Texas and the challenges these kids have. It's very exciting. "
What He t s Listening To
"I'm always amazed when people say they have 3,000 songs on their iPod, 1 like music, but it’s not a part of my life. 1 am always listening to books on tape, I'm about to begin American Lion, Jon Meacham’s biography (傳記) of Andrew Jackson. "
What He's Reading
"At present, I am reading Home, which is set in small-town Iowa. Marilynn Robinson writes about the simple things that are the most complicated of all within the human spirit. Her characters are so alive and real. Not long ago, 1 just finished The Spies of Warsaw, Alan Furst's terrific novel set in pre-World WarⅡ."
60. What job does Jim Lehrer do?
A. A TV host.                 B. A novelist.          C. A reporter.          D. A play - writer.
61. Why does Jim Lehrer spend much time on Google?
A. To collect information for his novel.             B. To collect bus memorabilia.
C. To better carry out his job.                D. To read his favorite novels.
62. In his spare time, Jim Lehrer does all the following things EXCEPT ________.
A. surf eBay for his hobby                                B. watch exciting TV series
C. listen to music on his iPod                     D. work on his own novel
63. Which of the following books is based on a real person?
A. Oh, Johnny.      B. American Lion.         C. Home.         D. The Spies of Warsaw.