Do you want to live a happier, less stressful life? Try laughing for no reason at all. That’s how thousands of people start their day at Laughter Clubs around the world.
The first Laughter Club was started in Mumbai, India, in 1995, by Dr Madan Kataria. “Children laugh about 300 times a day. Adults laugh between 7 and 15 times a day,” says Dr Kataria. “Everyone’s naturally good at laughing — it’s the universal (共同的) language.” There are now more than 500 Laughter Clubs in India and over 1,300 worldwide.
Many doctors are also interested in the effects (影响)of laughter on our health. According to a 5-year study at the UCLS School of Medicine in California, with laughing there is less stress in the body. Laughter improves our health against illness by about 40%.
So what happens at a Laughter Club? I went along to the nearest club in the south of London to find out. I was quite nervous at the beginning of the class. I had no interest in laughing with a group of strangers, and I was worried about looking stupid (愚蠢的). Our laughter teacher told us to clap our hands (拍手) and say “ho ho ho, ha ha ha” while looking at each other. Although we couldn’t tell the differences between fake laughter and real laughter, they still produced the same healthy effects.
Surprisingly, it worked! After ten minutes, everybody there was laughing for real and some people just couldn’t stop! At the end of the class I was shocked by how relaxed and comfortable I felt. So if you’re under stress, then start laughing. The passage is probably taken from .
A.a storybook | B.a health magazine | C.a comic book | D.a travel magazine |
The writer was nervous at the beginning of the class because .
A.he was not clever enough |
B.he wasn’t interested in laughing at all |
C.he wasn’t good at getting along with others |
D.he knew no one there and was afraid it would look silly to laugh for no reason |
The underlined word “fake” probably means “ ” in Chinese.
A.假的 | B.真诚的 | C.真的 | D.难堪的 |
According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
A.People feel less stressed when they laugh. |
B.Adults don’t laugh as often as children. |
C.People who often laugh never fall ill in their lives. |
D.The first Laughter Club was set up in Asia. |
Which is the BEST title for the passage?
A.A 5-year study | B.Try laughing at Laughter Clubs |
C.The first Laughter Club | D.A difficult language to learn |
Hello,this is your gardening adviser.
Now,just as our garden are at their most colourful, and most productive time, what do we do?We’ll go off on holiday. What I suggest you do is this: invite a friend or neighbour to help you. You can ask him to water the plants in the greenhouse until you return, but first make sure that he knows how to do it. What he should not do is throw water over the leaves of the plants themselves, because if he does that, it will invite diseases. Also for the same reason, ask him if he can possibly water in the morning, rather than in the evening.
If you haven’t got a greenhouse, there is one safe and easy way to keep the plants well when you are away, and this is how you do it. Place six-inch-deep newspapers in the bottom of the bath. Yes, the bath! Turn the tap on and keep the water running until the papers are all wet. Now put the flower pots(花盆)to stand on the wet paper, go off on holiday, and they should be alive and well when you return in two weeks’ time.
Thank you for calling. Goodbye and good gardening! What is the passage about?
A.holiday. | B.health. |
C.bathing. | D.gardening. |
Which advice does the speaker give?
A.Pouring water to prevent diseases |
B.Watering the plant in the morning |
C.Watering the plants in the evening |
D.Throwing water over the leaves of the plants. |
What is not the reason the speaker repeats“the bath”?
A.To attract the listeners’ attention |
B.To advise the listeners’ to buy beautiful baths. |
C.To make sure the listeners understand him clearly |
D.To remove the listeners’ surprise when they hear this. |
What is the speaker like'?
A.Helpful and patient. |
B.Stubborn and impatient. |
C.Modest and imaginative |
D.Careless and easy-going |
Where is York?
A.In the north of England. | B.In Windsor. |
C.In the west of London. | D.At Plymouth. |
Mr Smith is visiting The Museum of the Moving Image with his wife and their four-year-old son. How much should the pay?
A.£10. | B.£12. | C.£16. | D.£25 |
Where will people probably go if they like fun rides?
A.The Old Town of York |
B.The Museum of the Moving Image |
C.Legoland |
D.Sea Life Centre |
What is the latest attraction at Sea Life Centre?
A.A quiz show. |
B.Animal and fish feeding |
C.Models of famous places. |
D.A big glass tunnel |
Hawaii is a truly beautiful place. Most people know Hawaii for its lovely beaches. However, Hawaii is also a land full of legends(传奇). One of the oldest legends tells of a special dance called the hula, which started here around 300 years ago.
One hula teacher tells the story of how the dance started. “The hula started, as far as the legend tells it, when Hi’iaki and her good friend Hopoe went down to the beach. And then, when they were there, they noticed the waves(波浪)…and they imitated the waves. And then started to use their hands…like showing the waves.That is how the hula started.”
However,not everyone has always liked the hula.In 1820,some religious(宗教的) people from Western countries came to Hawaii.The visitors were shocked by the hula because the dancers were not wearing many clothes.So they asked the local government to ban(制止) the dance.
After that,most Hawaiians were not allowed to perform the hula in public for almost 60 years.But that did not mean the dancing stopping.Many dances still performed the hula in secret.The dance was always there.
Things have changed.At the moment,people of all ages want to study the old culture.They want to learn how to dance the hula.As a result,more and more people are attending halaus. Halaus are special schools that hula in the traditional way.
Kumano is a hula teacher. For him, the dance is a way to bring the best of old Hawaii culture to people today. Kumano says that the dance is not really about the body.He feels that it is more about the mind.He explains this feelings,”…the hula is more… not so much a physical thing,but more of a mental thing.For new dances,the dancing means very little,because for Hawaiians today,many of them don’t speak the Hawaiian language. So,what I try to do is to mind the real thing they see today.”Which of the following has the closest meaning to the underlined word”imitated”in this passage?”
A.Absorbed | B.Chased. |
C.Recorded. | D.Copied. |
Why was the hula banned for almost 60 years?
A.Because the local government found the movements of the dance were rude. |
B.Because the religious visitors thought that the dances did not dress properly. |
C.Because the dances realized it was not suitable to perform the dance in public. |
D.Because the Hawaiian people believed the dance was not in fashion any more. |
What can we learn from the passage?
A.Hi iaki and her good friend Hopoe got the idea of the dance from nature. |
B.The hula had already had a history had a history of over 200 years when it was banned. |
C.Many people attend hulaus because they teach the hula in a modern way. |
D.Kumano thinks that the hula dance is good exercise for people of all ages. |
How do we understand that Kumano tries to bring to mind the real thing they today?
A.He tries to help young Hawaiian understand the old culture better. |
B.He tries to let new dances feel the beauty of the Hawaiian language. |
C.He tries to advise his students to pay more attention to the mind. |
D.He tries to show local people that the hula can be different today. |
Mr. Jones opened a shop in Aston to sell writing-paper, pencils and things like that. During the first month, very few people visited his shop. He sold little,and he could see that he was going to lose money.
One night,Mr.Jones sat bay the fire and was worried after another very bad day. Suddenly he got an idea. He found a piece of wood and wrote to the following notice on it in big letters:
“WHAT DO YOU THINK I GIVE AWAY PENCILS AND PAPER AND INK”
He put up the notice in front of the shop window before he went to bed. He slept better than usual that night.
The following day, many people came to the shop. Mr. Jones said good morning to them all with a bright smile and asked the frist woman what she wanted.
She chose some writing paper and a pencil. As soon as he put them on her hands, she turned to leave the shop.
“That will be thirty cents(美分),please,” he said.
“Why?” she asked in surprise.
“That’s the price of the paper and the pencil.”
“But your notice says it’s free,” she replied.
“Oh no,” he said, “how can I make any money if everything is free?”
She took him outside and showed him the notice “It is wrong,too,”she said. “where is the question mark after the word ‘think’?”
“There isn’t a question mark,”he said.
“But there should be one .”
“I’m afraid you’ve made a mistake,” Mr.Jones said.“You have read my notice in the wrong way.”
“Not at all,” said the woman. “It is quite easy to read. It says: What do you think? I give away pencils and paper and ink!”
“No,” Mr.Jones said. “You should read it like this: And the answer to the question is: Certainly not! So you really have to pay me thirty cents, you see.”How did Mr.Jones most probably fell that night.?
A.Confident. | B.Guilty. |
C.Nervous. | D.Worried. |
Which of the following sentences is the most suitble for the blank in the last paragraph?
A.What do you think?I give away pencils and paper and ink! |
B.What?Do you think I give away pencils and paper and ink? |
C.What do you think I give away?Pencils and paper and ink. |
D.Ink and paper and pencils away give.I think you do what? |
What can we infer(推断) from the story?
A.Mr.Jones agreed to let the shoppers get things for free that day. |
B.People in the town considered Mr.Jones a smart and honest man. |
C.The woman paid the money unwillingly and left the shop angrily. |
D.Mr.Jones s trick proved to be a longtime success and he got rich. |
Climb to the top of the amazing Sydney Harbour Bridge and look down 134 meters at the water below! This 4-hour climbing tour is fantastic! Book your tour now?
Tour includes:
A certificate to prove your climbed the bridge.
A photo of you and your friends on top of the bridge.
We also offer you :
★ Special clothes to protect you from the strong wind.
★ A radio to communicate with the tour leader.
★ Snacks(for lunch and dinner tours only).
★ Prices are in Australian dollars
★ Children must be with a adult. At most 2 children per adult.
★ For more information,email us at tours@touraustralia.com.This is most probably a(n) .
A.invitation | B.timetable |
C.notice | D.advertisement |
What can we learn from the article?
A.Children can join in the tours alone if they are about 10. |
B.It can be quite windy sometimes on the top of the bridge. |
C.Free snacks are offered to the climbers during the tours. |
D.It takes at least 4 hours to climb to the top pf the bridge. |
Mr. and Mrs.Johnson are going to take their twin daughters (aged 11) to climb the bridge this Sunday morning(June 22). How much do they pay for the tour?
A.$480 | B.$560 |
C.$640 | D.$880 |