While the majority of people hold the opinion that laughter is one of the nature’s great treatments for lots of mental and physical diseases, it is still a serious scientific subject that researchers are trying to figure out.
“Laughter is social.” says Robert R. Provine, author of the book “Laughter: A Scientific Investigation”, who has been studying laughter for decades. “Almost all people laugh ‘ha-ha-ha’ basically the same way. Whether you speak Mandarin, French or English, everyone will understand laughter. There is a pattern generator(发生器) in our brain that produces this sound.
Laughing is also a good way of communicating. Babies laugh long before they speak. No one teaches them how to laugh. They just do it. People may laugh at a prank(恶作剧) on April Fools’ day. But surprisingly, only 10 to 15 percent of laughter is the result of someone making a joke. Laughter is mostly about social responses rather than reaction to a joke. Deaf people laugh without hearing and people on cell phones laugh without seeing, which shows that laughter isn’t dependent on a single sense but on social interactions.
And laughter is not just a human thing. Chimps tickle(挠痒) each other and even laugh when another chimp pretends to tickle them.
Jaak Panksepp studies rats that laugh when he tickles them. It turns out rats love to be tickled. They return again and again to the hands of researchers tickling them, Panksepp’s video shows.
By studying rats, scientists can figure out what’s going on in the brain during laughter. It has been found that laughter in rats produces a chemical that acts as an antidepressant(抗抑郁药) and anxiety-reducer. Scientists think the same thing probably happens in humans, too. This would give doctors a new chemical target in the brain in their effort to develop drugs that fight depression and anxiety in people.
Even so, laughter itself has not been proved to be the best medicine, experts said. “No study has shown that laughter produces a direct health benefit,” Provine said, “largely because it’s hard to separate laughter from just feeling good.”The writer say “laughter is mostly about social responses rather than reaction to a joke” because____________________.
| A．laughter is the same sound in all the human’s languages. |
| B．people can communicate with each other by laughing. |
| C．laughter is considered a basic language all people can learn. |
| D．everyone can understand the meaning of the word laughter. |
We know from the last two paragraphs that______.
| A．the medical functions of laughter are still under experiment |
| B．laughing every day can cure people of many diseases |
| C．laughter has no direct connection with good feelings |
| D．scientists have learned what is happening in a human brain when he laughs |
Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE according to the passage?
| A．People speaking different languages can understand laughter. |
| B．People can benefit laughter directly. |
| C．Rats love to be tickled. |
| D．Laughter is more social responses than reaction to a joke. |
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
| A．Laughter depends on many senses. |
| B．If you speak different languages, you will laugh differently. |
| C．Laughter is a social response shared by all creatures. |
| D．A new medicine has been developed based on the laughter research. |
A new power plant in Nakoso, Japan, might someday change everything for coal plants．Since the new power plant fired up in September, the designer, Mistubishi, is expecting to prove it's possible to burn coal without polluting．This technology is known as integrated gasification combined cycle （IGCC）．Proving IGCC works should give Mitsubishi's US partner, NRG Energy, the jump other hurdles to building new clean plants．
The project promised to solve the problem of the ages for power plants: how to produce cheap, clean, reliable electricity．No existing technology can do all three perfectly．
The problem is IGCC isn't there yet．It costs about 20 percent more than traditional plants．And even though it's easier to collect the resulting carbon dioxide from an IGCC plant than a traditional plant, there's no proven way to get rid of the greenhouse gas．One plan is to drill a shaft（通道） to pump the carbon dioxide underground, into saltwater formations．But there's no guarantee it will remain underground forever．
NRG administrators think solving the IGCC riddles is worth the trouble because they expect the U．S．will soon limit the amount of carbon dioxide that power generators may give out ．
"With the additional cost of IGCC, to just voluntarily build something that's 20 percent more expensive, that’s commercial suicide," NRG chief administrator, David Crane said．
NRG administrators expect the cost to decline after six or seven plants are built．But other industry experts think it will take about a dozen plants for the price to be competitive with traditional coal plants．
Takaya Watanabe, a vice general manager of Mitsubishi, admits that the cost challenges are difficult．“It’s good for a company to say we want to be green, but unless someone is willing to pay, it's a dream．It won't keep our family eating rice," he said．What is expected of the new technology?
| A．To make electricity without polluting the air． |
| B．To produce energy without burning coal． |
| C．To keep the use of electricity cheaper． |
| D．To pump carbon dioxide more easily ． |
What's the biggest problem the companies are faced with?
| A．How to pump greenhouse gases． |
| B．How to deal with the high cost． |
| C．How to get along with other partners． |
| D．How to improve the new technology． |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．New technologies are unacceptable to people． |
| B．It's unlikely to build more new power plants． |
| C．The companies are run on a tight budget． |
| D．Going green is easier said than done． |
This is an open letter to the three people who stole my handbag from the department store I am employed as a shop assistant ．
When you took my bag, I don't know what you thought you were going to get．With my wages, there's not much left on a Tuesday．I hope the ￡5 was useful to you ．I have informed the social security office so you won't be able to cash the child benefit next week ．I hope that won't leave you too short．But if you really need a couple of pounds, I suppose you could always cash one of the two checks left in my check book．Of course,I phoned the bank right away and the check-casing card is no longer valid, so it won’t be much use to you ．
Actually I don't mind about the money too much．We single parents who work to support our families understand only too well what it means to be short of cash ．However, I don’t suppose it went very far among the three of you．Sorry about that!
I wish you had left the bag behind and just taken the wallet and check book．There were all kinds of papers in it, and notes and things that I really need．I really think that was very inconsiderate of you ．I mean, how would you like something like that to happen to you?
Well, perhaps the bag will turn up．It wasn't even an expensive one．just a plain, old brown leather shoulder bag．You probably dumped it in the nearest rubbish bin or threw it into the bushes. We've looked around, of course, but no one saw which way you went after you left the shop．
I'm not really angry with you．I know how the pressures of modern living can affect us, but I am sad at the loss of my personal things．I feel violated and helpless．The police were very icy, and they just shrugged（耸） their shoulders．"It happens all the time," they told me ．Some small comfort, I suppose．But I've lost just a little more faith in human nature．And as my young son said when I told him what had happened, "Why? Mummy, why us?" I couldn't answer that question．I wonder if you can．In writing Paragraph 2, the writer wants to．
| A．describe the contents of the bag in detail． |
| B．give some suggestions to the three thieves |
| C．tell the thieves hardly any money was available |
| D．state the fact that she was careless with the money |
Which of the following is the most valuable to the writer?
| A．The cash in her bag． | B．The papers and notes in the bag． |
| C．The handbag itself． | D．The check books in the bag． |
What can we conclude about the police?
| A．They have doubts about human nature． |
| B．They show sympathy for the woman． |
| C．They think the case quite common． |
| D．They are unable to find the thieves． |
Why does the author write the letter?
| A．To give the thieves a serious warning． |
| B．To complain about the fall of morality． |
| C．To call people’s attention to their belongings． |
| D．To express her affection for her valuable bag． |
I had looked forward to this day for a long time．Finally I, Kirsty Sturart, would stand on the top of Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in Europe．Although I climbed often in my native Scotland, this was my first trip to the Alps．My companions—Jean Pierre Barton, Maurice Gautier, and Mary Sargent—and I left our camp early and planned to reach the top by late morning．
As we neared the top, large clouds gathered and it began to snow．We found shelter and decided to wait for the snow to stop．After three hours, however, we decided to go back and try again the next day．We started down the mountain in the thick snow．Jean-Pierre forgot his sunglasses and went back to look for them．As he was returning to us, he started to fall．
His fall started an avalanche（雪崩） and it was falling towards us! I was swept away by the heavy snow. Jean-Pierre hurried down to me．“Are you OK?” he asked．
“I think I broke my leg,” I answered．
“I’d better radio for help!” he said．“Where are the others?” We couldn’t see Maurice or Mary anywhere．
Jean-Pierre called the emergency radio number, and the police said they would send help right away．It seemed like hours, but only minutes later we heard the welcome sound of a helicopter． The helicopter couldn’t land on the mountainside, so they lowered two men, two dogs, and a stretcher（担架）．One man ran to me, but I told him to search for the others．The dogs were trained for avalanche rescue and soon began to dig crazily in the snow．
Bernardo, the lead dog, found Mary’s scarf and led the rescuers to her．Maurice was nearby．The men gave us hot drinks and warm blankets and then prepared to lift us into the helicopter．Two men inside the helicopter pulled us up with the ropes．I went first on the stretcher．
Once we were safely inside, the helicopter flew to the hospital in Chamonix．Our poor rescuers and their dogs had to climb all the way back down the mountain．Later we would find these brave men and thank them for saving our lives．What prevented the climbers from reaching the top?
| A．The terrible weather． |
| B．The loss of the sunglasses． |
| C．The injury of the team members． |
| D．The unexpected height of the mountain． |
How did the writer break his leg?
| A．The road was covered with snow． |
| B．His companion knocked into him． |
| C．The heavy clouds blocked his view． |
| D．The avalanche caused a fall for him． |
How did the writer feel while waiting for help?
| A．Anxious． | B．Crazy． | C．Sorry． | D．Annoyed． |
What do we learn from the passage?
| A．Mary was the leader of the team． |
| B．The team was upset about their failure． |
| C．It was several hours before the rescue team arrived ． |
| D．The writer was excited thinking of climbing Mount Blanc． |
Destiny and Personal Responsibility
One important variable affecting communication across cultures is destiny（命运）and personal responsibility. This refers to the degree to which we feel ourselves the masters of our lives, contrary to the degree to which we see ourselves as subject to things outside our control. Another way to look at this is to ask how much we see ourselves able to change and act, to choose the course of our lives and relationships. Some have drawn a parallel between the personal responsibility in North American settings and the view itself. The North American view is vast, with large spaces of unpopulated land. The frontier attitude of “King” of the wilderness, and the expansiveness of the land reaching huge distances, may relate to generally high levels of confidence in the ability to shape and choose our destinies.
In this expansive land, many children grow up with a heroic sense of life, where ideas are big, and hope springs forever. When they experience temporary failures, they encouraged to redouble their efforts, to “try, try again.” Action, efficiency（效率）, and achievement are valued and expected. Free will is respected in laws and enforced by courts.
Now consider places in the world with much smaller land, whose history reflects wars and tough struggles: Northern Ireland, Mexico, Israel, Palestine. In these places, destiny’s role is more important in human life. In Mexico, there is a history of hard life, fighting over land, and loss of homes. Mexicans are more likely to see struggles as part of their life and unavoidable. Their passive attitude is expr4essed in their way of responding to failure or accident by saying “ni modo”(“no way” or “tough lick”), meaning that the failure was destined.
This variable is important to understanding cultural conflict. If someone believing in free will crosses paths with someone more passive, miscommunication is likely. The first person may expect action and accountability. Failing to see it, he may conclude that the second is lazy, not cooperative, or dishonest. The second person will expect respect for the natural order of thins. Failing to see it, he may conclude that the first is forcible, rude, or big headed in his ideas of what can be accomplished or changed.The author thinks that one’s character is partly determined by.
| A．physical senses | B．general attitude |
| C．financial background | D．geographic characteristics |
According to the passage, Mexicans would think that Americans are.
| A．impractical | B．dishonest | C．ambitious | D．hesitant |
The underlined word “subject” in Paragraph 1 probably means.
| A．a topic of a discussion | B．a branch of knowledge |
| C．a person being experimented on | D．a person under the power of others |
The author would probably agree that.
| A．vast land may lead to a more controllable desire |
| B．heroic sense of life roots deeply in a small country |
| C．living in limited space contributes to an accepting attitude |
| D．fighting over land may help people gain high levels of confidence |
We’ve all seen them: perfectly toned famous people on late-night television telling us that we too can develop rock-hard abdominal muscles（腹肌）. It’s easy! Just pay $149.99 for the Torso Track or $149.75 for the Ad-Doer and watch those unwanted inches leave your waist. Americans spend tens of million of dollars on various products to firm up their fat around the waist.
And did they work? Not necessarily. Independent studies have concluded that most of these products-no matter who approved them or how expensive they are-shape your midsection no better than old-fashioned stomach crunches（仰卧起坐）. Some can even cause injury-like the $518.99 Body Shaper-Q8SP, which left electrical burns on some researchers at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse. Others, like the popular Ab-Doer, trpically burn less energy than a gentle walk, according to a study to be published in September by the American Council on Exercise.
The fact is that many Americans don’t have the biological makeup to develop an obvious abdominal muscles. They are either unable to get the necessary muscle mass or they can’t lose enough fat to make a difference. Even if the underlying muscles are well developed, and it takes to hide it is one-sixteenth of tan inch of fat. That’s enough to dismiss most healthy women as well as plenty of guys who do crunches every day.
So what works best? In its new study, the exercise experts researched on the results of the popular Ab-Doer. A lengthy TV advertisement promises that just 10 minutes a day performing such movements as “Body Boogies” and “Good Mornings” will “help form those muscles the fun and easy way without diets.” Steven Loy, professor at California State University, Northridge, tested the promise by measuring the electrical activity produced by the abdominal muscles during three Ab-Doer movements. He and his colleagues then compared the results with those produced during traditional exercises. They determined that the muscles were no more active, and in some cases less so, when exercisers were using the Ab-Doer.
Taking a broader approach, researchers at San Diego State University compared 13 abdominal exercises for their ability to develop the central abdominal muscles. They concluded, in a report published in May, that the most effective exercises kept turning the body and worked the muscles the entire time. Among the winners: the bicycle movements-so called because it looks as if you are riding a bike while lying flat on the floor-and exercises performed on the “Captain’s Chair”, a product typically found in gyms that helps hold the body in the air while you raise your legs up toward your chest. Researchers suggested that a varied routine of the different exercises could deliver the best results.Which of the following is the most effective in building abdominal muscles?
| A．Torso Track. | B．Ab-Doer. |
| C．Captain’s Chair. | D．Body Shaper-Q8SP. |
According to the author, it’s difficult for many Americans to get visible firm abdominal muscles mainly because.
| A．they do not put in enough efforts |
| B．injuries interrupt their exercise frequently |
| C．they change their exercise routine regularly |
| D．how big their muscles will be is determined by birth |
The author convinces the readers by.
| A．describing successful eases | B．offering professional connects |
| C．presenting findings of researches | D．comparing advertisements of products |
What’s the main purpose of this passage?
| A．To research and develop in order to create the perfect stomach and exercise machine. |
| B．To promote proven exercise techniques and to advise against false advertisements. |
| C．To indicate that diet and exercises are necessary factors for a fit midsection. |
| D．To sponsor rich healthy lifestyle based on advanced product research. |