Do you want to live a happier, less stressful(有压力的) life? Try laughing for no reason at all. That’s how millions of people start their day at Laughter(笑声) Clubs around the world and many doctors now think that having a good laugh might be one of the best ways to stay healthy.
The first Laughter Club was started in Mumbai, India, in 1995 by Dr. Madan Kataria.“Young children laugh about 300 times a day. Adults laugh between 7 and 15 times a day,” says Dr. Kataria. “Everyone is naturally good at laughing—it’s the common language. We want people to feel happy with their lives.” There are now more than 500 Laughter Clubs in India and over 1,300 in the world.
Many doctors are also interested in the effects(效果) of laughter on our health. According to a 5-year study at the UCLA 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 my nearest club in South London to find out. I was quite nervous at the beginning of the class, to be honest, I wasn’t interested in laughing with a group of strangers, and I was worried about looking silly. Our laughter teacher told us to clap our hands and say “ho ho ho, ha ha ha” while looking at each other. However, our bodies can’t tell the difference between real laughter and unreal laughter, so they still produce the same healthy effects.
Surprisingly, it works! After ten minutes everybody in the room was laughing for real and some people just couldn’t stop! At the end of the class I was surprised by how relaxed and comfortable I felt. So if you’re under stress, then start laughing. You might be very pleased with the results.The first Laughter Club was started in _________.
| A．India | B．America |
| C．Britain | D．China |
How many Laughter Clubs are there in the world today?
| A．Over 300. | B．Over 500. |
| C．Over 1,800. | D．Over 1,300. |
How did the writer feel at the beginning of the class?
| A．Surprised. | B．Pleased. |
| C．Nervous. | D．Tired. |
The article mainly tells us _________.
| A．young children laugh much more often than adults in a day |
| B．laughing is one of the best ways to stay healthy |
| C．many doctors are also interested in the effects of laughter on our health |
| D．real laughter and unreal laughter are both good for health |
I saved the grain carefully and finally had enough to plant． I built a wall around my garden to keep the wild goats away．
Then when my crop bore its fruit， the birds discovered it． The birds were not afraid of my dog at all． I shot them but as soon as I walked away， they returned． At last， I killed some birds and hung them among the crop， hoping they would serve as the scarecrows， which turned out to be successful． By harvest time， I had nearly two bushels of rice and two and a half bushels of wheat．
With my new grain to store， I found a new problem． The fine grain ran through my baskets． It took me nearly two months to form and dry two ugly pots﹣ one for rice and one for wheat．
Next I formed a clay oven and made some other tools from hard wood and cloth to bake bread． I made and baked bread in my oven． I spent the third year on the island in farming and baking．
Soon after that，I began to think of my days sailing in a tidy boat with Xury． I wished to have a boat and explore the island by sea．
I tried to turn over the ship's boat that I had seen washed up， but failed． I was still determined to have a boat． So I chose a strong tree and spent weeks cutting it down． Then it took me months to turn it from tree to boat．
When it was time to launch， I realized I had made my boat too far from the nearest stream． The boat was far too heavy for me to move． I tried bringing the water to the boat instead of the boat to the water． I soon saw it would take me twenty years of constant labor．
I celebrated my fourth year on the island with two boats， but I was no closer to a sea journey．
﹣﹣﹣﹣Taken from The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe
（1）Paragraph 2 mainly tells us ．
A． how much rice and wheat I harvested
B． how many tools I made to bake bread
C． how I protected my crop from the birds
D． how I kept the wild goats away from my crop
（2）What does "a new problem" in Paragraph 3 refer to？
A． How to plant grain．
B． How to make pots．
C． How to store grain．
D． How to fix the baskets．
（3）By the last sentence "I was no closer to a sea journey"， the writer means ．
A． I was getting closer and closer to the sea
B． I was getting farther and farther from the sea
C． it was possible for me to have a sea journey in my boats
D． it was still impossible for me to explore the island by sea
（4）What can we infer（推断） from the passage ？
A． I managed to turn over the ship's boat．
B． I spent months bringing the boat to the nearest stream．
C． I tried to solve the problems with my courage and wisdom．
D． I spent the third year on the island in farming and baking．
When Dr． Karen McComb came to Amboseli Park， her first task was to learn the names of the one hundred or so elephants most often seen．
Scientists working in the park have learned to study elephants by watching them up close． They have a list of almost one thousand elephants． There are records for all of the elephants born since 1972． Amboseli was a good place for Dr． McComb to study animal communications． Elephants were a great subject because their lifestyle depends on communication．
Dr． McComb and her team had learned a lot about elephant communication， but they kept on thinking about one puzzling （困惑的） watch． Some families were better at distinguishing （区别） calls of friends from those of strangers．
What made some families smarter than others？ The scientists searched their records for an explanation． To their surprise， there was only one factor （因素） of importance： The "smartest" families always had the oldest grandmothers． A family， as it did in all other activities， waited for some signal （信号） from the grandmother when they heard a strange contact call． And older， more experienced grandmothers were better at telling whether other elephants were strangers or friends just by their calls．
That was an important discovery． It showed how an elephant family depends on the experience of the grandmother．
回答下面5个问题，每题答案不超过5个词．
（1）How do scientists working in the park study elephants？
（2）What did Dr． McComb study？
（3）What did Dr． McComb and her team do for an explanation？
（4）Who does everyone in elephant families listen to？
（5）What does an elephant family depend on in all the activities？
In ancient Egypt， women did not go out to work． They stayed and worked at home． Many Egyptian men were farmers． Some men were builders or fishermen． Other men worked as artists． Some other important people did not do any farming．
The weather in Egypt was very hot． Ancient Egyptians did not wear many clothes， Men， women and children often wore simple robes made of thin cloth． On their feet they wore light open shoes． People， including women， shaved（剃） hair from their heads to keep cool．
Children in ancient Egypt grew up to do the same jobs as their parents． Girls stayed at home with their mothers． They learned to look after the home．Boys worked with their fathers． They learned to do the jobs their fathers did． They learned to look after the home Boys worked with their fathers． They learned to do the jobs their fathers did． They only went to school to learn to write if they wanted to become a scribe （抄写员）．
Many of the games played by ancient Egyptians are similar to games we still play today． Children played racing and jumping games． They also played ball games and with wooden toys． Older children played a game like chess．
The kings of Egypt （the pharaohs） had enough power to master their country． The people thought that the pharaoh was a god． He owned everything． Everyone had to do what he told them to do． The pharaohs built huge tombs． When a pharaoh died， he was buried in the tomb． The tombs were often in the shape of pyramids． When a pharaoh was buried． he was surrounded by treasure and by things to help him in the next world， such as food， clothes， furniture and weapons．
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Title |
Life in （1） Egypt |
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Paragraph headings |
Work |
Women didn't go out to work， and most of the men worked as farmers，（2） builders or fishermen． |
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Clothes |
•They wore robes made of thin cloth and（3） open shoes． •To keep（4） ，people had their hair cut with shaven heads． |
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Children |
•Girls stayed at home and（5） with their mothers while boy followed in their fathers' footsteps． •Some had to（6） to write at school to become a scribe． |
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（7）
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•Children played almost the（8） games as we do today． •Most of the toys they played with were made of（9） ． |
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Pharaohs |
The kings were very（10） and rich in life． They were buried in huge tombs together with treasure and necessities． |
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My first home was a beautiful meadow with a pond of clear water． There were some large trees near the pond． On one side of the meadow was a field and on the other was the house of our master， Farmer Grey． He was a kind man．
My mother and I had a happy life． She worked during the day， I played with the other young horses and had great fun． At night I lay next to her．
One day， my master sold me to Squire Gordon． He lived with his family in a big house．
"You're a beautiful horse，" he said． "You have a beautiful black coat． I shall call you Black Beauty．"
I learned to carry my master on my back and pull a coach． I learned to ware reins （缰绳） and a bit in my mouth． I did not like them but all the horses had to wear them．
My master had two horses． One of them was Merry legs． He was very friendly． The other was Ginger． She was not friendly． She bit and kicked people．
Ginger and I pulled a coach together． The coachman's name was John． Ginger and I worked very hard． We became friends．
Ginger told me about her life when she was young． She told me， "My master was not kind to me． My reins and bit hurt me． My master did not care．"
Squire Gordon and his men felt sorry for Ginger． They were always king to her． She stopped biting and kicking people． She became a happy horse．
One day in autumn Squire Gordon went on a long journey． John went with him and I pulled the coach． The weather was rainy and windy． Mr． Gordon and John could not see well in the rain． We came to a bridge． I stopped． "Something is wrong，" I thought． I did not want to go on to the bridge． Mr． Gordon and John wanted me to go on to the bridge． I did not move． Just then a man saw us．"Hey there! Stop!" he cried．
"What is it？" shouted the Squire．
"The bridge is broken in the middle，" he answered． "If you go on to it， you are all going to drown in the river．"
"Thank God!" said the Squire． "Thank you， Beauty!" said John． We turned around and went along the road by the river． For a long time no one said anything． Then John said： "Black Beauty saved our lives． He knew the bridge was dangerous．"
When we returned home， the Squire told Mrs． Gordon：
"We are all safe， thanks to Black Beauty!"
That night I was glad， because I was very tired．
（1）Who named the horse Black Beauty？
A． Farmer Grey．
B． Squire Gordon．
C． Mrs． Gordon．
D． John．
（2）What do the underlined words "coach" and "drown" probably mean in the passage according to the given English﹣English dictionary entries （词条）？
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coach 1[C] a person who trains a person or team in sport 2[C] a comfortable bus for carrying passengers over long distances 3[C] a large closed vehicle with four wheels， pulled by horses， used in the past for carrying passengers |
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drown 1[V] to die because you have been underwater too long and you cannot breathe； to kill sb in this way 2[V] to make sth very wet； to completely cover sth in water or another liquid 3[V] to be louder than other sounds so that you cannot hear them |
A． 1；2
B． 3；1
C． 1；3
D． 3；3
（3）Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage？
A． Black Beauty lived a hard life with mum．
B． Ginger was unhappy when she was young．
C． Some horses did not wear reins or bits．
D． Mr． Gordon went on a long journey alone．
（4）How did Black Beauty save his master's life？
A． By fixing the bridge．
B． By asking other horses for help．
C． By crossing the bridge．
D． By refusing to step onto the bridge．
（5）What might happen that night from the passage？
A． Black Beauty was sent away from home．
B． Mr． Gordon sold Black Beauty to others．
C． Black Beauty got good food and a nice bed．
D． Mr． Gordon had Black Beauty do extra work．
Nature's warnings
When the sky suddenly turns dark and the wind is strong， watch out! A dangerous storm might be coming． Storms are scary． Watch for flashes of lightning． Listen for thunder． If nature sends these warnings， don't wait for rain． Act right away to keep safe．
Safety Steps
At the first flash of lightning， quickly get inside a building or a car． Do not go into a shed （棚）for protection． It is not closed like a building， so it is not safe．
Even after you are indoors， be careful． It is not smart to go near doors and windows．They can blow in or break． A room with no windows is the safest place to be．
Do not wash your hands during a storm． Do not use anything that runs on electricity either． Water and electrical lines are like roads for lightning． Even if you really want to play computer games， don't! It is better to be bored than to risk getting hurt． Try reading a book instead． Reading is more fun than playing computer games．
If you can't get to somewhere safe， stay out in the open．You may feel safe under a tree，but that is not a good place to be． Lightning is pulling toward tall poles and trees． Stay down in an open space and cover your ears to protect them． Loud thunder can damage your hearing．
Lightning Strikes
Lightning does not strike people very often．It is not likely that you will ever see that happen．If you do， call 1﹣2﹣0． Only trained emergency workers should care for a person who has been hit by lighting．
If you follow these rules， you should stay safe during a storm．
（1）From Paragraph I， we learn that ．
A． storms are frightening and harmful
B． storms often come without warnings
C． people should wait and watch lightning
D． people should take action after the storm
（2）The underlined word "It" in Paragraph 2 probably means ．
A． a building
B． a car
C． a room
D． a shed
（3）During a storm you had better ．
A． use a computer for a while
B． listen for thunder by a window
C． leave the room and stay out
D． find a closed or an open place
（4）If a person is hit by lightning， you should ．
A． call for emergency help
B． stay down in a safe space
C． move him or her to safety
D． cover his or her ears quickly
（5）The best title for the passage is ．
A． Training Steps
B． Home Rules
C． Natural Order
D． Storm Safety