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 |
Many people have a fear(害怕) of public speaking. According to a study, it has an influence on 3 in every 4 people. This fact is surprising and worrying, as most jobs require some speaking ability. The following will help you to make a speech better.
Write note cards. Write main ideas on your cards. Don’t write details. Put in some fun facts, questions, and other activities on the cards to share with the class. Don’t look at your note cards for a long time while speaking. If necessary, you’re only going to want to have a quick look at the card for information, not read every last word.
Smile at your class. When it comes time to speak, there’s nothing that draws your class into your speech than a good old-fashioned smile. Be happy, because you’re about to teach your class something they didn’t know before. Studies have shown that smiles are infections. That means once you smile, it’s hard for everyone else not to smile. So if you want your speech to go off well, smile. That’ll make everyone smile and maybe those smiles will make you actually smile.
Make eye contact. Nothing is more boring than listening to a speaker who looks at the floor or at note cards. Relax. Your class is made up of your friends and you talk to them all the time. Talk the same way now. have a look at every person in the classroom at least once. That way, everyone will feel like you’re communicating with them. Also, you’ll look like you know what you’re talking about.
Use hand motions. Move your hands along as you talk, using them to express your key points and keep the class interested. It will also lead your nervous energy into a better place.According to the passage, ______ of people might fear to speak in public.
| A．100 percent | B．75 percent |
| C．50 percent | D．25 percent |
In Paragraph 3 of the passage “smiles are infection” means ______.
| A．smiles can be passed on |
| B．it’s hard to smile |
| C．smiles keep people fit |
| D．people should smile every day |
Which picture matches the last paragraph best?
The passage mainly talks about ______.
| A．a boy’s speech in class |
| B．how to write note cards |
| C．the fear of public speaking |
| D．how to make a speech better |
Once when I was a teenager, my father and I were standing in line to buy tickets for the circus. Finally, there was only one family between the ticket office and us. This family made a big impression on me.
There were eight children, all probably under the age of 12. You could tell they didn’t have a lot of money. Their clothes were not expensive, but they were clean. The children talked excitedly about the clowns. It was clearly a very important day out for them. The father and mother seemed happy as they could be.
The tickets lady asked how many tickets the father wanted, he proudly answered, “Please let me buy eight children’s tickets and two adults’ tickets, so I can take my family to the circus.”
The ticket lady told him the price.
The man’s wife lowered her head. There was no longer a smile on the man’s face. He quietly asked, “How much did you say?”
The ticket lady again told him the price.
The man obviously didn’t have enough money. But how could he tell his kids the bad news?
Seeing what was happening, my dad took a $20 note from his pocket and dropped in on the ground. (We were not rich ourselves at all!) He then tapped the man on the shoulder and said, “Excuse me, sir, you dropped this.”
The man understood my father was helping him. He picked up the money, looked straight into my dad’s eyes, and in tears replied. “Thank you. This really means a lot to me and my family.”
Although we did not go to the circus that night, we didn’t go without.Why does the writer say “Their clothes were not expensive, but they were clean” ( Paragraph 2)?
| A．To show the children were well looked after. |
| B．To show cheap clothes could be popular. |
| C．To show how hard the mother worked. |
| D．To show how rich the family were. |
Why was the poor man unhappy after he spoke with the ticket lady?
| A．He had lost his money. |
| B．His children were noisy. |
| C．The tickets were sold out. |
| D．The tickets were too expensive. |
Who did the $20 note belong to?
| A．The poor man. |
| B．The writer’s father. |
| C．The poor man’s wife. |
| D．The ticket lady. |
Why was the poor man in tears at the end of the story?
| A．He found the money he lost. |
| B．He wanted others to help him. |
| C．He made his children unhappy. |
| D．He was thankful for the kindness. |
Which of the following statements is probably true according to the passage?
| A．The poor mans saw the circus that night. |
| B．The two families became close friends. |
| C．The writer’s father earned some money. |
| D．The writer saw the circs that night. |
Taking care of small children is one of the ways to make money. It is also called babysitting. Most parents do not have relatives living with them. They need someone to watch the children if they want to go out. A babysitter may play games, draw pictures, or read stories to the children, and then put them to bed at the proper time.
Mowing（割）lawns（草坪）for the neighbors is another common job. When people do not have time to mow their lawns in the garden, they are glad to pay somebody to do this.
Boys and girls can also help deliver newspapers in the neighborhood. They can walk or ride bicycles to deliver newspapers from house to house. They must do this every day if they want to make money in this way.
Some old people who live by themselves need help. Let them know if you like to help with the clean-up work, or go out to mail letters or buy things for them. They will perhaps pay you something each time or every week.
There are many ways to make money. American children often look around to see what work they can do to earn their pocket money.What does the word “babysitting” mean?
| A．Taking care of small children. |
| B．A baby sitting at home. |
| C．A baby making money. |
| D．A sitting baby. |
Most American children make money by doing the following EXCEPT（除了） _____________.
| A．delivering newspapers |
| B．doing what they dislike |
| C．doing the clean-up work |
| D．helping old people with some chores |
A young American is more likely(可能的) to find a job if________________.
| A．he has no pocket money. |
| B．he likes studying . |
| C．his neighbor is a doctor. |
| D．his neighbor is old and lives alone(独自). |
The main idea of this passage is that .
| A．children are good babysitters. |
| B．children can deliver newspapers. |
| C．old people living alone need help. |
| D．American children work to make pocket money |
Tony Wheeler was born to travel. His father worked for an airline. For the first 16 years of his life. Wheeler and hisfamily lived in many different countries.
In the early 1970s, Tony met a young woman named Maureen. They soon married. Before getting jobs, Tony andMaureen wanted to travel. They took a year-long trip from England, through Asia, to Australia. On the trip, they visitedplaces like Iran( 伊朗) . India, and so on.
When Tony and Maureen arrived in Australia, people asked many questions about their trip. To answer thesequestions, Wheeler wrote a book called Across Asia on the Cheap. The book told people about different countries' weather,customs( 风俗) ,and places to see. But unlike other travel books then, Tony Wheeler's book also talked about places most tourists did not go. He also wrote about unusual things to see and do. The book was very popular.
Tony and Maureen started a company called lonely Planet. They continued travelling. They wrote books for each placethey visited. Today, 800 people work for Lonely Planet. The company has over 650 books. Tony Wheeler, the greattraveller, still writes about travels to many places and will bring us more surprises.Tony Wheeler and his wife ended the year-long trip in _______.
| A．England | B．Iran |
| C．India | D．Australia |
Tony Wheeler wrote the book Across Asia on the Cheap to _______.
| A．make money for his next trip |
| B．tell people about his new company |
| C．draw people's attention to his family |
| D．answer people's questions about his trip |
How was the book Across Asia on the Cheap different from other travel books then?
| A．It was longer and more popular. |
| B．It was the first travel book in the world. |
| C．It talked about places most tourists did not go. |
| D．It talked about a country's weather and customs. |
Which of the following is TRUE about Tony Wheeler's company?
| A．His father started it. |
| B．It is an airline company. |
| C．Hundreds of people work for it. |
| D．It has no books about travelling. |
The passage mainly talks about _______.
| A．a great traveller and hisbooks |
| B．a tour of different countries |
| C．a great writer and his family |
| D．different kinds of companies |
A great way for teens to cool off during the summer is at water parks. If you live near a water park, you might think about getting a season pass. This way you can go as often as you like.
Check to see if there are any water parks around you. Many are indoor facilities. So even if it isn’t warm enough where you live to swim outdoors, you can enjoy swimming in a temperature controlled area.
The prices are usually good. For example, one ticket to Water World, a water park, is only $5.
Some teens like to get a part time job over the summer to make some pocket money. Older teens shouldn’t have much trouble finding jobs.
An idea is to get some teens together to form your own summer job business. You can walk dogs, bring in the newspapers, feed the cats, collect rubbish, water flowers, etc.
Being that it’s summer, many people go on vacation and could use someone to look after their houses while they’re away. You can also think about other jobs you can do for them.
Teens love freedom. Sure you would like to get to such places as the small, movie theaters, the zoo, the beach, picnic, bowling and local amusement park instead of staying home all summer. Then a summer bus pass will be helpful. Check to see if your area has one for you teens.
Such a pass costs only $10 for the whole summer. The price is reasonable(合乎情理的) and also your parents don’t have to always drive.Who is the text written for?
| A．Teachers | B．Parents |
| C．Teens | D．Travelers |
What is NOT mentioned as a part tome job for teens?
| A．Washing cars | B．Feeding cats |
| C．Walking dogs | D．Watering flowers |
If Sally goes to Water World with two friends, they should pay________.
| A．$5 | B．$10 | C．$15 | D．$20 |
A summer bus pass is helpful for teens to ______.
| A．find part time jobs | B．go out for fun |
| C．go to summer classes | D．do outdoor sports |
What’s the text mainly about?
| A．Part time jobs |
| B．A summer pass |
| C．Water park swimming |
| D．Things to do in summer |