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 |
An eight-year-old boy named Liangliang liked watching cartoons every day instead of doing his homework, so his mother stopped him from watching cartoons. Liangliang called the police to take his mother away—such a “good reason” to call the police.
Most people would just laugh it off. However, it shows that something is wrong with our education. It rings alarm to our Chinese parents to think about it.
Parents should ask themselves why they’re so angry when their kids want to watch cartoons instead of doing homework. Kids are supposed to be simple and naughty(顽皮). They can just ask their kids to do things they expect them to do. Schoolwork is important but a healthy childhood is much more important. If they push their kids too hard, the kids will not listen to them. Instead, parents should spend some time talking to their kids and help them grow in a good way. It’s also a good way to help parents themselves to grow, too.
In China, lots of parents care more about scores(分数) than any other things. They hope their kids can be top students and go to the top colleges. Curriculum Reformation(课改) is coming though, and it would bring some changes to our schools. It’s also time for parents to change their minds to reduce pressure(减轻压力) on their kids and help them to grow happily and naturally.When Liangliang watched cartoons, his mother______.
| A．called the police for help |
| B．watched with him |
| C．didn’t allow him to do so |
| D．didn’t stop him doing so |
According to the passage, if parents push their kids too hard, ______.
| A．the kids will be more careful |
| B．the kids will not follow them |
| C．the kids will get better grades |
| D．the kids will grow in a good way |
Parents can reduce pressure on their kids by ______.
| A．changing their own minds |
| B．caring about scores |
| C．helping the kids go to the top colleges |
| D．helping the kids to be top students |
The main idea of the passage is that ______.
| A．kids can call the police if they are angry with their parents |
| B．parents should not care about scores any more |
| C．kids should be allowed to watch cartoons |
| D．parents should help kids to grow happily and naturally |
Which color do you like best? Everyone has his own favorite color, but how do people feel about colors? It depends on their cultures. The same color sometimes has different meanings in different countries.
In England, the right color for a bride(新娘) to wear is white. But in China and other eastern countries, brides often wear red. Why? It is because the red color is a sign of good luck.
Red is used as a sign of danger in England. Road signs are often in red. In eastern countries, red does not mean you have to be careful.
In England and other western countries, black is the color of death. But in many eastern countries, most people think white is the color of death.
In England, green is used in traffic lights to tell people that it is safe to go. Green is often seen as a lucky color, but wearing green at a wedding is unlucky.
Many people like the color orange because it is bright and exciting. But some advertisers will not use orange in their ads because they believe it suggests that their products(产品) are cheap and perhaps not of high quality.
As is known to all, red is the most popular color in China while in England it is blue.Most Chinese people like red because they think ______.
| A．it is safe to go |
| B．it can bring good luck |
| C．it is bright and exciting |
| D．it has different meanings |
In many eastern countries, most people think ______ is the color of death.
| A．black | B．green | C．white | D．yellow |
In England, people think ______.
| A．red is the color of death |
| B．it’s lucky to wear green at a wedding |
| C．the right color for a bride to wear is white |
| D．it’s dangerous to go with the green traffic lights |
The underlined word “advertisers” in the passage means ______.
| A．广告商 | B．生产商 |
| C．制片人 | D．合伙人 |
The first lady of America Michelle Obama visited China not long ago. During her trip, she went to Chengdu No.7 High School. She gave the students a wonderful speech(演讲) to tell them about her own experience. She said she was born in a common(普通的) family. There were four people in her family and they lived in a small house. Her father was a worker and didn’t make much money, but the little home was filled with love. They took care of each other and liked to share their stories during dinner time. Although her parents were only at high school education level, they still sent both Michelle and her brother to universities. Life at that time was not easy for them, especially for her father because he was ill. No matter how tired he was or how much pain he got, Michelle’s father hardly ever missed a day of work in order to give a better life to his two children. Every day, like so many of us, Michelle felt the weight of her parents’ hope on her shoulders. She wanted to make them proud, but it wasn’t easy. Whenever she got tired, she would just think about how hard her parents were working for her. And she always remembered what her mother said, “A good education is something that no one can take away from you.”Michelle Obama gave the speech at a High School in ______.
| A．Beijing | B．Chengdu |
| C．the UK | D．the USA |
In Michelle’s family, ______ went to university.
| A．only Michelle |
| B．only Michelle’s brother |
| C．both Michelle’s father and mother |
| D．both Michelle and her brother |
Michelle’s father worked really hard because ______.
| A．he never felt tired |
| B．he wanted to go to university |
| C．he didn’t want to miss a day of work |
| D．he wanted to give a better life to his children |
From the passage, we have learned that ______.
| A．Michelle always lives in a big house |
| B．Michelle was born in a rich family |
| C．a family with love is important for children |
| D．a better life is quite important for children |
What do you plan to do this spring? Why not join us in a trip?
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Place: Tongnan Activity: Enjoy rape flowers(油菜花) Price: Adults(成人): 120 yuan Children: Free Time: Saturday morning Transportation: Bus Tel: 13672340981 |
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Place: Baishiyi Activity: Pick up strawberries Price: Adults: 80 yuan Children: Half of adult price Time: Sunday morning Transportation: Subway and bus Tel: 13426789107 |
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Place: Gele Mountain Activity: Climb up the mountain Price: 10 yuan each Time: Every day Transportation: On foot Tel: 13356788992 |
You can choose what you like and call us.If you want to enjoy rape flowers, you can take a ______.
| A．bus | B．subway | C．walk | D．train |
Mrs. White wants to pick up strawberries with her 9-year-old son this Sunday morning. She will pay ______ yuan.
| A．80 | B．120 | C．160 | D．240 |
You can climb Gele Mountain ______.
| A．on Saturday morning | B．on Sunday morning |
| C．on Friday afternoon | D．every day |
Smog is a big problem in many Chinese cities. But it seems that besides wearing a mask (口罩), few of us know what has caused the smog and what to do to beat it. Chai Jing, former news anchor with Chinese Central Television, discussed the questions in her documentary Under the Dome (穹顶之下).
The 103-minute film was released on major Chinese video-sharing websites on Feb 28. In the film, Chai visits polluted places and talks to officials and scientists. She concludes that burning too much coal and oil are the main causes of PM2.5 and smog.
To make things worse, according to Chai, the coal and oil we are burning is of poor quality and doesn’t meet the standards (标准) for environmental protection. Therefore Chai says more harmful gas and particles (颗粒) have been produced to pollute the air. To solve the problem, Chai suggests that we should clean our coal and oil or replace(代替) them with cleaner energy such as natural gas.
In her film, Chai also suggested that we should do something to help control smog too. For example, she says we can live a greener life by using more public transportation. Or if we see things that harm the environment, we will try to stop it. In one scene from the film, Chai saw a dirt mound in a building site exposed in the air, she asked the person in charge to cover it. When she saw a restaurant cooking without any suitable filter facilities (过滤设备), she called the hotline 12369. The restaurant installed the filter a week later.
Chen Jining, the new minister of environmental protection, praised Chai. “This film encourages ordinary people to care for the environment. This is what we need in the future.”Many people in China know the causes of smog, don’t they?
How long does the film Under the Dome last ?
What are the main causes of PM2.5 and smog?
Why does Chai say more harmful gas and particles have been produced to pollute the air ?
What energy can replace coal and oil to reduce air pollution?
What do you think of Chai’s film? How should we control smog as an ordinary person? (at least two suggestions)