There is an English saying: “Laughter is the best medicine.” Until recently, few people took the saying seriously. Now, however, doctors have begun to look into (调查) laughter and the effects it has on the human body. They have found that laughter really can improve people’s health. Tests were carried out to study the effects of laughter on the body. People watched funny films while doctors checked their heart, blood pressure, breathing and muscles. It was found that laughter has similar effects to physical exercise. It increases blood pressure, the heart beating and breathing; it also works several groups of muscles in the face, the stomach, and even the feet. If laughter exercises the body, it must be beneficial (有益的).

Other tests have shown that laughter appears to be able to reduce the effect of pain on the body. In one experiment doctors produced pain in groups of students who listened to different radio programs. The group that tolerated (忍受) the pain for the longest time was the groups which listened to a funny program. The reason why laughter can reduce pain seems to be that it helps to produce a kind of chemicals in the brain which reduce both stress (紧张；压力) and pain.

As a result of these discoveries, some doctors in the United States now hold laughter clinics (诊所), in which they help to improve their patients’ condition by encouraging them to laugh. They have found that even if their patients do not really feel like laughing, making them smile is enough to produce beneficial effects similar to those caused by laughter.

1.The underlined phrase “took the saying seriously” in the first paragraph probably means “________”.

A．treat the saying as important               B．treat the saying as interesting

C．treat the saying as dangerous              D．treat the saying as funny

2.The main idea of the passage is _______.

A．laughter and physical exercises have similar effects on the human body

B．smile can produce the same effects as laughter

C．pain can be reduced by laughter

D．laughter is the best medicine

3.Doctors hold laughter clinics _______.

A．to give better condition to their patients

B．in order to improve patients’ health

C．to make patients smile

D．to prove smile and laughter have the same effect

 

TOKYO — Our kids, the Japanese government announced, have forgotten how to behave. They can’t be bothered with housework. If they see someone being wronged, they probably look the other way.

Few countries have placed more importance on being well-behaved in public than Japan. The simplest requests for directions often result in guided tours. Smiling shopkeepers are still the rule. Lost wallets usually make their way to their owners.

But according to recent surveys(调查), all that may be going the way of the ancient hair-do(发式). And Japan’s government has gone into something of a crisis mode(危机时刻).

A Japanese Education Ministry Survey formed late in 1999 and made public last month found that Japan moves behind other nations in teaching youngsters right from wrong.

It also reported that Japanese children are less helpful and do far less housework than their foreign peers(同龄人) in all classes. But they are better about taking dirty dishes to the kitchens after dinner.

In addition, Japanese kids are more likely to dry their hair and carry cell phones than American and Chinese kids, according to another survey, by a Tokyo-based tank(专家小组).

Children in about 8 per cent of public school classrooms are so disorderly that teachers cannot hold lessons, further recent reports show. children refuse to sit, to listen or to stop talking.

Older and middle-aged Japanese continue to have a solid sense of good manners and social justice(正义, 公正), says Professor Yoshina Hirano from Shinshu University, who was appointed to direct the ministry’s survey.

Despite the knowledge of good manners among adults, the breakdown in manners may be spreading, he said.

1. From the first paragraph, we can infer that _______.

A. the Japanese government had gone bad

B. kids in Japan have a bad memory

C. kids in Japan seldom help their parents with housework

D. kids in Japan are too busy to help others

2. The second paragraph seems to show us that _______.

A. the education system of Japan is better than that of any other country

B. shopkeepers in Japan are too kind to their customers

C. Japanese kids often find wallets on their way to their schools

D. Japanese adults in public places act politely to each other

3. It is implied(暗含) in this passage that Japanese kids _______.

A. spending much time doing their homework　　　　

B. lead an advanced modern life

C. have their hair cut too often　　　　　　　　　　

D. often wash dishes after dinner

As a human being you may have the choice of three basic attitudes towards life. You may treat life with the philosophy (哲学) of the vegetable, in which case your life will include being born, eating, drinking, sleeping, marrying, growing old and dying.

The second basic attitude is to look at life as if it were a business. A great many so-called successful men and women believe that life is a business. If you believe so, your first question of life, naturally, is " What do I get out of it? " " How much is this worth to me?" In a word, based on this attitude, happi??ness becomes a matter of successful competition. The great ma??jority of human beings today look at life as if it were a busi??ness.

The third attitude toward life is the way of the artist. Here the basic philosophy is "What can I put into it?". They value cooperation and contribution. This point of view has been proved by history; for history remembers best those who have contributed most richly to the interests of their fellow-men. The more we investigate(调查),the more we become certain that the artistic attitude is the only one which goes with human happiness.

From the passage we know people who take the second life attitude ________.

A. are mostly businessmen

B. think of getting the interests (利益) first

C. find their happiness from hard work             

D. take competition as their whole life

People who are best remembered by history are probably

A. those living on vegetables       B. successful men

C. artists                                    D. businessmen

We may infer from this passage that ________.

A. some people are living only on vegetables

B. the artistic attitude is accepted by most people

C. the writer prefers the third life attitude

D. artists do most for the society in order to be remembered longer than others

Dear Cassy,
Thanks for reminding me by e-mail that you want to baby-sit our children. Although you are only 12 years old, my wife and I would be willing to consider your application（申请）if you can meet(满足) a few requirements:
1）Send us three letters from teachers who will prove that you have never failed to follow instructions perfectly in class and never failed to hand in your homework on time.
2）Send us a note from two doctors who will prove that you are in perfect health, have never been sick, and never will be sick.
3）Send us a document from your physical education teacher or team coach that proves that you can do each of the following: Run two miles in less than four minutes, climb an oiled rope to a height of twenty feet in thirty seconds while balancing a glass of water on your nose, and walk in bare feet over hot coals and broken glass without injury.
4）Send us notarized（得到公证的）letters from at least two mental health experts saying that you have never had an envious thought towards other people.
5）Play and defeat five expert chess players while blindfolded（蒙着眼睛）after going without sleep for 48 hours.
6)Wait patiently（耐心地）for two years while we have investigators（调查）certify（确保）that all your documents（文件）are real.
Your loving and trusting friends,
The Smiths
【小题1】The Smiths send their message to Cassy by     .

A．e-mail

B．a letter

C．a newspaper

D．a report

【小题2】According to the first paragraph,       .

A．the Smiths must have had an advertisement made, saying that they want someone to look after their children

B．the Smiths have informed Cassy that they need some children

C．the Smiths have promised to provide what Cassy asked for

D．the Smiths would be very glad if Cassy can meet their requirements

【小题3】What is the attitude of the Smiths about hiring the 12-year old girl to look after their baby?

A．The Smiths try to tell her how to baby-sit children.

B．The Smiths don’t think a girl is good for the job.

C．The Smiths don’t want to hire her.

D．The Smiths are willing to offer her the job.

【小题4】Which of the requirements mentioned by the Smiths do you think Cassy can meet?

A．All of them	B．Half of them
C．None of them	D．Most of them

Many of us feel uneasy when someone stands too close to us, talks to us too loudly or makes eye contact(接触) with us for too long. But have you ever wondered why those things make you uncomfortable?

It’s all about personal peace, which means not only an imaginary space around the body, but also the space around all the senses. People feel that their space is being violated(侵犯) when they meet with an unwelcome sound, smell or look. This is probably why a man on a crowded bus shouting into his mobile phone or a woman next to you putting on strong perfume(香水) makes you feel angry.

Whether people have had a stronger wish to protect their personal space in recent times is hard to say. Yet studies of airlines show that people have a strong desire(渴望) to have space to themselves. In a survey （调查）by TripAdvisor, a travel website, people said that if they had to pay more for some extra service, they would rather have larger seats than extra food.

Although people may need their personal space, some hardly realize it. For example, people on a bus who hold newspapers in front of their faces to read in fact keep a distance from strangers.

Go and watch a library table. You will notice that one of the corner seats will usually be taken first, because they are the farthest way. What if someone sits opposite to you? Maybe you will pile up books as if to make a wall.

Preference(偏好) for personal space are different from culture to culture. Scientists have found that Americans generally prefer more personal space than people from other cultures. In Latin(拉丁人的) cultures, however, people are more comfortable standing close to each other.

1.The writer mainly _________ in this article.

A. tells us how to achieve personal space

B. explains what personal space people need is

C. introduces some knowledge about personal space

D. argues for the importance of keeping personal space

2.Who might feel his personal space is safe according to the passage?

A. A person who has to sit next to a lady putting on strong perfume.

B. A person who has been watched by a stranger for a long time.

C. A person who hears strange noises when reading at home.

D. A Latin boy who is chatting with a friend sitting close to him.

3.What can we know from the survey by TripAdvisor?

A. People need a smaller personal space in recent times than before.

B. People have a strong desire for personal space in recent times.

C. There are not enough seats on the plane to meet people’s needs.

D. Food service is better provided than seats on the plane.

4.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. The space around the body is more needed than that around all the senses.

B. If you hold newspapers on the bus, your personal space won’t be violated.

C. People usually choose the corner seats first in a library for personal space.

D. Different cultures share the same preferences for personal space.