第二篇
Laughter
There is an oldsaying in English: "Laughter is the best medicine".Until recently, few peopletook the saying very seriously.Now, however, doctors have begun to investigatelaughter and the effects it has on the human body.They have found evidence thatlaughter really can improve people's health.
Tests were carried out tostudy the effects of laughter on the body.People watched funny films, whiledoctors checked their heart rate, blood pressure, breathing and muscles.It wasfound that laughter has similar effects to physical exercise.It increases bloodpressure, the heart rate and the rate of breathing; it also works several groupsof muscles in the face, the stomach, and even the feet.If laughter exercisesthe body, it must be beneficial.
Other tests have shown that laughterappears to be capable of reducing the effect of pain on the body.In oneexperiment doctors produced pain in groups of students who listened to differentradio programs.The group which tolerated the pain for the longest time was 'thegroup which listened to a funny program.The reason why laughter can reduce painseems to be that it helps to produce endorphins （內(nèi)啡肽） in the brain.These arenatural chemicals which diminish both stress and pain.
There is also someevidence to suggest that laughter helps the body's immune system, that is, thesystem which fights infection.In an experiment, one group of students watched afunny video while another group served as the control group - in other words, agroup with which to compare the first group.Doctors checked the blood of thestudents in both groups and found that the people in the group that watched thevideo had an increase in the activity of their white blood cells, that is, thecells which fight infection.
As a result of these discoveries, some doctorsand psychiatrists （精神病學(xué)家） in the United States now hold laughter clinics, inwhich they try to improve their patients' condition by encouraging them tolaugh.They have found that even if their patients do not really feel likelaughing, making them smile is enough to produce beneficial effects similar tothose caused by laughter.
36 We learn from the first paragraph thatlaughter
A is good for one's health.
B is related to someillness.
C has been investigated long since.
D has no effect on thebody.
37 Doctors have found that laughter
A keeps down bloodpressure.
B has similar effects to physical exercise.
C decreasesthe heart rate.
D increases stress.
38 Which of the followingstatements is NOT true of laughter, according to the passage?
A It reducespain.
B It exercises the body.
C It improves the body's immunesystem.
D It can cure cancer.
39 Ina laughter clinic, doctors
A laugh at their patients.
B encourage their patients to laugh.
C smile when they don't feel like laughing.
D never stop laughing.
40The writer's attitude towards laughter is
A critical.
B doubtful.
C positive.
D negative.
Laughter
There is an oldsaying in English: "Laughter is the best medicine".Until recently, few peopletook the saying very seriously.Now, however, doctors have begun to investigatelaughter and the effects it has on the human body.They have found evidence thatlaughter really can improve people's health.
Tests were carried out tostudy the effects of laughter on the body.People watched funny films, whiledoctors checked their heart rate, blood pressure, breathing and muscles.It wasfound that laughter has similar effects to physical exercise.It increases bloodpressure, the heart rate and the rate of breathing; it also works several groupsof muscles in the face, the stomach, and even the feet.If laughter exercisesthe body, it must be beneficial.
Other tests have shown that laughterappears to be capable of reducing the effect of pain on the body.In oneexperiment doctors produced pain in groups of students who listened to differentradio programs.The group which tolerated the pain for the longest time was 'thegroup which listened to a funny program.The reason why laughter can reduce painseems to be that it helps to produce endorphins （內(nèi)啡肽） in the brain.These arenatural chemicals which diminish both stress and pain.
There is also someevidence to suggest that laughter helps the body's immune system, that is, thesystem which fights infection.In an experiment, one group of students watched afunny video while another group served as the control group - in other words, agroup with which to compare the first group.Doctors checked the blood of thestudents in both groups and found that the people in the group that watched thevideo had an increase in the activity of their white blood cells, that is, thecells which fight infection.
As a result of these discoveries, some doctorsand psychiatrists （精神病學(xué)家） in the United States now hold laughter clinics, inwhich they try to improve their patients' condition by encouraging them tolaugh.They have found that even if their patients do not really feel likelaughing, making them smile is enough to produce beneficial effects similar tothose caused by laughter.
36 We learn from the first paragraph thatlaughter
A is good for one's health.
B is related to someillness.
C has been investigated long since.
D has no effect on thebody.
37 Doctors have found that laughter
A keeps down bloodpressure.
B has similar effects to physical exercise.
C decreasesthe heart rate.
D increases stress.
38 Which of the followingstatements is NOT true of laughter, according to the passage?
A It reducespain.
B It exercises the body.
C It improves the body's immunesystem.
D It can cure cancer.
39 Ina laughter clinic, doctors
A laugh at their patients.
B encourage their patients to laugh.
C smile when they don't feel like laughing.
D never stop laughing.
40The writer's attitude towards laughter is
A critical.
B doubtful.
C positive.
D negative.