Do you want to live a happier, less stressful (有压力的) life?
Try laughing for no reason at all. That’s how thousands of people start their day at Laughter 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’s naturally good at laughing – it’s the universal language. We want people to feel happy with their lives.” There are now more than 500 Laughter Clubs in India and over 1,300 worldwide.
Many doctors are also interested in the effects (效果) of laughter on our health. According to a 5 – year study 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 stupid. 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 fake laughter and real 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!

1. 1.

   In which country was the first Laughter Club started?

   1. A.
      Britain.
   2. B.
      America.
   3. C.
      Australia.
   4. D.
      India.
2. 2.

   How did the writer feel at the beginning of the class?

   1. A.
      Surprised.
   2. B.
      Pleased.
   3. C.
      Nervous.
   4. D.
      Stressful.
3. 3.

   When did the people in the club begin to laugh for real?

   1. A.
      After a few minutes.
   2. B.
      After a few hours.
   3. C.
      After a few seconds.
   4. D.
      After a few days.
4. 4.

   Which of the following is true according to the passage?

   1. A.
      Fake laughter and real laughter are both good for health.
   2. B.
      40% of the people in Laughter Clubs are good friends.
   3. C.
      Adults laugh more often than children in a day.
   4. D.
      Laughing is the best way to prevent illness.

第一节 完形填空（共10小题；每小题2分，满分20分）

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从21~30各题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

My father believed that there was mysterious forces at work in the world. One day, when he was lecturing me on these tales, a neighbour woman suddenly entered, with two geese in hands. She smiled   21   and looked frightened.

“Yusef, I have a very    22    problem. These dead geese, they keep shrieking in such a sad voice…”.

My father turned pale. “But dead geese don’t shriek,” my mother cut in.

“You’ll hear for yourself,” replied the woman. And so it happened. It is impossible to   23    what I heard. My hands grew    24    and I wanted to run from the room.

Father was no less    25    than I was. He jumped away from the table. Just then, for the second and the third time, the shriek came again. “Well, I didn’t   26    it, did I?”

Suddenly my mother laughed. “Did you   27    the windpipes?” my mother asked.

“The windpipes? No…”.

Mother took hold of one of the geese, and pulled out the windpipe. She did the same with the other one. I was surprised by my mother’s    28    . “Now, try it again.” I was    29     to hear the geese shriek, but they were dead silent.

“There is always a(an)  30   . Dead geese don’t shriek,” said my mother. “Now go home and cook them for the meal. They won’t make a sound in your pot.”

21. A. nervously                   B. cheerfully                 C. jokingly                   D. surprisingly

22. A. simple                       B. sudden                     C. unusual                    D. interesting

23. A. remember                  B. understand                C. describe                   D. bear

24. A. hot                                   B. cold                         C. still                          D. hard

25. A. curious                      B. excited                     C. frightened                D. interested

26. A. mean                         B. notice                      C. design                      D. imagine

27. A. remove                      B. change                            C. break                       D. block

28. A. action                        B. courage                    C. strength                    D. speed

29. A. trying                        B. pretending                C. expecting                 D. preparing

30. A. fact                           B. truth                        C. method                    D. explanation

I was surprised by his words ,which made me recognized ______silly mistakes I had made .

I was surprised by her words, which made me recognize ________ silly mistakes I had made.

A. what                B. that                    C. how               D. which

The rumors had been spreading for months but it still came as a shock when the hospital would be closing. It had served this poor neighborhood for nearly 100 years but it would close because of the health care crisis.

The day after the announcement co-workers found out that pretzels(椒盐饼干) had been eliminated. Soft pretzels are the lifeblood of this city. So losing access to soft pretzels is no small matter.

I said, “I only have $6. I’m not sure how many pretzels I need. You see, I work at a hospital and it’s closing and they stopped selling pretzels.” The man’s smile disappeared. “What hospital?” “Oh, Northeastern Hospital.”

The guy looked deeply shocked. “I used to sell medical supplies and that was one of my hospitals.” Then he turned around and grabbed a box of 25 pretzels and slid them across the counter.

I was surprised by his generosity and started to reach for my wallet, “Oh I can pay. Please let me …” The guy smiled, “Just tell them Joe Sullivan said to do something nice for someone else.”

And so that day everyone in medical records was treated to a soft pretzel. Word spread fast as people came asking, “Is it really true?” It was as if I’d carried in a box of gold. It mattered to them that a stranger cared.

1.The underlined word “eliminated” in Paragraph 2 means _____.

A. highly priced      B. added        C. overcooked   D. removed

2.Why did the author decide to buy pretzels for his co-workers?

A. To show his generosity.                B. To make them feel less sad.

C. To show his thanks to them.                D. To encourage them to work hard.

3.To buy 25 pretzels, the author should pay ____.

A. $25                B. $12.5            C. $12          D. $50

4.According to the passage, Joe Sullivan used to be a ____.

A. cook               B. doctor       C. shopkeeper   D. salesman

5.What can be the best title of the passage?

A. A nice treat                          

B. The rumor that came true

C. Tell them Joe cared                   

D. Northeastern Hospital is closing down