Laughter is in many ways our universal language. Humans love to laugh, and it’s good that we do so, because laughing can reduce stress, improve our immune system and relieve pain.
Jeannette Sanger, a laughter yoga instructor from New York, experienced the latter benefit last summer. She was cooking when a pot of boiling water overflowed and hurt her leg. “It was painful,” she said, but she forced herself to use her own skills as medicine and tried laughing to reduce the pain. “As my husband drove me to the nearest hospital, I was sitting in the back seat laughing,” Sanger told The Huffington Post. “It successfully stopped me from giving my attention to the pain.”
Even forced laughter like Sanger’s can have a great effect on the body, according to Dr. Madan Kataria, a medical doctor from India who developed laughter yoga, a practice that draws on the breathing exercises of yoga to produce therapeutic(有疗效的) results. The doctor wa researching for an article entitled “Laughter-The Best Medicine” when he made the surprising discovery that both forced and sincere laughter can affect our health.
In 2014, researchers at California’s Loma Linda University found that older adults who watch funny videos show improvement in their powers of recall and show lower stress levels. Another study at the University of Maryland Medical Center found that people who laugh more and have a sense of humour are less likely to get heart disease.
“Laughing is a way of learning how to play again,” Sanger said. Sanger’s classes start out with simple breathing and movement activities. “Motion creates emotion,” she said.
1. What is Jeannette Sanger?| A．A doctor. | B．A cook. | C．A researcher. | D．A trainer. |
| A．To reduce stress. | B．To enjoy its benefit. |
| C．To relieve pain. | D．To amuse herself |
| A．It can result in more laughter. | B．It can make you more sensitive. |
| C．It’s likely to cause heart disease. | D．It may lead to memory recovery. |
| A．By moving around you’re changing your mood. |
| B．Motion brings about great change to your emotion. |
| C．Your emotion can be improved by moving a lot. |
| D．Humor has both physical and psychological effects. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】We watch our salt and fat intake to protect our hearts. We exercise and take calcium to protect our bones. We use sunscreen to protect our skin.
Invest in quality sunglasses. Protecting the eyes from ultraviolet rays (紫外线) is very important.
Take a break from screens.
Get your eyes checked regularly. That means having your eyes tested by an optometrist or health care provider every one to two years. Don’t forget to see an eye specialist for a checkup regularly, if possible.
| A．Wear safety glasses when needed. |
| B．Stay away from dangerous work. |
| C．But what can we do to protect our eyes all year round? |
| D．But how can we protect our eyes from screen? |
| E．It’s one of the biggest things in our environment to have an impact on the eyes. |
| F．Not all eye problems are noticeable, and all are best treated when found early. |
| G．There’s no scientific evidence that the light from electronic screens damages eyes. |
【推荐2】A study on astronauts found that a short sleep during the day up to two and a half hours long improved working memory performance. Working memory includes focusing attention on one task while holding other tasks in memory, so a poor working memory could result in errors.
Taking a short sleep may make you think more clearly for the period right after you wake up and maybe several hours into the day. Taking a short sieep once or twice a week could lower the risk of heart attacks, according to a 2019 study published in the journal Heart. After tracking more than 3,400 peopIe between the ages of 35 and 75 for slightly more than five years, the researchers found that those who enjoyed occasional short sleep—once or twice a week, for five minutes to an hour—were 48% less likely than those who didn’t take a short sleep to experience a heart attack or heart failure.
A lack of quality sleep could lead to overeating because not enough sleep is believed to stimulate hunger and stop hormone(荷尔蒙)signals that communicate fullness. The findings were important because women were at high risk of fatness and sleep disorders, the researchers said, which could both be driven by a high intake of food. Taking a short sleep has been found to improve your creativity. The right side of your brain might experience a strong mental feeling during a short sleep, research suggested. The right side is the hemisphere(半球体)most associated with creative tasks, such as imagination and thinking, while the left is more logical. Rescarchers monitoring the brain activity of 15 people found that the right side of their brain communicated busily with itself as well as with its left part. The left side of the brain, however, remained relatively quiet. In a January 2020 study of 2,214 Chinese adults aged 60 and older, those who took afternoon sleep for five minutes to two hours showed better mental response than those who didn’t take a short sleep.
1. What do we know about the study on astronauts?| A．Taking a short sleep surely results in errors. |
| B．Improving working memory ability needs a long sleep. |
| C．Sleeping up to one and a half hour is needed during the day. |
| D．Having a good working memory may complete the task better. |
| A．It may make you think clearly all day. |
| B．It could reduce the risk of heart attacks. |
| C．It made 48% of people frce from a heart attack. |
| D．It may cause over 3,400 persons to suffer from heart attack. |
| A．Refer to. | B．Focus on. | C．Give up. | D．Lead to. |
| A．Sports. | B．Education. | C．Health. | D．Technology. |
【推荐3】Falling asleep or coming down from anxiety might never be as easy as 1-2-3, but some experts believe a different set of numbers—4-7-8—comes much closer to doing the trick.
“What a lot of sleep difficulties are all about is people who struggle to fall asleep because their mind is buzzing,” said Rebecca Robbins, an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School.
“
The 4-7-8 method doesn’t require any equipment or specific setting, but when you’re initially learning the exercise, you should sit with your back straight, according to Weil. Practicing in a calm, quiet place could help, said Robbins.
During the entire practice, place the tip of your tongue against the ridge of tissue behind your upper front teeth, as you’ll be exhaling (呼气) through your mouth around your tongue. Then follow these steps, according to Weil:
● Completely exhale through your mouth, making a whoosh sound.
●
● Hold your breath for a count of seven.
● Exhale through your mouth, making a whoosh sound for a count of eight.
● Repeat the process three more times for a total of four breath cycles.
● Keeping to the ratio of four, then seven and then eight counts is more important than the time you spend on each phase, according to Weil.
● “
When you’re stressed out, your sympathetic nervous system (交感神经系统)— responsible for your fight-or-flight response — is overly active. This makes you feel overstimulated and not ready to relax and transition into sleep, Rebecca said. “An active sympathetic nervous system can cause a fast heart rate as well as rapid and shallow breathing.”
The 4-7-8 breathing practice can help activate your parasympathetic nervous system — responsible for resting and digesting — which reduces sympathetic activity.
| A．Breathe out some air for a count of four. |
| B．It can put the body in a state easier for restful sleep, he added. |
| C．Once you get the hang of it, you can use the technique while lying in bed. |
| D．But if you’re a beginner, you could feel a little lightheaded at first, Rebecca said. |
| E．Close your mouth and quietly inhale through your nose to a mental count of four. |
| F．But exercises like the 4-7-8 technique give you the opportunity to practice being at peace. |
| G．If you have trouble holding your breath, speed the exercise up but keep the ratio (consistent) for the three phases. |
【推荐1】A new study of older adults finds too much daytime napping (小睡) may signal an increasing risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Investigators from Brigham report a relationship between daytime napping and cognitive (认知的) aging: too much daytime napping predicts an increased future risk of Alzheimer’s, and Alzheimer’s speeds up the increase in daytime napping during aging.
“Daytime sleep behaviors of older adults are often ignored, and an agreement for daytime napping in clinical practice and health care is still lacking,” said Peng Li of the Medical Program in Brigham, “Our team calls for a closer attention to 24-hour sleep patterns — not only nighttime sleep but also daytime sleep—for tracking the health of older adults.”
Researchers at the Brigham recognized that all previous studies on Alzheimer’s disease assessed napping within a participant only once, and most of the studies were subjective and questionnaire-based. In the new study, more individuals, with an average age of 81, were involved. They were provided with Actical, a watch-like device, to wear on their wrist for up to 14 days. After napping periods were identified, the nap duration and frequency were calculated.
The results suggested that too much daytime napping may signal an increasing risk of Alzheimer’s, and that faster yearly increase in daytime napping may be a worsening sign of the disease.
Researchers acknowledge that although the method of the new study has been widely used in sleep field studies, they recognize that Polysomnography (多导睡眠记录仪) is the gold standard for sleep scoring. Moreover, the participants studied are older, and therefore, the findings may not be easily translated to younger people. In addition, future studies should test whether a direct intervention in daytime napping can lower the risk of Alzheimer’s or cognitive decline.
“We hope to draw more attention to daytime sleep patterns,” said co-senior author Kun Hu of the Medical Program. “Sleep changes are critical in shaping the internal changes in the brain.”
1. What is the possible relationship between daytime napping and Alzheimer’s disease?| A．More daytime napping causes Alzheimer’s disease. |
| B．Alzheimer’s disease can be prevented by more daytime napping. |
| C．Alzheimer’s disease decreases the time spent on daytime napping. |
| D．More daytime napping indicates a higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease. |
| A．The sample size was larger. |
| B．It only recorded the daytime napping. |
| C．The study was based on questionnaires. |
| D．Its findings can be applied to younger generations. |
| A．The patterns of nighttime sleep. |
| B．The symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. |
| C．The application of the new study method. |
| D．The effect of an intervention in daytime napping. |
| A．Alzheimer’s: a Sign of Aging |
| B．Actical: a Device of Recording Napping |
| C．Closely Linked: Daytime Napping and Alzheimer’s |
| D．Slightly Different: Daytime Sleep and Nighttime Sleep |
【推荐2】Honeybees fly much longer distances in the summer than in the spring and autumn to find good sources of food, a new study has found.
Researchers at Sussex University spent two years decoding the “waggle (摇摆) dance” of honeybees, a form of communication by which the bees tell their nestmates where to go to get the best source of food to bring back to the hive (蜂箱).
By measuring the angle of the dance in relation to the sun and the length of time the bee waggled its body while moving in a figure of eight pattern, researchers have been able to map the distance and location where bees forage (觅食) from month to month.
With a one second waggle equal to a foraging distance of 750 metres, the bees dance language revealed that the area they covered in search of food is about 22 times greater in the summer (July and August) than in spring (March) and six times greater in summer than in the autumn (October). In the summer the area they cover is 15.2km sq, compared to 0.8km in spring and 5.1km in the autumn.
Honeybees will not waste valuable time and energy travelling to find food if they don’t need to, so the researchers say the results show that the summer is the most challenging season for bees to collect the nectar and pollen from flowers.
“There is a large quantity of flowers in the spring and autumn, but it is harder for them to locate good blocks of flowers in the summer because agricultural intensification means there are fewer wildflowers in the countryside for bees,” said Frances Ratnieks, author of the study.
The researchers say the results can be used to focus efforts to help bees better. “The bees are telling us where they are foraging so we can now understand how best to help them by planting more flowers for them in the summer,” said Ratnieks.
1. What is the recent research mainly about?| A．Sources of honeybee food. |
| B．The honeybee dance language. |
| C．Honeybees’ eating behaviour. |
| D．Relationship between honeybees. |
| A．The high wind. |
| B．The strong heat. |
| C．Lengthening days. |
| D．Shortage of flowers. |
| A．Its appeal to the public. |
| B．Its practical application. |
| C．Expectations for future studies. |
| D．Scientists with new perspectives. |
| A．Honeybees are really highly intelligent |
| B．Scientists decode honeybee “waggle dance” |
| C．Lack of food sources puts honeybees at risk |
| D．Why summers are bad news for honeybees |
【推荐3】Fish Ears Tell Fish Tales
Fish have ears. Really. They’re quite small and have no opening to the outside world carrying sound through the body. For the past seven years, Simon Thorrold, a university professor, has been examining fish ears, small round ear bones called otoliths (耳石).
As fish grow, so do their otoliths. Each day, their otoliths gain a ring of calcium carbonate (碳酸钙). By looking through a microscope and counting these rings, Thorrold can determine the exact age of a young fish. As a fish gets older, its otoliths no longer get daily rings. Instead, they get yearly rings, which can also be counted, giving information about the fish’s age, just like the growth rings of a tree.
Ring counting is nothing new to fish scientists. But Thorrold has turned to a new direction. They’re examining the chemical elements (元素) of each otolith ring.
The daily ring gives us the time, but chemistry tells us about the environment in which the fish swam on any given day. These elements tell us about the chemistry of the water that the fish was in. It also says something about water temperature, which determines how much of these elements will gather within each otolith ring.
Thorrold can tell, for example, if a fish spent time in the open ocean before entering the less salty water of coastal areas. He can basically tell where fish are spending their time at any given stage of history.
In the case of the Atlantic croaker, a popular saltwater food fish, Thorrold and his assistant have successfully followed the travelling of young fish from mid-ocean to the coast, a journey of many hundreds of miles.
This is important to managers in the fish industry, who know nearly nothing about the whereabouts of the young fish for most food fish in the ocean. Eager to learn about his technology, fish scientists are now lending Thorrold their ears.
1. What can we learn about fish ears from the text?
| A．They are small soft rings. | B．They are not seen from the outside. |
| C．They are openings only on food fish. | D．They are not used to receive sound. |
| A．Trees gain a growth ring each day. | B．Trees also have otoliths. |
| C．Their growth rings are very small. | D．They both have growth rings. |
| A．The elements of the otoliths can tell the history of the sea. |
| B．Chemical contents of otoliths can tell how fast fish can swim. |
| C．We can know more about fish and their living environment. |
| D．Scientists can know exactly how old a fish is. |
| A．They are very interested in Thorrold’s research findings. |
| B．They want to know where they can find fish. |
| C．They lend their fish for chemical studies. |
| D．They wonder if Thorrold can find growth rings from their ears. |
【推荐1】I heard many parents complaining that their teenage children are rebelling(叛逆)．I wish it were so．At your age you ought to be growing away from your parents．You should be learning to stand on your own two feet．But take a good look at the present rebellion．It seems that teenagers are taking the same way of showing that they disagree with their parents．Instead of striking out boldly on their own, most of them are clutching(紧握）at one another's hands for reassurance．
They claim they want to dress as they please．But they all wear the same clothes. Then set off in new directions in music．But somehow they all end up with listening to the same record together．Their reason for thinking or acting in thus-and-such a way is that many people are doing it．They have come out of their cocoon(茧)into a larger cocoon．
It has become harder and harder for a teenager to stand up against the popularity wave and go his or her own way．Industry has firmly carved out a teenage market．These days every teenager can learn from the advertisements what a teenager should have and be．
And many of today's parents have come to award high marks for the popularity of their children．All this adds to a great barrier(障碍） for the teenager who wants to find his or her own path．
But the barrier is worth climbing over．The path is worth following, You may want to listen to classical music instead of going to a party．You may want to collect rocks when everyone else is collecting records．You may have some thoughts 'that you don't care to share with your classmates at once, well, go to it．Find yourself．Popularity will come-with the people who respect you for who you are．That is the only kind of popularity that really counts．
1. In this passage, the author wants to tell ________.| A．teenagers how to learn to decide things for themselves |
| B．readers how to be popular with people around |
| C．parents how to control and guide their children |
| D．people how to understand and respect each other |
| A．have much difficulty understanding each other |
| B．lack confidence |
| C．dare not cope with （处理） problems single-handed |
| D．are much afraid of getting lost |
| A．There is no popularity that really counts． |
| B．What many parents are doing is helping their children find their own paths． |
| C．It is bad for a teenager to disagree with his or her classmates． |
| D．Most teenagers claim that they want to do what they like to, but they are actually doing the same． |
| A．Convincing． | B．Influential. |
| C．Instructive． | D．Authoritative（权威的）． |
| A．differ from others in as many ways as possible |
| B．get into the right reason and become popular |
| C．find one's real self |
| D．rebel against parents and the popularity wave |
【推荐2】Britain is the sixth fattest country: within the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). For more than a decade, the government has declared obesity (肥胖) a national emergency and promised to take action, only to produce disappointing plans that don’t reach what is required.
It should not have taken a disease like COVID-19 to make people fully aware of the awful consequences of the UK’s obesity. Obesity, as well as its associated conditions of diabetes (糖尿病) and high blood pressure, is strongly connected with a higher risk of death from COVID-19 and will have undoubtedly been a factor in the UK having the highest COVID-19 death rate in Europe.
As the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson’s experience of caching the virus and being admitted to ICU has reportedly resulted in a complete change in him, who has previously prided himself on his dislike of an over-controlling state. The government is expected to set out a new strategy this week, aimed at reducing obesity levels both in the next few months — ahead of a possible second wave of infections and the longer term.
This obvious change is welcome, but only if it results in a complete change in the government’s approach, which doesn’t rely on personal responsibility but on much tougher rules, as with tobacco and alcohol.
There is plenty of evidence about what is needed to cut obesity and in recent years, many reports, including from Public Health England and the former chief medical officer, have called for urgent action. Yet these calls were ignored by the government that has seemingly put the food and drink industry’s financial interests over the health of the nation.
1. What has the government done with obesity in the past ten years?| A．It has denied (否认) it is a national emergency. | B．It has made unsatisfying plans to reduce it. |
| C．It has taken effective steps to control it. | D．It has called for immediate action on it. |
| A．Place less stress on financial interests. | B．Set stricter limits on tobacco and alcohol. |
| C．Carry out a new strategy to cut obesity. | D．Take action to reduce COVID-19 death rate. |
| A．the British government should have paid more attention to solving obesity |
| B．the fast-spread disease COVID-19 resulted in the UK’s obesity |
| C．the Prime Minister caught the virus and was admitted to ICU for obesity |
| D．the British government has taken effective action to battle against obesity |
| A．UK Suffering from COVID-19 | B．UK Ready for a Complete Change |
| C．A Cause of Highest COVID-19 Death Rate | D．Obesity: An Urgent Problem in the UK |
【推荐3】Wax (蜡) paper can’t be recycled with other paper items because the wax coating interferes with the recycling process. However, there are still plenty of different options to dispose of your wax paper in an environmentally friendly way.
Wax paper is parchment paper that’s been coated with a thin layer of wax on each side. This makes it resistant to wetness and provides a non-stick surface. The majority of wax paper is coated in a food-safe wax, which is made using vegetable oil. Some brands of wax paper also use soybean oil.
The coating in wax paper is water-resistant, and paper needs to be torn with water as one of the first steps in recycling. This makes it unsuitable to be processed alongside most other paper waste. It’s also often covered with additional oils from foods, which are not accepted by recycling facilities.
While it can’t be recycled, the good news is that some wax paper can be composted at home. If you use wax paper made with vegetable or soybean oil, it can be added in small quantities to your compost. The wax is quite hard for the microbes (微生物) in compost to break down, so rip your wax paper into small pieces and add it to your compost a little at a time. Wax paper should biodegrade at around the same rate as leaf mulch. If you do use wax paper, the best sort to buy is one with unbleached, natural paper, and a wax coating made using vegetable or soybean oil.
Reusing an item as many times as possible is always a good, environmentally friendly option, especially if it can’t be recycled afterward. Rather than throw away your wax paper after one use, you can sometimes use it multiple times to extend its useful life.
1. What does the author intend to show in paragraph 2?| A．What exactly wax paper is. | B．How functional wax paper is. |
| C．Why wax paper can’t be recycled. | D．How we can dispose wax paper. |
| A．Make. | B．Press. | C．Shake. | D．Tear. |
| A．Alternatives to wax paper. | B．Ideas for reusing wax paper. |
| C．Items wrapped with wax paper. | D．Ways to choose wax paper. |
| A．Deal with Wax Paper in Environmentally Friendly Ways |
| B．The Importance of Wax Paper’s Being Recycled |
| C．Is Wax Paper Environmentally Friendly? |
| D．What Can Be Used Instead of Wax Paper? |
