Do you want to live a happier, less stressful (有壓力的) 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!
【小題1】In which country was the first Laughter Club started?

A．Britain.

B．America.

C．Australia.

D．India.

【小題2】How did the writer feel at the beginning of the class?

A．Surprised.

B．Pleased.

C．Nervous.

D．Stressful.

【小題3】When did the people in the club begin to laugh for real?

A．After a few minutes.	B．After a few hours.
C．After a few seconds.	D．After a few days.

【小題4】Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A．Fake laughter and real laughter are both good for health.

B．40% of the people in Laughter Clubs are good friends.

C．Adults laugh more often than children in a day.

D．Laughing is the best way to prevent illness.

Brrriiinnng. The alarm clock announces the start of another busy weekday in the morning. You jump out of bed, rush into the shower, into your clothes and out the door with hardly a moment to think. A stressful journey to work gets your blood pressure climbing. Once at the office, you glance through the newspaper with depressing stories or reports of disasters. In that sort of mood, who can get down to work, particularly some creative, original problem-solving work?
The way most of us spend our mornings is exactly opposite to the conditions that promote flexible, open-minded thinking. Imaginative ideas are most likely to come to us when we’re unfocused. If you are one of those energetic morning people, your most inventive time comes in the early evening when you are relaxed. Sleepy people’s lack of focus leads to an increase in creative problem solving. By not giving yourself time to tune into your wandering mind, you’re missing out on the surprising solutions it may offer.
The trip you take to work doesn’t help, either. The stress slows down the speed with which signals travel between neurons (神經(jīng)細(xì)胞), making inspirations less likely to occur. And while we all should read a lot about what’s going on in the world, it would not make you feel good for sure, so put that news website or newspaper aside until after the day’s work is done.
So what would our mornings look like if we wanted to start them with a full ability for creative problem solving? We’d set the alarm a few minutes early and lie awake in bed, following our thoughts where they lead. We’d stand a little longer under the warm water of the shower, stopping thinking about tasks in favor of a few more minutes of relaxation. We’d take some deep breaths on our way to work, instead of complaining about heavy traffic. And once in the office—after we get a cup of coffee—we’d click on links not to the news of the day but to the funniest videos the web has to offer. 
【小題1】According to the author, we are more creative when we are _______.

A．focused

B．a(chǎn)wake

C．Relaxed

D．busy

【小題2】What does the author imply about newspapers?

A．They are solution providers.

B．They are normally full of bad news.

C．They are a source of inspiration.

D．They are more educational than websites.

【小題3】By “tune into your wandering mind” (in Para. 2), the author means “_______”.

A．wander into the wild

B．listen to a beautiful tune

C．stop concentrating on anything

D．switch to the traffic channel

【小題4】The author writes the last paragraph in order to _______.

A．summarize past experiences

B．offer practical suggestions

C．a(chǎn)dvocate diverse ways of life

D．establish a routine for the future

Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital for Children (MGHfC) have invented a new term that describes dangers associated with cigarette smoke: third-hand smoke. Study results published in January, 2009 discuss how third-hand smoke is especially dangerous for children.
Have you ever walked into a room that had the smell of cigarette smoke, regardless of the fact that a fan was moving the air and no one was smoking at the time? This is what researchers are calling third-hand smoke — and it represents the poisonous deposits (存積物) that are left behind long after a cigarette is put out. 
Cigarette smoke contains gases and small particles that are deposited on every surface it comes in contact with, for example, the smoker’s hair and clothing, or the environment the cigarette was smoked in. It’s dangerous for young children who may crawl on polluted surfaces. Third-hand smoke is a serious health risk for our kids, especially those who live in the homes of smokers.
Jonathan Winickoff, lead author of the study, explains, “When you come into contact with your baby, even if you’re not smoking at the time, he or she comes in contact with those poisons. And if you breast-feed, the poisons will transfer to your baby in your breast milk.” Winickoff adds however, that nursing a baby if you’re a smoker is still a better choice than bottle-feeding.
Researchers involved in the study also surveyed more than 1,500 families in an effort to learn about adult attitudes regarding the danger third-hand smoke represents to their children and how that might affect smoking in the home.
Approximately 95 percent of nonsmokers and 84 percent of smokers believe that secondhand smoke is dangerous for children.
On the issue of whether third-hand smoke threatens the health of children, 65 percent of nonsmokers and 43 percent of smokers felt that third-hand smoke harms kids. When asked about rules regarding smoking in the home, approximately 88 percent of nonsmokers said they don’t allow smoking, while only 27 percent of smokers forbid smoking in the home.
However, both non-smokers and smokers who felt that third-hand smoking was harmful to children’s health were more inclined to (傾向于) restrict smoking in their homes.
【小題1】The study led by Jonathan Winickoff focused on _______.

A．bad influences long after a cigarette is smoked

B．third-hand smoke and secondhand smoke

C．the bad effects of smoking on common people

D．the terrible smell of cigarette smoke

【小題2】How does the text explain what third-hand smoke is?

A．By telling results of a survey.

B．By giving statistics.

C．By making comparisons.

D．By giving an example.

【小題3】The following measures to prevent the effect of third-hand smoke are effective except _______. 

A．keeping kids out of room when you smoke

B．cleaning the house to get rid of poisons

C．making yourself clean before contacting kids

D．trying to forbid smoking in home

Everyone experiences stress at work, but how we cope with it varies. Feeling that you’ve been unfairly treated can be particularly stressful. Researchers believe that failure to express feelings about unfair treatment at work could have serious consequences on your health, especially men, who bottle up their anger at being unfairly treated at work, are up to 5 times more likely to suffer a heart attack, or even die from one, than those who let their frustration （沮喪） show, a Swedish study has found.
The study by the Stress Research Institute of Stockholm University followed 2,755 employed men who had not suffered any heart attacks. At the end of the study, 47 participants had either suffered an attack, or died from heart disease, and many of those had been found to be covertly coping with unfair treatment at work.
“After adjustment for age, socioeconomic factors, risk behaviors, job strain and biological risk factors at baseline, there was a close-response relationship between covert coping and the risk of incident death,” the study’s authors wrote.
Covert coping was listed as “l(fā)etting thing pass without saying anything” and “going away” despite feelings of being hard done by colleagues or bosses. Men who often used these coping techniques had a two to five times higher risk of developing heart disease than those who were more confrontational (對抗性的) at work, the study showed.
The researchers said they could not answer the question of what might be a particularly healthy coping strategy at work, but listed open coping behavior when experiencing unfair treatment or facing a conflict as “protesting directly,” “talking to the person right away,” “yelling at the person right away” or “speaking to the person later when things have calmed down.” The study was published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
【小題1】The study mainly shows that 　　   　 .

A．women are less likely to suffer a heart attack than men

B．most people die of heart disease caused by stress

C．covert coping may result in certain heart trouble

D．employers should treat their workers equally

【小題2】Which of the following contributes to the accuracy of the study?

A．The participants were all employed men.

B．The participants tend to bottle up their temper.

C．The participants should not have risk behaviors.

D．The participants had not a history of heart attacks.

【小題3】 According to the text, if treated unfairly a confrontational person will 　　   　 .

A．just let it be

B．fight back immediately

C．go away silently

D．work even harder

【小題4】The last paragraph is intended to tell readers 　　 .

A．that the study is official

B．what the healthiest coping strategy is

C．what the helpful ways of handling unfair treatment are

D．that confrontation is always beneficial to people’s heart health

It seems school children all over the world complain about their school food. Cherie Blair, the wife of Prime Minister Tony Blair, said that she would prepare a packed lunch for her son if school dinners do not improve. So what do students of your age eat for lunch at school?
Japan
High schools have canteens(餐廳), which serve everything from noodles to rice, but not burgers and chips. Other children bring food from home such as cold rice balls, meat or fish, pickles(泡菜) and vegetables.
Students take home a menu for the coming month containing notes on nutrition value. Twice a year parents are invited to have a taste of the food. The class with the fewest leftovers(剩飯) at the end of the month receives a prize.
Untied States
A typical menu from a US school is made up of a hamburger with fried potatoes or roast chicken, lettuce and pickles, fruit and cookies. School lunches must also provide at least one-third of the daily dietary allowances(定量) of protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, calcium, and calories.
Australia
Meat pies, sausage rolls and hotdogs are all traditional dishes in Australian school shops. But as the nation pays more attention to children’s health, healthier foods have started to find their way onto school menus.
Many schools have used a traffic light system. The sale of red-labelled foods, including pastries(點(diǎn)心), chocolate and soft drinks, is served only twice a week. Healthier green-labelled foods such as sushi(壽司), sandwiches, corn and watermelon, however, are available every day.
In some schools, students have a choice of up to 89 foods to choose from, including popcorn and rice.
South Africa
Most of South Africa’s schools do not serve meals at all. Classes end at 1:30pm and students get their own lunches. Many students bring food from home, usually sandwiches.
Fast food and fried food sell the best among students, which has led to a rise in obesity among children. But as more people began to realize the fact that being too fat may cause different diseases, some schools in towns have led the way towards better nutrition. Now students at these schools are provided with lunches of porridge(麥片粥) with vegetables, such as cabbages, onions, beans, carrots and tomatoes.
【小題1】What does the underlined word “obesity ”in the last paragraph probably mean?

A．Fighting.

B．Sadness.

C．Food shortage.

D．Overweight.

【小題2】We can infer from the passage that ________.

A．a(chǎn) typical menu from a US school consists of enough nutrition.

B．most students in South Africa eat their lunch at home.

C．many schools in Australia have traffic lights outside their school.

D．you can have whatever you like in school canteens in Japan.

【小題3】What is the main idea of the passage?

A．Schools should try to satisfy the needs of students.

B．Schools serve different foods from country to country.

C．Food served in the US is the best of all.

D．School children all over the world dislike their school food.

【小題4】The article is meant for ________.

A．school lunch suppliers	B．schoolmasters
C．students of your age	D．nutritionists(營養(yǎng)學(xué)家)

Welcome every morning with a smile. Let your first hour set the theme of success and positive action that is certain to echo through your entire day. Today will never happen again. Don’t waste it with a false start or no start at all. You were not born to fail.
Starting the day right can give good momentum (動力) for the rest of the day. Having a power morning is a key factor for a fruitful day. Here are some tips on getting the most out of the morning.
Wake up early. In theory, there’s no difference in waking up early or late as long as you get the proper amount of sleep. However, there is a psychological advantage when you wake up earlier than the average person and then you’ll have more time to do preparation before engaging in the real world.
Exercise. Good health is always a benefit with exercise, but studies have also shown that morning exercise helps you to sleep better at nights.
Eat breakfast. It’s the most important meal of the day. According to the Mayo Clinic, we should choose three from the following four: fruits and vegetables, grains, dairy, and protein. Did you know that you can actually gain weight when you skip breakfast?
Take a shower. When you shower, do you do it in the morning or at night? I used to shower in the evenings, but I found that morning showers helped me to be more alert.
Prioritize (優(yōu)先) your To-Do list. Leo coined the acronym MIT to mean “most important tasks.” Our to-do list might be never ending, but put on top of the list a couple of urgent tasks that will define the day to be a successful one.
Check your emails. Only once. Getting a lot of emails can be very distractive. You actually are more productive when you check them only a few times at fixed time of the day. I only do them 2-3 times a day—once in the morning, once at lunch, and one more as it gets toward the end of the day.
【小題1】The purpose for the author to write this passage is to       .

A．tell you to get up early every day

B．offer you the best way to start the day

C．give you advice about how to arrange a day

D．a(chǎn)dvise you to prioritize your to-do list every morning

【小題2】If you don’t have breakfast, you may       .

A．lose weight.	B．be productive.
C．put on weight.	D．be more alert.

【小題3】The underlined word “coined” in Paragraph 6 means       .

A．invented

B．designed

C．founded

D．defined

【小題4】The author advises you to check your emails only once because       .

A．the emails are not important

B．reading e-mails is distractive

C．you can only read e-mails at fixed time

D．getting so many emails can distract your attention

Now, we know that if we do not get enough vitamins, we are at risk of developing a number of diseases. As a result, vitamin supplements（補(bǔ)品），though expensive, are popular with people who worry that they are not getting enough vitamins from the foods they eat. But contrary to what many people think, medical experts have found little evidence that most supplements do anything to improve health or protect against disease.
In fact, medical experts warn that taking too many of some vitamins can be harmful. For example, too much vitamin E can cause bleeding. People should discuss what vitamins they take with their doctors, as some vitamins can produce harmful side effects when mixed with medicines.
Experts, however, do say that sometimes vitamins can help prevent disease. People who know they lack a particular vitamin should take vitamin supplements. Some older adults, for example, may not have enough vitamin B-twelve. This is because, as people get older, their body loses its ability to take it from foods. Also, people who spend much time inside may need some extra vitamin D as the skin makes this vitamin from sunlight.
Different vitamins are found in different foods. Vitamin A is found in fish liver oil. It also is in the yellow part of eggs. Sweet potatoes, carrots and other darkly colored fruits and vegetables contain substances that the body can change into vitamin A. Vitamin B-twelve is found in green leafy vegetables and other foods, like fruits. Vitamin K can be found in pork products.
In fact, for most people, a balanced diet can ensure enough of the vitamins our bodies need. So, it is important for us to eat a mixture of foods every day to ensure that we get enough vitamins our bodies need.
【小題1】Vitamin supplements are popular with people because ________. 

A．people mistakenly think that they are good for their health

B．they contain more vitamins than the foods people eat

C．food does not provide enough vitamins people need

D．people fear that a lack of vitamins will lead to disease

【小題2】From the passage, we can learn that medical experts advise people _________.

A．never to take any vitamin supplements

B．to depend only on food for their vitamins

C．not to take any vitamins together with medicines

D．to consult doctors before taking vitamin supplements

【小題3】For people who lack Vitamin B-twelve, they can eat more from _______.
A. sweet potatoes   B. pork products   C. green leafy vegetables  D. eggs
42. What would be the best title of the passage?
A. Getting enough vitamins through a balanced diet.
B. Vitamin supplements do harm to our health.
C. Vitamins are important to our health.
D. Lacking vitamins can cause many diseases.

What’s delicious to eat and comes in a variety of colors? Eggplant! And no, it has nothing to do with chickens! This strangely named vegetable is, however, as versatile as an egg．It can be steamed, fried, and baked．It can be eaten by itself or combined with meats and other vegetables．
Eggplant was first grown in India in the 5th century BC．Its popularity soon spread to China and then throughout Asia．Finally, during the Middle Ages the vegetable made its way to Europe．At that time, eggplant was not the shiny purple vegetable most people know today．Instead, it’s like a white egg．Due to this egg - like appearance, eggplant got its name．In its early days, the vegetable was so bitter that people often called it a “mad apple.” This nickname started because people believed its bitterness was bad for one' s health．People actually thought eggplant could cause madness and cancer．
Fortunately today people know that eggplant doesn't cause insanity or cancer．In fact eggplant is so healthy that it may prevent cancer．In addition, the brain and the heart benefit from this super vegetable．Since it's high in fibre, eggplant can improve digestion．
Italy, Turkey, Egypt, China and Japan are the leading growers of eggplant in the world today．Depending on its location, eggplant may be purple, green, orange or yellow - white．And it can be as small as a tomato or as large as a cucumber．Dish varieties range from simple to complex, with all of them being delicious．
Today, thousands of people gather in Loomis, Calif, for the annual Loomis Eggplant Festival．The main activity at the festival is eating delicious eggplant dishes．There is plenty more to do and see, though．Recipe contests, arts and crafts, performers, races and children's activities all “egg – cite” festival - goers．Most people at the festival would agree—eggplant is an “egg—cellent” vegetable．
【小題1】Eggplant got its name because of its _____．

A．a(chǎn)ppearance

B．taste

C．color

D．value

【小題2】Which of the following does NOT belong to the qualities of eggplant?

A．It can be cooked in various ways．

B．It is easy to digest．

C．It can prevent cancer．

D．It is valuable and priceless．

【小題3】Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A．Eggplant can be eaten to cure cancer

B．Eggplant used to taste bitter．

C．India produce the most eggplant in the world today．

D．Eggplant has a history of nearly 1,000 years．

【小題4】Most people come to the Loomis Eggplant Festival to_____．

A．see arts and crafts

B．enjoy food with eggplants

C．take part in recipe contests

D．promote eggplant

Can feeling of nostalgia (懷舊) be good for you? or is it unhealthy to have a strong love for the past?
For years, medical experts have studied nostalgia and the reasons for it. Many experts warn that too much nostalgia is harmful. They say linger (徘徊) in the past shows that a person is unhappy with his present life. These feelings keep the person from living his life to its fullest.
Dr. Louise Kaplan has written several books about nostalgia. She says these feelings often begin when a young person is between 13 and 19 years old.
"This is the time when you must face the loss of your childhood, " Kaplan says. "You see your new life is easily destroyed. But you think romantically about a golden
past. You remember your childhood as a time when life was perfect."
These feelings continue as a person gets older, Kaplan adds. She says many grown persons have a hard time keeping up with changes in the modem world, so they think back to their younger years. At that time the world seemed simple and more harmless.
Kaplan says these feelings are not always actually existing. The good old days weren't always good. However, she says nostalgia can be helpful, if used properly.
"Feelings of nostalgia can cause you to remember a time when you had high hopes and dreams, " Kaplan says. "It might give you the strong wish to catch those dreams today, in your present life." She adds that nostalgia can prevent you from "cutting yourself off from your aim."
"At its best, " Kaplan says, "nostalgia has the ideas for the future."
【小題1】According to the passage, feelings of nostalgia _____.

A．can cause you to think of your past which was full of hopes and dreams

B．can make you succeed in life

C．fill one with hopes for the future

D．bring about a love for the past and a hope for the future

【小題2】The reason for grown persons to think back to their past is that _____.

A．they can hardly keep up with changes in today's world

B．times are hard, so they can not keep up with changes

C．many grown persons have little time keeping up with changes in the modem world

D．they lived in the past, of which they are always proud

【小題3】Which of the following is not talked about in the passage?

A．Too much nostalgia is harmful.

B．Nostalgia shows that a person is not satisfied with his present life.

C．Only women have feelings of nostalgia.

D．A little nostalgia can make a person's life more colorful.

【小題4】According to Kaplan's idea, _____.

A．nostalgia is sure to be harmful

B．nostalgia can be helpful

C．nostalgia is always very good

D．nostalgia is bad indeed

【小題5】We may also use _____ as the topic of the article.

A．Thoughts on Nostalgia

B．The reasons for Nostalgia

C．Why Do They Think Back to the Past

D．Nostalgia, Good or Bad

Most people agree that it’s important to have a sense of humour. Having the ability to laugh can help one overcome anxiety, and make better decisions in difficult situations. People with a well-developed sense of humour appear to be happier, and some are healthier as well. This suggests that having a sense of humour is good for you. Humourless people may find themselves being treated as a fool, and become anxious and upset.
A sense of humour also plays an important role in human relationships. However, not everyone has a sense of humour. People with developmental disabilities (發(fā)展性能力喪失) can sometimes have no sense of humour, or have a very strange one.
A number of factors affect a person’s sense of humour, with the age probably being the main one. Young children are often highly amused by simple jokes or shows, while teenagers prefer to enjoy the ironic (諷刺的) events. Educational level, culture, and religious faith also affect one’s sense of humour. While Christians, for example, may have a deep appreciation of jokes about the Bible, others may find them disrespectful.
Many people believe that a sense of humour is something that develops on its own, and that you cannot teach someone to understand why jokes, certain comments, situations or events are funny. However, things can be done to enhance one’s sense of humour. Children, for example, benefit from being told jokes and encouraged to laugh, although some children’s jokes might seem rather strange to adults. If you have children, try to encourage them to tell jokes and think about what makes things funny. And it will help them develop a sense of humour.
【小題1】The purpose of the passage is to _______.

A．explain what influences a person’s sense of humour

B．tell readers the importance of being healthy

C．explain how to make better decisions

D．tell readers how to understand jokes

【小題2】What does the underlined word in Paragraph 4 "enhance" probably mean?

A．Enjoy.

B．Reduce.

C．Improve.

D．Prevent.

【小題3】According to the passage, which of the following doesn’t influence one’s sense of humour?

A．Culture.	B．Age.
C．Educational level.	D．Family backgrounds.