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 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, makes the heart beat quicker and makes people breathe deeper; 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. 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 programmes. The group that tolerated the pain for the longest time was the group which listened to a funny programme. The reason why laughter can reduce pain seems to be that it helps to produce a kind of chemical in the brain which _ both stress and pain. As a result of these discoveries, some doctors in the United States now hold laughter clinics, 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. Why do doctors hold laughter clinics? A) Because they want to earn more money. B) Because they think they will help the patients recover from illnesses. C) Because they want to improve their patients' health. D) Because they want their patients to laugh more.
C
Have you ever had a troubling problem that has left you wondering where to turn for help? Eve Hobsbawm is a life adviser.She offers advice to people struggling with all kinds of problems, from relationship difficulties to what to cook for dinner. She does this through a website inviting people to email her with their problems.There ' s nothing unusual about that, except for the fact that Eve is only eight years old. This junior trouble-shooter, who also goes by the name 'Miss Evie Mouse' , lives in London with her parents.Not only is Miss Mouse willing to lend an ear to her clients, she will also offer them a helping hand, for a fee of course.She charges between 10p for advice on little, everyday worries and PS for more complicated problems.Her areas of expert knowledge, if not of experience, are problems about love, life and work-life balance. A problem shared is a problem halved, but Eve can' t always help.A note on the site states that she can't answer questions like "Does space ever end?" and she won't solve schoolwork-related problems, especially not maths. She explained to the Guardian newspaper that she was inspired to set up the company by her father who runs a tech start-up.Eve said, "As soon as I saw his business and understood the kinds of things businesses do, I thought that' s what I' m going to do." But since setting up her company in December she has been so overwhelmed with messages that she has had to take a step back."There has been a lot of sudden interest in my site, which is nice," she says, " but I need to do my homework too, so I won' t be solving any more problems for a bit." What is people' s attitude towards Eve' s website? A) Interested. B) Disapproving. C) Doubtful. D) Unconcerned.
A
Q: "Cool" is a word with many meanings. Its old meaning is used to expressa temperature that is a little bit cold.As the world has changed, the word has had many different meanings. "Cool" can be used to express feelings of interest in almost anything. When you see a famous car in the street, maybe you will say, "It's cool." You may think, "He's so cool," when you see your favorite footballer. We all maximize the meaning of "cool". You can use it instead of many words such as "new" or "surprising". Here's an interesting story we can use to show the way the word is used.A teacher asked her students to write about the waterfall they had visited.On one student's paper was just the one sentence, "It's so cool. " Maybe he thought it was the best way to show what he saw and felt. But the story also shows a scarcity of words. Without "cool", some people have no words to show the same meaning. So it is quite important to keep some credibility . Can you think of many other words that make your life as colorful as the word "cool"? I can. And I think they are also very cool . We know that the word "cool" has had _ A) only one meaning B) no meanings C) many different meanings D) the same meaning
A: C
Education is an expensive part of American life. Its size is matched by its variety. Differences in American schools compared with those found in the majority of other countries lie in the fact that education here has long been intended for everyone. Schools are expected to meet the needs of every child, regardless of ability, and also the needs of society itself. This means that public schools offer more than academic subjects. It surprises many people when they come here to find high schools offering such courses as typing, sewing, radio repair, computer programming or driver training, along with traditional academic subjects such as mathematics, history, and languages. Students choose their courses depending on their interests, future goals, and level of ability. The basic goal of American education is to develop every child to the utmost of his or her own possibilities, and to give each one a sense of community. Schools have traditionally played an important role in creating national unity and "Americanizing" the millions of immigrants who have poured into this country from many different backgrounds and origins. Schools still play a large role in the community, especially in the small towns. The teaching may seem unfamiliar to many, not only because it is informal, but also because there is not much emphasis on learning facts. Instead, Americans try to teach their children to think for themselves and to develop their own intellectual and creative abilities. Students spend much time learning how to use materials, libraries, statistics, and computers. Americans believe that if children are taught to _ and to research well, they will be able to find whatever facts they need throughout the rest of their lives. Knowing how to solve problems is considered more important than the accumulation of facts. This is America's answer to the searching question that thoughtful parents all over the world are asking themselves in the fast-moving time, "How can one prepare today's child for a tomorrow that one can... It is implied in the passage that _ . A) all high-school students take the same courses B) every student must take practical ability training courses C) every public school offers the same academic subjects D) the subjects every student takes may vary
D