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!

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.

Do you want to live another 100 years or more? Some experts say that scientific advances will one day enable humans to last tens of years beyond what is now seen as the natural limit of the human life span.
"I think we are knocking at the door of immortality(永生)," said Michael Zey, a Montclair State University business professor and author of two books on the future. "I think by 2075 we will see it and that’s a conservative estimate".
At the conference in San Francisco, Donald Louria, a professor at New Jersey Medical School in Newark said advances in using genes as well as nanotechnology（納米技術(shù)）make it likely that humans will live in the future beyond what has been possible in the past. "There is a great push so that people can live from 120 to 180 years," he said. "Some have suggested that there is no limit and that people could live to 200 or 300 or 500 years."
However, many scientists who specialize in ageing are doubtful about it and say the human body is just not designed to last about 120 years. Even with healthier lifestyles and less disease, they say failure of the brain and organs will finally lead all humans to death.
Scientists also differ on what kind of life the super aged might live. "It remains to be seen if you pass 120, you know; could you be healthy enough to have good quality of life?" said Leonard Pooh, director of the University of Georgia Gerontology(老齡學(xué)) Center. "At present people who could get to that point are not in good health at all."

1. 1.

   By saying "we are knocking at the door of immortality", Michael Zey means ________

   1. A.
      they believe that there is no limit of living
   2. B.
      they are sure to find the truth about long living
   3. C.
      they have got some ideas about living forever
   4. D.
      they are able to make people live past the present life span
2. 2.

   Donald Louria's attitude towards long living is that ________

   1. A.
      people can live from 120 to 180 years
   2. B.
      it is still doubtful how long humans can live
   3. C.
      the human body is designed to last about 120 years
   4. D.
      it is possible for humans to live longer in the future
3. 3.

   The underlined "it"（paragraph 4）refers to ________

   1. A.
      a great push
   2. B.
      the idea of living beyond the present life span
   3. C.
      the idea of living from 200 to 300 years
   4. D.
      the conservative estimate
4. 4.

   What would be the best title for this text?

   1. A.
      Living Longer or Not
   2. B.
      Science, Technology and Long Living
   3. C.
      No Limit for Human Life
   4. D.
      Healthy Lifestyle and Long Living

One reaction to all the concern about tropical deforestation（砍伐森林） is a blank（茫然的） stare that asks the question, "Since I don't live there, what does it have to do with me?"

     The answer is that your way of life, wherever you live in the world, is tied to the tropics in many ways. If you live in a house, wash your hair, eat fruits and vegetables, drink soda, or drive a car, you can be certain that you are affected by the loss of tropical forests.

     Biologically, we are losing the richest regions on earth when, each minute, a piece of tropical forest, the size of ten city blocks, disappears. As many as five million species of plants, animals, and insects (40 to 50 percent of all living things) live there, and are being lost faster than they can be found and described. Their loss is immeasurable.

     Take rubber for example. For many uses, only natural rubber from trees will do. Synthetics are not good enough. Today over half the world's commercial rubber is produced in Malaysia and Indonesia, while the Amazon's rubber industry produces much of the world's four million tons. And rubber is an important material in making gloves, balloons, footwear and many sporting goods. Thousands of other tropical plants are valuable for their industrial use.

     Many scientists strongly believe that deforestation contributes to the greenhouse effect -- or heating of the earth from increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. As we destroy forests, we lose their ability to change carbon dioxide into oxygen.

     Carbon dioxide levels could double within the next half-century, warming the earth by as much as 4.5 degrees. The result? A partial melt-down of polar ice caps, raising sea levels as much as 24 feet; even 15 feet could threaten anyone living within 35 miles of the coast. Unbelievable? Maybe. But scientists warn that by the time we realise the severe effects of tropical deforestation, it will be 20 years too late.

     Can tropical deforestation affect our everyday lives? Now, you should have got the answer.

The underlined word "synthetics" probably means               .

   A. natural rubber                   B. tropical materials

   C. man-made material               D. commercial rubber

In the last paragraph the author tries to                  .

   A. tell people how to avoid the tropical deforestation

   B. persuade people to buy something synthetic

   C. show us how important it is to protect the tropical forests

   D. let people realise the effect of tropical deforestation

According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?

   A. The forests are losing their function in turning carbon dioxide into oxygen.

   B. Many of our daily uses are related to the tropical forests.

   C. Tropical plants can be used to make industrial products.

   D. High carbon dioxide levels will make the earth warmer.

The author's attitude towards the tropical deforestation is               .

   A. puzzling        B. cold          C. supporting        D. opposed

Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?

   A. Tropical Forests                    B. Saving the Tropical Forests

   C. Tropical Forests and Our Life         D. The Greenhouse Effects

Do you want to have a friend whom you could tell everything to, like your deepest feelings and thoughts? Or are you afraid that your friend would laugh at you, or just can’t understand what you are going through?

Anne Frank chose the first kind. She lived in Amsterdam during World War II. Her family was Jewish (猶太人) so they had to hide, or they would be caught by the German soldiers. She and her family hid away for two years before they were discovered. During this time the only true friend was her diary, which she called Kitty.

In a diary dated on Thursday 15 June, 1944, she wrote, “Dear Kitty, I wonder if it’s because I haven’t been able to be outdoors for so long that I’ve grown so mad about everything to do with nature. I can well remember that there was a time when a blue sky, the song of the birds, moonlight and flowers could never have kept me puzzled. That’s changed since I was here for a year and a half.”

In Anne’s opinion, the best friend is one who_______.

   A. knows everything                  B. likes to talk with you

   C. can read your diary                 D. can understand you

Who do you think Kitty is ?

   A. Anne’s sister.   B. Anne’s mother   C. Anne’s teacher   D. Anne’s diary

Anne had grown so mad about nature. Maybe it was because ______.

   A. she had been indoors too long     B. she had no interest in nature

   C. she had always been such a girl    D. she had got used to living alone

In her diary on Thursday 15, June, 1944, Anne expressed her strong wish for ______.

   A. friendship     B. schooling      C. free life      D. free  weather

Do you like chocolate? Most people do. Some like it in bars. Others just like big squares of it.

Say you just got a box of chocolate. Which piece do you pick first? A study carried out by a professor in the University of Virginia showed that people’s choices of chocolates show their personality. If you choose a round piece, you are a person who likes to party. If you select an oval shape, you are a person who strives(努力). You like to make things and push yourself to be successful. Picking a square shape shows that this is an honest and truthful person you can depend on.

What kind of chocolate do you pick? Maybe you like milk chocolate. This shows you have warm feelings about the past, while dark chocolate means something else -- the person who chooses it ________. What about white chocolate? Would you like to choose it? If so, you may find it hard to make up your mind. Those who like chocolate with nuts are people who like to help others.

Do you believe these ideas? Can chocolate tell all these things? It doesn’t matter. There is one sure thing about eaters of chocolates – they eat it because they like it.

What is the best title of the text? (Please answer within 8 words.)

       __________________________________________________________________________________

Which sentence in the text can be replaced by the following one?

In that case, it will be difficult for you to make a decision.

       __________________________________________________________________________________

Please fill in the blank in the third paragraph with proper words or phrases to complete the sentence. (Please answer within 6 words.)

       __________________________________________________________________________________

What’s the writer’s attitude towards the information about chocolate in the text? (Please answer within 15 words)

       __________________________________________________________________________________

Translate the underlined sentence in the last paragraph into Chinese.

       __________________________________________________________________________________