There is an English saying, “Laughter is the best medicine.” Until recently, few people to

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 (忍耐) 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 diminishes 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.
【小题1】According to the passage, which of the following statements is WRONG? A．Laughter is good for health.B．Laughter can make you become old quickly. C．Laughter helps to reduce pain. D．Laughter, just like physical exercise, is good for our body.【小题2】The underlined word “diminishes” in the third paragraph means “ ”. A．delaysB．preventsC．increasesD．reduces【小题3】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.【小题4】According to the author, we should in our life. A．laugh as much as possibleB．watch more funny filmsC．smile all the timeD．spend time in the laughter clinics【小题5】What would be the best title for this passage? A．Both laughter and physical exercise are good for health. B．Laughter clinics can help patients improve their condition.C．Laughter can reduce the effect of pain.D．Laughter is the best medicine.B

(答案→)B 解析：文章提高研究告诉我们为什么笑是最好的药。【小题1】细节题。第一段最后一句laughter really can improve people’s health.说明B正确。【小题2】猜测词义题。根据上文可知听有趣的节目的人对疼痛的忍耐较强，笑能产生一种化学物质，这种物质能够减少压力和痛苦。【小题3】推理题。根据第四段第二行they help to improve their patients’ condition by encouraging them to laugh.可知他们是为了提高病人的健康水平而这样做的。【小题4】推理题。根据文章所述，笑有如此多的好处，那么我们应该尽可能地多笑。【小题5】主旨大意题。根据文章主题段第一段的主题句第一句可知D正确。

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