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．delays
B．prevents
C．increases
D．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 possible
B．watch more funny films
C．smile all the time
D．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.
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