Question

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 (调查) 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, the heart beating and breathing; 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 (有益的).

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 programs. The group that tolerated (忍受) the pain for the longest time was the groups which listened to a funny program. The reason why laughter can reduce pain seems to be that it helps to produce a kind of chemicals in the brain which reduce both stress (紧张；压力) and pain.

As a result of these discoveries, some doctors in the United States now hold laughter clinics (诊所), 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.

1.The underlined phrase “took the saying seriously” in the first paragraph probably means “________”.

A．treat the saying as important               B．treat the saying as interesting

C．treat the saying as dangerous              D．treat the saying as funny

2.The main idea of the passage is _______.

A．laughter and physical exercises have similar effects on the human body

B．smile can produce the same effects as laughter

C．pain can be reduced by laughter

D．laughter is the best medicine

3.Doctors hold laughter clinics _______.

A．to give better condition to their patients

B．in order to improve patients’ health

C．to make patients smile

D．to prove smile and laughter have the same effect

Answer

1.A

2.D

3.B

【解析】

试题分析：本文是篇说明文，这篇文章通过举例说明笑是治疗疾病最好的药。

1.这句话的意思是，直到现在，很少有人认真对待这一说法，故选A。

2.根据There is an English saying: “Laughter is the best medicine.”以及全文内容.故选D。

3.根据As a result of these discoveries, some doctors in the United States now hold laughter clinics (诊所), in which they help to improve their patients’ condition by encouraging them to laugh.故选B。

考点：记叙文阅读理解。