There is an old saying in English: “Laughter is the best medicine”. Until recently, few people took the saying very seriously. Now, however, doctors have begun to investigate laughter and the effects it has on the human body. They have found evidence 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 rate, blood pressure, breathing and muscles. It was found that laughter has similar effects to physical exercise. It increases blood pressure, the heart rate and the rate of 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.
Other tests have shown that laughter appears to be capable of reducing 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, which tolerated the pain for the longest time, was the group, which listened to a funny program. The reason why laughter can reduce pain seems to be that it helps to produce endorphins（内啡肽）in the brain. These are natural chemicals that diminish both stress and pain.
There is also some evidence to suggest that laughter helps the body’s immune system, that is, the system which fights infection. In an experiment, one group of students watched a funny video while another group served as the control group-in other words, a group with which to compare the first group. Doctors checked the blood of the students in both groups and found that the people in the group that watched the video had an increase in the activity of their blood cells, that is, the cells which fight infection.
As a result of these discoveries, some doctors and psychiatrists（精神病学家）in the United States now hold laughter clinics, in which they try to improve their patients’ conditions 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.We learn from the first paragraph that laughter .
A.is good for one’s health. B.is related to some illness.
C.has been investigated long since. D.has no effect on the body.
2.Doctors have found that laughter .
A.keeps down blood pressure. B.has similar effects to physical exercise.
C.decreases the heart rate. D.increases stress.
3.Which of the following statements is NOT true of laughter, according to the passage?
A.It reduces pain. B.It exercises the body.
C.It improves the body’s immune(免疫的)system. D.It can cure cancer.
4.In a laughter clinic, doctors .
A.laugh at their patients. B.encourage their patients to laugh.
C.smile when they don’t feel like laughing. D.never stop laughing.
Goddington Theater
The Goddington Theater Ticket Office is open from 10a．m．until 4p．m．Monday to Friday，and for half an hour in the evening before the advertised start time of each performance．
Telephone bookings
*Your tickets are held at the Ticket Office for you to collect or，if you prefer，a charge（费用） of 35cents is made to post them to you if you pay by cash．We'll post them to you for free if you book by credit card．No extra charge．
Postal bookings
*You can write to the Ticket Office requesting tickets，or to confirm a reservation． Where to find Goddington Theater
*Goddington Theater can be found within the Goddington University site，next to the car park，which is available for public use after 5p．m．on weekdays and all day on weekends．
If travelling by car
*Coming from the south end of Princes Street，you will see the library on your right．Next to the library is Goddington University．Take the next turning on the right，then first right into the car park gate straight ahead of you，stopping as close as possible to the orange machine．Put a $ 1coin in the machine and the gate will rise．
If travelling by train/bus/taxi
*You will need to allow 30minutes to walk from the train station．Taxis are available from the front of the station．
*The University is a 5to 10minutes'walk from the main bus station．
*When ordering a taxi from the theater，ask to be picked up at the bottom of North Street．Taxis will not come into the car park because of the entrance charge．
1.You can book your tickets ______ ．
A.at 5 p.m on Wednesday B.at noon on workdays
C.at lunch time on weekends D.at 9 a.m on Monday
2.Where is the Goddington Theater？ ______
A.To the south of Princes Street
B.On the right of the Ticket Office．
C.At the bottom of North Street．
D.In the Goddington university．
3.What can we learn from the passage？ ______
A.Taxi drivers are unwilling to pick up customers inside the car park．
B.Tickets paid by cash will be posted to you at no extra charge．
C.You can find a free parking place in the university．
D.You have to collect your tickets if you pay by credit card．
Sam and Jason were good friends. One day they had a car accident. The next morning, Sam woke up but Jason was still unconscious (昏迷的). When Dr. Smith saw Sam awake, he smiled at him and asked, “How are you feeling today?” Sam smiled back and said, “Wonderful! Promise me you won’t tell Jason anything.” Dr. Smith was moved by Sam’s words and said, “You are a very brave man. You know I won’t do that. Trust me.”
Months later Jason recovered. He stopped hanging out with Sam. He felt unhappy to spend time with a disabled person like Sam. Sam was lonely and heartbroken. One day Sam died in despair (失望). When Jason was on his burial (葬礼), Dr. Smith gave Sam’s letter to him.
The letter read, “Dear Jason, I have kept my promise to give you my eyes if anything had happened to them. Now there is nothing more that I can do. You will see through my eyes that you will always be my best friend ... Sam.”
When he finished reading, Dr. Smith added, “I had promised Sam to keep it a secret.” Jason stood there with tears on his face.
1.In the first paragraph, Dr. Smith promised Sam to ________.
A.make friends with him
B.take good care of Jason
C.give Jason the letter
D.keep a secret from Jason
2.Why did Jason stop hanging out with Sam?
A.He recovered but still couldn’t move freely.
B.He felt upset to be with a disabled man like Sam.
C.He just found another friend.
D.He didn’t know what had happened to Sam.
3.When Jason finished reading the letter, he felt so ________.
A.moved B.worried C.happy D.calm
4.What can we learn from the passage?
A.Don’t leave your friend when he is in trouble.
B.Trust a friend when he has changed.
C.Brave people are the best friends.
D.Be faithful to your friend forever.
假设你是红星中学高三学生李华。你们班上周五组织了一次参观农业大学园艺基地的实践活动。请根据以下四幅图的先后顺序，给校刊“英语园地”写一篇英文稿件，介绍活动的全过程。
注意：词数不少于60。
提示词：插花 arrange flowers 园艺基地 Gardening Base
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
假设你是红星中学高三学生李华。今年寒假你所在学校将举办书法冬令营，报名截止到一月底，请给你的留学生朋友Jim写封邮件邀请他参加，内容包括：
1.告知报名的条件；
2.介绍活动安排。
注意：1. 词数不少于50；
2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3. 开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
提示词：书法 calligraphy
Dear Jim,
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
Will you stop using plastic?
If you take a look around your kitchen or office right now, chances are that you’ll notice you’re surrounded by plastic—water bottles, to-go coffee cups, straws (吸管), plastic grocery bags, food wrappers, take-out containers, single-serve coffee pods and produce bags. 1.
It’s certainly not realistic to remove all plastic from your life, but let’s examine some statistics that may encourage you to reduce your single-use plastic footprint by throwing away straws, switching to reusable water bottles, bringing cloth bags to the grocery store and more.
According to a study published in the journal Science Advances, the popularity of plastic, which began rising in the 1950s, is growing out of control. 2. And there’s no sign of slowing down, considering scientists say that another 12 trillion kilograms will be produced worldwide by 2050.
“Every piece of plastic that has ever been created will remain in the environment in some form, but once we conveniently throw out our rubbish at home, wind and runoff carry our waste from landfills and streets to the ocean,” says Mystic Aquarium’s chief clinical veterinarian Jennifer Flower, DVM, MS. “Given that we are globally producing over 320 million tons of plastic annually, the marine environment is taking a big hit from our daily disposal of plastic.
3. For example, newborn fish are mistaking tiny bits of plastic waste for food. If they die, there will be fewer big fish—and that could damage the food chain. Often our society is so focused on making our lives more convenient in the short term, but in the long run, our health and the health of marine life are at the expense of those everyday conveniences.”
4. A recent report suggests that when heated, certain food additives (添加剂) can damage hormones, growth and development, as well as increase chances for children of being fat. 5. It is found in plastic containers and metal cans. Parents are urged to avoid using microwaves to warm food and drinks or placing plastics in the dishwasher.
A. Our plastic consumption is directly affecting the life in the ocean.
B. People are concerned about the results of overusing plastic containers.
C. 8.2 trillion kilograms of plastic have been produced around the world.
D. Using plastic containers in microwaves is also harmful to children’s health.
E. Let’s stop using plastic for the benefit of the environment and human beings.
F. These are all examples of single-use plastic products, which is a hot topic nowadays.
G. The most concerning artificial additive BPA is a chemical used in the production of plastics.
