Although most people believe that laughter is...

Although most people believe that laughter is one of the nature’s great treatments for a whole range of mental and physical diseases, it is still a serious scientific subject that researchers are trying to figure out.

“Laughter above all else is a social thing,” says Baltimore neuroscientist(神经科学家), Robert Provine, who has studied laughter for many years. “All laughter groups laugh ‘ha-ha-ha’ basically the same way. Whether you speak Mandarin, French or English, everyone will understand laughter. There is a pattern generator(发生器) in our brain that produces this sound.”

Laughing is our first way of communicating. Babies laugh long before they speak. No one teaches them how to laugh. They just do. People may laugh at a prank(恶作剧) on April Fools’ Day. But surprisingly, only 10 to 15 percent of laughter is the result of someone making a joke. Laughter is mostly about social responses rather to a joke. Deaf people laugh without hearing and people on cell phones laugh without seeing, showing that laughter isn’t dependent on single sense but on social interactions.

And laughter is not just a people thing. Chimps tickle(挠痒) each other and even laugh when another chimp pretends to tickle them.

Jaak Panksepp, a Bowling Green University Psychology professor, studies rats that laugh when he tickles them. It turns out rats love to be tickled — they return again and again to the hands of researchers tickling them.

By studying rats, scientists can figure out what’s going on in the brain during laughter. Northwestern University biomedical engineering professor, Jeffrey Burgdorf has found that laughter in rats produces a chemical that acts as an antidepressant(抗抑郁药). He thinks the same thing probably happens in humans, too. This would give doctors a new chemical target to develop drugs that can fight depression.

Even so, laughter itself has not been proved to be the best medicine, experts said. Margaret Stuber, a professor at University of California, studied whether laugher helped patients. She found that distraction(分心) and mood improvement helped, but she could not find a benefit of laughter alone.

“No study has shown that laughter produces a direct health benefit,” Provine said, mainly because it’s hard to separate laughter from just feeling good. But he thinks it doesn’t really matter: “Isn’t the fact that laughter feels good when you do it enough?”

1.The underlined word “figure out” in Paragraph 6 means “________”.

A. deal with　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. work out

C. look out of　　　　　　　　　　 D. come up with

2.According to the passage, scientists studied rats in order to find ______.

A. how they laugh

B. if they like laughing

C. what laughter in rats produces

D. how rats react while being tickled

3.What can we know from Robert Provine’s research?

A．Laughter makes a person feel good.

B．Laughter produces a direct health benefit.

C．Laughter depends on all kinds of senses.

D．Laughter is a way of communicating.

4.What is probably the best title for this passage?

A. Why Rats Laugh

B. When Laughter Happens

C. How Laughter Works

D. Why Laughter Matters

九年级英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

阅读选句子

Do you laugh every day? Most people do．1.That is a lot of laughter．

In India，there are hundreds of laughter clubs．2.First they put up their hands above their heads．Then they pretend to laugh．Soon everyone is laughing happily．People say they feel good after laughing together．

Scientists believe that laughter is good for you．Why? For one thing，laughter is good exercise．3.Scientists say that one hundred laughs equals ten minutes of running．Laughing helps you relax．That’s good for you，too．

Why do we laugh? That is a hard question to answer．4.They don’t laugh very often when they are alone．Many scientists believe that we use laughter to get on well with other people．Laughter helps us feel part of a group．

5.Some think that laughter makes sick people get better．Do you think so，too?

A、The people in these clubs get together every morning.

B、Scientists say that people laugh about 17 times a day.

C、We know that people laugh more often in a group.

D、When you laugh, many muscles(肌肉) in your body more.

E、Some think that laughter helps sick people get well.

九年级英语补全短文5选5中等难度题查看答案及解析

People usually don't like mice. But one mouse is one of the most famous film stars in　　 ___. That is Mickey Mouse. One night a man called Walt Disney is drawing. Suddenly he hears a sound.　 It comes_______an old box. Walt goes______and he sees a_______of mice eating pieces of paper in it. For many nights, they play there. Walt begins to______them. He likes one of them better than the others. This little_______gives him some new_______for his______. He begins to_______it. But in the cartoons, it looks like a funny man Walt wants to make the little mouse________and soon it can speak. Then Mickey Mouse becomes very famous.

1.A. the world　　 B. the country　　 C. England　　 D. China　 .

2.A. at　　 .　　 B. to　　 C. before　　 D. from

3.A. over　　 B. to　　 C. into　　 D. at

4.A. basket　　 B. group　　 C. class　　 D. team

5.A. hate　　 B. catch　　 C. like　　 D. play

6.A. mouse　　 B. cat　　 C. dog　　 D. boy

7.A. pictures　　 B. mice　　 C. baskets　　 D. ideas

8.A. reading　　 B. baskets　　 C. books　　 D. drawing

9.A. enjoy　　 B. play with　　 C. draw　　 D. talk to

10.A. talk　　 B. sing　　 C. draw　　 D. tell

九年级英语完型填空困难题查看答案及解析

The word that has changed the world

Apple is one of the most popular fruits in our life, and people eat apples every day. But there are 11 apples that are especially important to the history of our human beings and they have changed the whole world.

Long long ago when the world just started, apple was a forbidden  12  in the Garden of Eden, however, a girl named Eve stole and ate it. Unfortunately, she was discovered by God, and was driven away  13  the Garden together with a boy called Adam. After they  14  the garden, Adam and Eve had their own babies and  15  the ancestors of all of us. This is the beginning of our world, history  16  morality.*

In the Autumn of 1665, there  17  a young man sitting under an apple tree in his garden. His name was Newton. While he was thinking of one problem, suddenly, an apple dropped down from the tree and fell on his head.  18  this, Newton discovered gravitation* on that day and his new idea of science made people really  19   and happy, also he changed our opinions about nature and the way  20   we think, then people began to21 what science was at that time.

And today, Jobs Steve, this crazy old man changed the world by his apple products. For example, iPhones22  be found  23  in the street, young people feel cool when they use this kind of new high-tech* product. Don’t you think  24  apple products have become a symbol of our time? As Jobs Steve often said he was born to change the world and he made it.  25  he has died, people remember him and miss him, because he made our life more colorful and amazing.

1.A.one B.two C.three D.four

2.A.vegetable B.fruit C.food D.noodle

3.A.from B.in C.with D.under

4.A.went B.walked C.lived D.left

5.A.got B.turned C.made D.became

6.A.but B.or C.and D.though

7.A.had B. wasC.haveD.is

8.A.Because of B.Because C.For D.Since

9.A.bored B.tired C.relaxed D.surprised

10.A./ B.which C.how D.what

11.A.learn B.know C.talk D.share

12.A.need B.should C.can D.must

13.A.somewhere B.nowhere C.everywhere D.anywhere

14.A.what B.who C.where D.that

15.A.Although B.But C.However D.Even

九年级英语完型填空困难题查看答案及解析

Stephen Hawking, one of the world's most famous scientists, believed that humans will one day have to move into space, "Once we step into space, our future should be safe," he said.

Today, many countries are all planning to send astronauts to Earth's closest neighbor: the moon. Some of these countries want to create space stations there within the next 10 years. These stations will prepare humans to visit and later live on Mars or other earthlike planets.

__①__ Robert Zubrin, a rocket scientist, thinks humans should colonize(殖民) space. He wants to start with Mars. Why? He thinks sending people to Mars will allow us to learn a lot of things—for example, the ability of humans to live in a very different environment. Besides, any progress we make in the fields of science, technology, medicine. and health will do good to people here on Earth.

__②__ Elon Musk, the CEO of Space X also believes we should colonize Mars. His long-term goal is to put one million people there if something bad happens to us here on Earth.

__③__ Many people say it's too expensive. Also, most space trips are not short. A one-way trip to Mars, for example, would take at least six months. People traveling this kind of distance could face many health problems. Besides, these first people would find life especially difficult in space. On the moon's surface, for example, the sun's rays are very dangerous. People would have to stay indoors most of the time.

__④__ No matter what different concerns there are, sending people into space seems certain. In the future, we might see cities on the moon or even new human cultures on other planets. First stop: the moon.

1.According to the passage, why are some countries planning to build space stations?

A.To develop space travel. B.To learn more about the moon's surface.

C.To prepare humans to live on other planets. D.To cut down the number of people living on Earth.

2.Which is the best place for the sentence "Not everyone thinks sending humans into space is a smart idea. "?

A.① B.② C.③ D.④

3.What is the purpose of this passage?

A.To give reasons for and against colonizing space.

B.To describe what life would be like on the moon.

C.To compare the environments of Mars and the moon.

D.To introduce progress in space science and technology.

九年级英语阅读单选困难题查看答案及解析

Very hot weather is common in many parts of the world. Although hot weather just makes most people hot, it can cause medical problems and death.

Floods, storms and other terrible natural events kill thousands of people every year. And we hear much about them in news reports. We generally hear little about heat, which experts say may be nature’s most dangerous killer.

Health experts say that since the year 1900, very hot weather has killed more people in the United States than any other natural event. One year—the unusually hot summer of 1980 heat caused about 1,700 deaths in the United States. In 1995, more than 600 people died in]another　 heat wave in one city—Chicago, Illinois.

Besides drinking lots of cool water, doctors say there are some other things to do to protect against the health dangers of heat. Stay out of the sun, if possible. Wear loose(宽松的)and light-colored clothes. Wear a hat while in the sun. Eat fewer hot and heavy foods. And, when possible, cook foods during cooler time of the day. If possible, rest more often.

Health experts say these simple steps can prevent the dangerous health problems caused]by heat. They will prevent sickness, help you feel better and may even save your life.

1.Hot weather is common_________.

A．al1 over the world

B．in many parts of the world

C．in some parts of the world

D．in a few parts of the world

2.Experts say maybe _________is a nature’s most dangerous killer.

A．heat　　　　　　 B．a flood

C．a storm　　　　 D．an earthquake

3.About 1,700 people died of heat in the US _________.

A．in 1900　　　　 B．in 1980

C．in 1995　　　　 D．in 1980 and 1995

4.The passage is talking about _______.

A．a1l kinds of terrible natural events in the world

B．some health problems caused by hot weather

C．how to prevent health problems

D．the health problems in hot weather and the ways to stop them

九年级英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

--Is it true that most of the students don’t believe John?

-- Yes. It’s very unkind of him to ________ stories about others.

A. put up B. set up

C. make upD. give up

九年级英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

People believed for a long time that heart was the center of a person’s emotions. That is why the word “heart” is used in so many expressions about emotional situations.

One such expression is to “lose your heart” to someone. When that happens, you have fallen in love. But if the person who “won your heart” does not love you, then you are sure to have a “broken heart”. In your pain and sadness, you may decide that the person you love is “hard-hearted”, and in fact, has a “heart of stone”.

You may decide to “pour out your heart” to a friend. Telling someone about your personal problems can often make you feel better.

If your friend does not seem to understand how painful your broken heart is, you may ask her to “have a heart”. You are asking your friend to show some sympathy(同情) for your situation. Your friend “has her heart in the right place” if she says she is sorry, and shows great concern(关心).

If your friend says no to you, do not “lose heart”. Be “strong-hearted”. Sit down with him or her and have a “heart to heart” talk. Be open and honest about your situation. Then you may have a “change of heart” Then you could stop worrying and “put your heart at rest”.

1. When bob loves Mary, you might say that he ___________________.

A. wins Mary’s heart　　　　　　　　 B. has got his heart

C. loses his heart to Mary　　　　　　 D. lends Mary his heart

2. When you are getting into trouble or feeling sad, you should _______to your best friend.

A. pour out your heart　　　　　　　　 B. have a rest

C. have a change of heart　　　　　　 D. be hard-hearted

3. When one of your best friend has suddenly fallen badly ill, you usually _______to show your worry about his health and try your best to care for him.

A. have a heart of stone　　　　　　　 B. have your heart in the right place

C. be strong-heart in the right place　 D. have a heart

4. “Don’t lose heart, and you are sure to win the match.” Here “Don’t lose heart” means“____________”.

A. put your heart into something　　 B. you can’t find your heart

C. don’t worry about something　　　 D. be brave

5.. The underlined words “heart to heart” in the passage means “_______” in Chinese.

A. 诚恳的　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. 心心相印

C. 倾诉衷肠　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. 针锋相对

九年级英语阅读理解极难题查看答案及解析

One of________challenges for people is to believe in themselves.

A.big B.bigger C.biggest D.the biggest

九年级英语单选题中等难度题查看答案及解析

Oink! The Year of the Pig is coming. Many people believe that pigs are naturally fat, lazy and dirty. But are any of those things true?

It is true that pigs are fat. They eat a lot. But they are useful to us. We get more than just pork from pigs. We can use their skin to make shoes. We can use their hair to make brushes. Pigs also provide us with ingredients for drugs like insulin (胰岛素) . Insulin can treat diabetes (糖尿病).

People sometimes say, “You are as stupid as a pig.” But pigs are not stupid. In fact, pigs are one of the 10 smartest animals. They have a good memory and can tell different shapes apart. Many experts think pigs are easier to train than dogs or cats. In France, people teach pigs to find something. With their good sense of smell, they can find it even faster than dogs.

When you see pigs, they are usually in dirty water or mud. That’s because pigs have no sweat glands (汗腺). On hot days, they have to cool themselves in water or mud. This keeps insects off of them as well. Mud can also protect their skin from sunburns.

These opinions of pigs often make us have wrong ideas about the animal. For example, if someone eats a lot, we say that they have “pigged out”. If someone’s room is very messy, we might say his or her room looks like a pigsty.

But people in ancient China really liked pigs. People thought the pig’s big head and ears were a symbol of good luck. If someone had a round and full face, he or she was thought to be blessed (有福气的). People also believed the animal stood for wealth, as humans used every part of the pig. Piggy banks are a symbol of this. Most children have a piggy bank that they can use to save money.

1.According to Paragraph 2, which of the following is TRUE about pigs?

A. We can make shoes with pig’s hair.

B. Pig’s skin can be used to make brushes.

C. Pigs can only provide pork for people.

D. Pigs are useful in helping treat diabetes.

2.Why do pigs usually stay in dirty water or mud?

A. Because they like being dirty.

B. Because they have no sweat glands.

C. Because they want to clean their skin.

D. Because they like to play with dirty water and mud.

3.What does the underlined phrase “pigged out” in Paragraph 5 mean in Chinese?

A. 出栏 B. 节食 C. 暴饮暴食 D. 逃跑

4.According to the last paragraph, we can know the following EXCEPT____________.

A. pigs were thought to stand for wealth

B. people in ancient China really liked pigs

C. pig’s big head and ears were thought to be a symbol of good luck

D. people who had a round and full face were thought to be unlucky

5.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. Pigs are fat, lazy, dirty and stupid.

B. Pigs are neither useful nor smart.

C. Pigs can not tell different shapes apart.

D. Pigs have a good memory and a good sense of smell.

九年级英语阅读单选中等难度题查看答案及解析