To hitch-hike successfully in any country you must be able to do two things: attract attention and at the same time convince the driver at a glance that you do not intend to rob or murder him. To fulfill the first requirement you must have some mark to distinguish you at once from all other hikers. A serviceman, for instance, should wear his uniform, a student his scarf. In a foreign country an unmistakable indication of your own nationality will also arrest a driver’s attention.

When I hitch-hiked 9,500 miles across the United States and back recently I wore a well-tailored suit, a bowler hat and a trench coat, and carried a pencil-thin rolled black umbrella. My suitcase was decorated with British flags. Having plenty of luggage, moreover, I was not likely to be suspected of being a dangerous lunatic(精神病患者). I then had to get across to the driver the idea that I was a real traveler, and needed to get somewhere cheaply.

But even with careful preparation, you must not assume that the task will be easy. You should be prepared to wait a little, for there are drivers who confess to a fierce prejudice against, （not to say hatred of）, hitch-hikers, and would no more pick up a hiker than march from Aldermaston to London. In America, my average wait was half-an-hour, and my longest two hours, but I have heard of people waiting all day; they probably took less pains to make themselves easy to notice.

Nor must you assume that all the drivers who stop for you are nice, normal people. On one occasion I found myself driving with two boys of about nineteen who turned out to be on the run from the police, and were hoping to use me as an alibi. There are also lesser(较小的) risks: you may find yourself in the car of a Fascist fanatic, a Mormon missionary(传教士), or just a bad driver. You cannot tell, of course until you are in the car. But you soon learn the art of the quick excuse that gets you out again.w(w w.ks&5 u.c*o m

If the hitch-hiker in the U.S. will remember that he is seeking the willingness of drivers to give him a free ride, and is prepared to give in exchange entertainment and company, and not go to sleep, he will come across the remarkable, almost legendary, hospitality of American of the West. It will also help if he can drive—I think that I drove myself about 4,500 of those 9,500 miles I hitch-hiked in the States.

A hitch-hiking serviceman should wear his uniform       .

    A. so as not to look too unusual

    B. to attract attention

    C. to show he is on duty

    D. to put the driver at ease

In paragraph 3, we learn that the writer      .

A. has sometimes failed to hitch a ride

B. has marched from Aldermaston to London

C. has always been successful in hitching a ride

D. has had to wait for long hours for a ridew(w w.ks&5 u.c*o m

The main idea of Paragraph 4 is that       .

A. it is dangerous to be in a car with strangers

B. hitch-hiking may turn out to be risky sometimes

C. a hitch-hiker must also learn the art of quick excuse

D hitch-hikers might come across bad drivers

In the last paragraph, the writer mainly wants to tell us that a hitchhiker should      .

A. not talk to the driver too much

B. fall asleep to make it a peaceful ride

C. try to make himself pleasant and entertaining

D. seek the willingness of drivers

A suitable title for the passage would be      .

A. “The Art of Hitch-hiking”

B. “An Englishman’s View of the U.S.”

C. “An English Hitch-hiker”

     D. “The joys and Dangers of hitch-hiking

Weighed down by study? Pushed to the limit by the fast pace of life ? Frightened by the possible war ? Well, you’re not alone. Men and women in France are seeking relief using the world’s best medicine-----laughter.
In the past year, more than 15 laughter clubs have been set up across the country. People of all ages go to release their stress with an hour group laughs. “People telephoned me and said they have forgotten what it is to laugh. They want to find a place where they can escape all their problems for a while. So they come,” said 40—year—old Jocelyne Le Moan. She usually takes a class of around 60 people through a series of laughter techniques.
Her pupils range from teenagers to 70 years old, but most are middle---aged white collars seeking 60 minutes of relaxation at the end of a busy day. Le Moan takes them through the “Lion Laugh”and the “Laugh Contest”, where participants “speak”to each other in different ways. And instead of talking, they break into fits of laughter. At the end there are 15 minutes of “meditation”, when they lie on their backs and let the laughs burst out of their mouths.
“I love it. It’s an experience that has changed my life. Through it I rediscovered the child’s laugh inside me,”Said Romain Jouffroy, 24. “US President George W. Bush should give it a try. He has lost his laugh,”she joked . Like Jouffroy, many laughter club members find themselves changed into children again, and why not ? The average preschooler laughs up to 400 times a day.
The average adult only a day seven to 15.
The physical benefits of laughter are already well—recognized. Doctors say the act of laughing releases good chemicals into the blood—stream, while the quick breathing that accompanies it helps massage（按摩）the digestive organs and strengthens the heart.
“A full hour is like having your inside go jogging！One finishes out of breath, but feels revitalized（产生新活力. And on top of that , you’ve had a laugh,”said doctor Alexisd’ Estaing.And many participants in Paris also emphasize the psychological benefits. They believe that laughter is a way of making oneself feel more confident.
【小题1】Which of the following is not included among the benefits of laughing?

Weighed down by study? Pushed to the limit by the fast pace of life ? Frightened by the possible war ? Well, you’re not alone. Men and women in France are seeking relief using the world’s best medicine-----laughter.

In the past year, more than 15 laughter clubs have been set up across the country. People of all ages go to release their stress with an hour group laughs. “People telephoned me and said they have forgotten what it is to laugh. They want to find a place where they can escape all their problems for a while. So they come,” said 40—year—old Jocelyne Le Moan. She usually takes a class of around 60 people through a series of laughter techniques.

Her pupils range from teenagers to 70 years old, but most are middle---aged white collars seeking 60 minutes of relaxation at the end of a busy day. Le Moan takes them through the “Lion Laugh”and the “Laugh Contest”, where participants “speak”to each other in different ways. And instead of talking, they break into fits of laughter. At the end there are 15 minutes of “meditation”, when they lie on their backs and let the laughs burst out of their mouths.

“I love it. It’s an experience that has changed my life. Through it I rediscovered the child’s laugh inside me,”Said Romain Jouffroy, 24. “US President George W. Bush should give it a try. He has lost his laugh,”she joked . Like Jouffroy, many laughter club members find themselves changed into children again, and why not ? The average preschooler laughs up to 400 times a day.

The average adult only a day seven to 15.

The physical benefits of laughter are already well—recognized. Doctors say the act of laughing releases good chemicals into the blood—stream, while the quick breathing that accompanies it helps massage（按摩）the digestive organs and strengthens the heart.

“A full hour is like having your inside go jogging！One finishes out of breath, but feels revitalized（产生新活力. And on top of that , you’ve had a laugh,”said doctor Alexisd’ Estaing.And many participants in Paris also emphasize the psychological benefits. They believe that laughter is a way of making oneself feel more confident.

1.Which of the following is not included among the benefits of laughing?

A．It can make people rediscover their children’s laugh.

B．It can release good chemical into blood streams.

C．It can make you feel self—confident.

D．It can cure the illness of people.

2.The writer suggested that you should_____________.

A．take the world’s best medicine.

B．talk to each other about what troubles you.

C．learn series of laughter techniques.

D．have a good laugh after a busy day.

3.From the passage , we can conclude the following but___________.

A．Jocelyne Le Moan is a teacher of the club.

B．the members are mostly middle---aged white collars.

C．people always need some way to relax in life.

D．laugh freely and everything goes well.

4.Which of the following is not the reason why so many people join the laughter clubs ?

A．Those members feel too much pressure on them.

B．They want to find a place to relax themselves.

C．Laughters help massage the digestive organs.

D．The members don’t know how to laugh.

Weighed down（压得喘不过气来） by study? Pushed to the limit by the fast pace of life? Frightened by the possible war? Well, you’re not alone．Men and women in France are seeking relief using the world’s best medicine--laughter．

In the past year, more than 25 laughter clubs have been set up across the country．People of all ages release their stress with an hour of group laughs．“People telephoned me and said they have forgotten what it is to laugh．They want to find a place where they can escape all their problems for a while．So they come,” said 40-year-old Jocelyn Le Moan．She usually takes a class of around 60 people through a series of laughter techniques．

Her pupils range from teenagers to 70 years old, but most are middle-aged white collars seeking 60 minutes of relaxation at the end of a busy day．

Le Moan takes them through the “Lion Laugh” and the “Laugh Contest”, where participants “speak” to each other in different ways．And instead of talking, they break into fits of laughter．At the end there are 15 minutes of “meditation”（沉思）,when they lie on their backs and let the laughs burst out of their mouths．

“I love it．It’s an experience that has changed my life．Through it I rediscovered the child’s laugh inside me,” said Romain Jourffroy, 24．"US President George W．Bush should give it a try．He has lost his laugh,” she joked．

Like Jourffroy, many laughter club members find themselves changed into children again, and Why not? The average preschooler laughs up to 400 times a day．The average adult only a sad seven to fifteen．

The physical benefits of laughter are already well-recognized．Doctors say the act of laughing releases good chemicals into the blood-stream, while the quick breathing that accompanies it helps massage（按摩）the digestive organs and strengthens the heart．

“A full hour is like having your insides go jogging! One finishes out of breath, but feels revitalized （产生新活力）．And on top of that, you’ve had a laugh,” said doctor Alexisd Estaing．

And many participants in Paris also emphasize the Psychological benefits．They believe that laughter is a way of making oneself feel more confident．

“Maybe it is because we are surrounded by so many troubles that we feel the need to keep laughing,” said Anne Maurigiano, a 29-year-old filmmaker．

1．From the passage, we can conclude the following but __________．

       A．Jocelyn Le Moan is a teacher of the club．

       B．the members are mostly middle-aged white collars．

       C．people always need some way to relax in life．

       D．laugh freely and everything goes well．

2．The writer suggested that you should __________．

       A．have a good laugh after a busy day

       B．talk to each other about what troubles you

       C．learn series of laughter techniques

       D．take the world’s best medicine

3．Which of the following is NOT included among the benefits of laughing ?

       A．It can make people rediscover their children’s laugh．

       B．It can release good chemical into blood stream．

       C．It can make you feel self-confident．

       D．It can cure the illness of people．

4．What does the phrase “on the top of that ” mean?

       A．besides                                               B．on the top of tiredness

       C．above all                                             D．on the top of your energy

Weighed down by study? Pushed to the limit by the fast pace of life ? Frightened by the possible war ? Well, you’re not alone. Men and women in France are seeking relief using the world’s best medicine-----laughter.
In the past year, more than 15 laughter clubs have been set up across the country. People of all ages go to release their stress with an hour group laughs. “People telephoned me and said they have forgotten what it is to laugh. They want to find a place where they can escape all their problems for a while. So they come,” said 40—year—old Jocelyne Le Moan. She usually takes a class of around 60 people through a series of laughter techniques.
Her pupils range from teenagers to 70 years old, but most are middle---aged white collars seeking 60 minutes of relaxation at the end of a busy day. Le Moan takes them through the “Lion Laugh”and the “Laugh Contest”, where participants “speak”to each other in different ways. And instead of talking, they break into fits of laughter. At the end there are 15 minutes of “meditation”, when they lie on their backs and let the laughs burst out of their mouths.
“I love it. It’s an experience that has changed my life. Through it I rediscovered the child’s laugh inside me,”Said Romain Jouffroy, 24. “US President George W. Bush should give it a try. He has lost his laugh,”she joked . Like Jouffroy, many laughter club members find themselves changed into children again, and why not ? The average preschooler laughs up to 400 times a day.
The average adult only a day seven to 15.
The physical benefits of laughter are already well—recognized. Doctors say the act of laughing releases good chemicals into the blood—stream, while the quick breathing that accompanies it helps massage（按摩）the digestive organs and strengthens the heart.
“A full hour is like having your inside go jogging！One finishes out of breath, but feels revitalized（产生新活力. And on top of that , you’ve had a laugh,”said doctor Alexisd’ Estaing.And many participants in Paris also emphasize the psychological benefits. They believe that laughter is a way of making oneself feel more confident

1. 1.

   Which of the following is not included among the benefits of laughing?

   1. A.
      It can make people rediscover their children’s laugh
   2. B.
      It can release good chemical into blood streams
   3. C.
      It can make you feel self—confident
   4. D.
      It can cure the illness of people
2. 2.

   The writer suggested that you should_____________

   1. A.
      take the world’s best medicine
   2. B.
      talk to each other about what troubles you
   3. C.
      learn series of laughter techniques
   4. D.
      have a good laugh after a busy day
3. 3.

   From the passage , we can conclude the following but___________

   1. A.
      Jocelyne Le Moan is a teacher of the club
   2. B.
      the members are mostly middle---aged white collars
   3. C.
      people always need some way to relax in life
   4. D.
      laugh freely and everything goes well
4. 4.

   Which of the following is not the reason why so many people join the laughter clubs ?

   1. A.
      Those members feel too much pressure on them
   2. B.
      They want to find a place to relax themselves
   3. C.
      Laughters help massage the digestive organs
   4. D.
      The members don’t know how to laugh