The power of humor and laugher is numerous. They entertain us and make us feel good. But, above all, we have discovered that humor and laughter are the best medicine. They relieve pain, reduce stress and anxiety, and are anti-aging and longevity facilitators（促进者）.
They are extremely necessary for helping us to find and maintain a balance between life and work. However, they are slipping away from us. We have bee far too serious. The only ones who still enjoy humor, laughter, fun and play to the fullest are young children. Children tend to laugh an average of 200 times a day. For adults, however, it is a totally different story.
In the 1950s people laughed on average 18 times a day. Today, we are lucky if we average between 4-6 times a day.
As a matter of fact, a recent study found that people laugh 6 more times in the presence of one person but 30 more times in a group of people. You can get a chuckle(咯咯笑) from jokes you get on the Internet, but it is not the same as belly jiggling laughter (a deep laugh) you get when you interact with others.
Socializing(交际) with friends and relatives was much looked forward to. However, this is no longer the case. In fact, the majority of people can hardly find time, nor do they have the inclination towards socializing outside home. They turn to electronic media such as television, puters, the Internet, videos, CDs, and audio equipment, which can provide them with instant self-entertainment at the push of a button.
The workplace does not fare(进展) much better. Due to the pressures to produce more in the same or fewer hours available and to pete, for example, in a manufacturing field with cheaper labor elsewhere in the world, humor and laughter in the workplace have gradually eroded（逐渐毁坏） away.
I have developed a real appreciation, perhaps closer to a strong desire for the power of humor and laughter. This encouraged me to write my first book titled “The Power of Humor” and subsequently my second book titled “Kids Say the Goggonest Things” based on the natural humor, laughter, play and fun that kids experience and they freely share with parents, grandparents and teachers.
From writing about humor and laughter, people start to ask me to speak up for them. To date, I have developed a number of humor-laughter topics that I use in my keynote presentations. You are invited to subscribe to my free monthly e-magazine “The Humormeister’s Forum” by clicking on the Free Humor E-zine navigation button on the website.
【小题1】According to the author, laughter is leaving us partly because .A．the pace of change in our lives is being faster B．we fail to reflect on fun times in our livesC．we treat everything in a serious wayD．humor of situations lies beneath【小题2】The fourth paragraph mainly tells us that .A．researchers have made a new discovery about the effect of laughterB．people laugh more heartily when spending time with othersC．we can entertain ourselves with the help of the InternetD．getting a deep laugh nowadays is difficult【小题3】The underlined word “inclination” in Paragraph 5 most probably means “ ”.A．destinationB．tendencyC．attitudeD．approach【小题4】Which of the following articles can we most probably find in “The Humormeister’s Forum”?A．The power of honesty.B．Don’t be your own worst enemy.C．Live life purposefully: The relationship within.D．Funny Christmas stories to share with your loved ones.C
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(答案→)C
解析：文章介绍了作者认为幽默和笑声有助于健康。与他人互动得到笑的次数才会更多，也才会笑得更发自内心。但现在人们既没时间也没有在外面与他人社交的趋向。人们可通过点击幽默电子杂志上的导航按钮上作者的幽默论坛参与幽默话题互动从而获得更多健康笑声。
【小题1】推理题：根据第二段中“ We have bee far too serious.”我们变得太严肃了。选项中只有C项“我们以一种很严肃的方式对待事物”符合语意。故选C。
【小题2】推理题：阅读第四段内容可知人们在聊天互动中笑的次数更多，更发自内心地笑。四选项中只有B项“人们在与其他人在一起时笑得更发自内心”。故选B。
【小题3】推理题：划线部分句意是“事实上,大多数人很难找到时间,他们也没有在外面成为社交家的倾向。”A. Destination目的地；B. Tendency倾向，趋势；C. Attitude态度；D. Approach方法，途径。故选B。
【小题4】推理题：根据文章最后一句内容可知坐着的文章可在幽默电子杂志上找到，故只有D项符合。故选D。