A
If you want someone to open up to you, just make them laugh. Sharing a good laugh makes people more willing to tell others something personal about themselves, without even necessarily being aware that they are doing so. These are among the findings of a study led by Alan Gray of University College London in the UK. The study was published in the journal Human Nature.
Gray and his colleagues gathered 112 students from Oxford University in England, into groups of three. It was the first time that the students had seen one another. The groups watched a 10-minute video together, without chatting with one another. The videos differed in the amount of laughter and positive feelings they produced. One featured a stand-up comedy by Michael McIntyre, another a golf instruction video, and the third a pleasant nature documentary of the BBC’s Planet Earth series. The levels of laughter and the students’ emotional state after watching the video were then measured.
The students who had a good laugh together shared more personal information about each other than the groups who did not watch the funny video. Gray suggests this is not only because it is a positive experience, but because of the physiology(生物反应)behind a good laugh. It actually causes the release of the so-called “happy hormone(荷尔蒙)”. The findings support the idea that laughter encourages people to tell more personal information to strangers.
Interestingly, the person who told their personal information seldom noticed that he or she had done so. It was only the listener who realized it had happened. “These results suggest that laughter should be a good topic for those who are interested in the development of social relationships. ” says Gray. This suggests laughter can serve as a shortcut(捷径)to forming new relationships.
【语篇概述】英国伦敦大学学院通过研究发现: 人在心情很好的时候往往会说出自己的许多私人信息, 并且自己意识不到这一点。所以, 笑声有助于人际交往, 是构建新的人际关系的捷径。
1. What does the underlined part “being aware” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?
A. Guessing. B. Realizing.
C. Doubting. D. Planning.
【解析】选B。词义猜测题。根据划线部分前后句可知, 在笑声中人们很可能透露自己的个人信息, 并且不会有所觉察, 故选B。
2. What is the physiological influence of laughter?
A. It makes people feel very energetic.
B. It is called the body’s natural painkiller.
C. The “happy hormone” is released during laughing.
D. It results in more movements of the muscles in the body.
【解析】选C。细节理解题。根据第三段第三句 “It actually causes the release of the so-called ‘happy hormone’. ”可知, 人们笑时身体会产生一种快乐荷尔蒙, 故选C。
3. What is the best title for this passage?
A. Having a good laugh can help keep you fit.
B. It is interesting to communicate with funny people.
C. Sharing funny videos can help you make more new friends.
D. Laughter may cause people to share their personal information.
【解析】选D。主旨大意题。根据全文内容可知, 本文主要讲人们在笑时会无意透露自己的个人信息, 故选D。
