H. How Laughter Clubs began

1) Do you want to live a happier, less stressful life? Try laughing for no reason at all. That's how thousands of people start their day at Laughter Clubs around the world- and many doctors now think that having a good laugh might be one of the best ways to stay healthy.

2) The first Laughter Club was started in Mumbai, India, in 1995 by Di Madan Kataria. «Young children laugh about 300 times a day. Adults laugh between 7 and 15 times a day», says Dr Kataria. «Everyone's naturally good at laughing – it's the universal language. We want people to feel happy with their lives.» There are now more than 500 Laughter Clubs in India and over 1,300 worldwide.

3) Many doctors in the West are also interested in the effects of laughter on our health. According to a 5-year study at the UCLA School of Medicine in California, laughter reduces stress in the body, improves our defences against illness by about 40% and is very good for the heart.

4) So, what happens at a Laughter Club? I went along to my nearest club in south London to find out. I was quite nervous about it, to be honest – I wasn't keen on the idea of laughing with a group of strangers, and I was worried about looking stupid. First, our laughter teacher told us to clap our hands and say «ho ho ho, ha ha ha», while looking at each other. Apparently our bodies can't tell the difference between fake laughter and real laughter, so they still produce the same healthy chemicals.

5) Amazingly, it works. After ten minutes everybody in the room was laughing for real - and some people just couldn't stop! At the end of the class I was surprised by how relaxed and calm I felt. So if you're upset about something at work or just fed up with your daily routine, then start laughing. You might be very pleased with the results!

6) A recent experiment in the UK attempted to discover the world's funniest jokes. Dr Richard Wiseman from the University of Hertfordshire invited people from all over the world to send in their funniest jokes and rate the jokes sent in by the other people. In the year of the experifnent, the website received over 40,000 jokes and 2 million ratings!

7) The experiment showed many things about what different nationalities find funny. Many European countries, such as France and Denmark, preferred jokes about things we normally worry about - for example, death, illness and marriage. Americans and Canadians liked jokes where someone was better at something than someone else. Germans, in particular, seem to be keen on jokes. Overall they gave jokes the highest scores.

9. Read the text and fill in the gaps 1-6 with parts of the sentences marked A-G. There is one extra part. Put your answers into the table.

Why laughter is the best medicine?

A group of adults are lying in a circle on the floor listening to a recording of «The Laughing Policeman». At first everyone feels ridiculous and there's only the odd with nervous giggle, but suddenly the laughter becomes real. It quickly spreads around the room until everyone is infected it.

1 ___. Doctors are starting to believe that laughter not only improves your state of mind, but actually affects your entire physical well-being. The people lying in a circle are attending a workshop to learn the forgotten art of laughter. 2 ___.

3 ___. A French newspaper found that in 1930 the French laughed on average for nineteen minutes per day. By 1980 this had fallen to six minutes. Eighty per cent of the people questioned said that they would like to laugh more. Other research suggests that children laugh on average about 400 times a day, but by the time they reach adulthood this has been reduced to about fifteen times. 4___.

William Fry – a psychiatrist from California – studied the effects of laughter on the body. He got patients to watch Laurel and Hardy films, and monitored their blood pressure, heart rate and muscle tone. He found that laughter has a similar effect to physical exercise. It speeds up the heart rate, increases blood pressure and quickens breathing. 5___ . Fry thinks laughter is a type of jogging on the sport.

Researchers from Texas tested this. 6___. The first group listened to a funny cassette for twenty minutes, the second listened to a cassette intended to relax them, the third heard an informative tape, while the fourth group listened to no tape at all. Researches found that if they produced pain in the students, those who had listened to the humorous tape could tolerate the discomfort for much longer.

A. Somewhere in the process of growing up we lose an astonishing 385 laughs a day.

B. It also makes our facial and stomach muscles work.

C. Some have ever been referred by their family doctors.

D. They divided forty students into four groups.

E. This will also help improve your personal relationships.

F. But we could be losing our ability to laugh.

G. This is laughter therapy in action.

Translate the article from a popular magazine into English. Give your personal advice on the topic.

КАК ПОБЕДИТЬ СТРЕСС?

В современном мире никто не застрахован от разрушительных, истощающих стрессов, и избежать их не удается никому. Однако на каждый «яд» непременно найдет­ся противоядие! Вот что советует психолог Ольга БЕЛАЯ (вы можете взять на вооружение один или не­сколько перечисленных приемов:

1. Представьте себе что-нибудь приятное. Возможно, вы слишком много думаете о том, что у вас не клеится в жизни. Постарайтесь сосредоточиться на светлых ее сторонах. Вспомните хоть один приятный момент, случившийся за последнее время. Что вы ощущали тогда? Как это происходило? Воссоздайте эпизод в памяти как можно полнее. Вспоминайте его. Еще раз насладитесь кратким счастьем, испытанным в тот миг.

2. Переживите стрессовую ситуацию. Если вы чересчур сосредоточены на неприятностях, внимательнее задумайтесь, в чем же собственно, они заключаются. Как правило, само происшествие не так значительно, как ваша реакция на него. Восстановите перед глазами происшедшую неприятную ситуацию. Теперь представьте себе, что вы выходите из этой ситуации наилучшим образом.

3. Обсуждайте свои проблемы с окружающими. Если вас беспо­коит какой-то человек, обсудите с ним общие проблемы. Постарайтесь вместе подумать над их разрешением. Если вы не можете разговаривать с этим чело­веком, поговорите с кем-нибудь еще. Обсуждение проблем вслух способ­ствует их скорейшему разрешению и облегчает борьбу со стрессом.

4. Отвлекитесь, занявшись любимым развлечением или игрой. Погрузитесь в него с голо­вой. Чем увлекательнее ваше время­препровождение, тем лучше.

5. Почитайте книгу. Как показывают исследования, этот не­хитрый метод помогает успокоиться и расслабиться лучше, чем прослушива­ние специальной релаксационной му­зыки! Только выберите книгу о том, о чем вы больше всего любите читать.

6. Не думайте о работе, вернувшись домой. Взгляните на это следую­щим образом: восемь часов в день вы тратите на работу, восемь часов — на сон, а еще восемь часов остаются для личной жизни. Потратьте их на себя! Займитесь своими любимыми делами. Разберитесь в своих проблемах.

7. Важно точно определить корень проблемы. Обдумайте ситуацию, рас­смотрите ее с разных сторон и, когда причины неприятностей станут вам по­нятны, приступите к разрешению про­блемы. В ваших силах решить любую проблему! Вы убедитесь в этом, решив­шись действовать. А как потом вы бу­дете гордиться заслуженной победой!

V. LOVE IS LIFE