Section I: Use of English

Directions: Read the following text. Choose the best word(s) for each numbered blank and mark A, B, C or D on the ANSWER SHEET. (10 points)

Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle viewed laughter as “a bodily exercise precious to health.” But [1] some claims to the contrary, laughing probably has little influence on physical fitness. Laughter does [2] short-term changes in the function of the heart and its blood vessels, [3] heart rate and oxygen consumption. But because hard laughter is difficult to [4], a good laugh is unlikely to have [5] benefits the way, say, walking or jogging does.

[6], instead of straining muscles to build them, as exercise does, laughter apparently accomplishes the [7]. Studies dating back to the 1930s indicate that laughter [8] muscles, decreasing muscle tone for up to 45 minutes after the laugh dies down.

Such bodily reaction might conceivably help [9] the effects of psychological stress. Anyway, the act of laughing probably does produce other types of [10] feedback that improve an individual’s emotional state. [11] one classical theory of emotion, our feelings are partially rooted [12] physical reactions. It was argued at the end of the 19th century that humans do not cry [13] they are sad but they become sad when the tears begin to flow.

Although sadness also [14] tears, evidence suggests that emotions can flow [15] muscular responses. In an experiment published in 1988, social psychologist Fritz Strack of the University of Würzburg in Germany asked volunteers to [16] a pen either with their teeth—thereby creating an artificial smile—or with their lips, which would produce a(n) [17] expression. Those forced to exercise their smiling muscles [18] more enthusiastically to funny cartoons than did those whose mouths were contracted in a frown, [19] that expressions may influence emotions rather than just the other way around. [20], the physical act of laughter could improve mood.

1.

[A]among

[B]except

[C]despite

[D]like

2.

[A]reflect

[B]demand

[C]indicate

[D]produce

3.

[A]stabilizing

[B]boosting

[C]impairing

[D]determining

4.

[A]transmit

[B]sustain

[C]evaluate

[D]observe

5.

[A]measurable

[B]manageable

[C]affordable

[D]renewable

6.

[A]In turn

[B]In fact

[C]In addition

[D]In brief

7.

[A]opposite

[B]impossible

[C]average

[D]expected

8.

[A]hardens

[B]weakens

[C]tightens

[D]relaxes

9.

[A]aggravate

[B]generate

[C]moderate

[D]enhance

10.

[A]physical

[B]mental

[C]subconscious

[D]internal

11.

[A]Except for

[B]According to

[C]Due to

[D]As for

12.

[A]with

[B]on

[C]in

[D]at

13.

[A]unless

[B]until

[C]if

[D]because

14.

[A]exhausts

[B]follows

[C]precedes

[D]suppresses

15.

[A]into

[B]from

[C]towards

[D]beyond

16.

[A]fetch

[B]bite

[C]pick

[D]hold

17.

[A]disappointed

[B]excited

[C]joyful

[D]indifferent

18.

[A]adapted

[B]catered

[C]turned

[D]reacted

19.

[A]suggesting

[B]requiring

[C]mentioning

[D]supposing

20.

[A]Eventually

[B]Consequently

[C]Similarly

[D]Conversely

Answers & Explanations (答案与深度解析)

核心逻辑解析

1. [C] despite (尽管)。解析：前文提到亚里士多德认为笑对健康有益，但作者紧接着用 But 转折。尽管(despite)有一些相反的说法，笑可能对身体健康影响很小。among(在...之中), except(除了), like(像)均不符合逻辑。

2. [D] produce (产生)。解析：笑确实能产生(produce)心脏和血管功能的短期变化。reflect(反映), demand(需要), indicate(表明)不如 produce 准确。

3. [B] boosting (提高)。解析：笑会提高(boosting)心率和氧气消耗量。stabilizing(稳定), impairing(损害), determining(决定)不合常理。

4. [B] sustain (维持)。解析：大笑很难长时间维持(sustain)，因此效果不如走路或慢跑。transmit(传达), evaluate(评估), observe(观察)不合逻辑。

5. [A] measurable (显著的/可衡量的)。解析：因为笑的时间短，所以不可能产生像步行那样显著的(measurable)益处。

6. [B] In fact (事实上)。解析：此处是对前文笑与运动对比的进一步说明。事实上，笑的效果与运动相反。

7. [A] opposite (相反)。解析：运动是让肌肉紧绷，而笑显然起到了相反的(opposite)作用，即使肌肉放松。

8. [D] relaxes (放松)。解析：由后文 decreasing muscle tone（减少肌肉张力）可知，笑是放松(relaxes)肌肉。weakens(变弱)程度过重且不专业。

9. [C] moderate (缓和)。解析：这种身体反应有助于缓和(moderate)心理压力的影响。aggravate(加重), generate(产生), enhance(增强)语义相反。

10. [A] physical (身体的)。解析：本文讨论笑这种“身体运动”产生的反馈。与前文 bodily 呼应，选 physical feedback。mental(精神的), subconscious(下意识的), internal(内部的)。

11. [B] According to (根据)。解析：根据(According to)一种经典的理论。

12. [C] in (in)。解析：固定搭配 be rooted in，意为“植根于/源于”。

13. [D] because (因为)。解析：考查詹姆斯-兰格理论：人类哭泣不是因为(because)忧伤，而是因为流泪而感到忧伤。构成 not...but... 结构。

14. [C] precedes (在...之前)。解析：虽然忧伤通常发生在流泪之前(precedes)，即先伤心后流泪。

15. [B] from (从)。解析：证据显示，情感也可以源自(flow from)肌肉的反应（即先笑后开心）。

16. [D] hold (握住/含住)。解析：实验要求志愿者用牙齿或嘴唇含住(hold)一支笔。fetch(取), bite(咬), pick(摘)。

17. [A] disappointed (失望的/沮丧的)。解析：用嘴唇含笔会使嘴角下垂，产生类似沮丧(disappointed)的表情。excited(兴奋), joyful(快乐), indifferent(冷漠)。

18. [D] reacted (反应)。解析：那些被迫动用微笑肌肉的人对漫画的反应(reacted to)更强烈。adapted(适应), catered(迎合)。

19. [A] suggesting (表明)。解析：这表明(suggesting)表情会影响情绪。supposing(假设), mentioning(提到)。

20. [C] Similarly (同样地)。解析：既然前面的实验证明表情影响情绪，那么同样地(Similarly)，笑这一身体行为也能改善心情。Consequently(因此)逻辑过重，Eventually(最终)。

考研核心句型与高频短语

核心短语：
• to the contrary (相反地)
• date back to (追溯到)
• up to (多达/高达)
• die down (逐渐平息/变弱)
• be rooted in (植根于)
• the other way around (反过来/相反)

长难句剖析：
"Studies dating back to the 1930s indicate that laughter relaxes muscles, decreasing muscle tone for up to 45 minutes after the laugh dies down."
【解析】主句是 Studies indicate...；dating back to 是现在分词短语作后置定语修饰 Studies；that 引导宾语从句；decreasing 是现在分词作伴随状语，描述大笑后的状态变化。