【听力文本】

Having a sense of humor – and bringing it out in others – can help you in every area of your life. Learn why it’s so important to lighten up.

You Will NeedLaughter
Sitcoms, comedies, and funny videos
A laughter club (optional)
Laughter yoga (optional)

Step 1: Increase your sex appeal（提高自己的性感指数）
Increase your sex appeal by finding the funny side of situations; research indicates that a good sense of humor makes a person more sexually attractive. And be sure to poke fun at yourself: Self-deprecating humor is the most seductive kind of all.

Women especially find a good sense of humor attractive in a partner.

Step 2: Get ahead at work(提高工作效率)
Take your work seriously, but don’t take yourself too seriously at work. Executives with a good sense of humor get promoted more quickly and earn more money than somber peers, according to one report.

Step 3: Improve your health（生活更快乐）
Improve your health by finding things to chuckle about every day: Research shows that laughter improves the function of blood vessels, may boost the immune system, and might even help prevent heart disease.

Step 4: Improve your outlook（完善你的外在）
Find things to laugh out loud about: Studies show that hearty laughter – even if it’s forced – reduces stress and increases endorphins. One study found that endorphin levels rose 27% in subjects who were simply anticipating seeing their favorite funny video.

Get laughing with the help of a laughter club, where people get together to laugh out loud. Or try laughter yoga.

Step 5: Feel less pain（减轻痛苦）
Watch a comedy if you’re hurting. Laughter can help you withstand pain.

Step 6: Lose weight（减肥）
Laugh off your weight woes. Laughter burns calories; do it 15 minutes a day and you could chuckle off up to two pounds a year. And that’s no joke.

The average preschooler laughs over 100 times a day, compared to just 15 times a day for the average adult.

【词汇讲解】

1.appeal 吸引力

如：The new fashion soon lost its appeal. 
那种新式样不久就失去了吸引力。

Does jazz hold any appeal for you? 
你对爵士乐有兴趣吗？

2.deprecate v. 声明不赞成，抨击，反对

如：She extremely deprecates bank's credit to the enterprises. 
她极力反对银行贷款给那些企业。

Such waste of money should be deprecated at a time like this. 
在这种时候应大力反对如此浪费金钱。

He deprecates changing the party's policy. 
他不赞成改变党的方针。

3.woe n. 悲哀，苦痛，不幸，困难

如：He told her all his woes. 
他把自己的辛酸事都告诉她了。

Woe betide anyone who arrives late! 
谁迟到谁倒霉！

4.withstand vt. 对抗，经得起，承受

如：I couldn't withstand the murderous heat. 
热得要命，我受不了。

I couldn't withstand a murderous-looking knife. 
我无法忍受凶光闪闪的刀。