UNIT 1

VOCABULARY 1:

Complete each sentence with the correct word from the box.

access equal financial freedom

poverty provide secure socialize

Access (v, n) – have/ get access to

Equal (adj) - Equality (n)
Financial (adj) – finance (n) – financial burden
Poverty (n) – poor >< rich, wealthy
Provide (v) – provision (n)
Secure (adj) – security (n)
Socialize (v)

1. The camping company will PROVIDE tents and sleeping bags to the visitors.

2. We cut the cake into EQUAL pieces for each guest.

3. The rules state that only members can have ACCESS to the club gym.

4. A locker with a key is a SECURE place to store your wallet.

5. The country of Djibouti won FREEDOM from France in 1977.

6. Tim experienced POVERTY as a child, but now he's a wealthy man.

7. Penny is very friendly and loves to SOCIALIZE at parties.

8. The first step in getting your FINANCIAL matters organized is making a budget for how to
spend your money.

VOCABULARY 2:

Match a vocabulary word to an item that best illustrates its meaning.

a. Community (cộng đồng) e. mood

b. Factor (yếu tố, nhân tố) f. support
c. Grateful g. volunteer
d. long-term >< short-term/
temporary
g 9. to do a job that is not paid but that you enjoy
d 10. a job that lasts for several years
a 11. the neighborhood you live in
f 12. to encourage a friend to succeed
b 13. a reason or cause
e 14. how you feel, e.g., happy, sad etc.
d 15. thankful
READING PRACTICE:

Read the passage. Then read each question and choose the correct answer.

Is Laughter the Best Medicine?

A For years, people have believed that laughter improves people's health. Famous
comedian Charlie Chaplin thought that laughing relieved pain. Recent research suggests that
Chaplin may have been right, and that laughter can also remove stress, increase the function of
your heart, and improve your immune system so that you can fight disease better. Of course,
laughing can change your mood so you feel happier.

B Laughing changes the levels of hormones in the body so that a stressed person feels
more relaxed. Under stress, the hormone cortisol increases and has a negative effect on the body.
Laughing reduces the cortisol level, stimulates blood circulation, and helps the muscles relax. A
hearty laugh brings in fresh air loaded with oxygen so the heart and lungs work better. Finding
something funny also helps people put their problems in perspective and makes their problems
seem more manageable.

C The body's immune system benefits from laughter in several ways. A good guffaw, or
strong laugh, can increase the number of antibodies and immune cells that fight infection.
Antibodies in the blood attack harmful bacteria that cause disease. In addition, some scientists
believe that negative thoughts are connected to disease. Laughter results in more positive
thoughts that help the body respond better to infection.

D When a person laughs, natural pain-killers called endorphins are released from the
brain. The endorphins create many changes in the body that help a person cope better with pain.
A recent study tested people who had their arms in painful frozen ice packs. Laughter made a big
difference in how long the research subjects could cope with the discomfort. In his writing,
Norman Cousins, a 20th century American journalist, popularized the idea that laughter could
help people cope with pain. In 1964, Cousins developed a serious muscle disease and was told he
had only a short time to live. He used comic films to laugh frequently to control his pain and
lived until 1990.

E Not all scientists are satisfied with the type of research that has been done on laughter
and its health benefits. Some critics say that the research has depended on subjective responses -
personal opinions of people involved in the studies. Participants simply described their personal
reactions or feelings. There is a need for more laboratory research which tests the actual physical
effects of laughter on the human body.

F Many research questions remain unanswered. For example, is there a difference in the
body's response when a person laughs in a social group that is experiencing a humorous moment
together as contrasted to laughing alone? There is also the matter of basic personality differences.
Some individuals simply have a greater sense of humor than others do. Will these people benefit
more from laughing than more serious individuals? Clearly, there's a need for more research, but
in the meantime, it seems that we can all benefit from laughing loud and often.
23. What is the passage mostly about?

a. The most popular Charlie Chaplin films

b. Ways in which laughing benefits your body
c. How people deal with pain and disease
24. Which of these is true about people suffering from stress?
a. They laugh much more than other people.
b. They produce a lot of pain-killing endorphins.
c. They have a high level of the hormone cortisol.

25. Which of these describes a guffaw?

a. A very noisy laugh
b. A quiet private laugh
c. An almost silent laugh

26. How does laughter make the heart and lungs work better?

a. It gives the body oxygen-rich fresh air.

b. It increases the antibodies in the blood.
c. It improves a person's mood and happiness.

27. What was Norman Cousins's job?

a. Acting as a comedian in funny films
b. Scientific research on muscle diseases
c. Writing for newspapers and magazines

28. Look at the word subjective in Paragraph E. Which is an example of a subjective response?

a. Lab tests show a 5% improvement in heart function.

b. According to the computer scan, his brain is normal.
c. I think I feel a lot better after drinking that healthy tea.

29. What conclusion can be made from the last paragraph?

a. Some people have more fun than other people.
b. There is a need for more research on laughter.
c. Scientists fully understand the benefits of laughter.
READING SKILL REVIEW - IDENTIFYING THE MAIN IDEA:

Choose the main idea for each paragraph from Is Laughter the Best Medicine?

30. A For years, people have believed that laughter improves people's health. Famous
comedian Charlie Chaplin thought that laughing relieved pain. Recent research suggests that
Chaplin may have been right, but that laughter can also remove stress, increase the function of
your heart, and improve your immune system so that you can fight disease better. Of course,
laughing can change your mood so you feel happier.

Which of these is the main idea for Paragraph A?

a. There are many ways that laughter can improve health.
 b. Charlie Chaplin believed laughter leads to good health.

31. B Laughing changes the levels of hormones in the body so that a stressed person feels
more relaxed. Under stress, the hormone cortisol increases and has a negative effect on the body.
Laughing reduces the cortisol level, stimulates blood circulation, and helps the muscles relax. A
hearty laugh brings in fresh air loaded with oxygen so the heart and lungs work better. Finding
something funny also helps people put their problems in perspective and makes their problems
seem more manageable.

Which of these is the main idea for Paragraph B?

a. There are several ways in which laughter reduces stress.

b. The hormone cortisol has a negative effect on the body.

32. C The body's immune system benefits from laughter in several ways. A good guffaw, or
strong laugh, can increase the number of antibodies and immune cells that fight infection.
Antibodies in the blood attack harmful bacteria that cause disease. In addition, some scientists
believe that negative thoughts are connected to disease. Laughter results in more positive
thoughts that help the body respond better to infection.

Which of these is the main idea for Paragraph C?

a. People who think negative thoughts are sick more often.

b. Laughter helps people's immune systems fight off disease.

33. D When a person laughs, natural pain-killers called endorphins are released from the
brain. The endorphins create many changes in the body that help a person cope better with pain.
A recent study tested people who had their arms in painful frozen ice packs. Laughter made a big
difference in how long the research subjects could cope with the discomfort. In his writing,
Norman Cousins, a 20th century American journalist, popularized the idea that laughter could
help people cope with pain. In 1964, Cousins developed a serious muscle disease and was told he
had only a short time to live. He used comic films to laugh frequently to control his pain and
lived until 1990.

Which of these is the main idea for Paragraph D?

a. The endorphins from laughter help people manage pain.
b. Norman Cousins lived much longer than doctors expected.
34. E Not all scientists are satisfied with the type of research that has been done on laughter
and its health benefits. Some critics say that the research has depended on subjective responses -
personal opinions of people involved in the studies. Participants simply described their personal
reactions or feelings. There is a need for more laboratory research which tests the actual physical
effects of laughter on the human body.

Which of these is the main idea for Paragraph E?

a. Scientists have not studied the physical effects of laughter on people at all.
b. Some scientists think there should be more laboratory research on laughter.

35. F Many research questions remain unanswered. For example, is there a difference in the
body's response when a person laughs in a social group that is experiencing a humorous moment
together as contrasted to laughing alone? There is also the matter of basic personality differences.
Some individuals simply have a greater sense of humor than others do. Will these people benefit
more from laughing than more serious individuals? Clearly, there's a need for more research, but
in the meantime, it seems that we can all benefit from laughing loud and often.

Which of these is the main idea for Paragraph F?

a. New research should focus on people who laugh more often than others.
b. There should be more research on laughter, but we know it is healthy.