This is the VOA Speical English Health Report (http://www.voanews.com/learningenglish/home/health/Worried-That-People-Are-Laughing-at-You--150686245.html)
When you pass a group of people, suddenly they start laughing. What would you feel and think ? Were they laughing at you? Why they were laughing ?
Some people in the study said they felt unsure of themselves in social situation but hid their feeling of insecurity. Other said they avoided social situation where they had been laughed at fefore.
This fear of laughter can be truly sad for those who live with it. It can affect how they lead their lives.
In the study, a team from the University of Zurich led more than ninety researchers from around the world. They wanted to understand the difference between normal shyness and true gelotophobia
This is the VOA Special English Health Report.
Imagine this situation. You pass a group of people. The people are talking to each other. You cannot hear what they are saying. But suddenly they start laughing. What would you think? Would you think they were laughing at something funny that one of them said? Or -- be honest with yourself -- would you think they were laughing at you? Yes, you.
Being laughed at is a common fear. But a major study published in two thousand nine found that this fear is not the same around the world. It differs from culture to culture.
People in Finland were the least likely to believe that people laughing in their presence were making fun of them. Less than ten percent of Finns in the study said they would think that, compared to eighty percent of people in Thailand.
Some people in the study said they felt unsure of themselves in social situations but hid their feelings of insecurity. Others said they avoided social situations where they had been laughed at before.
The study found that people in Turkmenistan and Cambodia were more likely to be in the first group. They would hide their feelings of insecurity if they were around other people's laughter. But people in Iraq, Egypt and Jordan were more likely to try to avoid such situations if they felt they had been laughed at before.
Shy people often avoid situations that would force them into close contact with other people. They worry that something they say or do will make other people laugh at them. But some people worry much more than others. They may have a disorder called gelotophobia. Gelos is a Greek word. It means laughter. Phobia means fear. This fear of laughter can be truly sad for those who live with it. It can affect how they lead their lives.
In the study, a team from the University of Zurich led more than ninety researchers from around the world. They wanted to understand the difference between normal shyness and true gelotophobia. Another purpose of the study was to compare the levels of fear of being laughed at in different cultures. The researchers surveyed more than twenty-two thousand people in forty-two different languages. The findings appeared in the scientific journal Humor.
And that's the VOA Special English Health Report. Is shyness a serious problem for you or someone you know? It was for a university student who asked people in our audience for advice on how to deal with it. You can find out what they said at voaspecialenglish.com -- where you can also read, listen and learn English with our stories. I'm Faith Lapidus.
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Contributing: Jerilyn Watson
Sound of laughing from http://youtu.be/VT7ohBRYfd4
2012年4月8日
Learner’s Word of the Day on April 7, 2012
You are current with your timetable. I am conducting a AD Restructuring Project, and currently the project projess is in line with the timetable.
We have to work our brain out. Does it mean that the task is so diffcult , so it make me feel exhausted ?
We have to work our brain out. Does it mean that the task is so diffcult , so it make me feel exhausted ?
2012年3月12日
Learner’s Phrase of the Day 13/3/2012
a mumber of , means "several", is plural : A number of people have left.
by number : She knows all the rooms in the building by number.
in number : We were 30 in number.
number amount/in :We number him amount our friends.
number off : The soldiors number off, straight from the right-hand man.
numbers of : A largy quntity, Numbers of people come to the meeting.
to the number of : There are people to the number of 100 who had taken part in the competition.
without number : I have been there for times without number.
by number : She knows all the rooms in the building by number.
in number : We were 30 in number.
number amount/in :We number him amount our friends.
number off : The soldiors number off, straight from the right-hand man.
numbers of : A largy quntity, Numbers of people come to the meeting.
to the number of : There are people to the number of 100 who had taken part in the competition.
without number : I have been there for times without number.
2012年2月21日
Learner’s Word of the Day 22/2/2012
Fall for
fall for someone:
to feel a strong attraction for (someone) : to fall in love with (someone)
I fell for her in a big way. She's gorgeous! Ted fell for Alice and they decided to get married.
fall for something:
to be fooled by (something, such as a trick)
Surely, you don't expect me to fall for that! She fell for the excuse I gave her about getting stuck in traffic.
Stun
to surprise or upset (someone) very much
They were stunned by the news == the news stunned them. The angry criticism stunned them.
to cause (someone) to suddenly become very confused,very dizzy, or unconscious .
weapon that can stun people temprarily
fall for someone:
to feel a strong attraction for (someone) : to fall in love with (someone)
I fell for her in a big way. She's gorgeous! Ted fell for Alice and they decided to get married.
fall for something:
to be fooled by (something, such as a trick)
Surely, you don't expect me to fall for that! She fell for the excuse I gave her about getting stuck in traffic.
Stun
to surprise or upset (someone) very much
They were stunned by the news == the news stunned them. The angry criticism stunned them.
to cause (someone) to suddenly become very confused,very dizzy, or unconscious .
weapon that can stun people temprarily
2012年2月20日
A Document from MySkylines, Express Yourself - Issue 12
Good Habits & Bad
Rather than sudden, grave resolution, your life is probably more affected by trivial, repetitive, un thinking behavior. Until the day you die, your body and mind will be governed by good habits and bad ones. These acts determine the quality of your existence. Everyone knows that bad habits are easy to form, since they are quite agreeable to man's lazy and selfish nature; but good ones are difficult to fabricate because they need perseverance and lack social reinforcement. but, nevertheless, though bad habits are hard to break, it is never too late to start making good ones--you just need determination and dedication. Doing something over and over again until you don't have to think about it is how actions become habitual in the first place.
Rather than sudden, grave resolution, your life is probably more affected by trivial, repetitive, un thinking behavior. Until the day you die, your body and mind will be governed by good habits and bad ones. These acts determine the quality of your existence. Everyone knows that bad habits are easy to form, since they are quite agreeable to man's lazy and selfish nature; but good ones are difficult to fabricate because they need perseverance and lack social reinforcement. but, nevertheless, though bad habits are hard to break, it is never too late to start making good ones--you just need determination and dedication. Doing something over and over again until you don't have to think about it is how actions become habitual in the first place.
2012年2月6日
An introduction of the Linko District where I live
Where is the Linko? My friends or classmates asked me the most frequently. Some think Linko is located at Taoyuan, but it's a wrong answer. Linko is located in New Taipei City, part of is tableland, part of is hillside, and the rest is coastal land.
The climate of Linkou is more cool than most places in the greater Taipei area in the summer time, but in the winter the climate is wetter and colder. The traffic is getting convenient, already have highway and bus, and the MRT is going to run. You can drive car to any places through highway, you can go to the Taipei city by bus and MRT, you can easily go to the airport and Taiwan High Speed Rail Station by MRT.
Linkou is a re-planning city, the roads are very neat and wider, and there has several big parks and lots of small parks,and the air is very fresh. So people live in Linko have larger space and less stress living environment.
For me , Linko is a perfect place to live, the fresh air, larger space, neat roads and streets, parks, convenient traffic. There has Carrefour, Welcome where you can buy anything you need. There is a big hospital if we need medical care.
I live in a small community with only 66 families. My wife love this community, it's a Chinese style building with traditional decorations and there is a Chinese garden in the center of the community. There is a park on the opposite side of our community. Each room in our house has windows. Through the windows we can see a nice park and blue sky, feel very comfortable and sometimes you can also see a plane flying to Taipei City.
The climate of Linkou is more cool than most places in the greater Taipei area in the summer time, but in the winter the climate is wetter and colder. The traffic is getting convenient, already have highway and bus, and the MRT is going to run. You can drive car to any places through highway, you can go to the Taipei city by bus and MRT, you can easily go to the airport and Taiwan High Speed Rail Station by MRT.
Linkou is a re-planning city, the roads are very neat and wider, and there has several big parks and lots of small parks,and the air is very fresh. So people live in Linko have larger space and less stress living environment.
For me , Linko is a perfect place to live, the fresh air, larger space, neat roads and streets, parks, convenient traffic. There has Carrefour, Welcome where you can buy anything you need. There is a big hospital if we need medical care.
I live in a small community with only 66 families. My wife love this community, it's a Chinese style building with traditional decorations and there is a Chinese garden in the center of the community. There is a park on the opposite side of our community. Each room in our house has windows. Through the windows we can see a nice park and blue sky, feel very comfortable and sometimes you can also see a plane flying to Taipei City.
2012年1月29日
A Document from MySkylines, Express Yourself - Issue 11
Health
People say that health is the most important thing in life, but it seems to have the least significance in their actual life. We see many people in modern society undermining their health through lack of exercise and unbalanced diets. Alcohol, smoking, and junk food also aggravate this phenomenon. Another new factor adding to many people's health problem is stress. Expert say we can't avoid stress as long as we live in the ever-changing world. So what counts is not how to avoid it, but how to reduce it and cope with it effectively.
On the other hand, modern medical researchers still suspect our genes have considerable control over our destiny. This means our health is still in the hands of God. However, that doesn't necessarily mean we can't do anything about our bodies. Rather, we should continue to stay fit by temperate living - no smoking, moderate drinking, a nutritional diet and adequate exercise. That way. to some extent, we can make up for the genetically undesirable aspects in our physicality.
-> junk food : food that is high in calories but low in nutritional value
-> aggravate : make worse
-> cope with : deal well with
-> physicality : the physical attributes of a person
Comprehension
1. “But” express a contradiction. What two things are being opposed in the first sentence?
2. What are the five things mentioned that are bad for our health?
3. What can we do about stress?
Express Yourself
1. Do you think you are healthy?
2. Do you eat three meals a day?
3. Do you take vitamins every day? Do you think they help your health?
4. Do you often drink a tonic?
5. Do you exercise every day?
6. Have you eveer been hospitalized? Why?
7. Do you regularly see a dentist? Why or why not?
8. When do you have cold, do you see a doctor right away or just rest at home?
9. Do you believe waht doctors tell you?
10. What diseases are you the most afraid of?
11. What do you think is the most important thong in term of your health?
12. What do you do when you're under stress?
13. Have you ever suffered from insomnia? Did you ever take sleeping pills?
-> contradiction : inconsistency; discrepancy
-> tonic : a medicine that increases mental or physical strength
-> physicality : the physical attributes of a person
Opinion Sample
1. I don't trust doctors, not because they are not intelligent, but our bodies are too complex to understand. Their 6 years of study is not enough.
2. When people have a cold or the flu, they rush to the doctor expecting to be cured, But so far, no effective treatment exist. The best anyone can do is get plenty of rest and vitamin C, especially by drinking orange juice.
3. When it come to dental problem, precaution is always the best option. Visiting a dentist regularly guarantees dental health. When you feel something is wrong with your teeth, it is always too late to cure it.
People say that health is the most important thing in life, but it seems to have the least significance in their actual life. We see many people in modern society undermining their health through lack of exercise and unbalanced diets. Alcohol, smoking, and junk food also aggravate this phenomenon. Another new factor adding to many people's health problem is stress. Expert say we can't avoid stress as long as we live in the ever-changing world. So what counts is not how to avoid it, but how to reduce it and cope with it effectively.
On the other hand, modern medical researchers still suspect our genes have considerable control over our destiny. This means our health is still in the hands of God. However, that doesn't necessarily mean we can't do anything about our bodies. Rather, we should continue to stay fit by temperate living - no smoking, moderate drinking, a nutritional diet and adequate exercise. That way. to some extent, we can make up for the genetically undesirable aspects in our physicality.
-> junk food : food that is high in calories but low in nutritional value
-> aggravate : make worse
-> cope with : deal well with
-> physicality : the physical attributes of a person
Comprehension
1. “But” express a contradiction. What two things are being opposed in the first sentence?
2. What are the five things mentioned that are bad for our health?
3. What can we do about stress?
Express Yourself
1. Do you think you are healthy?
2. Do you eat three meals a day?
3. Do you take vitamins every day? Do you think they help your health?
4. Do you often drink a tonic?
5. Do you exercise every day?
6. Have you eveer been hospitalized? Why?
7. Do you regularly see a dentist? Why or why not?
8. When do you have cold, do you see a doctor right away or just rest at home?
9. Do you believe waht doctors tell you?
10. What diseases are you the most afraid of?
11. What do you think is the most important thong in term of your health?
12. What do you do when you're under stress?
13. Have you ever suffered from insomnia? Did you ever take sleeping pills?
-> contradiction : inconsistency; discrepancy
-> tonic : a medicine that increases mental or physical strength
-> physicality : the physical attributes of a person
Opinion Sample
1. I don't trust doctors, not because they are not intelligent, but our bodies are too complex to understand. Their 6 years of study is not enough.
2. When people have a cold or the flu, they rush to the doctor expecting to be cured, But so far, no effective treatment exist. The best anyone can do is get plenty of rest and vitamin C, especially by drinking orange juice.
3. When it come to dental problem, precaution is always the best option. Visiting a dentist regularly guarantees dental health. When you feel something is wrong with your teeth, it is always too late to cure it.
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