מתוך:  > The Funny Side > Laughter

עמוד:34

The Laughter Bug I _ 1 Read the following true story about infectious laughter . Is it possible to " catch" a laugh , in the same way as people catch a cold or other "bug " from someone else ? In 1962 , in Tanganyika , which is in central Africa , a group of teenage girls were sitting and talking . Something made them start to laugh . They started off giggling . The giggles soon became loud guffaws and then turned into wild shrieks of laughter . The girls laughed until they cried . They just couldn't stop laughing . When they met up with other people , the others also started laughing . The laughter spread from one neighborhood to another and it got completely out of control . Soon , Tanganyika was caught up in an epidemic of laughter —an outbreak of contagious laughter , where one person seemed to "catch" the "laughter bug" from another . The epidemic lasted for six months . It was so serious that schools and workplaces were closed down . 2 In your opinion , what caused the laughter epidemic in Tanganyika ? Discuss different possibilities . First Listening Listen to an interview where a doctor responds to the story about the laughter epidemic in Tanganyika . What caused the laughter epidemic in Tanganyika , accord in" to 1 ) 1 . Miller ? Answer on ^ 2 ! MJ IJ * 31 . Second Listening Listen to the interview again . Which of the following statements are true ? Answer on 4 ti'J ?< N }} il } tf l } ! 9 J !! % 31 k . & When she began her investigation , Dr . Miller believed that the epidemic was psychological . 3 Many of the people in Tanganyika complained of fever . % Abnormal laughter can be caused by damage to the base of the brain . < 3 A lot of research has been done on the Tanganyika epidemic . 0 According to Dr . Miller , the epidemic proves how contagious laughter can be . f The interviewer is disappointed by Dr . Miller's conclusions . g Dr . Miller thinks that people should continue believing in the power of laughter . After Listening Dr . Miller is not a real person , but the information you heard is based on ideas proposed by a group of London neurologists ( scientists who study the brain ) . Were you convinced by the explanation you heard ? Why or why not ? Tanganyika merged with Zanzibar to form the nation of Tanzania in \ 96 A .

מטח : המרכז לטכנולוגיה חינוכית


לצפייה מיטבית ורציפה בכותר