Before I studied psychology, I used to think that people would laugh when funny things occurred. While I was right about that, I discovered there are lots of other psychological factors that make people laugh other than the funny part of a joke. When someone laughs at a joke, there will usually be more than one reason that makes him laugh—and the more reasons there are, the more powerful the joke will be.

    I was attending a stand-up comedy show in Egypt, and when the man started to make fun of pedestrians crossing streets, everyone laughed their hearts out. The main reason those people strongly laughed was that almost all of them felt angry towards pedestrians who crossed streets carelessly. The joke wasn't only funny, it also made the audience feel that they were right about being angry at those pedestrians. That is, people were laughing both because of the funny joke and becauseof the happiness experienced as a result of the psychological support they got.

    The better a joke makes a person feel, and the more it includes other psychological factors, the more the person will like it. For example, if you envy one of your friends, and someone tells a joke that is funny and, at the same time, makes your friend seem stupid, then you will probably laugh at it louder than if you weren't jealous of him.

    In short, we don't laugh only when we hear something funny; we also laugh when we experience some kind of happiness that results from the other psychological factors involved in the joke. I strongly discourage making fun of anyone or be littling someone to make someone elselaug. All I want to explain is that if your joke supports a person's emotions, he will certainly like it a lot.

Saving money while traveling

    There are a lot of matters to think on before going out on a trip.  If you fail to plan the trip properly, then money will simply let itself loose from your pocket. Moreover, if you haven't planned a road map of your tour,  then confusion is quite inevitable (必然的). {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Package tours. Tours and travel agencies have attractive offers for tourists wanting to spend a couple of days on trips. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Once you have accepted the package tour, all your expenses during the travel will be greatly reduced. You can save a lot in lodging(住宿 ) and traveling.

    Inexpensive lodging. Never choose expensive lodging if your tour is a low-budget one. People tend to spend a lot booking luxury hotels (豪华旅馆),  and save little to enjoy other activities during the trip. This idea is absolutely not wise when spending limited money on the trip is your main aim. Moreover, the expenses increase quickly when your kids are with you. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} You can use the money saved on good food and amusement.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} The peak season is the time when rates are sky high due to the increase of millions of tourists who can afford to spend a lot of money. You, not being amongst this crowd that can spend generously, must book your holidays during the off season.

    A guide map. Make a guide map about the places to visit, expenses of travel and the activities to try. While planning you should also estimate (估计) your total expenses. Calculate the maximum amount and try to spend less than that. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Refer to the guide map while traveling and follow the money-saving travel tips as much as possible.

A. Reduce shopping.

B. Off season travel.

C. You must keep yourself updated with such offers.

D. This will help you to keep actual expenses below the estimated.

E. You can save lots of dollars when you don't have a credit card.

F. Therefore, book a fairly low-price lodge to save a few dollars.

G. So knowing some money-saving travel tips becomes necessary for you. 

    Welcome to Reading Museum's Hands – on Learning service

    Reading Museum has been offering learning opportunities to schools for over 100 years, and with your support we hope to continue this tradition for the next 100 years.

    SESSIONS AT READING MUSEUM

    Victorian Schoolroom

    The session takes place in a superb reconstruction of a schoolroom in a late nineteenth century Board School. The children will experience a range of Victorian style lessons and use slate boards and dip pens. The session leader plays the role of a Victorian teacher but will come out of the role during the session the reassure the children. We supply costume for all children.

    Victorian Toys

    Our Victorian nanny delivers this interesting session. The nanny will help children to explore the differences between rich and poor children's toys from the past. During the session the children have the opportunity to make a toy to take home.

    Victorian Christmas

    In a specially decorated room the children will find out how the Victorians introduced many of our Christmas customs. They will make a simple card or present to take home and take part in a mini pantomime.

    HOW TO BOOK AN EDUCATIONAL VISIT

    For up to date prices and session details, please visit our website www.readingmuseum.org.uk/schools/sessions/

    For all session bookings please phone us on 01189373400. We ask that you book at least 4 weeks in advance. Please be ready to tell us when you wish to come, the session(s) you wish to book and the year group of pupils.

Our sessions take place between 10:00 and 12:00 or 12:30 and 14:30.

    The maximum group size is 35 pupils. We recommend that you bring 5 adults for each group.

    Throughout history, artist, inventors, writers and scientists have solved problems in their dreams. Now, let's have a look together at some of them.

    ⒈Paul McCartney Found Yesterday in a dream

    Paul McCartney is one of the most famous singers/songwriters of all time. According to the Guinness Book of Records, his Beatles song Yesterday(1965) has the most cover（翻唱） versions of any song ever written and, according to record label BMI，was performed over seven million times in the 20^th century.

    The tune for Yesterday came to Paul McCartney in a dream.

“I woke up with a lovely tune in my head. I thought, 'That's great, I wonder what that is?' There was an upright piano next to me, to the right of my bed by the window. I got out of bed, sat at the piano, found G, found F sharp minor—- and that leads you through then to B to E minor, and finally back to E. It all leads forward logically. I liked the melody a lot, but because I'd dreamed it, I couldn't believe I'd written it. I thought, 'No, I've never written anything like this before.' But I had the tune, which was the most magic thing! ”

    ⒉Mary Shelley's Frankentein Inspired by a Dream

    In the summer of 1816, nineteen-year-old Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin and her lover, the poet Percy Shelley (whom she married later that year), visited the poet Lord Byron at his villa beside Lake Geneva in Switzerland. Stormy weather frequently forced them indoors, where they and Byron's other guests sometimes read from a volume of ghost stories. One evening, Byron challenged his guests to each write one themselves.

    Mary's story, inspired by a dream, became Frankentein（科学怪人）.

“When I placed my head upon my pillow, I did not sleep, nor could I be said to think—-My eyes shut ,I saw——with my acute mental vision—-the pale student of unholy arts kneeling beside the thing he had put together. I saw the ugly figure of a man stretch out, and then, on the working of some powerful engine, show signs of life, and tremble with an uneasy motion, extremely frightful. The next morning I announced that I had thought of a story. I began that day with the words, 'It was on a dull night of November', making only a transcript(文字稿) of the cruel terror of my waking dream.”

Freelance writers Wanted

    Associated Content is an online publishing platform that enables anyone to earn money by writing articles on the Web.

    Writing for AC is a great work opportunity for students, stay­at­home parents and freelance writers. You can work on your own time and provide papers, reviews, essays, etc. on any topic that you have interest in. This is a job you can do from anywhere—all you need is access to the Internet.

    Here's how you get started:

    ⑴ Go to www.associatedcontent.com/join/hotjobs.

    ⑵ Follow the instructions to register.

    ⑶ Follow in your profile (简介),making note of your previous experience and your areas of experience (if any).

    ⑷ Start providing articles. You'll begin earning money as soon as your articles are published and the amount is based on the page views it receives.

    In addition to our own library of content, we have hundreds of partners (Partner Content Team) who work with AC to obtain high­quality. As such, there are lots of opportunities for our most talented and productive writers to accept "Partner Assignments" on an as­needed basis.

    If you're interested in accepting higher paying Partner Assignments, send us a link to your AC profile once you have provided at least five articles. We will review all articles and pass them along to our Partner Content Team. If selected, you will start receiving special paid assignments from us on a regular basis, which you are free to accept or ignore.

    NOTE: we pay our writers via PayPal daily.

    Any questions ? Email me: demel@asociatedcontent.com

    Much older than the Great Wall, Stonehenge is one of the world's most fascinating (迷人的), but least understood historical sites (遗址). Every year, thousands of tourists come to admire Stonehenge's beauty and to wonder about how and why it was built.

    Stonehenge was produced by a culture that left no written records. Though there are many guesses, it is still a mystery why stone-age man moved such heavy stones over 380 kilometers from where they were made.

    At that time, people had only basic wooden tools. To move the stones they probably used tree trunks (树干) to roll them along.

    Some historians believe that Stonehenge was a temple, the site of ancient sacrifice(祭祀). Others believe it was perhaps a giant sundial (日冕) to tell the time. Stonehenge could have been a burial ground(墓地) from its earliest beginnings, because human bone dating from as early as 3000 BC was found there. Whatever its ancient use was, the stones have always been a source of fascination for British people. One record from 1135 said the great stones were carried to England by giant magical creatures!

    In modern times Stonehenge has become a huge hit with tourists. When Stonehenge was first opened to the public it was possible to walk among and even climb on the stones, but the stones were circled with ropes in 1977 as a result of serious erosion(侵蚀). Visitors are no longer allowed to touch the stones, but are able to walk around from a short distance away. What's more, visitors can make special bookings to get into the stones throughout the year.