Unit 8
Laughter is a(n) (1)automatic（无意识的） response to being touched by a tickle (搔痒) — a reaction that a child would naturally be provoked into. This puts the tickler in (2)charge of（控制）how much or how long the child laughs. We adults don't read children's minds, but we often have a (3)presumption（推测）that we can. So we usually think we're aware of what's too much tickling and when to stop. But it is possible to trap our children without knowing it. We parents become (4)attached to（依附）tickling because it seems to be a (5)handy shortcut（捷径）to laughter. We wish that our children are happy and love us, and tickling becomes our shortcut to get assured.
Rather than forcing laughter in this way, we can (6)confer upon（树立）them inner confidence if we will get down on the floor and invite them to be in playful physical(7)contact with（联系）us. If we find ways to give them much of the power, our children will laugh and laugh. Games like "I have a hundred hugs for you!" or "Where's Jared? I know he's around here somewhere." or "Oh, no! I can't get this horsy rider off my back!" let children laugh and laugh as we try to catch them, or try to find them, or try to (8)bounce them（晃动）off our backs, and fail over and over.
The physical contact that requires more creativity than tickling allows us to
(9)tumble around（打滚）, to press our heads against their stomachs here and there for
a second, and to manage an embrace before they make another daring escape. We get our affection across without trapping our children. And we give them a chance to be
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inventive as they use their (10)intellect（智力）to figure out a hundred ways to outsmart us.
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