Why do we laugh and get amusement from so many different things,from puns (双关语)

Why do we laugh and get amusement from so many different things,from puns (双关语)

题型:不详难度:来源:
Why do we laugh and get amusement from so many different things,from puns (双关语) to pratfalls? Why are some things funny to some people and not to others? How is that while a successful joke can cause pleasure,a sick one can cause serious harm?
Over the centuries,various scholars have attempted to produce a universally agreed-upon theory of humor.Plato and Aristotle introduced the superiority(优越感) theory,the idea that people laugh at the misfortune of others.Their theory seems to explain teasing,but it doesn’t work well for knock-knock jokes.Sigmund Freud argued for his relief theory,the concept that humor is a way for people to release psychological tension and reveal their inner fears and desires.His theory works well for dirty jokes,less well for most puns.
The majority of humor expels today agree with the incongruity theory,the idea that humor arises when there’s a gap between what people expect to happen and what actually happens.Incongruity has a lot going for it — jokes with unexpected funny lines,for example,fit well.But scientists have found that in comedy,unexpectedness is overvalued.
With the goal of developing a new,more satisfactory explanation,I produced “the gentle violation(违背)theory”,the idea that humor arises when something seems wrong or threatening,but is actually OK or safe.A dirty joke,for example,trades on moral or social violations,but it’s only going to get a laugh if the person listening is open enough to consider the subject OK to talk about.Similarly,puns can be seen as linguistic violations that still make grammatical sense.
And while most humor theories have struggled to account for tickling (挠痒痒),or just avoided the phenomenon altogether,my theory accounts for even this kind of laughter.Tickling involves violating someone’s physical space in a gentle way.People can’t tickle themselves — because it isn’t a violation.
小题1:What is the author’s attitude towards Plato and Aristotle’s theory?
A.Critical.B.ApprovingC.uncaringD.Unclear
小题2:According to Sigmund Freud’s theory,we can infer that __________ .
A.people will laugh when they see others suffer
B.telling dirty jokes is a relief of one’s nervous feelings ’
C.unexpectedness can explain how humor works
D.tickling doesn’t involve psychological tension
小题3:According to the author,why are some things funny to some people but not to others?
A.Because the sense of humor varies greatly from person to person.
B.Because people have different expectations for the same thing.
C.Because some people lack the sense of safety deep in their heart.
D.Because people’s understanding of violation is different.
小题4:What is the author’s main purpose of writing this passage?
A.To draw people’s attention to the research of humor.
B.To criticize people’s misconceptions about humor.
C.To explain what exactly causes people to laugh.
D.To prove the sense of humor can be developed.

答案

小题1:A
小题2:B
小题3:D
小题4:C
解析

试题分析: 一个笑话会让有的人捧腹大笑,而有的人却没有反应,甚至会心生恼怒,为什么人们的反应会有所不同呢?作者认为这是由于人们的文化程度不同,理解程度不同,以及人们内心接受的程度不同决定的。在本文中作者对此现象进行了分析,提出了几种不同的理论。
小题1:A。细节理解题。根据文章第二段内容Their theory seems to explain teasing,but it doesn’t work well for knock-knock jokes.…...His theory works well for dirty jokes,less well for most puns.可知作者对Plato and Aristotle的理论是持批判态度的,答案选A。
小题2:B。细节理解题。根据文章第二段Sigmund Freud argued for his relief theory,the concept that humor is a way for people to release psychological tension and reveal their inner fears and desires.His theory works well for dirty jokes,less well for most puns.可知根据他的理论可知下流的笑话反应了人内心的恐惧和渴望,故答案选B。
小题3:D。细节理解题。从文章第四段作者举的例子A dirty joke,for example,…..Similarly,puns can be seen as linguistic violations that still make grammatical sense可以判断人们对笑话的不同反应是由人们的思想开放程度和文学素养决定的,换句话说也就是由一个人不同的理解认识程度决定的,故答案选D。
小题4:C。推理判断题。作者以设问的方式在文章开篇提出了几个问题,提出为什么人们对于笑话会有不同的反应,然后在下文提出了几个相关的理论进行解释,由此判断作者的写作目的就是解释什么会博得人们的笑声,故答案选C。
举一反三
These days, people who do manual work often receive far more money than people who work in offices. People who work in offices are frequently referred to as “white-collar workers” for the simple reason that they       wear a collar and tie to go to work. Such is human nature, that a great many people are often         to sacrifice higher pay for the privilege of becoming white-collar workers. This can give rise to curious situations, as it did in the case of Alfred Bloggs who worked as a(an)      for the Ellesmere Corporation.
When he got married, Alf was too embarrassed to say anything to his wife about his job. He     told her that he worked for the Corporation. Every morning, he left home     in a smart black suit. He then changed into overalls and    the next eight hours as a dustman. Before returning home at night, he took a shower and changed back into his suit. Alf did this for over two years and his fellow dustmen kept his        . Alf"s wife has never discovered that she married a dustman and she never will, for Alf has just found       job. He will soon be working in an office. He will earn much less than he used to, but he feels that his rise in      is well worth the loss of money. From now on, he will wear a suit all day and others will call him "Mr. Bloggs"        "Alf".
小题1:
A.eventuallyB.occasionallyC.usuallyD.apparently
小题2:
A.excitedB.willingC.interested D.lucky
小题3:
A.officialB.managerC.salesmanD.dustman
小题4:
A.hopefullyB.probablyC.simplyD.politely
小题5:
A.woreB.put C.triedD.dressed
小题6:
A.tookB.spentC.costD.wasted
小题7:
A.mistakeB.secretC.memoryD.reputation
小题8:
A.anotherB.oneC.the otherD.other
小题9:
A.statusB.look C.direction D.statue
小题10:
A.in spite ofB.regardless ofC.instead ofD.in case of

题型:不详难度:| 查看答案
Sixteen years ago I learned this lesson in the back of a New York City taxi cab. Here’s what happened. I hopped in a taxi, and we took off for Grand Central Station. We were driving in the right lane when, all of a sudden, a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car’s back end by just inches!
The driver of the other car, who almost caused a big accident, started yelling bad words at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean he was friendly. So, I said, “Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!” And this is when my taxi driver told me what I now call “The Law of the Garbage Truck. ”
Many people are like garbage (rubbish) trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it. And if you let them, they’ll dump it on you. When someone wants to dump on you, don’t take it personally. You just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. You’ll be happy with what you did.
I started thinking, how often do I let Garbage Trucks run right over me? And how often do I take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets? It was that day I said, “I’m not going to do anymore.”
Successful people do not let Garbage Trucks take over their day. What about you? If you let more garbage trucks pass you by, you’ll be happier. Life’s too short to wake up in the morning with regrets. So, Love the people who treat you right. Forget about the ones who don’t.
小题1:What happened one day when the author was taking a taxi?
A.The taxi almost hit another car.
B.The taxi driver was injured.
C.The author scolded the driver of the other car.
D.The author learned a lesson from the driver of the garbage truck.
小题2:How did the taxi driver respond to the behavior of the driver of the black car?
A.He yelled back at the driver.
B.He sent the driver to the hospital.
C.He was friendly towards the driver.
D.He dumped some garbage in front of his car.
小题3:What does the taxi driver think of people according to Paragraph 3?
A.Many people like to drive garbage trucks.
B.Many people dump garbage wherever they like.
C.Many people are warm-hearted to make others happy.
D.Many people tend to be very much depressed.
小题4:What can we infer from Paragraph 4?
A.The author used to have a lot of garbage trucks.
B.The author used to complain a lot.
C.The author used to have a lot of money.
D.The author used to be a good manager.
小题5:According to the passage, what should you do if people “dump garbage” on you?
A.Ignore them and go on with our own work.
B.Try our best to persuade them not to do that again.
C.Tell them to dump the garbage in the right place.
D.Take over their work and carry the garbage to somewhere else.

题型:不详难度:| 查看答案
My sister Jodie and I are always traveling for work. As jewelry designers, we need to go to a lot of shows. We can’t pack lightly and usually bring about four suitcases filled with our work.
Most of our stuff is made from heavy materials and metals. So part of the routine for us when we fly is getting stopped by security. Our jewelry sets off the alarms, and we’ve become accustomed to arriving early to go through private screenings. Most of the time, it’s not troublesome.
However, on our recent trip to a Paris trade show, we were stopped at security and asked to empty our bags. One of the agents walked over to another agent and they started whispering to each other. Both gentlemen came back, and one of them then told us that it seemed that we were carrying a very dangerous object.
My sister and I just said, “Huh?” Of course, we were a little concerned, thinking that maybe someone put something dangerous in one of our bags when we weren’t looking.
One of the agents then started to unpack our bags. I kept asking what he was looking for and then the object in question finally appeared. It was our Cosima necklace. It’s a piece of jewelry, with large, metal triangular spikes.
My sister and I looked at each other and breathed a huge sigh of relief. We started laughing and explained to the two male agents that it was just a necklace from our collection, not a weapon of mass destruction. They thought we were lying, and one agent kept repeating that he believed it was a weapon.
I tried to explain that we were jewelry designers going to a trade show, and this was simply a piece from our collection. But the agents didn’t buy it. Then a few women guards came over to assist. One of the women guards was holding an earring up to her ear and another was trying on a ring. Apparently, they liked our stuff.
It was only at this point that the male guards gave up. And I think they also got tired of listening to a bunch of women talk about jewelry. They let us through.
We took the names of the women agents and sent them a piece of jewelry when we got back to say thanks.
小题1:When the object in question finally appeared, the writer and her sister felt _______.
A.anxiousB.relievedC.excitedD.frightened
小题2:The writer and her sister were stopped by the agents because ________.
A.their suitcases were too heavy
B.the agents wanted to play a joke on them
C.they were suspected to carry dangerous objects
D.the agents wanted to admire the jewelry inside the suitcases
小题3:The underlined word “buy” in Paragraph 7 probably means ________.
A.doubtB.believeC.purchaseD.understand
小题4:The writer sent the women agents a piece of jewelry in order to ________.
A.persuade them to buy her jewelry later
B.get help from them next time
C.show them her talent in designing jewelry
D.show them her gratitude for their assistance
小题5:According to this passage, which of the following statements is NOT true?
A.Someone put something dangerous in one of the writer’s bags.
B.The male agents didn’t believe the writer at first.
C.The female agents liked the jewelry.
D.The writer is always travelling on business.

题型:不详难度:| 查看答案
The adderis the only poisonous snake nativeto Britain. Adders have the most highly developed poison injecting mechanism of all snakes, but they are not aggressive animals. Adders will only use their poison as a last means of defence, usually if caught or trodden on. No one has died from adder bites in Britain for over 20 years. By far the most common smake in Britain is the adder. In Scotland, in fact, there are no other snakes at all. The adder is also the only British sanke with a poisonous bite. It can be found almost anywhere, but prefers sunny hillsides and rough open country, including high gournd. In Ireland there are no snakes at all.
Most people regard snake bites as a fatal misfortune, but not all bites are serious, and very few are fatal . Sometimes attempts at emergency treatment turn out to be more dangerous than the bite itself, with amateurs heroically, but mistakenly, trying do-it-yourself surgery and other unnecessary measures.
All snakes have small teeth, so it follows tha tall snakes can bite, but only te bite of the adder presents any danger. British snakes are shy animals and are far more frightened of you than you could possibly be of them. The adder will attack only if it feels threatened, as can happen if you take it by surprise and step on it accidentally, or if you try to catch it or pick it up, which it dislikes intensely. If it hears you coming, it will normally get out of the way as quickly as it can, but adders cannot move  very rapidly and may attack before moving if you are very close.
The effect of a bite varies considerably. It depends upon severa things, one of which is the boidy-wight of the person bitten. The bigger the person, the less harmful the bite is likely to be, which is why children suffer far more seriously from snake bites in Britain ,and thought these bites can make some pepe very ill, there are probably just as many cases of bites having little or no effect, as there are of serious illness.
小题1:What does the underlined phrase “ trodden on” probably mean?
A.Found outB.Heard fromC.Stepped on.D.Robbed of.
小题2:Where are adders to be found?
A.In fertile fields in Scotland.
B.On wild land throughout Britain.
C.In many parts of Britain and Ireland.
D.Everywhere in Britian except Scotland
小题3:What should you do if you are with someone who is bitten by an adder?
A.Catch the biting adder at onece.
B.Don’t worry about the bitten person.
C.Don’t try to treat the bite by yourself.
D.Operate on the person as soon as possible.
小题4:What’s the best title of the passage?
A.Poisonous SnakesB.Adders in Britain
C.Take Care oif Sake BitesD.Protec Endangered Adders

题型:不详难度:| 查看答案

Honey Sweet Cake(Prep. Time: 12 mins.)
Ingredients
Strawberries in syrup(糖浆), 1 package(unfrozen)
Heavy cream, 1 cup
Corn flour, 2 tablespoons
Process
Mix the strawberries, cream and corn flour in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat for about 8~10 minutes, while constantly mixing until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and refrigerate for two hours. Fill the frozen mixture in cake, and serve.
Rosy Cake(Prep. Time: 10 mins.)
Ingredients
Sugar,cup
Water, 1 cup
Corn flour, 3 tablespoons
Strawberries, 2~3 cups
Process
Take a large saucepan and mix all the ingredients. Cook until the mixture thickens over medium heat. Let it cool naturally and completely. Fill up your cake with the mixture, and serve.
Triangle Sweet(Prep. Time: 15 mins.)
Ingredients
Sugar,cup
Whipping cream,cup
Unflavoured gelatin(明胶), 1 tablespoon
Cold water, 2 tablespoons
Boiled water, 3 tablespoons
Strawberries crushed, 2 cups
Process
Add sugar to the crushed strawberries and set them aside. In cold water, soften gelatin, and once it is softened, add boiling water. Stir(搅动) until the gelatin dissolves(溶解).Add the dissolved gelatin mixture to the strawberries and let it cool. Now whip(搅打) the cream till it becomes stiff. When the strawberry mixture is of syrup thickness, add the whipped cream to it. Refrigerate until it sets. Fill it into your cake, and serve.
Flaming Maple(Prep. Time: 10 mins.)
Ingredients
Fresh lemon juice, 1 tablespoons
Honey, 2 tablespoons
Maple syrup, 2 tablespoons
Strawberries, ripe, 2 pints
Process
Make a fruit butter of half of the strawberries. Add honey, lemon juice, and maple syrup until it forms a smooth sauce. Add the remaining strawberries. Fill the mixture in the cake, and serve.
小题1:Which of the following ingredients (is) are used in all the recipes?
A.Heavy cream.B.Sugar syrup.
C.Corn flour.D.Strawberries.
小题2:Chefs needn"t freeze the ingredients when preparing ________.
① Honey Sweet Cake ② Rosy Cake ③Triangle Sweet    ④Flaming Maple
A.①②B.②③C.①④D.②④
小题3:Which of the following is TRUE?
A.Triangle Sweet takes the longest time to prepare.
B.Strawberries used in the recipes aren"t all fresh.
C.Most strawberries are used when making a Rosy Cake.
D.Honey Sweet Cake is the best choice for busy mothers.
小题4:In how many recipes should chefs thicken the mixture by heating?
A.Only one.B.Two.C.Three.D.Four.

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