A culture’s values can be mirrored by its humor. Humor has been evaluated by many great minds such as Thomas Hobbes, who, in “On Nature”, disliked humor, “Laughter is nothing else but sudden glory arising from sudden thought of feeling far better than others.” He thought humor to be a negative quality of human narrow-mindedness.
However, Mordechai Gordon, Ph. D of Education, insists, “Humor allows us to view the world from an angle that is amusing rather than serious.” I agree with Gordon. Learning to look at the world through humor is important.
In the United States, every four years an election occurs. Without humor as a way to express their feelings, how else would Americans keep from clawing their eyes out and going the way of lemming? Television shows like “The Daily Show” have become important parts of American culture. They are mothering the masses by metaphorically(隱喻地) airplane-ing politics into our mouths. They make politics fun.
Of course, politics is only one type of humor. Social humor helps people through the twists and turns of the human condition. American pop culture promotes an unhealthy self- image. On the topic of self-image, Hari Kondabolu stands out. He has a joke about the popular musical group “The Pussycat Dolls”, describing their hit song “Don't Cha” as a negative representation of women. He points out an obvious offence in American culture.
A study from Loyola University of Maryland has shown that humor is one determining factor for selecting a mating partner. Amongst other things, mates look for an outstanding funny bone in a potential partner.
Of course, humor is not always used for good purposes. Humor can be linked to vulgarity (粗俗)and racism, but, like everything else, it has potential to unite human beings by allowing us to laugh at ourselves, our failures and our connection with one another.
Though 1ife may seem tough and depressing at times, all I have to do is look in the mirror at my increased wrinkles(皺紋) to know that there is a comedy out there that even Chaplin wasn’t aware of.
With that in mind, remember to laugh with humanity and sometimes at humanity.
小題1:Hobbes believes that humor__________.
A．was for people to view the world from another angle
B．resulted in narrow-mindedness of human beings
C．had the power to mirror personal glory and national values
D．was only a way to laugh at others to make oneself feel better
小題2:The fourth paragraph is developed mainly__________.
A．by comparisonB．by processC．by exampleD．by classification
小題3:What can we learn from the last two paragraphs?
A．The author is determined to face life with a sense of humor.
B．The author feels helpless and sad about getting older.
C．Never be the one who laughs at other people.
D．Chaplin wasn’t aware of being laughed at.

小題1:D
小題2:C
小題3:A

試題分析: 一種文化的價(jià)值可以通過幽默來體現(xiàn)。然而不同的人對(duì)幽默有不同的看法。作者認(rèn)為幽默是很重要的，并舉例說明了自己的想法。
小題1:D。細(xì)節(jié)題。根據(jù)第一段Laughter is nothing else but sudden glory arising from sudden thought of feeling far better than others.笑聲不過是突然想到比別人好得多而產(chǎn)生的優(yōu)越感�？芍猅homas Hobbes不喜歡幽默，因?yàn)樗J(rèn)為幽默是嘲笑別人使自己開心的一種方式，是人性狹隘的表現(xiàn)。故選D。
小題2:C。篇章結(jié)構(gòu)分析題。作者通過列舉Hari Kondabolu的例子來證明自己的觀點(diǎn)，社會(huì)幽默反應(yīng)了一個(gè)時(shí)代的文化情況。故選C。
小題3:A。推理判斷題。根據(jù)倒數(shù)第二段Though 1ife may seem tough and depressing at times, all I have to do is look in the mirror at my increased wrinkles(皺紋) to know that there is a comedy out there that even Chaplin wasn’t aware of. 盡管生活有時(shí)候會(huì)很艱難并且令人沮喪，我要做的是看著鏡子里自己日益增加的皺紋，告訴自己生活中總是有一些卓別林都沒意識(shí)到的歡樂�？芍髡咧С稚钪斜３钟哪�。故選A。
練習(xí)冊(cè)系列答案
相關(guān)習(xí)題

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：完形填空

There was once a group of young people searching everywhere for happiness but what they got was only annoyance, grief and misery.
So they        Socrates for advice on where happiness        But        giving any answers, Socrates asked them to help with building a        first. The group of guys had to        the task, laying aside their own business of seeking happiness. It took them a long time to cut down a tall tree, gouging out (挖空) the center. Through painstaking effort, they made a canoe out of the tree. They launched the canoe into a river, and then        together in it, singing with        .
Socrates asked, “My children, do you have happiness now?” They answered in chorus: “We          be happier!” Socrates        , “That’s it!        you are too busy pursuing something to notice anything bitter, happiness will occur.”
From the story I got to know that happiness        hides behind every tiny thing that you are involved in, and that you may only get pleasure through        work and creativity.
We may have to        pain in our daily life and in the process of          happiness. Sometimes we tend to look for happiness in        things, like a new car, clothes, etc. True long term happiness, however, comes from within our         and spirit. So why not turn suffering into        life, and        tears into the light in your heart? Only in this way can we make it through and find true happiness.
So my dear friends, just remember happiness is a state of mind and a matter of        , and I        you all a life of happiness.
小題1:
A．pointed toB．referred toC．turned toD．kept to
小題2:
A．layB．belongedC．stoodD．laid
小題3:
A．a(chǎn)part fromB．instead ofC．other thanD．for fear of
小題4:
A．houseB．boatC．bridgeD．school
小題5:
A．set aboutB．set downC．set outD．set up
小題6:
A．satB．stoodC．gotD．rowed
小題7:
A．joyB．sorrowC．curiosityD．hope
小題8:
A．mustn’tB．shouldn’tC．couldn’tD．needn’t
小題9:
A．declaredB．thoughtC．a(chǎn)ddedD．a(chǎn)ssumed
小題10:
A．UnlessB．WheneverC．UntilD．However
小題11:
A．neverB．a(chǎn)lwaysC．everD．seldom
小題12:
A．cautiousB．endlessC．hardD．effective
小題13:
A．experienceB．a(chǎn)voidC．enjoyD．deny
小題14:
A．searchingB．seekingC．hopingD．improving
小題15:
A．spiritual B．niceC．newD．material
小題16:
A．bodyB．partC．soulD．head
小題17:
A．blamingB．praisingC．endingD．cursing
小題18:
A．turnB．putC．divideD．draw
小題19:
A．timeB．energyC．factD．choice
小題20:
A．wishB．promiseC．bringD．Require

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：完形填空

I’ve always had strong opinions of how love should be expressed，but others had their own ways of showing care.
What I ___ most about visiting my boyfriend’s parents is the loud tick of the clock in the dining room as we ____ ate our meal.With so little conversation I was quick to ____ his family as cold.When we got into the ____ to go home，his father suddenly appeared.___，he began to wash his son’s windscreen.I could feel he is a caring man through the glass.
I learned another lesson about love a few years later.My father often ____ me early in the morning.“Buy Xerox.It’s a good sharp price，” he might say when I answered the phone.No pleasant ___ or inquiry about my life，just financial instructions.This manner of his ___ me and we often quarreled.But one day，I thought about my father’s success in business and realized that his concern for my financial security lay behind his ____ morning calls.The next time he called and told me to buy a stock，I ____ him.
When my social style has conflicted with that of my friends，I’ve often felt ___.For example，I always return phone calls ____ and regularly contact my friends.I expect the same from them.I had one friend who rarely called，answering my messages with short e­mails.I rushed to the ____：She wasn’t a good friend！My anger ____ as the holidays approached.But then she came to a gathering I ____ and handed me a beautiful dress I had fallen in love with when we did some window­shopping the previous month.I was ____ at her thoughtfulness，and regretful for how I’d considered her to be ____.Clearly I needed to change my expectations of friends.
Far too often，I ignored their ____ expressions，eagerly expecting them to do things in my ____.Over the years，however，I’ve learned to ____ other persons’ love signs.
小題1:
A．rememberB．enjoy
C．valueD．a(chǎn)dmire
小題2:
A．excitedlyB．nervously
C．silentlyD．instantly
小題3:
A．regardB．treat
C．findD．think
小題4:
A．busB．train
C．carD．plane
小題5:
A．PunctuallyB．Carefully
C．ProudlyD．Coldly
小題6:
A．visitedB．interrupted
C．warnedD．telephoned
小題7:
A．greetingB．meeting
C．a(chǎn)pologyD．explanation
小題8:
A．interested B．a(chǎn)ngered
C．encouragedD．surprised
小題9:
A．longB．short
C．warmD．polite
小題10:
A．praisedB．remembered
C．blamedD．thanked
小題11:．
A．contentB．guilty
C．curiousD．disappointed
小題12:
A．in orderB．in turn
C．without delayD．without difficulty
小題13:
A．feelingB．suggestion
C．judgmentD．belief
小題14:
A．disappearedB．grew
C．helped D．declined
小題15:
A．openedB．refused
C．hostedD．invited
小題16:
A．depressed B．upset
C．fascinatedD．shocked
小題17:
A．uncaringB．dishonest
C．unhappyD．discouraged
小題18:
A．unique B．common
C．pleasantD．familiar
小題19:
A．opinionB．way
C．mindD．life
小題20:
A．sendB．read
C．giveD．express

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Healthy knees aren't the main consideration in choosing high heels, but new research says chunky heels are just __________as spindly stilettos (細(xì)高跟鞋).  
"It takes a long time to feel the effects of knee osteoarthritis (骨關(guān)節(jié)炎) — and once you do, it is too ]ate," said Dr. Casey Kerrigan, leading researcher of the study and associate professor at Harvard Medical School's department of physical medicine.
"I compare it to smoking — one cigarette is not painful, but over a lifetime it is. Wide-heeled shoes feel comfortable, so women wear them all day long, "Kerrigan said. "They are better for your feet than stiletto heels, but just as had for your knees."
The idea that high heels are bad for your health isn't new — scientists have warned women for years that they contribute to problems ranging from corns to hammer toes, tendonitis, knee pain, sprained (扭傷) ankles and back problems. 
But in 1998,Kerdgan and a team of Harvard researchers were the first to link high heels and knee osteoarthritis, a painful joint disease that destroys cartilage (軟骨) surrounding the knee.
The first study looked only at stiletto heels, and Kerrigan said she wanted to study the chunky high-heeled shoes she noticed many women wearing.
"This study confirms what we all intuitively (直覺地) know that high-heeled shoes of any kind are not good for our health," said Dr. Glenn Pfeifer, a San Francisco doctor and member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons who was not connected to the study.
1.What’s the main idea of the passage?
2.Which sentence in the passage is the closest in meaning to the following one?
In my opinion ,it is similar to smoking ,for smoking one cigarette does little harm but if you smoke all your life,it’ll be very painful. 
3.Please fill in the blank in the passage with proper words or phrases to complete the sentence.(within ten words)
4.What do you think of wearing the chunky heels according to the passage?(within 30 words)
5.Translate the underlined sentence into Chinese. 

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


Most people, when they travel to space, would like to stay in orbit for a few days of more. And this stands to reason, if you’re paying $20,000 for your trip to orbit! Strain order for tourism to reach its full potential there’s going to be a need for orbital accommodation---or space hotels. What would a space hotel actually be like to visit? Hotels in orbit will offer the services you expect from a hotel------private rooms, meals, bars. But they’ll also offer two unique experiences: impressive views----of Earth and space---and the endless entertainment of living in zero gravity---including sports and other activities that make use of this.
The hotels themselves will vary greatly----from being quite simple in the early days to huge luxury structure at a later date. It’s actually surprising that as later as 1997, very few designs for space hotels were published. This is mainly because those who might be expected to design them haven’t expected launch costs to come down far enough to make them possible.
Lots of people who’ve been to space have described vividly what it’s like to live in zero gravity. There are obviously all sort of possibilities for dancing, gymnastics, and zero-G sports. Luckily, you don’t need to sleep much living in zero gravity, so you’ll have plenty of time for relaxing by hanging out in a bar with a window looking down at the turning Earth below.
Of course all good things have come to an end. Unfortunately, And so after a few days you’ll find yourself heading back enough you’ll be much more expert at exercising in zero gravity than you were when you arrived. You’ll be thinking how soon you can save up enough to get back up again---or maybe you should change jobs to get to work in an orbiting hotel.
小題1:When traveling in space, most people would like to stay in orbit for a few days because _______.
A．It is expensive to travel in space
B．they would find the possible life in other star systems
C．they could enjoy the luxury of space hotels
D．they want to realise the full potential of tourism
小題2:Which of the following is a unique experience that space hotels will offer?
A．The gravitational pullB．The special views.
C．The relaxation in a barD．The space walk.
小題3:Which of the following is not discussed in the passage?
A．When was the space traveling made possible?
B．What are the unique experiences that space hotels will offer?
C．Why were there not many published designs for space hotels?
D．How can the travelers enjoy themselves in space hotels?
小題4:This passage is mainly about ________.
A．traveling in spaceB．the ways of living in space hotels
C．zero gravity and space hotelsD．the description of space hotels

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

It was a cold winter day. A woman drove up to the Rainbow Bridge tollbooth (收費(fèi)站). “I’m paying for myself, and for the six cars behind me,” she said with a smile, handing over seven tickets. One after another, the next six drivers arriving at the tollbooth were informed, “Some lady up ahead already paid your fare.”
It turned out that the woman, Natalie Smith, had read something on a friend’s refrigerator: “Practice random kindness and senseless acts of beauty.” The phrase impressed her so much that she copied it down.
Judy Foreman spotted the same phrase on a warehouse wall far away from home. When it stayed on her mind for days, she gave up and drove all the way back to copy it down. “I thought it was beautiful,” she said, explaining why she’d taken to writing it at the bottom of all her letters, “l(fā)ike a message from above.” Her husband, Frank, liked the phrase so much that he put it up on the classroom wall for his students, one of whom was the daughter of Alice Johnson, a local news reporter. Alice put it in the newspaper, admitting that though she liked it, she didn’t know where it came from or what it really meant.
Two days later, Alice got a call from Anne Herbert, a woman living in Marin. It was in a restaurant that Anne wrote the phrase down on a piece of paper, after turning it around in her mind for days.
“Here’s the idea,” Anne says. “Anything you think there should be more of, do it randomly.” Her fantasies include painting the classrooms of shabby schools, leaving hot meals on kitchen tables in the poor part of town, and giving money secretly to a proud old lady. Anne says, “Kindness can build on itself as much as violence can.”
The acts of random kindness spread. If you were one of those drivers who found your fare paid, who knows what you might have been inspired to do for someone else later. Like all great events, kindness begins slowly, with every single act. Let it be yours!
小題1:Why did Natalie Smith pay for the six cars behind her?
A．She knew the car drivers well.
B．She wanted to show kindness.
C．She hoped to please others.
D．She had seven tickets.
小題2:Judy Foreman copied down the phrase because she       .
A．thought it was beautifully written
B．wanted to know what it really meant
C．decided to write it on a warehouse wall
D．wanted her husband to put it up in the classroom
小題3:Who came up with the phrase according to the passage?
A．Judy Foreman.
B．Natalie Smith.
C．Alice Johnson.
D．Anne Herbert.
小題4:Which of the following statements is closest in the meaning to the underlined sentence above?
A．Kindness and violence can change the world.
B．Kindness and violence can affect one’s behavior.
C．Kindness and violence can reproduce themselves.
D．Kindness and violence can shape one’s character.
小題5:What can we infer from the last paragraph?
A．People should practice random kindness to those in need.
B．People who receive kindness are likely to offer it to others.
C．People should practice random kindness to strangers they meet.
D．People who receive kindness are likely to pay it back to the giver.

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

According to a recent article in The Wall Street Journal, we might all be braggarts(大話王) in this competitive society addicted to social networking.
Take a close look at your social­networking sites. Do you like to post photos of yourself in restaurants to show others what an exciting life you have? Or do you like to write about how happily in love you are? Or perhaps you are of the subtle type who constantly complain about jobs but really just want to impress others with your important position.
According to the results of a series of experiments conducted by Harvard University neuroscientists(神經(jīng)科學(xué)家), the reward areas of our brain——the same areas that respond to “primary rewards” such as food ——are activated when we talk about ourselves. We devote between 30 to 40 percent of our conversation time to doing just that. Unfortunately, Bernstein says, some people can't tell the difference between sharing positive information that others might actually want to know and direct bragging. She suggests that bragging involves comparison, whether stated or implied.
“We are expected to be perfect all the time. The result is that more and more people are carefully managing their online images”. says Elizabeth Bernstein, a columnist with the Wall Street Journal.
But the issue is not limited to the Internet. In a fiercely competitive job market we must sell ourselves on multiple platforms and show that we are better than others. In fact, we have become so accustomed to bragging that we don't even realize we are doing it, says Bernstein. This is harmful to our relationships and puts people off.
Bernstein talked to some experts who said that people brag for all sorts of reasons: to appear worthy of attention; to prove to ourselves we are doing fine and that people who said we would fail are wrong; or simply because we're excited when good things happen to us.
“Feel sorry for them, because they're doing this unconscious, destructive thing that won't help them in the long run，” said Professor Simian Valier, a research psychologist at Washington University.
小題1:The underlined word “subtle” in Para.2 is closest in meaning to “________”．
A．hiddenB．a(chǎn)pparent
C．outstandingD．simple
小題2:Which of the following is one of the features of braggarts?
A．They control conversation and only talk about themselves.
B．They know well how to share positive information.
C．They self­promote to stand out in their career.
D．They don't pay much attention to their online image.
小題3:What can we infer from the passage?
A．Braggarts make a good first impression but the effect decreases over time.
B．People who like bragging know what they are doing.
C．Braggarts always adopt comparison directly to show they are excellent.
D．They care much about the feelings of others when talking.

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：完形填空

My brother and I were in Orlando Florida to witness our first Space Shuttle Launch. The Discovery was         to soar at 10:14 AM on a blue sky September day. I’d seen it         so many times on television,         now I was only minutes away from seeing it launch. And it’s the final demonstration of the         of success: Success Takes Off Like a Rocket.
Witnessing the Take Off:
Standing close to the Space Shuttle         home one unforgettable point—the Shuttle is the height of a 15-story building—it         4.5 million pounds—and NASA is trying to lift it 200 miles off the ground. On TV the accomplishments look so much        , so much easier.
Crowds of people are standing around with you to watch the Shuttle go. The countdown begins through the small         of hundreds of portable radios all tuned to the NASA station. It’s enough to get your heart beating        .
When time is up, the side booster rockets are lit up and the eight explosive bolts        . The first things you see are large white         clouds exploding away. Through the steam, you see the fire power. Then the Space Shuttle begins to inch off the pad and climb its way        . Thousands upon millions of pounds of         can hardly lift the shuttle at all. But with ever increasing ease, the shuttle picks up and roars into the sky, headed into space attaining a        of over 17,000 mph.
It is within the first two minutes to launch the Space Shuttle that the great success lesson is      . Fact: 85% of the shuttle’s fuel is consumed within the first 2 minutes just to get the 15-story super structure to its orbital        .
And that’s exactly how success        : The first steps you take towards launching a successful career are the         and will require an enormous consumption of energy—a great big push. However,         you persist through the launch period, which can seem almost         for quite some time, everything gets easier and easier and your results get bigger and bigger.
小題1:
A．a(chǎn)dvisedB．hopedC．scheduledD．reminded
小題2:
A．rise upB．come upC．step upD．go up
小題3:
A．butB．a(chǎn)ndC．a(chǎn)sD．therefore
小題4:
A．universeB．worldC．natureD．a(chǎn)ir
小題5:
A．getsB．drivesC．runsD．jumps
小題6:
A．costsB．weighsC．measuresD．sells
小題7:
A．smallerB．greaterC．biggerD．smoother
小題8:
A．rocketsB．workersC．speakersD．a(chǎn)ctors
小題9:
A．off your mouthB．out of your stomachC．off your mindD．out of your chest
小題10:
A．blowB．followC．glowD．flow
小題11:
A．gasB．smokeC．mistD．steam
小題12:
A．downwardB．upwardC．forwardD．outward
小題13:
A．pullB．liftC．pushD．pressure
小題14:
A．distanceB．degreeC．heightD．speed
小題15:
A．ordinaryB．a(chǎn)bsoluteC．a(chǎn)pparentD．present
小題16:
A．a(chǎn)ttitudeB．a(chǎn)ltitudeC．routeD．rail
小題17:
A．puts offB．pays offC．takes offD．drops off
小題18:
A．hardestB．easiestC．simplestD．biggest
小題19:
A．whileB．ifC．unlessD．until
小題20:
A．uselessB．carelessC．wirelessD．priceless

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：完形填空

I used to live selfishly, I should admit. But one moment changed me.
I was on my lunch break and had ___ the office to get something to eat. On the way，I __a busker(街頭藝人)，with a hat in front of him. I had some ___ in my pocket，but I would not give them to him, thinking to myself he would __ use the money to feed his addiction to drugs or alcohol. He___ like that type— young and ragged. ___ what was I going to spend the money on? Only to feed my addiction to Coca-Cola or chocolate! I then ___ I had no right to place myself above ___ just because he was busking.
I ___ and dropped all the coins into his __，and he smiled at me. I watched for a while. As ___ as it sounds，I expected something more to come from that moment—a feeling of ___ or satisfaction, for example. But nothing happened.  ___ ,I walked off. “It proved to be a waste of __  .”I thought.
On my way home at the end of the ___ , I saw the busker again and he was __ .I watched him pick up the hat and walk __ a cafe counter. There he poured the ___ contents into a tin collecting __ an earthquake fund­raising(募捐) event. He was busking for charity!
Now I donate any ___ I have to charity tins and enjoy the feeling of giving.
小題1:
A．leftB．cleanedC．preparedD．searched
小題2:
A．ledB．choseC．sawD．fooled
小題3:
A．chocolatesB．coinsC．tinsD．drugs
小題4:
A．a(chǎn)lmostB．onlyC．ratherD．still
小題5:
A．a(chǎn)ctedB．lookedC．soundedD．smelt
小題6:
A．ThoughB．ForC．ThereforeD．But
小題7:
A．declaredB．realizedC．expectedD．guessed
小題8:
A．itB．a(chǎn)llC．himD．them
小題9:
A．waitedB．followedC．stoppedD．a(chǎn)rrived
小題10:
A．ragB．hatC．pocketD．counter
小題11:
A．selfishB．a(chǎn)wkwardC．innocentD．special
小題12:
A．happinessB．sadnessC．loveD．hate
小題13:
A．DisappointedlyB．Unfortunately
C．CoincidentallyD．Comfortably
小題14:
A．wordsB．effortC．spaceD．money
小題15:
A．momentB．dayC．breakD．event
小題16:
A．walking aroundB．passing by
C．packing upD．running off
小題17:
A．a(chǎn)roundB．inC．behindD．to
小題18:
A．chiefB．basicC．a(chǎn)ctualD．total
小題19:
A．byB．forC．onD．with
小題20:
A．workB．timeC．energyD．change

查看答案和解析>>

同步練習(xí)冊(cè)答案