A lot of us lose life's tough battles by starting a frontal attack--when a touch of humor might well enable us to win. Consider the case of a young friend of mine, who was on his trapped way to work shortly after receiving an ultimatum(最后通牒) about the job. Although there was a good reason for Sam's being late--serious illness at home--he decided that this by-now-familiar excuse wouldn't work any longer. His supervisor was probably already pacing up and down preparing a dismissal speech.
Yes, the boss was, Sam entered the office at 9:35. The place was as quiet as a locker room(更衣室); everyone was hard at work. Sam's supervisor came up to him. Suddenly, Sam forced a grin and stretched out his hand. "How do you do!" he said. "I'm Sam Maynard. I'm applying for a job, which, I understand, became available just 35 minutes ago. Does the early bird get the worm?"
The room exploded in laughter, except that the supervisor had to clamp off a smile and walked back to his office. Sam Maynard had saved his job--with the only tool that could win, a laugh.
Humor is a most effective, yet frequently neglected, means of handling the difficult situations in our lives. It can be used for patching up differences, apologizing, saying "no", criticizing, getting the other fellow to do what you want without his losing face. For some jobs, it's the only tool that can succeed. It is a way to discuss subjects so sensitive that serious dialog may start a quarrel. For example, many believe that comedians on television are doing more today for racial and religious tolerance than people in any other forum.
1. Why was Sam late for his job?
A. Because he was seriously ill at home.    B. Because he received an ultimatum.
C. Because he was caught in a traffic jam.   D. Because he was busy applying for a new job.
2. What is the main idea of this passage?
A. Sam Maynard saved his job with humor     B. Humor is important in our lives
C. Early bird can get the worm               D. Humor can solve racial discriminations
3. The phrase "clamp off" in Paragraph 3 means__________.
A. try to hold back    B. pretend to set      C. send off         D. give out
4. Which of the following statements can we infer from the passage?
A. Many lose life's battles for they are lacking in a sense of humor.
B. It wasn't the first time that Sam came late for his work.
C. Sam was supposed to come to his office at 8:30.
D. Humor is the most effective way of solving problems.


【小題1】C
【小題2】B
【小題3】A
【小題4】B

解析

練習(xí)冊(cè)系列答案
相關(guān)習(xí)題

科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源： 題型：閱讀理解

Five years ago, David Smith wore an expensive suit to work every day.“I was a clothes addict(迷),” he jokes.“I used to carry a fresh suit to work with me so I could change if my clothes got wrinkled(皺的).” Today David wears casual clothes—khaki pants and a sports shirt—to the office. He hardly ever wears a necktie.“I'm working harder than ever,” David says,“and I need to feel comfortable.”

More and more companies are allowing their office workers to wear casual clothes to work. In the United States, the changes from formal to casual office wear have been slow. In the early 1990s,many companies allowed their workers to wear casual clothes on Friday(but only on Friday).This became known as “dress-down Friday” or “casual Friday”.“What started out as an extra one-day-a-week benefit for workers has really become an everyday thing,” said business adviser Maisly Jones.?

Why have so many companies started allowing their workers to wear casual clothes? One reason is that it's easier for a company to attract new workers if it has a casual dress code. “A lot of young people don't want to dress up for work,” says the owner of a software company,“so it's hard to hire people if you have a conservative dress code.” Another reason is that people seem happier and more productive when they are wearing comfortable clothes. In a study made by Levi Strauss and Company, 85 percent of employers said that casual dress has a side effect on work. Supporters of casual office wear also say that a casual dress code helps them save money. “Suits are expensive, if you have to wear one every day,” one person said.“For the same amount of money, you can buy a lot more casual clothes.”?

David Smith refers to himself as having been “a clothes addict” because _______.

A. he often wore khaki pants and a sports shirt?

B. he couldn't stand a clean appearance?

C. he wanted his clothes to look tidy and clean all the time?

D. he didn't want to spend much money on clothes?

David Smith wears casual clothes now, because _______.?

A. they make him feel at ease when working?

B. he cannot afford to buy expensive clothes?

C. he looks handsome in casual clothes?

D. he no longer works for any company?

According to this passage, which of the following is FALSE?

A. Many workers don't like a conservative dress code.?

B. Comfortable clothes make workers more productive.?

C. A casual clothes code is welcomed by young workers.?

D. All the employers in the U.S. are for casual office wear.?

According to this passage, which of the following is TRUE?

A. Company workers started to dress down about twenty years ago.?

B. Dress-down has become an everyday phenomenon since the early 1990s.?

C. “Dress-down Friday” was first given as a favor from employers.?

D. Many workers want to wear casual clothes to impress people.?

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源： 題型：

對(duì)話填空（共10小題；每小題1分，滿分10分）

認(rèn)真閱讀下面對(duì)話，并根據(jù)各題所給首字母的提示，在答題卡上標(biāo)有題號(hào)的橫線上，寫出一個(gè)英語(yǔ)單詞的完整、正確形式、使對(duì)話通順。

(J=Joyce; T=Tom)

J: Tom, I am going to the UK for my further study. Could you give me some a         about living there?

T: Yes, of course. I will tell you all that I know to help you a              to the new life easily. Is your English good?

J: I think it’s not bad. I can speak it f        .

T: OK. Then you shouldn’t have a problem finding a p         job.

J: What kind of job?

T: I used to work in a bar in the evening when I was at university but the pay is

u         not very high.

J: But it can improve your English, right?

T: Yes. You’re expected to talk to the c         all night because they may ask you a lot of questions or ask you to give them different kinds of wines. But there are also some problems         in a bar. It’s a bit noisy and quite smoky.

J: Er. I don’t think I would like such a job.

T: Well, in that case, you can work in a restaurant as a waitress, taking people’s o        . That’s another way to use your English to c         with different people.

J: OK, that sounds good. I will c         it.

T: And if you’re struggling a bit, you can work in the back of a restaurant.

J: Yeah, I used to wash dishes, and I remembered my legs were hurt after s         up all day. It was a terrible job.

T: I wouldn’t refuse that one. It is not suitable for a girl.

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源： 題型：閱讀理解

Monarch Butterflies

 One of the last West Coast homes of the Monarch butterfly，a type of insect（昆蟲(chóng)），may soon disappear．Strangely，it is in a town that calls itself Butterfly U．S．A，Pacific Grove, California．

 The  town  of Pacific Grove loves the butterflies．Every year they have a parade（游行）and hundreds of children dress up as butterflies．Monarch butterflies are the town mascot．Tourism is very important，and many people come to see the butterflies．The butterflies are good for the development of the town．

 In 1981 there were so many butterflies it looked like it was raining butterflies．Tens of thousands of Monarchs stayed on tree branches near Pacific Grove．Now there are not so many．

The building goes on a little bit at a time，and you don’t notice it day by day．Over time，you can see that there has been a lot of development．As new buildings go up，many trees are cut down．

This reduces the natural homes for the butterflies．

Monarchs travel hundreds of miles each year，returning to the same woods，often to the same trees．The female Monarchs need milkweed to lay their eggs；the males will follow the females．

Millions of Monarchs have traveled regularly along the same path for thousands of years．They start their trip in the mountains of Mexico and travel to the middle part of America．If the woods where the butterflies live are destroyed，the whole species（物種）could be lost．There have been Monarch butterflies along the coast of California for as long as man can remember，but no one is sure how much longer they will last．

36．Why are Monarch butterflies important to Pacific Grove？

A.        They may disappear．            

B.        They come to stay every year．

C.        They help develop the town’s tourism．

D.       They give a name to Pacific Grove．

37．The underlined word  “mascot”in Paragraph 2 probably refers to_________.

A.        a new type of butterfly          

B.        an insect believed to bring good luck

C.        a parade organized by Pacific Grove 

D.       a special dress for children in Pacific Grove

38．What problem do Monarch butterflies face now？

A.        New buildings take up their living space．

B.        There has been too much rain m recent years．

C.        Their natural homes are destroyed by tourism．

D.       They have tot travel a long distance to get home．

39．Where do Monarch butterflies start their trip to Pacific Grove？

A.        From Central America．

B.        From the West Coast．

C.        From California．      

D.       From Mexico．

                        

 

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源： 題型：閱讀理解

Special Bridges Help Animals Cross the Road

――Reported by Sheila Carrick

    Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side.

    Most people know this joke．But recently, some people have been much more worried about how the grizzly bear and mountain lion can cross the road.

     “Millions of animals die each year on U.S．roads,” the Federal Highway Administration reports．In fact, only about 80 ocelots, an endangered wild cat, exist in the U.S．today．The main reason? Roadkill.

     “Ecopassages” may help animals cross the road without being hit by cars．They are paths both over and under roads．“These ecopassages can be extremely useful, so that wildlife can avoid road accidents,” said Jodi Hilty of the Wildlife Protection Society.

    But do animals actually use the ecopassages? The answer is yes．Paul Beier of Northern Arizona University found foot marks left by mountain lions on an ecopassage that went under a highway．This showed that the lions used the passage.

    Builders of ecopassages try to make them look like a natural part of an area by planting trees on and around them．Animals seem to be catching on．Animals as different as salamanders and grizzly bears are using the bridges and underpasses.

    The next time you visit a park or drive through an area with a lot of wildlife, look around．You might see an animals overpass!

45．The writer uses the example of “ocelots” to show that ______.

      A．wild animals have become more dangerous

      B．the driving conditions have improved greatly

      C．the measure for protecting wildlife fails to work

      D．a(chǎn)n increasing number of animals are killed in road accidents

46．From the news story, we know an ecopassage is ______.

       A．a(chǎn)n underground path for cars                B．a(chǎn) fence built for the safety of the area

       C．a(chǎn) bridge for animals to get over a river   D．a(chǎn) pass for animals to cross the road

47．When the writer says that animals seem “to be catching on”, he means ______.

       A．a(chǎn)nimals begin to realize the dangers on the road                     

       B．a(chǎn)nimals begin to learn to use ecopassages

      C．a(chǎn)nimals are crossing the road in groups                                                         

       D．a(chǎn)nimals are increasing in number

48．The writer asks visitors and drivers to look around when traveling because ______.

      A．wild animals may attack cars                B．wild animals may jam the road

       C．they may see wild animals in the park    D．they may see wild animals on ecopassages

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：2014屆黑龍江哈師大附中高二下期中考試英語(yǔ)試卷（解析版） 題型：閱讀理解

Dogs and millionaires have a lot in common. They are absolute opportunists (especially when it comes to rewards). They defend their territory(地盤). And in general, they don’t like cats. Perhaps that explains a new survey showing that millionaires are far more dog-friendly than the rest of Americans.

According to a study by Spectrem Group, 58% of millionaire pet owners have a dog. Only 37% own a cat. Only 3% keep fish, 2% birds and 2% have a horse. Similarly, 39% of U. S. households own a dog, compared to 33% of households owning a cat, released by the Humane Society.

Jennifer Cona, a trust and estates attorney(信托和資產(chǎn)律師) and partner with Genser Subow Genser & Cona in New York, does a lot of work on pet trusts. She said of all the pet trusts she’s worked on, 90% are for dogs and only 10% are for cats. 

She said dogs provide one thing especially important for the wealthy: unconditional love.

“You don’t get that from a cat,” she said, “Dogs are like children for some families, except that they don’t mess up in college or run off with money. Sometimes it’s easy to see why dogs are the favorite children.”

Millionaires show their love for their dogs in part by their spending. One quarter of millionaire pet owners spend more than $1, 000 a year on their pets, the Spectrem study said, while more than half spend more than $500 a year.

Many would say those numbers are understated, given all the diamond-dog collars, dog foods and booming dog spas in evidence these days, not to mention the medical bills.

The survey showed 34% of pet owners spend money on decorating, while 6% spend on “sweaters, outfits and costumes.”

More than half of millionaire pet owners spend money on teeth cleaning for their pets. More than 16%, meanwhile, said they would spend money on reconstructive surgeries and “anti-anxiety, anti-depression” medication for their pets.

1.What is the passage mainly about?

A．Millionaires like dogs more than other Americans.

B．Keeping dogs as pets is quite popular among Americans.

C．Pet dogs help relieve their owners’ anxiety and depression.

D．Millionaires spend much money on teeth cleaning for their pets.

2.From the survey by Spectrem Group, we can learn ___________.

A．a(chǎn)bout one third of American households own a cat

B．more than half of millionaire pet owners have a dog

C．millionaire pet owners spend $1, 000 on their pets daily

D．34% of pet owners spend money on dog clothing

3.What’s the main reason why millionaires show great love for their dogs?

A．They can afford the high expense to raise pet dogs.

B．Pet dogs have never made a mess of things around.

C．Millionaires feel more secure in company of dogs.

D．Pet dogs show unconditional love for their owners.

4.What does Jennifer Cona probably think of millionaires owning pet dogs ?

A．Ridiculous.        B．Acceptable.        C．Negative.          D．Indifferent.

 

查看答案和解析>>

同步練習(xí)冊(cè)答案