Why do we laugh？ For years scientists have asked themselves ..

第1题

听力原文：W: You know, I've often wondered why people laugh at the picture of a big belly b

usinessman slipping on a banana skin and falling on his bottom. We are to feel sorry for him.

M: Actually, Laura, I think we laugh because we are glad it didn't happen to us. But of course there is also a kind of humorous satisfaction in seeing somebody self-important making a fool of themselves.

W: Yes, and then there are a lot of jokes about people who are too fat or physically handicapped, you know, deaf, or short-sighted, things like that. After all, it's not really funny to be like that.

M: Oh, I think that's because we're embarrassed. We don't know how to cope with the situation. Perhaps we are even a bit frightened we might get like that, so we laugh. What about the custard pie routine？

W: What do you mean "custard pie routine"？

M: You know, all those old films where someone gets so outraged with his boss, he picks up a custard pie and plasters it all over the other person's face.

W: That never makes me laugh very much, because you can guess it's going to happen. But a lot of people still find it laughable. It must be because it's the sort of the thing we'd all love to do once in a while and never quite have the courage to.

M: I had an old aunt who used to throw cups of tea at people when she was particularly irritated. She said it relieved her feelings.

W: It must have come a bit expensive.

M: Not really. She took care never to throw her best china.

Questions:

19. Why does the man say we laugh when we see some self-important people making fools of themselves？

20. Why do some people joke about those who are fat or handicapped according to the man？

21. Why do many people find it funny to see someone throwing a custard pie on their boss's face？

22. Why did the man's aunt say she would drop cups of tea at people occasionally？

(23)

A．We simply cannot help reacting instinctively that way.

B．We wish to hide our indifference to their misfortune.

C．We derive some humorous satisfaction from their misfortune.

D．We think it serves them right for being mean to other people.

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第2题

The ability to laugh at your own flaws, weaknesses and blunders has long been recognizedas

The ability to laugh at your own flaws, weaknesses and blunders has long been recognized as a sign of maturity.【C1】______Eleanor Roosevelt put it, "You don't grow up【C2】______you have your first good laugh at yourself." And yet this is one of the most difficult aspects of your【C3】______of humor to develop. It's easy to see the humor in someone else's【C4】______or flaws, but it's another story when the【C5】______thing happens to us. That's why we've put【C6】______working on this part, of your sense of humor until you've already【C7】______some good humor skills in areas that have【C8】______to do with laughing at yourself.

Oscar Wilde once offered a valuable【C9】______about the way we live our lives when he said that" Life is【C10】______important to be taken seriously."【C11】______do you think he meant by this？ I don't think he meant you don't have to【C12】______your responsibilities, promises, work, etc. seriously. He didn't mean that it's OK to live life with no【C13】______. I think he meant that the quality of our life【C14】______when we approach everything in a【C15】______manner. We lose the aliveness, joy and【C16】______we had when we were kids when we take everything so seriously,【C17】______when we take ourselves so seriously.

I think the key here is to take your work and your responsibility seriously,【C18】______take yourself lightly in the【C19】______When you take yourself seriously all the time, you will【C20】______many benefits that a playful attitude and humor can offer.

【C1】

A．As

B．Since

C．So

D．For

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第3题

听力原文：W: Let's do something! Why don't we go out for dinner or go dancing.M: I'm watchi

听力原文：W: Let's do something! Why don't we go out for dinner or go dancing.

M: I'm watching TV.

W: You're always watching TV. Stop being such a couch potato! Get up and let's do something.

M: I am doing something. I’ m watching TV.

W: You're always watching some stupid sitcom. It's a waste of time, and a waste of brain power.

M: Sometimes it's nice just to kick back, relax and laugh a little. There is nothing wrong with a little comedy in one's life. In fact, that's why I'm here.

W: Ha, ha! Very funny!

M: Besides, I am watching something serious.

W: What？ I bet it's some ridiculous drama with perfect looking people complaining about the tribulations of daily life.

M: Nope, wrong again.

W: Then it must be a prime-time news program describing how some woman went crazy and killed her husband.

M: No, I watched that last night. You had better guess quickly--the commercials are almost over.

W: Is it a murder mystery？ Or some science fiction show like Star Trek？

M: No.

W: A game show where they test your knowledge of useless trivia？

M: No, it's a documentary on dolphins in the Caribbean.

W: Hey, that sounds interesting!

M: Why don't we make some popcorn, and then watch the rest of it together.

(20)

A．Because it's a way of relaxing himself.

B．Because he has nothing else to do.

C．Because sitcom is very funny.

D．Because watching TV is his favorite activity.

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第4题

According to Darwin, why do people laugh？A．Laugh is a survival technique for babies.B．They

According to Darwin, why do people laugh？

A．Laugh is a survival technique for babies.

B．They laugh to ease hostilities.

C．They laugh to make parents feel relaxed.

D．They laugh to fight off disease.

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第5题

Man is the only【B1】that laughs. Why is this true？ What makes us respond as we do to pleasu

rable experiences？ What is the history of this "happy convulsion", as someone once【B2】it, and just what is its function？

We are not short【B3】theories to explain the mystery; For centuries, biologists, psychologists, and medical men have been seeking a definitive explanation of laughter. One writer put【B4】the theory that its function is to frighten others or to humiliate them. Another took the opposite【B5】that we laugh in order not to cry. A psychologist offered the explanation that laughter functions【B6】a remedy to painful experiences, and that it serves to protect a person【B7】what the psychologist called "the many minor pains to which man is exposed". In the seventeenth century a writer set【B8】the theory that we laugh when we compare ourselves with others and find ourselves superior to others; in effect, we laugh at the【B9】of others.

Almost every theory has been concerned【B10】either the structure or the function of laughter,【B11】relatively few have been devoted【B12】the question of its origin. I propose to offer a theory which, so far as I am concerned, has not previously been set forth.【B13】only those animals capable of speech are capable of laughter; and that therefore man, being the only animal that【B14】, is the only animal that can laugh.

Those of us who have【B15】chimpanzees closely feel quite confident that chimpanzees occasionally【B16】behavior. that looks very much like a primitive human laughter. This【B17】, however, has been observed only in a humanlike way; whether or not it is laughter is doubtful; but the【B18】fact that under any condition an ape is capable of【B19】behavior. is no more than passing interest—for【B20】only indicates that early man had the basic laughter.

【B1】

A．beast

B．animal

C．creatures

D．microorganism

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第6题

Why do we laugh?For years scientist have asked 21 this question. No other animals laugh

Why do we laugh？For years scientist have asked 21 this question. No other animals laugh and smile --- only human beings. So does laughter help us to survive in any way？The answer seems to be that smiling and laughter help us to 22 ，reducing tension and preventing illnesses which are caused by stress. Laughter really is the best medicine？Scientists in California asked a group of actors to act out five different feelings：happiness，sadness，anger，surprise and 23 --- just using their faces. Changes in their heart rate，blood pressure and temperature were written down. Most of the feelings they acted out didn’t cause changes，but when the actors smiles，their heart rate and their blood pressure 24 . This happened even though they were only acting!So even if we feel sad inside，smiling seems to make us feel better.So if you find yourself in a stressful situation，try to imagine how it must seemto an outsider 25 a sense of humor and let yourself laugh. (171 words)

21. A.relax

B.went down

C.fear

D.themselves

E. with

22. A.relax

B.went down

C.fear

D.themselves

E. with

23. A. relax

B. went down

C. fear

D. themselves

E. with

24. A.relax

B. went down

C. fear

D. themselves

E. with

25.A. relax

B. went down

C. fear

D. themselves

E. with

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第7题

听力原文：W: Let's do something! Why don't we go out for dinner or go dancing.M: I'm watchi

听力原文：W: Let's do something! Why don't we go out for dinner or go dancing.

M: I'm watching TV.

W: You're always watching TV. Stop being such a couch potato! Get up and let's do something.

M: I am doing something, I'm watching TV.

W: You're always watching some stupid sitcom. It's a waste 0ftim~, and a waste of brain power.

M: Sometimes it's nice just to kick back, relax and laugh a little. There is nothing wrong with a little comedy in one's life. In fact, that's why I'm here

W: Ha. ha! Very funny!

M: Besides, I am watching something serious.

W: What？ I bet it's some ridiculous drama with perfect looking people complaining about the tribulations of daily life.

M: Nope, wrong again.

W: Then it must be a prime-time news program describing how some woman went crazy and killed her husband.

M: No. I watched that last night. You had better guess quickly—the commercials are almost over.

W: Is it a murder mystery？ Or some science fiction show like Star Trek？

M: No.

W: A game show where they test your knowledge of useless trivia？

M: No. it's a documentary on dolphins in the Caribbean.

W: Hey, that sounds interesting!

M: Why don't we make some popcorn, and then watch the rest of it together.

(20)

A．Because it's a way of relaxing himself

B．Because he has nothing else to do.

C．Because sitcom is very funny.

D．Because watching TV is his favorite activity.

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第8题

Why do Chinese people tend to laugh while listening to a foreigner speak Chinese？

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第9题

Text 4 Humor, which ought to give rise to only the most light-hearted and ** feelings, can

often stir up vehemence and animosity. Evidently it is dearer to us than we realize. Men will take almost any kind of criticism except the observation that they have no sense of humour. A man will admit to being a coward or a liar or a thief or a poor mechanic or a bad swimmer, but tell him he as a dreadful sense of humour and you might as well have slandered his mother. Even if he is civilized enough to pretend to make light of your statement, he will still secretly believe that he has not only a good sense of humour but are superior to most. He has, in other words, a completely blind spot on the subject. This is all the more surprising when you consider that not one man in ten million can give you any kind of intelligent answer as to what humour is or why he laughs.

One day when I was about twelve years old, it occurred to me to wonder about the phenomenon of laughter. At first I thought it is easy enough to see what I laugh at and why I am amused, but why at such times do I open my mouth and exhale in jerking gasps and wrinkle up my eyes and throw back my head and halloo like an animal？ Why do I not instead rap four times on the top of my head or whistle or whirl about？

That was over twenty years ago and I am still wondering, except that I now no longer even take my first assumption for granted, I no longer clearly understand why I laugh at what amuses me nor why things are amusing. I have illustrious company in my confusion, of course, Many of the great minds of history have brought their power of concentration to bear on the mystery of humour, and, to date, their conclusions are so contradictory and ephemeral that they cannot possibly be classified as scientific.

Many definitions of the comic are incomplete and many are simply rewording of things we already know. Aristotle, for example, defined the ridiculous as that which is incongruous but represents neither **er nor pain. But that seems to me to be a most inadequate sort of observation, for of at this minute I insert here the word rutabagas, I have introduced something in congruous, something not funny. Of course, it must be admitted that Aristotle did not claim that every painless in congruity is ridiculous but as soon as we have gone as far as this admission, we begin to see that we have come to grips with a ghost when we think have it pinned, it suddenly appears behind us, mocking us.

An all-embracing definition of humour has been attempted by many philosophers, but no definition, no formula had ever been devised that is entirely satisfactory. Aristotle's definition has come to be known loosely as the "disappointment" theory, or the "frustrated expectation", but he also, discussed another theory borrowed in part from Plato which states that the pleasure we derive in laughing is an enjoyment of the misfortune of others, due to a momentary feeling of superiority or gratified vanity in appreciation of the fact that we ourselves are not in the observed predicament.

第36题：Which of the following can be inferred from the first paragraph？

[A] People don't like to be considered as one with no sense of humour.

[B] People will give you a satisfactory answer to what humour is.

[C] People would like to be a liar or a coward.

[D] People can make light of other's comment on their sense of humour.

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第10题

A. seem to know how to control laughter B. reduce your blood pressureC. why people laugh D

A. seem to know how to control laughter B. reduce your blood pressure

C. why people laugh

D. the intake and release of air

E. the purpose of laughter is to reduce stress

F. the way it affects the immune system

Scientists do not have clear evidence as to______

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Why do we laugh？ For years scientists have asked themselves this question. No other animal