Unit 3 A taste of English humour
课时作业
Ⅰ.阅读理解
A culture's values can be mirrored by its humor. Humor has been evaluated by many great minds such as Thomas Hobbes, who disliked humor, “Laughter is nothing else but sudden glory arising from some sudden thought of feeling far better than others.” He thought humor to be a negative quality of human narrowmindedness.
However, Mordechai Gordon, PhD 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 (隐喻地) airplaneing 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 selfimage. On the topic of selfimage, 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
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outstanding funny bone in a potential partner.
Of course, humor is not always used for good purposes. Humor can be linked to vulgarity (庸俗) 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 life may seem tough and depressing at times, all I have to do is look in the mirror at my increased wrinkles (皱纹) 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. 篇章导读：本文是一篇议论文。文章作者通过论证认为，一种文化的价值观可以通过其幽默反映出来，并决定用幽默的态度来面对生活。
1．Hobbes believed that humor ________.
A．was only a way to laugh at others to make oneself feel better B．resulted in narrowmindedness of human beings
C．had the power to mirror personal glory and national values D．was for people to view the world from another angle
答案：A 细节理解题。根据文章第一段可知，Thomas Hobbes不喜欢幽默，并从他的话“Laughter is nothing else but ... thought of feeling far better than others.”可知，他认为幽默仅仅是嘲笑别人并让自己感觉更好的一种方法而已。应选A。
2．What is the author's attitude towards political humor? A．Worried. C．Curious.
B．Disappointed. D．Appreciative.
答案：D 观点态度题。根据文章第三段中的“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？”及“They make politics fun.”可知，作者对于政治幽默持赞赏的态度。appreciative “欣赏的，赏识的”。
3．The fourth paragraph is developed mainly ________. A．by example C．by comparison
B．by process D．by classification
答案：A 细节理解题。根据第四段中的第四句及下文中的解释可知，作者是通过举例子来支撑自己的观点的。故选A。
4．What can we learn from the last two paragraphs? A．Chaplin wasn't aware of being laughed at.
B．The author feels helpless and sad about getting older.
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C．Never be the one who laughs at other people.
D．The author is determined to face life with a sense of humor.
答案：D 推理判断题。根据倒数第二段中的“to know that there is a comedy out there”和最后一段中的“remember to laugh with humanity”可知，作者积极肯定幽默的价值，决定以幽默的态度来面对生活。故选D。
(2020·甘肃省会宁一中高三第一次月考)The word “OK” is the most frequently spoken allpurpose expression on the planet—and it's turning 176 years old on March 23, 2015. The term was born during a 19thcentury abbreviation (缩写) craze and went on to international fame with its own hand gesture.
Last year, Henry Nass, a 64yearold retired English teacher, a New Yorker had spent the last few weeks handing out cards championing “Global OK Day” in advance of the coming anniversary.
“No matter where people are from they use the word ‘OK’， but they don't know where it comes from，” says Nass. “The problem is because it's just, you know, OK.”
The word is OK, perhaps, but its history is definitely better than average. Late etymologist Allen Walker Read traced the twoletter word to 1839, when editors at the Boston Morning Post signed off on articles as “all correct” with a simple word “OK”．
The word made it into print on March 23 of that year, in an article against a rival editor in Providence who had stated wrongly that a band of Bostonians heading to New York would pass through the Rhode Island capital.
“We said not a word about our team passing ‘through the city’ of Providence，” the Morning Post reported. “O.K.—all correct.”
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The humor of the ProvidenceBoston joke has been lost to history—but the word OK took_off from there, soon connoting (隐含) agreement, acceptance, averageness, quality or likability.
By 1840, it served as a slogan for President Martin Van Buren's unsuccessful reelection campaign. “Old Kinderhook is OK，” posters stated, a reference to the eighth president's birthplace and his supporters' belief in his satisfactory performance.
篇章导读：本文是一篇说明文。文章就“OK”这个词的历史进行展开，介绍了它的来源及发展史。
5．Why did Henry Nass hand out cards?
A．To let people understand the history of the word “OK”． B．To call on people to use the word “OK” properly. C．To appeal to people to celebrate OK Day. D．To attract people's attention.
答案：C 细节理解题。根据第二段中的“a New Yorker, had spent the last few weeks handing out cards championing ‘Global OK Day’ in advance of the coming anniversary”可知，他分发卡片是支持“全球OK日”，是为了呼吁人们庆祝这个节日。故选C。
6．What does the author want to convey in Paragraph 4? A．The history of the word “OK” is known to average people. B．The history of the word “OK” is unfamiliar to people. C．People frequently use the word “OK” in history. D．People are fond of the word “OK” in history.
答案：B 推理判断题。根据第四段第一句“The word is OK, perhaps, but its history is definitely better than average.”可知，“OK”这个词可能很普及，但是它的历史绝对不够普及，由此推知“OK”这个词的历史对人们来说是陌生的。故选B。
7．What does the underlined phrase “took off” in Paragraph 7 probably mean? A．Got off. C．Moved off.
B．Set up. D．Became popular.
答案：D 词义猜测题。根据第七段“The humor of the ProvidenceBoston joke has been lost to history—but the word OK took_off from there, soon connoting (隐含) agreement, acceptance, averageness, quality or likability.”可知，关于Providence－Bostom的笑话已经是过去的历史了，但是“OK”这个词从此风靡，很快就包含了同意、接受、普通、优质的和可爱的意思，即“OK”这个词变得受欢迎。故选D。
8．We can learn from the text that Kinderhook is ________ of the eighth American
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president.
A．the name C．the policy
B．the birthplace D．the belief
答案：B 推理判断题。根据最后一段中的“‘Old Kinderhook is OK，’ posters stated, a reference to the eighth president's birthplace and his supporters' belief in his satisfactory performance.”可知，那是第八任总统的出生地。故选B。
Ⅱ.七选五
(2020·石家庄市重点高中高三毕业班摸底考试)Many people believe that there is some truth in the saying “Laughter is the best medicine.” __1__ Laughter helps relieve pain, strengthen the immune system and reduce stress. Laughter stimulates (激发) hormones which make us feel happy. Laughter also increases the flow of blood throughout the body and has benefits which are similar to the ones you get by doing exercise.
__2__ Children exposed to funny films and cartoons before major medical procedures are able to cope better with pain and anxiety. __3__ These are professional clowns who are sent to hospitals and wards to entertain and distract sick children.
Laughter therapy has become very popular in recent years and as a result, more and more laughter clubs are starting to open up in cities and towns all over the world. At a laughter session, a trained therapist instructs the group to perform a series of exercises which are designed to produce laughter. __4__ And it takes them some time to get rid of their inhibitions (拘谨). They might even start off with fake laughter, but this doesn't matter because our bodies can't tell the difference, and the results are the same. Moreover, laughter is contagious (有感染力的)．__5__
So next time you feel ill, stressed out or depressed, try watching a funny film or try remembering an amusing incident in your life. You will soon feel better.
A．If one person starts giggling, it is unavoidable that everyone else will be drawn in.
B．Laughter helps you focus.
C．This finding has led to so－called clown doctors.
D．In fact, research done by scientists has shown that laughter has a lot of health benefits.
E. Laughter makes the world a better and more colorful place. F．Some people may find the idea embarrassing at first.
G．Using laughter therapy in children's hospitals has proven to be invaluable.
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(全国统考)2021高考英语一轮复习第1编话题五Book4Unit3AtasteofEnglishhumour课时作业(含解析)
