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 dialogue 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.
Humor is often the best way to keep a small misunderstanding from escalating into a big deal. Recently a neighbor of mine had a squabble with his wife as she drove him to the airport. Airborne, he felt miserable, and he knew she did, too. Two hours after she returned home, she received a long-distance phone call. “Person-to-person for Mrs. I. A. Pologize,” intoned the operator. “That’s spelled ‘P’ as in…” In a twinkling, the whole day changed from grim to lovely at both ends of the wire.
An English hostess with a quick wit was giving a formal dinner for eight distinguished guests whom she hoped to enlist in a major charity drive. Austerity（节俭）was a fashion in England at the time, and she had asked her children to serve the meal. She knew that anything could happen—and it did, just as her son, with the studied concentration of a tightrope walker, brought in a large roast turkey. He successfully elbowed the swinging dining-room door, but the backswing threw the bird onto the dining-room floor.
The boy stood rooted: guests stared at their plates. Moving only her head the hostess smiled at her son,” No harm, Daniel,” she said. “Just pick him up and take him back to the kitchen”… she enunciated clearly so he would think about what she was saying… “and bring in the other one.”
A wink and a one-liner instantly changed the dinner from a red-faced embarrassment to a conspiracy of fun.
1.What is the main idea of the passage?
A.Humor is the key to success in our work and our lives.
B.Humor enables us to cope with difficult situation effectively.
C.Humor is the only best way to criticize someone without losing his face.
D.Humor makes fun of any difficult situations.
2.Which of the following is NOT stated in the passage?
A.Comedians on TV are believed to have done a lot in making people more tolerant of racial and religious differences.
B.To make up differences, humor is a most acceptable as well as a most effective means.
C.People often turn to humorous ways when meeting with difficult situations because of its effectiveness.
D.Only by adopting the means of humor can one succeed in some jobs.
3.By saying “and bring in the other one,” the hostess meant that_________.
A.the son had to cook another turkey for the guests
B.she already had made more than one turkey ready for the dinner
C.some other dish would be served instead of a turkey
D.the son could serve the same turkey after it was cleaned
Expressions about water are almost as common as water itself.
The expression to be in hot water is a very old expression. Hot water was used five hundred years ago to mean being in trouble. One story says it got that meaning from the custom of throwing extremely hot water down on enemies attacking a castle.
That no longer happens. But we still get in hot water. When we are in hot water, we are in trouble. It can be any kind of trouble—serious or not so serious. A person who breaks a law can be in hot water with the police. A young boy can be in hot water with his mother, if he walks in the house with dirty shoes.
Being in deep water is almost the same as being in hot water. When you are in deep water, you are in a difficult position.
To keep your head above water is a colorful expression that means staying out of debt. A company seeks to keep its head above water during economic hard times. A man who loses his job tries to keep his head above water until he finds a new job.
Water over the dam is another expression about a past event. It is something that is finished. It cannot be changed. The expression comes from the idea that water that has flowed over a dam cannot be brought back again.
Another common expression to hold water, is about the strength or weakness of an idea or opinion that you may be arguing about. It probably comes from a way of testing the condition of a container.; If it can hold water, it is strong and has no holes in it. If your argument can hold water, it is strong and does not have any holes.
Throwing cold water also is an expression that deals with ideas or suggestions. It means to not like an idea. For example, you want to buy a new car because the old one has some problems. But your wife throws cold water on the idea, because she says a new car costs too much.
1.If Robert says he is in deep water, we may guess_________.
A.he is swimming under the water
B.he is tired of changing shoes
C.he nearly breaks a law
D.he faces a difficult choice
2.What can you say to your friend Jane, who is troubled by a mistake she has made?
A.Keep your head above water.
B.Throw cold water.
C.It is water over the dam.
D.It can hold water.
3.If your argument doesn’t hold water, then it is _________.
A.weak B. convincing C. logical D. disappointing
4.The passage explains the origins of the following expressions EXCEPT_________.
A.to be in hot water
B.to keep your head above water
C.water over the dam
D.to hold water
Watching television makes it easier for toddlers（学走路的孩子）to kick and scream, according to a U.S. study. Children under two should not watch any TV. The longer they sit in front of the box, the worse their behavior becomes.
Just having the TV on in the background, even if the child wasn’t watching it, was also connected to troublemaking behavior although the relationship wasn’t as strong, said the researchers.
“Parents should be smart about TV use,” researcher Jennifer Manganello from the University at Albany, New York, said.
“They should limit the time that children use TV, pay attention to the content of TV programs, and consider how TV is used throughout the home.”
The study looked at 3,128 women from 20 U.S. cities who had a child between 2005 and 2008.
While there was some diversity（差异）of education among the women, one-third hadn’t graduated from high school.
Two-thirds of the mothers said their three-year-old watched more than two hours of TV a day, and the average（平均的）viewing time for children was around three hours. On average, the TV was on for about five additional hours on a common day.
After accounting for factors（因素）such as living in a violent neighborhood, scientists also found watching TV was strongly connected to behavior such as hitting others, having angry moods, being disobedient（不服从的）, and screaming a lot.
The researchers thought that children may see violence on TV, and spend less time on positive development tasks such as reading or playing.
The American Academy of Paediatrics suggests no TV at all for children at two and younger, and two hours a day or less for older kids.
1.what is the main idea of the passage?
A.Children should choose positive programs.
B.Children should keep away from TV.
C.Watching TV can make children violent.
D.Parents should watch less TV.
2.what do we know from Paragraph 2?
A.Children can watch good programs.
B.Children will be affected as long as the TV is on.
C.It’s OK that the TV is on if children don’t watch it.
D.Children’s troublemaking behavior is mainly caused by watching TV.
3.what can be learned about the study between 2005~2008 from the passage?
A.The TV was on for about three hours.
B.The women studied have different jobs.
C.The study included men and women.
D.Most women allowed their child to watch TV.
4.Children who spend much time watching TV will ________.
A.not be hit by others
B.be influenced by others
C.become angry easily
D.know more about the neighborhood
—It’s too hot.
---Let’s open the windows to allow the air to_________.
A.pass B. cross C. circle D. circulate
--- _________?
---He was one of the most famous scientists in the world.
A.what did Edison look like
B.Why was Edison so famous
C.How would you describe Edison
D.What were Edison’s strengths
Servants, as employment that attracts more and more people, are not_________ as they were in the past.
A.looked down upon B. carried on
C.paid attention to D. referred to
