A sense of humor is something highly valued. A person who has a great sense of humor is often considered to be happy and socially confident. However, humor is a double-edged sword. Sometimes it can damage self-respect and annoy others.
People who use bonding humor tell jokes and generally lighten the mood. They're thought to be good at reducing the tension in uncomfortable situations. They often make fun of their common experiences, and sometimes they may even laugh off their own misfortunes. The basic message they deliver is: We're all alike, we find the same things funny, and we're all in this together.
Put-down humor, on the other hand, is an aggressive type of humor used to criticize others through teasing. When it's aimed against politicians, as it often is, it's extremely funny and mostly harmless. But in the real world, it may have a harmful effect. An example of such humor is telling friends an embarrassing story about another friend. When challenged about their teasing, the put-down jokers might claim that they are "just kidding," thus allowing themselves to avoid responsibility. This type of humor, though considered by some people to be socially acceptable, may hurt the feelings of the one being teased and thus have a bad effect on personal relationships.
Finally, in hate-me humor, the joker is the target of the joke for the amusement of others. This type of humor was used by comedians John Belushi and Chris Farley—both of whom suffered for their success in show business. A small amount of such humor is charming, but routinely offering oneself up to be embarrassed destroys one's self-esteem, and fosters depression and anxiety.
So it seems that being funny isn't necessarily an indicator of good social skills and well-being. In certain cases, it may actually have a negative effect on interpersonal relationships.
1.In bonding humor, people create a relaxing atmosphere by ________.
A. joking about experiences they share
B. showing their personal relationships
C. teasing experiences of their friends
D. laughing at other's misfortunes
2.Which of the following is among the common targets of put-down humor?
A. Comedians. B. Jokers.
C. Politicians. D. Actors.
3.In the passage, the author mainly conveys ________.
A. humor can be classified into three kinds
B. humor has its bright side and dark side
C. humor deserves to be studied
D. humor is highly valued
假设你是李华，你的朋友Tom原计划暑假来你所在的城市旅游，为此你提前为他在一家酒店预定了一个房间，但他来电说因故要推迟一周。请给美籍酒店负责人写一封电子邮件，内容包括：
1.表示歉意；
2.说明情况；
3.改定日期。
注意：1.词数100左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3.开头和结尾已为你写好，不计入总词数。
Dear Sir or Madam,
I booked a room in your hotel for my friend Tom yesterday._______________________________________
_______________________________________________
Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及其修改均限一词;
2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
There used to be a factory near my house. The factory manager was blaming by the government because of the pollution had harmed people’s health. But even then, he paid not attention. Then the factory forced to stop production. The manager said angry, “Is there any fact that we had harmed people’s health yet? In fact, we haven’t.” Just then, a doctor came, with the result of a medical examine, saying the manager was suffering from cancer. This is very clear that the pollution has harmed not only other people’s health and also the manager himself. At last, he realized an importance of keeping the air clean.
Women of the Night?
I spent thirty-nine years of my life as an1.(educate). As a school administrator, I was ever fortunate to hire a retired headmaster from Fulton County. She was a delightful person and2.excellent teacher loved by everyone, children, parents and teachers. She taught in our system for some years. Later she passed away. Having taught with her, Jean and Sara thought it proper3.(attend) her funeral(葬礼). Not knowing where the funeral would be, they called a certain headmaster4.seemed to always keep up with the obituaries(讣闻).
When Jean and Sara arrived at the funeral, they5.(be)surprised to find very few people. They were sure that she was someone so loving and with the broad experience in education so she,6.(they)friend, should have more people at her funeral. They wanted to go away.7., the service had already begun and they were brought to the front seats.
They soon realized this was the funeral of a man who had been rude to his wife and who had not earned the right to heaven. Although they found themselves in a very serious atmosphere, they couldn’t help8.(laugh)with the humor of the situation.
9.(final), the service was over and as they left the church, they overheard someone ask, “Who were the 10.(lady)up front laughing so loudly?” wiping tears of laughter from their faces, Jean and Sara hurried to their car before meeting any of the family.
Yesterday I took my boys through the drive thru at McDonald’s. It was a hot day and they wanted a nice cool ______. So I said yes.
As I ordered I remembered a_________I made to myself a year ago..
The promise is that every time I drive through the drive thru, I pay for the car________ me. I made this promise ________ I go through the drive thru about 4 times a year. So it’s an easy one to keep and up until yesterday, I have _______that promise.
As I drove around to pay the cashier the $ 6 for our ________I really did not want to pay for the car_____
behind me.
In my head I begun to_______ myself out of it.
“It’s OK Nicole; you don’t have to”.
“This isn’t a(n) ________time. You haven’t much money this week”.
“And what if it’s a $ 40 order or________!”
That’s when the other ________stepped into my head. It’s never my own. It’s the wise voice, saying, “It’s ___the
time that you do it! It’s _______and good when you’re happy and rich. But love and kindness doesn’t ________that way. It’s conditional and only given when it_______ you!”
So I _______ it. 1 asked the cashier to ________the car order behind me to my card. Thankfully it was only $2.95. Can you believe it?
_____, that isn’t the point. The point is that I did it. By doing it I _______someone’s day, and _______them that there’s love and kindness in this world.
1.A. partner B. treat C. spot D. card
2.A. bargain B. choice C. promise D. mistake
3.A. behind B. without C. except D. before
4.A. if B. unless C. though D. because
5.A. stood up B. carried out C. broke into D. made up
6.A. car B. form C. name D. order
7.A. pulling up B. breaking down C. setting off D. speeding up
8.A. fool B. cheat C. talk D. evaluate
9.A. enough B. good C. current D. bad
10.A. more B. none C. less D. fewer
11.A. noise B. excuse C. voice D. question
12.A. exactly B. frequently C. legally D. approximately
13.A. strange B. impossible C. hard D. easy
14.A. play B. begin C. work D. end
15.A. hurts B. suits C. moves D. finds
16.A. hated B. forgot C. educated D. did
17.A. supply B. attract C. add D. lend
18.A. Gently B. Anyway C. Usually D. So
19.A. brighten B. widen C. appreciate D. waste
20.A. agree B. remember C. warn D. remind
It is common to experience culture shock when you are living in a foreign country for a period of time. But how to overcome your culture shock? 1.You needn’t feel anxious and confused in your new space.
Keep an open mind. 2.Refusing judgment and following the cultural differences will allow you to be an objective observer and will promote the process of cross-cultural understanding. Also, if you are going to a country which you know close to nothing about, do a little background information. 3.And who knows, you may find the reason for something you may not understand.
Make an effort to learn the local language and people. Being good at speaking the language can increase your communication skills and it helps you to connect with the local community. It also shows your interest in the new country. 4.Respectfully ask questions, read newspapers, and attend a variety of festivals and events.
5.Don’t be too hard on yourself if you make a cultural mistake or don’t know what to do in a social situation. Laugh at yourself and others will laugh with you. Just be a humorous person. Most people will admire your effort to understand their ways, especially if you are lack of judgment and cultural comparisons that skillfully and perhaps unconsciously express a veil of superiority.
A.Keep a sense of humor.
B.Avoid making any mistake.
C.Do not think anything that is different is “wrong”.
D.When you are in a foreign country, you’d better be kind-hearted.
E.Meanwhile, make sure you get to know people in your new environment.
F.As you learn more about the background information, keeping an open mind is necessary.
G.By adapting to a foreign culture, you can overcome it and develop relationships with some people.
