Question

The power of humor and laugher is numerous. They entertain us and make us feel good. But, above all, we have discovered that humor and laughter are the best medicine. They relieve pain, reduce stress and anxiety, and are anti-aging and longevity facilitators（促進者）.

They are extremely necessary for helping us to find and maintain a balance between life and work. However, they are slipping away from us. We have become far too serious. The only ones who still enjoy humor, laughter, fun and play to the fullest are young children. Children tend to laugh an average of 200 times a day. For adults, however, it is a totally different story.

In the 1950s people laughed on average 18 times a day. Today, we are lucky if we average between 4-6 times a day.

As a matter of fact, a recent study found that people laugh 6 more times in the presence of one person but 30 more times in a group of people. You can get a chuckle(咯咯笑) from jokes you get on the Internet, but it is not the same as belly jiggling laughter (a deep laugh) you get when you interact with others.

Socializing(交際) with friends and relatives was much looked forward to. However, this is no longer the case. In fact, the majority of people can hardly find time, nor do they have the inclination towards socializing outside home. They turn to electronic media such as television, computers, the Internet, videos, CDs, and audio equipment, which can provide them with instant self-entertainment at the push of a button.

The workplace does not fare(進展) much better. Due to the pressures to produce more in the same or fewer hours available and to compete, for example, in a manufacturing field with cheaper labor elsewhere in the world, humor and laughter in the workplace have gradually eroded（逐漸毀壞） away.

I have developed a real appreciation, perhaps closer to a strong desire for the power of humor and laughter. This encouraged me to write my first book titled “The Power of Humor” and subsequently my second book titled “Kids Say the Goggonest Things” based on the natural humor, laughter, play and fun that kids experience and they freely share with parents, grandparents and teachers.

From writing about humor and laughter, people start to ask me to speak up for them. To date, I have developed a number of humor-laughter topics that I use in my keynote presentations. You are invited to subscribe to my free monthly e-magazine “The Humormeister’s Forum” by clicking on the Free Humor E-zine navigation button on the website.

1.According to the author, laughter is leaving us partly because ________.

A. the pace of change in our lives is becoming faster

B. we fail to reflect on fun times in our lives

C. we treat everything in a serious way

D. humor of situations lies beneath

2.The fourth paragraph mainly tells us that ________.

A. researchers have made a new discovery about the effect of laughter

B. people laugh more heartily when spending time with others

C. we can entertain ourselves with the help of the Internet

D. getting a deep laugh nowadays is difficult

3.The underlined word “inclination” in Paragraph 5 most probably means “________”.

A. destination     B. tendency      C. attitude             D. approach

4.Which of the following articles can we most probably find in “The Humormeister’s Forum”?

A. The power of honesty.                                      

B. Don’t be your own worst enemy.

C. Live life purposefully: The relationship within.

D. Funny Christmas stories to share with your loved ones.

 

Answer 1

【答案】

 

1.C

2.B

3.B

4.D

【解析】

試題分析：文章介紹了作者認為幽默和笑聲有助于健康。與他人互動得到笑的次數才會更多，也才會笑得更發自內心。但現在人們既沒時間也沒有在外面與他人社交的趨向。人們可通過點擊幽默電子雜志上的導航按鈕上作者的幽默論壇參與幽默話題互動從而獲得更多健康笑聲。

1.推理題：根據第二段中“ We have become far too serious.”我們變得太嚴肅了。選項中只有C項“我們以一種很嚴肅的方式對待事物”符合語意。故選C。

2.推理題：閱讀第四段內容可知人們在聊天互動中笑的次數更多，更發自內心地笑。四選項中只有B項“人們在與其他人在一起時笑得更發自內心”。故選B。

3.推理題：劃線部分句意是“事實上,大多數人很難找到時間,他們也沒有在外面成為社交家的傾向�！盇. Destination目的地；B. Tendency傾向，趨勢；C. Attitude態度；D. Approach方法，途徑。故選B。

4.推理題：根據文章最后一句內容可知坐著的文章可在幽默電子雜志上找到，故只有D項符合。故選D。

考點：考查廣告類閱讀