Module 4 Unit 3 A taste of English humour 同步阅读

Module 4 Unit 3 A taste of English humour 同步阅读
高考英语阅读理解（幽默类）
A
An old woman walked into a clothes shop. She asked the salesgirl to let her have a look at a new dress, but the girl stood still behind the counter(柜台), taking no notice of the request. The old woman spoke to the girl again, raising her voice a bit, but still received no answer. The old woman looked at the girl and nodded to herself, “I am too old to see well. I can’t even tell a plastic model from a real girl!”On hearing this, the salesgirl shouted to the old woman, “What? Did you call me a plastic model?” The old woman was greatly surprised. “Oh, dear me,” she said. “The model can speak!”1. What did the old woman go to the shop to do?A. To choose a dress. 　??????????????????????? B. To buy a dress for herself. C. To show off her dress.??????????????????????? D. To pick a quarrel with the salesgirl. 2. The salesgirl did not make a reply ________. A. because she didn’t see the old woman B. because she didn’t think the old woman had enough money for a new dressC. because she was too busy to notice the old woman D. for some reason unknown in this story3. It was not until that woman spoke for the _______ time that the salesgirl said something. A. first???????????????????????? B. secondC. third??????????????????????? D. fourth
4. When the old woman said, “I am too old to see well,” she _______. A. meant to say that she really had poor eyesightB. wanted the salesgirl to excuse her　C. was simply telling a lieD. was, in face, trying to make the salesgirl open her mouth5. What do you think the salesgirl would do on hearing this? She would ______. A. be too angry to say a word for a momentB. run and tell the shop-owner about itC. apologize to the old woman and do what she had been asked to doD. turn back and cry
B
Mrs. Janes gave music lessons at a school. She had a good voice and enjoyed singing, except that some of her high tones sound like a gate that had forgotten to oil. Mrs. Janes knew her weakness well, and took every chance she could find to practise these high notes. As she lived in a small house, where she could not practise without disturbing the rest of the family, she usually went for long walks along the country roads whenever she had time and practised her high notes there. Whenever she heard a car or a person coming along the road, she stopped and waited until she could no longer be heard before she started practicing again, because she was a shy person. ??? One afternoon, a fast, opened car came up behind her so silently and so fast that she didn’t hear it until it was only a few yards from her. She was singing some of her highest and most difficult tones at that time and as the car passed; she saw an anxious expression came over the driver’s face. He stopped his car suddenly, jumped out and began to examine all his tyres carefully. ??? Mrs. Janes didn’t dare to tell him what the noise he had heard really was, so he got back into the car and drove off.
1. How did Mrs. Janes sing? ??? A. She sang well, but she didn’t practise singing hard. ??? B. She enjoyed singing, but she had a terrible voice. ??? C. She was a good singer, but she could not sing the high tones well. ??? D. She sang terribly, she was no singer at all.
2. Why did she go for long walks along the country roads? ??? A. Because she enjoyed the country’s fresh air. ??? B. Because she was afraid to disturb the rest of the family. ??? C. Because she lived in a small house far away. ??? D. Because she was afraid to practise the high tones. 3. Why did the driver stop his car suddenly and jump out of it? ??? A. Because he supposed something must have gone wrong with his car. ??? B. Because he was moved by the pretty voice of Mrs. Janes. ??? C. Because he wondered what had happened to Mrs. Janes. ??? D. Because he frightened by the terrible voice of Mrs. Janes. 4. Where did the noise come from? ??? A. From the small house.???????????????? B. From Mrs. Janes’ voice. ??? C. From the types.????????????????????????? D. From the engine.
C
Biologically, there is only one quality which distinguishes us from animals: the ability to laugh. In a universe which appears to be utterly devoid of humor, we enjoy this supreme luxury. And it is a luxury, for unlike any other bodily process, laughter does not seem to serve a biologically useful purpose. In a divide world, laughter is a unifying force. Human beings oppose each other on a great many issues. Nations may disagree about systems of government and human relations may be plagued by ideological factions and political camps, but we all share the ability to laugh. And laughter, in turn, depends on that most complex and subtle of all human qualities: a sense of humor Certain comic stereotypes have a universal appeal. This can best be seen from the world-wide popularity of Charlie Chaplin’s early films. The little man at odds with society never fails to amuse no matter which country we come from. As that great commentator on human affairs, Dr. Samuel Johnson, once remarked, ‘Men have been wise in very different modes; but they have always laughed in the same way.’
?????? A sense of humor may take various forms and laughter may be anything from a refined tingle to an earth quaking roar, but the effect is always the same. Humor helps us to maintain a correct sense of values. It is the one quality which political fanatics appear to lack. If we can see the funny side, we never make the mistake of taking ourselves too seriously. We are always reminded that tragedy is not really far removed from comedy, so we never get a lop sided view of things.
?????? This is one of the chief functions of satire and irony. Human pain and suffering are so grim; we hover so often on the brink of war; political realities are usually enough to plunge us into total despair. In such circumstances, cartoons and satirical accounts of somber political events redress the balance. They take the wind out of pompous and arrogant politicians who have lost their sense of proportion. They enable us to see that many of our most profound actions are merely comic or absurd. We laugh when a great satirist like Swift writes about war in Gulliver’s Travels.? The Lilliputians and their neighbors attack each other because they can’t agree which end to break an egg. We laugh because we meant to laugh; but we are meant to weep too. It is too powerful a weapon to be allowed to flourish.
?????? The sense of humor must be singled out as man’s most important quality because it is associated with laughter. And laughter, in turn, is associated with happiness. Courage, determination, initiative – these are qualities we share with other forms of life. But the sense of humor is uniquely human. If happiness is one of the great goals of life, then it is the sense of humor that provides the key.
?
1.?????? The most important of all human qualities is [A] a sense of humor.[B] A sense of satire.[C] A sense of laughter.[D] A sense of history.
2.?????? The author mentions about Charlie Chaplin’s early films because[A] they can amuse people.[B] Human beings are different from animals.[C] They show that certain comic stereotypes have a universal appeal.[D] They show that people have the same ability to laugh.
3.?????? One of the chief functions of irony and satire is[A] to show absurdity of actions.[B] to redress balance.[C] to take the wind out of politicians.[D] to show too much grimness in the world.
4.?????? What do we learn from the sentence ‘it is too powerful a weapon to be allowed to flourish in totalitarian regimes?’[A] It can reveal the truth of political events with satire.[B] It can arouse people to riot.[C] It shows tragedy and comedy are related.[D] It can make people laugh.
5.?????? ?Who is Swift?[A] A novelist.[B] A poet.[C] A dramatist.[D] A essayist.
D
His ignorance was as remarkable as his knowledge. Of contemporary literature, philosophy and politics he appeared to know next to nothing. Upon my quoting Thomas Carlyle, he inquired in the naivest way who he might be and what he had done. My surprise reached a climax, however, when I found incidentally that he was ignorant of the Copernican Theory and of the composition of the Solar system.? “You appear to be astonished, ” Holmes said, smiling at my expression. “Now that I do know it I shall do my best to forget it. You see, I consider that a man’s brain originally is like a little empty attic, and you have to stock it with such furniture as you choose: A fool takes in all the lumber of every sort that he comes across, so that the knowledge which might be useful to him gets crowded out, or at best jumbled up with a lot of other things, so that he has difficulty in laying his hand upon it. It is a mistake to think that the little room has elastic walls and can distend to any extent. Depend upon it, there comes a time when for every addition of knowledge you forget something that you know before. It is of the highest importance, therefore, not to have useless facts elbowing out the useful ones.”? “But the Solar System! ” I protested.? “What the deuce is it to me?” he interrupted impatiently.? One morning, I picked up a magazine from the table and attempted to while away the time with it, while my companion munched silently at his toast. One of the articles had a pencil mark at the heading, and I naturally began to run my eye through it.? Its somewhat ambitious title was “The Book of Life, ” and it attempted to show how much an observant man might learn by an accurate and systematic examination of all that came in his way. It struck me as being a remarkable mixture of shrewdness and of absurdity. The reasoning was close and intense, but the deduction appeared to me to be far-fetched and exaggerated. The writer claimed by a momentary expression, a twitch of a muscle or a glance of an eye, to fathom a man’s inmost thought. Deceit, according to him, was impossibility in the case of one trained to observation and analysis. His conclusions were as infallible as so many propositions of Euclid. So startling would his results appear to the uninitiated that until they learned the processes by which he had arrived at them they might well consider him as a necromancer.? “From a drop of water, ”said the writer, “a logician could infer the possibility of an Atlantic. So all life is a great chain, the nature of which is known whenever we are shown a single link of it. Like all other arts, the science of Deduction and Analysis is one which can be acquired by long and patient study, nor is life long enough to allow any mortal to attain the highest possible perfection in it. ”? This smartly written piece of theory I could not accept until a succession of evidences justified it.1. What is the author’s attitude toward Holmes?　　[A]Praising.[B]Critical.[C]Ironical.[D]Distaste.2.? What way did the author take to stick out Holmes’ uniqueness?[A]By deduction.[B]By explanation.[C]By contrast.[D]By analysis.3. What was the Holmes’ idea about knowledge-learning?[A]Learning what every body learned.[B]Learning what was useful to you.[C]Learning whatever you came across.[D]Learning what was different to you.4. What did the article mentioned in the passage talk about?[A]One may master the way of reasoning through observation.[B]One may become rather critical through observation and analysis.[C]One may become rather sharp through observation and analysis.[D]One may become practical through observation and analysis.
1【答案与解析】文章讲的是一个老妇人在服装店与售货员小姐的笑话。
1. A。事实细节题。从She asked the salesgirl to let her have a look at a new dress可知答案A正确。2. D。事实细节题。阅读全文可知文章未提到售货员小姐未回答的原因，故答案选D。3. C。事实细节题。前两次老妇人要求看衣服都未被理睬, 当她第三次开口说原来是个塑料模特时服务小姐才开口，故答案选C。4. D。推理判断题。从 老夫人的语气“Oh, dear me,” she said, “The model can speak” 可知她有意想让售货员小姐开口，即答案选D。。5. A。推理判断题。当售货员小姐听老夫人说她是塑料模特时，听了之后她肯定会很生气，便开口说话，这是意想之中的；B项明显对服务小姐不利；C项从她的话 “What? Did you call me a plastic model?”可知她不会向老妇人道歉；D项程度太深, 不至于。故答案选A。
2【答案与解析】 Mrs. Janes 喜欢唱歌，但她的高音很难听，于是她就沿乡村小路在没有人的时候练习。一天，她没有注重到一辆汽车经过，司机听到声音，以为是车轮胎出了毛病。1. C。推理判定题。根据第1段第 2 句She had a good voice and enjoyed singing, except that some of her high tones sound like a gate that had forgotten to oil(她歌唱得好，也喜欢唱，只是某些高音符听起来像忘了加油的门)可推知她是一个好歌手，只是某些高音符唱不好。故答案为C。
2. B。推理判定题。根据第1段倒数第 2 句As she lived in a small house, where she could not practise without disturbing the rest of the family 可知因为她住的房子很小，一练歌就打搅其他人。可推知他是怕打搅其他人。故答案为B。3. A。推理判定题。根据第2段最后两句she saw an anxious expression came over the driver’s face. He stopped his car suddenly, jumped out and began to examine all his tyres carefully 司机焦虑的表情和忽然停车、跳出车、仔细检查轮胎一系列动作，可推知司机以为是他的车出毛病了。故答案为A。4. B。推断题第2段第 2 句She was singing some of her highest and most difficult tones at that time and as the car passed可推知司机听到的声音是Mrs. Janes 练高音符发出的声音。故答案为B。
3答案详解
1.?????? A 幽默感。文章一开始就提出人类有别于动物是人有笑的功能，世界纷争繁杂、人际关系因意识观点差异而对峙，国家制度不一，但人们都能笑。笑基于人类最复杂而又微妙的品质――幽默感。反过来说没有幽默感的人恐怕难以笑。第二段正式指出：幽默感表现形式多种多样，而笑可由微笑到狂笑种种，但其效果相同，幽默感有助于我们保持正确的价值观。这是政治狂热者所缺乏的特征。如果我们能看见滑稽可笑的一面，我们就不会犯过于看重自己的错误。我们总会记得悲剧离喜剧不愿，因此，我们不会有偏重某一测的观点。第四段画龙点睛的指出幽默是人类最重要的特征，因为它和笑声结合在一起。而笑又是和幸福联系在一起。勇气、决心、创造力特征，我们和其他生命形式共享，而幽默感是人类所独有的。如果幸福是我们生活的伟大目标，那幽默感就是开启幸福的钥匙。B.讽刺感。这是第三段讲的内容，讽刺的功能，但不是人类最重要的特征。C.笑感。D.历史观点。
2.?????? C 作者提卓别林的电影的目的是证明某些喜剧模式对全世界都有吸引力。A.它可以取悦任何人。B.人类和动物不同。D.证明人有同样笑的功能。
3.?????? B使各种事情重新相等和均衡。第三段着重讲了这一点。人类在痛苦中挣扎，常处于战争的边缘。政治实现令人绝望，在这种处境中，对某些政治事物的讽刺挖苦和漫画可以使各种心理重新平衡，可使失去均衡感的政客地下高傲头颅；可使我看见许多深邃的事情荒谬可笑。A.表现行为的荒唐。C.使政治家气馁。D.表现世界上太多的令人沮丧之事。
4.?????? A它可以以讽刺的手法解释政治时间的真相。B.这可促使人民暴动。C.它表示了悲剧和喜剧相联系。D.它能使人哭。
5.?????? A小说家。B.诗人。C.戏剧家。D.散文家。
4.答案详解 1.? ? ? A 赞扬。作者以无知烘托人物之有知，以他本人的反对批评观点来证明人物的正确。否定及所谓机刺旨在铺垫。正反对比赞扬福之精明强悍，才智超人，洞察力强。 我的错因：这篇文章偶是半做半猜的。主要是我不知道D选项Distaste.的意思是讨厌。如果知道的话，第一题我可能会再想想。我以为dis＋tast应该是不好做出评价的意思，就乱选了。 不过如果我能猜出这节选自福尔摩斯，偶就不会猜错了……这种作者的语气题，我以后一定要多注意。2.? ? ? C 作者采用对比手法。3.? ? ? B 学习对你有用之物。第二段福之表白，他把头脑比作一个小小的空屋，不能随意选择家具（知识）塞满空间，应选择“有用之才”，免得填满了废物，把有用之才挤出去。 4.? ? ? C 通过观察和分析人会变得很敏锐。最后二段都是讲福所写文章的内容。善于观察和分析的人可以一眼看透人之本质，一点水能知大西洋。这种一叶知秋的本领是通过长期观察、分析研究而得。也就是说，通过观察分析，人可以变得敏感聪慧，因为万物都有联系。