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 in totalitarian regimes.
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 ______.
2. The author mentions about Charlie Chaplin’s early films because ______.
3. One of the chief functions of irony and satire is ______.
4. What do we learn from the sentence ‘it is too powerful a weapon to be allowed to flourish in totalitarian regimes’?
5. Who is Swift?
问题1选项
A.a sense of humor
B.a sense of satire
C.a sense of laughter
D.a sense of history
问题2选项
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
问题3选项
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
问题4选项
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.
问题5选项
A.A novelist.
B.A poet.
C.A dramatist.
D.An essayist.
第1题:A
第2题:C
第3题:B
第4题:A
第5题:A
第1题:
【选项释义】
The most important of all human qualities is ______. 所有人类品质中最重要的是______。
A. a sense of humor A. 幽默感
B. a sense of satire B. 讽刺感
C. a sense of laughter C. 笑感
D. a sense of history D. 历史感
【考查点】细节事实题。
【解题思路】根据最后一段第一句“幽默感必须单独列为人类最重要的品质,因为它与笑声有关”可知,人类品质中最重要的是幽默感,该题选择A项。
【干扰项排除】
B项“讽刺感”在文章提到,但不是人类最重要的特征,该项属于出处错位;
C项“笑感”是幽默感的一种展现形式,该项属于以偏概全;
D项“历史感”没有提到,该项属于无中生有。
第2题:
【选项释义】
The author mentions about Charlie Chaplin’s early films because ______. 作者提到卓别林的早期电影是因为______。
A. they can amuse people A. 它可以取悦任何人
B. human beings are different from animals B. 人类和动物不同
C. they show that certain comic stereotypes have a universal appeal C. 证明某些滑稽的模式具有普遍的吸引力
D. they show that people have the same ability to laugh D. 证明人有同样笑的功能
【考查点】细节事实题。
【解题思路】根据题干定位至第一段第九句“从查理•卓别林早期电影在世界范围内广受欢迎就可以看出这一点”,其中“这一点”指的是上一句提到的“某些滑稽的模式具有普遍的吸引力”,理解可知作者提到卓别林的早期电影是为了证明某些喜剧模式对全世界都有吸引力,该题选择C项“证明某些滑稽的模式具有普遍的吸引力”。
【干扰项排除】
A项“它可以取悦任何人”没有提及,且该项表述太绝对,属于无中生有;
B项“人类和动物不同”和D项“证明人有同样笑的功能”在文章开头提到,但是与作者提到卓别林的早期电影无关,这两项属于出处错位。
第3题:
【选项释义】
One of the chief functions of irony and satire is ______. 讽刺挖苦的主要功能之一是______。
A. to show absurdity of actions A. 显示行为的荒谬
B. to redress balance B. 重新调整平衡
C. to take the wind out of politicians C. 使政治家气馁
D. to show too much grimness in the world D. 展示世界上太多的残酷
【考查点】推理判断题。
【解题思路】根据题干定位至文章第三段前半部分的内容“这是讽刺挖苦的主要功能之一。人类在痛苦中挣扎,常处于战争的边缘,政治现实令人绝望。在这种处境中,对某些政治事件的讽刺挖苦和漫画可以使各种心理重新平衡。它们让那些傲慢自大的政客们低下高傲的头颅。它们使我们看到,我们许多最深刻的行为仅仅是滑稽或荒谬的。”,从中可知,讽刺挖苦的功能是让人们在残酷的现实中使各种心理重新平衡,所以B项“重新调整平衡”符合题意。
【干扰项排除】
A项“显示行为的荒谬”是重新调整平衡的其中一种结果,该项属于以偏概全;
C项“使政治家气馁”只是讽刺挖苦的结果,最终目的是寻求心理平衡,该项属于曲解原文;
D项“展示世界上太多的残酷”,讽刺挖苦的功能是从残酷中调整平衡,而不是展示残酷,该项属于曲解原文。
第4题:
【选项释义】
What do we learn from the sentence ‘it is too powerful a weapon to be allowed to flourish in totalitarian regimes’? 我们从“它是一种过于强大的武器,不能让它在极权主义政权中蓬勃发展”这句话中学到了什么?
A. It can reveal the truth of political events with satire. A. 它能以讽刺的方式揭露政治事件的真相。
B. It can arouse people to riot. B. 它能引起暴动。
C. It shows tragedy and comedy are related. C. 它表明悲剧和喜剧是相关的。
D. It can make people laugh. D. 它能使人发笑。
【考查点】推理判断题。
【解题思路】根据题干可定位至文章倒数第三段最后一句,而该段主要讲述的是讽刺的功能,即对某些政治事件的讽刺挖苦和漫画让那些傲慢自大的政客们失去了分寸感,让人们在绝望残酷的政治事实中寻求平衡,然后就用讽刺作家斯威夫特的作品《格列佛游记》举例,以讽刺的手法描绘战争,虽然令人发笑,但最终的结果必定会使人类遭受痛苦;综合理解可推断,最后一句“它是一种过于强大的武器,不能让它在极权主义政权中蓬勃发展”中的“它”指的是“对某些政治事件的讽刺挖苦和漫画”,而这些讽刺挖苦恰恰揭露了政治事件的真相,所以该题选择A项“它能以讽刺的方式揭露政治事件的真相”符合题意。
【干扰项排除】
B项“它能引起暴动”没有提及,该项属于无中生有;
C项“它表明悲剧和喜剧是相关的”,文章关注的不是悲剧和喜剧的相关性,该项属于曲解原文;
D项“它能使人发笑”,原文提到“它能使人发笑,但也会让人哭泣”,该项表述不全面,属于以偏概全。
第5题:
【选项释义】
Who is Swift? 斯威夫特是谁?
A. A novelist. A. 小说家。
B. A poet. B. 诗人。
C. A dramatist. C. 剧作家。
D. An essayist. D. 散文家。
【考查点】推理判断题。
【解题思路】根据题干定位至第三段第六句“当斯威夫特这样伟大的讽刺作家在《格列佛游记》中描写战争时,我们会发笑”,其中提到writer说明斯威夫特是一位作家,而《格列佛游记》是一部讽刺小说,所以推断斯威夫特是一位小说家,该题选择A项“小说家”符合题意。
【干扰项排除】B项“诗人”、C项“剧作家”和D项“散文家”都属于曲解原文。