题文
Why do we laugh and get amusement from so many different things，from puns (双关语) to pratfalls? Why are some things funny to some people and not to others? How is that while a successful joke can cause pleasure，a sick one can cause serious harm?Over the centuries，various scholars have attempted to produce a universally agreed-upon theory of humor．Plato and Aristotle introduced the superiority(优越感) theory，the idea that people laugh at the misfortune of others．Their theory seems to explain teasing，but it doesn’t work well for knock-knock jokes．Sigmund Freud argued for his relief theory，the concept that humor is a way for people to release psychological tension and reveal their inner fears and desires．His theory works well for dirty jokes，less well for most puns．
The majority of humor expels today agree with the incongruity theory，the idea that humor arises when there’s a gap between what people expect to happen and what actually happens．Incongruity has a lot going for it — jokes with unexpected funny lines，for example，fit well．But scientists have found that in comedy，unexpectedness is overvalued．
With the goal of developing a new，more satisfactory explanation，I produced “the gentle violation(违背)theory”，the idea that humor arises when something seems wrong or threatening，but is actually OK or safe．A dirty joke，for example，trades on moral or social violations，but it’s only going to get a laugh if the person listening is open enough to consider the subject OK to talk about．Similarly，puns can be seen as linguistic violations that still make grammatical sense．
And while most humor theories have struggled to account for tickling (挠痒痒)，or just avoided the phenomenon altogether，my theory accounts for even this kind of laughter．Tickling involves violating someone’s physical space in a gentle way．People can’t tickle themselves — because it isn’t a violation．
小题1:What is the author’s attitude towards Plato and Aristotle’s theory?A．Critical．B．ApprovingC．uncaringD．Unclear小题2:According to Sigmund Freud’s theory，we can infer that __________ .A．people will laugh when they see others sufferB．telling dirty jokes is a relief of one’s nervous feelings ’C．unexpectedness can explain how humor worksD．tickling doesn’t involve psychological tension小题3:According to the author，why are some things funny to some people but not to others?A．Because the sense of humor varies greatly from person to person．B．Because people have different expectations for the same thing．C．Because some people lack the sense of safety deep in their heart．D．Because people’s understanding of violation is different．小题4:What is the author’s main purpose of writing this passage?A．To draw people’s attention to the research of humor．B．To criticize people’s misconceptions about humor．C．To explain what exactly causes people to laugh．D．To prove the sense of humor can be developed． 题型：未知难度：其他题型
答案
小题1:A
小题2:B
小题3:D
小题4:C
解析
试题分析: 一个笑话会让有的人捧腹大笑，而有的人却没有反应，甚至会心生恼怒，为什么人们的反应会有所不同呢？作者认为这是由于人们的文化程度不同，理解程度不同，以及人们内心接受的程度不同决定的。在本文中作者对此现象进行了分析，提出了几种不同的理论。
小题1:A。细节理解题。根据文章第二段内容Their theory seems to explain teasing，but it doesn’t work well for knock-knock jokes．…..．His theory works well for dirty jokes，less well for most puns．可知作者对Plato and Aristotle的理论是持批判态度的，答案选A。
小题2:B。细节理解题。根据文章第二段Sigmund Freud argued for his relief theory，the concept that humor is a way for people to release psychological tension and reveal their inner fears and desires．His theory works well for dirty jokes，less well for most puns．可知根据他的理论可知下流的笑话反应了人内心的恐惧和渴望，故答案选B。
小题3:D。细节理解题。从文章第四段作者举的例子A dirty joke，for example，…..Similarly，puns can be seen as linguistic violations that still make grammatical sense可以判断人们对笑话的不同反应是由人们的思想开放程度和文学素养决定的，换句话说也就是由一个人不同的理解认识程度决定的，故答案选D。
小题4:C。推理判断题。作者以设问的方式在文章开篇提出了几个问题，提出为什么人们对于笑话会有不同的反应，然后在下文提出了几个相关的理论进行解释，由此判断作者的写作目的就是解释什么会博得人们的笑声，故答案选C。
考点
据考高分专家说，试题“Why do we laugh and .....”主要考查你对 [日常生活类阅读 ]考点的理解。日常生活类阅读
日常生活类阅读的概念：
日常生活这一话题主要涉及人们衣食住行等方面的活动。这一话题的选材主要针对人们日常的工作，生活以及学习情况。做这一类题时，最主要的是要把握好人物的活动内容，时间和地点。
日常生活类阅读题答题技巧：
【题型说明】
该类文章内容涉及到人们的言谈举止、生活习惯、饮食起居、服饰仪表、恋爱婚姻、消遣娱乐、节日起源、家庭生活等。文章篇幅短小，追根溯源，探索各项风俗的历史渊源，内容有趣。命题也以送分题为主，如事实细节题、语义转换题、词义猜测题和简单推理判断题等。虽然这类文章读起来感觉轻松，试题做起来比较顺手，但绝不能掉以轻心。因为稍不留神，就会丢分。
【备考提醒】
为了保证较高准确率，建议同学们做好以下几点：
1、保持正常的考试心态。笔者在教学中发现，越是容易的试题，同学们越是容易失分。为什么呢？因为在这种情况下，同学们极易产生麻痹思想，认为题目好做，就不引起高度重视，于是思维不发散、不周密。而命题人就是利用同学们的这一弱点，设计陷阱题。所以，无论试题难易与否，我们都要保持正常的考试心态。试题容易，不欣喜；试题难，不悲观。
2、根据前面讲到的方法，认认真真、细细心心做好事实细节题。
3、做好语义转换题。这类题是根据英语中一词多义和某些词语在文中能表达一定的修辞意义的原则而设计的。要求同学们解释某生词的含义，确定多义词或短语在文中的意思，确认文中的某个代词所指代的对象，或者对英语中特有的表达、格言、谚语进行解释。这种题要求同学们一定要根据上下文猜测词义或理解句子，切不可望文生义。
4、做好简单推理判断题。简单推理判断题要以表面文字为前提，以具体事实为依据进行推理，做出判断。这种推理方式比较直接，只要弄清事实，即可结合常识推断出合理的结论。
