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Biologically, there is only one quality which distinguishes usfrom animals: the ability to laugh. In a universe which appears tobe utterly devoid of humor, we enjoy this supreme luxury. Andit is a luxury, for unlike any other bodily process, laughter doesnot seem to serve a biologically useful purpose. In a divideworld, laughter is a unifying force. Human beings oppose eachother on a great many issues. Nations may disagree aboutsystems of government and human relations may be plaguedby ideological factions and political camps, but we all share the ability to laugh. And laughter, inturn, depends on that most complex and subtle of all human qualities: a sense of humor Certaincomic stereotypes have a universal appeal. This can best be seen from the world-wide popularity ofCharlie Chaplin’s early films. The little man at odds with society never fails to amuse no matterwhich 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 thesame way.’
A sense of humor may take various forms and laughter may be anything from a refined tingle toan earth quaking roar, but the effect is always the same. Humor helps us to maintain a correctsense of values. It is the one quality which political fanatics appear to lack. If we can see the funnyside, we never make the mistake of taking ourselves too seriously. We are always reminded thattragedy 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; wehover so often on the brink of war; political realities are usually enough to plunge us into totaldespair. In such circumstances, cartoons and satirical accounts of somber political events redressthe balance. They take the wind out of pompous and arrogant politicians who have lost their senseof proportion. They enable us to see that many of our most profound actions are merely comic orabsurd. We laugh when a great satirist like Swift writes about war in Gulliver’s Travels. TheLilliputians and their neighbors attack each other because they can’t agree which end to break anegg. We laugh because we meant to laugh; but we are meant to weep too. It is too powerful aweapon to be allowed to flourish.
The sense of humor must be singled out as man’s most important quality because it is associatedwith 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. Ifhappiness 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 intotalitarian 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.
答案詳解：
1. A 幽默感。文章一開始就提出人類有別于動物是人有笑的功能，世界紛爭繁雜、人際關系因意識觀點差異而對峙，國家制度不一，但人們都能笑。笑基于人類最復雜而又微妙的品質――幽默感。反過來說沒有幽默感的人恐怕難以笑。第二段正式指出：幽默感表現形式多種多樣，而笑可由微笑到狂笑種種，但其效果相同，幽默感有助于我們保持正確的價值觀。這是政治狂熱者所缺乏的特征。如果我們能看見滑稽可笑的一面，我們就不會犯過于看重自己的錯誤。我們總會記得悲劇離喜劇不愿，因此，我們不會有偏重某一測的觀點。第四段畫龍點睛的指出幽默是人類最重要的特征，因為它和笑聲結合在一起。而笑又是和幸福聯系在一起。勇氣、決心、創造力特征，我們和其他生命形式共享，而幽默感是人類所獨有的。如果幸福是我們生活的偉大目標，那幽默感就是開啟幸福的鑰匙。
B.諷刺感。這是第三段講的內容，諷刺的功能，但不是人類最重要的特征。C.笑感。D.歷史觀點。
2. C 作者提卓別林的電影的目的是證明某些喜劇模式對全世界都有吸引力。
A.它可以取悅任何人。B.人類和動物不同。D.證明人有同樣笑的功能。
3. B使各種事情重新相等和均衡。第三段著重講了這一點。人類在痛苦中掙扎，常處于戰爭的邊緣。政治實現令人絕望，在這種處境中，對某些政治事物的諷刺挖苦和漫畫可以使各種心理重新平衡，可使失去均衡感的政客地下高傲頭顱；可使我看見許多深邃的事情荒謬可笑。
A.表現行為的荒唐。C.使政治家氣餒。D.表現世界上太多的令人沮喪之事。
4. A它可以以諷刺的手法解釋政治時間的真相。
B.這可促使人民暴動。C.它表示了悲劇和喜劇相聯系。D.它能使人哭。
5. A小說家。
B.詩人。C.戲劇家。D.散文家。
詞匯：
1. devoid 沒有，缺乏
2. plague n.瘟疫，惹人煩惱的人和事v.給……造成麻煩，痛苦，困難
3. faction 派別
4. comic stereotype 可笑/滑稽的模式
5. commentator （集注）作者，評論員，解說員
6. tinkle n.一連串的丁零聲，電話聲，v.使發出丁零聲
7. fanatic 狂熱者（尤指宗教、政治的狂熱）
8. lop-sided 不均勻的
9. hover 翱翔，盤旋；彷徨
10. somber 低沉的，暗淡的，嚴峻的
11. redress 糾正，補償
12. pompous 自大的，浮夸的
13. arrogant 傲慢的
14. proportion 均衡，勻稱，平衡，比例
15. Lilliputian 微型的，極小的，源自《格列佛游記》中的小人國里的人
16. totalitarian 極權主義的
17. regime 政體，政權，統治方式或制度
難句譯注：
1． In a divided world, laughter is a unifying force.
【參考譯文】在分裂的世界中，笑是一種促成一致（團結）的力量。
2． Human relations may be plagued by ideological factions andpolitical camps,
【參考譯文】人際關系可能因思想意識派別和政治陣營的不同而受侵擾。
3． Certain comic stereotypes have a universal appeal.
【參考譯文】某些滑稽的模式具有全球性的效果。
4． Charlie Chaplin查理•卓別林1889-1977，英國諷刺滑稽劇及電影演員，導演及制片人。
5． At odds with society和社會格格不入。
6． Dr. Samuel Johnson撒繆爾•約翰生，1709-1784，英國辭典編撰者及作家。
7． A sense of humor may take various forms and laughter may be anything from a refined tinkleto an earth quaking roar.
【參考譯文】幽默感表現的方式多種多樣，笑也許是銀鈴般優雅輕笑，也許是震耳欲聾的放聲大笑。
8． If we can see the funny side, we never make the mistake of taking ourselves too seriously.
【參考譯文】如果我們能見到可笑的一面，我們就不會犯這種錯誤：對自己看得過重（自以為了不起）。
9． We are always reminded that tragedy is not really far removed from comedy, so we never geta lop-sided view of things.
【參考譯文】我們會經常提醒自己禍兮福所伏（悲劇離喜劇實際并不遙遠），那我們決不會偏執一詞地看事物。
10． Take the wind out of sb’s sails使某人氣餒或泄氣。
11． Swift Jonathan swift喬納森•斯威夫特1667-1745，英國作家，生于都柏林，曾獲牛津大學碩士，三一學院神學博士學位，1688年到英國，后加入英國國教會。他同情英國統治下的愛爾蘭人民，積極參加他們為爭取自由和民族獨立的斗爭。他以政治諷刺文著世，其文筆犀利、諷刺尖銳、文章推理嚴密，用詞簡潔、語言樸實清晰，被認為是英語的典范，《格列佛游記》是他的代表作之一。
12． We laugh because we are meant to laugh; but we are meant to weep too.
【結構簡析】mean to do是打算或注定要…，一般用于被動。
【參考譯文】我們笑是因為想笑，可是我們也想哭。是指小人國和鄰國僅僅為打雞蛋一類小事而打仗可笑，確實也是可悲。作者結合現實指出是人類悲劇之所在。
寫作方法與文章大意：
文章以部部深入，一般到具體的寫作手法論及笑是人類特有的功能。
形式多種、效果一樣。天下人有各種觀點、制度、人際關系，對滑稽的東西都會報之以笑――一種一致的力量。
笑基于幽默感，有了它，人們會樂觀、愉快、輕松，不偏不倚地對待一切，悲劇中寓以喜劇，幽默感又是人類開啟幸福之門的鑰匙。
論及的同時作者佐以例子，卓別林的早期電影，《格列佛游記》中的小人國戰爭等。
