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   A good joke can be the hardest thing to understand when people are studying a foreign language. As a recent article in The Guardian noted,“There's more to understanding a joke in a foreign language than understanding vocabulary and grammar.”

Being able to understand local jokes is often seen as an unbelievable icebreaker for a language learner eager to form friendships with native speakers.“I always felt that humor was a ceiling that I could never break through,”Hannah Ashley,a public relations account manager in London,who once studied Spanish in Madrid,told The Guardian.“I could never speak to people on the same level as I would speak to a native English speaker. I almost came across as quite a boring person because all I could talk about was facts.”

In fact,most of the time,jokes are only funny for people who share a cultural background or understand humor in the same way. Chinese-American comedian Joe Wong found this out first-hand. He had achieved huge success in the US,but when he returned to China in 2008 for his first live show in Beijing,he discovered that people didn't think his Chinese jokes were as funny as his English ones.

In Australia,meanwhile many foreigners find understanding jokes about sports to be the biggest headache. “The hardest jokes are related to rugby because I know nothing about rugby,”said Melody Cao,who was once a student in Australia.“When I heard jokes I didn't get,I just laughed along.”

In the other two major English-speaking countries,the sense of humor is also different. British comedian Simon Pegg believes that while British people use irony(反话)一basically,saying something they don't mean to make a joke—every day,people in the US don't see the point of using it so often.“British jokes tend to be more subtle and dark,while American jokes are more obvious with their meanings,a bit like Americans themselves,”he wrote in The Guardian.

【小题1】It is implied in the noted sentence in Paragraph 1 that __________.
A.making jokes is a possible way for one to learn a foreign language better
B.humor is always conveyed to foreigners through vocabulary and grammar
C.vocabulary and grammar help you understand jokes in a foreign language
D.there tends to be something behind the words of a joke in a foreign language
【小题2】What can we learn about Hannah Ashley?
A.She thought that Spanish people generally did not have much of a sense of humor.
B.She believed that one had better rely on facts when speaking a foreign language.
C.She found that humor was a barrier to her to get along well with Spanish people.
D.She had a better command of Spanish language than English language.
【小题3】Joe Wong is used as an example to ___________.
A.suggest that there are cultural differences in humor
B.show that it's hard to put jokes into another language
C.prove that local people have different taste in humor
D.show that expressing ability affects the sense of humor
【小题4】From the text we can learn that ___________.
A.jokes about sports are difficult for all foreigners to understand
B.Americans are generally more humorous than British people
C.not all English speakers can understand English jokes easily
D.British people's dark jokes often make people uncomfortable
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   It is awkward(令人尴尬的)when everyone around you bursts out laughing at a joke that you do not find funny, especially if it's a joke told in a foreign language.

While Chinese students find it easy to adapt to a foreign lifestyle, socializing with locals is much harder, according to a recent study. Researchers looked at how well Chinese students made themselves a part of communities across the world. Of all the activities they struggled with, understanding jokes was considered the toughest.

Most of the time, jokes are funny only for people who share a common cultural background or are aware of humor in the same way.

Being able to understand local jokes can help students feel a sense of belonging. But even without the ability to understand jokes, students should not feel any less confident about themselves.

"It's OK if you don't get the jokes. Don't doubt yourself because in most time, it is not a problem of language ability but a matter of the known and unknown, "said Christine Han, who was once an overseas student and is now an Australian permanent resident.

Australia is ready-made for jokes, thanks to its history as a colony for prisoners, its unusual accent, the inner bush country and its strange food. However, to most Chinese overseas students, understanding jokes about sports is the biggest headache. Sport is an important part of Australian national identity.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 16percent(3. 3 million)of the population aged 15 years and over watched Australian football in 2010. About 9 percent(1. 9 million)attended a rugby league game.

British actor and comedian Simon Pegg discussed the differences between British and American sense of humor in a column of The Guardian. He believes that while Brits use irony(反语)on a daily basis, the Americans do not see the point of using it so frequently . He wrote, "British jokes, on the other hand, tend to be more subtle with a dark or sarcastic(讽刺的)undertone while the American jokes are more obvious and forward, a bit like Americans themselves. "

【小题1】As a whole, many Chinese students ________.
A.tend to understand a small part of the local jokes
B.are difficult to get along with the local people
C.tend to feel the local jokes dull
D.work hard to adapt to the life in foreign countries
【小题2】Why is humor involved in sports in Australia?
A.The Australians have a lot to do with sports in life.
B.Humor comes from their sports.
C.Humor and sports are part of the Australians' life.
D.Sports include much humor.
【小题3】By comparing the jokes in the UK and in the US, we can know the characters of British people and Americans are ________.
A.the same and humorous
B.different but friendly
C.different but humorous
D.outgoing and friendly