题干

   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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同类题2

   For most kids, a typical school day includes lessons in math, science, and English language arts. But for Callista Grant, 11, a typical day might also include instruction in American Indian drumming and dancing. She studies the Ojibwe and Lakota languages, too, and enjoys school powwows(帕瓦仪式).

Callista goes to the American Indian Magnet School(AIMS), in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It is open to kids from pre-K to grade 8.

Although other U. S. schools teach American Indian culture, the teachers at AlMS say their school is unique. They connect lessons to American Indian culture . When students learn about plant life cycles in science, they also learn about how native people used herbs for ceremonies and healing. A language arts class may include a reading about the meaning of the jingle dress. Callista says the focus on American Indian culture helps everyone know that "the culture is still alive".

Callista is Cherokee and Ojibwe. Of the 680 students at AlMS, about one-quarter are American Indians. It is a public school that is open to all kids in the community. All students gain from the school's focus. "It's important for everyone to know about the people who were here first and that they still live here today, "says teacher Tamara Goggleye. Lessons give all students a chance to explore their heritage.

Callista represents the school at powwows and other events. She is proud to teach others about their history. "We might lose our culture if we don't show it to our kids," Callista says. "Kids need to help pass down our culture, or it could go away. " AIMS and Callista are working to make sure that won't happen.

【小题1】Why is the American Indian Magnet School different from others?
A.Students in this school learn about plant life cycles.
B.Only this school teaches American Indian culture.
C.Students here can learn how foreign people use herbs.
D.This school link lessons to American Indian culture.
【小题2】How many students are American Indians in the American Indian Magnet School?
A.About 170.B.About 250.
C.About 340.D.About 680.
【小题3】What does the underlined word " heritage" in Paragraph 4 mean?
A.Tradition.B.Possession.
C.Language.D.Future.

同类题3

   Heads turned, tears dropped, and gossip-filled whispers went on and on from the hospital passages to the house windows. There was a problem: a daughter had been born. She wasn’t the first disappointment born to her family. Although my aunt didn’t care about giving birth to a girl, her mother-in-law constantly reminded her of the criticism she would have to face if she gave birth to a daughter. In India, most people held these views.

When I visited my relatives during the summer, one sentence managed to fill me with anger and start arguments with my so-called relatives. “You are a girl, stay within your limits.” They simply don’t know how different it is living in the US. Anyway, comparisons to my cousins led me to end the arguments for the moment and accept the way they lived their lives.

My words didn’t make sense to them so my mind was set on proving them wrong.

Although their words didn’t tear me apart, their actions managed to. The amount of sexism(性别歧视) in this culture, especially my hometown, made me feel bad. It was the 21st century, yet women had to eat after the men at family gatherings. They had to cook all the family meals and were asked to take jobs that required little skill or education. It was time to change these views.

As I was growing older, the same relatives repeatedly questioned me about my future: “What do you want to be?” And the answer was always the same:electrical engineer. I have a passion for electronics; as clichéd(陈词滥调的) as it sounds, I was born to do it. When I connect wires together to repair something, I can’t contain my excitement. But when I tried to explain this to my relatives, all of them, except for my parents and grandparents, would be shocked and laugh at me — laugh because they didn’t think I could live up to my goals, being a “girl and all”. It was time to change these views.

In my world, being a girl is not a problem. Rather, it is an opportunity to allow passion, not stereotypes(成见), to shape my future. I decided to channel my relatives’ views into positive energy. Rather than letting them bring me down, I let them be motivation to achieve my goal of becoming an engineer. I, a female, will become a successful engineer.

【小题1】The first paragraph was mainly written to    .
A.describe how bad the author’s aunt felt for having a baby girl
B.describe the pressure the author’s aunt had to face when she was going to have a baby
C.show that most Indian people are strongly prejudiced against women
D.show that the author’s aunt’s generation is fighting against prejudice against women
【小题2】From the second and third paragraphs, it can be concluded that    .
A.the author realized that just using words couldn’t change the relatives’ sexism
B.the author’s friends and relatives were jealous about her life in the US
C.the author got used to being reminded to stay within her limits after she was born
D.the author often argued with her relatives because she believed US lifestyles were right
【小题3】According to the text, the author decided to change her relatives’ views by    .
A.achieving her ambition of changing her hometown
B.using her relatives’ comments as motivation
C.letting stereotypes influence her future decisions
D.achieving her dream of becoming an engineer
【小题4】In the article, in what way does the author show how serious the amount of sexism was in her hometown?
A.By describing feeling defeated after arguments.
B.By describing people’s words, behavior and common practices.
C.By stressing the conflicts she had with her relatives.
D.By giving examples of how her goals were laughed at repeatedly.

同类题4

   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