单选题 Biologically, there is only one quality which distinguishes us from animals: the ability to laugh. In a universe which appears to be utterly deficient 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 divided 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 clans 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. 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 refined tinkle (清脆的声响) 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 (狂热者) 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 one-sided view of things.'
This is one of the chief functions of satire (讽刺) 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 serious political events redress the balance. They take the wind out of 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 are meant to laugh; but we are meant to weep too.
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.

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】细节题。本题定位到第一段第六句，提到“虽然各个民族对政府体制持不同意见，人类关系也因意识形态和政治阵营的不同而对立，但是人们都会笑。因此选择B。文中并没有提到笑能够解决人类彼此之间的对立，因此A项错误。根据第三句，笑与其他身体机能不同，它似乎没有生理功效。因此C项错误。根据第七句，笑依赖于幽默感，因此D项错误。 [参考译文] 从生物学的角度来讲，人类区别于动物的唯一特征是：人类有笑的功能。在一个毫无幽默感的宇宙世界中，我们享有最重要的奢侈品。之所以说笑是一种奢侈品，是因为与其他身体活动不同，笑似乎不带任何有用的生理目的。在一个四分五裂的世界中，笑是一种促成团结的力量。人类在很多问题上彼此势不两立。各国对政体的看法可能大相径庭，人际关系也可能因思想派别和政治阵营的不同而受影响，但我们都有笑的能力。而笑声却依赖于人类所有品质中最复杂最微妙的部分，即幽默感。某些滑稽搞笑的模式具有全球效应。Charlie Chaplin早期广受世界欢迎的电影就很好地证明了这一点。正如伟大的人类事务评论员Dr. Samnel Johnson所言：“人类的聪明才智各有千秋，但笑的方式总是毫无二致。” 幽默感也许有各种表现形式，笑可以是银铃般的优雅微笑，也可以是震耳欲聋的放声大笑，但效果总是一样的。幽默有助于我们保持正确的价值观，它是政治狂热者缺少的一种品质。如果我们能够看到自己可笑的一面，我们就永远不会错误地自认为了不起。我们会一直提醒自己福兮祸之所伏，因此我们就不会偏执地看待事情。这点也是讽刺和反语的主要功能。人类的痛苦与折磨异常残酷，我们无数次徘徊在战争的边缘，政治现实也经常让我们彻底绝望。面对这些情况时，卡通动漫、对重大政治事件的幽默讽刺让我们紧绷的神经稍稍松了一下。它们打击了嚣张狂妄、忘乎所以的政客，使我们意识到我们大多数意义深远的行为举止是如此地荒谬可笑。拜读讽刺大师Swift在其名作《格列佛游记》中描写的战争场面时，我们会忍俊不禁。小人国和邻国仅仅为从哪头打鸡蛋彼此开战。我们笑是因为我们想笑，但我们也想哭。幽默感应该被视为人类最重要的品质，因为幽默感与笑声联系在一起，而笑声又同幸福相连。勇气、决心、进取——这些品质或许其他生命形式也有，而幽默感却是人类所独有的。如果幸福是人生的主要目标之一，那么幽默感则向我们提供了一把打开幸福大门的钥匙。