【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】[解析] 1-5 Being amused is a condition we're all familiar with, but what exactly is a sense of humor? Well, it's something very personal, and yet we communicate it to others by laughing. Laughter is a universal human expression. All normal human beings can laugh. Children as young as one month old will laugh. People often laugh together, and people laugh louder and more frequently when other people around them are also laughing. Every comedian knows this, and research has confirmed it. Physically, laughter is an involuntary tensing of the chest muscles, followed by a rapid inhalation and exhalation of breath--a mechanism that releases tension. For most people, a good laugh is welcome--and worth looking for--because it brings pleasure and relief. Human adults everywhere in the world enjoy making their children laugh. Adults make playful attacks on their children, tickling, teasing, and even pretending to bite them. Adults will throw small children up in the air and catch them again. This causes the child to experience mild stress, but in a secure setting because the stress is carefully controlled by the parent. And when the child laughs, it's a signal that he or she has successfully dealt with mild feelings of insecurity. This teaches the child about the shocks and fears that are part of human life, and which every human eventually has to deal with. This element of shock in an otherwise safe situation is a universal characteristic of situations where people laugh. Our sense of humor allows us to tell stories about situations we haven't experienced firsthand. We call these little stories "jokes." We tell jokes to show our frustration with the society we live in, especially its ... well, its rules. Social rules and conventions provide us with a range of situations that we can turn into humor. And the things we joke about--the conventions and rules we live by--are sort of tense areas in our society, they're areas where we can see the need for change. Humor gives us the power to think about changing the rules. Making jokes and laughing are safe ways to change our social rules and conventions. Therefore, comedians--whether they know it or not--are agents of social change. The ability to laugh is a vital part of being human. People who laugh together--or laugh at each other's jokes--feel close to each other. Laughter creates a sense of connection. Humor can also help us deal with anxieties that we can't escape. Failure, fear, pain, and death--they're all real to us, as they are to no other animal on Earth. And without a sense of humor, it would be difficult for us to live with everything that we know about the world. 1. According to the professor, why do most people welcome laughter? The professor says: ...a mechanism that releases tension. For most people, a good laugh is welcome-- and worth looking for--because it brings pleasure and relief

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】[解析] Why does the professor say this: "Adults make playful attacks on their children, tickling, teasing, and even pretending to bite them. Adults will throw small children up in the air and catch them again." The professor's purpose is to give examples of stress that is carefully controlled. He says: This causes the child to experience mild stress, but in a secure setting because the stress is carefully controlled by the parent.

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】[解析] Which of the following is a universal characteristic of situations where people laugh? The professor says: This element of shock in an otherwise safe situation is a universal characteristic of situations where people laugh.

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】[解析] Why does the professor talk about social rules and conventions? The professor's purpose is to show that humor is a safe way to bring about social change. He says: Social rules and conventions provide us with a range of situations that we can turn into humor," Humor gives us the power to think about changing the rules. Therefore, comedians...are agents of social change.

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】[解析] Listen again to part of the lecture. Then answer the question. "The ability to laugh is a vital part of being human. People who laugh together--or laugh at each other's jokes--feel close to each other. Laughter creates a sense of connection. Humor can also help us deal with anxieties that we can't escape. Failure, fear, pain, and death-- they're all real to us, as they are to no other animal on Earth. And without a sense of humor, it would be difficult for us to live with everything that we know about the world." Why does the professor say this: "And without a sense of humor, it would be difficult for us to live with everything that we know about the world." The professor's purpose is to emphasize the importance of humor in managing anxiety. If we had no sense of humor, it would be more difficult to deal with the anxiety of failure, fear, pain, and death.