Whether we find a joke funny or not largely depends on where we have been brought up．The sense of humour is mysteriously(神秘地)connected with national characteristics．A Frenchman ,for instance, might find it hard to laugh at Russian joke．In the same way, a Russian might fail to see anything amusing in a joke which would make an Englishman laugh to tears．

       Most funny stories are based on comic situations．In spite of national differences, certain funny situations have a worldwide request．No matter where you live, you would find it difficult not to laugh at, say ,Charlie Chaplin’s early films．However, a new type of humour, which stems largely from America, has recently come into fashion．It is called “sick humour”．Comedians base their jokes on tragic situations like violent (cause by force)death or serious accidents．Many people find this sort of joke distasteful．The following example of “sick humour” will enable you to judge for yourself．

A man who had broken his right leg was taken to hospital a few weeks before Christmas．From the moment he arrived there, he kept on pestering(纠缠) his doctor tell him when he would be able to go home．He was afraid of having to spend Christmas in hospital ．Though the doctor did his best, the patient’s recovery was slow．On Christmas day, however, the doctor consoled(安慰)him by telling him that his chances of being able to leave hospital in time for New Year celebrations were good．The man took heart and, sure enough , on New Year’s Eve he was able to hobble(跛行) along to a party．To compensate(补偿)for his unpleasant experiences in hospital , the man drank a little more than what was good for him．In the process, he enjoyed himself and kept telling everybody how much he hated hospitals．He was still mumbling something about hospitals at the end of the party when he slipped on a piece of ice and broke his left leg．

Whether you find “sick humour” funny or not will depend on ________．

       A．your having been brought up in America                           

B．the joke being related to a really comic situation

       C．your ability to see the funny side of an unpleasant event  

D．your ability to laugh until you cry

The man spent Christmas day feeling miserable because ________．

       A．the doctor had failed to cure him                 

B．he was not able to be with his friends

       C．being unable to walk, he did not enjoy the celebrations at the hospital

       D．he thought he might also miss the New Year’s Eve celebration

The point of the joke taken to explain “sick humour” is that ________．

       A．no sooner was the out of hospital than he had to go back in again．

       B．the man should not have said how much he hated hospitals

       C．the man would be unable to walk for the rest of his life  

D．the man had not got a leg to stand on

What can you learn from this story ?

       A．On New Year’s Eve, the man was able to walk properly to the party．

       B．At the party , he enjoyed himself but only drank a little．

       C．He had to go to hospital again though he hated it．

       D．The man got well soon because the doctor took good care of him．

阅读下列应用文及相关信息，并按照要求匹配信息。请在答题卡上将对应题号的相应选项字母涂黑。

下面是一篇有关书籍介绍的应用文，请阅读下列应用文和相关信息，并按照要求匹配信息。

首先请阅读下列应用文：

A

I Am a Pencil

Sam Swope's job was teaching writing to third-graders in New York City. His students were from 21 countries, speaking 11 languages, with different backgrounds. But there were a few things they had in common. Family troubles, for one. Money struggles. And poetry. Every single student, with the help of this creative teacher, came forth with awesome writing. Swope leaves the reader with the inspiring conviction (坚信) that deep within each of us lives a poet.

B

Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Aron Ralston, 28, went hiking in a remote Utah canyon without telling anyone. An unexpected catastrophe struck. With enough supplies only for a day, Ralston knew his situation was full of danger. Sure enough, after five days he was in a fight against death. That was when he carried out a courageous plan - using a pocket knife to cut off his trapped arm. His amazing survival story rests at a place among the classics of the genre (体裁).

C

Our Brother's Keeper

Author Jedwin Smith spent 30 years trying to repress (克制) all memories of his brother, Jeff, who was killed in Vietnam. But in Our Brother's Keeper he tells what happens when the Internet brings him into contact with several of his brother's old Marine friends, including the guy who held Jeff in his arms as he died. First via e-mail, and then in person, Smith gets to know these men.

D

The All Americans

With his graduation from West Point, Henry Romanek sailed toward Omaha Beach on the eve of Dday. It was June 1944, and he was about to face the bloodiest battle of his life. Just yesterday, it seemed, he was a standout soldier on the Army team. Now, he was a leader of youngsters in battle, fighting, quite literally, for his country and the future of the free world. In this book, Lars Anderson retraces Romanek's life and that of three other soldiers.

E

Copies in Seconds

With the push of a button, anyone can make copies of almost anything - unlike the old days, when papers had to be rewritten long-hand, carbon-copied out of fussy mimeograph machines (蜡纸油印机). In Copies in Seconds, David Owen showed how a shy engineer named Chester Carlson perfected his xerography machine （静电复印机） and shopped it around until finally hooking up with the Haloid Corporation. That partnership led to the Xerox copier and changed the face of work forever.

F

State of Grace

Back in the late 1950s and early 1960s, the Lynvets was just a football team in a sandy New York City neighborhood. But to most of its members - the author, Robert Timberg, included - the team was their only experience of a happy family, their only chance to rise above terrible everyday circumstances, their only shot at being heroes. The friendships these men formed sustained (维持) them throughout their lives.

请阅读以下求书者的信息，然后匹配他们所要寻找的书籍：

1. Tom is looking for a book about the hiking stories to help him in his following outdoor activities.

2. Kate wants to find a book about the stories of the soldiers during World War II.   .

3. Mark wants to research into the history of technological development.

4. Jack is researching into education in a college. He is especially interested in the teaching methods. He wants to find a book which can tell him something about how to teach students from different backgrounds.

5. John wants to find some materials about the soldiers in Vietnam War to carry on his new research.

    求书者                           书籍

1. Tom                  A. I Am a Pencil

2. Kate                  B. Between a Rock and a Hard Place    

3. Mark                   C. Our Brother's Keeper

4.Jack                   D. The All Americans

5. John                   E. Copies in Seconds

                                   F. State of Grace

What is the basis of 'sick' humor? Whether we find a joke funny or not largely depends on where we have been brought up. The sense of humor is mysteriously connected with national characteristics. A Frenchman, for instance, might find it hard to laugh at a Russian joke. In the same way, a Russian might fail to see anything amusing in a joke which would make an Englishman laugh to tears.

 Most funny stories are based on comic situations. In spite of national differences, certain funny situations have a universal appeal. No matter where you live, you would find it difficult not to laugh at, say, Chaplin's early films. However, a new type of humor, which comes largely from US, has recently come into fashion. It is called 'sick humor'. Comedians base their jokes on tragic situations like violent death or serious accidents. Many people find this sort of joke distasteful. The following example of 'sick humor' will enable you to judge for yourself.

A man who had broken his right leg was taken to hospital a few weeks before Christmas. From the moment he arrived there, he kept on begging his doctor to tell him when he would be able to go home. He was afraid of having to spend Christmas in hospital and missing the fun. Though the doctor did his best, the patient's recovery was slow. On Christmas day, the man still had his right leg in plaster. He spent a miserable day in bed sadly. The following day, however, the doctor comforted him by telling him that his chances of being able to leave hospital in time for New Year celebrations were good.

The man took heart and sure enough, on New Year's Eve he was able to hobble（蹒跚）along to a party. In order to make up for his unpleasant experiences in hospital, the man drank a little more than was good for him. In the process, he enjoyed himself thoroughly and kept telling everybody how much he hated hospitals. He was still mumbling something about hospitals at the end of the party when he slipped on a piece of ice and broke his left leg.

The man spent Christmas day feeling miserable because ________.

A. he thought he would miss the New Year’s Eve celebration

B. the doctor had failed to cure him

C. he hated the hospital and his roommates

D. being unable to walk, he could not enjoy himself.

The point of the joke taken to explain “sick humor” is that________.

   A. the man should have said how much he hated hospitals

   B. the man had not got a leg to stand on

C. no sooner had the man been out of hospital than he had to go back in again

D. being unable to walk, he did not enjoy the celebration

What can you learn about the man from the story?

A. The man got well soon because the doctor took good care of him.

B. He had to go to hospital again though he hated it.

C. On New Year’s Eve, the man was able to walk properly to the party.

D. At the party, he enjoyed himself but only drank a little.  

If the rose can be said to be a special flower, then the apple can be said to be a special fruit. It is very important in American culture. American stories speak of Johnny Appleseed, who went throughout America collecting apple seeds and planting apple trees. He had a great love for nature and went through fields and farms adding richness and beauty to the country.
One of the first sayings taught to school children is, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." This short saying encourages children to eat fresh fruit to keep healthy. If someone always says good words to a person, people will call him an "apple polisher". This, however, is not a good name. If someone is very dear to us, we say that he or she is the "apple of our eye".
Most people believe that the fruit which Eve gave to Adam was an apple, even though the Bible(圣经) never says so. The apple, therefore, is a deep part of the language and stories of America.
An apple is also delicious. Apples can be cooked in many ways, used as a dessert (甜点) , and made into sweet juice.
In many parts of the country during the harvest season, a popular activity is to go into an apple garden to pick apples. Washington, D. C. and New York are both famous for their apples.
Finally, when it’s time to take a vacation to American cities, one can always visit New York, which is "the biggest apple" of all the American cities.
【小题1】Why was Johnny Appleseed so famous?

If the rose can be said to be a special flower, then the apple can be said to be a special fruit. It is very important in American culture. American stories speak of Johnny Appleseed, who went throughout America collecting apple seeds and planting apple trees. He had a great love for nature and went through fields and farms adding richness and beauty to the country.

One of the first sayings taught to school children is, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." This short saying encourages children to eat fresh fruit to keep healthy. If someone always says good words to a person, people will call him an "apple polisher". This, however, is not a good name. If someone is very dear to us, we say that he or she is the "apple of our eye".

Most people believe that the fruit which Eve gave to Adam was an apple, even though the Bible(圣经) never says so. The apple, therefore, is a deep part of the language and stories of America.

An apple is also delicious. Apples can be cooked in many ways, used as a dessert (甜点) , and made into sweet juice.

In many parts of the country during the harvest season, a popular activity is to go into an apple garden to pick apples. Washington, D. C. and New York are both famous for their apples.

Finally, when it’s time to take a vacation to American cities, one can always visit New York, which is "the biggest apple" of all the American cities.

1.Why was Johnny Appleseed so famous?

2.What does the underlined phrase "apple polisher" mean?

3.Which of the following is TRUE with apples?

4.The passage is mainly about______.