Question

Most people agree that it’s important to have a sense of humour. Having the ability to laugh can help one overcome anxiety, and make better decisions in difficult situations. People with a well-developed sense of humour appear to be happier, and some are healthier as well. This suggests that having a sense of humour is good for you. Humourless people may find themselves being treated as a fool, and become anxious and upset.
A sense of humour also plays an important role in human relationships. However, not everyone has a sense of humour. People with developmental disabilities (发展性能力丧失) can sometimes have no sense of humour, or have a very strange one.
A number of factors affect a person’s sense of humour, with the age probably being the main one. Young children are often highly amused by simple jokes or shows, while teenagers prefer to enjoy the ironic (讽刺的) events. Educational level, culture, and religious faith also affect one’s sense of humour. While Christians, for example, may have a deep appreciation of jokes about the Bible, others may find them disrespectful.
Many people believe that a sense of humour is something that develops on its own, and that you cannot teach someone to understand why jokes, certain comments, situations or events are funny. However, things can be done to enhance one’s sense of humour. Children, for example, benefit from being told jokes and encouraged to laugh, although some children’s jokes might seem rather strange to adults. If you have children, try to encourage them to tell jokes and think about what makes things funny. And it will help them develop a sense of humour.

1. 1.
   The purpose of the passage is to _______.
   1. A.
      explain what influences a person’s sense of humour
   2. B.
      tell readers the importance of being healthy
   3. C.
      explain how to make better decisions
   4. D.
      tell readers how to understand jokes
2. 2.
   What does the underlined word in Paragraph 4 "enhance" probably mean?
   1. A.
      Enjoy.
   2. B.
      Reduce.
   3. C.
      Improve.
   4. D.
      Prevent.
3. 3.
   According to the passage, which of the following doesn’t influence one’s sense of humour?
   1. A.
      Culture.
   2. B.
      Age.
   3. C.
      Educational level.
   4. D.
      Family backgrounds.

Answer 1

ACD
本文讲述了幽默的重要性以及什么影响了一个人的幽默。
1.细节题。根据文章结构以及第三段A number of factors affect a person’s sense of humour,可知答案为A.
2.猜词题。根据下文所说的鼓励孩子们笑，可知可以做些事情来增强幽默感。故答案为improve。
3.概括题。文中讲到了年龄、文化、受教育程度，但没有讲到家庭背景。