I have heard having a good sense of humour often helps in breaking the ice. Also people remember you because of your humour. But I think I don’t have a very good sense of humour. Could you suggest how to build on this?

—Radha Karnik

This is a great question that is unfortunately difficult to answer. I can only give you my views on this topic, which may or may not be correct. I know that my sense of humour developed over time.

When I was younger I was not funny at all; now I can easily make people laugh. At the same time, sometimes I say things that I think are very funny but others do not. Improving humour, I believe, is an ongoing process.

Now, there are various forms of humour and everyone has their own style. Overall, I believe being fluent in a language is very important for being funny. The way we play around with words adds the “funny” tag to a normal sentence.

Also, seeing irony(讽刺) is very important. I think humour is often the link between two unrelated things.

In my experience, laughing frequently and appreciating other people’s jokes are very important. Within these, finding humor in everyday normal situations is the key.

I often notice what is going on around me and say funny things in my head and laugh to myself. That serves almost as practice for when I am in a group. I watch comedy shows and movies and I am sure that has some effect on helping me improve my sense of humour.

And last, having confidence that you are funny is important. There will always be someone funnier than you, which is fine. Just work on building your own style.

Remember, if you are trying to be funny in order to break the ice at a business function, be careful.

In those situations, humour has to be mild and politically correct.

Yours,

Brad

1. What’s RAdha Karnik’s problem?

A．He doesn’t have friends.	B．He doesn’t know the functions of humour.
C．He doesn’t understand others’ humour.	D．He doesn’t have a good sense of humour.

2. By telling his own experience, Brad tried to make Radha Karnik believe that ________.

A．laughter is the best medicine	B．laughter and humour go hand in hand
C．a sense of humour can be developed	D．a sense of humour helps imipress others

3. Which of the following would Brad agree with?

A．Everyone knows how to appreciate others’ jokes.

B．Everyone has their own style of humour.

C．Everyone is as funny as others.

D．Everyone needs to laugh to themselves each day.

One day when I was 12, my mother gave me an order: I was to walk to the public library, and borrow at least one book for the summer. This was one more weapon for her to defeat my strange problem — inability to read.
In the library, I found my way into the “Children’s Room.” I sat down on the floor and pulled a few books off the shelf at random. The cover of a book caught my eye. It presented a picture of a beagle. I had recently had a beagle, the first and only animal companion I ever had as a child. He was my secret sharer, but one morning, he was gone, given away to someone who had the space and the money to care for him. I never forgot my beagle.
There on the book’s cover was a beagle which looked identical to my dog. I ran my fingers over the picture of the dog on the cover. My eyes ran across the title, Amos, the Beagle with a Plan. Unknowingly, I had read the title. Without opening the book, I borrowed it from the library for the summer.
Under the shade of a bush, I started to read about Amos. I read very, very slowly with difficulty. Though pages were turned slowly, I got the main idea of the story about a dog who, like mine, had been separated from his family and who finally found his way back home. That dog was my dog, and I was the little boy in the book. At the end of the story, my mind continued the final scene of reunion, on and on, until my own lost dog and I were, in my mind, running together.
My mother’s call returned me to the real world. I suddenly realized something: I had read a book, and I had loved reading that book. Everyone knew I could not read. But I had read it. Books could be incredibly wonderful and I was going to read them.
I never told my mother about my “miraculous” (奇迹般地) experience that summer, but she saw a slow but remarkable improvement in my classroom performance during the next year. And years later, she was proud that her son had read thousands of books, was awarded a PhD in literature, and authored his own books, articles, poetry and fiction. The power of the words has held.
4. The author’s mother told him to borrow a book in order to_____.

A．help cure him of his reading problem

B．let him spend a meaningful summer

C．encourage him to do more walking

D．make him learn more about weapons

5. The book caught the author’s eye because_____.

A．it contained pretty pictures of animals

B．he found its title easy to understand

C．it reminded him of his own dog

D．he liked children’s stories very much

6. Why could the author manage to read the book through?

A．He was forced by his mother to read it.

B．He identified with the story in the book.

C．The book told the story of his pet dog.

D．The happy ending of the story attracted him.

7. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A．The author has had happy summers ever since.

B．The author’s mother read the same book.

C．The author’s mother rewarded him with books.

D．The author has become a successful writer.

阅读理解。
A lot of us lose life’s tough battles by starting a frontal attack—when a touch of humor might well enable us to win．Consider the case of a young friend of mine，who hit a traffic jam on his way to work shortly after receiving an ultimatum about being             late on the job．Although there was a good reason for Sam’s a being late—serious illness at home—he decided that this by-now-familiar excuse wouldn’t work any longer．His supervisor was probably already pacing up and down preparing a dismissal speech．
Yes，the boss was．Sam entered the office at 9：35．The place was as quiet as a locker room；everyone was hard at work．Sam’s supervisor came up to him．Suddenly，Sam forced a grin and stretched out his hand．“How do you do！” he said．“I’m Sam Maynard．I’m applying             for a job，which，I understand，became available just 35 minutes ago．Does the early bird get the worm？”
The room exploded in laughter．The supervisor“clamped off”a smile and walked back to his office．Sam Maynard had saved his job—with the only tool that could win，a laugh．
Humor is a most effective，yet frequently neglected，means of handling the difficult situations in our lives．It can be used for patching up differences，apologizing，saying “no”，criticizing，getting the other fellow to do what you want without his losing             face．For some jobs，it’s the only tool that can succeed．It is a way to discuss subjects so sensitive that serious dialog may start a quarrel．For example，many believe that comedians on television are doing more today for racial and religious tolerance             than people in any other forum．
12. Why was Sam late for his job？

A．Because he was ill．

B．Because he got up late．

C．Because he was caught in a traffic jam．

D．He was busy applying for a new job．

13. The main idea of this passage is ________．

A．Sam Maynard saved his job with humor

B．humor is important in our lives

C．early bird gets the worm

D．humor can solve racial discriminations

14. The phrase “clamped off” in Paragraph 3 means ________．

A．tried to hold back	B．tried to set
C．charged	D．gave out

15. Which of the following statements can we infer from the passage？

A．Many lose life’s battles for they are lacking in a sense of humor．

B．It wasn’t the first time that Sam came late for his work．

C．Sam was supposed to come to his office at 8：30．

D．Humor is the most effective way of solving problems．