【推荐3】How to be naturally funny

People who are   naturally funny in   social   situations   experience   many benefits. Numerous studies have shown that humor reduces social anxiety, helps to ease tension, and has a number of positive emotional and psychological effects. In addition, it has been shown that funny people may be more successful. However, it is important that being funny comes across naturally in a laid-back and spontaneous(即兴的) fashion.     1    

1. Start by loosening up!

    2     Remember that laughter is contagious(可传染的), so if you carry yourself in an open and humorous way people will be ready to laugh. To break the ice, you may follow the lead of others if you need to.

2. Look for humor in everyday events.

Many comedians focus on the world around them to find comedic material.     3    Try making a goal of noticing 5 funny things per day that happen to you. Through this technique,   you will begin to see humor in mundane situations that everyone will appreciate.

3.     4    

We all have friends who are always good for a laugh. What is it that makes them funny? When you see them, pay careful attention to what makes them funny. Is it their tone of voice, body language, content, general demeanor, or something else that makes them naturally funny. Identifying what is that makes them funny will provide clues for how you can be naturally funny as well.

4. Practice being funny.

Make it your goal to say or do something that makes someone laugh once a day.     5    Therefore, professional comedians often spend years developing their unique style. By starting small, you will be on your way to being naturally funny in general conversation.

A．A good sense of humor does not appear overnight.

B．Visit with a naturally funny friend or acquaintance.

C．If you find something funny, share it with a friend who you think will find this funny as well.

D．Having humor come across as forced and awkward can have a negative impact upon social situations.

E．Others look to their past experiences, such as their childhood, or past relationships as a way to make people laugh.

F．While others will not always understand your humor, you can use their reactions to help improve your style, content, and timing.

G．Being too uptight and self-conscious are roadblocks to developing and communicating a natural sense of humor that is relatable to other people.

【推荐1】Years of observing people at college and at work have led us to discover some specific reasons why many people are unable to learn quickly and efficiently.     1    :

Struggle to Start Learning Something From Scratch

As you’ve probably experienced yourself, sometimes when wanting to learn something new,     2    . For example, you might have wanted to learn how to play chess, but didn’t know the best way to start this. So you tried learning from multiple sources at the same time: books, videos, friends and family members. The problem with this scattered approach is that you will find it hard to focus and you’ll unavoidably be given conflicting advice — which is unhelpful when you’re starting out.

    3    

Think back for a moment to when you were at school. I’m sure there were endless times when you were taught things by teachers only for you to forget the information within weeks, days or even minutes! And of course,     4    . How many times have you been in meetings where important things have been said only for half the attendees to forget the details soon after the meeting concluded?

Struggle to Put What You’ve Learned Into Practice

    5    . They spend all their time learning theory, but never put anything into practice. For example, consider for a moment how people learn to ride a bicycle. In most cases, a parent or elder sibling would tell you the steps you need to take to successfully get on and begin riding a bike. However, it’s only when you attempt to ride a bike for the first time that the real learning begins!

A．Struggle to Continue Your Learning

B．Struggle to Recall What You’ve Learned

C．you find yourself not knowing where to start

D．Here are some tips for you to overcome learning blockers

E．this problem continues from education into the workplace

F．See if you can spot yourself in any or all of these learning blockers

G．This is one of the most common reasons for people failing to learn new things

【推荐3】Laptop computers are popular all over the world. People use them on trains and airplanes, in airports and hotels. These laptops connect people to their workplace. In the United States today, laptops also connect students to their classrooms.

Westlake College in Virginia will start a laptop computer program that allows students to do schoolwork anywhere they want. Within five years, each of the 1,500 students at the college will receive a laptop. The laptops are part of a $10 million computer program at Westlake, a 110 year old college. The students with laptops will also have access to the Internet. In addition, they will be able to use email to “speak” with their teachers, their classmates, and their families. However, the most important part of the laptop program is that students will be able to use computers without going to computer labs. They can work with it at home, in a fastfood restaurant or under the trees — anywhere at all!

Because of the many changes in computer technology, laptop use in higher education, such as colleges and universities, is workable. As laptops become more powerful, they become more similar to desktop computers. In addition, the portable computers can connect students to not only the Internet, but also libraries and other resources. State higher education officials are studying how laptops can help students. State officials are also testing laptop programs at other universities, too.

At Westlake College, more than 60 percent of the staff use computers. The laptops will allow all teachers to use computers in their lessons. As one Westlake teacher said，“Here we are in the middle of Virginia and we're giving students a window on the world. They can see everything and do everything.”

1. The main purpose of the laptop program is to give each student a laptop to ________.

A．use for their schoolwork

B．access the Internet

C．work at home

D．connect them to libraries

2. A window on the world in the last paragraph means that students can ________.

A．attend lectures on information technology

B．travel around the world

C．get information from around the world

D．have free laptops

3. What can we infer from the passage?

A．The program is successful.

B．The program is not workable.

C．The program is too expensive.

D．We don't know the result yet.