A
You probably laugh at something you find funny, but how much do you really know about jokes and humour? Reader’s Digest (RD) questioned several experts to give us some facts about them.
RD: What’s the oldest joke in the world?
“We can’t know the oldest joke in the world because it would have existed earlier than writing，” says Christie Davies, professor of sociology at the University of Reading in the UK.The oldest joke book that’s been found so far is the Greek Philogelos.It dates from the 4th century AD, although the jokes date from an earlier time.According to psychologist Steve Wilson, director of National Humor Month (April in the US), it contains 265 jokes.
RD: Do some people fail to develop a sense of humour?
Rod Martin, professor of psychology at the Western University in Canada, believes that while everyone is born without a sense of humour, as we develop, humour and laughter begin to appear.“Of course, some children are more serious, quiet, and less likely to laugh frequently, but this doesn’t mean they don’t have a sense of humour.” And according to Steve Wilson, there are no adults who don’t have a sense of humour.“Almost everyone is able to develop a sense of humour, and I teach people how，” he says.
RD: Do people share a sense of humour unique to their own nation?
Sense of humour does differ a lot by country, according to an author named Scott Weems.British humour is thought to be absurd (荒谬的) in nature, while American humour has an aggressive quality.According to a study, Germans are found to find everything funny.
( )1．What do we know about the oldest joke book?
A．It remains unknown. B．It was written in Greek.
C．It was found in the UK. D．It contains the oldest joke.
( )2．What does Rod Martin agree with about people’s sense of humour?
A．Nobody is born with a sense of humour.
B．Some adults lose it when they grow up.
C．Childhood is the best time to develop such ability.
D．Children have a poorer sense of humour than adults.
( )3．What kind of humour has an aggressive feature?
A．British humour. B．German humour.
C．Canadian humour. D．American humour.
( )4．Where can you probably find the text?
A．In a popular magazine. B．In a research paper.
C．In a personal diary. D．In a textbook.
【语篇解读】本文是应用文。文章通过访谈为读者传递了一些有关笑话和幽默的知识。
1．B 细节理解题。由第一个问题的回答中的“The oldest joke book that’s been found so far is the Greek Philogelos.”可知，迄今为止发现的世界上最古老的笑话书是希腊的Philogelos。
2．A 细节理解题。由第二个问题的回答中的“everyone is born without a sense of humour”可知，没有人先天就具有幽默感。
3．D 细节理解题。由最后一个问题的回答中的“American humour has an aggressive quality.”可知答案。
4．A 推理判断题。根据第一段中的Reader’s Digest及文章的形式、内容可知，本文应选自畅销杂志。
