Unit 3 A taste of English humour
第二部分： 阅读理解 （共两节，满分40分）
第一节（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。
[A]
London Weekend Walks
1,000 Years of History
11:00 am Westminster Underground
This walk is the best choice for the first-time visitor. We’ll show you where kings and queens were crowned (加冕), where they lived and where they are buried. You will see where politicians have shaped the course of history over the years. This walk finishes at the Houses of Parliament, which you can visit afterwards at a good discount.
Canals and Cafes (咖啡店)
11:00 am Camden Town Underground
Camden Town, with its canals, cafes and studios, is the home of many artists, musicians and writers. The high point of the walk is a visit to Camden Lock, London’s most exciting street market. You may like to take a canal trip to London Zoo after this walk.
Historic Greenwich
2:00 pm Tower Hill Underground
The walk begins with the best boat ride in London, five kilometres down the river from Tower Bridge to the Royal Naval College in Greenwich. From there you’ll walk through Greenwich Park past the Naval Museum and other historic buildings to the village itself. We’ll take you down narrow (狭窄的) streets with busy shops and markets, back to the riverside where this walk ends.
Unexpected London
3:00 pm Tower Hill Underground
This walk begins with a ride on Europe’s most modern city railway giving you fine views across the Thames and the riverside area. We will get on and off the train for mini-walks to explore the hidden corners of the former port (港口) of London.
To go on one of our walks, simply meet your guide in the street outside the underground stations. ALL these walks last about two hours and end near
underground stations. A walk costs ￡4.50 (￡3.50 for the elderly). Children under 12 can go for free but they must be with an adult.
21. Which walk includes a visit to London’s most exciting street market? A. Canals and Cafes. B. Historic Greenwich. C. Unexpected London. D. 1,000 Years of History.
22. What will you do on the Historic Greenwich walk? A. Walk through the Royal Naval College. B. Visit the Naval Museum. C. Meet famous people. D. Take a boat trip.
23. How much will a young couple with their 6-year-old kid spend on one of the walks? A. ￡4.50. B. ￡7.00. C. ￡9.00. D. ￡13.50.
[B]
When I was at school, I played some football and rugby (橄榄球). I hated rugby because I couldn’t catch the ball, but I enjoyed football. I started out being a terrible player and nobody wanted me to be on their team. But I started to improve (提高) slowly and, after a few years, the other kids in the school accepted me as a player, not a fantastic one, but one who wouldn’t do anything stupid.
When I was at university, I stopped playing sports altogether. I was working too hard, started eating too much, and, worst of all, I started smoking. By the time I was thirty, I was overweight and unfit.
Then one day, I was sitting in the park, smoking a cigarette (香烟). I was watching these guys running. They looked slim, fit and healthy, and some of them were much older than me. When I got home, I looked in the bathroom mirror (镜子) and, well, I suppose I just didn’t like what I saw. At that moment, I decided to stop smoking and change my life. That evening I went running around the park — for ten minutes! Physically, I felt terrible. Everything was hurting: my legs, my chest. But inside, I did feel good about it.
The next evening, I went again. I still only did ten minutes, but I didn’t feel as bad as I did the day before. Within a week, I was running for fifteen minutes, then twenty, and after three weeks I ran for thirty minutes without stopping. Quite soon, I was running longer distances. After six months, I was a runner!
I now run eight kilometres six times a week and love it. My proudest moment was last year, when I ran my first marathon and finished in under three hours. I’m so glad that I went to sit in the park that day five years ago. 24. What did the author think of rugby when he was young? A. It was a really stupid game. B. It was as interesting as football. C. It was too violent for school kids. D. It was hard for him to catch the ball.
25. What did the author do when he was at university? A. He gave up smoking. B. He tried to lose weight. C. He led an unhealthy lifestyle. D. He joined a running club.
26. Why did the author feel good about the physical pain? A. He didn’t feel tired at all. B. It was a good way to relax.
C. It was a good start towards getting fit. D. He found the true meaning of running. 27. When did the author start running? A. One year ago. B. Five years ago. C. Six months ago. D. Thirteen years ago.
[C]
Are you planning to start your next international business presentation (讲座) with a little joke to break the ice? Well, you might want to reconsider.
The story is told of a businessman who gave a speech in a foreign country through an interpreter (口译员). Without warning the interpreter, he told a joke during the presentation. The interpreter knew the joke would not translate, so she said, “This man just told a joke that he thinks is funny, but it does not translate well, and you will not find it funny at all. So, when I stop talking, everyone please just laugh.”
The audience did indeed laugh aloud, but not for the reason the speaker supposed. The businessman was so pleased with the first result that he went on to tell another joke.
Each culture has different understandings of humour. What may be funny in one culture can be far from funny in another.
For example, while living in Chile, I often tried to share great jokes from the United States, only to be met with questions like, “Oh, is that a joke? Is that funny in your country?” Similarly, Chileans shared their own popular jokes that were not always funny to me.
In September 2001, Professor Richard Wiseman and the British Association for the Advancement of Science created a project called LaughLab in order to find the world’s funniest joke. And in one year, LaughLab received more than 40,000 jokes.
The following joke is considered the world’s funniest joke by LaughLab: “Two hunters are out in the woods when one of them falls down. He doesn’t seem to be breathing. The other man calls the emergency services. He says, ‘My