Humour is the 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，and getting the other fellow to do what you want without his losing face.For some jobs，it is the only tool that can succeed.It is a way to discuss sensitive subjects because a serious dialogue may start a riot.For example，many believe that comedians on television are doing more today for racial and religious tolerance than people in any other forum.
   Humour is often the best way to keep a small misunderstanding from escalating（升級(jí)） into a big deal.Recently a neighbor of mine had a quarrel with his wife as she drove him to the airport.Airborne，he felt miserable，and he knew she did，too.Two hours after she returned home，she received a long-distance phone call."Person-to-person for Mrs.I.A.Pologize." intoned the operator."That's spelled 'P' as in..." In a twinkling（眨眼間），the whole day changed from bad to lovely at both ends of the wire.
   An English hostess with a quick wit was giving a formal dinner for eight distinguished guests whom she hoped to enlist（贊助） in a major charity drive.Austerity was a fashion in England at the time，and she had asked her children to serve the meal.She knew that anything could happen...and it did，just as her son，with the studied concentration of a tight rope walker，brought in a large roast turkey；he successfully elbowed the swinging dining-room door，but the backswing（回?cái)[） threw the turkey onto the dining-room floor.
   The boy stood rooted；the guests staring at their plates.Moving only her head，the hostess looked at her son，"No harm，Daniel，"she said，"just pick him up and take him back to the kitchen..." She enunciated（發(fā)音） clearly so he would think about what she was saying，"and bring in the other one."
   A wink and a one-liner instantly changed the dinner from a red-faced embarrassment to a laughter.

（1）What is the main idea of the passage？

B

B

A．Humour is the key to success in our work and lives.
B．Humour enables us to deal with difficult situations effectively.
C．Humour is the best way to criticize someone without losing his face.
D．Humour makes fun of any difficult situation.
（2）Which of the following is NOT stated in the passage？

C

C

A．Comedians on TV are believed to have done a lot in making people more tolerant（容忍） of racial and religious differences.
B．To make up differences，humour is the most acceptable and effective means.
C．People often turn to humorous ways when meeting with difficult situations because of its effectiveness.
D．Only by adopting the means of humour can one succeed in some jobs.
（3）What caused the roast turkey to drop onto the floor？

A

A

A．The backward movement of the door.
B．The son's rude behavior.
C．Someone happened to be at the door.
D．The bird raised by the family.
（4）What do you think would probably be the result if the hostess got angry and scolded the son？

A

A

A．It would make the embarrassing situation worse.
B．The son would refuse to serve the guests any more.
C．The son would talk back and make the mother more angry.
D．The guests would leave before the dinner was over.