A good joke can be the hardest thing to understand when studying a foreign language. As a recent article in The Guardian newspaper noted, “There’s more to understanding a joke in a foreign language than understanding vocabulary and grammar.”

Being able to understand local jokes is often seen as an unbelievable ice-breaker for a language learner eager to form friendships with native speakers. “I always felt that humor was a ceiling that I could never break through,” Hannah Ashley, a public relations account manager in London, who once studied Spanish in Madrid, told The Guardian, “I could never speak to people on the same level as I would speak to a native English speaker. I almost came across as quite a boring person because all I could talk about was facts.”

In fact, most of the time, jokes are only funny for people who share a cultural background or understand humor in the same way. Chinese-American comedian Joe Wong found this out first-hand. He had achieved huge success in the US, but when he returned to China in 2008 for his first live show in Beijing, he discovered that people didn’t think his Chinese jokes were as funny as his English ones.

In Australia, meanwhile many foreigners find understanding jokes about sports to be the biggest headache. “The hardest jokes are related to rugby because I know nothing about rugby,” said Melody Cao, who was once a student in Australia. “When I heard jokes I didn’t get, I just laughed along.”

In the other two major English-speaking countries, the sense of humor is also different. British comedian Simon Pegg believes that while British people use irony (反话)—basically, saying something they don’t mean to make a joke—every day, people in the US don’t see the point of using it so often. “British jokes tend to be more subtle and dark, while American jokes are more obvious with their meanings, a bit like Americans themselves,” he wrote in The Guardian.

32. It is implied in the noted sentence in Paragraph 1 that ________.

A. there tends to be something behind the words of a joke in a foreign language

B. humor is always conveyed to foreigners through vocabulary and grammar

C. vocabulary and grammar help you understand jokes in a foreign language

D. making jokes is a possible way for one to learn better a foreign language

33. What can we guess about Hannah Ashley?

A. She thinks that Spanish people generally do not have much of a sense of humor.

B. She believes that one had better rely on facts when speaking a foreign language.

C. She had a better command of the Spanish language than of the English

D. She found humor was a barrier to her getting along well with Spanish people.

34. Joe Wong is used as an example to _________.

A. show that it’s hard to put jokes into another language

B. suggest that there are cultural differences in humor

C. prove that local people have different taste in humor

D. show that expressing ability affects the sense of humor

35. From the article we can learn that ________.

A. jokes about sports are difficult for people to understand

B. Americans are generally more humorous than British people

C. British people’s dark jokes often make people uncomfortable

D. not all English native speakers can understand English jokes easily

第二节（共5小题；每小题2分，满分10分）

根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

How to Conquer Public Speaking Fears

Does the thought of speaking in front of a room of people make your stomach upset, hands sweaty and voice shaky? ___36__ _ Many adults fear public speaking, but in the business world, it’s almost impossible to avoid having to do it. So, how do you get over this fear of public speaking? Here are a few tips:

___37__ _

Have you ever been told to avoid eye contact with the audience and direct your gaze elsewhere around the room to ease your nerves? Although this is popular advice, it’s not effective when it comes to easing your nerves. Instead, the right way to get over your public speaking fears is to focus carefully on the audience. ___38__ _

Practice in the mirror.

If you can’t perform your speech in front of your own reflection, you won’t be able to do it in front of a crowd. So you should do more such practice. ___39__ _ The audience will respond well if you appear welcoming and calm.

Do a practice run.

___40__ _ Where will you be standing in relation to the audience? Will the lights be shining in your face? Will there be a place for you to put note cards on? Knowing all of these will also help you ease your anxieties because you won’t have to worry about being unprepared.

The most effective leaders are often the greatest public speakers, so conquering this fear will be beneficial to you in the long run.

A. Focus on the audience.

B. You are not the only one.

C. Ask yourself the following questions.

D. As a public speaker, your job is to use the information.

E. And take notice of your body language and facial expressions.

F. It can help you take attention away from your negative thoughts.

G. If possible, visit the room where you will be speaking in advance.

第三部分 英语知识运用（共两节，满分45分）

第一节 完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）

阅读下列短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

I am Still the Greatest

I have always believed in myself, even as a young child growing up in Louisville, Ky. My parents instilled a sense of pride and 41 in me, and taught me and my brother that we could be the best at anything. I must have believed them, 42 I remember being the neighborhood marble champion and challenging my neighborhood buddies to see who could jump the tallest hedges or run a foot race the length of the block. Of course I knew when I made the challenge that I would win. I never even thought of 43 .

As part of my boxing training, I would run down Fourth Street in downtown Louisville, 44 in and out of local shops, taking just enough time to tell them I was training for the Olympics and I was going to win a gold medal. I never thought of the 45 of failing — only of the 46 and glory I was going to get when I won. I could see it. I could almost feel it. When I declared that I was the “Greatest of 47 Time,” I believed in myself. And I still do. 英语学习  http://www.yggk.net/english/