A lot of us lose life’s battles by starting a frontal (正面的) attack when a touch of humor might well enable us to win. Consider the case of a young friend of Sam, who hit a traffic jam on his way to work shortly after receiving an ultimatum (最后通牒) about being late. Although there was a good reason for Sam’s being late—serious illness at home—he decided that the by-now-familiar excuse wouldn’t work any longer. His boss was probably preparing a dismissal (解雇) speech.
Yes, the boss was. Sam entered the office at 9:35. The place was as quiet as a locker room. Everyone was hard at work. Sam’s boss came up to him. Suddenly, Sam forced a smile and stretched out his hand. “How do you do!” he said, “I’m Sam Maynard. I’m applying for a job, which, I understand, became available just 35 minutes ago. Does the early bird get the worm?”
The room exploded in laughter. The boss clamped off a smile and walked back to his office. Sam Maynard had saved his job—with the only tool that could win a laugh.
Humor is a very effective means of handling the difficult situations in our life. It can be used for apologizing, saying “no”, getting someone to do what you want. For some jobs, it’s the only tool that can succeed. It is a way to discuss subjects so sensitive that serious dialogues may start a quarrel. For example, many believe that comedians (喜剧演员) on television are doing more today for racial and religious tolerance than people in any other public places.
59. Why was Sam late for his job?
A. Because he didn’t like the job.
B. Because he got up late.
C. Because he was caught in a traffic jam.
D. Because he was busy applying for a new job.
60. The underlined phrase “clamped off” in Paragraph 3 most probably means “ ”.
A. tried to hold back
B. tried to set aside
C. focused on
D. gave out
61. Which of the following can we infer from the text?
A. People lose only battles because of lacking a sense of humor.
B. It wasn’t the first time that Sam had been late for his work.
C. Sam was supposed to come to his office at 8:30.
D. Humor is the most effective way to solve problems.
62. The main idea of this text is__________.
A. Sam saved his job with humor
B. humor is important in our life
C. the early bird gets the worm
D. humor can solve racial problems