A
The British are known for their sense of humour. However, it is often difficult for foreigners to understand their jokes. The main point to remember is that the British often use understatement.
Understatement means saying less than you think or feel. For example, if someone gets very wet in a shower of rain, he might say, “It's a little damp(潮湿的)outside.”Or, if someone is very impolite and shouts at another person, someone else might say, “He isn't exactly friendly.” Understatement is often used in unpleasant situation or to make another person look silly. Understatement plays an important part in British humour.
Another key to understanding British humour is that the British like to make fun of themselves as well as others. They often laugh about the silly and unpleasant things that happen to their everyday life when someone accidentally falls over in the street. They also like to make jokes about people from different classes of society. They like to make jokes about their accents, the way they dress and the way they behave. What's more, the British love to watch comedies about people who do not know how to behave in society. The comedy series Mr Bean is a good example of this kind of humour. Mr Bean is the character created by British actor Rowan Atkinson in 1990.
Mr Bean doesn't talk often, and instead he uses his body movements and facial expressions to make people laugh. Perhaps what makes Mr Bean so funny is that he does things that adults in the real world cannot do. Mr Bean is popular in many countries around the world because you do not have to speak English to understand the humour. Because of this, many people have become familiar with the British sense of humour.
本文是一篇说明文，主要介绍的是如何理解英式幽默。
1．Which of the following is TRUE?
A．The British often enlarge the fact.
B．British jokes are connected with many different cultures.
C．What the British say means less than you think or feel.
D．British jokes are not as funny as jokes in other countries.
答案：C
解析：细节理解题。根据第一段中的“The main point to remember is that the British often use understatement.”及第二段中的“Understatement means saying less than you think or feel.”可知，英国人说的比你想的或感觉的要少，故C项正确。
2．The author explains understatement by .
A．using examples B．making comparisons
C．following time order D．describing a process
答案：A
解析：细节理解题。根据第二段中的“For example, if someone gets very wet in a shower of rain, he might say, ‘It's a little damp(潮湿的)outside.’ Or, if someone is very impolite and shouts at another person, someone else might say, ‘He isn't exactly friendly.’”可知，作者是通过举在雨中淋湿和不礼貌地对别人大喊大叫的例子来解释轻描淡写的，故A项正确。
3．Mr Bean makes people laugh by .
A．telling funny stories
B．making jokes about others' accents
C．copying how others behave
D．using his body movements and facial expressions
答案：D
解析：细节理解题。根据最后一段中的“Mr Bean doesn't talk often, and instead he uses his body movements and facial expressions to make people laugh.”可知，憨豆先生是通过肢体动作和面部表情使人发笑的，故D项正确。
4．What can be the best title for the text?
A．British Humour in Comedy
B．Humour in Different Cultures
C．Developing Your Sense of Humour
D．Understanding British Humour
答案：D
解析：标题判断题。根据第一段中的“However, it is often difficult for foreigners to understand their jokes. The main point to remember is that the British often use understatement.”及倒数第二段中的“Another key to understanding British humour is that the British like to make fun of themselves as well as others.”可知，外国人很难理解英式幽默，要记住的主要一点是英国人经常使用轻描淡写，另一个理解英式幽默的关键是要知道英国人不仅喜欢嘲笑别人还喜欢嘲笑自己，因此本文主要介绍的如何理解英式幽默，故D项正确。
