Something that has always interested me about Abraham Lincoln is, not surprisingly, his sense of humor. As far as I can tell, he's the first American President to have one. That's because the term"sense of humor" really wasn't in common usage until the eighteen-sixties and seventies. In the eighteen-forties and fifties, it was called"the sense of the ridiculous," and didn't have the positive connotations that"sense of humor" has today. Back then, what was ridiculous was what invited ridicule . Funniness and cruelty went hand in hand. Of course, they still do a lot of arm-in-arm walking in our day as well. Lincoln's humor was very different because, for one thing, it was actually "humor"as what the word meant in his time. We don't make the distinction between "wit "and "humor"anymore; but in the nineteenth century people did. Wit was unpleasant and offensive while humor was pleasant and sympathetic. It's the difference we note now when we distinguish between "laughing with" and "laughing at". Lincoln was much more about "laughing with" than "laughing at". And when "laughing at, " it was often himself he was teasing. In the famous Lincoln-Douglas debates, when Douglas accused Lincoln of being two-faced, Lincoln replied, referencing his plain looking, "Honestly, if I were two-faced, would I be showing you this one?"And, in a way, Lincoln's face itself tells us much about his sense of humor.  You can comb through thousands of photographs of politicians, soldiers, and the like from Lincoln's time and not find a single smile.  True, the long exposures required for photographs of that time made smiling difficult. Yet Lincoln alone, as far as I can tell, overcame that difficulty. Interestingly, while having a sense of humor, or at least the appearance of one provided by comedy writers has become a necessary characteristic for an American President in our time, in the nineteenth century, too much humor was considered problem. And that was the case for Lincoln. A journalist covering the Lincoln-Douglas debates... What might the writer think of the journalist covering the Lincoln-Douglas debates? A) His comment accurately reflected his time B) He created a false picture of Lincoln C) He was prejudiced and self-centered D) He was brave to point out Lincoln's weakness
A


(Question)
How to make friends with people from a different culture? The rules are as follows:    RULE 1: Appreciate the Person. Most Americans like to be recognized as individuals as someone special with unique characteristics and personalities. Therefore, never say, " You're from America so I want to be your friend." Also don't imply that the reason why you approached them is because you wanted someone to practice your English with. That turns people off. Instead try saying," You seem like a real nice and interesting person and I would like to get to know you better." This way, they are much more inclined to be friendly because you see them as a three dimensional person and appreciate them for who they are in the inside. And by doing so, you not only learn about America and practice your English, but also gain a real friend in the process.    RULE 2:Quit Calling Us Foreigners. Please refrain from calling a foreigner a foreigner especially in his face. The word makes people feel like an outsider, and even unwelcome, suggesting separation and insurmountable differences, widening an already existing gap in the situation.    When Americans travel, they rarely say, "I'm foreign to your place." They tend to say, "I'm new in town. I'm new here." The reason is because new and unfamiliar things can become old and familiar. But can foreign things become native? Aha? You catch my drift.    RULE 3: Just Do It. Some students like to be told about American culture but are less interested in spending the time and the effort to actually experience it. As Americans always say, "Get your hands dirty." Until you have first hand and hands on experience, you'll never really know anything. Right?    So whenever you have the opportunity to participate in American culture, don't just sit there and watch. Get up and get involved!    RULE 4: Find that Common Language. Now I must stress the importance of finding a common language. By that I don't mean English, Chinese, German, French, etc. I mean finding something you have in common with... According to the passage, which of the following is friendly? A) I am longing to make friends with an American. B) This is my friend Tom, who is a foreigner. C) There must be a gap between us in many aspects. D) You've got a great personality.
(Answer)
D


Ques: Swedish sinologist Malmqvist celebrated his 85th birthday with his 20 more students in the Dragon House restaurant in Stockholm on Monday. During the dinner, he accepted a brief interview with the people's Daily Online.      While refusing to answer the question relating to the Nobel Prize since he himself is a member of the Nobel Prize Committee in Literature,he said his greatest wish is to have a Chinese writer to wit]the Nobel Prize.      He said that there had been a Chinese writer who won the Nobel Prize. That was Gao Xingjian who is a French citizen but writes in Chinese. He also quoted former premier Zhu Rongji's remark on Gao's winning. "I'm glad to hear that Chinese literature works can win the Nobel Prize. Chinese language has some thousand years of history and has great attraction. I believe more Chinese literature works will win the prize. "     Being asked whether translation is an obstacle for Chinese literature to be widely recognized in the west,professor Malmqvist agreed. "Chinese literature has entered world. For me,it is not an obstacle. I have translated more than 40 Chinese books,Anna Chen also translated about 30,but it is not enough. Translation work needs to be strengthened so that more western readers Call appreciate Chinese literature. But the translation must be good. One cannot rewrite the story. One must obey the original,learn the original language. "     Professor Malmqvist came toprefix = st1 /Chinain 1948 to study Chinese and has translated Chinese classic novels such as the Journey to the West. He said Chinese language is one of the greatest and most beautiful languages. in Malmqvist's opinion,why hasn't Chinese literature been widely recognized in the west? A) There are. no good translators in the west. B) No Chinese writers have ever won the Nobel Prize. C) Western readers don't like Chinese literature. D) Translation work remains to be strengthened.
Ans: D


Adam Smith was the first person to see the importance of the division of the labor. He gave us an example of the process by which pins were made in England.     One man draws out the wire, another strengthens it, a third cuts it, a fourth points it, and a fifth gives it a head. Just to make the head requires two or three different operations. The work of making pins is divided into about eighteen different operations, which in some factories are all performed by different people, though in others the same man will sometimes perform two or three of them.     Ten men, Smith said, in this way, turned out twelve pounds of pins a day or about 4,800 pins a worker. But if all of them had worked separately and independently without division of labor, they certainly could not have made twenty pins in a day and not even one.     There can be no doubt that division of labor is an efficient way of organizing work.  Fewer people can make more pins. Adam Smith saw this, but he also took it for granted that the division of labor is itself responsible for economic growth and development and it accounts for the difference between expanding economies and those that stand still. In fact, the division of labor adds nothing new, and it only enables people to produce more of what they already have. According to the writer, Adam Smith's mistake was in believing that the division of labor   _  . A) was an efficient way of organizing work B) was an important development in methods of production C) finally led to economic development D) increased the production of existing goods

C