Imagine a stranger walking past you on a cold, rainy day. "Lovely weather, isn't it?" the stranger says. Do you laugh, or even smile? If not, you may not have a dry sense of humor. British people, and particularly the English, are well-known for our dry sense of humor. We often say the opposite of what we mean in order to be funny, and tell jokes in a tone of voice that makes it sound like we are being completely serious. As US writer Julian Tan put it on the HuffPost Students blog: "It is as if it is 'Opposite Day' every day in Britain." If the people of Britain are known for having a " _ " and not showing emotion, then our dry sense of humor shows this through jokes. Often it will take a long time or several beers, to get a British person to tell you what they actually think about something and get behind the wall of humorous sarcasm that they have in front of them. English comedian Ricky Gervais put it like this: "We play jokes on our friends. We use sarcasm as a shield and a weapon. We avoid being serious until it's absolutely necessary." It can be annoying and confusing if you haven't been raised with these types of jokes: "Why did he just say such a ridiculous thing? Is he making fun of me?" But it is also true that understanding this type of humor is a good way to make friends with people in the UK, even if you don't find it funny. It's important to remember that the person telling the joke may actually be making fun of himself or herself, not you. One of the characteristics of British humor is "its strong theme of self-deprecation" (making fun of oneself), according to Tan. So don't worry - often, English people, and British people in general, just want to make fun of themselves! It can be inferred from the passage that _ . A) British people are famous for being emotional B) British people's humor is often misunderstood C) it's a tradition for British people to make fun of each other D) it doesn't take a long time to make friends with British people
B
While students in Hainan are quite used to clear skies, Beijing teenagers are not so lucky. As another warm winter approaches, the city can expect the normal clouds of smoke caused by air pollution. But things could start to get better soon. The government is co-operating with a US- based environmental protection agency to update existing buses and trucks with clean fuel technology. The new technology could reduce air pollutants in existing diesel vehicles ( ) by 40 per cent. The programme will begin by testing buses in Beijing to see if the technology can be applied to them. "We encourage the development of public transportation. But at the same time we need to reduce pollution from them," said an official. Efforts are being made to improve the capital's environment with tighter controls on emissions . Some heavily polluting factories and construction sites, such as those owned by the steel giant Shougang Group, have been asked to cut production in November and December or be closed. Beijing was the third polluted city in the world at the end of last century, according to the UN. But thanks to recent measures, the capital has made some progress. Last year 224 clear days were rated as having good air quality. In 1998 the air quality index gave just 100 days as good. "I am glad to see an improvement," said a Senior 1 boy living in the northwest of Beijing. "Compared to other places, the air quality of Beijing is still worrying though. I hate the pollution. Once I was riding my bike in the morning when I almost had a traffic accident because I couldn't see a car only metres away from me in frog." In early October, the skies were covered by such a thick fog that a display show by the visiting French air force was called off. Rapid development, industry, traffic fumes and sandstorms from the desert all contribute to the city's bad air. Which is not correct according to the passage? A) Beijing's air quality is getting worse and worse. B) Development, industry, traffic fumes and sandstorms are all the causes of bad air quality. C) Clouds of smoke in the sky is the common feature in the winter of Beijing. D) The government is making every effort to stop air pollution.
A
I got interested in the idea of standing desks about a year ago. The health advantages of standing instead of sitting for eight hours a day are clear, so when the company Ergotron invited me to review their WorkFit C-Mod Dual Desk, I jumped out of my chair---really. After several hours putting the desk together, I finally got to try it out. The standing desk had a desktop that I could use for writing. At first I absolutely loved it. Standing during the day instead of sitting was fantastic. Although I felt more tired after all that standing during the day, I knew the health benefits were worth the slight discomfort. However, after the initial novelty of the desk wore off, I realized that I could not use it in the long term. It was just not practical. While using the desk for a month , I could definitely foresee problems arising from using it full time. I enjoy having a lot of things on my desk. The standing desk just did not have enough room for all of my things. I can easily foresee awkward situations when I put that desk in an office space. When someone comes into your office, does your guest have to stand as well? If you office is big enough, maybe you have room for two chairs for you and a visitor, which is great. Yet for the ordinary worker in a small office, the standing desk creates a very awkward situation. Additionally, the amount of money I would have to spend to replace my current workspace with a standing desk was another issue. The desks I have looked at were highly expensive. Yes, spending the day standing can offset many of the negative effects of too much sitting, but we humans are designed for movement. Through activity changes like taking the stairs instead of the elevator, you can easily increase the time you spend on your feet. Best of all, those options are completely free. When first using the standing desk, the author _ . A) thought it was boring B) thought it was wonderful C) felt less tired than usual D) felt quite uncomfortable
B