Gallows humor may seem like a mistake, or at least in poor taste. But psychologists say that gallows humor can be an important way to relieve stress."Humor makes you feel in control and it can give you that feeling that everything is okay even when it's not,"says James M.Jones, a psychology professor at the University of Delaware. Psychologists say that just because you're laughing doesn't mean you're wasting time. Occasional tease among colleagues, particularly if it is associated with the job, can inspire creativity, departmental cohesiveness and performance. "There are a lot of stresses out there,"says Ed Dunkelblau, a psychologist in Chicago."Gallows humor is a way of making difficult things a little less difficult." This is as long as the humor is used for the right purpose. The main point of it should be inspiring people--not laughing at them. "Anything that would lift morale in terms of the company would be good humor,"says Thierry Guedj, a professor. You want to give your employees and co-workers a sense of belonging, so don't make observations that are aggressive. Most obviously, Dr. Guedj says, don't make comments about people's physical appearance or faith. If you have any doubt about its appropriateness, don't go through with it. Or you can take aim at the person that you know won't be offended : yourself. "If there's going to be a joke or story, it should be you,"Mr Dunkelblau says. "People with the ability to laugh at themselves can give other people permission to laugh at themselves, too,"Mr Jones says."And if you can laugh at yourself, you feel better about yourself." According to the passage, gallows humor has the following functions EXCEPT _ . A) leading to a big mistake B) reducing pressure C) making people more creative D) improving performance
A
(Question)
Every time Lionel Messi breaks a record, it seems appropriate to compare him to the legends that came before him. In 2012, he rewrote soccer history on multiple occasions, and his latest record came when he scored his 86th goal of the calendar year, breaking Gerd Muller's previous mark, before wrapping up the year with 91 goals. All statistics indicate that Messi is currently the best player in the world, and that he will go down in history as the top footballer of his generation. But when he is judged against all-time greats like Pele and Diego Maradona, he still has work to do. We don't know whether the Barcelona striker will have another year in which he records more than 90 goals, but he must still sustain a similar level of production for the next several seasons. Messi has already taken part in three of Barcelona's victorious Champions League campaigns, and he played an important role in two of them. In order to firmly establish himself as the greatest club football player in history, he must win the tournament a few more times. Most importantly, the Argentine needs to win on the international stage. Regardless of what Messi does for Barcelona, his legacy will be incomplete if he cannot win the World Cup with Argentina. Both Pele and Maradona led their countries to the top of international soccer during their careers, and Messi's performances for his country have been severely disappointing. While he was still a teenager in 2006 --and his lackluster showing is excusable due to his youth--he cannot brush off the disappointment that characterized Argentina's performance in 2010. But the 4-0 loss to Germany in the 2010 World Cup Quarter Final seems to have sparked Messi. He scored 12 times for Argentina last year, and the next World Cup could finally be Messi's breakout performance in blue and white stripes. Due to all of his accomplishments, it is easy to forget that the extraordinary footballer is just 25 years old. If he can avoid injury or lengthy slumps until his speed and skills start to decline due... What is the best title of the passage? A) Lionel Messi, the Best Soccer Player of All Time ? B) Lionel Messi, the Greatest Soccer Player in History. C) Barcelona and Lionel Messi. D) World Cup and Lionel Messi.
(Answer)
A
When should a child start learning to read and write? This is one of the questions I am most frequently asked. There is no hard and fast rule, for no two are alike, and it would be wrong to set a time when all should start being taught the intricacies of reading letters to form words. If a three-year-old wants to read(or even a two-year-old for that matter), the child has the right to be given every encouragement. The fact that he or she might later be "bored" when joining a class of non-readers at child school is the teacher's affair. It is up to the teacher to see that such a child is given more advanced reading material. Similarly, the child who still cannot read by the time he goes to junior school at the age of seven should be given every help by teachers and parents alike. They should make certain that he is not dyslexic(having difficulty in reading). Although parents should be careful not to force youngsters aged two to five to learn to read( if badly done it could put them off reading for life ), there is no harm in preparing them for simple recognition of letters by labeling various items in their rooms. For instance, tie a nice piece of cardboard to their bed with BED written in neat, big letters. Should the young child ask his parents to teach him to read, and if the parents are capable of doing so, such an attraction should not be ignored. But the task should never be made to look like a hard job and the child should never be forced to continue, or his interest should start to flag. The writer suggests that _ . A) children should ask their parents to teach them to read B) children starting to read should ask specialists for help C) children should be taught with patience, care and a sense of humor. D) children should not feel bored if given advanced reading material
C