張榮

A lot of us lose life's tough battles by starting a frontal （正面的） attack—while a touch of humor might well enable us to win. Consider the case of a young friend of mine， who hit a traffic jam on his way to work shortly after receiving an ultimatum （最后通牒） about being late on the job. Although there was a good reason for Sam's a being late—serious illness at home—he decided that this by-now-familiar excuse wouldn't work any longer. His supervisor was probably already pacing up and down preparing a dismissal speech.

Yes， the boss was there when Sam entered the office at 9：35. The place was as quiet as a locker room （更衣室）; everyone was hard at work. Sam's supervisor came up to him. Suddenly， Sam forced a grin 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 supervisor 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 most effective， yet frequently neglected （忽略）， means of handling the difficult situations in our lives. It can be used for patching up differences， apologising， saying “no”， criticising， and getting the other fellow to do what you want without his losing face. For some jobs， it's the only tool that can succeed. It is a way to discuss subjects so sensitive that serious dialogue may start a quarrel. For example， many believe that comedians on television are doing more today for racial and religious tolerance （忍受力） than people in any other forum.

1. Why was Sam late for his job？

A. Because he was ill. B. Because he got up late.

C. Because he was caught in a traffic jam. D. He was busy applying for a new job.

2. The main idea of this passage is ____.

A. Sam Maynard saved his job with humor B. humor is important in our lives

C. the early bird gets the worm D. humor can solve racial discriminations

3. The underlined phrase “clamped off” in paragraph 3 means ____.

A. tried to hold back B. tried to set ? ? C. charged ? D. gave out

4. Which of the following statements can we infer from the passage？

A. Many lose life's battles because they have a sense of humor.

B. It wasn't the first time that Sam was late for work.

C. Sam was supposed to come to his office at 8：30.

D. Humor is not an effective way of solving problems.