The Importance of Humor
A lot of us lose life's tough battles by startingafrontal(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 a final warning about being late on the job. Although there was a good reason for Sam's being late-serious illness at home-he decided that this by-now-familiar excuse wouldn't work any longer. His boss was probably already pacing up and down preparing a dismissal(解雇)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 boss came up to him. Suddenly, Sam forced a smile 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 boss tried to hold back 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 ignored, means of handling the difficult situations in our lives. It can be used forpatchingupdifferences, apologizing, saying "no", criticizing, 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 than people in any other forum(论坛).
【小题1】Why was Sam late for his job?| A．Because he was ill. | B．Because he got up late. |
| C．lie was busy applying for a new job. | D．Because he was caught in a traffic jam. |
| A．early bird gets the worm | B．humor is important in our lives |
| C．Sam Maynard saved his job with humor | D．humor can solve racial discriminations |
| A．making up | B．picking up | C．coming up | D．looking up |
| A．Sam was supposed to come to his office at 8:30. |
| B．Humor is the most effective way of solving problems. |
| C．It wasn't the first time that Sam came late for his work. |
| D．Many lose life's battles for they are lacking in a sense of humor. |
