If you intend using humor in your talk to make people smile, you must know how to identify shared experiences and problems. Your humor must be relevant to the audience and should help to show them that you are one of them or that you understand their situation and are in sympathy with their point of view. Depending on whom you are addressing, the problems will be different. If you are talking to a group of managers, you may refer to the disorganized methods of their secretaries; alternatively if you are addressing secretaries, you may want to comment on their disorganized bosses.
Here is an example, which I heard at a nurses' convention, of a story which works well because the audience all shared the same view of doctors. A man arrives in heaven and is being shown around by St. Peter. He sees wonderful accommodations, beautiful gardens, sunny weather, and so on. Everyone is very peaceful, polite and friendly until, waiting in a line for lunch, the new arrival is suddenly pushed aside by a man in a white coat, who rushes to the head of the line, grabs his food and stomps over to a table by himself. "Who is that?" the new arrival asked St. Peter. "Oh, that's God," came the reply, "but sometimes he thinks he's a doctor."
If you are part of the group which you are addressing, you will be in a position to know the experiences and problems which are common to all of you and it'll be appropriate for you to make a passing remark about the inedible canteen food or the chairman's notorious taste in ties. With other audiences you mustn't attempt to cut in with humor as they will resent an outsider making disparaging remarks about their canteen or their chairman. You will be on safer ground if you stick to scapegoats like the post office or the telephone system.
If you feel awkward being humorous, you must practice so that it becomes more natural. Include a few casual and apparently off-the-cuff remarks which you can deliver in a relaxed and unforced manner. Often it's the delivery which causes the audience to smile, so speak slowly and remember that a raised eyebrow or an unbelieving look may help to show that you are making a light-hearted remark.
Look for the humor. It often comes from the unexpected. A twist on a familiar quote "If at first you don't succeed, give up" or a play on words or on a situation. Search for exaggerations and understatements. Look at your talk and pick out a few words or sentences which you can turn about and inject with humor.
1.To make your humor work, you should_______.
A.take advantage of different kinds of audience
B.make fun of the disorganized people
C.address different problems to different people
D.show sympathy for your listeners
2.The joke about doctors implies that, in the eyes of nurses, they are_______.
A.impolite to new arrivals B.very conscious of their godlike role
C.entitled to some privileges D.very busy even during lunch hours
3.It can be inferred from the passage that public services_______.
A.have benefited many people B.are the focus of public attention
C.are an inappropriate subject for humor D.have often been the laughing stock
4.To achieve the desired result, humorous stories should be delivered_______.
A.in well-worded language B.as awkwardly as possible
C.in exaggerated statements D.as casually as possible
5.The best title for the passage may be "________".
A.Use Humor Effectively B.Various Kinds of Humor
C.Add Humor to Speech D.Different Humor Strategies
长难例句分析
［长难例句］If you are part of the group which you are addressing, you will be in a position to know the experiences and problems which are common to all of you and it'll be appropriate for you to make a passing remark about the inedible canteen food or the chairman's notorious taste in ties.
［结构分析］本句中，主句是由and连接的两个并列句。其中，第一个句子中的固定搭配in a position to do sth.的意思是“能够做某事”，如：I regret I am not in a position to help you. 我很抱歉无力帮助你。which引导的是定语从句修饰experiences and problems，第二个句子中it为形式主语，动词不定式to make a passing remark about the inedible canteen food or the chairman's notorious taste in ties为真正的主语。前面的if you are part of the group为条件状语从句，which you are addressing为非限定性定语从句，修饰the group。
［参考译文］如果你是听你说话的听众中的一员，你就应该知道对于你们来说都再熟悉不过的经历和难题，这时，评论一番难以下咽的食堂饭菜或者众所周知的主席领带的品位低下，这些都将会是非常合适的话题。
全文参考译文
如果你想在交谈中运用幽默逗人发笑，那你必须知道怎样才能识别出和听众共同的经历和难题。你的幽默必须要与听众相关，并应能够向他们表明你是他们中的一员或者能够表明你理解他们的处境并且认同他们的观点。根据听众不同，你所谈的问题也应有所不同。如果你和一群经理交谈，你可以谈论他们的秘书杂乱无章的工作方法；反过来，如果你和秘书们交谈，你也许会评论一下他们老板杂乱无章的作风。
举个例子来说，我曾在一次护士大会上听到一个很恰当的幽默故事，因为所有的听众对医生的看法相同。一位男士到了天堂，正由圣彼得带着四处观看。他看到华丽的房舍、美丽的花园、晴朗的天气等等。每个人都十分和气、礼貌和友善。到排队吃中午饭时，新来的人突然被一个穿白大褂的人推到了一旁，他冲到队伍的前面，抓起自己的食物，骄横地走到桌边。“那是谁？”新来的人问圣彼得。“呃，那是上帝。”他回答，“但是有时候他以为自己是个医生。”
如果你是听你说话的听众中的一员，你就会站在他们的角度了解对所有人来说都很普通的经历和难题，你可以评价一番难以下咽的食堂饭菜或主席领带的品位低下。当和其他听众交谈时，你一定不要试图运用此类幽默，因为，他们会对一个局外人对他们的食堂或主席毁谤性的言论感到气愤。如果你一直都说像邮局或电信系统这种“替罪羊”话题的笑话，你就不会得罪任何人。
如果你觉得自己幽默起来感觉很生硬，那你必须不断练习以使其变得更加自然。你可以用一种轻松而不勉强的方式，夹带一些随意和显然临场发挥的评论。通常，幽默的表达过程使人发笑，所以，讲得慢一些，扬眉或摆出一幅不相信的脸孔容易让人知道你在开玩笑。
要善于发现幽默，它常常是在出其不意的时候出现。例如拿人们熟悉的谚语开玩笑，比如“假如一开始便不成功，那就放弃吧”，或者拿一出戏剧的对白或场景打趣。多思考一下夸大其词或者平铺直叙。看一下自己的语言，找出一些词汇或句子来，把它们反复琢磨，在其中注入幽默。
题目答案与解析
1.要想让你的幽默奏效，你应该________。
A.利用不同的听众 B.取笑那些缺乏条理的人
C.对不同的人谈不同的问题 D.向你的听众表示同情
【答案】C
【解析】本题可参照文章的第一段。从中可知，为了使你的幽默使人发笑，你应该根据不同的谈话对象谈论不同的话题。C项与文章的意思相符，因此为正确答案。
2.依照护士的观点，关于医生的笑话暗示了医生________。
A.对新来者不礼貌 B.非常了解自己神圣的角色
C.被授予某些特权 D.甚至午餐期间都非常忙
【答案】B
【解析】本题可参照文章的第二段。从中可知，我曾在一次护士大会上听到一个很恰当的幽默故事，因为所有的听众对医生的看法相同。一位男士到了天堂，正由圣彼得带着四处观看。他看到华丽的房舍、美丽的花园、晴朗的天气等等。每个人都十分和气、礼貌和友善。到排队吃中午饭时，新来的人突然被一个穿白大褂的人推到了一旁，他冲到队伍的前面，抓起自己的食物，骄横地走到桌边。“那是谁？”新来的人问圣彼得。“呃，那是上帝。”他回答，“但是有时候他以为自己是个医生。”据此可知，护士认为医生自以为是上帝，可以耍威风，不讲道理。B项与文章的意思相符，因此为正确答案。
3.从本文可以推知，公共服务________。
A.为许多人带来了利益 B.是公众关注的焦点
C.不是幽默的合适话题 D.常常被人当做笑料
【答案】D
【解析】从文章第三段的内容可知，如果你是你的听众中的一员的话，你就会了解你们所有人的共同经历或问题，你就可以随意评论食堂的饭菜难吃，或是评论领导的领带没有品味，这些都无可厚非；不过，同其他人交谈时，你千万不要尝试插入这类幽默，因为他们反感一个局外人对他们的食堂或领导发表蔑视性的评论；如果你继续调侃邮局或电信系统这类“替罪羊”，你就会平安无事。据此可知，邮局或电信系统等公共服务经常被人调侃。D项与文中的意思相符，因此为正确答案。
4.要想达到想要的效果，应该_______讲幽默故事。
A.用恰当的言语 B.以尽可能笨拙的表情
C.用夸张的陈述 D.以尽可能随意的表情
【答案】D
【解析】本题可参照文章的第四段。从中可知，如果你不擅长于使用幽默，你就必须练习，以使你的幽默显得更加自然；内容包括一些随意、显然是即兴的评论，你能够以悠闲、自然的方式发表这些评论；通常是发表评论的方式使听众发笑，所以，要慢慢地评论，要记住——扬扬眉或露出一副难以置信的表情有助于使你的评论显得轻松愉快。D项与文章的意思相符，因此为正确答案。
5.本篇文章的最佳标题也许是“________”。
A.有效地使用幽默 B.各种各样的幽默
C.在言语中添加幽默 D.不同的幽默策略
【答案】A
【解析】从文章第一段的内容可知，如果你想在谈话中用幽默来使人发笑的话，你就必须知道如何确定你与其他人有相同的经历和问题；你的幽默一定要和听众有关，应该有助于表明你是他们中间的一员，或者你了解他们的处境，赞同他们的观点；针对不同的谈话对象，你要谈的问题就应该有所不同；文章第二段举例做了说明；从第三段的内容可知，如果你是你的听众中的一员的话，你就会了解你们所有人的共同经历或问题，你就可以随意评论食堂的饭菜难吃，或是评论领导的领带没有品味，这些都无可厚非；不过，同其他人交谈时，你千万不要尝试运用这类幽默；从文章第四段的内容可知，如果你不擅长于使用幽默，你就必须练习，以便你的幽默显得更加自然；从最后一段的内容可知，幽默常常来自于意料之外；不妨曲解人们熟知的引语，寻找夸张和掩饰用语；琢磨一下你的谈话，从中挑出你能够改动的几个字或几句话来，注入幽默。据此可知，本文主要谈的是如何利用幽默来使人发笑。A项与文章的意思相符，因此为正确答案。
