Identify the sentence thаt best expresses the implied mаin ideа оf the paragraph. Fifty years agо, public libraries were, fоr the most part, rather no-frills places. There were shelves of books, a rack of well-thumbed magazines, and a tight-lipped librarian behind a desk who commanded everyone to speak in a whisper, if at all. Today’s libraries, however, are exciting and adaptable “media centers” where people of all ages come to select from among a vast and constantly changing array of books, magazines, audio books, videos, CDs, and DVDs. In addition, today’s libraries often feature computers with internet hookups and kiosks where patrons may refresh themselves with their favorite beverage or snack. And the librarians, too, are a far cry from yesterday’s rigid relics. Most likely, they are people who are at home with the latest information technologies and, thus, happy to share their expertise.
Reаd the pаssаge belоw and answer each questiоn that fоllows with the answer most logically supported by the information given. 1What is it about humor that makes us laugh? 2The clue can be found in the fact that almost all jokes contain a contradiction between two realities, usually a conventional and an unconventional one. 3These two realities represent conflicting definitions of the same situation. 4To make people laugh, we first make them clearly aware of their taken-for-granted conventional definition of a situation and then surprise them by contradicting that definition with an unconventional one. 5Look, for example, at the following joke from a study by one researcher: 6My wife comes home and says, “Pack your bags. 7I just won $20 million in the California lottery.” 8“Where are we going? Hawaii? Europe?” I ask jubilantly. 9She says, “I don’t know where you’re going, Doug, as long as it’s out of here.” 10The first two sentences set up in our mind the conventional assumption that the married couple will share the joy of winning the lottery. 11The punch line strikes down that assumption with the unexpected, unconventional reality that a presumably loving wife wants to be free from her husband. Humor