Reading task #1--Word List

epitomize--to be a typical example of--His way of living epitomizes iPod generation.
legitimate--being in compliance with the law-- He is doing legitimate business.

outrageous--grossly offensive to decency or morality--What he did is simply outrageous.

hypocrisy--the practice of professing beliefs, feelings, or virtues that one does not hold or possess--He is a person of hypocrisy.

poise--a state of balance or equilibrium--It is important to stay in poise.

denominate--to give a name to-- He denominates the food Zongzi.

assassination--kill someone secretly--He escaped an assassination.

duck--escape--He forgot to duck.

dyad--two individuals or units regarded as a pair-- We have dyads of chromosomes in cells.

predilection--preference--He has a predilection for classical composers.

detour--a roundabout way or course--He was forced to take the detour.

gynecologist--an expert in women diseases--He works as a gynecoligist.

ubiquity--omnipresence--The ubiquity of pollution is a serious problem.

sedate--serious--She is a sedate girl.

dowager--a widow who holds a title or property derived from her deceased husband--She is a dowager.

Reading task #1--Essay

In Part 1, Chapter 1 of the book "Humor and Society:Explorations in the Sociology of Humor",
Marvin R. Koller explores the nature of humor and its relationship with sociology.

The author firstly finds it hard to give "humor" an accurate definition, but he introduces four macrotheories of humor. These macrotheories help us to understand the nature of humor. The first one is Incongruity Theory. According to this theory, there are unrelated ideas being compared and contrasted in humor, and the humor involves the formula of "reductio ad absurdum"(Humor and Society:Explorations in the Sociology of Humor,1987,7),which means "reducing a logical argument to absurdity and hence holding it up to ridicule or laughter"(Humor and Society:Explorations in the Sociology of Humor,1987,7). The second one is Relief Theory, which explains that humor is a release of human from physiological, psychological or social restrictions. The third one is Ambivalance Theory. This theory views humor as "struggle between opposing emotions or feeling-states"(Humor and Society:Explorations in the Sociology of Humor,1987,8). The last one is Superiority Theory, whose main point is that people use humor to show the superiority of themselves.

Ater introduing the macrotheories, Marvin R. Koller explains the connection between humor and sociology. First, humor exists in a social context. People with different past associations, experiences, values and overall sociocultural backgrounds have different feelings of humor. Second, "To share a laugh together is a major social bond"(Humor and Society:Explorations in the Sociology of Humor,1987,11). Third, humor reflects both societal and cultural life, so it is an ideal area for sociologists to conduct significant sociological research.

To sum up, humor is not only funny, but also worth looking into it seriously.

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