The pun and humor in the cartoon

Sal Monella is a poisonous gangster hell bent on infection, and a pimple is a power-mad oil gland. That's life--and a quirky twist on salmonella and acne--in the animated world of Ozzy & Drix, part of the WB network's Saturday-morning lineup. This was the first season for what might be called a "smartoon." It was in the top programs among kids ages 2 to 11. And it's coming back this fall.

Instead of battling mystical monsters, Ozzy & Drix cleverly personifies body parts--a muscle cell is a police chief--to teach kids about their bodies. Rather than lecture kids about smoking, Ozzy & Drix turns nicotine into Nick O'Teen, a smarmy villain with long claws that hook into brains and cause addictions. Bad guys like Nick are taken down by the title stars: Osmosis "Ozzy" Jones, a street-smart white blood cell, and Drix, an uptight but intelligent cold pill with a chest full of medicine. White blood cells help fight infection, and Drix is a medicine chest. Get it?

Ozzy & Drix makes a point of tackling "issues that are very real to the day-to-day lives of kids," says David Foster, a Harvard University internist who helps develop story lines for the show. "We hope they take an interest in what is going on inside them." That's why all the action occurs within 13-year-old Hector, who contracts diseases, encounters peer pressure, and even drinks spoiled milk. "This poor kid has been through a lot," says Producer Alan Burnett.

Pun fun. The slap-your-knee, ba-dum-dum humor takes many forms. Ozzy and Drix set up a detective firm behind Hector's cornea--they're "private eyes"--to ensure him a safe adolescence. Blood cells race like cars through Hector's arteries and past a "roadside" billboard reading "Peace for the Middle Ear." There's a rock concert at the Diaphragm Club featuring the band Metabolica. Ozzy and Drix drive a Cel Camino.

"This is a very interesting direction for broadcasters to take," says Sandra Calvert, a psychologist and director of the Children's Digital Media Center at Georgetown University. "We rarely see someone go after the health area." Kids go for the slapstick and drama while adults are drawn to the puns and parodies, and the dual enjoyment sparks questions and conversation, she says.

Consider an upcoming episode in which Hector eats bad sausage containing parasitic worms. A spoof of jaws begins as his stomach becomes a sea of acid dotted with boats. On one, Ozzy teams up with grizzled Captain Quinine--recalling movie shark hunter Quint and the fact that quinine was once used to treat parasites. Ozzy and the Cap'n blow up the monsters with bicarbonate of soda. A soothing end, not for the worms, but for Hector's upset stomach.

The question:

1.       From the first three paragraphs, we learn that ___________.

[A] Ozzy & Drix is a cartoon about good-guy fighting bad guy.
[B] the target audience of Ozzy & Drix are children.
[C] smartoon is a new type of cartoon
[D] the purpose of Ozzy & Drix is to help children fight against diseases

2.       Which of the following statements is true according to the text?

[A] Ozzy in the cartoon lacks experiences.
[B] Hector’s friends show sympathy to him when he contracts disease.
[C] A new season of Ozzy & Drix will be on show this fall.
[D] Ozzy & Drix mainly deals with battling frightening creatures。

3.       According to Sandra Calvert, broadcasters may learn from Ozzy & Drix_________.

[A] how to create humorous effect
[B] that health area is worth exploring
[C] that dual enjoyment of both kids and adults is the key to Ozzy & Drix’s success
[D] that kids and adults alike take great fun in Ozzy & Drix

4.       Which of the following best defines the word “slapstick”?

[A] humorous acting
[B] serious theme
[C] interesting plot
[D] instructive stories

5.       The author uses the episode in which Hector eats bad sausage containing parasitic worms to show _____________.

[A] how the cartoon is plotted
[B] how children feel when they fall ill
[C] the pun and humor in the cartoon
[D] the way children can be educated

The answer：B C B A C