Lesson29FunnyorNot

Whetherwefindajokefunnyornotlargelydependsonwherewehavebeenbroughtup.

我們覺得一則笑話是否好笑(名詞性從句，作主語)，很大程度取決于我們是在哪兒長大的。Whetherthepopstarwillcome(ornot)isnotdecided.Your

success

will

largely

dependupon

what

you

do

and

howyou

doit.

你的成功主要取決于你做的事情和做的方式。Thesenseofhumourismysteriouslyboundupwithnationalcharacteristics.AFrenchman,forinstance,mightfindithardtolaughataRussianjoke.

幽默感與民族（性格）

有著神秘莫測的聯(lián)系。譬如，法國人聽完一則俄國笑話可能很難發(fā)笑。Thefailureofthehousingmarket

is

bound

up

withthedebtcrisis.

Hehasbecomeusedtotheideathathowhewillbejudgedasprimeminister

isbound

up

withwhathappensinIraq.

Inthesameway,aRussianmightfailtoseeanythingamusinginajokewhichwouldmakeanEnglishmanlaughtotears.同樣的道理（方式/情況），一則可以令英國人笑出淚來的笑話（定從），俄國人聽了可能覺得沒有什么可笑之處(未發(fā)現有趣之處)。failtodo失??；未做成neverfailtodo

從未做不到;雙重否定表示肯定Mostfunnystoriesarebasedoncomicsituations.Inspiteofnationaldifferences,certainfunnysituationshaveauniversalappeal.Nomatterwhereyoulive,youwouldfinditdifficultnottolaughat,say,CharlieChaplin’searlyfilms.

大部分令人發(fā)笑的故事都是根據喜劇情節(jié)編寫的。盡管民族不同，有些滑稽的情節(jié)卻能產生普遍的效果。比如說，不管你生活在哪里，你看查理.卓別林的早期電影

很難不發(fā)笑。bebasedon/upon…基于…inspiteof（=despiteof不管）comic

喜劇的comicbookcomedy喜劇silentcomediescomedian喜劇演員clown小丑tragicadj.悲劇的tragedyn.悲劇

universaladj.普遍的

universalagentn.全權代理人universaltimen.(=GreenwichTime)世界時間,格林尼治時

universalwheeln.萬向輪

universalityn.普遍性,一般性,多方面性,廣泛性

universallyadv.普遍地,全體地,到處However,anewtypeofhumour,whichstemslargelyfromtheU.S.,hasrecentlycomeintofashion.然而，近來一種新式幽默

流行了起來，這種幽默主要來自美國。stemvi.[美]起源,發(fā)生n.植物的莖,干,花梗,葉柄

stemsfrom=springfrom起源于

=comefrom出身于,由...引起

=arisefrom由...而引起,由...而產生

=originatefrom由某人發(fā)起(首創(chuàng))comeintofashion=becomefamouscomeintopower(開始)掌權,上臺

comeintobeing使產生,使出現,建立,成立Itiscalled‘sickhumour.Comediansbasetheirjokesontragicsituationslikeviolentdeathorseriousaccidents.它被叫作“病態(tài)幽默”。喜劇演員

根據悲劇情節(jié)諸如暴死，重大事故等來編造笑話。baseAonB

：把A建立在B的基礎上humourn.幽默（等于humor）illhumour情緒不佳goodhumour愉快的心情blackhumour（=darkcomedy）黑色幽默coldhumour冷笑話crackajoke開玩笑beyondajoke并非戲言Manypeoplefindthissortofjokedistasteful.Thefollowingexampleof‘sickhumour”willenableyoutojudgeforyourself.許多人認為這種笑話是低級庸俗的。下面是個“病態(tài)幽默”的實例，你可據此自己作出判斷。distastefuladj.討厭的（adv.distastefully）

unpleasantadj.使人不愉快的,討厭的

displeasingadj.使人不愉快的,令人發(fā)火的I'll

give

you

all

thefacts

sothat

you

can

judge

for

yourself.

AmanwhohadbrokenhisrightlegwastakentohospitalafewweeksbeforeChristmas.圣誕節(jié)前幾周，某人摔斷了右腿(定從)

被送進醫(yī)院。Fromthemomenthearrivedthere,hekeptonpesteringhisdoctortotellhimwhenhewouldbeabletogohome.從他進醫(yī)院那一刻時，他就纏住醫(yī)生，讓醫(yī)生告訴他什么時候能回家。pesterv.一再要求，糾纏(同義詞：annoy,worry,bother,disturb,bug,torment,harass)pestersb.todosth.麻煩某人做某事pestersb.withsth.以某事煩擾某人pestersb.forsth.纏住某人討取某物Theboykept/keptonaskingsomesillyquestionsinclass.HedreadedhavingtospendChristmasinhospital.他十分害怕在醫(yī)院過圣誕。dread+名詞,動名詞,動詞不定式

--Weweredreadinghisarrival.

--Hedreadedhavingtomeethisparents.

--Idreadtothinkwhatwillhappenifhefindsout.dreadfuladj.令人恐懼的,令人不快的

--adreadfuldisaster可怕的災難indreadof….害怕某人[某事]

--Weareindreadofinsects.（insectn.昆蟲）Thoughthedoctordidhisbest,thepatient’srecoverywasslow.OnChristmasDay,themanstillhadhisrightleginplaster.Hespentamiserabledayinbedthinkingofallthefunhewasmissing.

盡管醫(yī)生竭力醫(yī)治，但病人恢復緩慢。圣誕節(jié)那天，他的右腿還上著石膏，他在床上郁郁不樂地躺了一天，想著

他錯過的種種歡樂。amiserableday=aterribledayThefollowingday,however,thedoctorconsoledhimbytellinghimthathischancesofbeingabletoleavehospitalintimeforNewYearcelebrationsweregood.

然而，第二天，醫(yī)生安慰他說，出院歡度新年的可能性還是很大的。consolev.安慰,慰問

consolationn.安慰consolationletter/spiritualconsolation

IcanconsolemyselfwiththefactthatI'mnotalone.我可以用不只我一個人的這種事實來安慰自己。Themantookheartand,sureenough,onNewYear’sEvehewasabletohobblealongtoaparty.那人聽后振作了精神。果然，除夕時他可以一瘸一拐地去參加晚會了。--Ihurtmyfootwhilegettingoffthebus,andhadtohobblehome.我在下公共汽車時腳受了傷,只好一拐一拐地走回家。hobblen.困難,窘惑

--bein(getinto)ahobble陷于窘境Tocompensateforhisunpleasantexperiencesinhospital,themandrankalittlemorethanwasgoodforhim.為了補償住院這一段不愉快的經歷，那人喝得稍許多了一點。compensatev.補償

to表示目的性inorderto

tocompensatesb.for為…向某人賠償intheprocessof…在...的過程中Intheprocess,heenjoyedhimselfthoroughlyandkepttellingeverybodyhowmuchhehatedhospitals.Hewasstillmumblingsomethingabouthospitalsattheendofthepartywhenheslippedonapieceoficeandbrokehisleftleg.在晚會上(過程中)

他盡情娛樂，一再告訴大家他是多么討厭醫(yī)院。晚會結束時，他嘴里還在嘟噥著醫(yī)院的事，突然踩到一塊冰上滑倒了，摔斷了左腿。Hemumbledafewwords.HecouldhearthelowmumbleofNavarro'svoice.Comprehensionquestions1.Whatwasthesenseofhumormysteriouslyboundupwith?Nationalcharacteristics.2.WouldaFrenchfinditeasytolaughataRussianjoke?No,hewouldn’t.3.WouldaRussianfindanEnglishjokefunny?No,hewouldn’t.4.Whataremostfunnystoriesbasedon?Comicsituations.5.Whatkindofappealdocertainfunnysituationshave?Auniversalappeal.6.WouldmostpeoplelaughatCharlieChaplin'searlyfilms?Yes,theywould.7.Wheredoesthenewkindofhumorcomefrom?TheUSA8.Whatisthenewkindofhumorcalled?Sickhumor.9.Whatdocomediansbasetheirjokeson?Tragicsituationslikeviolentdeathorseriousaccidents.10.Whatdomanypeoplethinkofthiskindofhumor?Theyfinditdistasteful.11.Amanwastak