A taste of English humour课文原文及翻译 A MASTER OF NONVERBAL HUMOUR As Victor Hugo once said, "Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face", and up to now nobody has been able to do this better than Charlie Chaplin. He brightened the lives of Americans and British through two world wars and the hard years in between. He made people laugh at a time when they felt depressed, so they could feel more content with their lives. Not that Charlies own life was easy! He was born in a poor family in 1889. His parents were both poor music hall performers. You may find it astonishing that Charlie was taught to sing as soon as he could speak and dance as soon as he could walk. Such training was common in acting families at this time, especially when the family income was often uncertain. Unfortunately his father died, leaving the family even worse off, so Charlie spent his childhood looking after his sick mother and his brother. By his teens, Charlie had, through his humour, become one of the most popular child actors in England. He could mime and act the fool doing ordinary everyday tasks. No one was ever bored watching him -his subtle acting made everything entertaining. As time went by, he began making films. He grew more and more popular as his charming character, the little tramp, became known throughout the world. The tramp, a poor, homeless man with a moustache, wore large trousers, worn-out shoes and a small round black hat. He walked around stilly carrying a walking stick. This character was a social failure but was loved for his optimism and determination to overcome all difficulties. He was the underdog who was kind even when others were unkind to him. How did the little tramp make a sad situation entertaining? Here is an example from one of his most famous films, The Gold Rush. It is the mid-nineteenth century and gold has just been discovered in California. Like so many others, the little tramp and his friend have rushed there in search of gold, but without success. Instead they are hiding in a small hut on the edge of a mountain during a snowstorm with nothing to eat. They are so hungry that they try boiling a pair of leather shoes for their dinner. Charlie first picks out the laces and eats them as if they were spaghetti. Then he cuts off the leather top of the shoe as if it were the finest steak. Finally he tries cutting and chewing the bottom of the shoe. He eats each mouthful with great enjoyment. The acting is so convincing that it makes you believe that it is one of the best meals he has ever tasted! Charlie Chaplin wrote, directed and produced the films he starred in. In 1972 he was given a special Oscar for his outstanding work in films. He lived in England and the USA but spent his last years in Switzerland, where he was buried in 1977. He is loved and remembered as a great actor who could inspire people with great confidence. 无声的幽默的大师 维克多o雨果曾经说过:"笑容如阳光,驱走人们脸上的冬天。"关于这一点,直到今天也没有人比查理o卓别林做的更好。在两次世界大战及中间艰苦的岁月里,他给美国和英国人民带来了快乐。在人们感到沮丧的时候,查理使人们开怀大 笑,于是他们对自己的生活感到更加满足。 然而查理自己的生活也并不容易。他生于1889年,出身贫寒。他的父母都是音乐厅里贫穷的演员。你可能会感到惊奇,查理刚会说话时大人就教他唱歌,他刚会走路时大人就教他跳舞了。这样的训练在当时演员家庭中是很普遍的,尤其是在家庭收入经常不稳定的时候。不幸的是他的父亲去世了,使得他的家庭更加艰难,所以查理在童年时期就要照顾生病的母亲和弟弟。在十多岁的时候,凭借着自己的幽默,查理已经在英国成为最受欢迎的童星之一。他能够不说话而仅靠动作来模仿傻子做日常的工作。看他的表演没有人会感到无聊--他巧妙的表演使得一切都那么滑稽可笑。 随着时间的推移,他开始拍电影。他塑造的可爱的"小流浪汉"角色开始闻名于世,而查理越来越受欢迎。这个穷苦的无家可归的小流浪汉,留着小胡子,穿着大裤子、破鞋子,头顶着黑色的小圆帽。他手里拿着一根手杖迈着僵硬的步伐四处走动。这个角色是个社会生活中的失败者,但他乐观的精神和战胜困难的决心使他受到人们的喜爱。面对并不善待他的人,这个弱者依然保持友善的态度。 然而这个小流浪汉是如何把悲凉的遭遇变得滑稽可笑的呢?这里有一个例子,来自于他最著名的电影之一《淘金记》。19世纪中叶,在加利福尼亚州发现了金子。像其他很多人一样,小流浪汉和他的朋友也涌向那里去淘金,但却没有成功。相反,他们被暴风雪困在山边的一个小木屋中,没有任何东西可吃。他们饿极了,只好煮了一双皮鞋来充饥。查理首先挑出鞋带来吃,像吃意大利面条一样。然后他把皮鞋上端的皮子切下来,就像切下一块最好的牛排。最后他试着把鞋底割下来嚼着吃。他每一口都嚼得津津有味。查理的表演是那么有说服力,以至于你会相信这顿饭是他所吃过的最美味的一餐! 查理。卓别林自编、自导、自制他主演的电影。1972年他被授予奥斯卡特别奖,以表彰他在电影界的杰出工作。他生活在英国和美国,却在瑞士度过了生命中最后的日子,并于1977年安葬在那里。人们热爱和怀念这位伟大的演员,因为他鼓舞人们并增强他们的信心。 本文来源:https://www.wddqw.com/doc/35350a57b72acfc789eb172ded630b1c58ee9b1b.html