【课文】
Whether we find a joke funny or not largely depends on where we have been brought up. The sense of humour is mysteriously bound up with national characteristics. A Frenchman, for instance, might find it hard to laugh at a Russian joke. In the same way, a Russian might fail to see anything amusing in a joke which would make an Englishman laugh to tears.
Most funny stories are based on comic situations. In spite of national differences, certain funny situations have a universal appeal. No matter where you live, you would find it difficult not to laugh at, say, Charlie Chaplin’s early films. However, a new type of humour, which stems largely from the U.S., has recently come into fashion. It is called ‘sick humour. Comedians base their jokes on tragics situations like violent death or serious accidents. Many people find this sort of joke distasteful. The following example of‘sick humour will enable you to judge for yourself.
A man who had broken his right leg was taken to hospital a few weeks before Christmas. From the moment he arrived there, he kept on pestering his doctor to tell him when he would be able to go home. He dreaded having to spend Christmas in hospital. Though the doctor did his best, the patient’s recovery was slow. On Christmas Day, the man still had his right leg in plaster. He spent a miserable day in bed thinking of all the fun he was missing. The following day, however, the doctor consoled him by telling him that his chances of being able to leave hospital in time for New Year celebrations were good. The man took heart and, sure enough, on New Year’s Eve he was able to hobble along to a party. To compensate for his unpleasant experiences in hospital, the man drank a little more than was good for him. In the process, he enjoyed himself thoroughly and kept telling everybody how much he hated hospitals. He was still mumbling something about hospitals at the end of the party when he slipped on a piece of ice and broke his left leg.
【课文翻译】
我们觉得一则笑话是否好笑,很大程度取决于我们是在哪儿长大的。幽默感与民族有着神秘莫测的联系。譬如,法国人听完一则俄国笑话可能很难发笑。同样的道理,一则可以令英国人笑出泪来的笑话,俄国人听了可能觉得没有什么可笑之处。
大部分令人发笑的故事都是根据喜剧情节编写的。尽管民族不同,有些滑稽的情节却能产生普遍的效果。比如说,不管你生活在哪里,你看查理.卓别林的早期电影很难不发笑。然而,近来一种新式幽默流行了起来,这种幽默主要来自美国。它被叫作“病态幽默”。喜剧演员根据悲剧情节诸如暴死,重大事故等来编造笑话。许多人认为这种笑话是低级庸俗的。下面是个“病态幽默”的实例,你可据此自己作出判断。
圣诞节前几周,某人摔断了右腿被送进医院。从他进医院那一刻时,他就缠住医生,让医生告诉他什么时候能回家。他十分害怕在医院过圣诞。尽管医生竭力医治,但病人恢复缓慢。圣诞节那天,他的右腿还上着石膏,他在床上郁郁不乐地躺了一天,想着他错过的种种欢乐。然而,第二天,医生安慰他说,出院欢度新年的可能性还是很大的,那人听后振作了精神。果然,除夕时他可以一瘸一拐地去参加晚会了。为了补偿住院这一段不愉快的经历,那人喝得稍许多了一点。在晚会上他尽情娱乐,一再告诉大家他是多么讨厌医院。晚会结束时,他嘴里还在嘟哝着医院的事,突然踩到一块冰上滑倒了,摔断了左腿。
【生词和短语】
largely adv. 在很大程度上
comic adj. 喜剧的
universal adj. 普遍的
comedian n. 滑稽演员
distasteful adj. 讨厌的
pester v. 纠缠
dread v. 惧怕
recovery n. 康复
plaster n. 熟石膏
console v. 安慰
hobble v. 瘸着腿走
compensate v. 补偿
mumble v. 喃喃而语
【知识点】
词汇
【universal】
构词:universe→universal
例句:
1. One divides into two -- this is a universal phenomenon, and this is dialectics.
一分为二,这是个普遍的现象,这就是辩证法。
2. America, as the colonial power, brought English and universal public education to the Philippines a century ago.
一个世纪前,美国作为殖民国将英语和普及的公共教育带到了菲律宾。
【distasteful】
构词:taste→distaste→distasteful
例句:
1. The very idea of cheating him is distasteful to me.
欺骗他的那个想法使我很不愉快。
2. The greater a man is, the more distasteful praise and flattery are to him .
一个人越伟大,对赞扬和奉承就越反感。
【pester】
英英:annoy persistently
例句:
1. Oh, let them alone. Don't pester them.
哦,让他们请便罢,千万不要打扰他们。
2. He told her not to pester him with trifles.
他对她说不要为小事而烦扰他。
3. For year mary have is pester him to take her to Europe.
玛丽多年来一直缠著他要他带她去欧洲玩。
【dread】
英英:be afraid or scared of; be frightened of
例句:
1. I dread the coming exams.
要考试了,我好担心。
2. Most people dread death.
大部分的人都怕死。
3. I dread that I may never see you again.
我害怕我也许再也见不到你了。
【mumble】
英英:talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
例句:
1. Speak up. Don't mumble!
大声说,别嘀嘀咕咕的!
2. If you mumble it looks like you don't know what to say!
如果你咕咕哝哝的话别人会以为你不知所云的。
3. After a while, the sleeping Cayce would start to mumble, as though searching for something.
过一会儿,睡着的凯西会开始咕哝,好像在寻找什么。
搭配
【bring up】
【sense of humour】
【national characteristics】
【for instance】
【laugh at a joke】
【in the same way】
【laugh to tears】
【a universal appeal】
【come into fashion】
【take heart】
【sure enough】