§ Lesson 29 Funny or not? 是否可笑？

【New words and expressions】 生词和短语

●largely adv. 在很大程度上

●comic adj. 喜剧的，可笑的

●universal adj. 普遍的

●comedian n. 滑稽演员，喜剧演员

●distasteful adj. 讨厌的

●pester v. 一再要求，纠缠

●dread v. 惧怕

●recovery n. 康复

●plaster n. 熟石膏

●console v. 安慰，慰问

●hobble v. 瘸着腿走

●compensate v. 补偿

●mumble v. 喃喃而语

■largely adv. 在很大程度上

Eg.: He success was largely due to luck.

■comic adj. 喜剧的，可笑的

■universal adj. 普遍的

universal agent 全权代理人

universal time 世界时

universal joint 万向接头

universality n. 普遍性

universally adv.

Eg.: It universally acknowledged that English is getting more and more important.

universe 宇宙

■comedian n. 滑稽演员，喜剧演员

comedy 喜剧

tragedy 悲剧

tragic 悲剧的

comic 喜剧的

■distasteful adj. 讨厌的

Eg.: The idea is distasteful to me.

distastefully adv.

■pester v. 一再要求，纠缠

==assail (l28)

pester sb. to do

pester sb. with

Eg.: He contunually pesters his boss with demands.

pester sb. for sth.

■dread v. 惧怕

后面可以跟名词、动名词、不定式搭配连用

Eg.: We were dreading his arrival.我们正担心他来呢。

I dread to think what will happened if she find out.

He dread having to meet his parents.

dreadful adj.

dreaded

in dread of

fear 一般的恐惧

horrify 使恐怖，使极度恐惧

■recovery n. 康复

■plaster n. 熟石膏

■console v. 安慰，慰问

Eg.: He is consoling his friend in grief for the loss of child.

■hobble v. 瘸着腿走

■compensate v. 补偿

■mumble v. 喃喃而语

【Text】

§ Lesson 29 Funny or not? 是否可笑？

Listen to the tape then answer the question below.

What is the basis of ‘sick’ humour?

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 tragic 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 unpleas-

ant 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 some-

thing about hospitals at the end of the party when he slipped on a piece of ice and broke his left leg.

参考译文

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。

【课文讲解】

I found it difficult to finish the work in a day.

第1句话是文章的topic

be based on:以……作为基础

It was difficult not to be tempted

Stem from, come from, arise from, originate from

His feeling of hate stems from envy

Her interest in flowers stemed from her childhood in the country

come into fashion 开始流行

come into being 开始形成

come into power 开始执政

Comedians base their jokes on tragic situations like violent death or serious accidents.

Some funny stories are based on tragic situations.

A man whose right leg had been broken...

From the moment he arrived at party, he enjoyed himself very much.

keep doing sth. 不间断的，不停的做某事

keep on doing sth. 反复、重复干某事(中间可以有短暂的暂停) (keep: vi.)

Don’t keep on asking silly questions.

He kept smoking all the while.

He kept on smoking all the while.

keep +宾语+动词ing形式，keep on 不能用于该句型

He kept me waiting for an hour.

I’m sorry to have kept you waiting so long.

dread to do ==dread doing

a miserable day: a terrible day

think of 想到，想起，想着

When I saw you I thought of my sister.

think of doing sth.

He is thinking of setting up a school.

spend time doing sth.

by 通过某种方式手段

dread to do = dread doing

a miserable day: a terrible day

think of:想到，想起，想着

When I saw you I thought of my sister.

think of doing sth.

He is thinking of setting up a school.

spend time doing sth.

by:通过某种方式手段

I arrived here by train.

在表达可能性这个语句的时候，经常采用复数形式

chances of

My chances of passing the examination are good.

It is quite possible for me to pass the examination.

His chances of being dismissed are good.

记熟：his chances of doing sth. are good. / remote 做……可能性极大/极小

remote

His chances of arriving here by bicycle are remote.

slight

He took heart when he got the good news.

lose heart :失去信心，失去勇气

The cake is more than I can eat.

mecessary, gook, possible, anticipate, expect, feel, suggest, report, require, think

He eats more than is good for him.

as

He arrived as I expected. / He arrived as was expected.

He eats just as much as is good for him.

He eats more than is good for him.

The man drank just as much was good for him.

She is quite fat. ==She isn’t right fat.

Yesterday I went swimming. In the process, I had a very good time.

I was lookingfor yourhouse and got lostin the process.

keep telling ==keep on telling

how much ----to what extent

How much can I trust him?

when: at that moment

【Multiple choice questions】

Comprehension

1 Whether you find ‘sick humour’ funny or not will depend on _____ .

a. your having been brought up in America

b. the joke being related to a fundamentally comic situation

c. your ability to see the funny side of an unpleasant event

d. your ability to laugh until you cry

the funny side of…

2 The man spent Christmas Day feeling miserable because _____ .

a. the doctor had failed to attend to him

b. he was not able to be with his friends.

c. being unable to walk, he did not enjoy the celebrations at the hospital

d. he thought he might also miss the New Year’s Eve celebrations

He spent a miseable day in bed thinking of all the fun he was missing.

3 The point of the joke taken to illustrate ‘sick humour’ is that _____ .

a. no sooner was the man out of hospital than he had to go back in again

b. the man should not have said how much he hated hospitals

c. the man would be unable to walk for the rest of his life

d. the man had not got a leg to stand on

taken to illustrate…过去分词

Structure

4 _____ , for instance, might find it hard to … (ll.3-4)

a. The French b. A French c. A man in Frnace d. If you were French

缺少主语

任意一个法国人 a french man

a man in France 法国有那么一个人

5 _____ amusing stories are based on comic situations. (l.7)

a. Most b. Most of c. The majority d. Mostly

most of the (art.) +n.

most of the students

the majority of …大多数

6 A man _____ broken was taken to hospital … (l.13)

a. whose right leg had been b. who had the right leg

c. with one right leg d. to whom the right leg had been

who 引导定语从句

a man who had broken his…

7 He had no sooner arrived there _____ pestering his doctor … (ll.13-14)

a. and then he began b. than he gegan c. he began d. to begin

no sooner than

8 The man compensated for his unpleasant exeriences in hospital _____ a little more than … (ll.19-20)

a. drinking b. to drink c. by drinking d. and drunk

by drinking

by 表示通过某种手段

Vocabulary

9 Though the doctor _____ … (l.15)

a. worked very well b. could not have been better c. was extremely skilled d. did all he could

try one’s best / doone’s best 竭尽全力

10 The doctor him by _____ … (l.17)

a. felt b. advised c. pleased d. comforted

comfort:安慰

11 ----and kept telling everyone _____ hehated hospitals. (l.21)

a. at great lengths that b. to their cost c. to what extent d. why

how much…多么（痛恨）

to what extent = how much

at geat lengths = in great detail 详细的

to one’s cost 通过痛苦的体验

Eg.: Wasp’s stings are serious as I know to my cost.

12 He was still mumbling something _____ at the end … (ll.21-22)

a. in the same way b. to the same effect c. of comon sense d. of some sort

in the same way 强调使用相同的方式

【Key to Multiple choice questions】

1. C 2. B 3. A 4. A 5. A 6. A 7. B 8. C 9. D 10. D 11. C 12. B