【課文】
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.
【課文翻譯】
我們覺(jué)得一則笑話是否好笑，很大程度取決于我們是在哪兒長(zhǎng)大的。幽默感與民族有著神秘莫測(cè)的聯(lián)系。譬如，法國(guó)人聽(tīng)完一則俄國(guó)笑話可能很難發(fā)笑。同樣的道理，一則可以令英國(guó)人笑出淚來(lái)的笑話，俄國(guó)人聽(tīng)了可能覺(jué)得沒(méi)有什么可笑之處。
大部分令人發(fā)笑的故事都是根據(jù)喜劇情節(jié)編寫(xiě)的。盡管民族不同，有些滑稽的情節(jié)卻能產(chǎn)生普遍的效果。比如說(shuō)，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。然而，近來(lái)一種新式幽默流行了起來(lái)，這種幽默主要來(lái)自美國(guó)。它被叫作“病態(tài)幽默”。喜劇演員根據(jù)悲劇情節(jié)諸如暴死，重大事故等來(lái)編造笑話。許多人認(rèn)為這種笑話是低級(jí)庸俗的。下面是個(gè)“病態(tài)幽默”的實(shí)例，你可據(jù)此自己作出判斷。
圣誕節(jié)前幾周，某人摔斷了右腿被送進(jìn)醫(yī)院。從他進(jìn)醫(yī)院那一刻時(shí)，他就纏住醫(yī)生，讓醫(yī)生告訴他什么時(shí)候能回家。他十分害怕在醫(yī)院過(guò)圣誕。盡管醫(yī)生竭力醫(yī)治，但病人恢復(fù)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(lè)地躺了一天，想著他錯(cuò)過(guò)的種種歡樂(lè)。然而，第二天，醫(yī)生安慰他說(shuō)，出院歡度新年的可能性還是很大的，那人聽(tīng)后振作了精神。果然，除夕時(shí)他可以一瘸一拐地去參加晚會(huì)了。為了補(bǔ)償住院這一段不愉快的經(jīng)歷，那人喝得稍許多了一點(diǎn)。在晚會(huì)上他盡情娛樂(lè)，一再告訴大家他是多么討厭醫(yī)院。晚會(huì)結(jié)束時(shí)，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。
【生詞和短語(yǔ)】
largely adv. 在很大程度上
comic adj. 喜劇的
universal adj. 普遍的
comedian n. 滑稽演員
distasteful adj. 討厭的
pester v. 糾纏
dread v. 懼怕
recovery n. 康復(fù)
plaster n. 熟石膏
console v. 安慰
hobble v. 瘸著腿走
compensate v. 補(bǔ)償
mumble v. 喃喃而語(yǔ)
【知識(shí)點(diǎn)】
詞匯
【universal】
構(gòu)詞：universe→universal
例句：
1. One divides into two -- this is a universal phenomenon, and this is dialectics.
一分為二，這是個(gè)普遍的現(xiàn)象，這就是辯證法。
2. America, as the colonial power, brought English and universal public education to the Philippines a century ago.
一個(gè)世紀(jì)前，美國(guó)作為殖民國(guó)將英語(yǔ)和普及的公共教育帶到了菲律賓。
【distasteful】
構(gòu)詞：taste→distaste→distasteful
例句：
1. The very idea of cheating him is distasteful to me.
欺騙他的那個(gè)想法使我很不愉快。
2. The greater a man is, the more distasteful praise and flattery are to him .
一個(gè)人越偉大，對(duì)贊揚(yáng)和奉承就越反感。
【pester】
英英：annoy persistently
例句：
1. Oh, let them alone. Don't pester them.
哦，讓他們請(qǐng)便罷，千萬(wàn)不要打擾他們。
2. He told her not to pester him with trifles.
他對(duì)她說(shuō)不要為小事而煩擾他。
3. For year mary have is pester him to take her to Europe.
瑪麗多年來(lái)一直纏著他要他帶她去歐洲玩。
【dread】
英英：be afraid or scared of; be frightened of
例句：
1. I dread the coming exams.
要考試了，我好擔(dān)心。
2. Most people dread death.
大部分的人都怕死。
3. I dread that I may never see you again.
我害怕我也許再也見(jiàn)不到你了。
【mumble】
英英：talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
例句：
1. Speak up. Don't mumble!
大聲說(shuō)，別嘀嘀咕咕的!
2. If you mumble it looks like you don't know what to say!
如果你咕咕噥噥的話別人會(huì)以為你不知所云的。
3. After a while, the sleeping Cayce would start to mumble, as though searching for something.
過(guò)一會(huì)兒，睡著的凱西會(huì)開(kāi)始咕噥，好像在尋找什么。
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】
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.
【課文翻譯】
我們覺(jué)得一則笑話是否好笑，很大程度取決于我們是在哪兒長(zhǎng)大的。幽默感與民族有著神秘莫測(cè)的聯(lián)系。譬如，法國(guó)人聽(tīng)完一則俄國(guó)笑話可能很難發(fā)笑。同樣的道理，一則可以令英國(guó)人笑出淚來(lái)的笑話，俄國(guó)人聽(tīng)了可能覺(jué)得沒(méi)有什么可笑之處。
大部分令人發(fā)笑的故事都是根據(jù)喜劇情節(jié)編寫(xiě)的。盡管民族不同，有些滑稽的情節(jié)卻能產(chǎn)生普遍的效果。比如說(shuō)，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。然而，近來(lái)一種新式幽默流行了起來(lái)，這種幽默主要來(lái)自美國(guó)。它被叫作“病態(tài)幽默”。喜劇演員根據(jù)悲劇情節(jié)諸如暴死，重大事故等來(lái)編造笑話。許多人認(rèn)為這種笑話是低級(jí)庸俗的。下面是個(gè)“病態(tài)幽默”的實(shí)例，你可據(jù)此自己作出判斷。
圣誕節(jié)前幾周，某人摔斷了右腿被送進(jìn)醫(yī)院。從他進(jìn)醫(yī)院那一刻時(shí)，他就纏住醫(yī)生，讓醫(yī)生告訴他什么時(shí)候能回家。他十分害怕在醫(yī)院過(guò)圣誕。盡管醫(yī)生竭力醫(yī)治，但病人恢復(fù)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(lè)地躺了一天，想著他錯(cuò)過(guò)的種種歡樂(lè)。然而，第二天，醫(yī)生安慰他說(shuō)，出院歡度新年的可能性還是很大的，那人聽(tīng)后振作了精神。果然，除夕時(shí)他可以一瘸一拐地去參加晚會(huì)了。為了補(bǔ)償住院這一段不愉快的經(jīng)歷，那人喝得稍許多了一點(diǎn)。在晚會(huì)上他盡情娛樂(lè)，一再告訴大家他是多么討厭醫(yī)院。晚會(huì)結(jié)束時(shí)，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。
【生詞和短語(yǔ)】
largely adv. 在很大程度上
comic adj. 喜劇的
universal adj. 普遍的
comedian n. 滑稽演員
distasteful adj. 討厭的
pester v. 糾纏
dread v. 懼怕
recovery n. 康復(fù)
plaster n. 熟石膏
console v. 安慰
hobble v. 瘸著腿走
compensate v. 補(bǔ)償
mumble v. 喃喃而語(yǔ)
【知識(shí)點(diǎn)】
詞匯
【universal】
構(gòu)詞：universe→universal
例句：
1. One divides into two -- this is a universal phenomenon, and this is dialectics.
一分為二，這是個(gè)普遍的現(xiàn)象，這就是辯證法。
2. America, as the colonial power, brought English and universal public education to the Philippines a century ago.
一個(gè)世紀(jì)前，美國(guó)作為殖民國(guó)將英語(yǔ)和普及的公共教育帶到了菲律賓。
【distasteful】
構(gòu)詞：taste→distaste→distasteful
例句：
1. The very idea of cheating him is distasteful to me.
欺騙他的那個(gè)想法使我很不愉快。
2. The greater a man is, the more distasteful praise and flattery are to him .
一個(gè)人越偉大，對(duì)贊揚(yáng)和奉承就越反感。
【pester】
英英：annoy persistently
例句：
1. Oh, let them alone. Don't pester them.
哦，讓他們請(qǐng)便罷，千萬(wàn)不要打擾他們。
2. He told her not to pester him with trifles.
他對(duì)她說(shuō)不要為小事而煩擾他。
3. For year mary have is pester him to take her to Europe.
瑪麗多年來(lái)一直纏著他要他帶她去歐洲玩。
【dread】
英英：be afraid or scared of; be frightened of
例句：
1. I dread the coming exams.
要考試了，我好擔(dān)心。
2. Most people dread death.
大部分的人都怕死。
3. I dread that I may never see you again.
我害怕我也許再也見(jiàn)不到你了。
【mumble】
英英：talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
例句：
1. Speak up. Don't mumble!
大聲說(shuō)，別嘀嘀咕咕的!
2. If you mumble it looks like you don't know what to say!
如果你咕咕噥噥的話別人會(huì)以為你不知所云的。
3. After a while, the sleeping Cayce would start to mumble, as though searching for something.
過(guò)一會(huì)兒，睡著的凱西會(huì)開(kāi)始咕噥，好像在尋找什么。
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】