新编大学英语4课文原文doc.docx

1、新编大学英语4课文原文doc1The joy of laughing at a funny story isuniversal, probably as old as language itself.But, what is it that makes a story or a joke funny?2As one who has enjoyed humor since I first recognized it, Ivemade an attempt toexplain and discuss humor with students in such diverse cultures as L

2、atin America and China.Ive done some serious thinking about funny stories. It has been a labor of loveN!3Why is it that several students in a class will fall out of their chairs laughing after I tell a joke while the rest of the students look as if Ive just read the weather report?NObviously some pe

3、ople are more sensitive to humor than others.And, we recognize that some people tell jokes very well while others struggle to say something funny.Weve all heard people say, I like jokes, but I cant tell one well, and I can never remember them.Some people have a better sense of humor than others just

4、 as some people have more musical talent, mathematical talent, etc. than others.A truly funny person has a joke for every occasion, and when one is told, that triggers an entirestringof jokes from that persons memory bank.NAhumorlessperson is not likely to be the most popular person in a group.It is

5、 reasonable to say that the trulyhumorousindividual is not only well liked, but is often the focus of attention in any gathering.4Even some animals have a sense of humor.My wifes mother often visited us for extended stays.NShe normally didnt like dogs, but shefell in love withBlitzenNa female LabNwe

6、 had, and the relationship wasmutual.Even when young, Blitzen wouldteaseGrandmaby veryselectivelycarrying one of her bedroom slippers into the living room where Grandma sat in her favorite, comfortable chair.Blitzenprancedjustbeyond the reach ofGrandma until Grandma wastemptedto leave her chair to g

7、et the slipper from Blitzen.When Grandma left her chair, Blitzen would quickly jump into the chair,flashingher Labsmilefromsparklingbrown eyes which clearly said, Aha, I fooled you again.5Typical jokes or humorous stories have a three-partanatomythat is easily recognized.First is the SETUP (orsettin

8、g), next is the BODY (or story line), and these are followed by the PUNCH LINEN(an unexpected or surprise ending) which will make the joke funny if it contains some humor.Usually all three parts are present, and each must be clearly presentedN.It helps if the story/joke teller uses gestures and lang

9、uage which are well known to the audience.6Humor, as a form of entertainment, can be analyzed in order to discover what makes a funny story or joke seem funny.Here, for example, are some of the most common types of humor. They range from the most obvious humor to the more subtle types.7SLAP-STICK is

10、 the most obvious humor.Its language is simple, direct, and often makes fun of another person or group.Slap-stick was and is the technique of the stand-up comedianNand theclown.It appeals to all ages and all cultures.Nearly every English-speakingcomedianin this century has used the following joke in

11、 one form or another.One man asks another, Who was that lady I saw you with last night?The other replies, That was no lady, that was my wife.The humor lies in the fact that the second man is saying that his wife is not a lady.In other words, she is not a refined woman.The joke is no less funny becau

12、se it is so often used.The audience knows in advance what will be said, because it is classic humor, and any audience values it even more because of itsfamiliarity.8Chinese cross-talk is a special type of slap-stick in which two Chinese comedians humorously discuss topics such asbureaucrats, family

13、problems, or other personal topics.Cross-talk can be heard anywhere from small village stages to the largest Beijing theatres, and to radio and television.It is clearly a traditional form of humor well understood by Chinese people.9A PLAY ON WORDS is not so obvious as slap-stick, but it is funny bec

14、ause ofmisusedor misunderstood language.My favorite example is the story of three elderly gentlemen traveling by train in England.As the train slowed for a stop the first man asked, Is this WembleyN?No, said the second, Its Thursday.So am I, said the third man.Lets stop for a beer.We know that older

15、 people often do not hear things clearly, so the misunderstanding of both Wednesday (for Wembley) and thirsty (for Thursday) makes a nicesetupfor the punch line delivered by the third man.10The famous ChinesecartoonistandhumoristDing Cong is a master of word play.In one of his funnycartoons, a teach

16、er says, How comeNyou completely copied somebody elses homework?The young student replies, I didnt completely copy it. My name on the page is different.In another classic Ding Cong cartoon, anirritatedfather asks, Tell me, whats one plus two?The son says, I dont know.The impatient father then says,

17、For example, you, your mother, and I altogether are how many, youidiot?The son proudly answers, Three idiots.Whether these stories are cartoons or jokes, told by aslap-stickcomedian or a cross-talking team, they appeal to people everywhere as funny stories because they have a noteNNof reality to the

18、m, and the unexpected punch line is quite funny.11PUNSare even more subtle forms of word play.They use the technique of similar sounding words or alternative meanings of the same word.Puns are thought by some critics to be the lowest form of humor, but I disagree with this.Puns require more subtle a

19、nd sophisticated language skills than most humor forms, but even the very young can use them in their simpler forms.For example, the riddle or trick question often uses a pun in the setup, the story line, or, more often, the punch line.Puns are the first type of humor I learned, and at about 5 years

20、 of age I remember hearing the following riddle.One person asks, What is black and white and red all over?The other person usually cannot answer the riddle, so says, I give up. What is the answer?Theriddlerreplies, A newspaper.This is the obvious answer if one knows that red is pronounced the same a

21、s read in English, but the meanings are clearly different.12DOUBLE ENTENDRES(French for double meanings) are special variations of puns in which words or phrases have double meanings.Frequently the two meanings are very different, and one is quite proper while the second is often, but not always,vul

22、gar.I like the somewhat mild story of a school teacher and aprincipalof a high school who are concerned because some boys and girls have been seen kissing on the school playground.The teacher says to the students, The principal and I have decided to stop kissing on the school playground.Hearing some

23、laughter, she senses her message was not altogether clear, so she adds, What I mean to say is that there will be no more kissing going on under our nosesN.Thisclarification, of course, does nothing to correct the first statement and the double meaning of the joke becomes even morelaughable.13Some pr

24、ofessional humorists think too much of todays humor is not very intelligent or sophisticated.They dislike thesuggestiveor vulgar language used too frequently, and they feel that most humorists are not very creative.It is true that some of todays humor is rather shocking, but I dont think humor is to

25、 be blamedNfor that.Humor is aliveNand well, and it will persist simply because there are funny things happening every day.Some humorous people see and hear these funny things and are able to make them into funny,entertainingjokes and stories.(1,346 words)On my first job as sports editor for the Mon

26、tpelier (Ohio)LeaderEnterprise, I didnt get a lot of fan mail,so I wasintriguedby a letter that was dropped on my desk one morning.2When I opened it, I read: A nice piece of writing on the Tigers. Keep up the good work.It was signed by Don Wolfe, the sports editor.Because I was a teenager (being pai

27、d the grand total of 15 cents acolumninchN), his words couldnt have been moreinspiring.NI kept the letter in my desk drawer until it gotrag-eared.Whenever I doubted I had the right stuff to be a writerN, I wouldrereadDons note and feel confident again.3Later, when I got to know him, I learned that D

28、onmade ahabit ofNwriting a quick, encouraging wordNto people in allwalks of life.When I make others feel good about themselves, he told me, I feel good too.4Not surprisingly, he had a body of friends as big asnearbyLake ErieN.When he died last year at 75, the paper was flooded with calls and letters

29、Nfrom people who had beenrecipientsof hisspirit-liftingwords.5Over the years, Ive tried to copy the example of Don and other friends who care enough to write uplifting comments, because I think theyare on to somethingimportant.In a world too often cold andunresponsive, such notes bring warmth and re

30、assurance.We all need a boost from time to time, and a few lines of praise have been known to turn around a dayN, even a life.6Why, then, are there so fewupbeatnote writers?My guess is that many whoshy away fromthe practice are too self-consciousN.Theyre afraid theyll be misunderstood, soundsentimen

31、talorinsincere.Also, writing takes time; its far easier to pick up the phone.7Thedrawbackwith phone calls, of course, is that they dont last.A noteattachesNmoreimportance toourwell-wishing.It is a matter of recordN, and our words can be read more than once,savoredand treasured.8Even though note writing may take longer, some pretty busy people do it, including George Bush.Some say he owesNmuch of his success in politics to his ever-readyNpen. How?Throughout his career he hasfollowed upvirtuallyevery contact with acordialresponsea compliment, a line of praise or