第29课

旁白 neutral

Whether we find a joke funny or not largely depends on where we have been brought up.

我们觉得一个笑话好不好笑，在很大程度上取决于我们是在哪里长大的。

旁白 neutral

The sense of humour is mysteriously bound up with national characteristics.

幽默感与民族特点有着神秘的联系。

旁白 neutral

A Frenchman, for instance, might find it hard to laugh at a Russian joke.

例如，法国人可能觉得俄罗斯笑话不好笑。

旁白 neutral

In the same way, a Russian might fail to see anything amusing in a joke

同样，俄罗斯人可能觉得一个笑话没什么可乐的，

旁白 neutral

which would make an Englishman laugh to tears.

而这个笑话却能让英国人捧腹大笑。

旁白 neutral

Most funny stories are based on comic situations.

大多数有趣的故事都基于滑稽的情境。

旁白 neutral

In spite of national differences, certain funny situations have a universal appeal.

尽管存在民族差异，但某些滑稽情境具有普遍的吸引力。

旁白 neutral

No matter where you live,

无论你住在哪里，

旁白 neutral

you would find it difficult not to laugh at, say, Charlie Chaplin's early films.

你都会觉得很难不对，比如说，查理·卓别林的早期电影发笑。

旁白 neutral

However, a new type of humour, which stems largely from U.S., has recently come into fashion.

然而，一种主要源自美国的幽默新类型，最近流行起来。

旁白 neutral

It is called 'sick humour'. Comedians base their jokes on tragic situations like violent death or serious accidents.

它被称为“病态幽默”。喜剧演员将他们的笑话建立在悲剧情境上，例如暴力死亡或严重事故。

旁白 neutral

Many people find this sort of joke distasteful.

许多人觉得这种笑话令人反感。

旁白 neutral

The following example of 'sick humour' will enable you to judge for yourself.

下面这个“病态幽默”的例子能让你自己评判。

旁白 neutral

A man who had broken his right leg was taken to hospital a few weeks before Christmas.

一个右腿骨折的男人在圣诞节前几周被送进了医院。

旁白 neutral

From the moment he arrived there,

从他到达那里那一刻起，

旁白 neutral

he kept on pestering his doctor to tell him when he would be able to go home.

他就一直缠着医生，问他什么时候能回家。

旁白 neutral

He dreaded having to spend Christmas in hospital.

他害怕不得不在医院过圣诞节。

旁白 neutral

Though the doctor did his best, the patient's recovery was slow.

尽管医生尽了力，但病人的康复很慢。

旁白 neutral

On Christmas day, the man still had his right leg in plaster.

圣诞节那天，这个男人右腿上仍然打着石膏。

旁白 neutral

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

他在床上度过了悲惨的一天，想着自己错过了所有的乐趣。

旁白 neutral

The following day, however, the doctor consoled him by telling him

然而，第二天，医生安慰他说，

旁白 neutral

that his chances of being able to leave hospital in time for New Year celebrations were good.

他赶在新年庆祝活动前出院的可能性很大。

旁白 neutral

The man took heart and sure enough, on New Year's Eve he was able to hobble along to a party.

男人振作起来，果然，在除夕夜他能一瘸一拐地去参加派对。

旁白 neutral

To compensate for his unpleasant experiences in hospital,

为了弥补他在医院的不愉快经历，

旁白 neutral

the man drank a little more than was good for him.

他多喝了一点酒，这对他身体不好。

旁白 neutral

In the process, he enjoyed himself thoroughly and kept telling everybody how much he hated hospitals.

在此过程中，他玩得很开心，并且不停地告诉所有人他有多么讨厌医院。

旁白 neutral

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.

派对结束时，他还在嘟囔着关于医院的事情，这时他滑到了一块冰上，摔断了左腿。