No Laughing Matter 这可不是开玩笑！
- 详细资料
- 创建于 2007年7月16日
- 最后更新于 2024年5月25日
- 发布于 2012年1月14日
- 作者：Mike Lee
- 点击数：283
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课文讲解
What do bees do when they don’t feel like driving? They go to the “buzz stop!” ___1___ However, believe it or not, under different circumstances, that corny one-liner might have your sides splitting.
蜜蜂不想开车时会做什么？牠们会去巴「嘶」站！除非你是五岁小孩，这种冷笑话大概不会让你觉得好笑。不过，信不信由你，在不同情况下，这个老套的短笑话也可能让你笑破肚皮。
It is believed that humans originally inherited the ability to laugh from primates. ___2___ Yet despite the simplicity of it all, developing a philosophy of humor has been no laughing matter. For over 2,000 years, the riddle of why we laugh has perplexed intellectual giants such as Plato, Kant and Freud. ___3___
据信人类笑的能力是遗传自灵长类动物。我们的哈哈声与黑猩猩玩耍时所发出的喘息声十分相似。然而，事情看似简单，幽默这门学问的发展却一直是严肃的课题。两千多年来，人类为何会笑的谜可困惑过不少大智者，像是柏拉图、康德和弗罗伊德。不过现今研究人员表示，我们的笑声与幽默并无太大关系。
Professor Robert Riving conducted a street survey and found out there was nothing funny going on. ___4___ In a similar study at Florida State University, people in low-ranking positions would laugh at jokes they didn’t find funny when they were put in a position of authority.
罗伯特．瑞富英教授做了一项街头调查，发现笑声与幽默是两回事。超过八成的笑是由「我知道」、「待会儿见」这类普通用语引发。在佛罗里达州立大学所做的类似研究中，担任低阶职务的人被调到管理职务之后，原来觉得好笑的笑话就不觉得好笑了。
These studies suggest that laughter might be more of an instinctive survival tool for social animals than the recognition of humor. ___5___ So maybe the next time someone tells a bad joke, it might not be your sense of humor, but your social status that makes you laugh!
这些研究显示，与其说笑是幽默的表现，不如说笑是社会动物本能上的求生工具。身处在团体中，笑的主要功能是帮助我们与他人建立关系，并决定我们在团体当中的角色与地位。因此，下次有人讲冷笑话时，让你发笑的可能不是幽默感，而是你的社会地位！
−by Jamie Blackler
A. Over 80% of the time, laughter was elicited by common phrases such as “I know” or “see ya later.”
B. In group settings, the main role of laughter is to help us bond with others and determine our role and status within the group.
C. Our “ha-ha” closely resembles the panting noise that chimpanzees make while playing around.
D. Now, unless you are five years old, chances are that dimwitted joke didn’t make you laugh.
E. But modern researchers now suggest our laughter has little to do with humor.
Vocabulary
单词发音
inherit [ɪnˋhɛrɪt] v. 继承
simplicity [sɪmˋplɪsətɪ] n. 单纯; 简单
perplex [pɚˋplɛks] v. 使困惑；使费解
conduct [kənˋdʌkt] v.〔尤指为获取信息或证实某事时〕进行(调查/实验/调查研究等)
instinctive [ɪnˋstɪŋktɪv] adj.（出于）本能的；（出于）天性的
More Information
单词发音
no laughing matter 不是闹着玩的,非同小可,不是儿戏 a serious issue or problem
circumstance [ˋsɝkəm͵stæns] n. 情况，环境；情势
corny [ˋkɔrnɪ] adj.【非正式】陈旧的; 平凡的; 乏味的; 老套的
one-liner [ˋwʌnˋlaɪnɚ] n.【美】【口】小笑话；隽语；俏皮话
have one’s sides splitting also see “split one's sides” 笑破肚皮, 笑折腰 to laugh so hard that one's sides almost split
primate [ˋpraɪmɪt] n. 灵长类动物
Plato [ˋpleto] n. 柏拉图（古希腊哲学家）
Kant [kænt] 康德（1724-1804，德国哲学家）
Freud [frɔɪd] 佛洛伊德（1856-1939，奥国心理分析学家及精神病学家）
elicit [ɪˋlɪsɪt] v. 引出
panting [ˋpæntɪŋ] adj. 喘气的
chimpanzee [͵tʃɪmpænˋzi] n.【动】黑猩猩
dimwitted [ˋdɪm͵wɪtɪd] adj. 愚蠢的
Answer
|
1. ( D ) |
2. ( C ) |
3. ( E ) |
4. ( A ) |
5. ( B ) |