---
url: https://gaojian.site/new-concept/book-3/29-funny-or-not.md
description: 新概念英语第三册：Funny or Not?。精读、词块回忆、双向译练、句法、逻辑与FSRS复习。
---

# 29 · 是否可笑

### 第1段

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 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.

中文理解：一个笑话好不好笑，很大程度上取决于我们在哪里长大。幽默感与民族性格之间，有着一种难以解释的联系。比如，法国人听了俄罗斯笑话，也许很难笑出来。同样，一个能让英国人笑出眼泪的笑话，俄罗斯人却可能丝毫不觉得有趣。
大多数笑话都以滑稽的情境为基础。尽管各国文化不同，有些滑稽情境却能让所有人发笑。比如，无论你生活在哪里，看查理·卓别林的早期电影，大概都很难忍住不笑。不过，最近流行起一种主要源自美国的新式幽默，叫作“病态幽默”。喜剧演员拿惨死、严重事故之类的悲惨处境编笑话，许多人对此很反感。下面这个例子，就让你自己判断这种幽默究竟如何。
圣诞节前几星期，一名右腿骨折的男子被送进医院。从入院那一刻起，他就不停缠着医生，问自己什么时候能回家，因为他实在不愿在医院过圣诞节。医生虽然尽了全力，他的恢复却很慢。到了圣诞节，右腿还打着石膏，他只能躺在床上，想着错过的种种热闹，郁闷地过了一天。第二天，医生安慰他说，他很有希望赶在新年庆祝前出院。男子顿时振作起来，果然在除夕那天，一瘸一拐地参加了一场聚会。为了补偿住院期间的不快，他喝得有些过量。其间，他玩得十分尽兴，还不停地告诉别人，自己有多讨厌医院。聚会结束时，他嘴里还在嘟囔着医院的事，却突然踩到一块冰，滑倒摔断了左腿。

* **depends on**：取决于；说清影响条件，不等于必然因果。

* **sense of humour**：幽默感；sense前常加a；美式拼作humor。

* **bound up with**：与……密切相关；be bound up with 不是 bound to do 的必然或义务。

* **In the same way**：以同样方式；way前用the same，后面说明相似的做法。

* **are based on**：以……为基础；be based on + 依据；base A on B 为主动。

* **In spite of**：尽管；不顾；of 后面不直接接完整陈述句；接主语和谓语可用 although。

* **come into fashion**：开始流行；come into fashion 说变化，be in fashion 说状态。

* **tragic situations**：悲惨情境；base jokes on tragic situations 描述作品来源，不表示读者必须认同。

* **judge for yourself**：自己判断；for yourself 强调独立判断，不是替自己主持司法。

* **kept on**：不断；继续；on后接动名词，强调反复或持续。

* **did his best**：尽了最大努力；do one's best to do，努力不等于保证结果。

* **in plaster**：打着石膏；英式医疗语境用 be in plaster，不是屋内墙面的灰泥。

* **took heart**：振作起来；一般不加物主代词，表示重新获得信心。

* **compensate for**：弥补……；compensate for + 损失；compensate someone for… 则补偿某人。

* **In the process**：在此过程中；the process 回指刚提到的行为，不凭空增加新步骤。

* **slipped on**：在……上滑倒；slip on + 光滑表面；区别 slip into（悄悄进入）。

#### 原文注释 · Whether we find a joke funny or not largely depends on where we have been brought up.

注释：①brought up = raised, educated。 ②mysteriously bound up with = strangely connected to。③make = force。

#### 原文注释 · Most funny stories are based on comic situations.

注释：①universal appeal = international attraction。②stems = comes。 ③come into fashion = become popular。④distasteful = unpleasant, tasteless。

#### 原文注释 · A man who had broken his right leg was taken to hospital a few weeks before Christmas.

注释：①took heart = got up steam。②原注用 than (what) was good for him 辅助理解，但原文的比较分句可直接使用 than was good for him，不能据此认定这里省略了一个必须补出的 what。整体意思是“喝的酒超过了对身体适宜的量”。

\[语法符号讲解] \[1]本句 keep on 后接 -ing 形式 pestering，组成“不断纠缠”的结构，后面 when 引导的从句实际上是tell sb. sth.双宾语句式中的直接宾语，只不过这个直接宾语是when 引导的从句，故我们见缝插针，把整个从句中的空格都画上横线，也把点句号下面画上横线，表示从句。

\[2]本句跟上句一样，也是tell sb. sth.结构。

#### Summary 摘要

A man broke his right leg just before Christmas and was taken to hospital. He wanted to know when he could go home. On Christmas Day he was still in hospital with his leg in plaster, but there was a good chance of leaving hospital for the New Year. In fact, he was out in time to go to a New Year's Eve party where he drank too much, slipped on a piece of ice and broke his left leg. (80 words)

#### Composition 作文 The Gasman 煤气人员

\[1]An aunt of mine lives in a small village in the country and tells this story of what happened to her once. In order to understand the story, you should know a little about life in an English village. For example, people often enjoy afternoon tea together, they still leave doors unlocked, and certain tradesmen are used to delivering goods and, with permission, leaving them inside the owner's house.

\[2]One day my aunt had invited some friends round for afternoon tea. She had put some cakes in the oven to bake, and had gone upstairs to do some cleaning. When she finished, she decided to have a bath before her friends arrived. She was just about to get into the bath when she suddenly remembered the cakes. She wrapped a bath towel round her, went down to the kitchen and took the cakes out of the oven. Just then, there was a knock on the back door. She was sure it was the baker, who would open the door, come in and leave the bread on the kitchen table.

\[3]She panicked, dashed into the cupboard under the stairs and closed the door. Then, horrified, she heard footsteps coming to the cupboard. The door opened and there stood the gasman who had come to read the meter—which was in the cupboard. My aunt blushed and said, "I'm very sorry. I was expecting the baker." "Oh," the gasman said. "Sorry, madam." He closed the door gently and left. (250 words)

## 学完这一课

把“某件事是否有效”作主语，再写它取决于什么。

[Nce · 本册复习台](/new-concept/book-3/review) · [三册选择地图](/new-concept/)

*译文依据整理稿，由本站按中文表达重新校订；解析据吴应时、何景霖整理资料及首轮审校稿；词伙与练习提示为本站学习设计。原PDF第97—99页，2022年2月第3版。*