[00:00.30]Lesson 29
[00:02.23]Funny or not?
[00:09.34]What is the basis of 'sick' humour?
[00:14.46]Whether we find a joke funny or not largely depends on where we have been brought up.
[00:21.14]The sense of humour is mysteriously bound up with national characteristics.
[00:27.58]A Frenchman, for instance, might find it hard to laugh at a Russian joke.
[00:33.15]In the same way, a Russian might fail to see anything amusing in a joke
[00:38.74]which would make an Englishman laugh to tears.
[00:43.08]Most funny stories are based on comic situations.
[00:47.99]In spite of national differences, certain funny situations have a universal appeal.
[00:54.56]No matter where you live,
[00:56.47]you would find it difficult not to laugh at, say, Charlie Chaplin's early films.
[01:03.16]However, a new type of humour, which stems largely from U.S., has recently come into fashion.
[01:11.51]It is called 'sick humour'. Comedians base their jokes on tragic situations like violent death or serious accidents.
[01:22.68]Many people find this sort of joke distasteful.
[01:27.30]The following example of 'sick humour' will enable you to judge for yourself.
[01:33.87]A man who had broken his right leg was taken to hospital a few weeks before Christmas.
[01:40.55]From the moment he arrived there,
[01:42.86]he kept on pestering his doctor to tell him when he would be able to go home.
[01:48.84]He dreaded having to spend Christmas in hospital.
[01:52.72]Though the doctor did his best, the patient's recovery was slow.
[01:57.98]On Christmas day, the man still had his right leg in plaster.
[02:03.68]He spent a miserable day in bed thinking of all the fun he was missing.
[02:09.44]The following day, however, the doctor consoled him by telling him
[02:14.27]that his chances of being able to leave hospital in time for New Year celebrations were good.
[02:21.56]The man took heart and sure enough, on New Year's Eve he was able to hobble along to a party.
[02:29.68]To compensate for his unpleasant experiences in hospital,
[02:34.63]the man drank a little more than was good for him.
[02:38.28]In the process, he enjoyed himself thoroughly and kept telling everybody how much he hated hospitals.
[02:47.15]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.
我们觉得一则笑话是否好笑，很大程度取决于我们是在哪儿长大的。幽默感与民族有着神秘莫测的联系。譬如，法国人听完一则俄国笑话可能很难发笑。同样的道理，一则可以令英国人笑出泪来的笑话，俄国人听了可能觉得没有什么可笑之处。
大部分令人发笑的故事都是根据喜剧情节编写的。尽管民族不同，有些滑稽的情节却能产生普遍的效果。比如说，不管你生活在哪里，你看查理.卓别林的早期电影很难不发笑。然而，近来一种新式幽默流行了起来，这种幽默主要来自美国。它被叫作“病态幽默”。喜剧演员根据悲剧情节诸如暴死，重大事故等来编造笑话。许多人认为这种笑话是低级庸俗的。下面是个“病态幽默”的实例，你可据此自己作出判断。
圣诞节前几周，某人摔断了右腿被送进医院。从他进医院那一刻时，他就缠住医生，让医生告诉他什么时候能回家。他十分害怕在医院过圣诞。尽管医生竭力医治，但病人恢复缓慢。圣诞节那天，他的右腿还上着石膏，他在床上郁郁不乐地躺了一天，想着他错过的种种欢乐。然而，第二天，医生安慰他说，出院欢度新年的可能性还是很大的，那人听后振作了精神。果然，除夕时他可以一瘸一拐地去参加晚会了。为了补偿住院这一段不愉快的经历，那人喝得稍许多了一点。在晚会上他尽情娱乐，一再告诉大家他是多么讨厌医院。晚会结束时，他嘴里还在嘟哝着医院的事，突然踩到一块冰上滑倒了，摔断了左腿。