Lesson 29

Whether we find a joke funny or not largely depends on where we have been brought up.
我们是否觉得一个笑话有趣，很大程度上取决于我们生长的地方。
The sense of humour is mysteriously bound up with national characteristics.
幽默感与民族特征神秘地联系在一起。
A Frenchman, for instance, might find it hard to laugh at a Russian joke.
例如，一个法国人可能会觉得很难理解俄罗斯笑话的笑点。
In the same way, a Russian might fail to see anything amusing in a joke which would make an Englishman laugh to tears.
同样地，一个俄罗斯人可能无法理解一个会让英国人笑出眼泪的笑话中的任何笑点。
Most funny stories are based on comic situations.
大多数有趣的故事都是基于喜剧的情境。
In spite of national differences, certain funny situations have a universal appeal.
尽管存在国家差异，某些滑稽的情节在全世界都具有吸引力。
No matter where you live, you would find it difficult not to laugh at, say, Charlie Chaplin’s early films.
无论你住在哪里，你都会发现，要是不对着（比如）查理·卓别林的早期电影发笑是很困难的。
However, a new type of humour, which stems largely from the U.S., has recently come into fashion.
然而，一种主要起源于美国的新型幽默最近开始流行起来。
It is called ‘sick humour’.
它被称为“病态幽默”。
Comedians base their jokes on tragic situations like violent death or serious accidents.
喜剧演员将他们的笑话建立在诸如暴力死亡或严重事故之类的悲惨情况之上。
Many people find this sort of joke distasteful.
许多人觉得这种笑话令人反感。
The following example of ‘sick humour’ will enable you to judge for yourself.
以下这个“病态幽默”的例子将使你能做出自己的判断。
A man who had broken his right leg was taken to hospital a few weeks before Christmas.
一个摔断了右腿的男人在圣诞节前几周被送往了医院。
From the moment he arrived there, he kept on pestering his doctor to tell him when he would be able to go home.
从他到达那里的那一刻起，他就一直纠缠医生，要医生告诉他什么时候能回家。
He dreaded having to spend Christmas in hospital.
他害怕不得不留在医院过圣诞节。
Though the doctor did his best, the patient’s recovery was slow.
虽然医生尽了最大努力，但病人的康复还是很缓慢。
On Christmas Day, the man still had his right leg in plaster.
在圣诞节那天，那个男人的右腿仍然打着石膏。
He spent a miserable day in bed thinking of all the fun he was missing.
他度过了痛苦的一天，躺在床上想着他所错过的所有乐趣。
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.
然而第二天，医生安慰他说，他及时出院参加新年庆祝活动的机会是很大的。
The man took heart and, sure enough, on New Year’s Eve he was able to hobble along to a party.
这个男人振作了精神，果不其然，在除夕夜他能够蹒跚着去参加聚会了。
To compensate for his unpleasant experiences in hospital, the man drank a little more than was good for him.
为了补偿他在医院里的不愉快经历，那个男人喝得有点多，对他身体没好处。
In the process, he enjoyed himself thoroughly and kept telling everybody how much he hated hospitals.
在此过程中，他玩得非常痛快，并一直告诉每个人他有多么讨厌医院。
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.
聚会结束时他还在咕哝着医院的事，这时他滑倒在一块冰上，摔断了左腿。