Step1: read passage1 and passage2 to choose a suitable title for them:
what makes people laugh
Laughter is the best medicine.
Laugh but the whole world won’t laugh with you .
The Chinese and humor.
What makes a joke funny
Step2: match the passages and what they refer to:
1. How people from different culture react to jokes.
2. a scale for measuring jokes.
Passage1 3.three theories why we laugh
4. three common elements in jokes
Passage2 5. the medical benefits of laughter.
6. how film directors use humor
7. differences between men’s and women’s humor
8. humor as a means to fight stress
Step3: choose the best answers:
The Sherlock Holmes joke was _______.
voted the funniest one.
Voted the funniest English one
On the list of funniest jokes in all cultures.
Ben Leung became interested in humor________.
when he went to the united states.
When he returned to Hong Kong.
When he went to Australia.
His research showed that _______.
People everywhere laugh at the same things.
Different people have different senses of humor.
People from different cultures do not laugh at the same things.
The “incongruous” theory says we laugh when_____.
Something we don’t expect happens.
Two things go together really well.
We don’t really understand what is happening.
Laughing at the end of an emotional or stressful time is explained by the _______ theory.
a. incongruous b. superior c. relief
6. Laughter is important because it _______.
a. helps us relax b. reduces stress c. helps us stay healthy.Passage1_____________
1.In an online survey conducted by the University of Hertfordshire in England, more than 40.000 people sent in Sherlock Holmes jokes and nearly 2,000,000 people voted for the ones they thought funniest. The Sherlock Holmes joke was at the top of the list. The jokes were all in English, and most of the voters (although not all of them) spoke English as their first language. 2.But would the result have been different if jokes from other cultures had been included
Ben Leung, who is studying for a doctorate at Monash University in Australia, thinks so. 3.Mr Leung was born in Hong Kong and studied in the United States, where he was surprised by the fact that found things funny that he didn’t. 4.When he returned to Hong Kong to teach, he was again struck by how different the Chinese sense of humor was, as shown by his students. 5.He became so interested in the topic that he decided to do some serious research into what makes us laugh.
Mr Leung surveyed more than 400 people using a self-developed psychometric scale—a tool for measuring mental states—which included written jokes and cartoons. 6.Participants were asked to score the jokes on a scale ranging from 1—5, in which 1 was “not at all funny” and 5 “very funny”. 7.They also had to identify whether the main humor element in the jokes was aggression, sex or double meaning, and provide information about their gender, age and nationality.
8.He found some notable differences in appreciation of humor linked to gender and nationality. 9.For example, there were jokes which British found funny, while Americans didn’t. 10.But one of the most important findings was that written jokes were more appreciated by men than women, and by Chinese people rather than Australians, who preferred listening to jokes to reading them.
Passage2_____________
What makes people laugh Something funny, of course. But the mechanism which triggers humor is not fully understood, although there are plenty of theories.
11.One theory is that because we found something incongruous, when something which shouldn’t have happened does happen. 12.Our sense of logic and familiarity is replaced by something unexpected, or rather by things which normally don’t go together. Visual humor is often of this type. Jokes are funny because they lead us to expect one outcome, and then go in a different direction, maybe through a double meaning (known as a “pun”). 13.Suddenly we had to change our viewpoint, and it is our perception of the incongruity between the different parts of the joke that makes us laugh.
Another theory is that we laugh when we fell superior. This happens when someone is made to look foolish, or has a misfortune. 14.Instead of feeling sorry, we laugh, probably because we feel detached from the situation.
15.A third theory is that humor brings relief. This is something that film directors know about—after a tense and thrilling episode, they often return to a comic situation so that the viewer can feel relief from tension; and after that, the film can start to build up tension again. Similarly, humor can be a good way of facing up to stressful situations, for example, at work.
Perhaps we laugh for all these reasons at the same time. 16.Whatever the explanation, though, scientist are convinced that laughter does us good. Research suggests that frequent laughter strengthens our immune systems, and increases our chances of living longer. 17.Or, to put it another way, he who laughs, lasts.
Words and expressions:
conduct ['k nd kt] vt. 进行，实施
doctorate ['dɑkt r t] n. 博士学位
Psychometric adj. 心理测量的
scale n. 登记表
notable adj. 显著的，值得注意的
mechanism n. 机制
trigger vt. 激起，引发
incongruous [ n'k gru: s] adj. 不合适的，不相称的
familiarity [f ,m l'j r ti:] n. 亲切感，随便
or rather 更确切地说
outcome n. 结果，结局
pun n. 双关语
perception n. 理解，认识，洞察力
incongruity [ nk 'gru: t ] n. 不合适，不相称
detached adj. 超然的，分开的
immune [i'mju:n] 免疫的，有免疫力的
episode ['epis ud] 插曲，片段(共10张PPT)
Remember to smile, and happy life you'll get
A smile abroad may be a scowl（愁容）
at home.
A winning smile makes winners of us all.
He who laughs last laughs best.
While-reading task:
Step1: passage1: c passage2: a
Step2: passage1: 1,2,4,7
passage2: 3,5,6,8
Step3: b b b a c c
Laugh but the whole world won’t laugh with you,
Why
a：啊，你用我的笔了！
b：没有！
a：你真没用？
b：我真没用!!!
a：哈，有人说他没用。
a: Ah, are you using my pen
b: No, I am not.
a: Aren’t you
b: I am surely not!
a. Ah,somebody is saying he is useless!!!
Passage1:to decisde T or F
People from different culture react to jokes
differently.
2. In the scale, 1means “very funny.”
3. the three main elements in jokes are aggression,
Sex and double meanings.
4.Women appreciated written jokes more than men.
Passage2:
5. How do film directors use humor
6. How does humor work as a means to fight
Stress at work
7.How does laughter do good to our health
8.What are the three theories why we laugh
T
F
T
F
Under what situation does each theory work
Theory1:
Theory2:
Theory3:
When we feel superior
to others.
b.When we laugh just for
fun and relief.
c.When something that
shouldn’t happen does
happen.
One or Two
Customer: Waiter, I've only got one piece
of meat in my dish.
Waiter: Just a moment, sir and I'll cut it
in two.
------Theory1
------Theory3
-------Theory2
What’s the result of being healty
Or, to put it another way, he
who laughs, lasts.
常笑者长寿！！！
1.In an online survey 由……执行the University of
Hertfordshire in England, more than 40.000 people
支持 Sherlock Holmes jokes and nearly 2,000,000
people 为他们认为最有趣的笑话投票。
2.But would the result have been different 如果来
自其他文化的笑话也被包括在内的话。
3.Mr Leung was born in Hong Kong and studied in
the United States, 在那里he was surprised by the
fact 美国人认为有趣的事情，他却不然。
4.When he returned to Hong Kong to teach, he
对……感到惊讶 how different the Chinese sense
of humor was, 正如shown by his students.
5.He became so interested in the topic that he
decided to 对那些让我们发笑的东西做一次深入的研究。
6.Participants were asked to score the jokes on a
scale 从1到5, 其中 1 was “not at all funny” and
5 “very funny”.
7.They also had to identify 是否the main humor
element in the jokes was aggression, sex or double
meaning, and 提供关于……的信息 their gender,
age and nationality.
8.He found some notable differences in appreciation
of humor 与性别和国籍相关的.
9.For example, there were jokes which British
found funny, 然而 Americans didn’t.
10.But one of the most important findings was that
文本笑话 were more appreciated by men than
women, and by Chinese people 而不是
Australians, 他们宁愿听也不愿意读笑话。
11.One theory is that because we found something
incongruous, 当一些不应该发生的事情确实发生时。
12.Our sense of logic and familiarity 被……代替
something unexpected, 更确切地说 by things which
normally don’t go together.
13.Suddenly we had to change our viewpoint, and
正是 our perception of the incongruity between the
different parts of the joke 使我们发笑.
14.Instead of feeling sorry, we laugh, probably
because we 感觉置身于这种情景之外.
15.再一种理论is that humor brings relief.
16.Whatever the explanation, though, scientists
相信笑对我们有好处.
17.Or, 换句话说, 常笑者长寿.
