---
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。
---

# 是否可笑？

## 课文学习台 {#study}

### 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.

中文理解：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。

* **Whether**：不仅 / 两者都不 / 是否；找齐成对结构的两端；不是看见 not only 就一律倒装。

* **depends on**：取决于；依赖；说清依赖什么条件，不只记一个中文对应词。

* **brought up**：引起 / 提出或养育；根据宾语分辨意思，避免把 up 与 about 当可替换小词。

* **for instance**：例如；例子要证明前面的判断；可换内容，不必换这个常用表达。

* **fail to**：未能做到；可以客观交代未完成的事，不必总理解为能力不足。

#### 这一段的读法与用法

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

### 第2段

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.

中文理解：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。

* **based on**：基于 / 不考虑 / 发挥主导作用；先找依据、被忽视的对象或作用所在，避免只堆词组。

* **In spite of**：尽管；of 后不直接接一个完整陈述句；要接句子可换 although。

#### 这一段的读法与用法

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

### 第3段

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：圣诞节前几周，某人摔断了右腿被送进医院。从他进医院的那一刻起，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，到了新年前夜，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，就在他嘴里还在嘟哝着医院的事时，他踩到一块冰上滑倒了，摔断了左腿。

* **be able to**：能够 / 无法；结合时间判断是一般能力还是某次实际做到；unable 带否定。

* **at the end of**：发信号或消息 / 在……结束时 / 日夜；at the end of 明确某个末尾；in the end 总结最终结果。

#### 这一段的读法与用法

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

保留原段的推进关系，换成自己的经历，写或说一段四五句的话。

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

*译文与解析据吴应时、何景霖整理资料及本站首轮审校稿；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。*