新编大学英语4课文原文doc

1] Thejoyoflaughingatafunnystoryisuniversal,probablyasoldaslanguageitself. But,whatisitthatmakesastoryorajokefunny?[2] AsonewhohasenjoyedhumorsinceIfirstrecognizedit,I've madeanattemptto explainanddiscusshumorwithstudentsinsuchdiverseculturesasLatinAmericaandChina. I'vedonesomeseriousthinkingaboutfunnystories.Ithasbeenalaboroflove[N]![3] WhyisitthatseveralstudentsinaclasswillfalloutoftheirchairslaughingafterItellajokewhiletherestofthestudentslookasifI'vejustreadtheweatherreport?[N] Obviouslysomepeoplearemoresensitivetohumorthanothers. And,werecognizethatsomepeopletelljokesverywellwhileothersstruggletosaysomethingfunny. We'veallheardpeoplesay,"Ilikejokes,butIcan'ttellonewell,andIcanneverrememberthem." Somepeoplehaveabettersenseofhumorthanothersjustassomepeoplehavemoremusicaltalent,mathematicaltalent,etc.thanothers.HYPERLINK"file:///F:\\2012_2013%E5%B9%B4\\%E5%A4%A7%E5%AD%A6%E8%8B%B1%E8%AF%AD4\\%E6%88%91%E7%9A%84%E5%85%89%E7%9B%98\\book4\\unit1\\Reading\\Reading.htm"\l"null#null" Atrulyfunnypersonhasajokeforeveryoccasion,andwhenoneistold,thattriggersanentire string ofjokesfromthatperson'smemorybank.[N] A humorless personisnotlikelytobethemostpopularpersoninagroup. Itisreasonabletosaythatthetruly humorous individualisnotonlywellliked,butisoftenthefocusofattentioninanygathering.[4] Evensomeanimalshaveasenseofhumor. Mywife'smotheroftenvisitedusforextendedstays.[N] Shenormallydidn'tlikedogs,butshe fellinlovewithBlitzen[N]—afemaleLab[N] wehad,andtherelationshipwas mutual. HYPERLINK"file:///F:\\2012_2013%E5%B9%B4\\%E5%A4%A7%E5%AD%A6%E8%8B%B1%E8%AF%AD4\\%E6%88%91%E7%9A%84%E5%85%89%E7%9B%98\\book4\\unit1\\Reading\\Reading.htm"\l"null#null"Evenwhenyoung,Blitzenwould tease Grandma byvery selectively carryingoneofherbedroomslippersintothelivingroomwhereGrandmasatinherfavorite,comfortablechair. Blitzen pranced just beyondthereachof GrandmauntilGrandmawas tempted toleaveherchairtogettheslipperfromBlitzen. WhenGrandmaleftherchair,Blitzenwouldquicklyjumpintothechair, flashing herLabsmile from sparkling browneyeswhichclearlysaid,"Aha,Ifooledyouagain."[5] Typicaljokesorhumorousstorieshaveathree-part anatomy thatiseasilyrecognized. FirstistheSETUP(or setting),nextistheBODY(orstoryline),andthesearefollowedbythePUNCHLINE[N] (anunexpectedorsurpriseending)whichwillmakethejokefunnyifitcontainssomehumor. HYPERLINK"file:///F:\\2012_2013%E5%B9%B4\\%E5%A4%A7%E5%AD%A6%E8%8B%B1%E8%AF%AD4\\%E6%88%91%E7%9A%84%E5%85%89%E7%9B%98\\book4\\unit1\\Reading\\Reading.htm"\l"null#null"Usuallyallthreepartsarepresent,andeachmustbeclearlypresented[N]. Ithelpsifthestory/joketellerusesgesturesandlanguagewhicharewellknowntotheaudience.[6] Humor,asaformofentertainment,canbeanalyzedinordertodiscoverwhatmakesafunnystoryorjokeseemfunny. Here,forexample,aresomeofthemostcommontypesofhumor.Theyrangefromthemostobvioushumortothemoresubtletypes.[7] "SLAP-STICK"isthemostobvioushumor. Itslanguageissimple,direct,andoftenmakesfunofanotherpersonorgroup. HYPERLINK"file:///F:\\2012_2013%E5%B9%B4\\%E5%A4%A7%E5%AD%A6%E8%8B%B1%E8%AF%AD4\\%E6%88%91%E7%9A%84%E5%85%89%E7%9B%98\\book4\\unit1\\Reading\\Reading.htm"\l"null#null"Slap-stickwasandisthetechniqueofthestand-upcomedian[N] andthe clown. Itappealstoallagesandallcultures. NearlyeveryEnglish-speaking comedian inthiscenturyhasusedthefollowingjokeinoneformoranother. HYPERLINK"file:///F:\\2012_2013%E5%B9%B4\\%E5%A4%A7%E5%AD%A6%E8%8B%B1%E8%AF%AD4\\%E6%88%91%E7%9A%84%E5%85%89%E7%9B%98\\book4\\unit1\\Reading\\Reading.htm"\l"null#null"Onemanasksanother,"WhowasthatladyIsawyouwithlastnight?" Theotherreplies,"Thatwasnolady,thatwasmywife."HYPERLINK"file:///F:\\2012_2013%E5%B9%B4\\%E5%A4%A7%E5%AD%A6%E8%8B%B1%E8%AF%AD4\\%E6%88%91%E7%9A%84%E5%85%89%E7%9B%98\\book4\\unit1\\Reading\\Reading.htm"\l"null#null"Thehumorliesinthefactthatthesecondmanissayingthathiswifeisnotalady.HYPERLINK"file:///F:\\2012_2013%E5%B9%B4\\%E5%A4%A7%E5%AD%A6%E8%8B%B1%E8%AF%AD4\\%E6%88%91%E7%9A%84%E5%85%89%E7%9B%98\\book4\\unit1\\Reading\\Reading.htm"\l"null#null"Inotherwords,sheisnotarefinedwoman. HYPERLINK"file:///F:\\2012_2013%E5%B9%B4\\%E5%A4%A7%E5%AD%A6%E8%8B%B1%E8%AF%AD4\\%E6%88%91%E7%9A%84%E5%85%89%E7%9B%98\\book4\\unit1\\Reading\\Reading.htm"\l"null#null"Thejokeisnolessfunnybecauseitissooftenused. Theaudienceknowsinadvancewhatwillbesaid,becauseitisclassichumor,andanyaudiencevaluesitevenmorebecauseofits familiarity.[8] Chinese"cross-talk"isaspecialtypeofslap-stickinwhichtwoChinesecomedianshumorouslydiscusstopicssuchas bureaucrats,familyproblems,orotherpersonaltopics. Cross-talkcanbeheardanywherefromsmallvillagestagestothelargestBeijingtheatres,andtoradioandtelevision. ItisclearlyatraditionalformofhumorwellunderstoodbyChinesepeople.[9] APLAYONWORDSisnotsoobviousasslap-stick,butitisfunnybecauseof misused ormisunderstoodlanguage. MyfavoriteexampleisthestoryofthreeelderlygentlementravelingbytraininEngland. Asthetrainslowedforastopthefirstmanasked,"IsthisWembleyHYPERLINK"file:///F:\\2012_2013%E5%B9%B4\\%E5%A4%A7%E5%AD%A6%E8%8B%B1%E8%AF%AD4\\%E6%88%91%E7%9A%84%E5%85%89%E7%9B%98\\book4\\unit1\\Reading\\Reading.htm"\l"null#null"[N]HYPERLINK"file:///F:\\2012_2013%E5%B9%B4\\%E5%A4%A7%E5%AD%A6%E8%8B%B1%E8%AF%AD4\\%E6%88%91%E7%9A%84%E5%85%89%E7%9B%98\\book4\\unit1\\Reading\\Reading.htm"\l"null#null"?" "No,"saidthesecond,"It'sThursday." "SoamI,"saidthethirdman. "Let'sstopforabeer." Weknowthatolderpeopleoftendonothearthingsclearly,sothemisunderstandingofbothWednesday(forWembley)andthirsty(forThursday)makesanice setup forthepunchlinedeliveredbythethirdman.[10] ThefamousChinese cartoonist and humorist DingCongisamasterofwordplay. Inoneofhisfunny cartoons,ateachersays,"Howcome[N] youcompletelycopiedsomebodyelse'shomework?" Theyoungstudentreplies,"Ididn'tcompletelycopyit.Mynameonthepageisdifferent." InanotherclassicDingCongcartoon,an irritated fatherasks,"Tellme,what'soneplustwo?" HYPERLINK"file:///F:\\2012_2013%E5%B9%B4\\%E5%A4%A7%E5%AD%A6%E8%8B%B1%E8%AF%AD4\\%E6%88%91%E7%9A%84%E5%85%89%E7%9B%98\\book4\\unit1\\Reading\\Reading.htm"\l"null#null"Thesonsays,"Idon'tknow." Theimpatientfatherthensays,"Forexample,you,yourmother,andIaltogetherarehowmany,you idiot?" Thesonproudlyanswers,"Threeidiots." Whetherthesestoriesarecartoonsorjokes,toldbya slap-stickcomedianoracross-talkingteam,theyappealtopeopleeverywhereasfunnystoriesbecausetheyhaveanote[N] [N] ofrealitytothem,andtheunexpectedpunchlineisquitefunny.[11] PUNS areevenmoresubtleformsofwordplay. Theyusethetechniqueofsimilarsoundingwordsoralternativemeaningsofthesameword. Punsarethoughtbysomecriticstobethelowestformofhumor,butIdisagreewiththis.HYPERLINK"file:///F:\\2012_2013%E5%B9%B4\\%E5%A4%A7%E5%AD%A6%E8%8B%B1%E8%AF%AD4\\%E6%88%91%E7%9A%84%E5%85%89%E7%9B%98\\book4\\unit1\\Reading\\Reading.htm"\l"null#null"Punsrequiremoresubtleandsophisticatedlanguageskillsthanmosthumorforms,buteventheveryyoungcanusethemintheirsimplerforms. Forexample,the"riddle"ortrickquestionoftenusesapuninthesetup,thestoryline,or,moreoften,thepunchline. PunsarethefirsttypeofhumorIlearned,andatabout5yearsofageIrememberhearingthefollowingriddle. Onepersonasks,"Whatisblackandwhiteandredallover?" Theotherpersonusuallycannotanswertheriddle,sosays,"Igiveup.Whatistheanswer?" HYPERLINK"file:///F:\\2012_2013%E5%B9%B4\\%E5%A4%A7%E5%AD%A6%E8%8B%B1%E8%AF%AD4\\%E6%88%91%E7%9A%84%E5%85%89%E7%9B%98\\book4\\unit1\\Reading\\Reading.htm"\l"null#null"The riddler replies,"Anewspaper."Thisistheobviousanswerifoneknowsthat"red"ispronouncedthesameas"read"inEnglish,butthemeaningsareclearlydifferent.[12] DOUBLEENTENDRES (Frenchfordoublemeanings)arespecialvariationsofpunsinwhichwordsorphraseshavedoublemeanings.HYPERLINK"file:///F:\\2012_2013%E5%B9%B4\\%E5%A4%A7%E5%AD%A6%E8%8B%B1%E8%AF%AD4\\%E6%88%91%E7%9A%84%E5%85%89%E7%9B%98\\book4\\unit1\\Reading\\Reading.htm"\l"null#null"Frequentlythetwomeaningsareverydifferent,andoneisquiteproperwhilethesecondisoften,butnotalways, vulgar.HYPERLINK"file:///F:\\2012_2013%E5%B9%B4\\%E5%A4%A7%E5%AD%A6%E8%8B%B1%E8%AF%AD4\\%E6%88%91%E7%9A%84%E5%85%89%E7%9B%98\\book4\\unit1\\Reading\\Reading.htm"\l"null#null" Ilikethesomewhatmildstoryofaschoolteacheranda principal ofahighschoolwhoareconcernedbecausesomeboysandgirlshavebeenseenkissingontheschoolplayground. Theteachersaystothestudents,"TheprincipalandIhavedecidedtostopkissingontheschoolplayground." Hearingsome laughter,shesenseshermessagewasnotaltogetherclear,sosheadds,"WhatImeantosayisthattherewillbenomorekissinggoingonunderournoses[N]." This clarification,ofcourse,doesnothingtocorrectthefirststatementandthedoublemeaningofthejokebecomesevenmore laughable. [13] Someprofessionalhumoriststhinktoomuchoftoday'shumorisnotveryintelligentorsophisticated. Theydislikethe suggestive orvulgarlanguageusedtoofrequently,andtheyfeelthatmosthumoristsarenotverycreative. Itistruethatsomeoftoday'shumorisrathershocking,butIdon'tthinkhumoristobeblamed[N] forthat. Humorisalive[N] andwell,anditwillpersistsimplybecausetherearefunnythingshappeningeveryday. Somehumorouspeopleseeandhearthesefunnythingsandareabletomakethemintofunny, entertaining jokesandstories. (1,346words)OnmyfirstjobassportseditorfortheMontpelier(Ohio) LeaderEnterprise,Ididn'tgetalotoffanmail, soIwas intrigued byaletterthatwasdroppedonmydeskonemorning. [2] WhenIopenedit,Iread:"AnicepieceofwritingontheTigers.Keepupthegoodwork." ItwassignedbyDonWolfe,thesportseditor. BecauseIwasateenager(beingpaidthegrandtotalof15centsa column inch[N]),hiswordscouldn'thavebeenmore inspiring. [N] Ikepttheletterinmydeskdraweruntilitgot rag-eared. WheneverIdoubtedIhadtherightstufftobeawriter[N],Iwouldreread Don'snoteandfeelconfidentagain. [3] Later,whenIgottoknowhim,IlearnedthatDon madea habitof [N]writingaquick,encouragingword[N] topeopleinall walksoflife. HYPERLINK"file:///F:\\2012_2013%E5%B9%B4\\%E5%A4%A7%E5%AD%A6%E8%8B%B1%E8%AF%AD4\\%E6%88%91%E7%9A%84%E5%85%89%E7%9B%98\\book4\\unit2\\Reading\\Reading.htm"\l"null#null""WhenImakeothersfeelgoodaboutthemselves,"hetoldme,"Ifeelgoodtoo."[4] Notsurprisingly,hehadabodyoffriendsasbigas nearby LakeErie[N].HYPERLINK"file:///F:\\2012_2013%E5%B9%B4\\%E5%A4%A7%E5%AD%A6%E8%8B%B1%E8%AF%AD4\\%E6%88%91%E7%9A%84%E5%85%89%E7%9B%98\\book4\\unit2\\Reading\\Reading.htm"\l"null#null"Whenhediedlastyearat75,thepaperwasfloodedwithcallsandletters[N] frompeoplewhohadbeen recipients ofhis spirit-lifting words. [5] Overtheyears,I'vetriedtocopytheexampleofDonandotherfriendswhocareenoughtowriteupliftingcomments,becauseIthinkthey areontosomething important. Inaworldtoooftencoldand unresponsive,suchnotesbringwarmthandreassurance. Weallneedaboostfromtimetotime,andafewlinesofpraisehavebeenknowntoturnaroundaday[N],evenalife. [6] Why,then,aretheresofew upbeat notewriters? Myguessisthatmanywho shyawayfrom thepracticearetooself-conscious[N]. They'reafraidthey'llbemisunderstood,sound sentimental or insincere. Also,writingtakestime;it'sfareasiertopickupthephone. [7] The drawback withphonecalls,ofcourse,isthattheydon'tlast. Anoteattaches[N] more importanceto our well-wishing. Itisamatterofrecord[N],andourwordscanbereadmorethanonce, savored andtreasured. [8] Eventhoughnotewritingmaytakelonger,someprettybusypeopledoit,includingGeorgeBush. Somesayheowes[N] muchofhissuccessinpoliticstohisever-ready[N] pen.How? Throughouthiscareerhehas followedup virtuallyeverycontactwitha cordial response—acompliment,alineofpraiseoranodofthanks.[N] Hisnotesgonotonlytofriendsandassociates,buttocasualacquaintancesandtotalstrangers—likethesurprisedpersonwhogot awarmpatontheback forlendingBushanumbrella. [9] Eventopcorporatemanagers,whohavemostlyaffectedstylesofleadershipthatcanbe characterized onlyas tough,coldand aloof,havebeguntolearnthelesson,andearnthebenefits,ofwritingnotesthat lift people up.[N]HYPERLINK"file:///F:\\2012_2013%E5%B9%B4\\%E5%A4%A7%E5%AD%A6%E8%8B%B1%E8%AF%AD4\\%E6%88%91%E7%9A%84%E5%85%89%E7%9B%98\\book4\\unit2\\Reading\\Reading.htm"\l"null#null"FormerFordchairmanDonaldPeterson,whoislargelycreditedfor turning thecompany round inthe1980s,madeitapracticetowritepositivemessagestoassociateseveryday.[N] "I'djust scribble themona memo pad orthecornerofaletterand pass them along,"hesays."Themostimportanttenminutesofyourdayarethoseyouspenddoingsomethingtoboostthepeoplewhoworkforyou." [10] "Toooften,"heobserved,"peoplewegenuinelylikehavenoideahowwefeelaboutthem. Toooftenwethink,Ihaven'tsaidanythingcritical;whydoIhavetosaysomethingpositive? Weforgetthathumanbeingsneedpositivereinforcement—infact,we thrive onit!"[11] Whatdoesittaketowritelettersthatliftspiritsandwarmhearts?[N] Onlyawillingnesstoexpressourappreciation. Themostsuccessful practitionersincludewhatIcallthefour"S's"ofnotewriting. [12] 1) Theyare sincere.Noonewantsfalsepraise. [13] 2) Theyareusuallyshort. Ifyoucan'tsaywhatyouwanttosayinthreesentences,you'reprobablystraining[N]. [14] 3) Theyarespecific. Complimentingabusinesscolleaguebytellinghim"goodspeech"istoo vague;HYPERLINK"file:///F:\\2012_2013%E5%B9%B4\\%E5%A4%A7%E5%AD%A6%E8%8B%B1%E8%AF%AD4\\%E6%88%91%E7%9A%84%E5%85%89%E7%9B%98\\book4\\unit2\\Reading\\Reading.htm"\l"null#null" "greatstoryaboutWarrenBuffet's investmentstrategy"is precise. [15] 4) Theyare spontaneous. Thisgivesthemthe freshness andenthusiasmthatwilllingerinthereader'smindlongafterward. [16] It'sdifficulttobespontaneouswhenyouhavetohuntforletter-writingmaterials,soIkeeppaper,envelopesandstampscloseathand,evenwhenItravel. Fancy stationery isn'tnecessary;it'sthethoughtthatcounts. [17] So,whoaroundyou deservesanoteofthanksorapproval? Aneighbor,yourlibrarian,arelative,your mayor,yourmate,ateacher,yourdoctor? Youdon'tneedtobe poetic. Ifyouneedareason,lookfora milestone,theanniversaryofaspecialeventyoushared,orabirthdayorholiday. Forthelast25years,forexample,I'vepreparedanannualChristmasletterfor long-distance friends,andIoftenaddahandwrittenwordofthanksorcongratulations. AcknowledgingsomesuccessorgoodfortunethathashappenedduringtheyearseemsparticularlyappropriateconsideringthespiritoftheChristmasseason. [18] Begenerouswithyourpraise. Superlativeslike"greatest","smartest","prettiest"makeusallfeelgood.Evenifyourpraiseisalittleaheadofreality,rememberthatexpectationsareoftentheparentsofdreamsfulfilled.[N] [19] TodayIgotawarm, complimentary letterfrommyoldbossandmentor,NormanVincentPeale. Hislittlenotetomewasfullofupliftingphrases,anditsentmetomy typewriter tocomposeafew overdue lettersofmyown. Idon'tknowiftheywill makeanybodyelse'sday,buttheymademine. AsmyfriendDonWolfesaid,makingothersfeelgoodaboutthemselvesmakesmefeelgoodtoo. (978words)Overthepastfewdecades,ithasbeenproven innumerable timesthatthevarioustypesofbehavior,emotions,andintereststhat constitute beingmasculine andfemininearepatternedbybothheredityandculture. Intheprocessofgrowingup,eachchildlearnshundredsof culturally patterneddetailsofbehaviorthatbecomeincorporatedintoits gender identity. Someofthislearningtakesplacedirectly. Inotherwords,thechildistoldbyothershowtoactinanappropriately feminine ormasculineway. Otherdetailsofgenderbehavioraretaughtunconsciously,or indirectly,asthecultureprovidesdifferentimages,aspirations,andadultmodelsforgirlsandboys. [2] Recently,forexample,astudyofAmericanpublicschoolsshowedthatthereisacultural bias ineducationthatfavorsboysovergirls. Accordingtotheresearchers,thebiasis unintentional andunconscious,butitisthereanditisinfluencingthelivesofmillionsofschoolchildreneveryyear. DoctorsDavidandMyraSadkervideotapedclassroomteachersinordertostudysex-relatedbiasineducation.HYPERLINK"file:///F:\\2012_2013%E5%B9%B4\\%E5%A4%A7%E5%AD%A6%E8%8B%B1%E8%AF%AD4\\%E6%88%91%E7%9A%84%E5%85%89%E7%9B%98\\book4\\unit3\\Reading\\Reading.htm"\l"null#null"Theirresearchshowedthatmanyteacherswhothoughttheywere nonsexist wereamazedtoseehow biased theyappearedonvideotape. Fromnurseryschool[N] topostgraduate courses,teacherswereshownto callon malesinclassfarmorethanonfemalestudents. Thishasatremendousimpactonthelearningprocessfor,ingeneral,thosestudentswhobecomeactiveclassroomparticipantsdevelop[N] morepositiveattitudesandgoontohigherachievement. Asamatteroffact,inthelate1960s,whenmanyofthebestall-women'scolleges[N] inthe northeastern UnitedStatesopenedtheirdoorstomalestudents,itwasobservedbyprofessorsandwomenstudentsalikethattheboyswere"takingover"[N] theclassroomdiscussionsandthatactiveparticipation bywomenstudentshaddiminished noticeably. Asimilarsubordination offemaletomalestudentshasalsobeenobservedinlawandmedicalschoolclassroomsinrecentyears. [3] ResearchdonebytheSadkersshowedthatsometimesteachersunknowingly preventedgirlsfromparticipatingasactivelyasboysinclassbyassigning themdifferenttasksinaccordancewithstereotypedgenderroles. Forinstance,oneteacherconductingascienceclasswith nursery schoolyoungsters,continuallyhadthelittleboysperformthescientific"experiment"[N]HYPERLINK"file:///F:\\2012_2013%E5%B9%B4\\%E5%A4%A7%E5%AD%A6%E8%8B%B1%E8%AF%AD4\\%E6%88%91%E7%9A%84%E5%85%89%E7%9B%98\\book4\\unit3\\Reading\\Reading.htm"\l"null#null"whilethegirlsweregiventhetaskof putting thematerials away. Sincehands-onwork[N] withclassroommaterialsisaveryimportantaspectofearlyeducation,thegirlswerethusbeingdeprivedofa vital learningexperiencethatwouldaffecttheirentirelives. [4] Anotherdimensionof sex-biased educationisthetypicalAmericanteacher'sassumptionthatboyswilldobetterinthe"hard&q