幽默

英国人并不以幽默著称，在英国人的民族性格中，保守和内敛是突出的特征。他们沉默寡言、感情不外露，不喜和陌生人说话。然而，在英国人的自我描述中，幽默是其性格中一个重要方面。

按照作家乔治·麦克斯的说法，在其他国家，如果人们看谁不顺眼，或者恨谁，他们会骂你愚蠢或粗鲁。在英国，则会说你没有幽默感，这是最严厉的谴责，最彻底的轻蔑。实际上，由于英式幽默中贯穿着强烈的讽刺和自嘲的主题，其幽默的情绪成分往往隐藏在语言之下，很多情况下来自其他文化的人很难理解这种幽默。

相比之下，美国人的幽默则显得更为直接，这一点在简单直接的美国情景喜剧中便能窥见一二。虽然两种文化同宗同源，但英国人向来觉得美国人的幽默过于简单，缺乏内涵，而美国人也讽刺英式幽默过于冷漠无情。

难度系数：

无用系数：

English Humour vs. American Humor – Is There a Difference?

Humour is a phenomenon which is influenced by culture. It can be difficult to determine what aspects define a certain sense of humour. A nation's wit is linked to the historical development of the country. Therefore, humour is something which is not always transferrable in another country.

What about when both countries speak the same mother tongue? Does that mean that they will then share the same sense of humour, or can differences still occur? Let's take the example of Britain and America. Time and time again, people say that Brits and Americans don't 'get' each other's sense of humour. To what extent is this true, if at all?

Recent research suggests that humour regarded as typically British – sarcasm and self-deprecation – is linked to genes found in British men and women, but not shared, for instance, by Americans.

While telling jokes and looking on the bright side of life – which researchers dubbed positive humour – is common to both sides of the Atlantic, only in the UK did they discover genetic links with negative humour – biting sarcasm and caustic satire. Experts admit that the results have left them baffled.

So it's official. The British really do have a unique sense of humour, quite different to American humour.

▍生词好句

1. phenomenon /fɪˈnɒmənən, fɪˈnɑːmənɑːn, fɪˈnɑːmənən/: n. 现象

· a phenomenon is an event or a fact in either nature or society, and especially one that is not fully understood.

2. a sense of humour: 幽默感

· someone who has a sense of humor is someone who finds things amusing, someone who finds things funny rather than someone who is serious all the time.

· have a good/great sense of humour

· have no sense of humour

3. wit /wɪt/: n. (说话的) 幽默风趣

· wit is similar to humor, but wit is the ability to use words and expressions in a clever and humorous way. So someone who is witty is someone who could use words in a clever, intelligent, and humorous way.

4. time and time again: 一次又一次；多次

· frequently; very often

· I've told you time and time again to lock both doors before you leave the house.

5. get /ɡet/: vt. 懂；理解

· understand

· I don't get the joke/question.

6. sarcasm /ˈsɑːkæzəm, ˈsɑːrkæzəm/: n. 讽刺；挖苦

· using words to mean the opposite of what you want to say, often to criticize someone or something, in a way that's funny.

7. self-deprecation /ˌselfˌdeprəˈkeɪʃən/: n. 自嘲；过分谦虚

· trying to make yourself, your own abilities, or your own achievements seem less important

· That was a self-deprecating comment.

8. satire /ˈsætaɪə, ˈsætaɪr/: n. 讥讽；讽刺作品

· a humorous way of criticizing people or criticizing ideas to show that they have faults, weaknesses, shortcomings, or that they are wrong; often in a piece of writing or a TV show or movie.

· The movie is a clever satire on the advertisement industry.

· Her novel is a satire on social snobbery.

▍British jokes

1. I went to the doctor today and I told the doctor, "I broke my arm in twenty places." The doctor said, "You should stop going to those places."

2. I got married last month. My wedding was like a fairy tale. It wasn't magical. It's just I have a very ugly sister.

3. My musical knowledge is so poor that I thought Kanye West was a train station. And Lana Del Rey is a seaside holiday resort in Spain.

4. I went to America and I walked into a shop. When I finished paying, the shopkeeper said, "Have a nice day." I left the shop, but I didn't have a nice day. I actually had a bad day. So I went back to the shop and I sued the shopkeeper.

5. I telephoned my local library yesterday and I asked the man, "Excuse me, is this the local library?"

And the man said, "Well, it depends. Where do you live?"

6. A man is walking past the house and he sees a sign which says "Talking Dog for Sale." A dog who can speak, a talking dog for sale. He's very curious. He walks into the house and he sees the dog.

And he says to the dog, "So what have you done with your life?"

And the dog says, "I've led a wonderful life. I used to work in a school teaching mathematics. Then I joined the army. Then I learned how to fly an airplane. And now I just spend my days writing poems. And I read the poems to all of the old people that live in the neighborhood."

The man is shocked and he asks the dog's owner, "Why would you want to sell such an incredible dog? "

And the dog owner says, "Because he's a liar, he never did any of that."

7. Two hunters with guns are in a forest. One of the hunters falls on the floor. He's not breathing. His eyes are closed. So the other man quickly takes his mobile phone, and he calls an ambulance. And he's very, very worried.

He says, "It's my friend. I think my friend is dead. Um, what can I do?"

And the woman says, "Calm down! Calm down! Let's do this very slowly. First of all. Let's make sure: Is he actually dead?"

"Yes, he's definitely dead now. What should I do?"

▍American jokes

1. Have you ever noticed that when you call a pizza, it arrives in your house faster than if you call an ambulance?

2. Have you ever noticed how your T-shirt gets dirty the first day you wear it? Your underwear gets dirty, your socks get dirty. But jeans, what is it about jeans? Jeans never get dirty. You can wear them forever.

3. Why is it on the first day of school when every kid has to stand up and say their name and where they're from. Why is it that makes us nervous? Like we know our name; we know where we live. It shouldn't be a problem doing that.

4. Have you ever noticed how street beggars ask you for money in the street? And they tell you they are starving, but quite often they're fat. Do they think that we don't notice that?

5. While driving down the street yesterday, I saw a banana skin in the road, and I quickly drove around it, very quickly. I guess I play too much Super Mario Kart.