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--- lesson 29 Funny or not? |
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--- Listen to the tape then answer the question below. |
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--- What is the basis of 'sick' humour? |
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Whether we find a joke funny or not largely depends on where we have been brought up. |
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The sense of humour is mysteriously bound up with national characteristics. |
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A Frenchman, for instance, might find it hard to laugh at a Russian joke. |
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In the same way, a Russian might fail to see anything amusing in a joke which would make an Englishman laugh to tears. |
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Most funny stories are based on comic situations. |
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In spite of national differences, certain funny situations have a universal appeal. |
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No matter where you live, you would find it difficult not to laugh at, say, Charlie Chaplin's early films. |
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However, a new type of humour, which stems largely from the U.S., has recently come into fashion. |
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It is called 'sick humour'. |
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Comedians base their jokes on tragic situations like violent death or serious accidents. |
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Many people find this sort of joke distasteful. The following example of 'sick humour' will enable you to judge for yourself. |
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A man who had broken his right leg was taken to hospital a few weeks before Christmas. |
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From the moment he arrived there, he kept on pestering his doctor to tell him when he would be able to go home. |
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He dreaded having to spend Christmas in hospital. |
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Though the doctors did his best, the patient's recovery was slow. |
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On Christmas Day, the man still had his right leg in plaster. |
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He spent a miserable day in bed thinking of all the fun he was missing. |
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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. |
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The man took heart and, sure enough, on New Years' Eve he was able to hobble along to a party. |
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To compensate for his unpleasant experiences in hospital, the man drank a little more than was good for him. |
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In the process, he enjoyed himself thoroughly and kept telling everybody how much he hated hospitals. |
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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. |