新外研版

高中英语

选择性必修

第一册 Unit 1

B

Developing ideas

课文再现

 

 

英汉对照

The Importance of Humour

幽默的重要性

1 Humour has been an essential part of human behaviour for thousands of years. There is comedy in the texts of Ancient Greece, and medieval writings are filled with jokes. While these same jokes might not be as funny to us now as they were then, their authors understood that humour could not only entertain but also throw new light on sensitive or emotive issues.

数千年来，幽默一直是人类行为的重要组成部分。古希腊的文字中记载有喜剧，而中世纪的作品中也常常出现笑话。虽然那些笑话对现在的我们来说可能不像当时那么有趣，但是它们的作者明白，幽默不仅娱乐大众，而且可以使人们对敏感问题或有争议的问题产生新的认识。

2 Closer to modern times, someone who is remembered for his ability to combine humour with more serious messages is American writer, Mark Twain. Twain’s particular style of writing is funny and often mischievous. For example, in his classic novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, he famously says, “Writing is easy. All you have to do is cross out the wrong words.” But he is equally well known for his witty remarks in his everyday interactions with people. For instance, while on a lecturing tour of the United States, Twain went into a barber’s shop to get a haircut and a shave. The barber, not recognising him, asked if he had a ticket to the lecture. When Twain replied that he didn’t, the barber told him that if he wanted to go to the event he would have to stand, as there were no seats left in the theatre. Twain’s response was, “That’s just my luck. I always have to stand when that fellow lectures!”

到了近现代，美国作家马克·吐温因擅长用幽默的方式表达严肃的内容而著称。吐温独特的写作风格幽默风趣，而且常常带有调侃意味。例如，在他的经典小说《汤姆·索耶历险记》中有一句名言“写作很容易，你要做的就是把错误的单词划掉。”他日常与人交流中的诙谐言论同样出名。比如，有一次在美国做巡回演讲时，马克·吐温走进一家理发店去理发和刮脸。理发师没有认出他来，问他有没有这场演讲的门票，马克·吐温说没有。理发师告诉他，如果他想去听演讲就只能站着了，因为剧院里已经没有座位了。马克·吐温回答说：“真倒霉。只要那个家伙演讲，我总是要站着！”

3 Like Twain, but on the other side of the world, Lin Yutang was soon to become famous for his unique brand of humour. A well-known bilingual writer, Lin brought the concept of humour to modern Chinese literature. In 1924, he creatively borrowed “youmo” from Ancient Chinese as the translation for the English word “humour”. “Youmo” is still being used in this way today.

和马克·吐温类似，在世界的另一端，林语堂很快也因其独特的幽默风格而闻名。作为著名的双语作家，林语堂将幽默的概念引入了中国现代文学。1924年，他创造性地借用古汉语中的“幽默”作为英文单词“humour”的翻译。今天，“幽默”一词仍在以这种方式被人们使用。

4 Lin’s quick wit helped make him famous as a master of humour. Once, having been invited to dinner at a university, he was put on the spot when the president suddenly asked him to give a speech. Thinking on his feet, Lin started to tell a story about a cruel Roman emperor who tried to feed a man to wild animals. First came a lion. The man whispered something in the lion’s ear, after which the lion shook its head and walked away unhappily. Then along came a tiger. Again, the man whispered in the tiger’s ear. The tiger looked shocked and hurried away. “What did you say to my animals?” said the emperor, astonished. “I told them they had to make a speech after eating me for dinner.” Lin’s audience roared with laughter. With this little joke, Lin was able to make people laugh, while gently telling off the president.

林语堂的机智使他成为著名的幽默大师。有一次，他被邀请去一所大学吃晚饭，当校长突然让他做演讲时，他感到很为难。林语堂急中生智，开始讲述一个残忍的罗马皇帝试图把一个人喂给野兽的故事。首先来了一头狮子，那人对狮子耳语了几句，狮子摇了摇头，不高兴地走开了。然后来了一只老虎，那人又对老虎耳语了几句，老虎看起来很震惊，急忙跑开了。“你对我的动物们说了什么？” 皇帝惊讶地说道。“我告诉它们，把我作为晚饭吃掉后，它们必须要演讲一番。” 林语堂的听众们哄堂大笑。通过这个小笑话，林语堂既能让大家哈哈大笑，同时也委婉地表达了对校长的不满。

5 Both Twain and Lin understood that humour isn’t just about laughter, but is a way of life and a tool that can be used to illuminate the world. Lin even created an equation to explain this concept: Reality + Dreams + Humour = Wisdom. Living and working with others can sometimes be complicated, and humour makes this easier. Sharing jokes and laughing together can bring individuals and even communities together. Indeed, some may argue that our need for humour is almost as great as our need for water and air. In the words of Mark Twain, “Humor is mankind’s greatest blessing”.

马克·吐温和林语堂都明白，幽默不仅仅能带来笑声，它还是一种生活方式，是一种可以用来阐明世界的工具。林语堂甚至还创造了一个公式来解释他的理念：现实+梦想+幽默=智慧。和其他人在一起生活和工作有时候并不是一件容易的事，而幽默可以让事情变得更简单。一起讲笑话、一起欢笑可以使不同的个体甚至是团体凝聚在一起。事实上，有些人甚至会认为我们对幽默的需求几乎与我们对水和空气的需求一样强烈。用马克吐温的话来说：“幽默是人类头等的幸事。”

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