外研版选修一册第一单元阅读讲解

Unit 1 Laugh out loud!

第2页阅读讲解

The Best Medicine
最佳灵药

1 As I approach the hospital wearing my white coat, I look just like any other doctor. That is until I put on my curly rainbow wig, big red nose, and add my name badge “Doctor Larry Laugh-Out-Loud”. I walk through the doors into the waiting area, where there's a familiar atmosphere of boredom and tension. People sit uncomfortably on plastic chairs, looking through old magazines, all of which have been read hundreds of times previously. Anxious parents do what they can to comfort nervous and crying children.
当我穿着白大褂走进医院时，我看起来和其他医生没什么两样——直到我戴上卷曲的彩虹色假发和大红鼻子，别上我的名牌“拉里，笑哈哈医生”。我穿过一道道门进入候诊区，这里充斥着常见的厌烦和紧张情绪。人们别扭地坐在塑料椅上，翻阅着那些已经被读过数百遍的旧杂志。焦虑的父母们正尽其所能安抚紧张哭闹的孩子。

2 In the middle of this particular scene I spot a small girl whose ankle is twice its normal size. I speak with the on-duty nurse, who tells me that Lara's parents rushed her to the hospital after she fell off her bicycle. Since getting here, Lara has spent her time crying in pain. Although it's the doctors and nurses who will treat her injury, it's my job to make her feel better.
在这个特别的场景里，我注意到一个小女孩，她的脚踝肿成了原来的两倍。我和值班护士交谈时她告诉我，劳拉从自行车上摔下来，她父母赶紧将她送到医院。自从来到这里，劳拉就因为疼痛而一直大哭。尽管为她治疗伤痛的是医生和护士，但让她的心情变好则是我的工作。

3 Scientific studies show that laughter produces chemicals to make people feel better, which means clown doctors can be helpful. We are specially trained clowns who work as part of a programme known as “hospital clowning”. I chose this career because of my experience of going to hospital when I was a kid. Although the doctors and nurses did a great job, hospitals weren't really designed for children. I spent much of the time when I was there feeling frightened and more than a little bored! Being a clown doctor means I can help people by entertaining them.
科学研究表明，欢笑能产生使人心情变好的化学物质，这就意味着小丑医生能帮到患者。我们是受过专门培训的小丑，是“医院小丑”项目的成员。我之所以选择这个职业，是因为我自己小时候去医院的经历。尽管当时医生和护士都尽职尽责，但医院实在不是个适合孩子们待的地方。我在那里度过的大部分时间要么觉得害怕，要么感到非常无聊！而成为小丑医生意味着我可以通过娱乐人们的方式来帮助他们。

4 Visiting hospitals and other health care facilities, we clown doctors work together with medical professionals. On a typical day, we spend our time cheering up patients, their families, and more often than not, the hospital staff, too! We do this by doing magic tricks, singing songs, telling stories and, of course, telling silly jokes. Some children, though, don't feel like laughing, especially if they're in pain. We have to be very sensitive and work closely with the doctors and nurses, who keep us updated on each patient.
我们小丑医生和专业医疗人员一起工作，要走访医院和其他的医疗机构。我们一天的工作内容通常是为病人、病人家属，甚至是医院的工作人员带来欢乐！为此，我们会变魔术、唱歌、讲故事，当然还会讲一些滑稽的笑话。不过，有些孩子并不想笑，特别是在他们很疼痛的时候。所以我们必须非常善解人意，并且与医护人员密切合作，他们会为我们提供每个病人的最新情况。

5 And my magic medicine does indeed seem to do the trick. While the doctor concentrates on examining Lara's ankle, I get her attention by doing a magic trick. Although she is clearly still in some pain, her scared and anxious look has been replaced – first by a small smile, and then by loud laughter as I “magically” produce her sock from out of my pocket. Seeing their daughter so much happier has in turn made Lara's parents more relaxed.
而我的灵药似乎确实起作用了。当医生集中精力检查劳拉的脚踝时，我用魔术来吸引劳拉的注意力。尽管她显然仍然有些痛苦，但她恐惧和焦虑的表情已经不见了：先是一个小小的微笑，接着变成了大笑——因为我“魔术般地”从我的口袋里变出了她的一只袜子。看到女儿破涕为笑，劳拉的父母也松了一口气。

6 And as for me? Well, when I take off my wig and my red nose, I'm still wearing a big smile, as I remember all the fun and laughter of the day. While there might be more hospital visits ahead for Lara and others, I hope that clown doctors help make it a friendlier place to visit. After all, it really is true that “laughter is the best medicine”.
至于我呢？当我摘下假发和红鼻子的时候，我脸上仍然带着大大的微笑，因为我记得这天所有的乐趣和欢笑。也许将来，对于劳拉或者其他人来说，他们还有更多到医院就诊的需要，但我希望，小丑医生能够帮助医院成为一个更温暖友善的就诊场所。毕竟，“欢笑是最佳灵药”，这句话是真的。

第8页阅读讲解

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。”