外研版选修一册第一单元听力练习

Unit 1 Laugh out loud!

M: When it comes to humour, I'm quite fond of limericks.

W: I've never heard of them. What are they?

M: Well, limericks are short poems that nearly always have a silly or surprise ending. They always have five lines: lines one, two, and five rhyme with each other; and lines three and four rhyme with each other.

W: Can you give me some examples?

M: Let's start with this one:

There once was a farmer from Leeds,
Who ate a bag of seeds.
It soon came to pass,
He was covered with grass,
But has all the tomatoes he needs.

W: I'm sorry, but I don't get it.

M: You see, the farmer ate the seeds and then plants started to grow from his body. It's like he had grass growing from his stomach and tomatoes hanging from his arms!

W: Oh, Ok. Do you have another?

M: How about this – it's a good one:

There was a young lady from Niger,
Who smiled as she rode on a tiger.
They came back from the ride,
With the lady inside,
And the smile on the face of the tiger.

W: You mean the tiger ate her! She couldn't have been smiling after that.

M: I can imagine. Now, my favourite one:

There was an old man of Peru,
Who dreamt he was eating his shoe.
He woke in the night,
With a terrible fright,
And found it was really true.

W: You mean, he really was eating his shoe? That's so funny! Can I try?

M: Sure, go ahead.

W:

There was a young girl from Beijing,
Who always loved to sing.
She once sang so loud,
She soon drew a crowd,
Of birds who thought she was cawing.

M: Congratulations! You just wrote your first limerick!