Unit 17 Laughter

桂山中学 陈伟

Lesson One Funny Stories Q: What's the difference between a

monkey and a flea? A: A monkey can have fleas, but a flea can't have monkeys

Q: Which is the strongest creature in the world? A: The snail. It carries its house on its back

1.Before you startMatch the story titles with the pictures(1-3)and

the stories(A-C)Answers (A-3, B-1, C-2)2.Answer the following questions:1) Why does the woman write a cheque for $50?2) What does the man mean when he says “D

o you know who I am?”3) “Where there is a Will there is a Wayne”so

unds like a famous English proverb. Do you know what it is?

Main points1.Have you ever had trouble trying to

spell a word?2.I have been doing some shopping.3.I wanted to withdraw $40 from our

bank account.4.I had been thinking about it for some

time.5.Where there’s a Will, there’s a Wayne.6.One unfortunate check-in agent was

dealing with all the passengers.

Voice your opinion1. Which of the stories do you like

best? Why?2. Would you tell us your favorite

funny stories?

过去完成进行时 had been doing

过去完成进行时的用法与现在完成进行时的用法相似，只是时间推移到了过去

1. I have been working for some time when he called.

2. I realized that I'd been overworking, so I decided to take a couple of day's holiday.

3. How long had it been raining before you shut the window?

 

Lesson Two what’s So Funny?

Rowan_Atkinson

Before you startWork in Pairs and discuss the following.1. Do you like jokes?2. Do you like to tell jokes? Can you tell jokes i

n English?3. Who is your favourite comedian? Give your r

easons.

Laughter provides a harmless outlet for these negative emotions, and provides a coping mechanism for dealing with difficult or stressful situations.

The first is a set of gestures, and the second is the production of sound. The brain forces to conduct both responses simultaneously. From a physiological standpoint, a "sensor" in the brain responds to laughter by triggering other neural circuits in the brain, which, in turn, generate more laughter.

Listen to learnNow listen to the Tv program and complete the st

etences.Choose the correct answers: a,b,or c1.Hou Baolin had a tough start in life becausea)both his parents diedb)he was born into a very poor familyc)he wasn’t be able to go to school2.When Hou was 11 years old hea)started learning Beijing Operab)started performing cross-talkc) Moved to Beijing

3.Hou is known as one of the masters of cross-talk because_____

a)he invented this form of entertainmentb)he taught cross-talk to his audience.c)his brilliant performances made cross-talk in

credibly4. Hou devoted his life to cross-talk and toa) Bring laughter to his audiences b) Working as a professor at Beijing Universityc) Performing Beijing Opera

Comparing CulturesWork in pairs. Discuss these questions.1. Do jokes in Chinese sometimes “play with

words”?2. In what situation do people use humour?Ar

e they the same as in western countries?3. Do we have expressions for telling jokes tha

t are similar to English expressions?

speaking Work in pairs Practise telling the joke to yourself, try

make it more interesting

Lesson Three A Comic Novel

Charles John Huffam (1812-1870), English novelist and one of the most popular writers in the history of literature. In his enormous body of works, Dickens combined masterly storytelling, humor, pathos, and irony with sharp social criticism and acute observation of people and places, both real and imagined.

狄更斯主要作品列表 《博兹札记》（ Sketches by Boz ） —— 1836 年 《匹克威克外传》（ The Pickwick Papers ） — 1836 年 《雾都孤儿》（ Oliver Twist ） —— 1837 年 -1839 年 《尼古拉斯 · 尼克贝》（ Nicholas Nickleby ） 1838 年 -18

39 年 《老古玩店》 The Old Curiocity Shop 1840 年 -1841 年 《圣诞颂歌》（ A Christmas Carol ）—— 1843 年 《马丁 · 翟述伟》（ Martin Chuzzlewit ） 1843 年 -1844

年 《 大卫·科波菲尔 》 David Copperfield 1849 年 -1850 年 《写给孩子看的英国历史》（ A Child's History of Englan

d ）—— 1851 年 -1853 年 《艰难时世》（ Hard Times ）—— 1854 年 《 双城记 》（ A Tale of Two Cities ）—— 1859 年 远大前程》（ Great Expectations ） 1860 年 -1861 年

1.Work in pairs.Look at the pictures. Use the keywords to describe what is happening. The guess what happens next.

2.Use the Strategies to circle the best choices according to the text.

1)When someone suggested going ice skating, Mr Winkle was__-

a. Happy b. embarrassed c. enthusiastic d.bored

2)when someone said there were skates for everyone, Mr winkle was_____

a.extited b.depressed c. anxious d. overjoyed

3.when Sam said it was not common for ice to be slippery, he was being____________

a.sarcastic b.helpful c. impatient d.observant4.Winkle offered Sam the coats and the money be

cause_____a.he was generous b.he wanted sam to stay with him to help him ska

tec.he was making conversation d.Sam was helping

him5.Winkle crashed into Bob Sawyer because___a.Sam pushed him deliberately b.he wasn’t looking c.he couldn’t helpd. He was jealous of Sawyer’s skating skills

In groups ask and answer these questions1.Have you ever been in a situation like Mr Win

kle when you lied about your ablities?2.What, if anything , do you find funny in the m

ain text?3.Have you ever chuckled to yourself while rea

ding a book?

Speaking

1.Why does Mr Winkle redden when he says that he would love to skate?

2.Why is Mr Winkle’s smile descirbed as ghastly?

3.Do you think Mr Winkle was really being affectionate? Why was he clinging to Sam?

4.Which two inferences can you draw from your answers to the three questions above?

a. Mr Winkle loves skating b. Mr Winkle liedc. Mr Winkle can’t skate