Unit 20 Homour (2 )

Comedians are people, who tell jokes or do amusing things to make people laugh and think.

Do you anything about them? What makes them funny? The comic duo of the 1930s “Laurel and Hardy.” (The thin one is called Stan Laurel, while the stout one is called Oliver Hardy.) They are funny because they are each other’s opposites: one fat and one thin; one is clever and one is silly etc.

Do you anything about him? What makes him funny? Mr Bean. Although Mr Rowan Atkinson acts as different comic characters he is most famous around the world as Mr Bean. Mr Bean is funny because he makes funny faces, he acts silly, he seems to be quite stupid, and the things he does are strange.

Look at the photo. Do you know the person? Dustin Hoffman

Dustin Hoffman in the film Tootsie(1982). In this film Hoffman acts the role of a woman, and many people agree that his performance was so good that you often can’t tell the difference. But in the film of course there are all kinds of funny moments.

Do you know him? Ma Ji is a well-known artist of crosstalk shows in China. His humerous crosstalk shows always make his audience roar with laughter.

Charlie Chaplin Feng Gong

humor comedy comedian cross-talk word play humor clown joke tongue twister When we are talking about humor, what word can you think of ?

Reading: 1. Why is Dustin Hoffman so famous? A. He is famous for his works. B. He is famous for his foreign accent. C. He is famous for his role acting as a woman. D. He is good at playing on words. 2. What does a “sketch” mean in the text? A. a rough, quickly made drawing B. general outline C. short, humorous play D. a piece of writing 3. Comedians and players in a comedy are similar in ____. A. their way of playing with words B. Clothes C. cross-dressing way D. Foreign accent

1.How long has the tradition of crosstalk existed in China? 2.Give three examples of techniques that writers of comedies often use to make people laugh. 3. Why are some of Shakespeare’s comedies not so funny for us? The tradition of crosstalk has existed in China for more than 2,000 years. 1. cross-dressing 2. stereotypes 3. word play Because we don’t understand the language and word play that Shakespeare used.

4. Can you describe a clown in your own words? What does a clown look like? A clown is a funny person, usually dressed up in wide clothes of very bright colours, such as red and yellow. They often wear a big coloured wig. Their face is covered with white make- up, and their mouth and eyes are made to look very big using red and other coloured make-up. Clowns often have a big red nose. All of their clothes, including their shoes are usually over- sized.

5. Is the show of a comedian more like that of a clown or a comedy? Explain your answer. The show of a comedian is more like a comedy than like a clown. A comedian doesn’t wear any of the funny clothes and make-up of clowns. The humour of clowns is often very silly. Clowns often don’t speak at all. Their jokes are almost all body language, and silly things like falling down. The comedian, on the other hand uses all the richness of the language to create fun, just as in comedies. In fact, comedians often act out little sketches which make us think of acting on the stage in comedy.

1.a theatre play/ make…laugh/ use different techniques 2.be famous for acting as a woman/ a funny play 3. be stereotypes of nationalities/ do a certain job 4. make fun of others/ tell an amusing story 5.act out stereotypes of people/ roar with laughter 6. sound funny/ speak with a foreign accent 7. play on words/ create fun/ laugh loudly/ act alone 8. act as a pair/ make a different kind of fun 9. be funny for children/ forget one’s problem 10. at least/ for a short moment/ work alone 11. be important in one’s show/ use the make-up 12.act out a situation/ during the show Useful expression

13. have… in common with…/ a play in a comedy 14. play with words/ think about life/ a skilled artist 15. at one moment in a show/ hear… laughing 16. a few minutes later/ be typical for China 17.a crosstalk show/ a pair of comedians 18.entertain the audience with word play 19.make jokes and conversations/ dress up a little 20.act out small sketches/ in front of the laughing audience 21. have a long tradition of this kind of comedy 22.date back to the Qin dynasty/ for centuries 23. make use of all the richness of the spoken language 24. create a rapid flow of fun/make the audience applaud 25. fully appreciate the jokes of crosstalk artists 26. be fluent in Chinese