Unit 1

Laughter is good for you Unit 1 Laughter is good for you

Stand up for your health! Reading Stand up for your health!

Lead-in Reading Discussion Homework Contents Lead-in Reading Discussion Homework

Lead-in 1. When you are in low spirits, what will you do to stop unpleasant feeling? listening to music or watching films seeing friends surfing the Internet do some reading watching a comedy

2. Can you name some comedians? Who is your favorite comedian? Why?

Let’s learn more about the comedians. Read through the article and try to answer the questions on top of page 2. 返回目录

Fast reading 1. What is the article about? 2. After starting as a stand-up comedian, what did Billy Crystal go on to do later in life? 3. What is laughter good for? Stand-up comedy. He went on to act in films. Our health.

Structure of the article

Types of stand-up Detailed reading Comedians tell jokes about the way people behave or about daily life 一 Comedians rely on visual humour maybe be inspired by objects 二

Comedians may trip over chairs, walk into doors, and fall down on stage 三 Comedians act or speak like a well-know person 四

Can you create similar situations to perform the four types of stand-up comedy? Have a try!

A famous comedian Questions: 1. What does Billy Crystal always keep when he hosts the Academy Awards? Why? A toothbrush. He thinks it’ll bring him good luck.

2. Who were Bob Hope and George Burns? 3. What is one reason Billy Grystal has become so famous? They are famous comedians. Because he is very quick thinking and is often able to come up with new jokes about the people and things around him.

Laughter is good for your health! Fill in the blanks with proper words: Doctors have discovered that people who laugh a lot live ______ after researching what _____ stand-up and other forms of comedy have on us. longer effect

When we laugh, our ________ sends chemicals around the body which are good for us. __________ keeps the body healthy, as the saying goes, ‘Laughter is the best ________’. brain Laughing medicine

Further comprehension: Read the sentences below and decide whether they are true (T) or false (F) according to the article. Visual humour can be boring when you cannot see what the comedian is doing. T

One comedian did not lose any weight even though he had been doing a lot of physical exercise for a month. People usually laugh at comedians doing impressions because they do not like the person being made fun of. F F

The old actor’s speech at the Academy Awards was like a silent film because there was no sound. Bob Hope and George Burns lived for a long time probably because they laughed a lot. T T

How well did you understand the article How well did you understand the article? Read it again and answer the following questions. Where is stand-up comedy usually done? On a stage.

How might a stand-up comedian decide what jokes to tell? How many types of stand-up are mentioned? A stand-up comedian might decide what jokes to tell depending upon how the audience reacted to his or her previous jokes. Four.

When did Billy Crystal begin practising stand-up? What is one reason Billy Crystal has become so famous? When he was a child. Because he is very quick thinking and he is often able to come up with new jokes about the people and things around him.

Who were Bob Hope and George Burns? What does your brain do when you laugh? What is the English saying about laughter mentioned in the text? Two famous comedians. It sends chemicals around your body that are good for you. Laughter is the best medicine.

Answers to Part D 1 g 2 d 3 f 4 b 5 a 6 c 7 e

Part E Complete an article (1) comedians (5) performance (2) got his start (6) previous (3) variety (7) affection (4) stage (8) perform 返回目录

Discussion 1 What kind of comedy do you enjoy the most? Why? Laughter is good for you and for everyone else. How do you make other people laugh? Do you have a funny story to tell your classmates? What is it?

Discussion 2 1. Are comedians born gifted? What are good comedians required to do? 2. Besides laughter, what are other factors that can help people live longer?

A good comedian has to do: having enough courage to perform in front of the audience practising a lot to perfect their routine being able to know exactly what they would like to see

watching as many comedies as they can to learn about more techniques making full preparations before going on stage

Other factors can help people live longer: having a balanced diet exercising regularly having a good mood being optimistic 返回目录

Homework 1. Discussion: Do you think to be a good comedian is very challenging? Why or why not? 2. Story-making: Make up a funny story after class.