OXFORD ENGLISH S2B

What is a joke ? A joke is something you say that causes laughter. Can you tell us a joke ?

Adventures in Disneyland Two girls were going to Disneyland when they came to a fork ( 岔口） in the road. The sign read: "Disneyland Left." So they went home.  Here the word ‘left’ means the left side. Joke 1

911 - “ Why can ’ t a girl dial 911 ? ” - “ She can ’ t find the 11. ” Joke 2

How can we define “ practical jokes”

They are the jokes you play on people. That is, you do things to them that you think are funny and can cause laughter. Practical jokes:

April Fool ’ s Day On which day can people play practical jokes on each other at will ?

 Have you ever played any practical jokes on others? What are they?  Have you ever been a victim of a practical joke?  April Fool’s day is coming, whom do you want to play a trick on? What will you do?

II. Skimming & Scanning : 1.What is a practical joke? 2. How does the victim of a practical joke usually feel? 3. What kind of person was Mr. Potts? 4. Why did Mr. Potts`s colleagues decided to play a joke on him? It is something you do to cause laughter The victim usually feels silly and embarrassed. Mr. Potts was someone who regarded his colleagues as his inferiors Because this might make him feel more humble.

5. Did Mr. Potts`s colleagues buy a hat exactly like the one he wore every day? 6. What did Mr. Potts do to his hat before he came to work the next day? 7. What did Mr. Potts`s colleagues do then? 8. Why did Mr. Potts go to his doctor? No. They bought a new hat larger than the old one. He had fixed some pieces of newspaper round the inside of the hat to make it smaller before he came to work. They replaced his new hat with the old one and made it smaller in the same way. Because he thought there might something wrong with his head.

Put the pictures in the right order

Retell the story Why did Mr Potts’s colleagues decide to play a practical joke on him ? What did Mr Potts always wear to work ? What did Mr Potts’s colleagues buy one day ? What did they do then? What happened when Mr Potts put on his hat? What did Mr Potts do to his hat before he came to work the next day? What did Mr Potts’s colleagues do then ? Why did Mr Potts go to his doctor ?

What emotions or feelings do you have after you reading these sentences? (eg. humorous, ironic) Teaching strategy:

What do these sentences imply?Choose the right meanings. Pay attention to the adjectives and verbs. 1.It was a rather unpleasant-looking green colour. This implies that ____________________ A.the hat is too big B.the hat is too small C.there is nothing wrong with Mr.Potts`s head D.Mr. Potts always said goodbye at this time of the day E.Mr. Potts has very poor taste E

2. …it dropped down over his eyes. This implies that_________________ A.the hat is too big B.the hat is too small C.there is nothing wrong with Mr.Potts`s head D.Mr. Potts always said goodbye at this time of the day E.Mr. Potts has very poor taste A

3.At the end of the day, Mr. Potts said, “Good afternoon, as usual.” This implies that___________________ A.the hat is too big B.the hat is too small C.there is nothing wrong with Mr.Potts`s head D.Mr. Potts always said goodbye at this time of the day E.Mr. Potts has very poor taste D

4. …it stuck right on top of his head. This implies that_________________ A.the hat is too big B.the hat is too small C.there is nothing wrong with Mr.Potts`s head D.Mr. Potts always said goodbye at this time of the day E.Mr. Potts has very poor taste B

5.”Nonsense,” said the doctor. This implies that____________________ A.the hat is too big B.the hat is too small C.there is nothing wrong with Mr.Potts`s head D.Mr. Potts always said goodbye at this time of the day E.Mr. Potts has very poor taste C

What is the feeling of the people on whom we play a practical joke?

Feelings of the victims silly stupid angry disgraceful ( 丢脸的 ) unhappy be at ease 自在的无痛苦的 embarrassed depressed ( 沮丧的 )

Do you think it’s good or not to play practical jokes on other people? My opinions: We can learn to appreciate the humor of a practical joke and enjoy ourselves. However, we shouldn’t play practical jokes which may deeply hurt others’ feelings.

HOMEWORK Write down your opinion about playing a practical joke on others.

MORE READING A smile a day keeps the doctor away

1.The ______________ of laughter to people's health. It is _____ to our health and may even ______ illness as _______. It helps_______ stress and _____ blood _______and _______ rates. It _______the ______ system and _____ with pain. Main idea of each paragraph (this part can be finished while listening)

2. Laughter is _____ for our minds. When stressed, people can ____ funny _____ to remove the feelings as ____, ___& fear. Laughter is used as a ______ in more and more ______. Even _____ visit some hospitals to bring laughter. 3. A _____ to the charity,the _____ ______ 4. The hospitals would like people who _____________________________to apply, and contact _______________.

Is Laughter the Best Medicine? Things get murky when researchers try to sort out the full effects of laughter on our minds and bodies. Is laughter really good for you? Can it actually boost your energy? Not everyone is convinced. "I don't mean to sound like a curmudgeon," says Provine, "but the evidence that laughter has health benefits is iffy at best." He says that most studies of laughter have been small and not well conducted. He also says too many researchers have an obvious bias: they go into the study wanting to prove that laughter has benefits. Provine says that the most convincing health benefit he's seen from laughter is its ability to dull pain. Numerous studies of people in pain or discomfort have found that when they laugh they report that their pain doesn't bother them as much.

But Provine believes it's not clear that comedy is necessarily better than another distraction. "It could be that a compelling drama would have the same effect." One of the biggest problems with laughter research is that it's very difficult to determine cause and effect. For instance, a study might show that people who laugh more are less likely to be sick. But that might be because people who are healthy have more to laugh about. Or researchers might find that, among a group of people with the same disease, people who laugh more have more energy. But that could be because the people who laugh more have a personality that allows them to cope better. So it becomes very hard to say if laughter is actually an agent of change — or just a sign of a person's underlying condition.

What`s your opinion about the statement ‘ laughter is the best medicine.’? What kind of attitude should we have towards our life?

HOMEWORK Give a report or make a copy of newspaper on how to smile at our life.

Debate: Negative It is not good to play practical jokes on others Positive It is good to play practical jokes on others

Step II: work in groups of four. Report your survey to the group. For example: I interviewed _____. She likes reading stories of practical jokes. She has never played the practical jokes on other people, but somebody played one on her several years ago. The story is like this…She doesn`t think it is good to play practical jokes on others.