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Readin g LAUGHING MATTER

Pre-reading Do you know who these comedians are? What makes them funny? Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy Mr. Bean Dustin Hoffman Ma Ji Do you know other comedians who are funny in the same way?comedians

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy 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.

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.

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 all kinds of funny moments.

And he got Oscar for RAINMAN

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

Skimming : Read the text quickly and answer the question: How many forms of humour are mentioned in the text? What are they? Four. They are comedy, clown, comedian’s work and Chinese cross-talk.

1.How do Americans sound funny in a comedy? 2.How can clowns help people ? 3.What is sketch? They sound funny speaking with a foreign accent. They can help people relax and forget their problems for at least a short moment. Comedian may act out a situation during their show and we call that a sketch.

S kimming Reading Read the passage quickly and match the subjects with the paragraphs Para. 1A. The Crosstalk Show Para. 2B. Comedians Para. 3 C. Clowns Para. 4 D. Traditional Crosstalk Show Para. 5E. Comedies

Scanning 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. Players in a comedy and comedians are similar in_________. A. their way of playing with words B. clothes C. cross-dressing way D. foreign accent √

Scanning Reading 3. What does “ a sketch” mean in the passage? A. a rough, quickly made drawing B. a general outline C. a short, humorous play D. a piece of writing 4. Why have crosstalk shows been popular for so long? A. They have two speakers. B. They make people not only laugh but also think about life. C. The richness of the spoken language is made full use of. D. All of the above except A. √ √

Discussion Topic 1: What techniques do the writers of comedies often use? Topic 2: How do clowns make people laugh? Topic 3: What is a crosstalk show? Topic 4: Why do foreigners know little of the Chinese crosstalk show?

Discussion Topic 1: What techniques do the writers of comedies often use? 1. cross-dressing 2. stereotypes 3. word play ---Where did you wash your hands? ---Spring. ---I asked you where, not when! ---Spring! ---………?!

Discussion Topic 2: How do clowns make people laugh? It is their clothes, make-up and the way they walk that makes people laugh. Gong Hanlin

Chinese Crosstalk Show

Discussion Topic 3: What is a crosstalk show? A crosstalk show has two speakers making many jokes and funny conversations. They may also dress up a little or act out small sketches.

Discussion Topic 4: Why do foreigners know little of the Chinese crosstalk show? To appreciate the jokes of crosstalk artists, listeners have to know very well what the comedians are talking about. Many foreigners are not fluent in Chinese, so they can’t catch all of it.

Structure Laughing matter Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 (Paragraph 1) (Paragraph 2) (Paragraph 3) (Paragraphs 4& 5) About comedies About clowns About comedians About Chinese crosstalk show

Part 1 1. What are comedies? 2. Techniques A. Cross dressing men & women B. Stereotypes of nationalities or people C. Speak with an accent D. Word play

Part 2 1. Members: 2. Techniques Don’t use words Use their clothes, make–up and the way they walk 3. Function: Help people forget their problems. Alone or a pair

Part 3 1. What is a comedian 2. Techniques A. Body language and their face B. Act out a situation – a sketch C. Play with words 3. Function Not only laugh, but also think about life.

Part 4 1. What are speakers doing? 3. Long history 2. Techniques A. Dress up a little or act out small sketches B. Rhythm & rhyming words C. Tongue twisters (over 2,200 years) Making jokes and funny conversations

Summary Read the passage and try to fill in the blanks: Comedies are t______ plays that make people laugh. C____________ men or women often appear on the stage. Comedies often have characters that are s_________ of nationalities or people doing certain jobs. W____ play is also a way to c_____ fun in comedies. C______ make people laugh and can make people forget their p________, at least for a short moment. C________, unlike clowns, act out a s_____ during their shows. They make people laugh, but also t______ a____ life. Typical comedy show in China is the c_______ show. To a________ it, listeners should know what the comedians are talking about. heater ross-dressing tereotypes ordreate lowns roblems omediansketch hink bout rosstalk ppreciate

Listening True (T) or False (F) 1.Camedies are music plays that make people laugh. 2.Word play is a way to create fun in comedies. 3.Clowns use some words to make people laugh. 4.Both body language and face are important in comedians’ shows. 5.A crosstalk show has two speakers making many jokes and funny conversations. F T F T T

Useful Expressions 1. 取笑他人 2. 表演典型人物形象 3. 开怀大笑 4. 带上地方口音讲话 4. 表演一个场景 5. 与 … 有 … 共同之处 6. 玩弄词藻 7. 追溯到 … 8. 利用丰富多彩的口语 9. 连绵不绝的乐趣 make fun of others act out stereotypes of people roar with laughter speak with an accent act out a situation have… in common with … play with words date back to…/ date from… make use of all the richness of the spoken language a rapid flow of fun

Important Sentences 1 、 喜剧是引人发笑的剧种。 2 、达斯汀 · 霍夫曼以男扮女装而出名。 3 、另一类做逗乐工作的人是滑稽演员。 4 、滑稽演员可以表演一个场景，我们称之为小品，但他 们的表演一般不像喜剧。 5 、滑稽演员与喜剧演员的共同之处在玩弄词藻的方式一 样。 6 、中国喜剧的典型是相声，两个滑稽演员通过玩弄词藻 来逗乐观众。

1 、 喜剧是引人发笑的剧种。 2 、达斯汀 · 霍夫曼以男扮女装而出名。 3 、另一类做逗乐工作的人是滑稽演员。 Important Sentences Comedies are theatre plays that make people laugh. Dustin Hoffman is famous for his role acting as a woman Another type of people whose job is to make people laugh are comedians.

Important Sentences 4 、滑稽演员可以表演一个场景，我们称之为小品， 但他们的表演一般不像喜剧。 5 、滑稽演员与喜剧演员的共同之处在玩弄词藻的 方式一样。 Comedians may act out a situation in their shows, which we call a sketch, but usually, their shows don’t look like comedies. What comedians have in common with the players in a comedy is their way of playing with words.

Important Sentences 6 、中国喜剧的典型是相声，两个滑稽演员通过玩 弄词藻来逗乐观众。 Typical for China is the crosstalk show, where a pair of comedians entertains the audience with word play.

Oral practice 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 mouths 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.

Thank you!