[al:新概念英语（三）] [ar:MP3 同步字幕版（英音）] [ti:Funny or Not?] [by:更多学习内容，请到chazidian.com搜索“新概念”] [00:01.49]Lesson 29 [00:03.61]Funny or not? [00:12.03]What is the basis of 'sick' humour? [00:17.28]Whether we find a joke funny or not largely depends on where we have been brought up. [00:23.88]The sense of humour is mysteriously bound up with national characteristics. [00:29.70]A Frenchman, for instance, might find it hard to laugh at a Russian joke. [00:34.48]In the same way, a Russian might fail to see anything amusing in a joke [00:39.10]which would make an Englishman laugh to tears. [00:42.77]Most funny stories are based on comic situations. [00:46.79]In spite of national differences, certain funny situations have a universal appeal. [00:53.62]No matter where you live, [00:55.69]you would find it difficult not to laugh at, say, Charlie Chaplin's early films. [01:00.99]However, a new type of humour, [01:03.28]which stems largely from U.S., has recently come into fashion. [01:07.94]It is called 'sick humour'. [01:10.42]Comedians base their jokes on tragic situations [01:14.27]like violent death or serious accidents. [01:17.59]Many people find this sort of joke distasteful. [01:20.72]The following example of 'sick humour' will enable you to judge for yourself. [01:25.66]A man who had broken his right leg was taken to hospital a few weeks before Christmas. [01:32.43]From the moment he arrived there, [01:34.04]he kept on pestering his doctor to tell him when he would be able to go home. [01:39.25]He dreaded having to spend Christmas in hospital. [01:42.41]Though the doctor did his best, the patient's recovery was slow. [01:47.15]On Christmas day, the man still had his right leg in plaster. [01:51.50]He spent a miserable day in bed thinking of all the fun he was missing. [01:56.04]The following day, however, the doctor consoled him by telling him [01:59.91]that his chances of being able to leave hospital in time for New Year celebrations were good. [02:04.90]The man took heart and sure enough, [02:07.58]on New Year's Eve he was able to hobble along to a party. [02:11.45]To compensate for his unpleasant experiences in hospital, [02:15.53]the man drank a little more than was good for him. [02:18.65]In the process, he enjoyed himself thoroughly [02:21.40]and kept telling everybody how much he hated hospitals. [02:25.27]He was still mumbling something about hospitals at the end of the party [02:29.47]when he slipped on a piece of ice and broke his left leg.