Unit 3 What makes us laugh?
Vocabulary Skills: Using a dictionary
1. Use your dictionary to match each word or phrase with its definition.
a. black humor
1. the use of humor to criticize someone or something and make
them seem silly
b. irony
2. a form of humor in which you use words to express the opposite
of what the words really mean
c. satire
3. The ability to use words in a clever way. To make people laugh
d. slapstick
4.
Humor that is based on physical actions such as people hitting
each other or falling over
e. wit
5.
An amusing way of looking at sad or unpleasant things, such as
death or illness
2. Use your dictionary to complete this chart.
Adjective
Noun
Adverb
amusing
a ____________
b ____________
c ____________
fun
funnily
comical
d ____________
e ____________
f _____________
humor
g ____________
h _____________
wit
wittily
hilarious
i _____________
hilariously
j _____________
k ____________
sarcastically
farcical
l ____________
m ____________
3. Use your dictionary to check the meanings of these words and phrases.
Then complete the sentences.
Kidding
giggling
cartoons
make fun of
sense of humor
a. I like watching ________________ on TV. They make me laugh.
b. Every country has jokes that _________________ people from another country.
c. Why aren‟t you laughing? Don‟t you have a ________________
d. I wasn‟t serious. I was only ________________
e. The story was so funny, we couldn‟t stop ________________
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?
Predicting
You’re going to read six jokes. With a partner, answer these questions.
a. Do people from different countries find different things funny?
b. Is it in bad taste to make a joke out of death or illness?
Have you heard the one about …?
The magic bottle
The helpful hunter
James, Philip, and Nick were there unemployed
friends
with no money and no luck. One day, they were
walking along a country road when Philip saw a
small, old-fashioned bottle on the ground. He
picked it up and rubbed it with his hand. A magic
genie appeared and said, „Thank you for releasing
me from the bottle. In return, o will grant you three
wishes.” James, Philip, and Nick decided to use one
wish each. James said, “I wish I were a millionaire,
living in luxury. “The genie waved his hand, and
James disappeared. Philip said, “I wish I were one a
sunny beach, surrounded by beautiful women. “The
genie waved his hand, and Philip disappeared. Then
it was Nick‟s turn. “Hmm. I can‟t decide what I
want!” he said, shaking his head, and added, “I wish
James and Philip were here to give me some ideas.”
The genie waved his hand and suddenly James and
Philip both reappeared. “Your three wishes are
finished,” said the genie and vanished.
Two hunters, Kurt and Otto, went into the
woods to look for rabbits. Suddenly, Kurt
clutched his chest and collapsed to the
ground. Otto ran over and panicked when
he saw his friend‟s face – je had turned
bright red, and he didn‟t seem to be
breathing. Fearing the worst, Otto quickly
called the emergency service on his cell
phone: “My friend is dead! What can I do?”
he shouted.
The operator replied, “Calm down, I can
help. First, let‟s make sure he‟s dead.”
There was a silence, then a gunshot. Otto
came back on the phone, his voice shaking,
“OK, now what?”
Understanding the text
1. Answer these questions.
a. Who was the golfer thinking about when the funeral procession passed?
b. How many people fell from the rope attached to the helicopter?
c. Where were James, Philip, and Nick after the genie disappeared?
d. What did Otto think when he saw his friend had collapsed?
e. How much time does the patient have left to live?
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2. Correct the mistake in each sentence.
a. Thanks to James, the three men found a genie.
b. Otto called for help from a payphone because he was worried about Kurt.
c. Sam used a small “talking clock” to help him tell the time.
d. After the woman‟s speech, some of the men applauded.
e. The golfer continued playing when he saw the funeral procession.
At the golf course
The talking clock
A man was playing golf one day with his friend at
their local golf course. He was about to take an
important shot, when a long funeral procession
came along the road next to the course. The man
stopped, took off his golf cap, closed his eyes,
and bowed his head in prayer. After the
procession had passed, his friend said “Wow!
That was really touching.” The man replied:
“Yeah, well, we were married 35 years.”
Sam a student was proudly showing some
friends his new room late one night. In the
corner was a massive metal dish and a friend
asked, “What‟s that for?”
“Oh, that‟s my talking clock,” Sam replied.
“Watch this.” He hit the dish hard with a
hammer, making a really loud noise.
Suddenly, someone on the other side of the
wall screamed “Be quiet! It‟s two o‟clock in
the morning!”
A tricky decision
SOME BAD NEWS
“I have some good news and some bad news,
the doctor said to his patient. “Oh dear. Well,
what‟s the good news?” asked the patient.
The doctor answered “I‟m afraid you only
have 24 hours to live.”
“Oh no. That‟s terrible,” said the patient.
“And that‟s the good news? What on earth is
the bad news?”
“I‟ve been trying to contact you since
yesterday,” the doctor replied.
Four men and a woman were on a sinking ship
when a rescue helicopter arrived. A rope came
down, and they all held onto it white the
helicopter took them to safety. Suddenly, the
helicopter started to fall. The pilot shouted,
“There‟d too much weight! One of you will have
to let go of the rope or we‟ll all die!” The woman
then gave an emotional speech. She explained
that women should make sacrifices for men and
announced that she would let go of the rope.
When she had finished, all the men started
clapping their hands. Never underestimate a
woman‟s intelligence!
genie noun
an imaginary spirit with magic powers
clutch verb **
to hold someone or something firmly
funeral noun **
a ceremony that takes place after someone dies
3. What a partner, find …
a. Why the helicopter pilot said someone would have to let go of the rope.
b. Three ways the golfer showed his respect as the funeral procession passed.
c. Two reasons why Otto thought Kurt was dead.
d. Which of the three men wished he were very wealthy.
e. Who was Sam‟s “talking clock.”
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4. Who or what do these words describe?
a
shaking
e
terrible
b
emotional
c
touching
d
massive
Reading skill: Identifying the topic
1. Look again at the jokes. Write the title of the joke that involves …
a. extremely inconsiderate behavior.
_______________________________
b. one individual outwitting several others.
_______________________________
c. an unfortunate misunderstanding.
_______________________________
d. a sensitive situation handled very tactlessly. _______________________________
e. an excessive interest in sports.
_______________________________
f.
_______________________________
a foolish waste of a lucky chance.
2. Read this text. Check () the most appropriate topic.
Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan, possibly the biggest movie star in the word, is famous
for his action movies. In fact, Chan‟s movies are more than simple
action movies – they are action-comedies. His use of comedy goes
back to the early days of his career when he was preparing to be
the next Bruce Lee. It soon became apparent that his friendly face
would prevent him from getting “tough” roles like Lee, so he decided to go down a different route,
using comedy. Chan combined slapstick comedy with amazing action stunts to make a style of his
own. Although he became a huge star across Asia, Chan found that success in the U.S. was much
tougher to achieve. After several failures, he finally found success with Rush Hour, which was a
huge hit in the U.S. and Europe but strangely didn‟t do so well in Asia. Chan says this was because
in different countries, people find different things funny. “The movies that are popular in the West
are often not as popular in Asia and vice versa. There‟s no doubt that Asians and Westerners have
different tastes when it comes to film.” Chan still admits to not understanding American humor. He
says he makes different movies for the Asian market and for the American market. Everyone like
humor, but the humor everyone likes is different!
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
 the life and work of Jackie Chan
 Jackie Chan‟s most successful movies
 humor in Jackie Chan‟s movies
 reasons for Jackie Chan‟s success in Asia and the west
 the importance of understanding American humor
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