2011年6月真题长对话

W: You know I've often wondered why people laugh at the picture of a big belly businessman slipping on a banana skin and falling on his bottom. We are to feel sorry for them.

M: Actually, Laura, I think we laugh because we are glad it didn't happen to us. But of course there is also a kind of humorous satisfaction in seeing somebody self-important

making a fool of themselves.

W: Yes, and there are a lot of jokes about people who are too fat or

physically handicapped , you know, deaf, or short-sighted things like that. After all, it's not really funny to be like that.

M: Oh, I think that's because we're

embarrassed. We don't know how to

cope with the situation. Perhaps we are even a bit frightened we may get like that, so we laugh.

M: What about the custard pie routine?

W: What do you mean 'custard pie routine'?

M: You know, all those old films where someone gets so

outraged with his boss, He picks up a custard pie and plasters it all over the other person's face.

W: That never makes me laugh very much, because you can guess what's going to happen. But a lot of people still find it laughable. It must because of the sort of the thing we'd all love to do once in a while and never quiet have the courage to.

M: I had an old aunt who used to throw cups of tea at people when she was particularly

irritated . She said it relieved her feelings.

W: It must have come a bit expensive.

M: Not really. She took care never to throw her best

china .