听写训练 Test 16 British Humor

 British Humor

 

Jokes that make one country laugh out loud are likely to leave another nation confused and silent. / But humor can also be very revealing，if not always funny. / After all jokes are often just another way of expressing anxieties, fears and even prejudices. / In Britain, / if you are successful or powerful, you will probably become the subject of a joke in a popular magazine. / This magazine has been poking¹ fun at the great and the good in British life for the last 35 years, / and its victims admit to reading it and laughing with it. / One of the most enduring types of humor is satire². / This is the art of making fun of people in positions of power—politicians，celebrities and even royalty³. / Satire is usually done by people who understand what is going on，/ who have links to people who are doing things. / That is the whole point of it.

 

1 poking   

n. 刺，戳，袋 vt. 拨开，刺，戳 vi. 戳，刺，捅，搜索，伸出，行动散慢

参考例句：

• He was poking at the rubbish with his stick. 他正用手杖拨动垃圾。
• He spent his weekends poking around dusty old bookshops. 他周末都泡在布满尘埃的旧书店里。

2 satire   

n.讽刺，讽刺文学，讽刺作品

参考例句：

• The movie is a clever satire on the advertising industry.那部影片是关于广告业的一部巧妙的讽刺作品。
• Satire is often a form of protest against injustice.讽刺往往是一种对不公正的抗议形式。

3 royalty   

n.皇家，皇族

参考例句：

• She claims to be descended from royalty.她声称她是皇室后裔。
• I waited on tables，and even catered to royalty at the Royal Albert Hall.我做过服务生， 甚至在皇家阿伯特大厅侍奉过皇室的人。