2023届高考英语外刊阅读学案---歪果仁的幽默你不懂

主题语境：跨文化交际 体裁：说明文 阅读建议时长：7min 原文出处：Psychology Today 词数：339 难度：★★★★ 文章导读： 很多身处异国他乡的人表示听不懂外国人的笑话，get不到他们的笑点，当他们笑得人仰马翻，而自己一脸问号、仿佛一个异类，这是为什么呢？ Laughing at Different Jokes: Humor Across Cultures 歪果仁的幽默你不懂     Have you ever heard a joke that made you burst into laughter while your immigrant friend had a straight face? There are many stereotypes about humor, such as the British are sarcastic, the Americans are good at physical comedy, and the Japanese enjoy puns①. But is humor actually driven by culture?  As noted by Dean Foster, a culture expert:  “No amount of skill will make sure the success of a joke or humorous short stories if the content and style are not culturally appropriate.”     In one study, it was found that Westerners regarded ordinary people as more humorous and valued humor more while Chinese participants who regarded comedians or humor-related professions as more humorous considered humor less important. This difference can arise from the emphasis placed on collectivism② in Chinese culture. Westerners emphasize self-expression, novelty of thinking, and freedom of expression.     This difference in humor perception has an effect on humor usage across cultures. To be specific, people living in Western countries use humor for dealing with stress and difficulties in their life. However, on the other hand, it is less likely that Easterners will use humor as a solution. Various studies found that Japanese, Chinese and Singaporean students were less likely to use humor in that way compared to Western students. Surveys on American and Chinese students have indicated that Americans along with Canadians are found to be funnier, as compared to the Chinese.  As stated by Judge John C. H. Wu,  “Westerners are seriously humorous, while  Chinese people are humorously serious.”      It has been noted that humor, which is rooted in one’s cultural heritage, language points or particular cultural vision, fails to cross over the cultural divide. There is an old sa