The British are known for their sense of humour. However, it is often difficult for foreigners to understand their jokes. The main point to remember is that the British often use understatement.
Understatement means saying less than you think or feel. For example, if someone gets very wet in a shower of rain, he might say, “It’s a little damp outside.” Or, if someone is very impolite and shouts at another person, someone else might say, “She isn’t exactly friendly.” Understatement is often used in an unpleasant situation or to make another person look silly. Understatement plays an important part in British humour.
Another key to understanding British humour is that the British like to make fun of themselves as well as others. They often laugh about the silly and unpleasant things that happen in our everyday life when someone accidentally falls over in the street. They also like to make jokes on people from different classes of society. They like to make jokes about their accents, the way they dress and the way they behave. What’s more, the British love to watch comedies about people who do not know how to behave in society. The comedy series Mr Bean is a good example of this kind of humour.
Mr Bean is the character created by British actor Rowan Atkinson in 1990. Mr Bean doesn’t talk often, and instead he uses his body movements and facial expressions to make people laugh. Perhaps what makes Mr Bean so funny is that he does things that adults in the real world cannot do. Mr Bean is popular in many countries around the world because you do not have to speak English to understand the humour. Because of this, many people have become familiar with the British sense of humour.
【小题1】How does the author mainly explain the understatement?| A．By describing a process. |
| B．By making comparisons. |
| C．By following the time order. |
| D．By using examples. |
| A．By using his body movements and facial expressions. |
| B．By making jokes about others’ accents. |
| C．By copying others’ behaviour. |
| D．By telling funny stories. |
| A．The British often stick to the facts. |
| B．British jokes are involved with many different cultures. |
| C．British jokes are not as funny as jokes in other countries. |
| D．The British try to make out that something is less important than it is. |
