At a comedy night at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland, members of the school’s StandUp Comedy Club bring lots of laughter to their classmates with funny speeches and humorous body movements. These college students’ humour entertains busy, young people and eases their stress.
Yet the club member Ariella Shua says comedy is serious work. Every comedy starts as an individual project—each member writes their own material. Then they try it out in weekly club meetings where all club members read the material, go joke by joke and see what works and what doesn’t. Nothing unsatisfactory will be compromised (妥协).In this way comes a satisfying comedy.
Ariella joined the club last year. Now she does not go anywhere without bringing something on which she can take notes. “Whenever I just have a thought in my head that seems like ‘Oh, this is strange.’ or when I see something or overhear someone saying something in the library, I just put it down,” Ariella explained. “Later, when I’m trying to write my own material, I go through my notes to see if there is anything that I can use.”
President of the StandUp Comedy Club Nicholas Scandura finds that writing is one of the many skills he has developed since joining the club. “Writing jokes is really fun and it takes a lot of critical thinking,” he said. The club gives its members a sense of community. When they meet, they share funny experiences, tell jokes and laugh.
Over the past ten years, standup comedy clubs have become common on college campuses in America. Nicholas said, “Now everyone wants to do it because the culture of standup has gotten a lot of media attention and become more popular.”
Last year, Harry Kuperstein joined the club and discovered the club was a natural fit. Noticing the funny qualities of different situations improved his way of looking at the world. Becoming an active member also helped him work on the future skills he would need as a medical doctor. “Having jokes ready to go might help smooth over interactions between doctors and patients and make you a better public speaker,” he said.
【小题1】What can a successful comedy be described as according to the text?| A．A group effort. | B．A personal project. |
| C．A satisfying task. | D．A compromise result. |
| A．Taking notes in class. | B．Creating her own style. |
| C．Becoming a good observer. | D．Going to the library regularly. |
| A．By easing his stress of being a doctor. |
| B．By preparing the ground for his career. |
| C．By changing his way of communication. |
| D．By developing his interest in public speaking. |
| A．Laughter Is Serious Work |
| B．Humour Is an Edge in Jobs |
| C．Comedy Comes with Learning |
| D．Clubs Influence One’s World View |
