Have you watched the TV show Home with Kids (《家有儿女》)? You might hear the laughter (笑声) when something funny happens. But every time, the laughter sounds the same.
This is called canned (预先录制的) laughter. The US sound engineer (工程师) Charley Douglass made it in the 1950s. He recorded (记录) different kinds of laughter. When editors (剪辑员) needed laughter in their shows, he just pressed the play button (按钮).
Canned laughter was popular during that time. When the audience (观众) heard it, they laughed along with the actors.
But about 10 years later, people started to think that canned laughter sounded silly. They wanted real laughter because it is more vivid. Some famous sitcoms (情景喜剧), such as Friends (《老友记》) and The Big Bang Theory (《生活大爆炸》), use this kind of laughter.
The Big Bang Theory has live audiences. They can attend the show when it is being recorded. All the laughter you hear is from real audiences!
Which kind of laughter do you like?
【小题1】Charley Douglass invented canned laughter in the ________.| A．1950s | B．18th century | C．1960s | D．19th century |
| A．The TV show Friends used canned laughter. |
| B．In the 1960s, people started to think it sounded silly. |
| C．It is still popular these days. |
| D．A British sound engineer made it. |
| A．Famous. | B．Expensive. | C．Lifelike. | D．Modern. |
| A．Canned Laughter or Real Laughter | B．Movies or Famous Sitcoms |
| C．How to Make Canned Laughter | D．The Reason Why People Prefer Real Laughter |
