【BBC六分钟英语】笑可能会要人命么?

【英文脚本】

Neil
Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English, where we bring you an entertaining topic and six related items of vocabulary. I’m Neil. and those guffaws you can hear are coming from Tim. So what’s so funny, Tim?

Tim
Can you pass me a glass of water?

Neil
Yes, OK, here you go.

Tim
It was just something our producer said before I came into the studio. A guffaw by the way is a loud laugh that you can’t control.

Neil
So while Tim laughs his head off, and that means to laugh very loudly for a long time – I’ll introduce the show. Today, Tim, we’re talking about laughter and how it could kill you.

Tim
Oh come on, Neil! That’s not funny! Laughing is good for you, everyone knows that!

Neil
Well, not when you laugh like that, Tim! You’re bright red in the face, you’ve got tears streaming down your face. And you nearly choked on a glass of water! Choke means to stop breathing because something is blocking your throat by the way. Now, without laughing or choking, can you please tell me how many times a day the average adult laughs? Is it. a) 17, b) 70 or c) 700?

Tim
Hmm. Surely it depends on what type of person you are?

Neil
Maybe it does. That’s why I’m asking about the average number of times Tim, so just make an intelligent guess.

Tim
OK, well I laugh a lot so I’m going to say 70 times a day. 700 times seems like you’d be laughing all the time. But you’ve worried, me Neil, I know we sometimes say, I nearly died laughing, but nobody does actually die laughing, do they?

Neil
Well, I think the risk of dying of laughter is probably low, but in theory, what happens when we laugh is potentially dangerous! Let’s listen to cognitive neuroscientist Sophie Scott talking about what happens when we laugh.

Sophie Scott, cognitive neuroscientist
Laughter, in a competition for control over your ribcage in your brain between laughter and breathing and speaking, laughter will always win. And laughter just takes those same muscles and it squeezes them, eh eh eh eh, and the air goes, out out out out, and notably it does not want to let you breathe in. It’s trying to kill you. It’s quite dangerous.

Tim
So when you laugh a lot your diaphragm, that’s the sheet of muscle below your lungs – contracts and squeezes the air out of your lungs.

Neil
This makes it hard to breathe, which is why you were gasping for breath earlier, Tim! And that’s why laughter can kill you!

Tim
Gasping means having difficulty breathing. Well, I’ve caught my breath now, I didn’t die – and I think it’s fair to say, Neil, that laughter is good for you. When you laugh, your body releases happy hormones. And according to some research, people feel less pain as a result of having a good laugh.

Neil
So scientists are saying laughter is a sort of natural painkiller?

Tim
Apparently, yes. They’ve done research where they make people laugh, and then test their pain levels afterwards. And they found that if people only chuckle a bit it doesn’t act as a painkiller, but if you laugh a lot, it does.

Neil
So a chuckle sounds like this [chuckles]. Chuckling means to laugh quietly. So you need belly laughter then, great big guffaws?

Tim
That’s right. A guffaw is pretty much the opposite of a chuckle. I was guffawing earlier in the show. Would you like to demonstrate your own guffaw, Neil?

Neil
[hearty guffaw]

Tim
Fantastic, can I try pinching you now, and test whether you feel any pain?

Neil
No, you can’t, Tim. It’s time for the answer to today’s quiz question. I asked you: How many times a day does the average adult laugh? Is it. a) 17, b) 70 or c) 700?

Tim
I said 70.

Neil
Sorry. The right answer is actually 17, less than you thought I’m afraid, Tim. But children laugh on average 300 times a day.

Tim
That’s a big difference! You see, Neil, we all need to laugh more. You shouldn’t be trying to tell us that laughing is dangerous.

Neil
Maybe you’re right. So let’s move on and go over the words we learned today. The first one is ‘guffaw’, which is a loud laugh that you can’t control.

Tim
“Neil surprised us with his deep guffaw.”

Neil
Next up, number two, to ‘laugh your head off’, means to laugh very loudly for a long time.

Tim
“It’s a really funny movie, you’ll laugh your head off!”

Neil
OK, number three, ‘choke’ means to stop breathing because something is blocking your throat.

Tim
“I nearly choked to death on a cheese sandwich.”

Neil
Poor Tim, you should eat more slowly! ‘Diaphragm’ is our next word, and that’s the sheet of muscle separating your lungs from your stomach. We use our diaphragms for breathing, talking, and laughing!

Tim
“Do opera singers have more powerful diaphragms than other people?”

Neil
I don’t know the answer to that, Tim. So number five, which is ‘gasping’, which means having difficulty breathing. “He was gasping for breath as he swam to the surface of the swimming pool.”

Tim
But ‘gasp’ also means to be shocked or surprised by something. For example, “I gasped in astonishment when I heard Neil laugh.”

Neil
Our final word is ‘chuckle’ which means to laugh quietly.

Tim
“The audience chuckled through the show but they didn’t seem very amused.”

Neil
Oh dear. Well I hope our audience has been amused today. If you’re looking for more laughs, then please check out our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube pages. You may find something to make you chuckle or guffaw there.

Tim and Neil
Bye!

【中英文双语脚本】

Neil(尼尔)
Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English, where we bring you an entertaining topic and six related items of vocabulary. I’m Neil. and those guffaws you can hear are coming from Tim. So what’s so funny, Tim?
您好，欢迎来到 6 Minute English，我们为您带来一个有趣的话题和六个相关的词汇项目。我是 Neil。你能听到的那些嘲讽来自 Tim。那么，Tim，有什么好笑的呢？

Tim(提姆)
Can you pass me a glass of water?
你能给我一杯水吗？

Neil(尼尔)
Yes, OK, here you go.
是的，好的，给你。

Tim(提姆)
It was just something our producer said before I came into the studio. A guffaw by the way is a loud laugh that you can’t control.
这只是我们的制片人在我进入录音室之前说的话。顺便说一句，咯咯笑声是你无法控制的大笑。

Neil(尼尔)
So while Tim laughs his head off, and that means to laugh very loudly for a long time – I’ll introduce the show. Today, Tim, we’re talking about laughter and how it could kill you.
所以，当 Tim 笑得头坏掉，这意味着要大声笑很长一段时间 —— 我来介绍一下这个节目。今天，蒂姆，我们谈论的是笑声以及它如何杀死你。

Tim(提姆)
Oh come on, Neil! That’s not funny! Laughing is good for you, everyone knows that!
哦，拜托，尼尔！这可不好笑！笑对你有好处，大家都知道！

Neil(尼尔)
Well, not when you laugh like that, Tim! You’re bright red in the face, you’ve got tears streaming down your face. And you nearly choked on a glass of water! Choke means to stop breathing because something is blocking your throat by the way. Now, without laughing or choking, can you please tell me how many times a day the average adult laughs? Is it. a) 17, b) 70 or c) 700?
好吧，不是你那样笑的时候，蒂姆！你的脸通红，泪水顺着脸颊流下来。而且你差点被一杯水呛到！窒息的意思是停止呼吸，因为顺便说一句，有什么东西堵住了你的喉咙。现在，不要笑或哽咽，您能告诉我普通成年人每天笑多少次吗？是吗。a） 17， b） 70 还是 c） 700？

Tim(提姆)
Hmm. Surely it depends on what type of person you are?
嗯，这肯定取决于你是什么样的人吗？

Neil(尼尔)
Maybe it does. That’s why I’m asking about the average number of times Tim, so just make an intelligent guess.
也许是这样。这就是为什么我问 Tim 的平均次数，所以就做一个聪明的猜测吧。

Tim(提姆)
OK, well I laugh a lot so I’m going to say 70 times a day. 700 times seems like you’d be laughing all the time. But you’ve worried, me Neil, I know we sometimes say, I nearly died laughing, but nobody does actually die laughing, do they?
好吧，我笑得很开心，所以我每天要说 70 次。700 次似乎你会一直笑。但是你担心了，我 Neil，我知道我们有时会说，我差点笑死，但没有人真的笑死，不是吗？

Neil(尼尔)
Well, I think the risk of dying of laughter is probably low, but in theory, what happens when we laugh is potentially dangerous! Let’s listen to cognitive neuroscientist Sophie Scott talking about what happens when we laugh.
嗯，我认为死于笑声的风险可能很低，但从理论上讲，当我们笑时会发生什么是有潜在危险的！让我们听听认知神经科学家 Sophie Scott 谈论当我们笑时会发生什么。

Sophie Scott, cognitive neuroscientist(SophieScott，认知神经科学家)
Laughter, in a competition for control over your ribcage in your brain between laughter and breathing and speaking, laughter will always win. And laughter just takes those same muscles and it squeezes them, eh eh eh eh, and the air goes, out out out out, and notably it does not want to let you breathe in. It’s trying to kill you. It’s quite dangerous.
笑声，在笑声、呼吸和说话之间争夺大脑中胸腔的控制权的比赛中，笑声永远会赢。笑声就是抓住了同样的肌肉，挤压它们，嗯，空气出去了，出来了，值得注意的是，它不想让你吸气。它试图杀死你。这很危险。

Tim(提姆)
So when you laugh a lot your diaphragm, that’s the sheet of muscle below your lungs – contracts and squeezes the air out of your lungs.
所以当你经常笑时，你的横膈膜就是你肺部下面的肌肉片 —— 收缩并挤出肺部的空气。

Neil(尼尔)
This makes it hard to breathe, which is why you were gasping for breath earlier, Tim! And that’s why laughter can kill you!
这让人呼吸困难，这就是为什么你早些时候还喘不过气来的原因，蒂姆！这就是为什么笑声可以杀死你！

Tim(提姆)
Gasping means having difficulty breathing. Well, I’ve caught my breath now, I didn’t die – and I think it’s fair to say, Neil, that laughter is good for you. When you laugh, your body releases happy hormones. And according to some research, people feel less pain as a result of having a good laugh.
喘息是指呼吸困难。好吧，我现在已经喘口气了，我没有死 —— 我认为可以公平地说，Neil，笑声对你有好处。当你笑时，你的身体会释放快乐的荷尔蒙。根据一些研究，人们会因为开怀大笑而感到更少的痛苦。

Neil(尼尔)
So scientists are saying laughter is a sort of natural painkiller?
所以科学家们说笑是一种天然的止痛药？

Tim(提姆)
Apparently, yes. They’ve done research where they make people laugh, and then test their pain levels afterwards. And they found that if people only chuckle a bit it doesn’t act as a painkiller, but if you laugh a lot, it does.
显然，是的。他们做了一些研究，让人们发笑，然后测试他们的疼痛程度。他们发现，如果人们只是笑一下，它不会起到止痛药的作用，但如果你经常笑，它就会起到止痛药的作用。

Neil(尼尔)
So a chuckle sounds like this [chuckles]. Chuckling means to laugh quietly. So you need belly laughter then, great big guffaws?
所以笑声听起来是这样的 [笑]。Chuckling 的意思是安静地笑。所以你需要肚皮笑声，大笑？

Tim(提姆)
That’s right. A guffaw is pretty much the opposite of a chuckle. I was guffawing earlier in the show. Would you like to demonstrate your own guffaw, Neil?
没错。咯咯笑声几乎与咯咯笑声相反。我在节目的早些时候气喘吁吁。你想展示你自己的嘲讽吗，尼尔？

Neil(尼尔)
[hearty guffaw]
[爽朗的咯咯咯]

Tim(提姆)
Fantastic, can I try pinching you now, and test whether you feel any pain?
太好了，我现在可以试着捏你一下，看看你有没有感到疼痛吗？

Neil(尼尔)
No, you can’t, Tim. It’s time for the answer to today’s quiz question. I asked you: How many times a day does the average adult laugh? Is it. a) 17, b) 70 or c) 700?
不，你不能，蒂姆。现在是回答今天测验问题的时候了。我问你：一般成年人每天笑多少次？是吗。a） 17， b） 70 还是 c） 700？

Tim(提姆)
I said 70.
我说 70 岁。

Neil(尼尔)
Sorry. The right answer is actually 17, less than you thought I’m afraid, Tim. But children laugh on average 300 times a day.
不好意思。正确的答案实际上是 17 岁，恐怕比你想象的要少，蒂姆。但孩子们平均每天笑 300 次。

Tim(提姆)
That’s a big difference! You see, Neil, we all need to laugh more. You shouldn’t be trying to tell us that laughing is dangerous.
这是一个很大的区别！你看，尼尔，我们都需要多笑。你不应该试图告诉我们笑是危险的。

Neil(尼尔)
Maybe you’re right. So let’s move on and go over the words we learned today. The first one is ‘guffaw’, which is a loud laugh that you can’t control.
也许你是对的。因此，让我们继续回顾我们今天学到的单词。第一个是 “guffaw”，这是你无法控制的大笑。

Tim(提姆)
“Neil surprised us with his deep guffaw.”
“尼尔的深沉哄笑让我们感到惊讶。”

Neil(尼尔)
Next up, number two, to ‘laugh your head off’, means to laugh very loudly for a long time.
接下来，第二个，to ‘laugh your head off’，意思是大声笑很久。

Tim(提姆)
“It’s a really funny movie, you’ll laugh your head off!”
“这是一部非常有趣的电影，你会笑得头晕目眩！”

Neil(尼尔)
OK, number three, ‘choke’ means to stop breathing because something is blocking your throat.
好的，第三点，“窒息”的意思是停止呼吸，因为有东西堵塞了你的喉咙。

Tim(提姆)
“I nearly choked to death on a cheese sandwich.”
“我差点被奶酪三明治噎死。”

Neil(尼尔)
Poor Tim, you should eat more slowly! ‘Diaphragm’ is our next word, and that’s the sheet of muscle separating your lungs from your stomach. We use our diaphragms for breathing, talking, and laughing!
可怜的蒂姆，你应该吃得慢点！“横膈膜”是我们的下一个词，它是将肺与胃分开的肌肉片。我们使用横膈膜来呼吸、交谈和大笑！

Tim(提姆)
“Do opera singers have more powerful diaphragms than other people?”
“歌剧演唱者的横膈膜比其他人更有力吗？”

Neil(尼尔)
I don’t know the answer to that, Tim. So number five, which is ‘gasping’, which means having difficulty breathing. “He was gasping for breath as he swam to the surface of the swimming pool.”
我不知道这个问题的答案，蒂姆。所以第五个，即“喘息”，这意味着呼吸困难。“当他游到游泳池表面时，他喘着粗气。”

Tim(提姆)
But ‘gasp’ also means to be shocked or surprised by something. For example, “I gasped in astonishment when I heard Neil laugh.”
但 “gasp” 也意味着对某事感到震惊或惊讶。例如，“当我听到 Neil 笑时，我惊讶地倒抽了一口气。

Neil(尼尔)
Our final word is ‘chuckle’ which means to laugh quietly.
我们的最后一个词是 ‘chuckle’，意思是安静地笑。

Tim(提姆)
“The audience chuckled through the show but they didn’t seem very amused.”
“观众们在演出中咯咯笑着，但他们似乎并不觉得很有趣。”

Neil(尼尔)
Oh dear. Well I hope our audience has been amused today. If you’re looking for more laughs, then please check out our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube pages. You may find something to make you chuckle or guffaw there.
哦，天哪。好吧，我希望我们的观众今天被逗乐了。如果您正在寻找更多的笑声，请查看我们的 Facebook、Twitter、Instagram 和 YouTube 页面。你可能会在那里找到一些让你发笑或发笑的东西。

Tim and Neil(蒂姆和尼尔)
Bye!
再见！