comedies .That first significant British sitcom was arguably Hancock’s Half Hour in the latter half of the 1950s ,which was characterized by realism and irreverence . It could be argued that ever since, the climate in British comedy has been divided between the realist and the irreverence . The realist strand has been maintained by such comedies as Fawlty Towers , The Good Life , Only Fools and Horses ,and My Family, while the irreverent or surrealist strand has been developed by such comedies as The Young Ones ,Bottom ,Green Wing, and The Mighty Boosh . PartⅢ News
AZUZ: We begin today in the African nation of Zimbabwe ,where an outbreak of cholera has led the government to declare a national emergency . According to the United Nations ,more than 560 people have been killed by the disease, and it‘s made more than 11,000 others sick .This health crisis adds to the ongoing economic and political trouble that‘s led many Zimbabweans to flee their home country . Nkepile Mabuse shows us how two young brothers are fending for themselves in a neighboring country .
NKEPILE MABUSE ,CNN CORRESPONDENT: They push
shoppers‘ trolleys for tips in the day , and at night ,entertain destitute Zimbabweans just like them who have come to South Africa to seek a better life. Their short comic skits make fun of the daily hardships in their battered country . TAPFUMA MALUNGA, ZIMBABWEAN REFUGEE :No job ! No job !
MABUSE: The children act out how unemployment ,food shortages and a collapsed economy have forced many to jump borders ,often with the help of corrupt officials .At ages fifteen and fourteen ,brothers Tapfuma and Mathias Malunga traveled to South Africa on their own in late October ,and are living in an open field with close to a thousand other Zimbabwean refugees .They are not the youngest members of this destitute community . News 2
AZUZ: Moving from Africa to Saudi Arabia now, as Muslims from around the world gather in the city of Mecca to take part in the Hajj. Nearly three million people are expected to participate in the annual pilgrimage ,which takes place over five days in the Muslim holy city and at nearby sites .Saudi Arabia has deployed about 100,000 security personnel to help manage the crowds and ensure
everyone‘s safety .Taking part in the Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam .The religion requires every Muslim who is physically and financially able to make the journey at least once in his or her life .It includes many rituals ,including wearing special clothes and taking part in symbolic ceremonies . Part Ⅳ Dictation
First, humor is the experience of incongruity .In one‘s environment the incongruity may be experienced when someone falls down in a situation when they are not expected to fall down , or the incongruity can be between concepts ,thoughts ,or ideas often illustrated by the punch line of a joke or the caption of a cartoon .
Second ,as James Thurber has stated, ―Humor is emotional chaos remembered in tranquility.‖We commonly say, ―It wasn‘t funny at the time.‖Later with distance we can appreciate the humor .This occurs frequently when people are experiencing a crisis ,and at some later time the crisis situation is perceived as humorous .
Third, humor can be experienced in the joy of ―getting‖ it. Humor can be the understanding of something that we at first did not comprehend .This occurs every day in
misunderstandings at which we laugh .
Fourth , the experience of the ―forbidden‖(laughing in church),or ―getting away with‖ something （often seen with children ）is often experienced as humorous .
Finally ,for me, humor is comprised of three components :wit, mirth ,and laughter. Wit is the cognitive experience, mirth the emotional experience, and laughter the physiological experience.
Part Ⅴ Video Clip
Eleven-Year-Old-Boy Walks to Help Homeless
Children
[More than one million children are homeless in the United States .To highlight the problem ,eleven-year-old Zach Bachman walked hundreds of kilometers from his home city of Tampa, Florida to the U.S. Capitol, in Washington ,DC. Along the way, Zach helped out at shelters for the homeless .In this week‘s installment of our series, Making a Difference .]
Eleven-year-old Zach Bonner walk through the
southern countryside on his 1,900 kilometers hike to bring attention to the plight of homeless children .
―I think it‘s ridiculous that there‘s any child that doesn‘t have home in this country ,here in America‖ Zach explains. ―I think it‘s horrible .‖
He traveled from Florida to Washington ,D.C. where he told an audience near the U.S. Capitol that child homelessness in America is real .
―It still amazes me the amount of people still today who don‘t believe this problem even exists .And the truth is ,not only does it exist ,but it‘s getting worse,‘‘ he asserts.
Zach says there are many reasons children are homeless .―Because of the economic crisis ,it‘s getting worse because of people losing their
Jobs, and people losing their homes .And therefore , that‘s also a reason they become homeless,‘‘ he says,‖―And sometimes, the families are abusive toward the child and they run away.‘‘
Zach did the walk between his studies. It took him three years to finish his walk , which he began when he was only eight year old .He averaged 20 kilometers a day. No matter how tired he got ,Zach says he felt he had to keep walking .