商务英语高级阅读素材：六招教你成为冷笑话高手

　　无论是商务工作中，还是在学习商务英语过程中，都应该想到今后的职场生涯少不了用幽默和笑话来热场，缓解气氛。让我们学学吧。

　　Misleading and surprise: Verbal jokes use this element to the greatest level possible. Basically, this technique relies on cognitive processing errors, turning assumptions upside down, and word confusion. For example: "What happens to liars when they die?" Answer - "They lie still." This joke works because you have to interpret the joke in two ways。

　　误导、出其不意：口头笑话把这一招用的淋漓尽致。它基于认知误差、假设颠覆和文字混淆。比如：“骗子们死了会是什么样?”“他们依旧说谎(静静的躺着)。”这个笑话之所以好笑是因为它有两种解释。

　　Timing: Apt timing is as important as surprise, because if you give the brain too much time to work out a situation or joke, the funny moment will pass by. This is probably why jokes people have heard before don"t work, as recognition dulls humor because the brain is already primed by experience。

　　把握时机：时机把握和“出其不意”同样重要，因为大脑如果有很多时间对一个情景或者笑话做出反应，有趣的瞬间就会溜走。这也就是以前听过的笑话不会好笑的原因吧。再认知会让幽默打折，因为大脑已经有所准备了。

　　Serious: Much humor derives from very serious events and situations in our daily lives。

　　严肃：很多幽默都来自日常生活中的很严肃的事件和情景。

　　Think silly: This is about taking serious stuff and being not-so-serious with it. Try to find the funnier, lighthearted side of what you're observing and think like a kid。

　　装傻：这是说你要“举重若轻”，对严肃的事情保持不那么严肃的态度。试着像孩子一样思考，发现事物有趣、好玩的一面。

　　Status change: Changing a person's status, or the status of something long held to be true, can be very funny. For example, having a CEO of a company ask the receptionist for advice on how to run the company。

　　颠覆：改变一个人的地位，或者颠覆一件长久以来被认为是正确的东西会很有“笑果”。比如，让CEO去向前台征询治理公司的建议。

　　Know your audience: Have a reasonable idea of what those around you find funny. When you're in a group of people you don't know, for example, just listen to what subjects they're talking about and what's making them laugh. Generally the better you know someone, the easier it will be to make them laugh。

　　了解受众：要知道你身边的人觉得什么好笑。如果你在一群陌生人中，就听听他们都在聊什么，都在笑什么。总的来说，你越是了解人们，就越容易娱乐他们。