让我们一笑置之！

Each week, we tell about terms and expressions we use in American English. 我们每周都会讲述美式英语里用到的术语和表达。

We often explore their meanings and explain how to use them in different situations. 我们经常探讨它们的含义，并解释它们在不同情境下的使用方法。

Today we talk about something common to everyone around the world. 今天我们要谈论的是对世界上的每一个人都很熟悉的事物。

Laughing is one of life's most simple pleasures. 笑是人生中最简单的乐趣之一。

It is free. You can do it anywhere. And it makes you feel good! 你可以在任何地方畅怀大笑，不受拘束。而且，笑会让你感觉很好！

There is another thing you should know about laughter: Laughter is contagious. 还有一件关于笑的事情你应该知道的是：笑是会感染人的。

Like the flu, laughter can spread easily among people. 就像流感一样，笑可以轻易感染人。

Often when we hear someone laughing in a crowded room or a packed train, for example, 例如，在拥挤的空间或者在一列满载的火车上时，当听到别人的笑声时，

we start laughing too – even if we have no idea why. 我们往往也会跟着笑，即使我们不知道别人因何而笑。

But unlike the flu, even a good handwashing will not protect you against breaking into a fit of laughter. 但是和流感不一样的是，即使好好洗手也不能防止你突然大笑。

Your eyes water, your heart rate goes up and your face gets that beautiful laughter glow. 你的眼睛会流泪，你的心跳会加快，你的脸上会露出迷人的笑容。

In fact, many doctors say that mental health can affect physical health. 实际上，许多医生说心理健康会影响身体健康。

You might even say, "Laughter is the best medicine." 你甚至会说，笑是最佳良药。

However, "laughter is the best medicine" does not mean that you should not take medicine when you are sick. 然而，“笑是最佳良药”并不意味着生病的时候你不应该吃药。

It simply means that having a positive outlook might help ease your troubles. 它仅仅是表达积极的态度能帮你减轻烦恼。

People who use this expression are probably pretty happy people. 使用这个表达的人可能是快乐的丽人。

Then there are those other types – you know, people who are always grumpy. 然而，你知道，会有那些其他的类型，性情暴躁的人。

We could call someone who does not like to laugh a curmudgeon. 我们可以称呼不爱笑的人为坏脾气的人（curmudgeon）。

A curmudgeon is bad-tempered, ill-natured and just generally not fun to be around. 坏脾气的人脾气不好，性情不佳，而且一般来说，和他们相处起来没啥乐趣。

Well, unless you yourself are a curmudgeon. 好吧，除非你也是一个坏脾气的人。

If that is the case, you two could hang out and not laugh and not have fun together! 如果是那样的话，你们可以一起闲逛，没有笑声，一起没乐趣地玩！

You know what we say -- misery loves company. 我知道你懂的：同病相怜（misery loves company），

This means that some people who are miserable and unhappy like to make others miserable and unhappy, too. 意思是悲惨和不幸的人喜欢让别人也变得痛苦且不快乐。

On the other hand, making others laugh with you is an act of joy and kindness. 然而，让别人和你一起笑是一种开心且善良的行为。

However, the opposite is true when people laugh at you. 但是，当人们嘲笑你的时候，情况恰恰相反。

That experience is lonely and no fun at all. 那种经历是孤独的，而且没有一点意思。

But at least those two phrases really show the importance of choosing the right preposition. 但至少这两个短语确实表明了选择正确介词的重要性。

For example, if Anna is in a funny play and people laugh with her -- that is a good thing. 例如，如果安娜在一个有趣的戏剧里表演，那人们和她一起笑那是件好事。

However, if she messes up her lines and falls on stage, people may laugh at her. 然而，如果她台词说乱了套，并且在台上摔倒了，那人们会笑话她。

And that is not so good. 那就不是什么好事了。

People might even call her a laughingstock. 人们甚至也许会说她是一个笑话。

No one, not even a professional comedian, wants to be a laughingstock. 没有人想成为笑柄，即使是专业的喜剧演员也不想当笑柄。

That is a really great example, Bryan. Thanks. I think. 我觉得这真是一个很棒的例子，林恩。谢谢。

But you're right. Nobody wants to be a laughingstock. 但你说得对。没有人想成为笑柄。

If you wanna go crazy and act like a clown 如果你想发狂，扮成小丑

Be the laughing stock all over town 成为整个镇子的笑柄

That's your red wagon ... 那是你的红色马车……

For example, let's say a teacher falls on hard times and loses his apartment. 例如，假设一个老师遇到了经济困难，付不起公寓的租金。

So, for a couple of days he sleeps in his car outside of the school. 所以，接连几天，他都睡在学校外面的车里。

As it happens, at night he sleeps in bright pink, full-body pajamas with a hood and bunny ears. 恰好，晚上，他穿着一件带着兔耳朵帽子的亮粉色全身睡衣。

And he holds a teddy bear. 他还抱着一个泰迪熊。

Well, some cruel students record him sleeping in his car and share the video with their classmates. 嗯，一些冷酷无情的学生录下了他睡在车里的样子，并且和他们的同班同学分享了这个视频。

The teacher becomes the laughingstock of the whole school. 那位老师成为了全校的笑柄。

That was a mean thing to do. 这是件卑鄙的事。

Well, yes. Yes, it was. But our story does not end there. 嗯，是的，确实是。但是我们的故事还没结束。

The students post the video online, and it goes viral! 这些学生将视频传到了网上，于是视频便在网上传开了！

More than 10 million people watch it on YouTube! 有超过一千万人在YouTube上观看了这个视频！

So, the teacher gets dozens of offers to make commercials for pajamas and teddy bears. 因此，这位老师得到了十几份为睡衣和泰迪熊做广告的邀约。

He makes a lot of money. Then he writes a best-selling book on how to fall asleep anywhere, anytime. 他挣了很多钱。然后，他写了一本畅销书，讲述如何在任何地方、任何时间入睡。

Good for him! 他可真行！

But wait, Bryan. It gets even better! 但是等等，布莱恩。好事还在后头呢！

He stars in a movie based on his life: "The Teacher Who Slept in His Car." 他出演了一部以他的生活为原型的电影：《睡在车里的老师》。

So, in the end, you could say the teacher definitely had the last laugh. 那么，最后，你可以说这个老师绝对笑到了最后（the last laugh）。

When you have the last laugh, you end up winning when at first you were losing. 当你笑到最后的时候，你最终会赢，而你刚开始就输了。

Another way to have the last laugh, is to simply laugh off a tough situation. 另一种笑到最后的方式是对于艰难的局势一笑置之。

It shows you just do not care. 表明你压根不在意。

For example, if the teacher is a friend of yours, you could always tell him to just laugh it off. 例如，如果这个老师是你的朋友，你总是可以告诉他一笑置之。

It may be difficult. But if you have the choice to laugh or cry, chose laughter. 这也许很困难。但是如果你可以选择是笑还是哭，那么就选择笑吧。

For one thing, you may inspire others to laugh, too. 只一点，你也许会鼓励其他人也笑起来。

That's right. As we also like to say: Laugh and the world laughs with you; cry and you cry alone. 是的。正如我们常爱说的：你笑，全世界和你一起笑；你哭，却独自一人哭。

This means that people prefer to be around those who are happy and cheerful. 这意味着人们更喜欢那些令人开心和欢乐的人在一起。

Ella Wheeler Wilcox, a poet of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, penned this famous expression. 埃拉·惠勒·威尔科克斯是19世纪末和20世纪初的一位诗人，写下了这句名言。

In her poem "Solitude," she writes ."Laugh, and the world laughs with you; weep, and you weep alone." 她在《孤独》一诗中写道：“你笑，这世界和你一起笑；你哭，却只能一个人哭。”

However, these days, we do not usually say "weep." So, the expression now uses the word "cry." 然而，现如今，我们不经常说“weep（哭泣）”这个词。因此，这个表达现在用的单词“cry（哭）”。

Whatever you call it -- weeping or crying, it is always better to laugh! 无论你说“哭泣”或是“哭”，笑一笑总是更好的！