Seth Meyers | SmartLess

🎯 聽之前

A late-night host talks about writing jokes for a living: the daily pile, the cut line, and staying curious after the news has already exhausted you.

• How many jokes die before one airs?
• What is the difference between a topical joke and a durable one?
• How does he describe the writers around him?
• Listen for time pressure: tonight, by tape, too late.

💬 重點句 6

先讀英文，想一下意思，再點「翻譯」。按 🔊 聽一次，然後跟著唸。

1. A topical joke has a shelf life of one night.
   🔊 唸 翻譯
   一個時事笑話的保存期限是一個晚上。

   shelf life 本是食品期限，這裡借來用。of one night。
2. Most of the job is throwing lines away with a straight face.
   🔊 唸 翻譯
   這份工作的大部分是面無表情地把句子扔掉。

   Most of the job is + 動名詞。throw away。
3. If the news is already a punchline, your joke has to be about the reaction.
   🔊 唸 翻譯
   如果新聞本身已經是笑點，你的笑話就得講人們的反應。

   If..., your joke has to...。about the reaction。
4. Curiosity is a muscle you use after you are tired of the headline.
   🔊 唸 翻譯
   好奇是你在已經厭倦標題之後還在用的肌肉。

   you use 關係子句。after + 現在式。
5. The host's job on a bad news day is to be precise, not louder.
   🔊 唸 翻譯
   壞消息那天，主持人的工作是精準，不是更大聲。

   not louder 省略 be。precise。
6. A room full of writers is a competition that only works if people still like each other at lunch.
   🔊 唸 翻譯
   一屋子編劇是一種競爭，只有大家午餐還喜歡彼此才運作得了。

   that only works if...。at lunch 把抽象的喜歡放進具體時間。

📚 單字 10

點卡片翻面。先猜意思再翻。

🗣️ 俚語與成語 6

🧩 句型練習 3

讀完範例，用自己的事造一句。寫在筆記本或手機備忘錄裡，隔天回頭唸一次。

✅ 理解題 4

看完影片再作答。選一個答案會立刻顯示解釋。

1. What is the shelf life of a topical joke here?
   A decadeOne nightUntil the host retiresAs long as it is precise
   It expires with the headline.
2. What does "kill your darlings" mean?
   To insult the hostTo cut a line you loveTo read the roomTo improvise
   The darling is the favorite sentence that does not earn its place.
3. On a bad news day, what is the host's job?
   To be louderTo be preciseTo avoid jokes entirely foreverTo ignore the room
   Precision replaces volume.
4. What does "on the cutting room floor" mean?
   Broadcast liveRemoved before the audience sees itPunched upA long shelf life
   The floor is where cut material goes.

💭 用英文想一想

挑一題，用英文寫 3 到 5 句，或對著手機錄一分鐘。不用完美，說出來最重要。

• Take a headline from this week and write a joke about the reaction, not the event.
• What is a darling sentence you should cut from an email? Why?
• Describe a room that is competitive and still kind at lunch.