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　　Be your gender what it may, you will certainly have heard the following from a female friend who is enumerating the charms of a new (male) squeeze: “He’s really quite cute, and he’s kind to my friends, and he knows all kinds of stuff, and he’s so funny…” However, there is something that you absolutely never hear from a male friend who is hymning his latest (female) love interest: “She’s a real honey, has a life of her own…and, man, does she ever make ‘em laugh.”

　　不管你是男性或女性，你肯定听过一个女性朋友这样细数她一位新（男性）密友的优点：“他真的很有意思，对我的朋友都很友善，他无所不知，还有，他是如此的风趣……”然而，你肯定不曾听过一个男性朋友对他的新欢（女性）这样赞不绝口：“她实在讨人喜欢，有她自己的生活……还有，天啊，她真的能让人开怀大笑。”

　　Now, why is this? Why is it the case? I mean. Why are women, who 3)have the whole male world at their mercy, not funny? Please do not pretend not to know what I am talking about.

　　那么，怎么会这样？我想说的是，事情为什么是这样？女性能让全世界的男性倾倒在她们的石榴裙下，但她们却为什么如此缺乏幽默感？请不要假装听不懂我说的话。

　　All right—try it the other way. Why are men, taken on average and as a whole, funnier than women? Well, for one thing, they had damn well better be. The chief task in life that a man has to perform is that of impressing the opposite sex, and Mother Nature (as we laughingly call her) is not so kind to men. In fact, she equips many fellows with very little armament for the struggle. An average man has just one, 4)outside chance: he had better be able to make the lady laugh. Making them laugh has been one of the crucial 5)preoccupations of my life. If you can stimulate her to laughter—I am talking about that real, out-loud, head-back, mouth-open-to-expose-the-full-6)horseshoe-of-lovely-teeth, involuntary, full, and deep-throated 7)mirth; the kind that is accompanied by a shocked surprise and a slight 8)peal of delight—well, then, you have at least caused her to loosen up and to change her expression. I shall not elaborate further.

　　好吧，换另外的一个说法。为什么男性，平均或整体来说要比女性幽默呢？当然，一方面，他们最好比女性幽默，肯定的。男性一生中最主要的使命就是吸引异性的注意，自然之母（我们开玩笑地这样称呼她）对男性并不存有多少怜悯之心。事实上，在这场两性的较量中，大部分的男人几乎得不到她的恩赐，占据不了任何先天的优势。一个平凡的男子所拥有的只有一个微乎其微的机会：他最好能让他心爱的女人开怀大笑。令女性笑逐颜开一直以来都是我生命中的一个至关重要的当务之急。如果你能逗得她发笑——我说的是那种真正的笑，笑出声来的笑，笑得头往后仰，嘴巴张大得露出两排人见人爱的牙齿的那种笑，那种自然流露、淋漓尽致，而且笑声响亮的欢笑；笑声中还夹着心头一震的惊喜和一丝鸣钟般的愉悦——嗯，笑过之后，你至少让她放松下来，并改变了她的表情。我的阐释已经详尽得不能更详尽了。

　　Women have no corresponding need to appeal to men in this way. They already appeal to men, if you 9)catch my drift.

　　然而反过来，女性却并没有相应的取悦男性的必要。她们本身对男性就存有吸引力，如果你懂我的意思的话。