《中英對照讀新聞》Pope's Humor 教宗的幽默
As Pope John Paul II struggles with his second health crisis in a month, he is displaying something not usually associated with the dignity and solemnity of his office : a sense of humor.
隨著教宗若望保祿二世在和自己一個月內第二次的健康危機搏鬥，他也同時展現與其職務之尊貴與莊嚴通常不相關連的特質：幽默感。
“What did they do to me?” was the quip Vatican aides say he scrawled on a piece of paper after he woke up following surgery to ease his breathing problems.
「他們對我做了什麼？」是梵諦岡助理們說教宗在緩和呼吸問題的手術完醒來後，在一張紙上潦草寫出的俏皮話。
Ahead of the operation, when doctors tried to reassure him that the procedure would be asmall one, the reply was : “Small! It depends for whom.”
在手術之前，當醫師再三試圖向他保證，手術將會是小意思時，獲得的答覆是：「小手術！這要看是對誰所做的而定。」
The Vatican has appeared eager to report on John Paul's humorous statements, perhaps as a way to allay concerns about his health or to present the Roman Catholic flock with an example of how to face adversity with grace.
梵諦岡似乎熱中於將若望保祿的幽默話語向外界宣揚，也許以此來減輕外界對其健康疑慮，或向羅馬天主教的教徒提供如何從容面對橫逆的範例。
Dictionary新聞辭典
to be associated with：指與∼有關、與∼連結在一起，被動語態居多。例句：Rainfall is associated with humidity.（下雨和溼度有關。）ailments associated with old age.（老年的病痛。）
a sense of humor：片語，指幽默感。humor 意指幽默， a sense of ∼為…感，如 a sense of justice指正義感。例句：Roger has a good sense of humor.（羅傑很有幽默感。）
quip：名詞，指妙語、俏皮話，或諷刺的話，也可當動詞用，指說俏皮話。例句：It is easy for comedians to quip.（說俏皮話對喜劇演員而言很容易。）
wake：動詞，指睡醒、覺醒，後面常接 up，過去式為 woke 或waked。例句：She usually wakes up early.（她通常很早就睡醒。）
