UNIT 3 Happiness In this unit, I will learn to . . .

• talk about what makes me happy.

• understand and use gerunds.
• listen for main ideas.

1I Get Ready

What makes you happy?

A. Look at the pictures. What makes you laugh? Listen to the audio.

Julian: What makes me laugh?
For me, it’s slapstick. There is
nothing funnier than physical
comedy. I even love watching
old black and white movies. The
Three Stooges are the best! You
can still find their movies online.
After all the falling, slapping, and
eye-poking, no one is really hurt,
and it’s all just for fun. 
Rhonda: I like spending time
with my family. Every Sunday
we go to the park, even if it's
raining. We play a ball game or
have races. Sometimes, we hold
hands on the ground and tell
jokes. It’s hilarious! My parents
have a lot of humor.
Elizabeth: Watching sitcoms
is my favorite way to relax and
have fun. It's not important if
the show is from long ago or
a current show. I will watch
whatever is on TV. My brother
usually joins me at least once
a week. Laughing together is a
great way to spend family time.

B. Read the sentences and circle T for True or

F for False. Correct the false statements.
1. Julian enjoys slapstick comedy. T F With a partner, ask and answer questions
about the people you read about.

2. Posting pictures of her cats on the T F What makes Julian laugh?

Internet is one of Rhonda’s hobbies.

He likes watching old movies.

3. When they were asked “What makes T F
you laugh?” all three teenagers had Ask and answer questions about what
the same answer. makes you happy.

4. Elizabeth’s brother probably doesn’t T F What makes you laugh?

like sitcoms.
For me, it’s . . .

20 UNIT 3
2I Vocabulary

A. Listen to the audio and read along. Guess the meaning of the words in bold.
My cousin Joey makes me laugh. When he walks into a room, everybody thinks he’s hilarious. He does
all kinds of physical comedy, including slapstick. He wrote new jokes, and the way that he tells them is
great! I always fall to the floor laughing when he tells the punchlines. He also draws illustrations with very
funny captions. He was even interviewed on a local cable TV station to work on a sitcom. They offered
him a job to write satire for their comedy show, but that is not part of his current plans.

Word Box

caption joke
comedy punchline
current satire
hilarious sitcom
humor slapstick
interview sudden

B. Circle the correct word.

1. Steve isn't funny. He has no (humor / slapstick) at all.
2. I like the (current / punchline) events section in the newspaper.
3. There is a (satire / sudden) interest in foreign films.
4. I don’t think his (jokes / hilarious) are funny.
5. The news reporter (joked / interviewed) me yesterday. 

C. Choose the correct answer to complete the sentences. 

1. Yumi told me a the other day that made me laugh.
a. caption b. interview c. joke

2. My brother is funny, and he loves public speaking. I think he should have his own show.
a. comedy b. slapstick c. punchline

3. Nate wrote a funny about a popular celebrity family. 

a. interview b. satire c. caption

4. I don’t enjoy because I don’t like watching people get hurt, even if it isn’t real.
a. slapstick b. joke c. caption

5. Amin wrote interesting to go with each of our pictures. 

a. improvisations b. slapstick c. captions

UNIT 3 21
7I Reading Reading Strategy:
Read for topic sentences

Before Reading • A topic sentence should tell you the

main idea of the paragraph you are
A. Look at these pictures. What do you think reading. 
happened? • It is often the first or second sentence
in the paragraph. 

B. Read the article. Underline the topic sentence for each paragraph.
A Funny Thing Happened . . .
Alicia
A funny thing happened to me on my 16th birthday. Usually, my friends and family celebrate with me, but
this time, I thought everyone forgot. My mother gave me only a quick hug in the morning. When I went
to school, none of my classmates gave me a card. My grandmother didn’t send me a present or call me!
I got upset. When I got home, I spoke to my sister on the cellphone and told her about how everyone
forgot about my birthday. At that moment the garage door opened and a lot of people came in, and
everyone shouted, “Surprise!” They heard everything I said. It was a great surprise party, and we still
laugh about it. It was a great joke!

Marie
The funniest thing that ever happened to me was when my company interviewed people for a new job.
I took a break from doing interviews and walked outside for a while. It was a beautiful day. I stopped for
a minute to check my messages. All of a sudden, a young man who was walking very fast fell on me and
spilled his coffee on my jacket. He looked at me, but he didn’t say, “Excuse me.” He kept walking. When
I got back to the office, I saw him again. He was the next person I interviewed. He was very surprised
when I came in! He did not get the job. 

Richard
One of the most hilarious things that ever happened in my life was when my daughter was only nine or
ten months old. I was repairing our house, and I needed paint. I took the baby with me because my wife
was very tired. I had a baby carrier that looked like a backpack. I went to the paint store with the baby on
my back. I was checking the price when I heard a big noise! My little baby pulled a can of paint from the
shelf, and it landed on the floor. There was paint everywhere! She started laughing with joy at the purple
color all over the floor! I was shocked at the time, but afterwards we all laughed.
26 UNIT 3