1.How to be like a gentleman
Dick was seven years old, and his sister, Catherine, was five. One day their mother took them to their aunt‘s house to play while she went to the big city to buy some new clothes.
The children played for an hour, and then at half past four their aunt took Dick into the kitchen. She gave him a nice cake and a knife and said to him, “Now here‘s a knife, Dick. Cut this cake in half and give one of the pieces to your sister, but remember to do it like a gentleman.”
“Like a gentleman?” Dick asked. “How do gentlemen do it?”
“They always give the bigger piece to the other person.” answered his aunt at once.
“Oh” said Dick. He thought about this for a few seconds. Then he took the cake to his sister and said to her,”Cut this cake in half, Catherine.”.
翻译:
如何像一位绅士
迪克年龄七岁,他的妹妹凯瑟琳五岁。一天,妈妈把他们带到姨妈家去玩,自己就到大城市去买些新的衣服。
孩子们玩了个把小时,在四点半的时候,姨妈领着迪克走进了厨房。她交给迪克一块精美的蛋糕和一把刀子,并对他说:“喏,迪克,给你刀子,把这块蛋糕一切为二,给你妹妹一块。不过,你得记住要做得像一个绅士那样。”
迪克问:“像一个绅士?绅士怎样做呢?”
他姨妈马上回答说:“绅士总是把大的一块让给别人的。”
迪克说了一声“噢”。他对此想了一会,然后,他把蛋糕拿给妹妹,并对她说:“凯瑟琳,你来把这块蛋糕一切为二吧。”
2.I was the foreman
Peter was telling a friend that he had just lost his job.
“Why did the foreman(领班) fire you?” the friend asked in surprise.
“Oh,” Peter said, “you know how foreman are. They stand around with their hands in their pockets watching everybody else work.”
“We all know that,” replied his friend. “But why did he let you go?”
“Jealousy,” answered Pete. “All the other workers thought I was the foreman.”
翻译:
我是领班
皮特告诉他的朋友他刚刚丢掉了工作。
“为什么领班会开除你?”朋友诧异地问。
“哦,”皮特说,“你知道领班是什么样的人。他们总是把手插在口袋了,站在旁边看其他人工作。”
“我们知道是这样。”朋友回答说。“但是为什么他会让你走?”
“嫉妒。”皮特回答。“其他所有的工人都认为我是领班。”
3.The Same Duties
A retired four-star general ran into his former orderly, also retired, in a Manhattan bar and spent the rest of the evening persuading him to come work for him as his valet. “Your duties will be exactly the same as they were in the army,” the general said. “Nothing to it-you‘ll catch on again fast.”
Next morning promptly at eight o‘clock, the ex-orderly entered the ex-general‘s bedroom, pulled open the drapes, gave the general a gentle shake, strode around the other side of the bed, spanked his employer‘s wife on her bottom and said, “OK, sweetheart, it‘s back to the village for you.”
翻译:
相同的职责
一个退休的四星级将军在曼哈顿的一个酒吧偶然地遇到了他以前的勤务兵,勤务兵也退休在家。这位将军花了一整个晚上的时间来说服他回来做他的贴身随从。“你的职责与在军队时完全一样,”将军说,“这没什么,你很快就会再次理解它的。”
第二天早晨八点钟时,前勤务兵迅速地进到前将军的卧室,拉开窗帘,轻轻地摇了摇将军,然后大步走到床的另一侧,在他雇主的妻子屁股上拍了一下,说道:“好了,甜心,你该回到村庄去了。”