mental deficiency
“Would you mind telling me, Doctor,” Bob asked, “how you detect a mental deficiency in somebody who appears completely normal?” “Nothing is easier,” he replied, “You ask him a simple question which everyone should answer with no trouble. If he hesitates, that puts you on the track.” “Well, what sort of question?” “Well, you might ask him, ‘Captain Cook made three trips around the world and died during one of them. Which one?‘ ” Bob thought for a moment, and then said with a nervous laugh, “You wouldn‘t happen to have another example would you? I must confess I don‘t know much about history.”
翻译:
智力缺陷
“医生，你能不能告诉我，”鲍勃问，“对于一个看上去很正常的人，你是怎样判断出他有智力缺陷的呢？”“再没有比这容易的了，”医生回答，“问他一个简单的问题，简单到所有人都知道答案，如果他回答得不干脆，那你就知道是怎么回事了。”“那要问什么样的问题呢？”“嗯，你可以这样问，‘库克船长环球旅行了三次，但是在其中一次的途中他去世了，是哪一次呢？’”鲍勃想了一会儿，紧张的回答道，“你就不能问另外一个问题吗？坦率地说，我对历史了解的不是很多。”
motivation
My English professor once launched into a lecture on “motivation.” “What pushes you ahead?” he asked. “What is it that makes you go to school each day? What driving force makes you strive to accomplish?” Turning suddenly to one young woman, he demanded: “What makes you get out of bed in the morning?” The student replied: “My mother.”
翻译:
动机
我们英文课的教授有一次在课上讲“动机”。“是什么推动你在人生的路上向前走？”他问道，“是什么让你每天上学来？又是什么驱使你追求成功？”冲着一个女学生，他问：“是什么让你早晨从床上爬起来的呢？”学生答道：“我妈妈。”
Whose autograph would you most want to have
Our university newspaper runs a weekly question feature. Recently, the question was: “Whose autograph would you most want to have, and why?” As expected, most responses mentioned music or sports stars, or politicians. The best response came from a freshman, who said, “The person who signs my diploma.”
翻译:
你最想要什么人的签名
我们大学的校报开办了一个每周一问的专栏。上周的问题是：“你最想要什么人的签名？为什么？”和预计的一样，大部分的回答都是歌星、体育明星或者政治家。但是，最优秀的答案来自一个一年级新生，他说：“在我毕业证上签字的那个人。”
taking attendance
On my first day of classes at my university I took a front-row seat in my literature course. The professor told us we would be responsible for reading five books, and that he would provide us with a list of authors from which we could choose. Then he ambled over to the lectern, took out his class book and began, “Baker, Black, Brooks, Carter, Cook…” I was working feverishly to get down all the names when I felt a tap on my shoulder. The student in back of me whispered, “He‘s taking attendance.”
翻译:
点名
大学的第一天，文学课我坐在了前排。教授告诉我们这学期必须得读五本书，他提供我们可供选择的作者名单。随后他缓步走上讲台，拿出课本，“贝克、布莱克、布鲁斯、卡特、库克…”为了写下所有的名字，我不得不疯狂的作着记录。这时有人轻轻的拍我肩膀，坐在我后面的学生悄悄告诉我：“他在点名呢。”
