I'm Cheering the clock on

　　There was a football game on TV last Saturday evening. The game was between a Spanish team and an Italian team. I sat in front of the TV at 7 o'clock, when the game just began. An hour later, my wife came to join me. She seemed to be absent-minded while she was watching the game. As the time clock showed one minute, forty-two seconds left in the game, she began cheering enthusiastically, "come on -- get going!"

　　Since she had never been a football fan, I looked at her in surprise and asked which team she was cheering for. "Neither," she replied. "I'm cheering the time clock on."

　　上周六的晚上，電視上播放了一場足球賽，是西班牙隊對意大利隊。7點鐘，球賽剛一開始，我就坐到了電視機前。一個小時后， 我的妻子也坐到了電視機旁。妻子在看球賽的時候一副心不在焉的樣子。當記時器顯示比賽還剩1分42秒時，她突然異常熱情起來，“加油，加油!”

　　她從來都不是球迷，我吃驚地望著她，問她支持哪個球隊。“哪個也不支持，”她答道，“我在給鐘表加油。”