One night a hotel caught fire1, and the people who were staying in it ran out in their night clothes.
Two men stood outside and looked at the fire.
Before I came out, said one, "I ran into some of the rooms and found a lot of money. People don't think of money when they're afraid. When anyone leaves paper money in a fire, the fire burns it. So I took all the bills2 that I could find. No one will be poorer because I took them."
You don't know my work, said the other.
What is your work?
I'm a policeman.
Oh! cried the first man. He thought quickly and said, "and do you know my work?"
No, said the policeman.
I'm a writer. I'm always telling stories about things that never happened.
Notes:
1. caught fire 著火
2. bill 鈔票
一天晚上,一家旅館失火,住在這家旅館里的人穿著睡衣就跑了出來(lái)。兩個(gè)人站在外面,看著大火。
“在我出來(lái)之前”,其中一個(gè)人說(shuō),“我跑進(jìn)一些房間,找到了一大筆錢(qián)。人在恐懼中是不會(huì)想到錢(qián)的。如果有人把紙幣留在火里,火就會(huì)把它燒成灰燼。所以我把我所能找到的鈔票都拿走了。沒(méi)有人會(huì)因?yàn)槲夷米咚鼈兌兊酶F。”
“你不知道我是干什么的?!绷硪粋€(gè)人說(shuō)。
“你是干什么的?”
“我是警察?!?
“噢!”第一個(gè)人叫了起來(lái)。他靈機(jī)一動(dòng),說(shuō):“那你知道我是干什么的?”
“不知道?!本煺f(shuō)。
“我是個(gè)作家。我總是愛(ài)編一些從未發(fā)生過(guò)的故事。”
Useful link:
美國(guó)有聯(lián)邦警察,屬于聯(lián)邦調(diào)查局;有州長(zhǎng)領(lǐng)導(dǎo)下的州警察,負(fù)責(zé)市與市交接地帶及州際高速公路上的治安;還有市長(zhǎng)領(lǐng)導(dǎo)下的市警察,負(fù)責(zé)本地區(qū)內(nèi)治安。他們相互之間沒(méi)有隸屬關(guān)系,只有合作關(guān)系。我們看的美國(guó)影片里的警察絕大多數(shù)是聯(lián)邦警察和市警察。他們的巡警就是負(fù)責(zé)交通和普通治安,和我們國(guó)家有些地方的交通巡警類似,巡警干得好可以升到辦公室負(fù)責(zé)刑事案件。