（4） Not long after an old Chinese woman came back to China from her visit to her daughter in the States, she went to a city bank to deposit the US dollars her daughter gave her. At the bank counter, the clerk checked each note carefully to see if the money was real. It made the old lady out of patience.
At last she could not hold any more, uttering. "Trust me, Sir, and trust the money. They are real US dollars. They are directly from America."
它們是從美國直接帶來的
壹位中國老婦人在美國看望女兒回來不久，到壹家市銀行存女兒送給她的美元。在銀行櫃臺，銀行職員認真檢查了每壹張鈔票，看是否有假。
這種做法讓老婦人很不耐煩，最後實在忍耐不住說：“相信我，先生，也請妳相信這些鈔票。這都是真正的美元，它們是從美國直接帶來的。”
（5）/viewdiary.15386288.html
（6）She kindled a third match. Again shot up the flame； and now she was sitting under a most beautiful Christmas tree ,far larger, and far more prettily decked out, than the one she had seen last Christmas eve through the glass doors of the rich merchant's house. Hundreds of wax-tapers lighted up the green branches, and tiny painted figures, such as she had seen in the shop-windows, looked down from the tree upon her. The child stretched out her hands towards them in delight, and in that moment the lights of the match warm quenched； still, however, the Christmas candles burned higher and higher， she beheld them beaming like stars in heaven； one of them fell, the lights streaming behind it like a long, fiery tail.
“Now some one is dying,” said the little girl, softly, for she had been told by her old grandmother， the only person who had ever been kind to her, and who was now dead that whenever a star falls an immortal spirit returns to the God who gave it.
She struck yet another match against the wall； it flamed up, and surrounded by its light, appeared before her that same dear grandmother, gentle and loving as always, but bright and happy as she had never looked during her lifetime.
她擦著了第三根火柴，又冒出了火焰。現在她覺得正坐在非常美麗的聖誕樹下面，比上次聖誕節透過那富商家的玻璃門看到的那株還要大、還要美。這株樹的綠枝上點燃著許許多多的蠟燭，顏色瑰麗的圖畫，就象櫥窗裏掛著的那些壹樣漂亮，仿佛在向她眨眼。小姑娘把兩只手伸過去，火柴又熄滅了。然而聖誕樹上的燭光越升越高。她看到它們變成了明亮的星星，有壹顆落下來，在天上劃出壹道長長的火絲。
“現在又有壹個什麽人死了。”小姑娘說。因為她的老祖母——壹個唯壹待她好的人，現在已經死了，曾經告訴過她，天上落下壹顆星，地上就有壹個靈魂回到曾賦於他生命的上帝那裏去。
她在墻上又擦了壹根火柴，火光把四周照亮了。在亮光裏，親愛的和生前壹樣的祖母出現了。她依然是那麽的慈愛和溫和，然而那快活和幸福的樣子卻是她生前從未有過的
（7）But the teacher cried
The six-year-old John was terribly spoiled . His father knew it, but his grandma doted on him. He hardly left her side. And when he wanted anything, he either cried or threw a temper tantrum. Then came his first day of school, his first day away from his grandmother's loving arms.
When he came home from school his grandma met him at the door.
"Was school all right?" she asked, "Did you get along all right? did you cry?"
"Cry?" John asked. "No, I didn't cry, but the teacher did!"
可是老師哭了
六歲的約翰嬌生慣養。他的父親知道這壹點，可他的祖父母仍然寵著他。這孩子幾乎寸步不離他的祖母。他想要什麽不是哭，就是鬧。他第壹天上學才離開祖母的懷抱。
約翰放學了，他奶奶在門口接他並問道：“學校怎麽樣？妳過的好嗎？哭了沒有？”
“哭？”約翰問，“不，我沒哭，可老師哭了。”
（8）A Bet
Two pals are sitting in a pub watching the eleven-'clock news.A reporter comes on about a man threatening to jump from the 20th floor of a downtown building.One friend turns to the other and says,'I'll bet you ten bucks the guy doesn't jump.'
'It's a bet,' agrees his buddy.
A few minutes later, the man on the ledge jumps,so the loser hands his pal a $10 bill.'I can't take your money,'his friend admits.'I saw him jump earlier on the six-o'clock news.'
'Me,too,'says the other buddy.'But I didn't think he'd do it again.
打賭
兩個好朋友正坐在壹家小酒館內觀看十壹點的電視新聞。壹則新聞報道說，有個男人威脅要從商業區壹座大樓的二十層跳下去。壹位朋友轉身對另壹位說道：“我敢賭十塊錢，那家夥不會往下跳。”
“賭就賭，”他的朋友欣然同意。
幾分鐘後，站在墻檐上的男人跳了下去，因而賭輸的那位交給他的朋友壹張十元的鈔票。“我不能拿妳的錢，”他的朋友承認道，“早在六點的新聞裏，我就已見他跳下去了。”
“我也是，”另壹位說，“可我想他不會再跳了！”
（9）Julie was saying her bedtime prayers. "Please God," she said, "make Naples the capital of Italy. Make Naples the capital of Italy."
Her mother interrupted and said. "Julie, why do you want God to make Naples the capital of Italy?"
And Julie replied, "Because that's what I put in my geography exam!"
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朱莉葉在做睡前禱告。“上帝，求求妳，”她說，“讓那不勒斯成為意大利的首都吧。”
媽媽打斷她的話說：“朱莉葉，為什麽求上帝讓那不勒斯成為意大利的首都呢？”
朱莉葉回答道：“因為我在地理考卷上是這樣寫的。”
（10)Nest and Hair
My sister, a primary school teacher, was informed by one of her pupils that a bird had built its nest in the tree outside the classroom.
"What kind of bird?" my sister asked.
"I didn't see the bird, ma' am, only the nest," replied the child.
"Then, can you give us a description of the nest?" my sister encouraged her .
"Well, ma'am, it just resembles your hair. "
Notes:
1 inform v.告訴
2 nest n.窩；巢
3 description n.描述
4 encourage v.鼓勵
5 resemble v. 相似；類似
鳥窩與頭發
我姐姐是壹位小學老師。壹次壹個學生告訴她說壹只鳥兒在教室外 的樹上壘了個窩。
“是什麽鳥呢？”我姐姐問她。
“我沒看到鳥兒，老師，只看到鳥窩。”那孩子回答說。
“那麽，妳能給我們描述壹下這個鳥巢嗎？”我姐姐鼓勵她道。
“哦，老師，就像妳的頭發壹樣。”
(11)I've Just Bitten My Tongue
"Are we poisonous?" the young snake asked his mother.
"Yes, dear," she replied - "Why do you ask?"
"Cause I've just bitten my tongue! "
Notes:
1 poisonous adj.有毒的
2 Cause I've just bitten my tongue 因為我剛咬了自己的舌頭。 句中 Cause 是 Because 的縮略形式。
我剛咬破自己的舌頭
“我們有毒嗎？”壹個年幼的蛇問它的母親。
“是的，親愛的，”她回答說，“妳問這個幹什麽？”
“因為我剛剛咬破自己的舌頭。”
(12)A Woman Who Fell
It was rush hour and I was dashing to a train in New York City's Grand Central Terminal - As I neared the gate, a plump, middle-aged woman sprinted up from behind, lost her footing on the smooth marble floor and slid onto her back. Her momentum carried her close to my shoes. Before I could help her, however, she had scrambled up. Gaining her composure, she winked at me and said, "Do you always have beautiful women failing at your feet?"
摔倒的女人
上下班高峰期，我匆匆奔向紐約豪華中心站去趕壹趟火車。接近門口，壹位肥胖的中年婦女從後面沖過來，沒想到在平滑的大理石地面上失了腳，仰面滑倒了。她的慣性使她接近了我的腳。我正準備扶她，她卻自己爬了起來。她鎮定了壹下，對我擠了壹下眉，說道：“總是有漂亮女人拜倒在妳腳下嗎？”