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。兩個人站在外面,看著大火。
“在我出來之前”,其中一個人說,“我跑進一些房間,找到了一大筆錢。人在恐懼中是不會想到錢的。如果有人把紙幣留在火里,火就會把它燒成灰燼。所以我把我所能找到的鈔票都拿走了。沒有人會因為我拿走它們而變得更窮?!?
“你不知道我是干什么的?!绷硪粋€人說。
“你是干什么的?”
“我是警察?!?
“噢!”第一個人叫了起來。他靈機一動,說:“那你知道我是干什么的?”
“不知道?!本煺f。
“我是個作家。我總是愛編一些從未發(fā)生過的故事?!?
Useful link:
美國有聯(lián)邦警察,屬于聯(lián)邦調(diào)查局;有州長領(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。他們相互之間沒有隸屬關(guān)系,只有合作關(guān)系。我們看的美國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。