buying a hat

　　a lady went to a hat shop to buy a hat. as she was very fussy, it took her a long time to pick on one. already at the end of his patience the salesman was afraid that she might change her mind again so he tried to flatter her: "an excellent choice, madam. you look at least ten years younger with this hat on!" to his dismay, the lady took off her hat at once and said: "i don"t want a hat that makes me look ten years older as soon as i take it off. show me some more hats!"

　　买帽子

　　一位妇女到一家帽子店买帽子。她很挑剔，用了很长时间才选好了一顶。已经忍耐到极限的售货员害怕她再改变主意，便恭维她："你做了极好的选择，夫人。你戴上这顶帽子看上去起码年轻十岁！"但令他沮丧的是，这位女士马上摘下了她的帽子说："我不想要一顶摘下来便使我立刻显得老十岁的帽子。多拿一些帽子给我看看！

　　 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."

　　它们是从美国直接带来的，一位中国老妇人在美国看望女儿回来不久，到一家市银行存女儿送给她的美元。在银行柜台，银行职员认真检查了每一张钞票，看是否有假。这种做法让老妇人很不耐烦，最后实在忍耐不住说：“相信我，先生，也请你相信这些钞票。这都是真正的美元，它们是从美国直接带来的。”

　　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.

　　她擦着了第三根火柴，又冒出了火焰。现在她觉得正坐在非常美丽的圣诞树下面，比上次圣诞节透过那富商家的玻璃门看到的那株还要大、还要美。这株树的绿枝上点燃着许许多多的蜡烛，颜色瑰丽的图画，就象橱窗里挂着的那些一样漂亮，仿佛在向她眨眼。小姑娘把两只手伸过去，火柴又熄灭了。然而圣诞树上的烛光越升越高。她看到它们变成了明亮的星星，有一颗落下来，在天上划出一道长长的火丝。 “现在又有一个什么人死了。”小姑娘说。因为她的老祖母——一个唯一待她好的人，现在已经死了，曾经告诉过她，天上落下一颗星，地上就有一个灵魂回到曾赋于他生命的上帝那里去。 她在墙上又擦了一根火柴，火光把四周照亮了。在亮光里，亲爱的和生前一样的祖母出现了。她依然是那么的慈爱和温和，然而那快活和幸福的样子却是她生前从未有过的

　　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!"

　　可是老师哭了

　　六岁的约翰娇生惯养。他的父亲知道这一点，可他的祖父母仍然宠着他。这孩子几乎寸步不离他的祖母。他想要什么不是哭，就是闹。他第一天上学才离开祖母的怀抱。

　　约翰放学了，他奶奶在门口接他并问道：“学校怎么样？你过的好吗？哭了没有？”

　　“哭？”约翰问，“不，我没哭，可老师哭了。”

　　a bet

　　two pals are sitting in a pub watching the eleven-"clock reporter comes on about a man threatening to jump from the20th floor of a downtown 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.

　　打赌

　　两个好朋友正坐在一家小酒馆内观看十一点的电视新闻。一则新闻报道说，有个男人威胁要从商业区一座大楼的二十层跳下去。一位朋友转身对另一位说道：“我敢赌十块钱，那家伙不会往下跳。”