unit 5 the perfect solution 完美解决之道
president shrub was flying over the u.s. with his staff. suddenly he got a brilliant inspiration: “you know, i think i’ll just throw a fifty-dollar bill out the window and make somebody happy.”
史拉伯总统和他的幕僚正搭机横越美国上空。忽然间他心中突发奇想“,我想由窗口扔一张五十元美钞下去,让某个人高兴一下。”
“mr. president, why don’t you throw out five ten-dollar bills and make five people happy? ” suggested his celebrated secretary of state.
“总统先生,您为什么不丢五张十元的钞票让五个人高兴呢?”著名的国务卿建议道。
vice-president partridge caught on, “golly, mr. president, why don’t you throw fifty singles and make fifty people happy ?”
副总统派翠基接着说“:啊,总统先生,您为什么不丢五十张一元钞票,好让五十个人高兴呢?”
the pilot turned around and said, “why don’t you just throw yourself out the window and make everybody happy?”
这时飞机驾驶员转身说道:“为什么你不把自己丢出窗外,好让每个人都高兴呢?”
英语知识点解说:
1.perfect a. 完美的
例:practice makes perfect.
(熟能生巧。)
2.solution n. 解答;解决方法(均与介词 to 并用)
例:ross thinks he has a solution to the problem.
(罗斯认为他有办法解决。)
3.staff n. 参谋;幕僚(集合名词,不可数)
a staff of +数字 有若干幕僚/职员
例:we have a staff of 200 in our company.
=we have 200 staff members in out company.
(我们公司有两百位职员。)
4.brilliant a. 极棒的 (= excellent)
例:the violinist gave a brilliant performance.
(这位小提琴师做了一场出色的演出。)
5.inspiration n. 灵感
例:genius is 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration.
(天才是由99%苦汗加上1%的灵感所构成的。)
6.celebrated a. 著名的
=famous
例:the celebrated singer sang several love songs.
(那位著名的歌手演唱了好几首情歌。)
7.secretary of state (美)国务卿
8.golly int. 哎呀!(表示惊讶语气,是 god 的委婉用语)
9.single a. 一个的;单独的 & n. 单一;单张;一元纸币
此处 fifty singles 等于fifty one-dollar bills (五十张一元的钞票)
本文乃讽刺美国高层幕僚的一则笑话,其中 president shrub (矮灌木)系依据前美国总统老 布什(灌木)而来,而 vice-president partridge(鹧鸪、松鸡)系影射美前 副总统奎尔 quayle(鹧鸪鸟,或拼做 quail)。美国在他俩人领导期间经济低迷,失业率上升,因此高级行政首长声望每况愈下,人民普遍对他们不满。