趴到地上!(据说这是篮球明星迈克·乔丹与电影明星爱迪·默菲在赌
文章来源: 文章作者: 发布时间:2007-04-10 03:18 字体: [ ]  进入论坛
(单词翻译:双击或拖选)

(据说这是篮球明星迈克·乔丹与电影明星爱迪·默菲在赌场的真实经历)

大西洋赌城的一个周末,一个老太太玩老虎机赢了一桶25分的硬币。她决定休息一会,和丈夫到酒店餐厅共进晚餐。进餐厅前,老太太要将这一桶硬币放到酒店房间里。

“我马上就回来,然后咱们一起用餐。”老太太边对丈夫说,边捧着这桶硬币走到电梯前。老太太正要跨进电梯,却看到电梯里已站着两个人。两个都是黑人!

其中一个非常高大,高大得有些吓人!老太太惊呆了,她的第一个反应就是:这两个黑人会抢劫我。但老太太马上又告诉自己:不要有偏见!他们看起来都颇有绅士风度!但是那种根深蒂固的种族观念非常强烈,一种恐惧感让老太太不知道是否该乘这趟电梯。

老太太站在那里看着两个黑人,既紧张又害怕又感到羞耻。她希望两个黑人不知道她在想什么,但她知道这只是自欺欺人。她的犹豫紧张如此明显,任何人都能看出她在想什么。

老太太的脸开始变红,她知道自己不能总站在那儿不动。经过一番挣扎,老太太最终提起右腿,跟着又迈起左腿,踏进电梯。老太太不敢直视两个黑人,眼睛盯着关好的电梯门,一秒钟,两秒钟,三秒钟,随着时间一秒一秒的滑过,老太太的恐惧开始一点点增加。电梯依然原地不动,我的上帝,老太太想,我被锁进电梯里,孤立无援,他们马上要动手了。老太太心跳加速,浑身所有毛孔开始冒冷汗。就在这个时候,她听到一个黑人说道:“Hit the floor (趴到地上),”本能告诉她:不要反抗,按照他们说的去做。老太太迅速地两手按地趴下去,一桶硬币全倒在地板上,到处滚动。老太太两手按着地板,心里默默祷告:钱都拿走,千万别伤害我!如此静静的又过了几秒钟:她听到那个黑人很礼貌地问她:“夫人,如果你能告诉我们你住在那一层,我们会很高兴帮你按一下按钮。”

说话的黑人几乎忍不住要笑出来。老太太抬起头,看着两个高大的黑人,他们伸出手来,要拉她起来。老太太有些疑惑,一时腿也不停使唤。“当我对我的朋友说hit the floor,”先前讲话的黑人开始解释,“我指的是按一下我们所住楼层的按钮,而不是让您趴到地上,夫人。”(hit the floor既可做“趴到地上”,也可做“按电梯里楼层的按钮”解释)

讲话的时候,这位黑人不断地咬自己的嘴唇,显然他在极力控制自己不笑出来。我的老天,我犯了一个多么愚蠢的错误!老太太心想。她想道歉,又不知说什么好!你如何向两位自己认为要抢劫自己的绅士道歉!三个人将滚了一地的硬币捡起,放进她的小桶里,电梯到了老太太所在楼层以后,两个人坚持要把老太太送到房间门口,因为老太太看上去走路还有些吃力。到了老太太门口,两个人向老太太道声晚安,转身离开。老太太走进自己房间时,听到两个人在楼道里大声笑起来。

老太太重新梳妆一番,然后回到楼下与丈夫共进晚餐。第二天早晨,一束鲜花送到了老太太的房间--十二只玫瑰!每一只玫瑰花上挂着一张崭新的一百美元纸币。随鲜花一起送来的卡片上写着:多谢您送给我们多年来最欢畅的一次开怀大笑。送花人:迈克·乔丹,爱迪·默菲

  On a recent weekend in Atlantic City, a woman won a bucketful of quarters at a slot machine(老虎机,一种赌具). She took a break from the slots for dinner with her husband in the hotel dining room. But first she wanted to stash1 (贮藏,隐藏)the quarters in her room.

  "I'll be right back and we'll go to eat," she told her husband and she carried the coin-laden bucket to the elevator. As she was about to walk into the elevator she noticed two men already aboard. Both were black. One of them was big ... very big ... an intimidating2 figure. The woman froze. Her first thought was: These two are going to rob me. Her next thought was: Don't be a bigot(顽固者), they look like perfectly3 nice gentlemen. But racial stereotypes4 (种族成见)are powerful, and fear immobilized (使固定不动)her. She stood and stared at the two men. She felt anxious, flustered5(慌乱的,狼狈的), and ashamed. She hoped they didn't read her mind, but knew they surely did; her hesitation6 about joining them on the elevator was all too obvious.

  Her face was flushed. She couldn't just stand there, so with a mighty7 effort of will she picked up one foot and stepped forward and followed with the other foot and was on the elevator.

  Avoiding eye contact, she turned around stiffly and faced the elevator doors as they closed. A second passed, and then another second, and then another. Her fear increased! The elevator didn't move. Panic consumed her. My God,
she thought, I'm trapped and about to be robbed! Her heart plummeted(垂直落下). Perspiration8 (出汗,汗水)poured from every pore(毛孔).

  Then....one of the men said, "Hit the floor." Instinct (本能)told her: Do what they tell you. The bucket of quarters flew upwards9 as she threw out her arms and collapsed10 on the elevator carpet. A shower of coins rained down on her.

  Take my money and spare me, she prayed. More seconds passed. She heard one of the men say politely, "Ma'am, if you'll just tell us what floor you're going to, we'll push the button." The one who said it had a little trouble getting the words out. He was trying mightily11 to hold in a belly12 laugh. She lifted her head and looked up at the two men. They reached down to help her up. Confused, she struggled to her feet.

  "When I told my man here to hit the floor," said the average sized one, "I meant that he should hit the elevator button for our floor. I didn't mean for you to hit the floor, ma'am."

  He spoke13 genially14. He bit his lip. It was obvious he was having a hard time not laughing. She thought: My God, what a spectacle I've made of myself. She was too humiliated15 to speak. She wanted to blurt16 out (脱口而出)an apology, but words failed her. How do you apologize to two perfectly respectable gentlemen for behaving as though they were going to rob you? She didn't know what to say.

  The three of them gathered up the strewn (散落的)quarters and refilled her bucket. When the elevator arrived at her floor they insisted on walking her to her room. She seemed a little unsteady on her feet, and they were afraid she
might not make it down the corridor.

  At her door they bid (祝愿)her a good evening. As she slipped into her room she could hear them roaring with laughter while they walked back to the elevator. The woman brushed herself off. She pulled herself together and went downstairs for dinner with her husband.

  The next morning flowers were delivered to her room - a dozen roses. Attached to EACH rose was a crisp (硬的,脆的)ten dollar bill. The card said: "Thanks for the best laugh we've had in years."



点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 stash zFmya     
v.藏或贮存于一秘密处所;n.隐藏处
参考例句:
  • Stash away both what you lost and gained,for life continues on.将得失深藏心底吧,为了那未来的生活。
  • That's supposed to be in our private stash.这是我的私人珍藏。
2 intimidating WqUzKy     
vt.恐吓,威胁( intimidate的现在分词)
参考例句:
  • They were accused of intimidating people into voting for them. 他们被控胁迫选民投他们的票。
  • This kind of questioning can be very intimidating to children. 这种问话的方式可能让孩子们非常害怕。
3 perfectly 8Mzxb     
adv.完美地,无可非议地,彻底地
参考例句:
  • The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
  • Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。
4 stereotypes 1ff39410e7d7a101c62ac42c17e0df24     
n.老套,模式化的见解,有老一套固定想法的人( stereotype的名词复数 )v.把…模式化,使成陈规( stereotype的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • Such jokes tend to reinforce racial stereotypes. 这样的笑话容易渲染种族偏见。
  • It makes me sick to read over such stereotypes devoid of content. 这种空洞无物的八股调,我看了就讨厌。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
5 flustered b7071533c424b7fbe8eb745856b8c537     
adj.慌张的;激动不安的v.使慌乱,使不安( fluster的过去式和过去分词)
参考例句:
  • The honking of horns flustered the boy. 汽车喇叭的叫声使男孩感到慌乱。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • She was so flustered that she forgot her reply. 她太紧张了,都忘记了该如何作答。 来自辞典例句
6 hesitation tdsz5     
n.犹豫,踌躇
参考例句:
  • After a long hesitation, he told the truth at last.踌躇了半天,他终于直说了。
  • There was a certain hesitation in her manner.她的态度有些犹豫不决。
7 mighty YDWxl     
adj.强有力的;巨大的
参考例句:
  • A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
  • The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。
8 perspiration c3UzD     
n.汗水;出汗
参考例句:
  • It is so hot that my clothes are wet with perspiration.天太热了,我的衣服被汗水湿透了。
  • The perspiration was running down my back.汗从我背上淌下来。
9 upwards lj5wR     
adv.向上,在更高处...以上
参考例句:
  • The trend of prices is still upwards.物价的趋向是仍在上涨。
  • The smoke rose straight upwards.烟一直向上升。
10 collapsed cwWzSG     
adj.倒塌的
参考例句:
  • Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
  • The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。
11 mightily ZoXzT6     
ad.强烈地;非常地
参考例句:
  • He hit the peg mightily on the top with a mallet. 他用木槌猛敲木栓顶。
  • This seemed mightily to relieve him. 干完这件事后,他似乎轻松了许多。
12 belly QyKzLi     
n.肚子,腹部;(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分,膛
参考例句:
  • The boss has a large belly.老板大腹便便。
  • His eyes are bigger than his belly.他眼馋肚饱。
13 spoke XryyC     
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说
参考例句:
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
14 genially 0de02d6e0c84f16556e90c0852555eab     
adv.亲切地,和蔼地;快活地
参考例句:
  • The white church peeps out genially from behind the huts scattered on the river bank. 一座白色教堂从散布在岸上的那些小木房后面殷勤地探出头来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • "Well, It'seems strange to see you way up here,'said Mr. Kenny genially. “咳,真没想到会在这么远的地方见到你,"肯尼先生亲切地说。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
15 humiliated 97211aab9c3dcd4f7c74e1101d555362     
感到羞愧的
参考例句:
  • Parents are humiliated if their children behave badly when guests are present. 子女在客人面前举止失当,父母也失体面。
  • He was ashamed and bitterly humiliated. 他感到羞耻,丢尽了面子。
16 blurt 8tczD     
vt.突然说出,脱口说出
参考例句:
  • If you can blurt out 300 sentences,you can make a living in America.如果你能脱口而出300句英语,你可以在美国工作。
  • I will blurt out one passage every week.我每星期要脱口而出一篇短文!
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