A pretentious¹（自命不凡的） scholar was keen to show off. One day when he was being rowed across a stream, he asked the boatman: "Do you understand philosophy?"

 

"No, sir, " said the boatman. "Then, " said the scholar, "one-fourth of your life is gone." After a while he asked again, "Do you know geology?" "Nothing at all," said the boatman.

 

"Well, that makes one half of your life gone," said the scholar. Just then the boat suddenly tipped over. The boatman asked: "Can you swim?"

 

The scholor said, gasping² for breath: "No." "Then your whole life is gone," said the boatman.

 

有个自命不凡的学者和喜欢卖弄。有一天他乘一只小船过河去时，问船夫：“你懂哲学吗？” 船夫说：“不懂哇，先生。”

 

学者就说：“那你的一生有四分之一算完了。”过了一会儿他又问：“你知道地质学吗？” 船夫说：“一点也不懂。”学者就说：“那你的一生的已有一半算完了。”

 

就在这时，小船忽然翻了，船夫问学者：“你会游水吗？”学者喘着气说：“不会啊。”

 

船夫说：“那你的一生就全完啦。”

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