1、 新概念英语美音版第三册译文:Lesson 40 Whos who真假难辨Listen to the tape then answer the question below.听录音,然后答复以下问题。How did the policeman discover that the whole thing was a joke?It has never been explained why university students seem to enjoy practical jokes more than anyone else.谁也弄不清为什么大学生似乎比任何人都更喜爱恶作剧。Students
2、 specialize in a particular type of practical joke: the hoax.大学生擅长一种特别的恶作剧-戏弄人。Inviting the fire brigade to put out a nonexistent fire is a crude form of deception which no self-respecting student would ever indulge in.请消防队来扑灭一场根本没有的大火是一种低级骗局,有自尊心的大学生决不会去做。Students often create amusing situations wh
3、ich are funny to everyone except the victims.大学生们经常做的是制造一种可笑的局面,使大家笑上一场,固然受害者是笑不出来的。When a student recently saw two workmen using a pneumatic drill outside his university,最近有个学生观察两个工人在大学校门外用风钻干活,he immediately telephoned the police and informed them that two students dressed up as workmen were teari
4、ng up the road with a pneumatic drill.立刻打电话报告警察,说有两个学生装扮成工人,正在用风钻破坏路面。As soon as he had hung up, he went over to the workmen and told them that if a policeman ordered them to go away, they were not to take him seriously.挂上电话后,他又立刻来到工人那儿,告知他们若有个警察来让他们走开,不要把他当回事;He added that a student had dressed up
5、as a policeman and was playing all sorts of silly jokes on people.还对工人说,有个学生常装扮成警察无聊地同别人开玩笑。Both the police and the workmen were grateful to the student for this piece of advance information.警察与工人都对那个学生事先通报状况表示感谢。The student hid in an archway nearby where he could watch and hear everything that went
6、 on.那个学生躲在四周一拱形的门廊里,在那儿可以观察、听到现场发生的一切。Sure enough, a policeman arrived on the scene and politely asked the workmen to go away.果真,警察来了,有礼貌地请工人离开此地;When he received a very rude reply from one of the workmen,但其中一个工人粗鲁地回了几句。He threatened to remove them by force.于是警察威逼要强行使他们离开。The workmen told him to do
7、as he pleased and the policeman telephoned for help.工人说,悉听尊便。警察去打电话叫人。Shortly afterwards, four more policemen arrived and remonstrated with the workmen.一会儿工夫,又来了4个警察,奉劝工人离开。As the men refused to stop working, the police attempted to seize the pneumatic drill.由于工人拒绝停下手中的活,警察想夺风钻。The workmen struggled
8、 fiercely and one of them lost his temper.两个工人奋力抗争,其中一个发了火,He threatened to call the police.威逼说要去叫警察。At this, the police pointed out ironically that this would hardly be necessary as the men were already under arrest.警察听后讥讽地说,这大可不必,由于他俩已被逮捕了。Pretending to speak seriously, one of the workmen asked if
9、 he might make a telephone call before being taken to the station.其中一个工人装模作样地问道,在被带往警察局之前,是否可以打一个电话。Permission was granted and a policeman accompanied him to a pay phone.警察同意了,陪他来到一个投币地电话前。Only when he saw that the man was actually telephoning the police did he realize that they had all been the victims of a hoax.当他看到那个工人真的是给警察挂电话,才恍然大悟,原来他们都成了一场骗局的受害者。