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It has never been explained
谁也弄不清
why university students seem to enjoy practical jokes more than anyone else.
为什么大学生好像比任何人都更喜欢恶作剧
Students specialize in a particular type of practical joke: the hoax.
大学生擅长一种特殊的恶作剧 戏弄人
Inviting the fire brigade to put out a non-existent fire
请消防队来扑灭一场根本没有的大火
is a crude form of deception
是一种低级骗局
which no self-respecting student would ever indulge in.
有自尊心的大学生决不会去做
Students often create amusing situations
大学生们常常做的是制造一种可笑的局面
which are funny to everyone except the victims.
使大家笑上一场 当然受害者是笑不出来的
When a student recently saw two workmen
最近有个学生看见两个工人
using a pneumatic drill outside his university,
在学校门外用风钻干活
he immediately telephoned the police
马上打电话报告警察
and informed them that two students dressed up as workmen
说有两个学生装扮成工人
were tearing up the road with a pneumatic drill.
正在用风钻破坏路面
As soon as he had hung up,
挂上电话后
he went over to the workmen and told them
他又马上来到工人那儿 告诉他们
that if a policeman ordered them to go away,
若有个警察来让他们走开
they were not to take him seriously.
不要把他当回事
He added that a student had dressed up as a policeman
还对工人说 有个学生常装扮成警察
and was playing all sorts of silly jokes on people.
无聊地同别人开玩笑
Both the police and the workmen were grateful to the student
警察与工人
for this piece of advance information.
都对那个学生事先通报情况表示感谢
The student hid in an archway nearby
那个学生躲在附近一拱形的门廊里
where he could watch and hear everything that went on.
在那儿可以看见 听到现场发生的一切
Sure enough, a policeman arrived on the scene
果然 警察来了
and politely asked the workmen to go away.
不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.
于是警察威胁要强行使他们离开
The workmen told him to do 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,
一会儿工夫
four more policemen arrived and remonstrated with the workmen.
又来了4个警察 规劝工人离开
As the men refused to stop working,
由于工人拒绝停下手中的活
the police attempted to seize the pneumatic drill.
警察想夺风钻
The workmen struggled 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.
威胁说要去叫警察
At this, the police pointed out ironically
警察听后讥讽地说
that this would hardly be necessary as the men were already under arrest.
这大可不必 因为他俩已被逮捕了
Pretending to speak seriously,
其中一个工人装模作样地问道
one of the workmen asked if he might make a telephone call
在被带往警察局之前
before being taken to the station.
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 陪他来到一个投币的电话前
Only when he saw that the man was actually telephoning the police
当他看到那个工人真的是给警察挂电话
did he realize that they had all been the victims of a hoax.
才恍然大悟 原来他们都是一场骗局的受害者
