Unit 17 A Businessman,A Priest or A Drunk 第17单元 商人、牧师或酒鬼

An older couple had a son, who was still living at home. 一对老夫妻有个儿子，目前仍然闲赋在家，

The parents were a little warried, as the son was still unable to decide about his future carrer, so they decided¹ to do a small test. 还没确定未来要从事哪一行。父母有点担心，便决定做个小测验。

They took a ten-dollar bill, a Bible, and a bottle of whiskey, and put them on the front hall table...then they hid, pretending they were not at home. 他们把一张十元纸钞、一本圣经和一瓶威士忌摆在前厅桌上...然后躲起来假装不在家。

The father's plan was:"If our son takes the money, he will be a businessman, if he takes the Bible, he will be a priest— 父亲的计划是：“如果我们儿子拿了钱，将来会是个商人；如果拿了圣经，将来会是个牧师；

but if he takes the bottle of whiskey,I'm afraid our son will be a drunkard." 但他如果拿了那瓶威士忌，恐怕儿子将来会变成酒鬼。”

So the parents hid in the nearby closet and waited nervously². Peeping through the keyhole they saw their son arrive. 于是父母躲在附近飞衣橱里紧张地等待着，从钥匙孔偷看儿子回来的一举一动。

The son saw the note they had left. Then, he took the 10-dollar bill, looked at it against the light,and slid it in his pocket. 儿子看到父母出门的纸条后，先拿起十元纸钞，就着光看了一下便塞进口袋里。

After that, he took the Bible, flicked³ through it, and took it. Finally he grabbed the bottle, open it, 接着拿起圣经轻轻弹了一下也决定拿走；最后则是拿起酒瓶，

and took an appreciative⁴ whiff to be assured of the quality... then he left, carrying all three items. 打开瓶盖鉴赏般地嗅了一下，想弄清楚酒的品质如何...然后离开房间，把三样东西全带走了。

The father slapped his forehead and said, "Darn, it's even worse than could ever have imagined..." 父亲往额头重重一拍，说道：“该死，结果比我想的还要糟...”

"Our son is going to be politician!" “我们的儿子以后会去搞政治!”