A teacher said to her class: "Who was the first man?"
George Washington, a little boy shouted promptly1.
How do you make out that George Washington was the first Man? Asked the teacher, smiling indulgently2.
Because, said the little boy, "he was first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen."
But at this point a larger boy held up his hand.
Well, said the teacher to him, "who do you think was the first man?"
I don't know what his name was, said the larger boy, "but I know it wasn't George Washington, ma'am, because the history book says George Washington married a widow3, so, of course, there must have been a man ahead of him."
Notes:
1. promptly 及時(shí)地,立即
2. indulgently 和藹地,寬容地
3. widow 寡婦
有個(gè)老師問(wèn)班上的學(xué)生:“誰(shuí)是第一男人?“
“喬治·華盛頓?!币粋€(gè)小男孩當(dāng)即叫道。
“你怎么知道喬治·華盛頓是第一男人呢?”老師問(wèn)道,寬容地微笑著。
小男孩說(shuō):“因?yàn)樗趹?zhàn)時(shí)第一,和平時(shí)代第一,國(guó)人心中第一。”
這時(shí)一個(gè)大點(diǎn)兒的男孩舉起手來(lái)。
“那么”,老師對(duì)他說(shuō),“你認(rèn)為誰(shuí)是第一男人呢?”
“我不知道他的名字”,大點(diǎn)兒的男孩說(shuō),“但我知道不是喬治·華盛頓,老師。因?yàn)闅v史書上說(shuō),喬治·華盛頓娶了一個(gè)寡婦,所以在他前面肯定還有一個(gè)男人?!?
Useful link:
瑪莎·卡斯蒂斯,喬治·華盛頓的夫人,與華盛頓同年出生,父親也是一個(gè)大種植園主。16歲那年,父母把她嫁給一個(gè)年紀(jì)比她大一倍的富翁。幾年后,丈夫去世,瑪莎成了一個(gè)年輕而富有的寡婦。后來(lái)她遇見(jiàn)了華盛頓,兩人一見(jiàn)鐘情。1759年,兩人結(jié)婚。華盛頓不僅得到了一個(gè)年輕美貌的妻子,還獲得了一大筆財(cái)產(chǎn),這使他成了北美殖民地最富有的人之一。