英語小達(dá)人每天10分鐘 316 What If…
如果……怎么樣
Tom is applying for a job as a signalman for the localrailroad.
湯姆在應(yīng)聘做地方鐵路系統(tǒng)的信號員。
The inspector decides to give Tom a quiz, asking, "What would you do if you realized that two trainswere heading towards each other on the sametrack?"
督察決定考考他，于是問道，“如果你意識到兩列火車正在同一條軌道上面對面行駛，你會怎么做?”
Tom says, "I would switch one train to another track."
湯姆答：“我會把其中的一列轉(zhuǎn)到另一條軌道。”
"What if the lever broke?" asks the inspector.
“如果控制桿不起作用了呢?”督察接著問道。
"I'd run down to the tracks and use my manual lever," answers Tom.
湯姆答：“我會跑到軌道邊用手動控制桿搬動道岔。”
"What if that had been struck by lightning?" challenges the inspector.
“如果手動控制桿遭雷擊壞了呢?”督察繼續(xù)考驗(yàn)他。
"Then," Tom continues, "I'd run back up here and use the phone to call the next signal box."
“那么，”湯姆接著說，“我會跑回來打電話通知下一個信號房。”
"What if the phone was busy?"
“如果電話占線怎么辦?”
"In that case," Tom argues, "I'd run to the street level and use the public phone near thestation."
“那樣的話，”湯姆爭辯道，“我會跑到街上打車站旁邊的公用電話。”
"What if that had been vandalized?"
“如果那里的電話壞了呢?”
"Oh, well," says Tom, "in that case I'd run back home and get my grandpa."
“這樣啊，”湯姆說，“如果是這樣我就會跑回家把我爺爺叫來。”
This puzzles the inspector, so he asks, "Why would you do that?"
這下督察不明白了，問道：“你為什么要這么做?”
"Because he's 78 years of age but he has never seen a train crash!"
“因?yàn)槲覡敔?8歲了，可還沒見過火車相撞呢!”
