英语小达人 189 Silence Is Good
英语课
Silence Is Good
沉默是金
At an Indian fair there was a merchant who had an elephant for sale. He saw an American who was examining it with very great care--walking round and round it, putting his head on one side, and taking in everything.
在印度集市上，有个商人要卖大象。他看到一个美国人仔细地观察，围着大象走来走去，还歪着头看，一切都记在心上。
The merchant went up to the American, and said, "Don't say anything about the elephant till I have sold it, and I will make you a present."
商人走过去对美国人说：“在我卖掉大象之前一个字都不准说，我会给你一份礼物的。”
"All right," said the American.
“好啊！”美国人说。
After the elephant was sold, the merchant gave him one-tenth of the price he had got for it, and said, "Now tell me how you found out that blemish 1 on the left foreleg of the elephant. I thought it was quite concealed 2."
卖了大象之后，商人把卖大象钱的十分之一给了美国人，并且说道：“现在告诉我你是怎么发现大象左前腿的毛病吧。我以为很隐蔽呢！”
"Blemish!" said the American. "I never found any blemish."
“毛病？！”美国人说道，“我从没发现什么毛病啊！”
"Then, why did you examine the elephant so closely 3?" asked the merchant.
“那么，你为什么那么细心地检查大象呢？”商人问道。
"Because I had never seen an elephant before, and wanted to see what it was like," said the American.
“因为我以前从没看到过大象，想看看到底是什么样子。”美国人说。
v.损害；玷污；瑕疵，缺点
- The slightest blemish can reduce market value.只要有一点最小的损害都会降低市场价值。
- He wasn't about to blemish that pristine record.他本不想去玷污那清白的过去。
a.隐藏的，隐蔽的
- The paintings were concealed beneath a thick layer of plaster. 那些画被隐藏在厚厚的灰泥层下面。
- I think he had a gun concealed about his person. 我认为他当时身上藏有一支枪。