【生词预览】

clerk售货员，tape卷尺，plasma 等离子

【笑话原文】

A Small Trick

All I wanted was to pay for some batteries, but none of the clerks in the electronics store seemed interested in helping me. I got an idea, and pulled a tape measure out of my pocket. I stepped over to one of the giant plasma screen TVs and started to measure it. Faster than you can say high definition, a young man came running over.

“May I help you?” he asked breathlessly.

“Yes,” I said. “I’d like to buy these batteries.”

【中文译文】

一个小花招

我只是要付钱买电池。但是电器店里的职员似乎没有一个对此感兴趣。我有一了一个主意。我从口袋里掏出一条软尺，走到一个巨大的等离子电视机前，开始量尺寸。一个年轻人迅速跑过来，比说完“高清晰度”这四个字的速度还快。

他问：“有什么能帮您的呢？”他上气不接下气地说。

“有啊”我说，“我想买些电池。”

【词汇讲解】

1.clerk售货员。总结一下clerk所代表的各种职位：（旅馆）接待员；办事员、文书；书记员；（议会中的）高级职员；教堂执事、见习修道士、神职人员；学者。

2.tape卷尺。tape还可以做动词，有“用胶布固定”的意思：tape a note to the door用胶布把一张字条粘贴在门上。Tie her and tape her up.把她绑起来，用胶布封住她的嘴。

3.step over走过，迈过。Step over the water, kids.孩子们，迈水过来。Will you step over to my office after work?下班后到我办公室来一趟好吗？

4.giant特大的。a giant photograph巨幅照片。也可以作名词，指“巨人”：a literary giant大文豪；an oil giant大石油公司

5. measure测量／权衡／调节／斟酌：measure one’s words斟酌词句；measure one’s foe估量自己的敌人。也可作名词，是“尺寸”的意思：one’s waist measure腰围尺寸。

6.breathless气喘吁吁的。Running up stairs very fast made him breathless.飞快跑上楼梯使他上气不接下气。“沉闷的、令人窒息的”：a breathless evening无风而沉闷的夜晚；breathless air in the attic阁楼里令人窒息的空气