A man drove his car into a ditch3 in a desolated4 area. Luckily, a local farmer came to help with his big strong horse named Buddy.
He hitched5 Buddy up to the car and yelled6, "Pull, Nellie, pull." Buddy didn't move. Then the farmer hollered7, "Pull, Buster, pull." Buddy didn't respond. Once more the farmer commanded, "Pull, Jennie, pull." Nothing.
Then the farmer nonchalantly8 said, "Pull, Buddy, pull." And the horse easily dragged the car out of the ditch.
The man was most appreciative9 and very curious. He asked the farmer why he called his horse by the wrong name three times.
The farmer said, "Oh, Buddy is blind, and if he thought he was the only one pulling, he wouldn't even try!"
Notes:
1. in pursuit of 追求
2. equity 平等
3. ditch 溝
4. desolated 荒涼的
5. hitch (用環(huán)或鉤)套住,鉤住
6. yell 叫喊
7. holler 抱怨,發(fā)牢騷
8. nonchalantly 漫不經(jīng)心地
9. appreciative 感激的
一個男子把他的車開進了一個荒涼地帶的小溝里。幸運的是當?shù)匾粋€農(nóng)夫帶著他的一匹名叫巴蒂的強壯大馬來幫忙了。
農(nóng)夫把巴蒂拴在車前叫道:“拉啊,奈麗,快拉?!卑偷贈]有動彈。
于是農(nóng)夫又叫道:“拉啊,巴斯特,快拉?!卑偷贈]有反應(yīng)。
農(nóng)夫又一次命令道:“拉啊,杰尼,快拉?!比匀皇裁磩屿o都沒有。這時農(nóng)夫漫不經(jīng)心地叫道:“拉啊,巴蒂,快拉。”于是馬輕易地把車拉出了小溝。
這個男子很感激,又非常好奇。他問這個農(nóng)夫為什么三次叫錯了那匹馬的名字。農(nóng)夫說:“哦,巴蒂是匹瞎馬,如果它知道就是它一匹馬在拉車,它試都不會試的!”
Useful link:
馬主要作為役使家畜,用于騎乘、挽車和載重,在戰(zhàn)爭和勞作中運用,在歷史上起到非常重要的作用。直到工業(yè)革命蒸汽機出現(xiàn)以前,馬一直是主要的拉車動力,以至于后來機器的能力要以馬力來衡量。在山區(qū)無法行車的路上,馬是主要的運載工具。