Fred was a young soldier in a big camp. During the week they always worked very hard, but it was Saturday, and all the young soldiers were free, so their officer said to them, “You can go into the town this afternoon, but first I’m going to inspect you.”
弗雷德是一个大军营的年轻士兵。在一周的工作日内,他们工作非常辛苦,但现在是星期六,这些年轻的士兵有空闲了,因此他们的军官对他们说:“今天下午你们可以到城里去,但是首先我要检查一下你们。”
Fred came to the officer, and the officer said to him, “Your hair’s very long. Go to the barber and come back to me again.”
弗雷德来到军官面前,军官对他说:“你的头发非常长。去找理发师理一下,然后再回来见我。”
Fred ran to the barber’s shop, but it was closed because it was Saturday. Fred was very sad for a few minutes, but then he smiled and went back to the officer.
弗雷德跑到了理发店,但因为是星期六,理发店关门了。弗雷德难过了几分钟,但是后来他笑了,回到了军官面前。
“Are my boots clean now, sir?” he asked.
“长官,我的靴子现在干净了吗?”他问道。
The officer did not look at Fred’s hair. He looked at his boots and said, “Yes, they’re much better now. You can go out. And next week, first clean your boots, and then come to me.”
军官没看弗雷德的头发。他看了看他的靴子,说:“是的,现在干净多了。你可以出去了。下一星期,先擦干净你的靴子,以后再来见我。”