英文短篇故事（纽约）149 Did He Cut in Line?

 　　It was 10:55 a.m. Nick was standing¹ on Fifth Avenue. He was outside the library with about 50 others. At 11 a.m., the library doors opened. Once past the first door, people formed into a loose double line. A woman was to Nick's right. All of a sudden, a man silently cut in front of Nick. Where did he come from, Nick wondered. Why would he cut in line, Nick asked himself. What's the rush? The library had plenty of books. It had plenty of seats. Nick looked at the man. He was young. Young and rude, Nick thought. He asked the man, "Why did you cut in line?" The man ignored him. Nick repeated, "Excuse me. Why did you cut in line?" The man turned around. He looked at Nick. "I didn't cut in line. There was an empty space in front of you. I took the empty space."

1 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。