英语小达人 295 Lemon Squeeze

 　　Lemon Squeeze

　　挤柠檬

　　The local bar was so sure that its bartender was the strongest man around that they had a standing¹ $1,000 bet. The bartender would squeeze a lemon until all the juice ran into a glass, and hand the lemon to a patron. Anyone who could squeeze one more drop of juice out would win the money. Many people had tried over time but nobody could do it.

　　当地的酒吧确信他们的侍者是附近地区最强壮的人，于是他们开了一个1000美元的赌盘。那个侍者会把一只柠檬的汁水都挤到一个玻璃杯里，然后把这只挤干的柠檬交给顾客，无论谁能再挤出一滴来，就可以赢得那1000美元。很多人都来试过了，可是没人能做到。

　　One day, a scrawny little man came in, wearing thick glasses and a polyester suit.

　　一天，一个戴着厚厚的眼镜、穿着涤纶套装的瘦小男人走了进来。

　　"I'd like to try the bet," he said in a tiny, squeaky voice. After the laughter had died down, the bartender grabbed a lemon, and squeezed away. He handed the wrinkled remains² of the rind to the little man. But the crowd's laughter turned to total silence as the man clenched³ his fist around the lemon and six drops fell into the glass.

　　“我想试一试，”他发出一种尖而细的声音。等大家的笑声减弱了，侍者抓起一只柠檬挤干，然后把剩下的皱巴巴的东西递给那个小个子。当那人攥紧拳头又往杯子里挤了六滴柠檬汁时，酒吧里已经变得鸦雀无声。

　　As the crowd cheered, the bartender paid the $1,000 and asked the little man what he did for a living. Was he a lumberjack, or a weightlifter, or what?

　　侍者在大家的欢呼声中付给小个子1000美元，又问他是做什么的，是伐木工、举重运动员还是别的什么？

　　"I work for the IRS."

　　“我在国内收入署工作。”

　　Lemon Squeeze

　　挤柠檬

　　The local bar was so sure that its bartender was the strongest man around that they had a standing $1,000 bet. The bartender would squeeze a lemon until all the juice ran into a glass, and hand the lemon to a patron. Anyone who could squeeze one more drop of juice out would win the money. Many people had tried over time but nobody could do it.

　　当地的酒吧确信他们的侍者是附近地区最强壮的人，于是他们开了一个1000美元的赌盘。那个侍者会把一只柠檬的汁水都挤到一个玻璃杯里，然后把这只挤干的柠檬交给顾客，无论谁能再挤出一滴来，就可以赢得那1000美元。很多人都来试过了，可是没人能做到。

　　One day, a scrawny little man came in, wearing thick glasses and a polyester suit.

　　一天，一个戴着厚厚的眼镜、穿着涤纶套装的瘦小男人走了进来。

　　"I'd like to try the bet," he said in a tiny, squeaky voice. After the laughter had died down, the bartender grabbed a lemon, and squeezed away. He handed the wrinkled remains of the rind to the little man. But the crowd's laughter turned to total silence as the man clenched his fist around the lemon and six drops fell into the glass.

　　“我想试一试，”他发出一种尖而细的声音。等大家的笑声减弱了，侍者抓起一只柠檬挤干，然后把剩下的皱巴巴的东西递给那个小个子。当那人攥紧拳头又往杯子里挤了六滴柠檬汁时，酒吧里已经变得鸦雀无声。

　　As the crowd cheered, the bartender paid the $1,000 and asked the little man what he did for a living. Was he a lumberjack, or a weightlifter, or what?

　　侍者在大家的欢呼声中付给小个子1000美元，又问他是做什么的，是伐木工、举重运动员还是别的什么？

　　"I work for the IRS."

　　“我在国内收入署工作。”

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。

2 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

3 clenched   

v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He clenched his fists in anger. 他愤怒地攥紧了拳头。
• She clenched her hands in her lap to hide their trembling. 她攥紧双手放在腿上，以掩饰其颤抖。 来自《简明英汉词典》