英语美文：谁的狗最聪明

Four friends were arguing over whose dog was the smartest. The first man, an engineer, called to his dog, "T Square, show your stuff. " The dog trotted¹ over to a desk, pulled out a paper and pencil, and drew a perfect triangle.

四个朋友在为谁的狗最聪明而争吵。第一个人是个工程师，他对自己的狗喊道：“T形角，使出你的本领来。”这只狗便跑向一个书桌，拉出一张纸和一支铅笔，画出了一个完美的三角形。

The next guy, an accountant, called to his dog, "Slide Rule, go ahead. " The dog went to the kitchen, nibbled² opened a bag of cookies and pided the contents into four equal piles.

第二个人是个会计。他对他的狗说：“Slide Rule，上吧。”那狗直奔厨房，用嘴咬开一袋甜饼并把饼分成了四等份。

The next man, a chemist, beckoned³ his dog, Beaker, to show what he could do. The dog went to the fridge, took out a quart of milk and poured out exactly eighty ounces into a measuring cup.

第三个人是位药剂师。他命令他的狗Beaker表现一下。但见那狗径直走向冰箱，叼出一瓶牛奶并精确地把八盎司牛奶倒入一个量杯中。

The last man was a government worker. "Coffee Break," he hollered to his dog, "go to it. " With that, the dog jumped to his feet, soiled the paper, ate the cookies and drank the milk.

最后一位是政府职员。“休息时间，”他对自己的狗喊叫，“去吧。”话还未落，那狗便跳起来，踏污了那张纸，吃掉了所有的甜饼，喝光了那杯牛奶。

1 trotted   

小跑，急走( trot的过去分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走

参考例句：

• She trotted her pony around the field. 她骑着小马绕场慢跑。
• Anne trotted obediently beside her mother. 安妮听话地跟在妈妈身边走。

2 nibbled   

v.啃，一点一点地咬（吃）( nibble的过去式和过去分词 )；啃出（洞），一点一点咬出（洞）；慢慢减少；小口咬

参考例句：

• She nibbled daintily at her cake. 她优雅地一点一点地吃着自己的蛋糕。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Several companies have nibbled at our offer. 若干公司表示对我们的出价有兴趣。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 beckoned   

v.（用头或手的动作）示意，召唤( beckon的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He beckoned to the waiter to bring the bill. 他招手示意服务生把账单送过来。
• The seated figure in the corner beckoned me over. 那个坐在角落里的人向我招手让我过去。 来自《简明英汉词典》