Who killed Abraham Lincoln? the teacher asked her seventh-graders.
Everyone but John raised a hand to answer.
Do you know, John? she asked John.
Damn it, I don't know and I don't care! the boy yelled1, arms crossed. "Stop asking questions."
Upset2, the teacher kept John after class and called his father for a conference3. "What's the problem?" John's dad asked when he arrived. "Why is my son in detention4?"
I asked John who killed Abraham Lincoln and he cursed5 and said he didn't know and didn't care, and told me to stop asking him questions.
Furiously, the man grabbed6 John by the collar. "What's your problem, son?" He shouted. "If you killed the man, just say so."
Notes:
1. yell 叫喊
2. upset 不安,憂慮
3. conference 會晤,對話
4. detention 留堂
5. curse 詛咒
6. grab 抓住,揪住
一名老師問她所教的七年級學生們:“誰暗殺了林肯?”
除約翰外,所有學生均舉起手來。
老師問約翰:“你知道答案嗎?”
約翰雙手交叉,大聲叫道:“見鬼,我不知道,也不在乎。不要再問我問題了。”
老師感到很不安,課后把約翰留下來,并打電話讓約翰的爸爸過來當面談一談。約翰的爸爸到了之后,問老師:“我兒子怎么了,為什么被您留下來?”
老師說:“我問他誰殺了林肯,他罵人,說他不知道也不在乎,并要我不再問他任何問題?!?
約翰的爸爸非常生氣,抓起兒子的衣領,吼道:“兒子呀,你究竟怎么了?如果是你殺了人,你就承認啊?!?
Useful link:
1865年4月14日晚上,林肯總統(tǒng)來到華盛頓的福特劇院看表演。10點15分,一個名叫布斯(John Wilkes Booth)的頗有名氣的演員潛入沒有守衛(wèi)的總統(tǒng)包廂,在距離林肯不到兩英尺的后方,用一把大口徑手槍向總統(tǒng)頭部開槍。第二天凌晨,林肯總統(tǒng)去世。