歌德英文書店的部落格

幽默指數：☆☆☆☆☆

The Plus Sign

A ten-year-old Jewish boy was failing math. His parents tried everything from tutors to hypnosis; but to no avail. Finally, at the insistence of a family friend, they decided to enroll their son in a private Catholic school.

After the first day, the boy's parents were surprised when he walked in after school with a stern, focused and very determined expression on his face. He went straight past them, right to his room and quietly closed the door.

For nearly two hours he toiled away in his room - with math books strewn about his desk and the surrounding floor. He emerged long enough to eat, and after quickly cleaning his plate, went straight back to his room, closed the door and worked feverishly at his studies until bedtime.

This pattern of behaviour continued until it was time for the first quarter's report card. The boy walked in with it unopened - laid it on the dinner table and went straight to his room. Cautiously, his mother opened it and, to her amazement, she saw a large red 'A' under the subject of Math.

Overjoyed, she and her husband rushed into their son's room, thrilled at his remarkable progress. "Was it the nuns that did it?" the father asked.

The boy shook his head and said "No."

"Was it the one-to-one tutoring? The peer-mentoring?"

"No."

"The textbooks? The teachers? The curriculum?"

"No", said the son. "On that first day, when I walked in the front door and saw that guy nailed to the plus sign, I KNEW they meant business!"

有一個十歲的猶太男孩數學老是不及格，他的父母親從家教到催眠都試過了，但全都失敗了，終於在其中一個家庭朋友的主張下，他們決定讓小男孩入學一所私立天主教學校。

第一天放學後，男孩的父母親很驚訝地看見男孩臉上帶著堅定、專心的表情直接走進房間並且安靜地關上門。

他在他的房間努力了將近兩個小時，房間地板滿是散滿了數學教科書，然後出來吃點東西，快速地把盤子掃乾淨後，又直接回房裡讀書直到就寢時間。

這個行為模式一直持續到第一次考試完，終於發成績單了，男孩走進帶著還沒打開的成績單，放在桌上並又直接走進他的房裡，母親小心翼翼地打開它，令她驚訝地，她看到數學科目得了一個大A。

男孩母親興奮地拉著父親跑進孩子的房裡，為他顯著的進步激動地問道：「是修女們的功勞嗎？」

男孩搖搖頭答道：「不是。」

「是一對一家教嗎？還是同儕間的輔導呢？」

「不。」

「是教科書？老師？還是學校的課程？」

「不，」男孩答道：「當第一天我走進前門看見一個人被釘在一個『加號』上，我就知道他們是認真的了。」