【生词预览】

approach接近，whisper低声说，urge催促，fund存款

【笑话原文】

Nearing the End

Nearing the end, Chuck is surrounded by loved ones. As the final moment approaches, he gathers all his strength and whispers, "I must tell you my greatest secret." His family urges him to go on.

"Before I got married, I had it all," Chuck explains. "Fast cars, cute girls, and plenty of money. But a good friend warned me, 'Get married and start a family. Otherwise, no one will be there to give you a glass of water to drink when you're on your deathbed.' So I took his advice. I traded the girls for a wife, beer for baby food. I sold my Ferrari and invested in college funds. And now here we are. And you know what?"

"What?"

"I'm not even thirsty!"

【中文译文】

临死之前

临死之前，Chuck被他挚爱的家人包围着。知道自己的最后时刻就要来了，他拿出所有力气，轻声耳语，“我必须告诉你们一个最大的秘密。”他的家人催他赶紧说。

Chuck说，“在我结婚之前，我什么都有：靓车，美女，还有大把大把的钱。但是一个好朋友警告我说，‘你应该结婚，建立一个家庭，否则当你奄奄一息躺在床上时，都没个人会为你端上一杯水。’于是我听取了他的建议，离开了姑娘们，娶了一个妻子。我不再把钱花在啤酒上，而是留下来给孩子们买吃的。我卖掉了我的法拉利，投资了大学基金。所以现在才有了你们。可你们知道吗？”

“知道什么？”

“可是现在我一点都不渴啊！”

【词汇讲解】

1.approach接近。可作及物或不及物动词：Few actors approach him in ability.在才华方面很少有演员可与他媲美。He approaches in stealth.他偷偷摸摸地逼近。

2.whisper低声说。 在口语里有这么一个短语：in a pig’s whisper，是“低声地”或者“转眼间”的意思。

3. gather all one's strength，意思是“用尽全身的力气”。我们再来学几个关于gather的短语：gather speed表示“加速”；gather breath指“喘气”；gather up one's courage意思是“鼓起勇气”。另外gathering是名词，是“集会，聚集”的意思，所以“家庭聚会”就可以说a family gathering。

4.on one's deathbed，deathbed就是“临终所卧的床”，所以这个短语就表示while one is in bed and dying。例如：While he lay on his deathbed, he told his lawyer that he wanted to give all his money to charity. 他临死之时告诉律师，他想把钱都捐给慈善机构。

5.trade…for… 用…交换…。要注意两个名词的位置，比如文中“I traded the girls for a wife”是“（舍去）很多女孩儿，换来一个妻子”，而不是“舍去妻子换来很多女孩”。

6.invest投资。除了有投入钱的意思，也可以指投入时间、感情：She invested all her love in her daughter.她把全部的爱倾注在女儿身上。 Invest…with使充满：The palace was invested with glamour and romance.这座宫殿充满了魅力和浪漫气息。