【生詞預覽】

deliver生產（嬰兒）lantern燈籠，attendance出席

【笑話原文】
　
Is It the Light that's Attracting Them?

Mike lives in the countryside with no electricity.

One night, Mike's wife begins to deliver the baby. The local doctor is there in attendance.

"What do you want me to do, Doctor? "

"Hold the lantern, Mike. Here it comes!" the doctor delivers the child and holds it up for the proud father to see.

"Mike, you're the proud father of a fine strapping boy." "Saints be praised, I..." Before Mike can finish, the Doctor interrupts, "Wait a minute. Hold the lantern, Mike." Soon the doctor delivers the next child.

"Thanks to..."

Again the Doctor cuts in, "Hold the lantern, Mike, Hold the lantern!"

Soon the Doctor delivers a third child. The doctor holds up the baby for Mike's inspection.

"Doctor," asks Mike, "Do you think it's the light that's attracting them?"

【中文譯文】

是燈吸引的他們嗎

麥克住在沒電的鄉(xiāng)村。

一天晚上，麥克的老婆就要生產了。當地醫(yī)生來了。

“醫(yī)生，我要做些什么？”

“舉好燈，麥克。孩子要出來了！”醫(yī)生接過孩子并舉起來給這位自豪的父親看。

“麥克，你真是個值得驕傲的父親，你的孩子很強壯。”“上帝保佑，我……”麥克還沒說完，醫(yī)生就打斷他，“等等。拿好燈，麥克。”不一會兒，醫(yī)生又接生了第二個孩子。

“感謝你……”

醫(yī)生又插話道：“拿好燈，麥克，拿好燈！”

不久，醫(yī)生又接生了第三個孩子。醫(yī)生把孩子舉起來給麥克瞧瞧。

“醫(yī)生，”麥克說，“你覺得是燈光把孩子們吸引出來的嗎？”

【詞匯講解】

1.deliver生孩子，接生。deliver還有很多別的含義，比如“釋放”：deliver sb. from slavery把某人從奴役中解救出來。“進攻”：They have delivered the terrorists a telling blow.他們已經給恐怖分子有力的痛擊。

2.attendance出席。take attendance點名。There was a large attendance at the meeting.到會的人很多。它還有“護理”的意思：be in attendance on the Royal Family侍候王室

3.strapping強壯的。還有“巨大的”的意思：a strapping lie彌天大謊

4.praise贊揚。His father never praised him.他父親從不稱贊他。He had a lot of praise for her work.他對她的工作大加贊賞。

5.cut in插嘴。這個詞組還有“切入”的意思：After sifting the flour into a mixing bowl, cut the lard in.把面粉篩入攪拌碗中后，把豬油剁進去。

6.inspection檢查，審視。On closer inspection the notes proved to be forgeries.經進一步仔細查看，發(fā)現這些鈔票是偽造的。