Beneficial lesson

In England nobody under the age of eighteen is allowed to drink in a public bar．

Mr． Thompson used to go to a bar near his house quite often，but he never took his son，Tom，because he was too young． Then when Tom had his eighteenth birthday， Mr．Thompson took him to his usual bar for the first time．They drank for half an hour， and then Mr．Thompson said to his son，“Now， Tom，I want to teach you a useful lesson．You must always be careful not to drink too much． And how do you know when you've had enough？ Well， I'll tell you．Do you see those two lights at the end of the bar？ When they seem to have become four，you've had enough and should go home．”

“But， Dad，” said Tom，“I can only see one light at the end of the bar．”

有益的教訓

在英國，十八歲以下的人不準進酒吧喝酒。

湯普森先生以前常常去他家附近的一個酒吧喝酒，但他從來不帶他的兒子湯姆去，因為他年紀太小。后來，當湯姆年滿十八歲的時候，湯普森先生第一次帶他去他常去的那家酒吧。他們喝了半個小時，而后，湯普森先生對他兒子說：“湯姆，現在我要告訴你一個有益的教訓。你必須時時小心不要喝得太多。你怎么知道你喝夠了呢？好，我來告訴你。你看見酒吧那頭有兩盞燈嗎？當那兩盞燈看起來變成四盞的時候，你就喝夠了，應該回家了。

“可是，爸爸。”湯姆說：“在酒吧那頭我只能看見一盞燈。”