|
Lesson 40 Whos who 真假难辨 It has never been explained why university students seem to enjoypractical jokes more than anyone else. Students specialize in a particular typeof practical joke: the hoax. Inviting the fire-brigade to put out anon-existent fire is a crude form of deception which no self-respecting studentwould ever indulge in. Students often create amusing situations which are funnyto everyone except the victims. When a student recently saw two workmen using a pneumatic drilloutside his university, he immediately telephoned the police and informed themthat two students dressed up as workmen were tearing up the road with apneumatic drill. As soon as he had hung up, he went over to the workmen andtold them that if a policeman ordered them to go away, they were not to takehim seriously. He added that a student had dressed up as a policeman and wasplaying all sorts of silly jokes on people. Both the police and the workmenwere grateful to the student for this piece of advance information. The student hid in an archway nearby where he could watch and heareverything that went on. Sure enough, a policeman arrived on the scene andpolitely asked the workmen to go away. When he received a very rude reply fromone of the workmen, he threatened to remove them by force. The workmen told himto do as he pleased and the policeman telephoned for help. Shortly afterwards,four more policemen arrived and remonstrated with the workmen. As the menrefused to stop working, the police attempted to seize the pneumatic drill. Theworkmen struggled fiercely and one of them lost his temper. He threatened tocall the police. At this, the police pointed out ironically that this wouldhardly be necessary as the men were already under arrest. Pretending to speakseriously, one of the workmen asked if he might make a telephone call beforebeing taken to the station. Permission was granted and a policeman accompaniedhim to a pay phone. Only when he saw that the man was actually telephoning thepolice did he realize that they had all been the victims of a hoax. | 
