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Lesson 305 The facts

Editors of newspapers and magazines often [1]go to extremes to [2]provide their readers with unimportant facts and statistics. Last year a journalist had been instructed by a well-known magazine to write an article on the president's palace in a new African republic. When the article arrived, the editor read the first sentence and then refused to publish it. The article began: 'Hundreds of steps lead to the high wall which surrounds the president's palace.' The editor at once [3]sent the journalist a fax instructing him to find out the exact number of steps and the height of the wall.  

The journalist immediately set out to obtain these important facts, but he took a long time to send them. Meanwhile, the editor was [4]getting impatient, for the magazine would soon go to press. He sent the journalist [5]two more faxes, but received no reply. He sent yet another fax informing the journalist that if he did not reply soon he would be fired. When the journalist again failed to reply, the editor reluctantly published the article as it had originally been written. A week later, the editor at last received a fax from the journalist. [6]Not only had the poor man been arrested, but he had been sent to prison as well. However, he had at last been [7]allowed to send a fax in which he informed the editor that he had been arrested while counting the 1084 steps leading to the 15-foot wall which surrounded the president's palace.

確切事實

    報章雜誌的編輯常常走向極端，提供其讀者無關緊要的事實和統計數字。去年，一名記者受一家有名的雜誌指示(命令/吩咐)寫一篇關於在一個新非洲共和國總統官邸(皇宮)的文章。稿子到達後，編輯看第一個句子就拒絕予以刊載(發表)。文章的開頭是這樣的：「數百級的臺階通向環繞總統官邸的高牆。」編輯立即發傳真給那名記者，指示他查明臺階的確切數字和圍牆的高度。

    記者立即出發(著手)去取得這些重要的數據事實，但他花了很長的時間才寄來。其間，編輯變得不耐煩，因為雜誌馬上要付印。他給記者再發了兩份傳真，但沒收到任何答覆。他又再發另一份傳真，通知那位記者說，若他不迅速答覆，將被解雇。當記者再次沒有回覆，編輯勉強依照原本所寫的文稿刊載。一周之後，編輯終於接到記者的傳真。那個可憐的男人不僅被逮捕，而且也被送進了監獄。不過，他最終獲准發送一份傳真，在電報中他通知編輯他被逮捕，就在他計數一千零八十四級臺階時，通向圍繞總統官邸十五英呎高牆的臺階。