An old gentleman whose eyesight was failing came to stay in a hotel room with a bottle of wine in each hand. On the wall there was a fly which he took for a nail①. So the moment he hung②them on， the bottles fell broken and the wine spilt all over the floor. When a waitress discovered what had happened， she showed deep sympathy③for him and decided to do him a favor.
So the next morning when he was out taking a walk in the roof garden， she hammered④a nail exactly where the fly had stayed.
Now the old man entered his room. The smell of the spilt wine reminded him of the accident. When he looked up at the wall， he found the fly was there again！ He walked to it carefully and slapped⑤it with all his strength. On hearing a loud cry， the kind-hearted waitress rushed in. To her great surprise， the poor old man was there sitting on the floor， his teeth clenched and his right hand bleeding！
① nailn. 钉子
② hangv. 把……挂起
③ sympathyn. 同情，怜悯
④ hammerv. 锤击，锤打
⑤ slapv. 掴……耳光，用手掌打
钉子还是苍蝇
一位视力正在衰退的老绅士住进了一家旅馆的客房。他双手各拿一瓶酒。在墙上有只苍蝇，他误以为是枚钉子。他把两只瓶子朝上一挂，瓶子掉下来摔碎了，酒洒了一地。一个女服务员发现发生的事情以后，对他深表同情，决定帮他个忙。
于是，第二天早上他到楼顶花园散步时，她把一枚钉子钉在了苍蝇停过的地方。
这里，老人回到了房里。倒洒的酒味让他想起了那件事。他抬头往墙上一看，苍蝇又停在了那儿！他轻手轻脚地走近，使尽全力拍了一掌。听到一声大叫，好心的女服务员冲进房来。让她大为吃惊的是，可怜的老头正坐在地板上，牙关紧咬，右手滴血不止。
