當刮風的時候
很多年前，一個農場主在大西洋沿岸有一塊土地，他經常貼廣告雇傭人手。可是，很多人都不愿意在大西洋岸邊的農場干活，他們害怕大西洋上空劇烈的風暴會破壞房屋和莊稼。所以當這個農場主招工面試時，得到的都是否定的答案……直到一個矮小瘦弱的男人出現……
Years ago a farmer owned land along the Atlantic seacoast. He constantly advertised for hired hands. Most people were reluctant to work on farms along the Atlantic. They dreaded the awful storms that raged across the Atlantic， wreaking havoc on the buildings and crops. As the farmer interviewed applicants for the job， he received a steady stream of refusals.
Finally， a short， thin man， well past middle age， approached the farmer. “Are you a good farmhand？” the farmer asked him.
“Well， I can sleep when the wind blows，” answered the little man.
Although puzzled by this answer， the farmer， desperate for help， hired him. The little man worked well around the farm， busy from dawn to dusk， and the farmer felt satisfied with the man's work.
Then one night the wind howled loudly in from offshore. Jumping out of bed， the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed next door to the hired hand's sleeping quarters. He shook the little man and yelled， “Get up！ A storm is coming！ Tie things down before they blow away！”
The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly， “No sir. I told you， I can sleep when the wind blows.”
Enraged by the response， the farmer was tempted to fire him on the spot. Instead， he hurried outside to prepare for the storm. To his amazement， he discovered that all of the haystacks had been covered with tarpaulins. The cows were in the barn， the chickens were in the coops， and the doors were barred. The shutters were tightly secured. Everything was tied down. Nothing could blow away.
The farmer then understood what his hired hand meant， so he returned to his bed to also sleep while the wind blew.
英語，散文本文地址：http://www.hengchuai.cn/writing/essay/54754.html
