看笑話學英語：今年冬天冷不冷？
whether the winter will be cold
Indians ask their new chief whether the winter will be cold or mild. Since the young chief never learned the ways of hisancestors, he tells them to collect firewood, then he goes off and calls the National Weather Service.
"Will the winter be bad?" he asks.
"Looks like it," is the answer.
So the chief tells his people to gather more firewood. A week later, he calls again.
"Are you positive the winter will be very cold?"
"Absolutely."
The chief tells his people to gather even more firewood, then calls the Weather Service again: "Are you sure?"
"I'm telling you, it's going to be the coldest winter on record."
"How do you know?"
"Because the Indians are gathering firewood like crazy!"
印地安人問他們的新酋長，這個冬天是冷還是溫暖。這位年輕的酋長從沒學過祖先那些本領，他只好吩咐他們去撿木柴，然後自己走到一邊去給國家氣象局打電話。
“今年冬天會不會很冷?”他問。
“看上去是這樣的。”他得到這樣的回答。
於是酋長要求大家收集更多的木柴。一個星期後，他又打電話給國家氣象局。
“你確信今年冬天會很冷?”
“毫無疑問。”
酋長隨即要求族人撿更多的木柴，然後再次給國家氣象局打電話：“你肯定嗎?”
“我告訴你，那將是有史以來最寒冷的冬天。”
“你怎麼知道?”
“因爲印第安人正發瘋似地撿木柴!”
【註釋】
1. 文中有句"Are you positive the winter will be very cold?"，這裏的positive意思是“肯定的，確定的”，Are you positive就相當於Are you sure或者Are you certain，你確定嗎。可以回答"I'm positive.", "Absolutely.", "Definitely."等等。
2. on record的意思是記錄在案的，有記載的，所以文中這句"it's going to be the coldest winter on record"意思就是“那將是有紀錄以來最寒冷的冬天。”我們再學兩個關於record的詞組：set/create/establish a record 創造記錄;hold/keep a record 保持記錄。
