原文熟悉：

　　Simon's beating his brains out绞尽脑汁的西蒙

　　Simon was an inveterate(根深的) fisherman, well known for exaggerating  the size of the one that got away. But there came a day when he actually caught two enormous flounders(挣扎，比目鱼) . He immediately invited a few friends over to dine, then tried to figure out how best to serve the fish. If I use both, he told his wife, it will seem ostentatious(招摇的) .

　　西蒙是个老练的渔夫。人们都熟知他爱吹嘘跑掉的那条鱼的尺寸。但有一天他确实抓了两条极大的比目鱼。他立刻邀请几个朋友过来吃饭，然后着力搞清楚怎样上鱼。如果两条一起上，他对妻子说，好像有点炫耀之嫌了。

　　Why not serve a piece of each? she suggested.

　　何不两条鱼各上一块呢?他妻子建议道。

　　No, if I cut them up, nobody will believe I caught two giant flounders. Simon racked his brain. Then he had an idea.

　　不行，如果把两条鱼都切碎了，就不会有人相信我抓了两条大比目鱼了。西蒙绞尽了脑汁，终于想出了一个好办法。

　　The guests were seated at the table when their host strode in with a platter(大盘子) , holding the biggest flounder they'd ever seen. Suddenly Simon stumbled and fell. Everyone cried out in dismay as the fish crashed to the floor, but Simon quickly brushed himself off.

　　客人已在餐桌边就座完毕，这时主人大步地走进来，手里端着一个托盘，托盘上是一个他们所见过的最大的比目鱼。突然西蒙被什么东西绊了一下摔倒了。所有的人都惊慌地叫了起来，因为鱼在地板上摔得粉碎。但是西蒙迅速地摆脱了窘境。

　　Dear, he called out to his wife, bring in the other flounder!

　　亲爱的，他对妻子喊道，把另一条鱼端上来!

　　词汇速递：

　　1.inveterate /ɪnˈvɛtərɪt/ If you describe someone as, for example, an inveterate liar or smoker, you mean that they have lied or smoked for a long time and are not likely to stop doing it. 根深蒂固的

　　例：Nominalists accordingly adopt the opinion that substance is a spurious idea due to our inveterate human trick of turning names into things.我们人类有种根深蒂固的习惯，惯于把名称变为实物，因此，唯名主义者才主张说，实体是一个虚假的概念。

　　2.exaggerate /ɪɡˈzædʒəˌreɪt/ CET4 If you exaggerate, you indicate that something is, for example, worse or more important than it really is. 夸大

　　例:He thinks I'm exaggerating.他认为我在夸大其词。

　　3.figure outIf you figure out a solution to a problem or the reason for something, you succeed in solving it or understanding it. 想出; 弄明白 [非正式]

　　例：It took them about one month to figure out how to start the equipment.他们用了大约一个月的时间才弄明白如何启动这台设备。

　　4.ostentatious /ˌɒstɛnˈteɪʃəs/ If you describe something as ostentatious, you disapprove of it because it is expensive and is intended to impress people. 铺张的 [表不满]

　　例：Obviously he had plenty of money and was generous in its use without being ostentatious.显而易见，他有很多钱，花钱虽大方却不摆阔。

　　5.stumble /ˈstʌmbəl/ CET6 If you stumble, you put your foot down awkwardly while you are walking or running and nearly fall over. 踉跄; 绊脚

　　例：He stumbled and almost fell.他绊了一下，差点儿摔倒。

（编辑：何莹莹）