英语幽默笑话：年迈的母亲

Three sons left home, went out on their own and prospered. Getting back together, they discussed the gifts they were able to give their elderly mother.

The first said, "I built a big house for our mother."

The second said, "I sent her a Mercedes with a driver."

The third smiled and said, "I've got you both beat. You remember how mom enjoyed reading the Bible? And you know she can't see very well. So I sent her a remarkable parrot that recites the entire Bible. It took elders in the church 12 years to teach him. He's one of a kind. Mama just has to name the chapter and verse, and the parrot recites it."

Soon thereafter, mom sent out her letters of thanks:

"Milton," she wrote one son, "The house you built is so huge. I live in only one room, but I have to clean the whole house."

"Gerald," she wrote to another, "I am too old to travel. I stay most of the time at home, so I rarely use the Mercedes. And the driver is so rude!"

"Dearest Donald," she wrote to her third son, "You have the good sense to know what your mother likes. The chicken was delicious."

[参考译文]

3 个儿子离家后，在他们各自的地方发展了起来。 这次一同回来，他们在讨论送给老母亲的礼物。

第一个说：“我建造了一大房子给我们母亲.”

第二个说，“我位母亲配备了一位司机和梅塞德斯汽车.”

第三个微笑着说，“我的礼物要比你们好。 你们还记得妈妈非常喜爱读圣经吗? 并且你们都知道她视力不怎么好。 因此我寄给她一只惊人的鹦鹉，它可以背诵整个圣经，教堂里花了12年的时间才教会它。 它是该种类里最优秀的。 妈妈仅仅只要知道圣经的章节和诗名，鹦鹉就能背诵它。 ”

不久此后，妈妈发出她的感谢的信：“弥尔顿，” 她给一个儿子写道，“你建造的房子太大了。 而我仅住其中一个房间，但我必须打扫整个房子。”

“杰拉尔德，”她给另一个写道，“我太老了不能出去旅行。 我大都数时间都呆在家里，因此我很少使用梅塞德斯那汽车，并且司机态度也很粗鲁!”

“最亲爱的的唐纳德，”她给她的第3个儿子写道，“你有好感觉知道你的母亲喜欢什么。 鸡肉是美味的。 "