The Captain called the Sergeant in.“Sarge，I just got a telegram. Private Jones’mother died yesterday. Better go to tell him and send him in to see me.”
So the Sergeant calls for his morning formation and lines up all the troops.“Listen up，men，”says the Sergeant.“Johnson，report to the mess hall for KP. Smith，report to Personnel to sign some papers. The rest of you men report to the Motor Pool for maintenance. Oh，by the way，Jones，your mother died，report to the commander.”
Later that day the Captain called the Sergeant into his office.“Hey，Sarge，that was a pretty cold way to inform Jones his mother died. Couldn’t you be a bit more tactful，next time？”“Yes，sir，”answered the Sarge. A few months later，the Captain called the Sergeant in again with，“Sarge，I just got a telegram. Private McGrath’s mother died. You’d better go to tell him and send him in to see me. This time be more tactful.”So the Sergeant called for his morning formation.“Ok，men，fall in and listen up. Everybody with a mother，take two steps forward—NOT SO FAST，McGRATH！”
请说得再婉转些
舰长把军事长叫进去，说：“军事长，我刚刚收到一份电报，说列兵琼斯的母亲昨天去世了。你最好把这个消息告诉他，并让他来见我。”
因此军事长命令出早操，让全体士兵排好队。“士兵们，听我的命令，”军事长道，“约翰森，你到食堂报到，去给他们帮厨；史密斯，你到人事处报到，去签几份文件。其余的都到机舱报到，去维护轮机。噢，对了，琼斯，你母亲去世了，赶紧去向司令官报到。”
当天晚些时候，舰长把军事长叫进了办公室。“嗨，军事长，你太没有人情味儿了，不能就这么通知琼斯，说他母亲去世了。下次再遇到这种情况，能说得再婉转些吗？”“是，长官。”军事长答道。几个月后，舰长又把军事长叫进了办公室。“军事长，我刚刚收到一份电报，列兵迈克格雷的母亲去世了。你最好把这个消息告诉他，并让他来见我。这次要说得再婉转些。”因此军事长又命令士兵出早操。“好了，士兵们，集合，听我的命令。所有母亲还健在的，往前走两步——迈克格雷，你不用走那么快！”
重点英语词汇：
1.Captain - 上尉
2.Sergeant - 中士
3.telegram - 电报
4.Private - 列兵
5.mother - 母亲
6.formation - 队形
7.troops - 部队
8.report - 报到
9.mess hall - 餐厅
10.KP - 厨房勤务
11.Personnel - 人事部门
12.papers - 文件
13.Motor Pool - 车辆维修站
14.maintenance - 维修
15.tactful - 体贴的
16.Johnson - 约翰逊
17.Smith - 史密斯
18.Jones - 琼斯
19.McGrath - 麦克拉夫
20.fall in - 集合
21.take two steps forward - 向前迈两步
22.NOT SO FAST - 别那么快
23.commander - 指挥官