A Probllem in Arithmetic

算数问题

Bill is a good student and an intelligent boy. He likesto study arithmetic, and he can do all of thearithmetic problems in his book easily.

比尔是一个好学生，也是个聪明的孩子。他喜欢学算数，课本上所有的算术题他都能轻而易举地做出来。

One day on his way to school Bill passed a fruitstore. There was a sign in the window which said, "Apple-Six for five cents." An idea came to Bill and hewent into the store.

有一天，比尔去上学，路上经过一家水果店。店的窗户上有个招牌写着：“苹果——六个五分钱。”比尔冒出个想法，走进店去。

"How much are the apples?" he asked the store.

“苹果多少钱?”他问店里。

"Six for five cents."

“六个五分钱。”

"But I don’t want six apples."

“可我不想要六个。”

"How many apples do you want?"

“你想要几个?”

"It is not a question of how many apples I want. It is a problem in arithmetic."

“这不是我想要几个的问题，这是个数学问题。”

"What do you mean by a problem in arithmetic?" asked the man.

“数学问题，你什么意思啊?”那人问。

"Well, if six apples are wroth five cents, then five apples are worth four cents, four apples areworth three cents, three apples are worth rwo cents, two apples are worth one cent and oneapple is worth nothing. I only want one apple, and if one apple is worth nothing then it is notnecessary for me to pay you."

“你看，要是六个苹果值五分钱，那五个苹果就值四分钱，四个苹果就值三分钱，三个苹果就值两分钱，两个苹果就值一分钱，而一个苹果就不值钱。我只要一个苹果，要是一个苹果不值钱，那我就不用给你钱了。”

Bill picked out a good apple, began to eat it, and walked happily out of the store. The manlooked at the young boy with such surprise that he could not say a word.

比尔挑出一个漂亮的苹果，张口就咬，然后高高兴兴地走出店去。那人目瞪口呆地瞧着这小男孩，一句话也说不出来。