纸盒里的獴[1]
译自德文 by me
英文由Gemini proofreading过。
The mongoose in the cardboard box
Two men face each other on a passenger train from Leipzig to Dresden. A large cardboard box rests on the overhead shelf. Its contents are unknown.
One man keeps glancing at the box, unable to contain his curiosity. "I'm sorry," he finally says, "but what's in the box?"
"A mongoose."
The man is surprised and silent for a moment. Then he asks, "What exactly is a mongoose?"
"A mongoose? It eats snakes!"
Even more surprised, the man thinks for a bit. "What are you doing with it?"
"I'm bringing it to my aunt in Dresden."
"Ah, I see."
After a while, the man thinks again. "Does your aunt have snakes?"
"No, but she often dreams of them!"
"But if she only dreams of snakes, they aren't real, are they?"
"This isn't a real mongoose, either!"
纸盒里的獴
在从莱比锡开往德累斯顿的火车上，两个男人面对面坐着。在他们头顶上的行李架上有一个看上去相当大的纸盒子，你是猜不出里面有什么东西的。
其中一个男人总是好奇地往行李架上看，最后他忍不住开口问：
“对不起 …. 行李架上那个纸盒里有什么东西？”
“一只獴。”
那个男人吃了一惊，沉默了一会儿，就问:
“请原谅我，獴是什么？“
“獴，它吃蛇！“
那个男人更吃惊了，思索了一会儿，又问：
“嗯….您用獴做什么？“
“我把它带到住在德累斯顿的我的姑姑那儿去。“
“哦。是这样的。“
过了一会儿男人仔细思索此事：
“请告诉我，您的姑姑那儿有蛇吗？”
“没有。但是她常常梦到蛇！”
“但是…., 如果她只是梦到蛇，那蛇就不是真的蛇！”
“这獴也不是真的獴！”
[1]. p. 29. Der Mungo im Karton. Dr. Wagner. Learn German through Jokes Lachen und Lernen. Ernest Publications. 2025.
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下图选自
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongoose
下图选自”Oxford AdvancedLearner's English-Chinese Dictionary:
下面的文字选自Gemini：
Meerkats are a type of mongoose. They both belong to the same family, Herpestidae. However, there are some key differences between them.
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Social Structure: Meerkats are highly social and live in large groups called "mobs" or "gangs," with a complex social hierarchy. Most other mongoose species tend to be more solitary.
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Size: Mongooses are generally larger than meerkats, which are quite small.
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Appearance: Meerkats have distinctive markings, including dark patches around their eyes that act like sunglasses and stripes on their backs. They have a more pointed snout. Mongooses have a wider variety of colors and markings, with a more rounded snout.
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Geographical Range: Meerkats are found exclusively in southern Africa, particularly in the Kalahari Desert. Mongooses are more widespread, found in Africa, Asia, and southern Europe.
So, while a meerkat is a mongoose, not all mongooses are meerkats. It's similar to how a house cat is a type of feline, but not all felines are house cats.
