William may well be called the champion optimist. He was sitting on the root of his house during a flood, watching the water flow fast, when the neighbor who owned a boat rawed across to him.
威廉可以称得上是世界上最乐观的人了。在一次洪水中，他坐在自己家的屋顶上，看着洪水从脚下流过。这时，他的邻居坐在自己家的小船里向他划了过来。

“Hi, William!” said the man.
“你好，威廉！”邻居说。

“Hi, Jack!” replied William, brightly.
“你好，杰克！”威廉兴高采烈地说。

“All your fowls washed away this morning?”
“今天早上你的家禽都被水冲跑了吧？”

“Yes, but the ducks can swim.”
“是的，不过鸭子们是会游泳的。”

“Orange trees gone, too?”
“橘子树也被冲走了吧？”

“Yes, but everybody said the crop would be a failure anyhow.”
“是的，不过人人都说，这些橘子树是不会有收成的。”

“I see the river’s reached above your windows, William.”
“我看到洪水已经淹到你的窗户了，威廉。”

“That’s all right, Jack,” was the reply. “The windows needed washing.”
“没事儿，杰克，”威廉说，“那些窗户正好需要刷洗了。”