English Original
Bill was a bright student who excelled at arithmetic. One day, on his way to school, he passed a fruit store with a sign in the window: "Apples — Six for five cents." An idea struck him, and he went inside.
"How much are the apples?" he asked.
"Six for five cents," replied the shopkeeper.
"But I don't want six apples."
"How many do you want, then?"
"It's not about how many I want," said Bill. "It's a problem in arithmetic."
"What do you mean?" asked the man, puzzled.
Bill explained: "If six apples are worth five cents, then five apples are worth four cents, four apples are worth three cents, three apples are worth two cents, two apples are worth one cent, and one apple is worth nothing. I only want one apple. If it's worth nothing, I don't need to pay you."
With that, Bill picked out a good apple, began eating it, and walked happily out of the store. The shopkeeper was so surprised he couldn't say a word.
中文翻译
比尔是个聪明的学生，擅长算术。一天，在上学路上，他经过一家水果店，橱窗上挂着一个牌子：“苹果——五美分六个。”他灵机一动，走了进去。
“苹果怎么卖？”他问。
“五美分六个，”店主回答。
“但我不想要六个。”
“那你想要几个？”
“这不是我想要几个的问题，”比尔说，“这是一个数学问题。”
“你是什么意思？”店主困惑地问。
比尔解释道：“如果六个苹果值五美分，那么五个苹果值四美分，四个苹果值三美分，三个苹果值两美分，两个苹果值一美分，一个苹果就一文不值。我只要一个苹果。如果它一文不值，我就不需要付钱给你了。”
说完，比尔挑了一个好苹果，吃了起来，然后高高兴兴地走出了商店。店主惊讶得一句话也说不出来。