English Original
A man went into a pet shop and told the owner he wanted to buy a pet. However, he didn't want an ordinary pet; he wanted one that could do everything!
The shop owner suggested a faithful dog.
The man replied, "Come on, a dog?"
The owner then said, "How about a cat?"
"No way!" the man exclaimed. "A cat certainly can't do everything. I want a pet that can do everything!"
The shop owner thought for a minute and said, "I've got it! A centipede!"
"A centipede?" the man said, skeptical. "I can't imagine a centipede doing everything, but okay... I'll try one."
He took the centipede home and gave it its first command: "Clean the kitchen."
Thirty minutes later, he walked into the kitchen. It was immaculate! All the dishes and silverware were washed, dried, and put away; the countertops were cleaned; the appliances were sparkling; and the floor was waxed. He was absolutely amazed.
He then said to the centipede, "Go clean the living room."
Twenty minutes later, he entered the living room. The carpet had been vacuumed; the furniture was cleaned and dusted; the sofa pillows were plumped; and the plants were watered.
The man thought to himself, "This is the most amazing thing I've ever seen. This really is a pet that can do everything!"
Next, he told the centipede, "Run down to the corner and get me a newspaper."
The centipede walked out the door. Ten minutes passed... no centipede. Twenty minutes... no centipede. Thirty minutes... still no centipede.
The man began to wonder what was happening. The errand should have taken only a couple of minutes.
Forty-five minutes later, there was still no sign of the centipede. He grew worried. Had it run away? Been hit by a car? Where was it?
He went to the front door, opened it, and found the centipede sitting right outside.
"Hey!" the man shouted. "I sent you to get a newspaper 45 minutes ago! What happened?!"
The centipede replied, "I'm goin'! I'm goin'! I'm just puttin' on my shoes!"
中文翻译
一位男士走进一家宠物店，告诉店主他想买一只宠物。但是，他不想要普通的宠物；他想要一只什么都会做的宠物！
店主建议养一只忠实的狗。
男士回答：“得了吧，狗？”
店主又说：“猫怎么样？”
“不可能！”男士喊道。“猫肯定不能什么都做。我想要一只什么都会做的宠物！”
店主想了一会儿，说道：“有了！蜈蚣！”
“蜈蚣？”男士怀疑地说。“我无法想象蜈蚣能做所有事，不过好吧……我试试看。”
他把蜈蚣带回家，下达了第一个指令：“打扫厨房。”
三十分钟后，他走进厨房。厨房一尘不染！所有的盘子和餐具都洗净、烘干并收好了；台面擦得干干净净；电器闪闪发亮；地板也打了蜡。他惊讶不已。
接着，他对蜈蚣说：“去打扫客厅。”
二十分钟后，他走进客厅。地毯吸过了尘；家具擦拭干净，灰尘也掸掉了；沙发靠垫拍得蓬松；植物也浇了水。
男士心想：“这是我见过最神奇的事了。这真是一只能做所有事的宠物！”
接下来，他吩咐蜈蚣：“跑到街角去给我买份报纸。”
蜈蚣走出了门。十分钟过去了……蜈蚣没回来。二十分钟……没回来。三十分钟……还是没回来。
男士开始纳闷发生了什么。这个差事应该只需要几分钟。
四十五分钟后，仍然不见蜈蚣的踪影。他担心起来。它跑掉了吗？被车撞了？它到底在哪儿？
他走到前门，打开门，发现蜈蚣就坐在门外。
“嘿！”男士喊道。“我四十五分钟前就叫你去买报纸了！怎么回事？！”
蜈蚣回答：“我这就去！我这就去！我还在穿鞋呢！”