English Original
Two women are on a transcontinental balloon voyage. Their craft is engulfed in fog, and their compass has gone awry. Afraid of landing in the ocean, they drift for days. Suddenly, the clouds part to reveal a sunlit meadow below. As they descend, they see a man walking his dog.
One of the balloonists yells down, "Where are we?"
The man yells back, "About a half mile from town."
Once again, the balloonists are engulfed in the mist. One says to the other, "He must have been a lawyer."
The other replies, "A lawyer! How do you know that?"
The first says, "That's easy. The information he gave us was accurate, concise, and entirely irrelevant."
中文翻译
两位女士正在进行一次跨大陆的热气球航行。她们的飞行器被浓雾吞没，指南针也失灵了。由于害怕降落在海上，她们漂流了数日。突然，云层散开，下方出现了一片阳光照耀的草地。当她们下降时，看到一个人正在遛狗。
其中一位气球驾驶员向下喊道：“我们在哪儿？”
那人喊道：“离镇子大约半英里。”
气球驾驶员们再次被雾气吞没。一人对另一人说：“他肯定是个律师。”
另一人答道：“律师！你怎么知道？”
第一个人说：“很简单。他给我们的信息准确、简洁，但完全无关紧要。”