The soldiers had been marching and fighting, they were dirty, hot and tired. One day, the general announced: "My men, I have some good news and some bad news for you. Which one would you like first?"
"The good news!" they all shouted.
"OK," said the General. "The good news is that you will each be receiving a complete change of clothing."
"Hurrah!" chorused the soldiers.
"And now for the bad news. Jack, you will change with John. John, you will change with Tom. Tom, you will change with Robert. Robert ....
士兵們連續的行軍，作戰，他們又累又熱又髒。一天，將軍宣佈：“士兵們，我有一些好消息和壞消息要告訴你們。你們願意先聽哪個呢?”
“好消息!”他們嚷道。
“好吧，”將軍說，“好消息就是你們每個人都可以徹底的換一身衣服。”
“烏拉!”士兵們高興地大叫起來。
“現在呢，該是壞消息了。傑克，你將和約翰換衣服，約翰，你和湯姆換，湯姆，你和羅伯特換，羅伯特……”